Sourness followed her wherever she went.
Are you injured?
Xue Jingnian looked at Yan Huanyue, who was covered in blood and whose clothes were tattered. He even forgot who Pei Xuanzhi was and what he had just been doing. He rushed over, grabbed her shoulder with one hand, and reached out with the other to wipe the blood off her face.
He then asked, "Yan Huanyue, are you injured anywhere?"
Yan Huanyue brushed his hand away, sniffed the faint scent on his clothes, and asked, "I'm not injured. Were you with Xuanzhi just now? Where is he?"
Seeing her in such a miserable state, Xue Jingnian felt as if his heart was being torn apart, and he no longer cared about Pei Xuanzhi.
He pulled Yan Huanyue close again, looked down at her intently, and said urgently, "You've only been in the inner sect for a few days? What are you doing back? What are you showing off for? If anything happens to you, I..."
When Yan Huanyue came to her senses, she looked up and asked, "Where is Xuanzhi?"
Xue Jingnian gripped her blood-soaked arm tightly, suppressing his urge to pull her into his arms, and said in a deep voice:
"Xuanzhi, Xuanzhi, what use is he? He's so infatuated with you that all you know is him! You're just being bewitched. Yan Huanyue, listen to me, his heart is definitely not here. He must have wanted to leave our sect for a long time. He was just pretending to be sick. As soon as the sect leader got busy, he took advantage of the chaos and ran away!"
Yan Huanyue struggled a few times and shook off his hand. "I know, he's not in Changqing Palace."
After saying that, he took a step and ran away from Changqing Palace in another direction.
It was already late, the sky was full of stars, and the Heavenly Evolution Array that had been covering the sky was beginning to dim its light. The battle had ended long ago at dusk.
At this moment, the Heavenly Evolution Array, radiating ethereal light, is reaping the lifespans of all intruders.
Xue Jingnian watched her figure disappear into the distance under the great light, and immediately followed after her.
When they arrived at a cluster of disciples' quarters scattered in the darkness, a lamp was burning in one of the quarters amidst the shadowy trees.
Yan Huanyue caught a whiff of fragrance from afar and immediately made a hand seal to fly over.
Pushing open the courtyard gate abruptly, I saw lush greenery in the yard, with unfamiliar flowers, grasses, and saplings neatly arranged, and a small plot of land planted with vibrant green vegetables.
The kitchen lights were on, and the smell of cooking smoke drifted back and forth across the courtyard on the night breeze.
Before she even reached the kitchen, Xue Jingnian flew in from outside the courtyard wall and stormed into the kitchen, angrily shouting, "What are you doing here without a word!"
In the kitchen, a slender, tall boy in white was washing vegetables with his back to him. Without turning around, he said indifferently, "Clean the house and cook."
Young Master Xue couldn't stand such humiliation. He immediately turned to Yan Huanyue in the courtyard and said, "Look! He framed me! He's making things difficult for me! I gave him food, but he refused to eat it. I didn't starve him. He drank the medicine and vomited. He disappeared without a word, which startled me. But then he came back to cook and act pitiful, as if I had mistreated or bullied him. Yan Huanyue, look at him!"
Yan Huanyue felt a headache coming on.
She couldn't be sure whether the two combined—scheming and making false accusations—were more than three years old.
Pei Xuanzhi turned around and glanced at the bloodstains on Xue Jingnian's sleeve. He immediately took a few steps to the kitchen door, looked at Yan Huanyue who was covered in blood, his eyes trembled, and he was about to run towards her.
Yan Huanyue raised her hand to stop her, saying, "Don't come any closer. I'm not hurt at all. This is all someone else's blood."
With Xue Jingnian present, she couldn't reveal too much. Knowing that Pei Xuanzhi had been taking medicine recently, and fearing that the strong blood energy emanating from her might affect him, she said:
"I'm going to change my clothes and wash up. You and Junior Brother Xue can sit for a while."
Pei Xuanzhi couldn't help but walk over and reach out to hug her.
Yan Huanyue glanced at Xue Jingnian, took a few steps back, and said to Pei Xuanzhi, "Do I have to get my hands on your blood before I feel comfortable?"
Pei Xuanzhi stopped in his tracks, his gaze fixed on her, and said softly, "The water is warm now, and the clothes are placed in the west room as well."
Yan Huanyue paused in her steps, turned back to look at him deeply, then turned away again amidst the estrangement and unfamiliarity that came with not seeing him for so long, and said softly, "Thank you."
Xue Jingnian clenched his hands involuntarily. She could still look at people with such eyes. He couldn't explain why, but it felt like a knife had been ripped out of his heart.
He had never seen her look at Senior Brother Yu like that before, and she had never looked at him like that before...
Pei Xuanzhi glanced back at Xue Jingnian's blood-stained sleeves. Not only were his sleeves bloody, but his hands were also stained with blood...
After bathing and changing her clothes, Yan Huanyue put on the crimson gauze dress that Pei Xuanzhi had placed in the west room, and casually used a long hairpin to tie her long hair into a side bun.
Just as I arrived at the west room door, still feeling the fresh moisture from the water, I saw a tall, slender figure standing outside the curtain.
A delicate fragrance, cool yet subtly sweet, wafts through the steam, making one's heart soften.
Yan Huanyue walked past him into the small hall and asked, "Where is Xue Jingnian?"
His voice was as aloof and indifferent as ever, “The people from the sects outside the mountain have returned with Sect Leader Pei, and Senior Brother Xue has been summoned away by Elder Yin.”
Yan Huanyue didn't know how other couples were, but she and he had been separated for so long, and suddenly being in the same room together made her feel a little awkward. She would feel better after a few more days.
She walked to the door of the main room and prepared to open it, saying, "Then let's go and take a look at Changqing Palace."
No rush.
A cool breeze touched my back, and a fragrant aroma wafted around me.
He held her tightly around the waist and lowered his head to suck and nibble on her warm neck.
A cool hand slipped inside the clothes of the person in his arms. He tried his best to suppress his excitement, his whole body trembling slightly, and he said in a hoarse voice, "Let me check if you have any injuries."
Yan Huanyue could clearly sense something was off about the person behind her. She struggled slightly and said, "I said I didn't."
Pei Xuanzhi buried his face in her neck, inhaling her sweet fragrance, then pushed her to the table and whispered, "Let me see, it'll be ready in a moment..."
She turned to look at him, her eyes brimming with tears, still holding a hint of embarrassment and annoyance.
With just one glance, Pei Xuanzhi felt as if a soft feather had touched the tip of his heart, and his entire being was screaming with desire.
He couldn't resist leaning in and kissing her.
There was absolutely no tenderness this time; things happened very quickly.
Countless golden mists rushed up her legs, while Pei Xuanzhi gnawed at her neck, greedily and desperately plundering everything beneath him like a starving wild dog...
He didn't know how much time had passed before he picked her up and carried her into the bedroom, then laid her down on the neatly made bed.
Suddenly, there was a banging on the door.
Pei Xuanzhi stopped. His clothes were perfectly intact. Upon hearing the sound, a yellow talisman flew out from his sleeve and, as it fluttered, pulled down the curtain.
Yan Huanyue lay on the bed, her breathing disordered, her hair damp, and her face flushed with a spring-like smile.
Her crimson nightgown was disheveled, with one sleeve hanging on her jade-like arm, and the hem of her skirt piled up to her knees, which made her snow-white skin glow even more.
With skin as white as snow and a face as beautiful as a flower, weathered by wind and rain, her alluring beauty stirred the young man's desires, making him wish he could devour her whole.
He leaned down and kissed Yan Huanyue's neck twice, then frowned slightly, showing a rare hint of impatience, and stood up to straighten the jade belt around his waist.
Then he turned around and left the bedroom, went to the small living room, opened the door and walked out, then immediately turned back and closed the door.
Xue Jingnian, standing outside the door, questioned, "You just said that my master was looking for me, but how come my master didn't know about it!"
Pei Xuanzhi stood in the shadows, his eyes lowered to conceal the crimson hue gradually rising in his eyes, and said casually, "Father gave me the order. Senior Brother, go ask him. Is there anything else, Senior Brother Xue?"
Xue Jingnian knew he was falsely conveying the emperor's will, but he couldn't do anything about it. He gritted his teeth and said, "The sect leader wants you to go to Changqing Hall. If you don't believe me, ask him."
Pei Xuanzhi pursed his thin lips, clearly extremely impatient, yet still very restrained, "I understand."
Xue Jingnian said, "I will go with you."
Pei Xuanzhi gave a cold sneer. Before he could speak, the door behind him opened, letting in a burst of candlelight.
He watched as Xue Jingnian's eyes lit up in an instant, and his arrogant and angry expression softened considerably.
He turned around and saw that Yan Huanyue had changed into a light pink and blue dress, standing backlit, with her hair styled in a slanted bun, her face as white as a peach blossom, and her whole body so fair that it was dazzling.
In stark contrast to his sickly pallor, her complexion was radiant, full, and warm, always so vibrant and dazzling that it made one's mouth water...
"Senior Sister Yan..."
He heard Xue Jingnian call her that, and there was an uncontrollable flutter in his voice.
She strode past the two of them without offering any rebuttal, simply saying calmly, "Then let's go to Changqing Palace together."
Pei Xuanzhi landed behind the two with an inscrutable expression. He extinguished the candle, closed the door and the courtyard gate, and took out a bottle of calming pills, which he swallowed.
Xue Jingnian said to Yan Huanyue, "The disciples who did not go to the Northern Lands this time have all been assigned to the outside of the Tianyan Realm to join forces with the people of the Misty Sect to kill those evil cultivators and heretics who are secretly waiting for an opportunity to make a move. Senior Sister Han and the others are killing the people of the Yun Clan."
The night breeze caressed my temples, bringing a sense of peace and tranquility.
Yan Huanyue quickened her pace and couldn't help but smile, "Senior Sister Han? Unless absolutely necessary, Senior Sister Han will definitely leave no trouble behind when she takes action."
Seeing her smile, Xue Jingnian couldn't help but laugh heartily as well, with a hint of pride in his voice. "The plans of the sect leaders and elders have eliminated many internal troubles, which is truly inspiring."
The night was a bit chilly.
Yan Huanyue took out an old cloak from her treasure pouch, turned around and draped it over Pei Xuanzhi, then quietly asked, "You're walking so slowly, are you tired?"
Before Pei Xuanzhi could answer, she took out a long sword and placed it horizontally in mid-air. She held his waist with both hands and helped him sit on the sword, saying in a low voice, "Don't push yourself. If you feel uncomfortable, go back and rest."
Then he took out the Cold-Repelling Pearl from his treasure pouch and put it around his neck. "This is the Cold-Repelling Pearl. I refined it when I was bored in the North. You must wear it from now on and never take it off."
Under the moonlight, the bloodshot look in Pei Xuanzhi's eyes gradually faded. Hearing this, he looked up at her blankly, only giving a faint "hmm" and not saying anything more.
He sat on the sword, silent.
Wherever Yan Huanyue went, he followed her, carried by the wind.
The snow-white, gold-embroidered hem of her dress reflected the moonlight, rippling with delight in the night breeze.
It's clearly just a minor spell, nothing to brag about...
Xue Jingnian watched silently, his excitement from his earlier eloquent speech instantly vanished, replaced by an indescribable bitterness and sorrow.
He couldn't understand why someone so sickly and insignificant could receive such unconditional favor from her...
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