Chapter 10: The Kiss Didn't Happen
No signs of demons were detected around Qiyun City.
Jiang Zhishui and her group did not originally plan to enter the city so early, but they encountered a young man in the mountains. This man was a resident who had run away from Qiyun City. He knelt down and begged them to save his parents.
A plague broke out in the city, and many people died. The boy was also seriously ill; he knelt down and kowtowed, his ears and nose still bleeding.
This was the demon race's trick to lure disciples of the immortal sects into the city. They deliberately spread plague in the city to entice people to go out and seek help.
In her previous life, Jiang Zhishui and the others were tricked into going in this way.
At this moment, disciples from other sects also arrived. They were wandering around the mountain aimlessly and were getting bored. Upon hearing this, they immediately followed the young man into the city.
Liu Chuxi and Lin Ye exchanged a glance, then followed.
Jiang Zhishui naturally had to follow the main group; even if it was a trap, they had to go in to rescue people. She looked at Jing Qianheng walking ahead, quickly walked a few steps to his side, and whispered, "Jing Qianheng, come here for a moment."
After she finished speaking, she tried to sneak away to the side when no one was paying attention. After taking a few steps, she glanced back at him, but he didn't even look at her and kept walking forward.
Given the special circumstances, Jiang Zhishui disregarded his wishes and grabbed him, pulling him into the grove.
Mu Ling'er was being pestered by male disciples from other sects, and she couldn't find an excuse to leave. She had to force a smile on her face the whole time.
Once they reached a more open area, Jing Qianheng shook off her hand and said unhappily, "What are you doing?"
Jiang Zhishui awkwardly withdrew her hand, and the two stood facing each other in silence for a moment.
After a moment of silence, Jiang Zhishui took out a dagger from her sleeve, and Jing Qianheng looked at her strangely.
She drew her knife and walked towards Jing Qianheng. Jing Qianheng glanced at the knife in her hand but didn't take a step back. Even when she was right in front of him, he didn't move much, just stared at her. "What exactly do you want to do?"
Jiang Zhishui held the dagger out to him with both hands and said, "May I have a drop of your blood?"
Given their current relationship, Jiang Zhishui shouldn't ask him for anything.
But once inside the city, it's easy to get separated, so she had to prepare in advance.
Jing Qianheng inherited the dragon spirit of the ancient demon dragon, making him more susceptible to demonic possession than others. Jiang Zhishui didn't know when he awakened his demonic power in his previous life, nor whether the illusion of Qiyun City had affected his subsequent transformation into the Azure Jade Emperor.
In short, we need to keep an eye on him.
In her previous life, she and he were at odds, and she neglected many things. This time, she must protect him and not let him become that bloodthirsty emperor again.
Jiang Zhishui was afraid he wouldn't give it to her, so she prepared a bunch of excuses. Before she could even speak, Jing Qianheng had already taken the dagger and cut a gash on his finger.
Jiang Zhishui: "........."
Before asking for blood, he kept asking questions. After asking for blood, didn't he even ask what he wanted the blood for?
Jiang Zhishui placed a dot of his blood on her wrist, made a hand seal, and cast a spell to turn the blood into a thin red thread that wrapped around her wrist like a bracelet.
The red line flashed, then slowly turned into a blurry image and disappeared.
“This is the Blood Binding Seal. No matter where you are, I can find you through this.” Jiang Zhishui took out a handkerchief and pressed it against his fingers. “You… must be careful after entering the city.”
Jing Qianheng withdrew his hand, his originally cold and aloof eyes trembling slightly.
Jiang Zhishui paused for a moment, realizing that she shouldn't have touched him so casually. She sighed softly and said, "I know it's hard for you to face me, but anything can happen after we enter the city. I don't want anything to happen to you. Don't put yourself in danger just because you're angry with me."
"Don't you want anything to happen to me?" Jing Qianheng took a step forward. Jiang Zhishui saw that he looked a little scared and unconsciously took a step back. He hesitated and then turned away.
Jiang Zhishui had done something wrong and felt uneasy. When facing Jing Qianheng, she was always on guard, afraid that he would suddenly make a move.
It's understandable that he hates her. It would be perfectly normal for him to harbor murderous intent towards her.
Upon entering the city, they found it deathly still, with many people lying on the roadside, barely alive. Jiang Zhishui and her group were not among the first to enter; many disciples from various immortal sects were moving about inside and outside their houses, treating the sick.
The city gates were wide open, and we could leave at any time; everything seemed to be in perfect order.
No demons appeared. Immortal disciples set up warning talismans throughout the city. If the presence of demonic energy was detected, a warning would be issued to alert everyone.
For several days in a row, the disciples of the immortal sect focused their efforts on treating the people in the city.
The whereabouts of the immortal disciples captured by the demons are unknown. The leaders of various sects stayed for a few days, and after ensuring that there were no other dangers in the city, they returned first. They guessed that this was a diversionary tactic by the demons, fearing that the demons would take the opportunity to launch a sneak attack on the important locations of the various sects.
Jiang Zhishui also found it strange; this time seemed different from her previous life.
In my previous life, the Demon Realm had already been activated by this time.
Jiang Zhishui still remembered that not long after she entered the city, the people rioted and killed each other. She and her fellow disciples tried to stop them, but were pushed by the crowd and accidentally fell from the bridge into the lake. When she climbed out of the lake, the originally noisy and chaotic environment became extremely quiet, and her fellow disciples and those frenzied people had all disappeared.
Only then did she realize that she had fallen into the demonic illusion set up by the demons.
Thanks to the efforts of all factions, the plague was brought under control, and people gradually regained their vitality. However, several disciples of the immortal sects contracted the plague in the city and fell ill at this time.
Jing Qianheng leaned against the wall with one hand, felt a warm sensation in his nose, raised his hand to wipe it, and found that the back of his hand was covered in blood.
He was burning up and struggled to walk forward.
Inside the corridor, he vaguely saw the shadow of a person.
It is Jiang Zhishui.
Jing Qianheng quickened his pace, but his body was too uncomfortable. After taking a few quick steps, his vision went black and he almost collapsed. He forced himself to catch his breath, and when he looked up again, he heard Jiang Zhishui calling urgently, "Senior Brother!"
He watched as she ran off in another direction. On the other side, Lin Ye collapsed to the ground. Jiang Zhishui, her face full of worry, and several other disciples took Lin Ye away.
Everything around him became extremely quiet and slow. Jing Qianheng even forgot to breathe. After a long while, he came back to his senses, silently turned around, and walked in the opposite direction.
That night, while helping Lin Ye stay up late, Jiang Zhishui learned that Jing Qianheng had also fallen ill.
Knowing that Senior Sister Liu was taking care of her, she didn't rush to see him.
It was a rare opportunity for the two of them to be alone, and Jiang Zhishui didn't want to disturb him. Jing Qianheng would definitely prefer to see Senior Sister Liu rather than her.
Lin Ye had been running a high fever and was vomiting blood from time to time. Jiang Zhishui had heard from people in other sects that some disciples of immortal sects infected with this plague had more severe symptoms than ordinary people.
In the latter half of the night, after Lin Ye had calmed down a bit, Jiang Zhishui covered him with a blanket and planned to go to Jing Qianheng's room to check on him. She had just slowly gotten up when her hand was suddenly grabbed.
"Chu Xi... Chu Xi..." Lin Ye murmured in his sleep. Jiang Zhishui couldn't hear him very clearly, so she leaned closer to listen.
"I like you, I like you..." Lin Ye held Jiang Zhishui's hands tightly against his chest, his voice urgent as he confessed his feelings: "Chu Xi, Chu Xi, I really like you..."
Jiang Zhishui heard it clearly and looked surprised.
She knew that many people liked Liu Chuxi, but she didn't expect that Senior Brother Lin Ye also liked Senior Sister Liu.
Among the disciples, Lin Ye was always calm and reliable, unlike the other male disciples who would fawn over Senior Sister Liu. He always stood at a distance, treating Senior Sister Liu with a polite but distant attitude, neither warm nor cold.
Looking back now, Jiang Zhishui realized that Senior Brother Lin Ye always seemed tense and uncomfortable in front of Senior Sister Liu. She had previously thought that he saw Senior Sister Liu as a rival, but he only regarded her as an opponent.
Thinking that Senior Brother Lin Ye might be in a one-sided love, Jiang Zhishui sighed softly.
Just as she was carefully pulling her hand away from Lin Ye's, there was a loud bang outside the door. Jing Qianheng punched the door and stared at her fiercely.
——
Jing Qianheng drank his medicine and went to sleep, while Liu Chuxi went to the kitchen to help the other disciples brew their medicine.
He couldn't sleep well. Every now and then he would dream of the dark and gloomy palace from his childhood, the empty hall with only him in it. He lay in the center of the hall, curled up, and weeping softly.
A moment later, he dreamed again of Jiang Zhishui calling out that person's name passionately in the cave. In an instant, Jiang Zhishui ran towards Lin Ye, and no matter how hard he chased, he couldn't catch up.
In his dream, he couldn't grasp Jiang Zhishui. In the instant he grasped at empty air, he was plunged into boundless darkness, and the emptiness and loneliness made it hard for him to breathe.
He woke up with a start, panting heavily in fear. He threw off the covers, and barefoot, he staggered out the door.
The black markings on Jing Qianheng's body reappeared, and the burning pain on his skin spread throughout his body. He ignored it and went to Lin Ye's room. The first thing he saw was Jiang Zhishui's hand tightly holding Lin Ye's. The two were very close, and Jiang Zhishui had a shy smile on her face.
He was almost going crazy. Filled with the fear from his dream, his eyes were bloodshot. He stepped over the threshold and rushed straight towards Jiang Zhishui.
Jiang Zhishui was startled by his furious expression and stared blankly as he approached step by step.
Jing Qianheng was walking too fast and tripped over a nearby stool, falling to the ground.
"Are you alright?" Jiang Zhishui ran to his side, her expression panicked. "What happened? What's wrong?"
Jing Qianheng grabbed her hand, forced himself to stand up, and pulled her outside. Jiang Zhishui stumbled as she was dragged. "Hey, where are we going? Jing Qianheng, what's wrong?"
He walked straight out without saying a word. Jiang Zhishui didn't dare to shake him off forcefully. She followed him while glancing back at Lin Ye.
Lin Ye did not wake up.
After walking for a while, Jing Qianheng suddenly turned around, pushed her against the wall, and moved closer to her with a sinister expression. Jiang Zhishui's eyes widened, and just when she thought he was going to kiss her, he suddenly stopped.
Their breaths mingled hotly, and Jiang Zhishui was on edge, wondering what was wrong with him. Just as their lips were about to touch, he slowly pulled away, his head resting weakly on her shoulder.
He didn't kiss her, and Jiang Zhishui unconsciously breathed a sigh of relief, but when he leaned against her, her heart jumped again.
He lightly brushed his nose against her neck, sending a tingling, itchy shiver down her spine and straight to her head.
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