Chapter 26 The Banquet 6 "Chu Xingjin ran away because of this?"...
During this banquet, everyone under the age of twenty gathered in the dense forest.
There weren't many people; they couldn't be found even if you threw them into the dense forest.
The sun had already set, and under the heavy sky, the already gloomy dense forest appeared even more somber, with extremely low visibility. If she hadn't already cultivated her Qi and possessed extraordinary eyesight, she would probably have become blind.
Xie Jiaoyue is someone who likes to be in the spotlight and enjoys being the center of attention, but she also knows her limits. Being praised for dressing brightly is a minor matter, but if she really steals someone else's family heirloom, that would be a recipe for enmity.
If Chu Xingjin takes the alchemy furnace, since he is her fiancé, she might ultimately be held responsible for this grudge. Chu Xingjin will benefit, and she will suffer.
Just thinking about it makes me feel unlucky.
Although she wasn't interested in taking Xin Xiuying's opportunity, she wanted to take the male lead's.
From the very beginning, her goal was clear: she didn't want Chu Xingjin to have a smooth life like in the original story.
The reason is simple: the reason she can "control" Chu Xingjin now is because Chu Xingjin is not strong enough. Even with the favor of Heaven and the system's bonus, she can still thrive under the loopholes.
However, if Chu Xingjin becomes stronger, she might end up like in the original story, becoming nothing more than cannon fodder who only serves to support the male lead, ultimately meeting the same fate as in the original work.
She wanted to live, to live well, to live comfortably, and to stay by her mother's side as a pampered young lady.
Therefore, the owner of this alchemy furnace must be Xin Xiuying, not Chu Xingjin.
What are you standing there for?
Xie Jiaoyue turned around, and there was Xin Xiuying again.
"Why are you always haunting me? Wherever I am, you're there too!" Xie Jiaoyue said with a look of disgust. "You wouldn't happen to have a crush on me, would you?"
Xin Xiuying was so angry that she jumped up and down: "Who would have a crush on someone as unlikable as you?"
They weren't popular before, and now that they've become flamboyant, they're even less popular.
"Then go find the alchemy furnace yourself, and stay away from me," Xie Jiaoyue said as she backed away.
Xin Xiuying couldn't help but grab Xie Jiaoyue's sleeve: "You...you don't go."
Xie Jiaoyue looked at Xin Xiuying's little hands: "Sister, I'm really a little scared of you like this."
Xin Xiuying's voice weakened: "I'm afraid of the dark."
Xie Jiaoyue didn't hear clearly: "What did you say?"
Xin Xiuying, in a fit of desperation, said, "I'm afraid of the dark, I'm afraid of the dark. I don't want to be here alone. Are you satisfied now?"
"Then beg me?"
"Please...please..." Xin Xiuying's face flushed with shame and anger, and she stammered as she spoke.
Xie Jiaoyue smiled happily: "I recorded it!" She always kept several recording stones in her storage ring, and this came in handy.
Xin Xiuying was so angry she wanted to hit someone but was afraid of driving them away: "How can you have two faces? You're so obedient and timid in front of Chu Xingjin."
That's because she has to act like a love-struck person in front of Chu Xingjin, but not in front of others.
Having been a pampered young lady for two lifetimes, it's perfectly normal for her to be cheerful and playful.
"I'm moving forward, are you coming or not?" Xie Jiaoyue threatened blatantly.
Xin Xiuying quickly followed.
Xie Jiaoyue deliberately brought Xin Xiuying along.
This inexplicable event was organized for Xin Xiuying, who is most likely to know the location of the Water Pattern Alchemy Furnace.
As a result, they walked for a long time, but the surroundings remained quiet.
Xie Jiaoyue asked, "Don't you know the location of the alchemy furnace? Didn't your father tell you?"
Xin Xiuying lowered her head, looking unhappy: "Father has always been like this. He... he values fairness."
Her father always did this, taking it upon himself to make things more difficult for her.
Xie Jiaoyue scoffed, "What fairness? It's nothing but a boastful and arrogant person."
If they truly loved their daughter, they wouldn't have held a birthday banquet like this. Instead, they should have directly demonstrated the harmony between their daughter and the alchemy furnace, and then concluded the event in a grand and glorious manner.
It's like a college admission celebration; show off the acceptance letter, not the college entrance exam process.
Now, the increased difficulty is for the daughter, forcing her to compete with others. This is simply because she is not satisfied with hearing others praise her for raising her daughter well, but also wants to hear others praise her for being generous and fair.
Despite how magnanimous this person sounds, if Xin Xiuying really doesn't win, who knows how she'll be punished when she gets back.
Xie Jiaoyue thought for a moment and asked, "You should know the locations of the other people, right?"
Xin Xiuying nodded. The people who came were all scions of various aristocratic families. To ensure their safety, each of them was given a waist tag to mark their location.
"Let's go find Chu Xingjin."
Xin Xiuying asked excitedly, "Are we going to catch them in the act?"
Xie Jiaoyue slapped Xin Xiuying on the head: "Of course we should go find the Water Pattern Alchemy Furnace."
Xin Xiuying: ? ? ?
It wasn't until they were deep in the dense forest that the two finally found Chu Xingjin.
Chu Xingjin was indeed with Feng Qianqian, the two of them chatting and laughing as they casually searched the ground.
Xin Xiuying asked in confusion, "If they just search like this, how can they possibly find the Water Pattern Alchemy Furnace?"
Before the words were even finished, the water-patterned alchemy furnace was indeed discovered over there.
Chu Xingjin’s signature bubble-like voice rang out: “Qianqian, look at this cave. It’s full of spiritual energy and has a faint mist. The Water Pattern Alchemy Furnace was probably buried here before.”
Feng Qianqian peeked into the cave and looked around: "It looks like it was carried away by a wild animal?"
There were obvious drag marks and four-legged footprints on the ground, indicating that it was not discovered and taken by someone else, but dragged away by a wild animal.
Chu Xingjin followed the marks on the ground and looked ahead. From the cave directly in front of him, he could faintly sense the aura of the Water Pattern Alchemy Furnace.
I heard that this is a family heirloom of the Xin family, and it must be of extraordinary value. If he could get his hands on it, wouldn't it be of great help to him?
Chu Xingjin said gently to Feng Qianqian, "Wait for me here, I'll go scout ahead first."
Feng Qianqian was deeply moved that Chu Xingjin was so worried about her safety: "No, I'll go with you."
Chu Xingjin shook his head: "If we go together, and the Water Ripple Pill Furnace resonates, who will be responsible?"
Even close brothers should keep clear accounts, let alone the fact that they only have mutual affection for each other right now.
Feng Qianqian was stunned by what she said.
How can this statement be both reasonable and so heartless?
It must be her imagination. Chu Xingjin is probably just straightforward and doesn't want the cold, calculating relationship between them to taint their pure feelings.
Feng Qianqian struggled to convince herself, then obediently nodded: "Then I'll wait for you here."
Less than two minutes later, accompanied by a huge roar of a wild beast, a figure darted out.
"There's a monster! Run!"
His limited kindness was used to remind Feng Qianqian to escape; he had no extra energy to take others with him.
Feng Qianqian belatedly realized what was happening and followed Chu Xingjin, only to see two women going in the opposite direction.
Xin Xiuying charged ahead fearlessly.
Xie Jiaoyue, with a bitter face, said from behind: "What are you doing! There are monsters around and you're not leaving? Are you crazy? There's no need to risk your life like this!"
Xin Xiuying turned a deaf ear.
She had just sensed it; shortly after Chu Xingjin entered, before the monster roared, a faint buzzing sound came from the cave.
That was the sound of resonance.
The Water Ripple Alchemy Furnace wasn't just reacting to her! There were others too!
No, that is the Xin family's heritage, the Xin family's glory. Even if there is only a one in ten thousand chance, she absolutely cannot let the Xin family lose the Water Pattern Alchemy Furnace.
She was taught from a young age that she had to shoulder the responsibilities of the Xin family, so how could she back down at a time like this?
Xie Jiaoyue was furious. Could she just stand by and watch Xin Xiuying go to her death?
She could! She wasn't going to help Xin Xiuying; she was just worried that if Xin Xiuying died at the hands of the magical beasts, no one would be there to collect her body.
Feng Qianqian looked at the two rushing figures, then at Chu Xingjin who was almost out of sight, and gritted her teeth before stopping.
She couldn't bear to watch her comrades die without doing anything.
Inside the pitch-black cave, the monstrous beast, shrouded in black mist, almost blended into the cave, sending chills down one's spine.
The darkness completely robbed Xie Jiaoyue of her sight. It was the first time she had ever known of the existence of magical beasts. She moved with extreme caution, taking each step forward with utmost care.
No, why should she endure the darkness?
Xie Jiaoyue had bought a lot of random things while shopping, and they were all piled up in her storage ring. She rummaged around and pulled out a small gadget that looked like a signal flare.
She concealed her body and fired quietly.
The signal flare exploded in mid-air, bringing a brief moment of light to the pitch-black cave.
In the very center of the cave was a small beast, no more than a meter long.
It certainly looked ferocious and terrifying, but... Xie Jiaoyue looked down at her sword. This thing didn't even look as long as her sword. Was it really necessary to be so scared that she ran away?
The three people in the cave all discovered this fact.
Xie Jiaoyue, holding the luminous pearl, stepped forward first. In no time, she dealt with the so-called demonic beast with a few sword strikes. With a flick of her sword, she casually tossed the alchemy furnace into Xin Xiuying's arms.
In complete darkness, the three of them gathered around the only source of light.
"Chu Xingjin ran away because of this?" Xie Jiaoyue wanted to laugh, but was afraid of ruining her image.
She hesitated for a moment and gave Chu Xingjin an excuse: "Perhaps it's because the cave is too dark and Brother Chu can't see, so he chose this option for safety."
Perhaps because she was now safe, Feng Qianqian's mind returned somewhat, and she asked, "Brother Chu?"
This form of address sounds very intimate.
Xie Jiaoyue glanced at her fourth task; the system forbade her to reveal her identity to the female lead.
How can she explain her relationship with Chu Xingjin while completing her mission?
Before Xie Jiaoyue could come up with a reasonable solution, the situation suddenly changed.
At the entrance of the cave, a monster as tall as two people blocked the entrance, its eyes, larger than luminous pearls, staring at the corpse at Xie Jiaoyue's feet, dripping drops of bloody tears.
Xie Jiaoyue acted much faster than she thought, lifting the corpse with her sword and throwing it into the depths of the cave. The demonic beast rushed towards it, its hooves pounding the ground and causing tremors.
"What are you all standing there for? Run!"
That demonic beast had the cultivation level of Foundation Establishment; how could those few youngsters who had just begun to cultivate Qi possibly defeat it?
Xie Jiaoyue reacted the fastest, being the first to dart out of the cave, with Xin Xiuying, whom she was leading, following closely behind.
Feng Qianqian was a step too slow.
With just this one step, the monsters have already caught up.
With the next bite, it gripped Feng Qianqian's hem tightly.
Chu Xingjin's figure appeared in Feng Qianqian's field of vision.
Did you come to see her because you were worried about her?
She let out a sharp phoenix cry: "Brother Chu, save me."
Chu Xingjin finally saw the monster's appearance clearly. Thick black mist covered the monster's decaying body, with only a pair of sharp teeth gleaming a pale white under the moonlight.
He was so frightened that he knelt on the ground.
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