4. Chapter 4: The way he looks at you is very strange.
With a few slaps, the fish tails left large red welts on the faces of the men, and the fishy smell was overwhelming.
Jing Qianheng stood up, clutching his chest. A live fish jumped twice at his feet.
Lin Ye saw Jiang Zhishui angrily raise the bucket in her hand and throw it at the group of disciples on the other side of the corridor.
Those who were farther away from Jing Qianheng panicked and dodged, getting half of their bodies drenched by the water from the bucket.
Upon seeing Jiang Zhishui, the outer disciples were still fierce and wanted to confront her, but someone with sharp eyes noticed Lin Ye on the other side of the corridor. He quickly reminded everyone and they ran away.
Lin Ye is the direct disciple of Elder Jiu Deng. In the Zi Yang Immortal Mansion, Elder Jiu Deng's status is second only to the sect leader Xu Yunshan. Jiang Zhishui's master, Elder Bai Zang, is the most unknown among the elders. He was injured by the demons and has been recuperating in seclusion, rarely leaving his cave. He has also completely left Jiang Zhishui to her own devices.
Those people weren't afraid of Jiang Zhishui, but they were afraid of offending Lin Ye.
"How are you?" Jiang Zhishui approached Jing Qianheng, her face full of concern. "Are you injured?"
Jing Qianheng stared at her intently. Her face was covered in mud, her sleeves were rolled up, and her clothes were soaking wet.
Seeing the fish scattered all over the ground, he wondered if she had gone to the river to catch fish and gotten all that on herself.
Jiang Zhishui frowned when she saw the obvious bruises on his face. She glanced at him and carefully examined his injuries.
Jing Qianheng slowly raised his hand, his eyes fixed on the smears of mud on her face.
Jiang Zhishui looked up, her bright eyes staring straight at him.
"Zhishui." Lin Ye walked over and saw that she was soaking wet and had lost one shoe. "What happened to you...?"
Jiang Zhishui turned around, pulled her bare foot back, and said apologetically, "I accidentally fell into the river."
"Didn't you just get back..." Lin Ye glanced at Jing Qianheng, who had a cold face beside him, paused halfway through his question, and then asked Jing Qianheng, "Junior Brother Jing, are you alright?"
Jing Qianheng looked embarrassed and did not respond.
Jiang Zhishui knew that he was in a sorry state and his pride was hurt, so he definitely wouldn't appreciate it.
She was about to suggest taking him to Yun Cui Peak when Jing Qianheng glanced at her, his eyes cold and sharp. Jiang Zhishui shut her mouth and lowered her head helplessly.
Jing Qianheng turned and left without saying a word.
Lin Ye asked, puzzled, "Why have you been so attentive to him lately?"
Jiang Zhishui watched Jing Qianheng's departing figure, then turned back and smiled, "Uncle Song asked me to look after him if I have any business."
Elder Song An has always acted unconventionally, and his eye for choosing disciples is also unique. He has a good impression of Jing Qianheng and seems to be considering taking him as his disciple.
Lin Ye said, "He might not want your care."
Jiang Zhishui raised her hand to wipe her forehead, saying nonchalantly, "I know, I just help out occasionally."
In his past life, Jing Qianheng never appreciated it and was even angry about it. Jiang Zhishui was also angered and didn't want to deal with him anymore, but every time they met, she couldn't help but lend a hand.
Later, she realized that he didn't want others to see his embarrassing side, so she tried her best not to show up, secretly helping him and then leaving.
Jiang Zhishui picked up the fish she had caught, put them back in the bucket, and took them to the kitchen before going back to her room to change her clothes.
"Ziqing came to see you." Lin Ye was waiting for her in the pavilion. He poured her a cup of hot tea. "Drink it and warm yourself up."
"What do you want with me?" Jiang Zhishui smelled the aroma of tea and drank it all in one gulp. "He doesn't cultivate properly; all he thinks about is playing all day."
Zhong Ziqing is the son of the Taihua Sect's leader and a close friend of Lin Ye. Three years ago, disciples from the Ziyang Immortal Mansion and the Taihua Sect worked together to capture a water demon, and Jiang Zhishui met him at that time.
Lin Ye smiled and said, "He said there's a fun place he wants to take you, and asked me to tell you."
Zhong Ziqing is flamboyant, unrestrained, and very popular, with many female confidantes. He's not a bad person, just a bit frivolous.
Lin Ye is calm and cautious, but surprisingly, he gets along well with him.
Jiang Zhishui remembered that Zhong Ziqing should have gone to Changshui Village to resolve the vine demon incident at this time. It was after this incident that Zhong Ziqing's personality changed drastically. He became extremely depressed and locked himself in his room all day, refusing to see anyone.
Five people went to Changshui Village with him, but only Zhong Ziqing returned alive.
The vine demon was not a troublesome monster; the five of them were strong enough to handle it. However, what happened in between remains unknown.
Zhong Ziqing was devastated. The place he said he would take Jiang Zhishui to is still unknown to her.
Later, the immortal sect suffered a great calamity, and the Azure Jade Emperor became the ruler of the three realms, causing everyone to live in fear. Before the fate-signing ceremony, Zhong Ziqing had someone spread the news that she was his fiancée, that they were already engaged, and that he had come alone to the Purple Sun Immortal Mansion to take her away.
At that time, all sects were besieged by the demons, and escape was not so easy.
Jiang Zhishui hadn't expected him to be so righteous. Not wanting him to die needlessly, she earnestly tried to persuade him at the mountain gate. Many people were present at the time, including demons and immortal disciples. For some reason, many people wept at that scene.
Jiang Zhishui thought that perhaps everyone was worried about their uncertain future at that time, and felt desperate because their life and death were entirely in the hands of others, which is why they felt so sad.
Seeing her lost in thought, Lin Ye couldn't help but ask, "You've been going out a lot lately, are you hiding from someone?"
Jiang Zhishui stroked the rim of her cup and asked in return, "No, why would Senior Brother think that?"
Lin Ye said, "Did something happen between you and Jing Qianheng? The way he looks at you is very strange."
"..." Jiang Zhishui calmly looked up, "Hasn't he always been like this?"
Jing Qianheng didn't give anyone a friendly look, but he especially disliked her. Jiang Zhishui deliberately steered the conversation in that direction, even though it was true.
Lin Ye didn't have a good impression of Jing Qianheng either. He breathed a sigh of relief and said, "I thought Jing Qianheng bullied you and made you sad, which is why you ran away. You don't need to obey Uncle Song's words too much. Uncle Song might have already forgotten what he said. You don't need to make a fool of yourself by going to him and getting cold shoulders..."
Lin Ye had seen Jiang Zhishui go to Jing Qianheng several times, but she was turned away and not even allowed to enter. That time when she visited him in the hospital, if it weren't for Liu Chuxi's sake, he probably wouldn't have paid them any attention.
Jiang Zhishui felt increasingly guilty as she listened, thinking to herself, "Senior brother, please stop talking. It was she who bullied him, and she ran away because she had no face to see him."
"Senior brother," Jiang Zhishui interrupted him, suddenly suggesting, "Why don't we go find Zhong Ziqing, and take Senior Sister Liu with us?"
There must be something strange about the vine demon incident in Changshui Village. It would be safer to call in a few more helpers.
Senior Sister Liu is quite powerful, and Senior Brother Lin Ye's cultivation is also quite high. If they can help out on this trip, they can change Zhong Ziqing's fate.
The next day, Lin Ye and Jiang Zhishui waited at the foot of the mountain.
Liu Chuxi hadn't traveled with her fellow disciples for a long time, so she accepted Jiang Zhishui's invitation without hesitation.
Lin Ye stood at the foot of the mountain steps, raised his hand to straighten his collar, and took a deep breath to calm his tense emotions.
Jiang Zhishui picked a small yellow flower from the roadside and played with it in her hand. Hearing footsteps behind her, she and Lin Ye turned around together.
Dressed in flowing white gauze, Liu Chuxi, with her jade-like face and ethereal beauty, smiled slightly at them. Lin Ye's ears turned slightly red, and he nodded gently. Jiang Zhishui raised her hand and called out happily, "Liu..."
Her lips tightened as she saw Jing Qianheng emerge from behind Liu Chuxi.
Why is he here?
Liu Chuxi ran into Jing Qianheng on the way and learned that they were going to Changshui Village to exorcise demons, so he said he wanted to go with them.
"Junior Brother Jing is still not fully recovered, is it alright for him to go out at this time?"
Jing Qianheng held his sword to his chest and said calmly, "Thank you for your concern, Senior Brother. I can take care of myself."
Jiang Zhishui frowned slightly as she looked at the faint bruises on his face.
Liu Chuxi asked him about the injury on his face, but he only said that he had accidentally fallen and didn't say anything more. There were many disciples in this immortal sect, and Liu Chuxi knew that he was cold and aloof, so he probably had offended many people. Since he didn't want to talk about it, she didn't want to interfere.
This time, he unusually offered to come along, so Liu Chuxi thought it would be good for him to go out more.
Liu Chuxi and Lin Ye walked in front, followed by Jing Qianheng, and then Jiang Zhishui, who walked slowly behind them.
Jiang Zhishui hadn't seen Jing Qianheng for a month or two and already felt incredibly guilty towards him. When she returned and saw him being bullied, a jumble of emotions, including annoyance and heartache, overwhelmed her, making her feel extremely distressed.
In his previous life, he was destined for misfortune and did not fare well in the Purple Sun Immortal Mansion, having almost no friends. No matter how hard he tried to cultivate, he made no progress and was frustrated and unfulfilled. He thought that he could inherit the throne when he returned to the Jin Kingdom, but the country was beset by internal and external troubles, and the royal family was massacred. He was isolated and helpless, and was eventually driven to a dead end.
Jiang Zhishui couldn't help but think that perhaps he had suffered too much in his previous life, which is why he fell into demonic ways and became the Jade Emperor. It would be difficult for an ordinary person not to go crazy after being tormented to this extent.
In this life, she originally wanted to befriend him and help him escape the shackles of fate, but who could have imagined that her good intentions would backfire, and instead of winning him over, she would incur such great hatred.
Fortunately, it's not too late. Jing Qianheng is not the Azure Jade Emperor yet. As long as we stay by his side and prevent bad things from happening before then, we can change the outcome.
Although her mistake has blocked most of the road ahead, there is still a chance to make amends.
The four walked through the bamboo forest. Lin Ye whispered to the person beside him, "Among the outer disciples, his cultivation is not outstanding. Why do you take extra care of him?"
"Also?" Liu Chuxi turned around and glanced at Jiang Zhishui, who was lagging behind, and said with a smile, "Junior Brother Jing is not as weak as you think. When he sparred with me before, his sword energy became stronger and stronger. I think that in a few years, his strength may be no less than yours or mine."
Lin Ye looked stunned and said in a hoarse voice, "...He often practices swordsmanship with you?"
Liu Chuxi said calmly, "Yes, I once saw him practicing swordsmanship alone. I thought he was practicing well, so I gave him a few pointers. After that, we would spar together whenever we had free time."
That's just her usual style.
Liu Chuxi often looked after lower-ranking disciples. She was deeply engrossed in cultivation, and whether they were stronger or weaker than herself, she felt she could see her own shortcomings in them. The Daoist arts were profound, and everyone had their own unique method of cultivation, which could be learned and emulated.
Lin Ye asked warily, "So, according to you, he deliberately hid his strength in front of everyone?"
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