Cave.
Jiang Fei leaned against the stone wall, watching the figure carefully grinding herbs at the cave entrance. It was a pleasing sight, but the snow-white scholar's robe trailed on the ground, stained with mud and withered leaves, becoming a stain on the beautiful "painting".
After an unknown amount of time, the grinding sound stopped.
Jiang Fei lowered her eyes slightly, and when she looked up again, she had an innocent and harmless look on her face.
Xin Qi had already walked up to her with the ground herbs and squatted down to apply the medicine to her legs.
Jiang Fei's legs twitched, but her face paled from the pain: "Thank you, Young Master Xin, I can do it myself..." Her voice paused when she saw the herb, "It's the Immortal Spirit Herb. Young Master Xin came here specifically to find this..."
As she spoke, she looked at the bloodstains on the back of his hand and the mud on his robe.
Immortal Spirit Grass, a sacred medicine in the cultivation world, is a rare and highly sought-after herb.
Because this herb is so delicate, one must be extremely careful when using magic to pick it, as the slightest mistake can cause the herb to wither instantly.
Xin Qi followed her gaze and then smiled gently: "Miss Jiang, there's no need to worry. It's quite lucky. I only took a few steps around and came across a fairy herb. It just so happens that your leg injury hasn't healed yet."
He glanced at the bloodstains on her white dress with cloud patterns: "Miss Jiang's knees and calves are injured. The slightest movement might tear the wound open. Let me apply the medicine for you."
Jiang Fei pursed her lips and finally nodded gently.
Xin Qi slowly lifted her skirt and looked at a deep, bone-revealing gash left by a wild beast. After a long while, he gently stroked it as if he felt extremely sorry for her.
Jiang Fei's legs trembled slightly.
Xin Qi snapped out of his daze and gave Jiang Fei an apologetic smile: "The wound is so deep, yet Miss Jiang has remained silent the whole time."
As he spoke, he carefully applied the ground fairy grass to her wound with gentle touch and focused eyes. If it weren't for the -10 favorability rating above his head, he would have looked exactly like someone tenderly caring for a loved one.
Jiang Fei scoffed, "These are all tricks I've used before." Thinking of this, she simply stared at him intently, her breathing becoming softer.
"Alright, I'm afraid we'll have to slow down our journey for a while..." Xin Qi breathed a sigh of relief and looked up to meet Jiang Fei's gaze.
Jiang Feiru, caught stealing candy, flinched, quickly lowered her head, and her ears turned slightly red.
Xin Qi glanced at her slightly flushed cheeks and sneered inwardly.
His tone softened instantly: "If Miss Jiang doesn't mind, I can accompany you out of the camphor forest."
“I don’t mind…” Jiang Fei was about to shake her head when she suddenly remembered something and looked up at him, “Won’t this interfere with your schedule?”
"Me?" Xin Qi shook his head and smiled gently. "I am just a scholar. Fortunately, I received guidance from a master and learned some magic. Now I am just a wandering cultivator."
Jiang Fei's eyes lit up: "Then I'll trouble you along the way, Young Master Xin."
After saying that, she lowered her head and hurriedly picked a wildflower, holding it in her hand without looking at him again.
The camphor forest was full of vitality, and the wildflowers there were even more beautiful than those outside. Jiang Fei was genuinely pleased to see it.
Xin Qi looked at the obvious sparkle and joy in her eyes and felt increasingly ironic.
It's really boring that someone so stupid and superficial would be so easily swayed.
But his gaze quickly fell on the wildflower in her hand: "Does Miss Jiang like this flower?"
"Hmm?" Jiang Fei paused, then said, "Wildflowers are delicate and charming, and naturally they are pleasing to the eye."
"However, my favorite is the wild orchid that grows on cliffs. Although it is not considered beautiful, it is absolutely stunning."
As she spoke, she looked up at him and smiled, but quickly lowered her head again, "It's just a pity that my magical power is not yet profound enough..."
Xin Qi looked at her, his eyes slightly narrowed. Wild orchid?
As I was pondering this, I heard a few "cooing" sounds.
Xin Qi snapped out of his daze. Jiang Fei was looking down, her ears burning red: "I'm sorry, Young Master Xin..."
"It was my oversight."
Xin Qi chuckled, turned and walked out of the cave. When he came back, he was carrying a wild rabbit. He deftly disposed of the rabbit, then trimmed some branches and prepared to roast it over the fire.
A weak, low laugh came from the side.
Xin Qi turned his head to look.
The cave was dimly lit, and Jiang Fei's pale face appeared somewhat rosy under the yellowish flames as she looked at him with a smile: "Young Master Xin, wild rabbit isn't roasted like this."
As she spoke, she took the branch with the rabbit on it, then turned around, took out the seasoning she had prepared before the training from her sleeve, turned the rabbit over, and carefully spread the seasoning on the rabbit meat little by little. She then pressed the rabbit meat for a long time before placing the branch on the fire and turning it from time to time.
Xin Qi looked at her.
Her hands were so white, almost glowing, that you could almost see the blood surging through the pale blue veins, making you want to cut them open and see the beautiful sight of blood splattering everywhere.
In the past, if he wanted to see it, he would have done so.
She should be grateful that her life is still useful.
Xin Qi withdrew his gaze.
He has cultivated for hundreds of years and only needs to eat some spiritual fruits and nectar every month. Moreover, he detests this kind of method that only exists in the human world. Why would he know these mortal methods of roasting meat?
The cave was filled with the aroma of meat.
Jiang Fei was indeed hungry; her body hadn't yet cultivated to the point where she could abstain from grains. She reached out with difficulty to grab the rabbit meat not far away.
A pale, large hand had already presented the rabbit meat, along with the twig, to her.
Xin Qi's eyes were gentle: "Miss Jiang, you can call me if you need anything."
Jiang Fei pursed her lips, thanked him softly, and took the rabbit meat. Then, as if remembering something, she tore off a piece of crispy roasted skin and meat and handed it to Xin Qi: "You can have some too."
A flash of disgust crossed Xin Qi's eyes as he looked at the meat in front of him without saying a word.
Jiang Fei asked hesitantly, "You don't like it?"
Before she could finish the last two words, Xin Qi suddenly bit the meat in her hand, his cool, crimson lips intentionally or unintentionally holding Jiang Fei's fingertip, and then whispered, "It's delicious."
However, his favorability rating decreased by three points, to -13.
Jiang Fei lowered her head, her cheeks flushed, and mumbled a reply before falling silent.
Xin Qi slowly stood up, glanced at the darkening night outside, and said, "I'll go find some firewood."
After saying that, he turned and walked out of the cave.
Once they were far from the cave, Xin Qi disgustedly spat out the rabbit meat in his mouth, lightly tapped the ancient tree beside him with his index finger, and a ball of sweet dew wrapped in red light appeared. The ancient tree quickly turned into a withered tree.
Xin Qi managed to suppress his disgust after rinsing his mouth with nectar. But the next moment, a piercing pain shot through his chest, and his bones felt like they were breaking and rebuilding bit by bit.
Xin Qi looked up and glanced at the moonlight overhead.
Night has fallen again, and the divine punishment has indeed arrived as promised.
With a cold laugh, Xin Qi turned and left expressionlessly. Thinking of Jiang Fei's expression in the cave just now, his mockery intensified.
I thought I had three months left before I could inherit the Heavenly Dao, but now it seems it won't be long at all.
The camphor forest was quite large. Even if Jiang Fei hadn't been injured, it would have taken her a full day and night to travel there using magic. Now that she was injured and had a constitution that was difficult to heal, their journey was slow and hectic.
They walked for five or six days, but had only covered a third of the distance.
During this period, Xin Qi would hunt pheasants or rabbits every day, roast them for Jiang Fei, and even find fairy herbs to properly apply medicine to Jiang Fei.
Jiang Fei also enjoyed the little devil's "service" without any qualms.
When Jiang Fei woke up that day, Xin Qi was not by her side.
She thought about it carefully. In the original story, Xin Qi disappeared one day. When the original owner went to look for him, she found that Xin Qi had gone to the edge of the cliff to pick fairy herbs and saw a wild orchid on the cliff.
With Xin Qi's true magical power, picking that wild orchid would have been a simple matter of lifting a finger. However, he nearly fell off a cliff that time, and the tips of all ten of his fingers were worn raw, with some even exposing the bone. His bloodied fingers tightly gripped the wild orchid that the original owner loved most, and he appeared before the original owner covered in wounds.
A self-inflicted injury ruse.
Jiang Fei smiled and patiently waited until evening, but Xin Qi did not appear.
As dusk approached, she slowly dragged her gradually recovering leg toward the direction Xin Qi had left.
After walking for about half an hour, the camphor trees ahead gradually thinned out, and mountain mist and mountain winds began to swirl around them.
When Xin Qi heard the footsteps in the distance, he was standing on the edge of the cliff. The mountain wind made the ribbons of his hair ornament flutter wildly, and his eyes were filled with disdain and mockery.
As the footsteps drew closer, Xin Qi raised his hand, using his index finger as a knife, and casually made a cut on the tip of his left finger. Instantly, blood gushed out, flesh rolled back, revealing bone, yet his expression remained unchanged. The next moment, he had vanished from the edge of the cliff.
When Jiang Fei reached the cliff, all he saw were the fairy grass on the edge of the cliff and the bloodstains on the grass.
Knowing that Xin Qi was nearby, Jiang Fei raised an eyebrow, quickly stepped forward, picked up the Immortal Spirit Grass, and looked around: "Young Master Xin?"
No one answered.
"Young Master Xin?" Jiang Fei's voice was noticeably flustered.
Still, no one spoke.
"Young Master Xin?" Jiang Fei kept searching around, no longer caring about the injury on his leg, his voice trembling slightly at the end.
"Xin Qi!"
As soon as the last word was uttered, a faint sound came from below the cliff.
Jiang Fei froze, and after a long while, she turned to look.
Xin Qi slowly climbed up the cliff. His scholar's robes were already stained with blood and dirt, and his ten fingers were covered in blood.
Yet, in that blood-soaked palm, she stubbornly clutched a wild orchid, her face pale, her breathing rapid, her slightly raised eyebrows carrying a hint of tenderness, and the ribbons behind her fluttering in the mountain wind.
Then, Xin Qi slowly smiled and handed the wild orchid, stained with blood and dew, to her: "Miss Jiang, I remember you said you liked it."
Jiang Fei looked down at the beautiful yet eerie wild orchid, with only one thought in her mind.
That bastard's acting is really good.
She stared at the wild orchid for a long time, her eyes reddening slightly. She forcefully knocked the orchid to the ground, then suddenly looked up, a tear hanging from the corner of her eye, her lips tightly pressed together: "I don't like it."
Xin Qi's eyes lost some of their warmth.
Jiang Fei stepped forward, so close that their robes became entangled, and hugged him tightly, her voice hoarse: "I want you to live."
The coldness in Xin Qi's eyes froze for a moment, and he even forgot to push Jiang Fei away.
Countless exorcists in both the immortal and mortal realms want his life, since obtaining his inner core could potentially allow one to leapfrog to the Tribulation Transcending stage.
Few people said they wanted him to live.
It still came from the mouth of this stupid woman in front of me.
It's not a good thing that he's alive.
For example, taking her life.
Xin Qi's favorability rating: -10.
...
It took us a full half month to get out of the camphor forest.
The two never mentioned what happened on the cliff that day again, but Xin Qi still noticed that Jiang Fei's unfamiliarity with him had lessened considerably, and she even blushed several times when he approached her.
He was pleased with the outcome.
Beyond the camphor grove lies a place called Youfang Town.
Youfang Town is the border between the human world and the cultivation world. It is a place where all sorts of people mingle. There are cultivators who have been in the cultivation world for a long time and want to see the prosperity of the human world, there are mortals who do business, there are demons who disguise themselves and mingle here, and there are exorcists who have come to find it by following the demonic energy.
It was incredibly lively.
Jiang Fei's leg was almost healed, and the camphor forest was really boring, with only camphor trees and mountain mist, plus a smiling tiger little devil. Therefore, seeing the bustling Youfang Town made her feel much more relaxed.
The streets were lined with stalls selling snacks and trinkets from the human world, as well as some basic prayer talismans from the cultivation world. The vendors' calls were constant.
Xin Qi walked beside Jiang Fei with his hands behind his back, his eyes lowered to conceal the disgust and coldness in them.
He loathed all things in the human world, as insignificant as ants, even their body odor was so disgusting that it couldn't be covered up by cheap face powder.
Jiang Fei was oblivious to the cold aura emanating from the people around her. She continued to look around with great interest. When she saw the woman's stall in front of her, she narrowed her eyes, glanced at Xin Qi, and walked over.
"Would you like a bamboo tube of licorice and plum juice, young lady?" the woman asked with a smile when she saw the visitor.
Jiang Fei nodded, but then seemed to remember something and touched the purse at his waist.
She seemed to have no silver, only spirit stones...
“The spirit stones here can also be used as money.” Xin Qi’s patient and clear voice came from beside him.
Jiang Fei was pleasantly surprised and handed a spirit stone to the woman.
The woman looked at the two of them with delight, gave Jiang Fei a bamboo tube of licorice plum water, and handed her a money bag containing several dozen taels of silver: "The two of you seem to be a perfect match, you will surely achieve a happy ending."
Jiang Fei was taken aback, and subconsciously looked at Xin Qi, then said repeatedly, "You're joking, he and I are not husband and wife..."
“I know, immortals don’t have the concept of husband and wife,” the woman smiled knowingly, “they are all destined to cultivate together.”
Jiang Fei blushed: "Auntie, you've really misunderstood..."
Before she could finish speaking, Xin Qi, who was standing to the side, laughed and said, "Yes, it's all due to fate." As he spoke, he took the money pouch and handed it to Jiang Fei.
Jiang Fei stared blankly at him, the blush on her cheeks still lingering, her eyes showing surprise and obvious glee.
Xin Qi smiled and said in a low voice, "If we don't agree, I'm afraid that person will keep talking."
Jiang Fei responded softly, her eyes sparkling. She glanced at the money pouch in her hand before finally relaxing a little: "I didn't expect that spirit stones and silver coins could be exchanged." As she spoke, she took a sip of plum juice. The bitterness of the licorice mixed with the sweet and sour taste of the plum was quite delicious.
Xin Qiwen smiled faintly; "There are rogue cultivators in the human realm who, after learning only a little, go to help those ignorant people heal and pray for them. They don't accept money, only spirit stones. You can exchange spirit stones at the money houses in the human realm. One spirit stone is worth one hundred taels of silver..."
Before Xin Qi could finish speaking, a bamboo tube suddenly appeared at his lips, and a pair of bright eyes were looking at him: "It's delicious, you should try some."
Caught off guard, Xin Qi felt his breathing tighten slightly.
Before he could even react, the bamboo tube tilted slightly, and the cool, sweet plum juice entered his mouth, slid down his throat, and he swallowed it.
Having not tasted anything from the human world for a long time, my stomach stirred, but it wasn't out of disgust or nausea.
Xin Qi frowned, looking at the woman in front of him with an undisguised fervor in his eyes.
It was like... going back hundreds of years, when the man he should have called his father locked that alluring woman, who was almost completely naked and only covered by a red veil, in a golden cage and tortured her to death. That woman looked at that man with the same gaze.
Devotion, fervor.
What she received in return was a man who ripped out her heart, watched her writhe in agony on the ground, and then carelessly threw her away.
And he was merely an experiment driven by that man's momentary curiosity.
What kind of monster will be born from the clash between humans and demons?
Xin Qi suddenly took a step back, and a few drops of plum blossom water spilled out.
Jiang Fei was startled: "What's wrong with you?"
Xin Qi did not speak, but continued to gaze at Jiang Fei.
The same gaze, and he too must make the same choice as that man.
He would also kill Jiang Fei with his own hands.
"Young Master Xin?" Jiang Fei called out to him uneasily.
Xin Qi snapped out of her daze and forced a smile: "It's nothing, it tastes great."
Upon hearing this, Jiang Fei smiled, her eyebrows curving upwards.
Xin Qi's favorability rating: -5.
Jiang Fei laughed even more happily.
Just then, a child of about seven or eight years old, dressed in an inconspicuous blue linen outfit, ran past her.
Jiang Fei felt the pouch containing spirit stones at her waist loosen.
Those around heard only the crisp sound of a long sword being drawn, and before they could react, the long sword, imbued with spiritual power, was already placed against the child's neck.
The child was so frightened that his face turned pale.
Jiang Fei stepped forward and took her stolen purse back from the child, but paused when she saw the child's faintly bloodshot eyes.
Children are too young to understand how to control their demonic nature.
This is clearly a little devil.
Jiang Fei quickly pondered for a moment, glanced at Xin Qi beside him, and then said coldly, "I'll spare your life this time, you devil. If we meet again, I won't let you off easily."
He sheathed his sword, turned around and walked to Xin Qi's side with a smile: "Young Master Xin, let's go."
Xin Qi glanced in the direction the child had disappeared. In just one glance, he recognized the child as a recently born descendant of the demon race, but he still pretended not to understand: "That was just now..."
Jiang Fei frowned: "They are demons."
"Does Miss Jiang seem to dislike the demon race?" Xin Qi asked casually.
Jiang Fei looked at him and said, "Immortals and demons have been irreconcilable since ancient times."
Xin Qi narrowed his eyes, and after a long while, he chuckled softly: "Yes, we are absolutely irreconcilable enemies."
A foolish and arrogant woman.
Even if she were to die in Yan'er's place, it would still feel like an insult to Yan'er.
Only Yan'er would say that both immortals and demons are life, and only Yan'er would not despise his identity as a demon.
Xin Qi's favorability rating: -10.
That night, Jiang Fei and Xin Qi stayed at the Youfang Inn.
Youfang Inn is the largest inn in Youfang Town, a bustling and lively place. According to the innkeeper, even the immortals from Wunian Mountain once stayed here.
However, this rumor originated from the inn, and its veracity is unverifiable.
When Jiang Fei and Xin Qi arrived at the inn, only one superior room was left. Although they had no choice, they still got off.
During this period, Jiang Fei stayed in the camphor forest. Even though there was mountain spring water, it was still a desolate wilderness and not as comfortable as staying in an inn.
After taking a bath, it was already late at night.
Xin Qi had tactfully left while she was bathing, and had not yet returned.
Jiang Fei leaned lazily against the bed when the system's voice suddenly sounded: "Why is the host showing such dislike for demons?"
It had wanted to ask this since the beginning, but the host was taking a bath and could not hear or see anything improper.
"Hmm?" Jiang Fei smiled lazily. "With Tang Feiyan's brilliant example before me, no matter how friendly I am to the demons, Xin Qi thinks it's just a poor imitation."
Therefore, it would be better to make him think that she hates demons.
In the future, wouldn't it be even more touching that she, who despised demons, could accept everything about him?
Moreover, Xin Qi is a possessive person. Even the lives of demons are worthless in his eyes. He loves uniqueness the most.
Then she would give him something unique.
[System: In just that instant, the host thought of so much?]
Jiang Fei smiled and asked in return, "Where did Xin Qi go?"
[System: They are probably currently undergoing divine punishment.]
"Divine punishment?"
[System: Those who cultivate demonic arts must absorb the life force of others to hone their spells; divine punishment is the price.]
"What kind of divine punishment is Xin?"
[System: Xin Qi's magical power is unfathomable, and the divine punishment is all the more severe. Every night, as the moon deepens, Xin Qi experiences excruciating pain in his lungs and internal organs, and his broken bones are rejoined; on the night of the full moon on the fifteenth of each month, the divine punishment is even more intense, and his magical power weakens. Therefore, many exorcists like to capture demons on the fifteenth of each month to extract their inner cores for cultivation.]
Every night.
Jiang Fei lowered her eyes and smiled, "Then wouldn't he be unable to sleep for a long time?"
[System: Xin Qi has not had a proper rest for over a hundred years.]
Jiang Fei raised an eyebrow and said insincerely, "That's really pathetic."
The next moment, she suddenly thought of something else.
There are only five days left until the full moon on the fifteenth of the lunar month.
If she remembered correctly, in the original story, on this day, Xin Qi accidentally revealed a few strands of demonic energy, which aroused suspicion from the exorcist.
Xin Qi then injected several streams of demonic energy into the original owner, causing the original owner to be hunted down, and he once again played the hero and saved the damsel in distress.
At this point, the original owner was captured.
She had initially thought it was Xin Qi's way of luring the original owner into a trap, but now she realized that it wasn't that Xin Qi had accidentally leaked demonic energy, but rather that on the night of the full moon, his magical power was weakened, and he could hardly withstand the heavenly punishment, let alone suppress his excessively large demonic energy.
Footsteps sounded outside the door.
Jiang Fei quickly closed her eyes and pretended to sleep.
The door was gently pushed open, and Xin Qi walked in slowly. He glanced at the motionless bed, his palm moved slightly, and a circle of flame-like magic seal appeared on his wrist.
The Love-Locking Curse.
Xin Qi walked to the bedside and looked down at Jiang Fei, whose breathing was even.
After a long while, he formed a hand seal and slowly injected the Love-Loving Spell into Jiang Fei's brow.
Xin Qi stared intently at her, watching the Love-Locking Curse rapidly travel through her body, a curse that did not penetrate the bones and blood of those who were unwilling.
It seems she really has fallen for him.
However, in the next instant, the Love-Loving Curse suddenly gathered again between Jiang Fei's eyebrows, trying to break free.
I'm not completely smitten yet.
Xin Qi extended his index finger and pressed it against Jiang Fei's brow to stop the Love-Locking Curse from escaping.
The Love-Locking Curse: If one does not submit willingly, death is the only outcome.
Xin Qi squinted at Jiang Fei. How dare she, such a foolish and arrogant cultivator, despise demons?
Even if she dies today, he can still find other extremely yin and cold people to take her place.
The Love-Locking Curse grew increasingly rampant within Jiang Fei's body, and as her face grew paler, a flower suddenly fell from her arms.
A wild orchid with dark red bloodstains on its white petals.
Xin Qi stared at the flower, slightly taken aback.
It was a wild orchid he picked from the cliff that day. Many of them were blooming in the crevices of the cliff, and he had just picked one casually.
She clearly knocked the flower to the ground that day, so how could this be...?
She picked it up again? And has been wearing it with her ever since?
A soft "thump" sounded.
The first time, it felt like something had gently struck my chest, a very subtle sensation.
After a long while, the index finger that had been pressing against Jiang Fei's wrist withdrew, and the Love-Locking Curse surged out almost instantly, disappearing back into Xin Qi's wrist.
Xin Qi's favorability rating: 0.
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