74 Chapter 74 Sensitive
They added something to the wine, and Jing Qianheng passed out. Li Xin reluctantly carried him back into the house, and Jiang Zhishui closed the door before coming out to meet Aunt Wu and the others.
Li Xin and Li Yao are clones created by Lin Ye and Liu Chuxi using puppet talismans. Their real bodies are still thousands of miles away, entangled by Sheng Yuchen, and unable to break free for the time being.
The reason Liu Chuxi and her group were able to find this place was because they received guidance from a mysterious person and followed clues to find this mountain cabin.
As luck would have it, they ran into Granny Wu. After asking her a few more questions, they learned that a young couple lived in the small house. Granny Wu knew that the two were Taoist practitioners, and having heard that the young woman living in the house was in danger, she volunteered to bring them here to investigate.
Aunt Wu sat quietly in the corner, not wanting to disturb the three of them from their discussion.
Lin Ye and Liu Chuxi never expected to see Jing Qianheng, the Jin prince who had been dead for many years, again. After hearing Jiang Zhishui's explanation, they suddenly realized what was going on.
Both of them wore expressions of astonishment upon learning the truth. After a moment of silence, Liu Chuxi asked, "Ying Xue said that you married Emperor Qingyu so that you would kill him?"
Jiang Zhishui lowered her head and remained silent.
Lin Ye said, "Junior sister, Jing Qianheng is hiding his true nature too well. Don't be fooled by his appearance. He is a demon. He came to Ziyang Immortal Mansion with a purpose from the very beginning. Now he has faked his death and appeared as the Azure Jade Emperor. It is really too unbelievable. A person like him can never have a sincere heart."
Reincarnated in her first life, Jiang Zhishui always felt that some things were being experienced repeatedly.
For example, behind Jing Qianheng's back, he conspired with the people of Ziyang Immortal Mansion...
Jiang Zhishui said in a low voice, "Senior brother, there's a reason for this, and it's hard for me to explain to you. In short, Jing Qianheng is not what you think he is."
Liu Chuxi looked at Jiang Zhishui and suddenly asked, "Do you like him?"
Jiang Zhishui looked up and stared directly into Liu Chuxi's eyes, then solemnly said, "Yes, I like him, and he likes me too, Senior Sister, I..."
"Junior Sister," Lin Ye interrupted her, "Do you really know him? When the Jin Kingdom was destroyed, the sect leader sent people to investigate. Rumors circulated that he colluded with foreign tribes and let the wolves into the house, which led to the invasion of the demon race and the slaughter of the people. In order to seize the throne, he did not hesitate to kill his own father and brother."
Jiang Zhishui had also heard Jing Chengrui mention that he was also investigating the truth of what happened back then.
"It's just a rumor, and it hasn't been investigated yet," Liu Chuxi interjected fairly.
Jiang Zhishui pondered for a moment and said, "Senior brother, he is not a tyrannical person. Most of the time, it is others who bully him more. Rumors are not credible."
Lin Ye frowned. "Why are you all speaking up for him? I couldn't stand his gloomy personality years ago. He deceived us about so many things, and you keep saying he's pitiful and innocent, and that others are bullying him? Now he's the Jade Emperor, who dominates the Three Realms and kills without blinking an eye. Who can bully him now?"
"If rumors are unreliable, then can his actions be trusted? Chu Xi, don't forget who sent that vixen to lure us away, and what was his intention in sending people to obstruct us?"
"I don't know what kind of spell he cast on you, junior sister. Didn't you used to think he was gloomy, aloof, and suspicious? How come your attitude has changed so much?"
Jiang Zhishui had spoken ill of Jing Qianheng quite a bit back when they were at odds at Ziyang Immortal Mansion. Now that Lin Ye had pointed it out, she said awkwardly, "Senior brother, that was so long ago. I... was just venting."
Liu Chuxi pondered for a moment and then smiled, “Speaking of which, Junior Brother Jing usually pays a lot of attention to Junior Sister Zhishui’s affairs. Whenever I mention you, he always asks a few more questions, but as soon as he sees you, he pretends not to be interested.”
"Back then, Emperor Qingyu used the concept of destiny to select female cultivators from various sects to marry. He had his eye on you, Junior Sister, from the very beginning, which is why he caused all this trouble. Judging from Junior Brother Jing's personality, he was probably afraid that you wouldn't be able to accept his identity, but he couldn't let go of you in his heart, so he came up with this desperate measure."
Jiang Zhishui blushed slightly and said, "I only recently sorted things out myself."
Seeing the two of them exchanging words, Lin Ye said angrily, "What's wrong with you two? Let's get down to business. What have you gotten into? Junior sister, why did he bring you here?"
Jiang Zhishui composed herself, "We..."
"Damn it!" Lin Ye swayed. "That vixen is coming after us."
Liu Chuxi also took a few steps back to steady herself, her eyes glazed over for a moment, "We don't have much time left."
"Junior sister, take care of yourself, be careful in everything." Lin Ye's figure swayed, as if he was about to collapse, white smoke rising from his body. "We'll get rid of her as soon as possible and come pick you up. Remember, whatever you do, don't believe her..."
Before they could finish speaking, with a bang, the two of them turned into two puffs of white smoke and disappeared.
After seeing Aunt Wu off, Jiang Zhishui returned to the room and looked at the unconscious Jing Qianheng. She tucked him in and sat down to play with the little flower that the white fox had given her.
After a while, Jing Qianheng woke up. He got up, rubbing his head, and saw Jiang Zhishui sitting not far away, deep in thought. The flowers in Jiang Zhishui's hand twirled and fell to the ground. She bent down to pick them up and then realized that Jing Qianheng was sitting on the bed watching her.
"You're awake..."
Jiang Zhishui smiled at him, got up to pour him some water, and walked towards him with a gentle expression: "Are you thirsty? Have some water."
Jing Qianheng looked up at her, somewhat dazed, staring at her intently. He reached out to take the teacup, his fingers brushing against the back of her hand. Jiang Zhishui's expression changed slightly, her hand trembled involuntarily, and some water spilled from the cup.
Jing Qianheng looked at her strangely, "What's wrong?"
Jiang Zhishui quickly turned around, "No."
She touched the spot he had touched, and the tips of her ears turned red.
Jiang Zhishui felt somewhat smug ever since she learned that Jing Qianheng had admired her since the time of Ziyang Immortal Abode. In addition, the two of them were in the middle of nowhere, and apart from a white fox and a big black chicken, they hardly saw any other living people, so she couldn't help but feel a little itchy.
Every time Jiang Zhishui brought up the cave incident with Jing Qianheng, his reaction was always particularly strong. Previously, out of guilt, Jiang Zhishui dared not mention it much, nor did she want to dwell on it. Now, knowing Jing Qianheng's intentions, she finally sensed a different atmosphere.
She found it very amusing to tease Jing Qianheng. He would get angry when he was shy or embarrassed, and his angry expression was particularly funny. She would feel inexplicably excited when he glared at her with a red face.
While they were teasing each other, something went wrong. Although he succeeded last night, Jiang Zhishui was traumatized and is now very sensitive. She is easily triggered by his touch and her imagination runs wild.
She felt that her Dao heart was not firm enough, and she couldn't handle even a little bit of lust. Now her mind was full of those messy things.
Seeing her avoidance, Jing Qianheng felt uneasy, but refrained from asking too many questions. He gripped the hem of his clothes with his fingers and lowered his eyes to think about what went wrong.
He knew there was something wrong with yesterday's wine, whether it was poisoned or something else, but he pretended not to notice and drank it anyway. Poisoned wine would be even better; seeing him suffer would soften Jiang Zhishui's heart, and she wouldn't abandon him.
Jing Qianheng overheard their entire conversation. He couldn't understand why her attitude had changed so suddenly, since she liked and trusted him.
Big Black Chicken Li Mo hadn't returned yet. In the courtyard, White Fox Pei Yan stretched and lay comfortably under a tree, basking in the sun. Life without the troublesome Big Black Chicken couldn't be more comfortable.
After Jing Qianheng entered the room, Jiang Zhishui immediately stood up, muttering anxiously, "Oh no, I forgot... I forgot to take that..."
"What?" This time, Jing Qianheng didn't let her leave. He grabbed her arm and said in a slightly cold tone, "What else do you want? Pastries, clothes, flowers, or stones you picked up by the roadside?"
The moment Jiang Zhishui was grabbed by him, her expression showed obvious fear. Her voice trembled as she said, "It's...it's about to rain outside. I'll go and bring the little fox in, otherwise it will get wet."
“It has legs, and it will take shelter from the rain on its own.” Jing Qianheng pulled the person in front of him, his tone urgent, “What’s wrong with you? Why have you been avoiding me?”
Jiang Zhishui struggled to pull her hand away, touched her arm, and said with her head down, "I wasn't avoiding you."
Jing Qianheng's eyes sharpened, and the door to the room closed automatically. Dark clouds gathered outside, and a gloomy, oppressive atmosphere enveloped the room. The white fox lay under the tree, drowsy from the damp chill.
The doors and windows were tightly shut, and the room was gloomy. The two stood facing each other. Jing Qianheng forcibly suppressed his inner anxiety, slightly widened the distance between them, took a deep breath, and said softly, "You've been like this for several days now. You don't dare to look at me. Whenever I get close to you, you intentionally or unintentionally avoid me. You've been holding onto that fox... for hours on end, but if I touch you even slightly, you react strongly. Why is this? What... what did I do wrong?"
His voice trembled slightly as he spoke, and Jiang Zhishui noticed his emotional state. She looked up at him and apologized, "No, no, it's not that you did anything wrong, it's my own problem. I'm not trying to avoid you, it's just... I just need some peace and quiet, otherwise I'll..."
She paused halfway through her sentence, and Jing Qianheng frowned, asking, "What will you do?"
Jiang Zhishui looked troubled: "I...I'll start overthinking."
"What are you thinking about?" Jing Qianheng thought of what Lin Ye had said and said in a low voice, "Thinking about how I killed my father and brother, thinking about whether I am the ruthless killer they say I am... You regret it, you think Lin Ye is right, the more you stay by my side, the more terrifying it is, isn't it?"
When Jing Qianheng heard her say she liked him, he felt both delighted and afraid. It all seemed unreal, after all, she had told many such lies before. Yet, he also genuinely sensed a hint of sincerity in her words, which made him even more afraid—afraid that it would all vanish like a bubble.
Jiang Zhishui was stunned for a moment, then asked in surprise, "You deliberately drank those wines that day. You knew who they were all along?"
"Yes." Jing Qianheng walked forward, but when he saw a hint of apprehension flash across her face, he paused. He said in a hoarse voice, "Are you disappointed?"
Jiang Zhishui sighed and said, "You knew something was added to those wines, so why did you still drink them? What if they were poisoned?"
Jing Qianheng heard the concern in her tone and said stubbornly, "Isn't that even better? You can get rid of me now, can't you stand me?"
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