Chapter 29 I Want to Live With You
Only after the princess's figure had completely disappeared did Zhizhi emerge from behind the tree and say to Xiao Sui, "Alright, the princess has already flown away. Let's go back quickly."
Xiao Sui turned to face her and asked, "Can you take me there?"
Zhizhi flatly refused, "No way! Bringing you here to escort the princess is already the limit!"
"I will remain nearby and will not reveal myself. If the princess is in danger, I will rush to her side immediately," Xiao Sui assured him.
"Oh dear, there's Sister Qianyu and Aying, and Young Master Yan, how could you possibly be there?" Zhizhi said disdainfully. "Besides, you're blind and your cultivation is sealed, how can you protect the princess?"
“If the princess is in danger, I will take the Soul-Severing Pill to break the seal,” Xiao Sui said.
"Oh dear, I don't care anymore, you go by yourself!" Seeing his persistence, Zhizhi deliberately made footsteps to pretend to leave, but actually hid behind a tree not far away to observe him.
Without her, he couldn't go anywhere he wanted. He figured she would come running soon once she knew he was gone.
Unexpectedly, Xiao Sui stood there for a moment, then took out a pure black pill from his pocket.
Judging by its color, it's a Soul-Severing Pill.
Oh dear, I'm really afraid of him. Zhizhi sighed deeply. If something happens to him, given how much the princess cherishes him, I don't know how heartbroken she will be.
After all, he had harmed the princess's fiancé, yet the princess couldn't bring herself to punish him severely.
She rushed out and stopped his hand, "I'll take you there, okay!"
——
The biting wind at high altitude stung Ning Qi's cheeks. She glanced at the ground, then immediately looked away, closed her eyes tightly, and clung to Yan Chongyan's waist.
That's way too high and terrifying!
Fortunately, the flight wasn't long, and they landed smoothly at the foot of a mountain. Her legs were a little weak, and Qianyu helped her up.
Yan Chongyan looked around and, after everyone had arrived, said, "It's still early. Let's first visit the area around the village. Whoever finds a clue, contact me immediately with a communication talisman. We'll stay at a villager's house tonight. Xiyue, take the princess and find a family that can provide accommodation."
Xie Xiyue nodded without objection.
Ning Qi, true to her simp persona, immediately objected, "No! Brother Yan, I want to find clues with you! I don't want to look for a place to stay."
The other disciples secretly observed them, not daring to utter a sound.
Yan Chongyan said sternly, "Princess, I am the leader of this group. Everyone must obey my orders. If you do not wish to obey, you may go back now."
Ning Qi stomped her foot in feigned annoyance, but when she didn't hear the system add points, she immediately shut up.
Actually, she thought Yan Chongyan's arrangement was very reasonable. She couldn't handle dealing with monsters, so finding accommodation, a risk-free job, was more suitable for her.
Ning Qi followed Xie Xiyue and knocked on the doors of several houses. The villagers were very friendly when they heard that they had come to exorcise demons, but there were too many of them for each household to accommodate them.
"We'll have to live separately," Xie Xiyue said to Yan Chongyan after they communicated via a teleportation talisman.
“Then I want to live with Brother Yan,” Ning Xi said.
Xie Xiyue sighed, "Senior Brother Yan has already made the arrangements; you'll be living with me."
"Ah." Ning Qi immediately showed a disappointed expression.
Xie Xiyue looked away unhappily.
Perhaps she also wants to live with the male lead? Ning Xi wondered as she acted.
As dusk settled and signs of rain appeared, the fellow disciples who had gone out to search for clues gradually returned and gathered at the village chief's house.
Yan Chongyan summarized the information he had gathered and drew a rough map of the monster's location. "The northern mountains have the most witnesses, but the journey is long. We'll set off promptly at dawn tomorrow. Everyone, get some rest."
Xie Xiyue led the remaining three to the family where they were staying, while Ning Qi lingered beside Yan Chongyan.
“Brother Yan, I want to live with you.” She tugged at his sleeve.
Yan Chongyan glanced down at him and said, "There's not enough room for you and your entourage."
“Then I’ll live with you,” Ning Qi pouted. “Let them live somewhere else.”
The village chief said from the side, "Young lady, men and women should not touch each other. You should go back to your place."
Ning Qi said unhappily, "We are engaged, and we don't even live in the same room. What's the problem?"
As soon as he finished speaking, the system notification appeared: "Devotion value increased by 5, current score 1765."
Upon hearing this, the village chief immediately changed his mind, saying, "Since you are an engaged couple, why don't you both stay here? I happen to have two empty rooms."
Ning Qi smiled with satisfaction, "Then please take us there."
Yan Chongyan couldn't say anything more and could only acquiesce to her willful behavior.
As the village chief led Ning Qi toward the next house, a noise came from the woodshed not far away, as if something was banging on the door.
Ning Qi was drawn to the area and asked, "What's in there?"
The village chief chuckled good-naturedly, "Hey, it's my dog. He's too fierce; I was afraid he'd scare you immortals."
"Oh," Ning Qi replied and followed him into the house.
The room smelled a bit musty, and the mattresses and blankets didn't look new; it was barely habitable.
However, Ning Qi wasn't too picky. After wandering around for a while, she felt a little sleepy.
She simply lowered her head, her fingers itching with nowhere to relieve it.
Sigh, I'm starting to miss Xiao Sui a bit.
She fiddled with her clothes and slowly drifted off to sleep.
However, I didn't sleep very soundly.
She dreamt that she had turned into a cat again, surrounded by strangers all dressed in Huaguangzong attire, and some people were even chasing her away with stones.
She could only keep running, shuttling between rooftops, until finally she saw a familiar figure.
It was herself, Princess Hexi!
She jumped down, ran faster, and bumped into "herself's" calf. The next instant, she was lifted up by the back of her neck.
She saw "herself" and said with disgust, "What kind of beast dares to offend me?"
Then she was thrown hard to the ground, and rolled twice due to inertia before stopping. She was in so much pain that she grimaced and couldn't get up for a long time.
At that moment, the ground began to shake, and she lay there dizzy and disoriented, not knowing what had happened.
"Princess, Princess!" Someone was calling her anxiously.
Ning Qi suddenly opened her eyes and found Yan Chongyan standing right next to her bed.
Huh? Another dream? Why would I dream about the male lead?
She looked at him blankly.
Yan Chongyan said urgently, "Princess, there's been an earthquake here! We must leave quickly!"
Ning Qi then realized that the ground was shaking violently, and there was a loud cracking sound above her head. She looked up and saw that the roof beams were breaking.
She didn't care about anything else, picked up her shoes and ran outside, while Yan Chongyan desperately tried to pull her back.
The two had just left the house when it collapsed with a crash, leaving only wood and lime scattered on the ground, a layer of smoke rising, and some small stones even hitting them.
Nearby rocks began to roll down, threatening to hit them on the head.
Yan Chongyan pulled her aside to avoid a rock the size of a fist, his brows furrowed. "It's not safe here. Let's go to an open space."
He was about to take her away when he turned around and saw the village chief and his family struggling to climb out of the ruins.
The three members of the family had blood on their bodies in different places, likely from injuries sustained when the house collapsed.
"Are you all alright?" Yan Chongyan asked. "Come with us, let's go to the farmland over there and take shelter for a while."
The village chief wiped the blood from his face and waved his hand, saying, "You guys go ahead, I have something to do."
"What could be more important than escaping?" Yan Chongyan said quickly. "Then I'll take Aunt Zhang and the child away first."
The village chief's wife and their child, who was not yet ten years old, both shook their heads. Although they did not speak, it was clear that they were not leaving.
At this moment, the ground tremors stopped, and Yan Chongyan had no choice but to pull Ning Qi along, saying, "Let's go first."
Ning Qi had already put on her shoes, but unfortunately she hadn't taken out her coat. Even though it was summer, it was still a bit chilly in the mountains.
However, judging from the extent of the damage to the house, it's unlikely that her clothes could be found.
Ning Qi was about to leave with Yan Chongyan when she caught a glimpse of the village chief's family heading towards the woodshed they had mentioned earlier.
Didn't they say the dog was inside? Are they staying behind to rescue the dog?
"That's quite loyal and sentimental," she thought to herself, before Yan Chongyan had already pulled her a dozen steps along.
It was pitch black, and although Yan Chongyan had lit a tinderbox, she couldn't see the road at all. She accidentally stepped on something protruding, twisted her ankle, and immediately let out a cry.
Yan Chongyan turned around and asked, "What's wrong?"
A sharp pain shot through Ning Xi's ankle, and she cried out, "I sprained my ankle."
Yan Chongyan sighed, "Can you move?"
Ning Xi tried to take a couple of steps, her face contorted in pain: "It's barely bearable, it hurts a little."
Unsure when an aftershock might occur, Yan Chongyan shoved a tinderbox into her hand, wrapped his arms around her waist and legs, and lifted her up, carrying her forward.
"Oh my, a princess carry." Ning Qi chatted with the system in her mind, "The male lead is quite strong."
"Not bad," the system praised. "Keep up the good work and increase your infatuation points even more."
Ning Qi wrapped her arms around Yan Chongyan's neck, and the two got even closer.
It was quite warm, but she hadn't heard the system notification sound yet.
"Why aren't I getting any points?" she asked the system.
“You already carried him when you were flying on your sword before, and I told you that the effect decreases each time.”
"What else can we do?"
Before she could figure out a way to increase her points, Yan Chongyan had already walked quickly to an open space and put her down.
"I don't know what the others are doing, I'll contact them." Yan Chongyan said, activating his magic and injecting spiritual power into the communication talisman.
Ning Qi stood to the side with her arms crossed, feeling a chill from the wind.
Yan Chongyan spent a long time trying to contact someone before finally getting through.
"Senior Brother Yan!" came the voice from the other end. "Are you alright? Things aren't going well here. Junior Brother Yuan is trapped under a roof beam, and Junior Sister Xie was hit by a rock while trying to find you. I haven't found the rest of our junior brothers yet. If you're alright, could you come over?"
“Okay!” Yan Chongyan said quickly, “Tell me your location, and I’ll be there right away.”
"It's the third house you come in from the village entrance."
Yan Chongyan put away the communication talisman and looked at Ning Qi: "Princess, are you able to contact your attendant?"
Ning Qi shook her head. "I can't use communication talismans with my spiritual power."
By the dim light of the tinderbox, she could see that Yan Chongyan's expression was extremely anxious.
He quickly took off his outer robe and draped it over Ning Qi's shoulders. "Princess, please wait here for a while. If I see your servants, I will tell them your location. I have to go rescue people."
"Hey!" Ning Qi grabbed his arm and looked around. "It's too dark here, and we're in the middle of nowhere..."
Yan Chongyan said, "I will be back as soon as possible."
After saying that, he turned around and walked back to the village he had just left, wearing only a thin shirt, and quickly disappeared into the night.
Ning Qi's feet were still aching, and she couldn't catch up at all.
She was silent for a moment, then asked the system, "Was I really... thrown into this godforsaken place by the male lead?"
"Yes," the system replied indifferently. "It's relatively safe here; staying here for the night shouldn't be a problem."
As they were talking, the ground shook again. Ning Qi barely managed to stand up and agreed with the system's statement that the open space here was indeed safer.
She sat down on the spot, clutching the tinderbox to comfort herself: "Never mind, I'll just wait here for a while. The male lead can't possibly forget about me."
——
Even in the dead of night, candles were still lit in Master Jingyan's room. A cultivator dressed in black entered the room and urgently reported, "Master, a message talisman has arrived from Yuanqing County. Someone has discovered signs of demonic pollution in the upper reaches of the Qinghe River. It seems to have been going on for some time, and there is a high possibility that a Corpse Demon has appeared. Please send Xiao Sui there. Once the Corpse Demon is discovered, eliminate it immediately."
Xie Jingyan snorted coldly, "Xiao Sui has already disappeared, you go this time."
The man in black possessed extraordinary spiritual power, yet a look of terror appeared on his face. "Master, I..."
Xie Jingyan suddenly remembered something and slammed his hand on the table. "Did Xiyue go on a mission to Yuanqing County?! Send ten men there immediately and bring Xiyue back to me safely!"
Upon hearing that ten people had been assigned, the man's expression relaxed slightly, and he cupped his hands in greeting, saying, "I'll take care of it right away."
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Author's Note: Little Yan, tsk tsk tsk
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