Chapter 11 A dark and windy night is perfect for running away.
Azure spiritual energy surged from his body, and Qiao Yanshen held a spirit stone in his hand, using the meager spiritual energy within it to leap forward another small realm.
She slowly exhaled and opened her eyes, the bright colors within flickering for a moment before settling back into their original deep blue.
She's just one step away from perfection; once she achieves perfection, she'll break through to the Foundation Establishment stage. Every major realm advancement requires facing a tribulation of lightning, the higher the realm, the more dangerous it is. However, she hasn't yet established her foundation, her physical strength is not much different from that of ordinary people, and she lacks treasures that can help her resist the tribulation of lightning. She'll probably have to go through the gates of hell when the time comes.
A commotion could be heard from outside the courtyard, but the barrier remained unmoved. She assumed it was just people playing around and didn't pay any attention.
Until Shen Lixia rushed into the house.
"Senior Sister!"
As a top student who had been assigned to the class committee by his teacher because of his strict self-discipline and outstanding performance in all aspects since childhood, Qiao Yanshen knew the seriousness of the matter as soon as he heard the voice.
This is terrible! My junior sister has definitely gotten herself into trouble.
Could they have destroyed the spirit field? Or did the mischievous spirit beast accidentally escape?
Although it sounds like a huge loss, as long as she keeps saving spirit stones, she should be able to make it.
However, Shen Lixia's next words shattered the peace she had just achieved through self-reassurance: "I blew up those guys blocking your way!"
It exploded?
Qiao Yanshen was uncharacteristically stunned for a moment, his heart surging with emotion, and his voice even carried a hint of joy that was barely perceptible: "Can you cultivate now? The fusion of golden and fire spiritual power can indeed achieve an explosive effect."
Shen Lixia was on the verge of tears, all her composure vanished, and she shouted, "I used the Thunderfire Spirit Orb! It almost blew their backs off!"
My senior sister didn't immediately pay attention to what she was saying; instead, she focused on the methods she used.
Shen Lixia didn't notice that the moment she saw Qiao Yanshen, all her strength vanished. Her previous calmness and fierceness disappeared, like a child whose anger had subsided and who belatedly realized the trouble she had caused.
The colors on her body seemed to have a special ability to soothe the boy, allowing Shen Lixia to relax.
Qiao Yanshen hesitated for a moment, then walked up to Shen Lixia and opened his arms slightly to her.
This is a signal that further contact is possible.
Without much hesitation, Shen Lixia pounced on her, but didn't hug her tightly. Instead, she held onto Qiao Yanshen's arm and rested her head on her shoulder. Qiao Yanshen heard the boy's rapid breathing and quickened heartbeat, and thought that this was the first time she had seen her junior sister so frightened—the scene was indeed quite gruesome.
But it's good that Shen Lixia is alright.
She placed her hand on Shen Lixia's back, gently patting her to comfort her, without saying much, just waiting for Shen Lixia to calm down a bit.
The boy buried his face in her shoulder for a while, and when he didn't hear any scolding, he carefully raised his head and said in a muffled voice in her ear, "Senior sister, you're not angry with me?"
"It's not my fault," Qiao Yanshen said softly. "I'm just glad you're alright."
That group of people was powerful and of bad character. She had been worried that Shen Lixia would be implicated and targeted. Seeing that the other party was not harmed after this ordeal, and after a spiritual energy scan, she found nothing unusual, and finally felt a little relieved.
"But I hurt someone."
“Those people were up to no good, and you did the right thing. I told you not to interfere before because I was worried that you would be affected.”
Shen Lixia has a passionate nature and is more sensitive to the cold and warmth of life than I am, which is a sign of her vigorous vitality. However, for cultivators, this can easily lead to disasters and troubles caused by inner demons.
Qiao Yanshen often found this strange, wondering why those who were clear about their likes and dislikes would restrain themselves, allowing the ruthless path to become the mainstream—like the selection process of Heaven, only puppets who had severed their seven emotions and six desires.
She didn't dislike Shen Lixia's personality; it was like a flame that illuminated her path as she walked alone in the long, dark night.
"This will implicate Senior Sister..." Shen Lixia finally voiced her biggest worry, "They will definitely seek revenge on Senior Sister. I was too impulsive..."
That's incredibly careless. If they had just killed him directly, there wouldn't have been any more trouble. Shen Lixia kept this half-sentence to herself.
Qiao Yanshen gently patted her back again and repeated, "This is not your fault. Since they already have the intention to harm me, it is only a matter of time before they take it a step further."
After speaking, she placed her hand on Shen Lixia's shoulder, gently pushing her away slightly, then cupped the other's face in her hands. Their eyes met, and Qiao Yanshen saw the guilt and lingering fear in the young man's eyes, so he pressed his forehead against hers. A slightly lower temperature was transferred between them, and a reassuring bond connected them once more.
Shen Lixia calmed down considerably, gently nuzzling Qiao Yanshen, feeling the soft strands of his hair brush against her, and muttered, "They want to forcibly dismantle the barrier."
"I see." Qiao Yanshen understood and sighed, "They even resorted to such methods... Well, they should have gone back by now. Let's sit down and talk slowly."
After they finished speaking, the two parted ways, and Qiao Yanshen went to the stove to boil water and make tea, just like yesterday.
However, this time she secretly dropped a few pieces of sugar into Shen Lixia's teacup.
Shen Lixia sat cross-legged at her desk, planning her schedule for the rest of the day.
If she hurt someone, she'd likely be held accountable, and she probably wouldn't be able to stay in this sect. Leaving the sect, wouldn't she become a wanted criminal and be hunted down? The situation seemed even worse. Should she hide her identity and embark on a life of wandering, disguising herself as a destitute person until the storm passed—no, she didn't want to see her senior sister wearing those burlap sack-like clothes.
Besides, entering the sect was the result of my senior sister's hard work, so how can we let all her efforts go to waste because of her?
She was the one who caused this trouble, so she should pack her things and leave tonight under the cover of darkness, so that she won't implicate her senior sister.
As she was pondering, the sound of a teacup clinking against the table interrupted Shen Lixia's thoughts. Qiao Yanshen knew that she would become completely absorbed whenever she thought about something, so he deliberately emphasized it. Shen Lixia obediently sat up straight, pulling her wandering thoughts back, and waited for Qiao Yanshen to speak.
“I’ve accepted a mission in the Third Domain. Since it spans three domains, they have no reason to pursue us, and the powerful families behind them can’t reach there for the time being. We can use this opportunity to recuperate, bide our time, and deal with this matter after we’ve increased our strength.”
Before Shen Lixia could respond, Qiao Yanshen quickly began to explain.
“I know that menial tasks shouldn’t be taken on, but the situation is urgent, and I’m worried about leaving you here alone, Li Xia. So you’ll come with me to the Third Region. The mission is that a ghost skilled in illusion has appeared in Kuizhou of the Third Region, and many people are being harassed by it. This ghost can lure people into dreams, and although those who enter the dream are physically unharmed upon waking, they have lost all their possessions, and some have even had their clothes stripped off. The sect demands that we resolve this matter, so let’s go and find out what’s behind this illusion.”
“Okay, I’ll go with my senior sister.” Shen Lixia nodded.
"This mission is not just for the two of us. There is another person who has also taken on this task and left a message point. I will send a letter later and ask that person to come to meet me tonight to see who it is."
Please, please don't be one of those people who won the lottery... Shen Lixia prayed silently.
Qiao Yanshen seemed to see through her thoughts and added, "I heard that Lin Fenghua is a disciple of True Monarch Jiuzhi, and the others around him should be as well. But this one seems to be a disciple of True Monarch Cangling, so there's no need to worry too much. Alright, hurry up and pack your things, and then get some rest. The Third Domain is very far away, and after leaving the sect by sword, we will still have to travel by water."
At this point, Qiao Yan felt a pang of nostalgia. She grew up in a water town, and although she had a slight fear of water due to some past events, she couldn't help but feel sentimental when she saw it, and had a strange affection for the continuous rivers.
After drinking tea, Shen Lixia went to tidy up the talisman she had been drawing halfway. She had originally intended to write a message and ask Qiao Yanshen to pass it on to Ji Yun, but then she thought that this would probably only leave traces and implicate her, so she gave up the idea.
Let's not create unnecessary causes and effects.
She followed Qiao Yanshen's advice and went to rest in a small room to prepare for the evening's trek.
This time, Shen Lixia slept very lightly. Unlike before, she didn't move unconsciously. Instead, she tightly gripped the blanket and quietly sank into a cold dream.
As usual, a beam of light entered the room, and a person walked in and sat down beside Shen Lixia. His gaze mingled with the watery moonlight and fell on the boy's face.
Qiao Yanshen reached out and touched the boy's brow, stroking the furrowed brow. Her movements were very light, as if she were touching not skin, but a fragile object, a fragile flame. She felt a dampness on her fingertips and looked down to see a thin layer of sweat on his forehead.
She silently continued to trace and stroke the contours of the other's face until she heard his breathing gradually become steady. Only then did she withdraw her hand, sit cross-legged not far from the boy, and circulate her energy to stabilize her cultivation.
As night deepened, mist rose, and the mountains and forests fell into complete silence.
A figure arrived on a sword and stood before the courtyard gate. Voices could be heard coming from inside the courtyard, faintly transmitted through the slightly damaged barrier.
Are you afraid of fire?
"There are some..."
The sound grew closer, and the person outside the courtyard stood quietly in the moonlight, the emerald green leaf hair ornament in their hair swaying in the breeze, becoming the only bright spot.
Shen Lixia had just stepped out of the courtyard gate when she exclaimed in surprise, "Senior Sister Tang!"
Qiao Yanshen followed closely out of the courtyard. Seeing that it was an acquaintance, he felt slightly relieved, nodded to the other person, and smiled, "It seems that there is no need to worry about this mission."
Besides the crisp scent of dew, a faint smell of burning lingered in the air. Tang Huairou reached out and sniffed carefully, her eyes filled with curiosity: "So it's Junior Sister Qiao and Junior Sister Shen. Did something happen here before? Why does it smell so strange?"
Shen Lixia touched the tip of her nose guiltily.
"Maybe something dirty got here and spontaneously combusted," Qiao Yanshen said casually.
Spontaneous combustion? That's really rare.
Tang Huairou wisely refrained from asking further questions. She had heard some rumors recently and wanted to inquire more, but her master had recently emerged from seclusion and was extremely strict with her, telling Tang Huairou to quickly accumulate this year's contribution points so that she could go on an adventure to the secret realm with him and prepare for the upcoming sect competition.
However, it seems the matter has been resolved—or at least partially resolved—so she'll just wait for her junior sisters to speak up. Tang Huairou could tell that both of them were strong-willed and wouldn't easily ask for help.
That's good, it's able to withstand the test.
She gracefully stepped onto the longsword, her eyes asking Shen Lixia if she wanted to come along. He quickly shook his head and took a step back.
Senior Sister's sword-flying style is too unrestrained, so let's skip it.
Seeing this, Qiao Yanshen also drew his longsword, hovered it in mid-air, and stepped onto it. Shen Lixia followed her, jumping onto the longsword and standing steadily behind her.
Tang Huairou found it amusing, but what followed was even more exciting—Qiao Yanshen slightly raised his arms, turned slightly, and nodded to Shen Lixia. The evening breeze ruffled her long hair, like ripples of dark silk in the night. Shen Lixia understood and reached out to tightly wrap her arms around Qiao Yanshen's waist, pressing herself against her back.
Almost the instant the two pressed together, a faint blush rose on Qiao Yanshen's face. Her skin was pale, and any extra color was clearly visible; the sword beneath her trembled almost imperceptibly.
Unfortunately, the person behind her had closed their eyes since coming up, cowering behind her, completely unaware of her discomfort. As a result, even the scorching heat was swept away by the night breeze.
Tang Huairou withdrew her gaze, sighing inwardly, but unable to suppress a smile on her face. Spiritual energy flickered, swirling around the sword like shimmering waves. She turned and flew ahead towards her destination.
A note from the author:
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