Chapter 72 Fragrant City, Peach Blossom Palace (Part Two) That was close, I almost ate...
"Without further ado, let's set off for Fangfei City immediately."
The system's disappearance is probably related to what happened to Sister Qing Shu. Perhaps if this matter is resolved, she will be able to see the system again.
She must go back through all three thousand lifetimes, regardless of whether it's a virtual world or not; she needs to figure out her own origins.
As she finished speaking, she realized another problem she had overlooked.
"But Brother Li, how did you find us?"
Also, where did Wu Xiutang go?
"To get to Fangfei City, you have to pass through this place. Now there are flight restriction barriers set up everywhere. I originally planned to enter the city to resupply, but I found that the demonic energy was surging abnormally in the southeast of the city. When I went to check, I found Young Master Wu unconscious."
"What? Fainted?" Shi Xianxue stood up abruptly.
The joy of reuniting with Brother Li made her overlook the momentary unease she felt when she woke up this morning.
"Why did he faint? Why was he with the demons? Is he alright now?"
Li Fuchao paused for a moment, then looked up and smiled, "Shishi, don't worry, Young Master Wu is sleeping in his room upstairs right now. I checked his spiritual veins and didn't find anything unusual."
Of course, he couldn't detect that Wu Xiutang had lost his soul.
Her initial plan was to use Qing Shu's influence to get the elders of the Qingyun Sect to help find a cure. However, after the matter of the demonic bone was exposed, Qing Shu herself was in trouble, so she naturally wouldn't mention it to Brother Li, who was too busy to deal with it.
Shi Xianxue bit her lower lip, finally managing to hold back, and nodded, saying, "Thank you, Brother Li. I'll go see him, and we'll set off tomorrow."
--
Wu Xiutang fell back into that listless state, just when Shi Xianxue was overjoyed, thinking he was slowly getting better.
After waking up that day, he became increasingly taciturn, and when asked what had happened, he knew nothing. But since that day, there were far fewer demons in the city, and he looked as if he had exhausted all his life force.
Shi Xianxue suspected that he might have changed his nature and was now going out to exorcise demons in the middle of the night because he couldn't sleep.
Regardless of the reason, Wu Xiutang's deteriorating health was undeniable, and Shi Xianxue was extremely anxious, so she quickened her pace.
We need to find Sister Qing Shu quickly. Since she doesn't want to become the Demon Lord and considers it a disgrace, then we might as well grant their wish.
The carriage was silent. Shi Xianxue looked at the boy's pale, lifeless profile, and felt a dull, aching pain in her heart, as if it were being squeezed by a large hand.
"Wu Xiutang." Her voice was soft, so as not to disturb the sleeping boy. "I will definitely save you."
Traveling day and night, they arrived at the territory of Fangfei City at dawn on the third day.
The order of heaven and earth has been thrown into chaos, and the demon race has invaded human territory. They live among humans, but Fangfei City is different. The streets here are very clean, and not only is there not a single demon in sight, but it also retains the quiet and desolation of a centuries-old city.
Although the old town is not prosperous, its greenery is quite good.
Every household has a fragrant peach tree planted in front of their door. Although the majestic mountains block the cold air from the south, the damp and cold winter will not make the peach trees bloom.
The street was free of clutter and sparsely populated, but Xiao Mei noticed that several of the people there were women. Curious, she peeked into a fabric shop and discovered that the people selling and buying fabric were also women.
This isn't Fangfei City, it's clearly the Kingdom of Women!
Xiao Mei muttered to herself.
Seemingly sensing the presence of strangers, everyone busy in the store turned around almost simultaneously.
Their faces were tense and expressionless, and their eyes held an indescribable hostility as they looked at them.
But soon their gazes shifted away from Xiao Mei's face and clung to Wu Xiutang and Li Fuchao like spider webs.
Wu Xiutang was feeling unwell and was leaning listlessly against Shi Xianxue, so he didn't even notice what was happening. Li Fuchao was also talking to Shi Xianxue about Xueyin Sword. Only Xiaomei saw this strange scene.
Before she could tell them, the women resumed their conversation and laughter as if nothing had happened, as if everything she had just experienced was a hallucination.
Xiao Mei thoughtfully withdrew her gaze and stopped looking around.
The Xuanhe Sword lost its connection with the Xueyin Sword upon entering Fangfei City. After delivering them to the family inn, Li Fuchao hurriedly left.
Although the inn was small, it had everything you needed and was very clean inside and out. The owner was a very young woman with her hair up in a bun and a white jade hairpin inserted at an angle. Her emerald green silk skirt rippled alluringly as she walked.
It seems she is already married.
However, Shi Xianxue did not see her husband, but instead saw her two twin daughters who were not much different in age. They were very sensible and did not hire any helpers in the shop. When their mother was in a state of panic, they put down their studies and came to help.
Shi Xianxue liked the polite and sensible little girl very much, and secretly shared candied fruit with her.
The shop owner's name was Wanrou. As her name suggested, she had a gentle voice and was very considerate. When she saw Shi Xianxue sharing food with her daughter, she gave the two girls two bowls of warm lily and red date soup.
Xiao Mei glanced at her exposed arm and pretended to ask her where her husband had gone. Wan Rou's expression stiffened for a moment before returning to normal.
Her smile was gentle and graceful, without any hint of offense. She simply said calmly, "He's been keeping a woman outside and hasn't been home for a long time. Fangfei City is in a remote area and doesn't have many customers. I can manage to take care of this shop myself."
She paused for a moment, glancing at Wu Xiutang, who seemed out of sorts, but only for a second before quickly looking away.
Xiao Mei continued, "I just walked from the city gate all the way to the shop and found Fangfei City very strange. There were only women on the streets and I didn't see a single man."
Wanrou explained, "Our place is in a remote area, and we do business with our neighbors. We don't earn much money. Men in the city have no choice but to go out to work in order to support their families."
That explanation is reasonable.
Xiao Mei then stopped talking.
Wanrou asked, "I noticed that young master Li had an extraordinary bearing and carried a sword on his back. Could he be a cultivator sent down from the mountain by the sect to subdue demons?"
The Qingyun Sect is now the target of everyone's criticism, so Shi Xianxue naturally wouldn't reveal Li Fuchao's true identity. After a brief chat, Wanrou sighed, "I thought you came for the Feather Demon."
"Feathered Demon?"
"Yes, a few months ago, a feathered demon came to Fangfei City. The demon's feathers were colorful and looked like flowing brocade under the sun. They were extremely beautiful. Several groups of cultivators came a few days ago, hoping to capture it and use its feathers to make a rainbow-colored robe."
Shi Xianxue didn't take Yu Yao to heart. "Sister Wanrou, is there a woman in green robes carrying a sword among the cultivators who came to Fangfei City? She's about my height, has big eyes, fair skin, and looks like she has no desires, but she's very beautiful."
Wanrou thought for a moment and gave an apologetic smile: "I'm really sorry, although my shop is not big, quite a few cultivators have come here in the past few months. I really don't remember the person you mentioned."
Shi Xianxue pondered for a moment, then asked, "Where is that feathered demon now?"
"I heard it's in the back mountain, in the peach blossom grove."
Two little girls called to her from the backyard. Wanrou said "excuse me" and hurriedly left.
Shi Xianxue frowned as she watched her departing figure.
Wanrou's left leg seemed to be slightly lame, and her shoulders would sway slightly when she walked, but unless you looked closely at her, you couldn't tell anything was wrong.
As if remembering something, Shi Xianxue quickly scooped up a spoonful of porridge and blew on it. The fragrance of lilies and the sweetness of red dates blended together, tempting her. When she put it in her mouth, there were soft and sticky red beans. With each bite, the aroma of the food filled her mouth.
It tastes great.
She ate with great relish, drawing increasingly intense gazes from those around her.
Shi Xianxue looked up, puzzled, and saw Wu Xiutang's Adam's apple bobbing up and down, as well as his staring gaze.
Shi Xianxue immediately became anxious: "What's wrong? Are you feeling unwell?"
Wu Xiutang shook his head, got up without saying a word, and went back to his room.
Little Mei had little appetite. After Wanrou left the front hall, she moved a chair over and whispered to Shi Xianxue, "Did you see that just now?"
Wu Xiutang's figure disappeared into the stairwell before Shi Xianxue withdrew her gaze. "What did you see?"
Xiao Mei rolled up her sleeves, revealing her fair wrists. "Wanrou has black bruises on her arms."
Shi Xianxue hadn't really noticed.
"She probably ran into something. She has to run the shop and raise two daughters all by herself, so it's inevitable that she'll encounter some bumps along the way."
"But don't you find it strange? There are no men in this city, only women. You can't even see a boy. This place is completely a land of women."
"Didn't Wanrou say that all the men here have gone to the bustling towns to find work and aren't at home? After all, it's not the end of the year yet, so naturally you can't see them."
Shi Xianxue silently finished the bowl of red date soup, then patted her shoulder: "Alright, you can't be so suspicious just because you're a withered ghost."
Xiaomei: "..."
As the sun sets in the west, its orange-pink light reflects on the peach petals lining the street, where there are hardly any people left.
Li Fuchao has not returned yet.
Xiao Mei and the flamingo were playing "Eagle Catches Chicks" with two little girls. The flamingo spread its wings to protect the two little girls behind it, and Xiao Mei, pretending to be a fierce eagle, let out a strange, unrecognizable roar when she pounced.
The quiet atmosphere in the lobby was dispelled by the occasional screams from the group.
After Wanrou finished settling the accounts behind the counter, she looked up at the figure going upstairs and her lips curled up almost imperceptibly.
Shi Xianxue was worried about Wu Xiutang. His condition was really bad. He was absent-minded all day long. You had to call him three times before he would respond. Today, he went upstairs and didn't leave his room all afternoon. The meals that were sent to him were returned untouched.
Shi Xianxue knocked on the door, but as expected, there was no response. She gently pushed the door open.
At this moment, light and shadow chased each other. The last ray of sunlight shone through the tung oil paper, and Shi Xianxue saw the boy sleeping silently.
Even in his sleep, he had his brows furrowed tightly. When Shi Xianxue got closer, she noticed that his face was covered in sweat.
He looked extremely uncomfortable.
Shi Xianxue lay on the bed, her nose brushing against the boy's face. She pressed her damp forehead against his and said to herself, "I've been eating and drinking like crazy these past few days, and I've finally made up for some of it. Don't you see how much rosier my complexion is now?"
The boy was trapped in his dream and did not answer her.
Shi Xianxue didn't care. The serpentine holy rune surged on her forehead again and flowed into the boy's body in the same way.
"You must have known that your spirit wouldn't last long when you wanted to get the Demon Bone. The Demon Bone is a part of the power contained in the first Demon Lord, Zhu Ze. After we find the Demon Bone, I will find a way to separate your spirit from it."
During these quiet days of companionship, Shi Xianxue's mindset unknowingly changed.
Wu Xiutang is not a virtual character; he is a real person with flesh and blood. From the moment he came into this world, they disliked each other, quarreled, and even wished they could kill each other.
But now...
The light from his forehead surged toward him without hesitation, like quicksand.
Shi Xianxue only wants Wu Xiutang to get better. If she could be a little greedier, she would hope that Wu Xiutang could be happy.
She slowly closed her eyes.
During the spiritual guidance, Shi Xianxue's consciousness would become a small boat adrift in a vast ocean. Originally, it was just a small wave that she could barely control. But then, a huge black cloud appeared directly overhead, followed by lightning and thunder, and the black waves surged as if to capsize the small boat.
At the same time, her spiritual energy was plundered, as if controlled by a pair of large hands from behind. The sleeping boy suddenly became very aggressive, as if he wanted to suck the person in front of him into a dried corpse.
The bottomless black hole is forcefully absorbing Shi Xianxue's abilities.
The spirit of the master seized the opportunity and awoke again. "Master, go to Peach Blossom Palace. There should be an ancient demon there. Cut off his demon core, and it will be enough for you to last for a long time."
"Once my master finds me and breaks the formation, he will no longer be troubled by the seven emotions and six desires."
Shi Xianxue's body began to tremble. The pain made her instinctively want to break free, but the snake-shaped holy mark on her forehead was like glue with extremely strong adhesion, making her unable to move.
When she was exhausted, someone deliberately severed the bond connecting the two of them.
Shi Xianxue was thrown back by the force of the impact. She lay sprawled on the floor, dizzy and nauseous, gagging repeatedly. She couldn't vomit anything, but she could feel her body rapidly weakening.
She lay on the floor trying to catch her breath, but a faint sound came from the direction of the bed. She wanted to check on Wu Xiutang's condition, but she was too weak to do so.
Her eyelids grew heavier and heavier, and before she completely succumbed to darkness, someone picked her up and placed her on the couch.
The sky had completely darkened. Wu Xiutang looked satisfied, glistening water droplets on his thick, dark eyelashes. He gently brushed away the strands of hair clinging to her lips, then slowly leaned down, his warm breath brushing against Shi Xianxue's earlobe like downy feathers.
"That was close, I almost ate my sister."
--
Xiao Mei is a withered ghost. Although her heart has started beating again, her sleep habits, which have lasted for thousands of years, make her very energetic at night.
Moreover, her beloved Brother Li had not yet returned, and she could not sleep, so she told Wanrou to go and rest first, while she waited for Li Fuchao to return and lock the door.
She sat at the door for a while, then stared at the peach trees on the street for a while before standing up and gazing into the distance.
Every household has a peach tree in front of them, but the one in front of Wanrou's shop is smaller than the others and hasn't blossomed yet, as if it was only recently planted.
Under the boundless moonlight, Xiao Mei wandered around the streets for a while, then suddenly leaped onto the rooftop and, by the bright moonlight, saw the peach blossom forest on the back mountain that Wan Rou had mentioned.
It's beautiful, but it's a bit creepy to watch at night.
Seeing these objects brought back memories, and she began to miss the mushroom-shaped graves in Corpse Village.
She watched for a while, then found it boring and was about to jump down when a white sword aura, like a dragon, shot out from the peach blossom forest and flew towards Xiaomei.
Xiao Mei cautiously lowered her body, but as the sword energy drew closer, she realized that behind it was Li Fuchao, who had disappeared for a whole day.
The sword energy landed on the ground, revealing three people.
Xiao Mei jumped excitedly off the roof, beaming, "Brother Li, you're finally back!" But then she noticed the two women in black behind Li Fuchao, and her smile vanished. "Which one of these is Song Qingshu?"
These two women in black had striking features and were clearly skilled in martial arts. They were dressed as guards, and their clothes were made of high-quality materials. This did not match the image of the desireless cultivators that Shi Xianxue had described. Xiao Mei asked this question on purpose. She had enjoyed these things when she was a human, so she could tell that these two were probably the female guards of some playboy.
Li Fuchao explained, "I haven't found Qing Shu yet. These two are the ones I rescued in the peach blossom forest. Where are Shi Shi and Young Master Wu?"
Xiao Mei gestured towards the inside of the store, but when she saw him about to rush in, she grabbed his arm and said, "It's so late, they've already gone to sleep. If there's anything, we can talk about it when they wake up tomorrow."
"We can't wait!" Before Li Fuchao could speak, the two female guards became anxious. "Our young master has been detained in Peach Blossom Palace for two days. If we wait any longer and something happens, will you take responsibility?"
Xiao Mei disliked the two of them at first sight and immediately retorted, "What does it matter to us whether your young master lives or dies? If you're in such a hurry, go save him yourself. If you delay the opportunity to save your young master, can you bear the responsibility?"
"you!"
"Alright, stop arguing, Xiaomei. There are not only their masters in Peach Blossom Palace, but also many innocent people. Please do me a favor and go wake up Shishi and Young Master Wu."
Xiao Mei put on a smile and said, "Since Brother Li asked me for help, I will definitely go. I just brewed a pot of hot tea. Brother Li, you can go in and drink some to warm yourself up."
Xiao Mei first knocked on Shi Xianxue's door, but there was no response. She had no choice but to bite the bullet and knock on the door next door.
Before long, the door was opened from the inside.
Xiao Mei bowed deeply to express her apology: "Boss, I didn't mean to disturb your sleep. It's just that Li Fuchao has something important to discuss with Xue'er."
Unexpectedly, the hot-tempered boy in her memory only grunted and did not tear her people in half and bury them in the ground as he usually did.
Xiao Mei couldn't help but steal a glance. The boy had shed his usual fatigue and was now full of energy. He stepped out and met her furtive gaze. Wu Xiutang narrowed his eyes, pushed the closed door open a crack, and said harshly, "Go in and watch her. Don't blink even once."
"Take good care of him. If anything happens, I'll peel off your human skin."
See? They say he lost his memory and has no cultivation, but he looks exactly the same as before.
Such a reckless and torturous idea, disregarding human life and death, could only have come up with by Wu Xiutang.
She went into the room with a forced smile on her face, having already made up her mind, and then quietly closed the door.
But Wu Xiutang still saw her ugly state as she punched and kicked the air and bared her teeth the moment the door closed.
What's wrong?
Wu Xiutang turned and went downstairs.
Hearing the sounds from the stairwell, both the startled magpie and the firefly looked up at the same time.
Now that closing time has passed, the lamp is dimly lit, and the stairwell is naturally not bright. Moonlight filters through the window lattice, falling in fragments, and dancing on the black brocade robe as the boy descends the stairs.
The light and shadow clearly defined the contours of his face, making his dark eyes shine with an astonishing brightness. Compared to the young prince who was adept at adorning himself with jewels and jade belts, he was more like the flawless moon after the clouds have parted and the snow has cleared.
What's incongruous is that the face that always amazes you no matter how many times you see it always carries an aura of hostility that keeps strangers at bay.
As Wu Xiutang approached, Jingque still lost her composure and cried out.
"Your Highness?"
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