Chapter 22 The three of them are "really close".
Hua Xun looked at Jin Huan, who was still the same as before, but whose every move was much more composed, making Hua Xun feel a sense of unfamiliarity.
"The Golden Cultivator and the Flower Cultivator actually know each other?" Li asked in surprise.
Hua Xun came to her senses and looked at Li Shi, about to respond, when she heard Jin Huan laugh and say, "We met by chance."
Then Jin Huan looked at her again: "It's been half a year since we last met at the Divine Lord Temple. Miss Hua Xun, you've been quite well..."
"The changes are quite significant."
When Hua Xun heard Jin Huan mention the "Shenjun Temple," her doubts gradually lessened.
After all, only she, Jin Huan, and the God on the shrine knew about the affairs of the Divine Lord Temple.
Besides, she had only spent a few hours with him, and after a human turned into a demon, his temperament was always unpredictable and capricious.
I've heard that some people, after turning into demons, are kind and friendly to their families one day, but slaughter their entire clan the next.
Perhaps Jin Huan has experienced something in the past six months that caused his personality to change so drastically.
“You too, you’ve changed a lot,” Hua Xun said, a slight smile playing on her lips. She felt an invisible pressure emanating from Jin Huan. “Why are you here?”
Jin Huan laughed and said, "I've heard that if you can awaken Young Master Chen, you can get a thousand taels of gold."
Still so greedy.
Hua Xun inwardly scoffed, but her doubts were largely dispelled once again.
Hua Xun turned to look at the Divine Lord: "Sir, this is the cultivator I met at the Divine Lord's Temple... named Jin Huan."
She almost blurted out "demonic cultivator," but thankfully changed her mind at the last minute.
The deity looked at Jin Huan, who was also looking at him.
In less than a moment, the deity withdrew his gaze, his voice gentle: "Hmm."
“It is good that you all know each other,” Madam Li stepped forward to smooth things over. “Master Jin, please take a seat first. I will have someone bring you more bowls and chopsticks.”
Jin Huan glanced at the food and wine on the table, a hint of disgust flashing in his eyes.
Without saying much, he slowly took his seat.
"By the way, what did Miss Hua Xun want to say just now?" Fang Qinglian asked, remembering what Hua Xun hadn't finished saying.
Hua Xun said, "Young Madam, would you please have someone bring a bowl of plain porridge?"
As soon as she finished speaking, Jin Huan across from her seemed to remember something and looked up at her.
Fang Qinglian quickly ordered someone to bring out the congee. Hua Xun took it and naturally placed it in front of the deity: "My master has always been a man of simple tastes. Thank you for your consideration, young mistress."
Fang Qinglian quickly shook her head: "Miss Hua Xun is too kind."
Shenjun Jiuqing looked at the congee in front of her, glanced at Hua Xun, and was met with a smiling face.
He withdrew his gaze, slowly picked up the jade-white porcelain spoon, and calmly drank it down.
Across from him, Jin Huan stared at the bowl of porridge, remaining motionless for a long time.
It wasn't until Li placed a piece of roasted meat in the bowl in front of him that Jin Huan looked away, staring at the greasy, glistening meat.
What is a delicacy in the eyes of ordinary people is nothing more than a piece of rotten flesh to him.
It's disgusting.
After finishing our meal, it was nearly dusk.
Because Jin Huan's arrival was sudden, and the Chen family's courtyard was large, they didn't have time to prepare a new courtyard.
Tingxue Pavilion was spacious, with three rooms. Li carefully asked the group if they could stay there for the night.
Hua Xun didn't think there was anything wrong with it. After all, the Chen family was large and wealthy, and their house was divided into inner and outer rooms, so there was plenty of room for everyone.
The deity was always casual about his residence and never said much.
Jin Huan quickly agreed.
Fang Qinglian escorted the three back to Tingxue Pavilion and then left.
Hua Xun looked around the courtyard in front of her. It was much larger than the gardener's house where she had stayed before, and there were many red and plum trees planted in the courtyard.
It is now early winter, and all the flowers have withered. The red flowers under the wall and the plum branches, which can withstand the cold, are naturally favored by the human race.
"Sir, there are flowers here too!" Hua Xun exclaimed in delight.
The deity had already noticed the flowerbeds planted along the corner of the wall, but still responded gently, "Hmm."
Jin Huan, who was walking behind, looked over there and paused when his gaze fell on the flower branches swaying in the wind.
"By the way, Jin Huan," Hua Xun turned to look at him and asked, "would it be alright if you stayed in the west wing?"
Jin Huan's expression quickly returned to normal, and he forced a smile: "Everything is fine."
Hua Xun smiled and said, "Thank you."
After thanking him, she smiled and turned her head, walking eastward with the deity, her voice light and gentle: "Sir, please rest in the east wing."
"It's quiet here and close to the flowers; you can see plum branches as soon as you open the window..."
The little demon's chattering voice faded into the distance.
The smile on Jin Huan's lips gradually faded as he watched her follow the deity into the east wing, laughing and talking as they entered.
Just as she was about to close the door, Jin Huan inexplicably spoke up: "Miss Hua Xun."
His voice was gentle, but his eyes were filled with gloom.
Hua Xun stood behind the door, turning around in confusion: "Hmm?"
In an instant, a smile skillfully appeared in Jin Huan's eyes: "I heard that Miss Hua Xun has already examined Chen Changyan's body. I wonder if she could tell me about it?"
Hua Xun hesitated, after all, it involved the Heavenly Soul of Lord Luo He. She turned to look at the Lord.
"It's alright," the Divine Lord said calmly.
Hua Xun then nodded in agreement.
In winter, it gets dark early for humans.
In no time at all, the sun had set.
Hua Xun took out a fluorite, infused it with a trace of magic power, and instantly illuminated the room as bright as day.
A square eight-immortal table was placed in the center of the room, with the three people each on one side.
Hua Xun sat in the middle, glancing at the God on his left and then at Jin Huan on his right, feeling that the atmosphere was somewhat strange.
She cleared her throat and revealed her findings when examining Chen Changyan's meridians: "At noon, I discovered that the Qi in Chen Changyan's meridians circulated smoothly, just like that of an ordinary person. In fact, I felt that his meridians were even wider than those of ordinary mortals. However, I did not detect his soul."
“Chen Changyan has been in a coma for two years, most likely because his soul was extracted by someone,” Hua Xun stated his judgment, then turned to look at the Divine Lord, silently questioning whether he was right or wrong.
Jin Huan glanced at her looking across the room and suddenly said, "Absolutely impossible."
Hua Xun looked away and gave him a strange look.
Jin Huan was only at the Golden Core stage, while she could now easily defeat Golden Core cultivators, so she naturally didn't believe what he said and looked at the Divine Lord again: "What do you think, sir?"
Jin Huan's expression changed slightly, and his eyes darkened.
Divine Lord Jiu Qing smiled gently: "It is indeed impossible."
Hua Xun was puzzled and asked sincerely, "Why?"
The deity patiently replied: "If the soul leaves the body, the physical body will be like a wooden figure, the breath will be stagnant, and there will be no flow of pure energy."
Hua Xun was taken aback: "Does the gentleman mean that Chen Changyan's soul is still in his body and has not been removed?"
The deity nodded.
"Then why hasn't he woken up yet?" Hua Xun murmured, then suddenly realized something and widened her eyes in surprise, "Unless, his soul has been sealed in his past memories."
The physical body can ultimately detect traces of the soul, but memories are invisible and elusive, making them a perfect hiding place for the soul.
Just like some human children born with intellectual disabilities, who remain as young as six-year-olds throughout their lives, it is because their minds and souls remain only at the age of six.
The deity smiled and said, "Indeed."
Hua Xun was troubled: "Then how can I find his soul?"
"Are we going to search his memories...?"
Hua Xun's voice stopped abruptly. She remembered that when she was learning immortal arts at White Mist Cliff, she had learned the incantation for entering dreams.
It means that while someone is sound asleep, one can quietly slip into their sleep and see all the memories they have experienced in their consciousness.
Where Chen Changyan's soul is sealed can be found out with just one visit.
Hua Xun hurriedly told the deity her thoughts.
After a moment of contemplation, the deity said gently, "Chen Changyan is a mortal with a fragile body, and I'm afraid he won't be able to withstand such immense power."
Upon hearing this, Hua Xun thought that although the God Lord's descent to the mortal realm was an avatar, it was still a divine body. He feared that Chen Changyan would die from broken meridians as soon as he entered Chen Changyan's consciousness.
Jin Huan looked at the demon and the god talking as if no one else was around, his eyes slightly lowered.
A strange feeling was slowly brewing in my chest, which was unpleasant.
So he said playfully, "Why don't I go with Miss Hua Xun?"
The sudden voice caught Hua Xun's attention, and then her eyes brightened slightly: "Yes, sir, I can go with Jin Huan."
The deity looked at Jin Huan, who was also looking at him.
After a few breaths, the Divine Lord said calmly, "Even the Golden Cultivator should not go."
"Why?" Hua Xun asked, puzzled.
The deity smiled slowly and said, "Chen Changyan's fate is not yet over."
Hua Xun became increasingly confused.
Jin Huan retorted, "His fate hasn't run out yet, what does that have to do with me?"
The divine lord looked at him and said, "The laws of Heaven and the workings of destiny are not easily changed."
Although Hua Xun did not know what the connection was between Chen Changyan's unfinished fate and whether Jin Huan went or not, seeing that the Divine Lord said so, he must have his reasons.
She especially disliked Jin Huan's attitude towards the God-King. She was unsure if it was just her imagination, but she always felt that Jin Huan didn't show much respect for the God-King.
“Since you say so, there must be a reason,” Hua Xun said, looking at Jin Huan. “It’s just a matter of entering a dream to investigate, which I can do myself.”
Sensing the obvious protectiveness in her words, Jin Huan's face darkened, revealing an indescribable frightening quality.
Hua Xun was slightly taken aback. For some reason, the aura emanating from Jin Huan felt both familiar and unsettling. She instinctively moved away from the direction of the Divine Lord: "I will go to see Young Madam Fang tomorrow and tell her about the dream..."
Before she could finish speaking, a fiery red figure suddenly appeared in the dimly lit corner of the room. With a sharp scream, the red figure attacked the three of them at a speed imperceptible to the naked eye.
Hua Xun was startled and before she could react, her hand instinctively grabbed the Divine Lord's wrist, pulling him to his feet and back a few steps.
The fiery red light missed its target and then attacked Jin Huan again.
A faint crimson light emerged from Jin Huan's hand, but it quickly transformed into a point of green light, striking the light and shadow before swiftly dodging to the side.
The fiery red figure neither dodged nor avoided the attack, its body scattering and rapidly closing in mid-air like specks of light.
Hua Xun watched this scene, and her heart sank.
In the brief moment when they closed, she could barely see them clearly.
This fiery red light had the shape of a fox, but its body was almost transparent, making it seem more like... a soul.
Its magical power far surpassed hers; in fact, she never sensed any demonic aura from it, but rather a pure and ethereal spiritual energy.
It felt very familiar, just like the atmosphere on White Mist Cliff.
Before she could think further, the fox turned around again and came toward her.
Hua Xun hurriedly dodged behind her, but the back of her head bumped into the cold divine light.
She knew that it was the divine light protecting her.
Hua Xun paused, just as the fox was about to attack. She heard a gentle sigh in her ear, and the divine light that could shut everything out gradually softened and became delicate, enveloping her.
Hua Xun leaned against a cool, warm chest.
It felt like being embraced from behind by a deity.
The fox was blocked by an invisible force and could not move forward even an inch. A hint of panic appeared in its narrow eyes. It glanced at the man in white, and then turned around in an instant. Its fiery red figure suddenly disappeared from the spot, and its aura also quickly vanished completely.
Hua Xun remained standing stiffly in place, leaning against the God's chest.
Even during that unexpected embrace on Mount Fuyu, they were separated by a layer of divine light so faint it was almost imperceptible. This was the first time they had ever truly touched each other like this.
"So intimate."
The sudden sound brought Hua Xun back to her senses. When she met Jin Huan's gaze, which was fixed on her, she realized that she was still leaning against the God-King's arms.
Her cheeks flushed bright red, and she quickly took a step forward: "My Lord, I just..."
"It's alright." The deity still smiled slightly, tolerant and gentle, seemingly not taking this intimate touch to heart.
The blush on Hua Xun's face froze instantly, then gradually faded. She responded dejectedly and turned to look at Jin Huan: "Are you alright?"
Just now, in my haste, I only cared about myself and the God, leaving the other party aside and ignoring them. I still feel a little guilty about it.
Jin Huan stared at her face, then chuckled briefly after a long pause: "It's nothing."
After saying that, he turned and walked outside, stepping into the dark night, heading towards the west wing.
The door opened by itself without any wind, then slammed shut again.
The figure standing behind the door gradually changed its appearance after a flash of crimson light.
His once delicate face transformed into an incomparably handsome one. He stood expressionless in the room, his black robes billowing, and a hint of barely suppressed rage flickering in his eyes.
The scenes from just now kept flashing before my eyes.
She served Changsang Jiuqing congee; she secured a room for Changsang Jiuqing with a view of flowers from the window; and even...
She instinctively tried to protect Chang Sang Jiuqing.
But what echoed in his turbulent sea of consciousness were some trivial matters that he had long forgotten.
When his magic power dissipated and he lost all his flesh and blood, he refused to eat the food of the human race.
The little demon, holding a steaming bowl of porridge, said with a troubled expression, "Baili Sheng, if you really don't want to eat human food, then just drink some plain porridge. You don't have any magic power right now, and you might not be able to endure it if you don't eat."
He loathed the humble little courtyard, yet she diligently sowed the seeds of flowers and plants every day.
When the courtyard was filled with blooming flowers in summer, she smiled and asked him, "Bai Lisheng, do you know why my name is Hua Xun?"
"Because I love the colorful flowers, I named myself after flowers. And since I took human form by the stream, I named myself Xun."
When he was being hunted down by the Three Realms, she carried him as they fled through the mountains and forests, time and time again shielding him with her body.
She would always say with a smile: "Because you saved my life, you are my savior, and you remember my name."
In reality, he had no recollection of ever saving such a weak demon, nor did he remember her name.
The reason I was able to recall her name was that she had imitated the mortal children who bullied her, practicing the two characters "Hua Xun" on paper over and over again, and then casually placing them on the table after finishing.
Because no one taught her, her handwriting was crooked and difficult to decipher.
Later, in order to use her to conceal his whereabouts, he taught her to write for a period of time...
With a loud "boom," the leaked magic overturned the elegant room, and the flying tables and chairs were instantly reduced to dust after hitting the invisible barrier.
The area inside and outside the barrier was calm, but inside the barrier, chaos and disorder reigned.
Good night, sir.
A familiar voice faintly came from outside the barrier, and Baili Sheng suddenly woke up.
He stared blankly at the mess in the room.
What is he doing?
Anger? For that little demon?
His presence here was merely to witness the ridiculous scene of Changsang Jiuqing being trapped by the Lingxi Gu and forced to keep a unwanted little demon by his side.
Perhaps, it was also partly a test to see if this little demon would reveal his shameful experiences of the past ten years.
Baili Sheng skillfully suppressed the surging thoughts and memories in his mind.
The sound of a door opening and closing came from the side room next door, and a familiar scent slowly wafted in, lingering in the air.
My body, which had been without sleep for a long time, suddenly felt an unprecedented drowsiness.
Baili Sheng lay quietly on the couch, and for the first time in half a year, she gradually drifted off to sleep...
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