Chapter 60 A Thread of Affection She almost didn't care much for this junior sister...
After the evil spirits disappeared, Qin Shiying led his troops to break through the capital and enter the palace. Together with Yue Qifeng and the others, they captured all those who had usurped the throne.
Even though they were injured, their lives were not in danger, and their foundations were not damaged, so they proceeded with the marriage ceremony. On that day, all the women in the country gathered in the capital, bathed in the radiant glow of spiritual energy, and the lingering gloom melted away like snow meeting rain. Some of those with spiritual roots even displayed their talents and resonated with the spiritual energy of heaven and earth.
After the ceremony of their sworn brotherhood was completed, Yue Qifeng and Yun, knowing their unspoken connection, both expressed their wish to linger in the mortal realm for a while before returning to their sect. Although the elders and fellow disciples were worried about their injuries, they knew the two women's nature, so they gave them some instructions, stuffed many pills into their hands, and then left.
Qin Shiying had just finished cleaning the palace when she thought of the statue. Recalling Shen Lixia's expression at the time, she knew that cultivators revered gods no less than mortals, let alone the incarnation of a star. So she quickly announced, "False gods are harmful. The guardian deity of the Southern Kingdom is still Lord Lingguang. I have never heard of any other immortal lord."
Once this order was issued, a nationwide frenzy of smashing and destroying idols ensued. The sounds of banging and crashing filled the air, and men who were used to being arrogant because of the authority of the emperor became like rats in the street, being beaten and forced to flee in all directions.
The princess was already exhausted, but when she went out for a walk and saw the joy on everyone's faces, she gritted her teeth, spurred her horse back to the palace, and continued working on the documents. The lamps burned late into the night, the incense had dried up, and the craftsmen who had been repairing the damaged site had all rested, but the young man was still hunched over his desk.
When all was quiet, a figure tiptoed into the hall and approached her.
"Oh my, so hardworking." Simmons said softly, shaking her head in a sigh.
The person in front of the desk was already fast asleep, slumped over the table, with suspicious damp patches even appearing on the papers beneath him. She kindly used a magic spell to clean these up, then pulled over a feather cloak and covered Qin Shiying with it. While doing this, Simmons inadvertently glanced at the pile of documents on the desk, as high as a small mountain, all of which had been processed.
She chuckled softly.
“You’ve grown up overnight, Your Highness.”
Exhausted, Shen Lixia fainted before she even knew where she was being helped.
Even so, she was still restless in her sleep, her dreams filled with horrifying images of Qiao Yanshen being pierced by long swords and covered in blood. The fight had only lasted a moment, yet it was already deeply etched into her nightmares.
After countless repetitions, Shen Lixia had become somewhat numb, knowing that this was the divine fire resenting her for not protecting Qiao Yanshen and wanting to torture her again and again. The emotions that should have come and gone quickly were now compressed into a pancake, and she couldn't find any relief.
She did feel guilty about it. If her cultivation level had been higher, the divine fire might have been able to burn that evil spirit away, and none of this would have happened.
But then, a sudden change occurred. In her hazy state, she saw the woman unstoppable, a bullet piercing straight through Qiao Yanshen's heart. Blood gushed out instantly, and the warmth in her body vanished. Shen Lixia felt her blood freeze instantly. Pain and weakness vanished, and she rushed forward to catch the woman's body as she collapsed, losing her footing after the gun was withdrawn.
With no spiritual energy left and unable to find her storage bag, she could only futilely reach out to cover the bloody hole, yet bright red blood continued to gush out.
Good ice.
Even though my body temperature is usually low, it got even colder.
She watched in almost despair as Qiao Yanshen's face grew paler and paler, then closed her eyes, waiting for him to raise his gun and end her life as well.
However, the surroundings cruelly obscured everything else, leaving only the two of them and the faint sound of bleeding.
Why can't they also form a life-and-death pact?
Even if it's just one-sided, make sure she can't live alone.
She didn't want to live alone.
Chen Lixia felt a sudden lightness in her hand. She looked down in alarm, only to find the person in her arms gone. Her futile attempts to grab them were in vain.
"Bang!"
A dull pain pulled the boy back to reality, and the cool morning air rushed towards him. Shen Lixia subconsciously sat up, only to realize that he seemed to have rolled onto the floor wrapped in a blanket.
The person sitting next to her was startled awake, grabbed an apple from beside him, wiped their mouth, and shouted, "Who's blind?!"
"Are you sick?"
A weak voice came from below. Simmons looked down and saw Shen Lixia had rolled off the bed. She seemed too exhausted to even lift her eyelids, and weakly said, "Could you help me up?"
My whole body ached as if it had been repeatedly run over by a wheel, and every bone felt shattered.
Although Simmons really wanted to retaliate against all the times she was teased, such as how she looked like a fish blowing bubbles, she ultimately couldn't bring herself to do it. She thought that adults shouldn't hold grudges against petty people, so after putting down the apple, she reached out and pulled Shen Lixia up, helping her back to bed.
"How are you, fellow Daoist?"
She sat back down in her chair, adjusted her sunglasses, and took the apple back to peel it.
After a while, not hearing a reply from Shen Lixia, Xi Mengsi looked up and saw the boy staring blankly with his eyes wide open. She asked in confusion, "What's wrong? Did you fall and get stupid?"
The other person didn't reply, and a sudden unease welled up inside her. She waved her hand in front of the other person's face. As if sensing something, Shen Lixia turned her head slightly and blinked.
Simmons met those golden eyes and finally realized something was wrong. She lost her grip on the apple and it fell to the ground with a dull thud.
Shen Lixia seemed to be brought back to her senses by the muffled sound. She lowered her brows, forced a smile, and calmly said, "Could you get me a strip of cloth?"
"Fellow Daoist—"
"Thank you for taking care of me. I must have been up all night to be so tired that I dozed off. Now that you've brought the cloth, go and get some rest, Senior Sister Xi."
Knowing she couldn't persuade her otherwise, Simmons sighed and took out a piece of white cloth from her storage bag. Shen Lixia took the white cloth and wrapped it around her eyes, then heard the other person's footsteps slowly moving away from her.
Before closing the door, she seemed a little worried and added, "Call me if anything happens."
Shen Lixia nodded, and heard the door close, leaving only silence in the room. A rooster crowed in the distance, but the area below remained deserted; they must have found a place far from the street.
After a while, she sighed deeply, got out of bed, fumbled for her shoes and socks, put them on, and then changed her clothes by performing a hand seal. Only then did she slowly walk to the door based on the sounds in the darkness, carefully open the door, and go out.
Like a toddler learning to walk, she walked slowly, her hands resting on the wall for a long time before she dared to let go and instead touch other things.
The spiritual energy of heaven and earth flowed into her body, drawing it from her parched meridians and restoring some of her spiritual power. Feeling her body gradually recover from its depletion, Shen Lixia managed a weak smile, as if she had found some solace.
That's good, at least I won't end up with shattered spiritual veins like before, becoming a complete waste.
It's just that we can't see it anymore.
With the help of special spiritual energy fluctuations, Shen Lixia walked slowly. Occasionally, when she stepped on an uneven spot, she would wonder if there was a pit or something, fearing that she might slip and fall. Her heart would be in her throat.
She found the place, hesitated for a moment but didn't knock. She gently pushed the door open and found it unlocked, so she tiptoed inside.
This time, her vision must have been completely destroyed; she couldn't even perceive the faint light and shadows, and could only grope her way towards familiar scents. Finally, she reached the bedside, where Shen Lixia knelt, listening to her steady and gentle breathing.
That familiar voice seemed to become a fulcrum, anchoring her from the ethereal darkness and allowing her to step onto solid ground.
The medicine smelled strong, bitter, and pungent; just smelling it made one's mouth taste fishy. The boy blinked, then leaned closer, feeling relieved. He caught a strand of loose hair in his hand, the coolness spreading from his fingertips.
Her senior sister was still by her side, and nothing had happened to her.
She had cultivated with Qiao Yanshen before and could sense that his life force was stable. Although he was weak, he was not seriously injured and just needed to sleep for a while to recover.
A sense of peace washed over her like a tidal wave, dispelling the nightmare that had lingered. The woman's faint fragrance, detached from the bitterness, gently enveloped Shen Lixia.
She closed her eyes and leaned over the edge of the bed.
After a while, their breathing gradually became synchronized, and no one disturbed them until the sunlight shone down and people began to speak.
Afterwards, Yue Qifeng and Yun Zhixiao left the palace to help regulate their spiritual energy. Seeing this scene, they exchanged a glance and couldn't help but laugh.
Yun Zhixiao raised her hand to cover the corner of her lips. After noticing the subtle and gentle flow and fusion of spiritual energy between the two people in the room, she felt relieved. After leaving the pills, she pulled her Daoist partner out and gently closed the door.
"Don't you think that kid surnamed Chen looks familiar?"
Have we seen her before?
"No...it's just that I always feel there's someone in my memory who looks a lot like her."
The two people's voices faded into the distance.
Two more days passed.
The woman lying on the bed trembled slightly with her eyelashes, then opened her eyes a little and blinked hazily.
She subconsciously tried to move her dominant left arm, but found it difficult. After several attempts, she finally managed to lift it up as if she were lifting a strange, heavy object.
Memories flooded her mind, and Qiao Yanshen recalled the fierce battle before, a lingering pain rising in her left arm. She realized that everything should be over, and she was currently recovering from her injuries, having just woken up.
His right arm wasn't badly injured and could still be used normally. Qiao Yanshen propped himself up, leaning against the headboard.
Although I don't know how long I've been unconscious, I don't feel thirsty, and my spiritual energy has been restored, which is really strange.
On second thought, it's probably because someone has been taking care of him these past few days that he's like this.
As she was pondering, she suddenly heard someone push the door open and enter, so she looked over.
"Leave Xia!"
Before anyone stepped inside, Qiao Yanshen seemed completely relieved, his voice carrying a joy he himself didn't realize.
Shen Lixia walked in carrying a bowl of medicine and placed it on the small table beside the bed. "Senior Sister is awake? The spiritual energy indicated that you would wake up today. It seems that my perception was correct."
She sat on the edge of the bed, wanting to hold Qiao Yanshen's hand, but couldn't reach it, so she quietly withdrew her hand.
Every move she made could not escape Qiao Yanshen's gaze. She grabbed Shen Lixia's hand with some confusion, and when her gaze fell on the other's face, she was stunned and her fingers unconsciously tightened.
"when……"
Shen Lixia blinked, gave a bitter smile to herself, and thought to herself that she couldn't be fooled after all.
"...blindness."
These words, along with a sigh, slipped from his lips. Qiao Yanshen reached out to touch the boy's lifeless eyes, his fingertips tracing the corners of his eyes.
The gold color was no longer as dazzling as it usually was, surpassing even the sunlight; it had dimmed considerably.
Shen Lixia tilted her head slightly and pressed her cheek against Qiao Yanshen's palm, gently rubbing it. "I thought I had trained well enough these past two days and was familiar with the surroundings, so that Senior Sister wouldn't find out."
Her tone was as cunning as ever, and her voice was full of energy, unlike her previous weakness. Only then did Qiao Yanshen realize how long he had been unconscious, and his heart swelled with guilt, almost bursting his chest.
"It's alright." The boy held her palm, his tone genuinely relaxed.
A stinging, astringent pain shot through her, but it was lessened by the boy's soft hair. She was almost helpless against Shen Lixia like this. Before she could even react, her tightly furrowed brows relaxed, and a smile involuntarily crept onto her lips.
How can there be such a person? They are taken away from what they are most proud of, yet they can still comfort her by saying it's okay.
This was the first time she had experienced such a feeling—a tingling, painful, yet warm sensation flowing through her, a feeling of being both anxious and vulnerable.
Like an invisible crack on the glass, it meanders slenderly, gradually eroding the surface.
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