Chapter 28
Get closer to him!
Unexpectedly, the woman's eyes were unfamiliar, and she showed him no surprise or affection whatsoever.
She simply smiled faintly and said, "Thank you, young master."
After saying that, she turned and walked to a better spot to continue watching the fight, completely unaware of the man's sudden freeze.
They were like strangers, completely unlike the affection they had felt in their previous three lives.
It wasn't even the disgust and hatred I felt for her at the end of the dream.
It's simply a matter of not caring or being indifferent.
This is really going to kill him!
Jiang Qiye stood frozen in place, almost unable to catch his breath.
I closed my eyes and took a long time to calm my churning breath and the angina.
For more than ten days, he had searched most of the prefecture and used all his magic, but Lingyu had only sent back blank messages. He even suspected that perhaps she had lost her cultivation and that his spiritual power could no longer recognize her aura.
Or perhaps... she has already met with misfortune.
He even lost interest in promising the people that he would catch the demon.
I'm worried something might have happened to her; is she already dead?
She even went to Ye Xiuluo's manor, but there were only maids and servants inside, and no one else was there, so she knew that Ye Xiuluo must not have gone back.
They only rushed to Qishi Mountain when things could no longer be delayed and they finally had time to catch the demon.
Unexpectedly, I saw that familiar figure as soon as I got up the mountain.
At that moment, his eyes almost welled up with tears.
But the way she looked at him just now was as unfamiliar as if she were looking at a stranger, without the slightest hint of familiarity.
Jiang Qiye stood there, feeling as if her heart was being repeatedly cut by a dull knife.
He had searched for her for so long and worried about her for so long, but she didn't remember him at all. That unfamiliar look in her eyes was more hurtful than any sharp blade.
But isn't this what he wanted?
He gave her a potion to forget her feelings, and all her emotions towards him vanished.
Jiang Qiye stood silently, his gaze fixed on her figure.
Pei Xueyan found a rock with a good view and sat down, but her gaze was drawn to the fight in the lake.
The carp spirit was indeed ferocious. With a flick of its tail, it overturned two disciples. Its huge fins slapped the water's surface, creating waves that nearly swept people off the shore.
She watched for a short while before feeling uncomfortable all over.
It was quite strange. Although her attention was indeed focused on how to catch the big fish below, she secretly glanced back a few times and found that she was being stared at by a strange man.
And every time she looked over, she would meet his gaze. He didn't flinch, just stared straight at her, making her feel increasingly uneasy.
The potion of forgetfulness completely erased his appearance. When she opened her eyes and woke up, Jiang Qiye was sleeping with his head down, his eyes lowered, and she did not see his true appearance.
Could he be another lecherous thief?
But then I thought about it again. This place is a gathering place for hundreds of immortal sects, and there are disciples with swords everywhere. I figured he wouldn't dare to do anything out of line.
Jiang Qiye knew that it was inappropriate for him to keep staring like this, but he couldn't help it.
The worry, anxiety, and fear of the past ten days all turned into a surge of emotion the moment he saw her safe and sound, choking him and leaving him no choice but to confirm her presence with his eyes again and again.
He recalled the words of liberation he spoke of when he gave her the potion of forgetfulness, and only now did he realize that the one who truly needed liberation was himself.
She has forgotten the past and is living a carefree life. She hasn't had a single peaceful night's sleep these past few days and has been in a daze all day.
Just then, a loud bang suddenly came from the lake. The carp spirit, for some unknown reason, leaped out of the water and crashed its huge body toward the shore, splashing water dozens of feet high.
Even Pei Xueyan, who was far away, got splashed with water.
She gasped and instinctively stepped back.
"Let's attack together! Eliminating this scourge for the people is the most important thing. Who cares about martial arts techniques? Whoever can kill this monster should get the martial arts technique!"
But someone immediately jumped out to refute, saying, "That's not how it works! Master Qilin has already graciously allowed fellow disciples to join forces. If everyone rushes in, how can we tell who has the higher cultivation level? Besides, this demon is only currently entrenched in the lake and hasn't actively harmed anyone. Disciples from various families are guarding the area for miles around. There's no need to rush."
Many people nodded in agreement after hearing this.
However, there is some truth to that.
Ultimately, everyone wanted to prove themselves superior, since the allure of Master Qilin's cultivation method was too great, and everyone wanted to acquire it through their own abilities to gain recognition within the immortal sects.
One group of disciples after another went into the water to test it, but the water demon seemed to be tired. No matter how much it was provoked from the outside, it hid at the bottom of the lake and refused to come out.
It was already dark, and people were still jumping into the water every now and then, trying to lure the water monster out for a fight, but all their attempts ended in vain.
Everyone lit torches and took out their own dry rations to eat, but Pei Xueyan touched her empty purse and her stomach was growling with hunger.
Jiang Qiye slowly walked to her side, holding a piece of oiled paper in his hand, and gently unfolded it.
Inside were several delicate pieces of osmanthus cake, their aroma filling the air.
Although the man kept staring at her with ill intentions, the snacks looked so delicious, and she was very hungry, so she didn't hesitate and picked up a piece to eat.
He raised his hand and unleashed a burst of spiritual energy, causing the wood on the ground to automatically cover the flint and ignite with a "whoosh".
The two sat side by side on the rock, and Pei Xueyan ate the pastries without any restraint.
She was shameless; after finishing one piece, she picked up another and casually looked at Jiang Qiye: "The hero in front looks like he's grilling fish. Could you go borrow one for me? Eating too much sweet stuff is getting a bit cloying."
Without saying a word, Jiang Qiye immediately stood up and walked over there.
When the disciples who were grilling fish around the fire saw him coming, they all politely stood up to greet him, clearly recognizing the young Taoist priest.
Jiang Qiye said a few words, and someone handed him a large, golden-brown roasted fish, sprinkled with spices, making it even more fragrant.
Pei Xueyan took the grilled fish and started eating it.
However, she knew very well that the man's eyes held other intentions, and when he used spiritual power to start the fire just now, it was obvious that he had profound magical power.
Moreover, he never asked her name or background, but instead seemed familiar with her in every way, suggesting that she must have known him for a long time.
"Thank you for the fish. My purse was stolen. You can take this as collateral. I can't just eat your food for free. You can take this earring as collateral?"
As she spoke, Pei Xueyan took off a small silver earring from her ear and handed it to him.
Jiang Qiye shook his head, neither taking the earring nor saying anything.
He didn't care about any of that; he just wanted to see her eat well and live a good life.
Stop thinking about crashing into someone and dying.
But he also knew that he had no reason to keep following her. Since she had forgotten the past, he should have silently stayed behind her and not disturb her life anymore.
Seeing that he wouldn't accept it, Pei Xueyan didn't insist and casually stuffed the earrings back into her bosom.
She then got up and left, no longer wanting to warm herself by the fire with him.
Pei Xueyan was always outgoing and friendly. Seeing a female knight-errant dressed in black sitting not far away, she went over to strike up a conversation.
The female knight seemed very cheerful. After chatting for a few minutes, she asked with a smile, "Miss, what is your relationship with Master Jiang? I've seen him following you around."
"Who is Master Jiang?"
The female knight smiled and pointed to Jiang Qiye not far away.
"That's the young man in white, Daoist Jiang Qiye of the Qing Sect. Who in the immortal sects doesn't know him?"
Pei Xueyan did not recognize Jiang Qiye, but she recognized the sword in the woman's hand; it was the sword of Qingxia Mountain.
Qingxia Mountain is renowned for its unparalleled martial arts, making it one of the top sects. The fact that she addressed that man as "Daoist Master" shows that he holds a very high position.
"Uh...you mean him? We just bumped into each other on the road, nothing special."
"I knew it. You don't look like a disciple of the Qing Sect." The female knight smiled and casually said, "Master Jiang is the most outstanding disciple of the Qing Sect. He received the true teachings of his master at a young age. Even Master Qilin praised him."
"What?" Pei Xueyan asked curiously, "He's a disciple of the Qing Sect?"
She slapped her forehead and suddenly remembered.
That day when she escaped, the lecherous thief who was sitting on the edge of the bed staring at her while sleeping with his head down was Jiang Qiye!
They're actually disciples of the Qing Sect!
His cultivation was crippled by a man from the Qing Sect. If he could get on good terms with the lecherous thief, he might be able to find the person who crippled his martial arts.
We must avenge this humiliation.
We had barely sat down to talk when someone fell out of the lake.
Then, one, two, three... Before long, a total of five people collapsed to the ground.
Without exception, their right arms were covered in gruesome bite wounds, the wounds were bloody and mangled, and the arms hung limply, teetering on the verge of collapse.
Judging from his appearance, he's probably going to be crippled!
Jiang Qiye pushed through the crowd and quickly crouched down.
He condensed a point of shimmering white spiritual energy at his fingertips and gently touched the injured arms of the men, stabilizing the gushing blood.
Then, he took out the Qingzong Sect's exclusive secret medicine from his pocket, poured it on the wounds, and used his spiritual power to reattach the nearly broken arms of the group.
"Remember not to move your right arm for the next month. Rest assured and recover quickly."
Those around exclaimed in admiration, "The Green Sect is truly amazing; they can even heal injuries like this."
"Yes, yes. That's amazing."
The group lay on the ground, enduring the pain, and quickly expressed their gratitude: "Thank you, Young Master Jiang, and thank you, Master Wang Yu!"
Wang Yu was the one who sent Jiang Qiye to kill Pei Xueyan's master.
This master had an eccentric temper, always spoke irritably, and acted in his own way. When people in the martial arts world talked about him, they always felt that he was surrounded by a sinister aura, unlike an elder of the martial arts world.
But who would have thought that this seemingly eccentric master actually harbored a deep hatred for the demon and was determined to kill Pei Xueyan?
Everyone specifically thanked him, because Wang Yu was a nominal elder, but also the true de facto ruler of the Qingzong Sect.
"No need for formalities, everyone stay still and get some rest." Jiang Qiye withdrew his spiritual power, put the medicine bottle back in his pocket, and added, "The water demon was repeatedly disturbed in the middle of the night and has gone mad. Now, no matter who goes into the water, they will only get hurt in vain. It's not too late to make a decision about this after dawn."
With just a few words, he exuded an air of authority, and everyone unconsciously obeyed him.
Jiang Qiye is a well-known figure in the immortal sects, and all the immortals know this. After a day of trembling, among this group of people, he is probably the only one with the ability to exorcise the water demon.
But he remained inactive at the moment, probably intentionally giving the other immortals a chance to show off.
After all, the Qingzong Sect doesn't value any particular cultivation method.
Upon hearing this, everyone stopped mentioning going into the water and instead gathered around the torches to rest.
After seeing all this, Pei Xueyan suddenly had an idea.
Such powerful internal energy and magical power! It would be a shame not to take advantage of such profound skill.
Regardless of which Qingzong sect member crippled her martial arts, they were still from the same sect, so it was only right for them to do anything to him.
Besides, he was a lecherous thief with glazed eyes, staring at her.
When Jiang Qiye glanced over again, she went up the steps and sat down with him.
Afterwards, whether it's following him to the Qing Sect or trying to trick some spiritual power, we can't let this trip down the mountain go to waste.
Sure enough, less than fifteen minutes later, the white figure looked in her direction again.
Pei Xueyan tried to feign modesty.
When Jiang Qiye looked over again, Pei Xueyan immediately raised her eyes to meet his gaze, a particularly bright smile blooming on her face.
The next second, Pei Xueyan got up and walked towards him.
Sitting down beside him, Pei Xueyan spoke casually, her tone playful: "Master Jiang, you kept looking at me just now, do you think I'm good-looking?"
Upon hearing this, Jiang Qiye replied in a low voice, "You are indeed good-looking."
Pei Xueyan's eyes crinkled into a smile as she pressed for a more direct answer: "Then... do you like me?"
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