9. He predicted his prediction.
Chu Qing had already noticed the doubt and inquiry in Yin Li's eyes. In this silent eye contact, she kept her eyes fixed on him, trying her best not to reveal any incriminating evidence.
"Cough, cough"
A sudden pain shot through her chest, and Chu Qing bent over, her brows furrowed, struggling to breathe.
[Warning, warning! The host's recent behavior towards the male lead has been too lenient. If this is deemed out of character again, the system will implement a blacklist punishment mode, weakening Chu Qingge's strength by fifty percent!]
What?
She couldn't catch her breath, and this added another layer of choking.
Is this system stupid? What good does weakening your own strength do for completing the mission?
"Master, let me help you back to rest."
Seeing that Chu Qing's face was frighteningly pale, Yin Li thought to himself that the possibility of his identity being exposed was small, but he still couldn't be careless in the future.
He slowly reached out his hands, wanting to take Chu Qing's arms, but for some reason, the woman beside him only glanced at him coldly and walked towards the inn without turning her head.
She was now too afraid to have any physical contact with Yin Li, fearing that the system would malfunction again and mark her as out of character.
Lately, why does it keep getting out of control? Could it be that I've been too good to Yin Li?
Indeed, the favorability rating has risen rather quickly during this period.
It felt as if a flame was burning in my chest, or as if I were being pierced by a sword; the pain tormented me constantly.
He was indeed injured by the Spirit Pearl, so he will go back and seclude himself for half a month before making any further moves.
On the way back, Chu Qing was preoccupied with her next move and the overall plot development, completely unaware that someone was following behind her.
Yin Li's figure moved through the desolate streets, with several crows perched on the withered branches on both sides, making constant noises.
The bloodstains on the ground mingled with the soil, it was unclear whether they belonged to the woman in white or the boy following behind.
Both of them were seriously injured, and on the desolate dirt road, there was nothing but the faint sound of each other's footsteps.
Chu Qingge, she...
Recalling the scene of fighting Zhang Liangcai, he had prepared himself to be hurt, but he didn't expect Chu Qingge to step in and block it.
At the moment their eyes met, there was only anger and—worry?
ridiculous.
Yin Li mocked the feelings that came to her subconscious, staring intently at the thin figure in white before her, as if wanting the other person to turn around one more time.
The sky remained dark with heavy clouds, and a cold wind swept through, stirring up a chill.
The climate of the Western Continent was not as good as that of the Eastern Continent. Chu Qing pulled her clothes tighter, feeling that the scene in front of her was becoming increasingly blurry.
Just as she was about to faint, a pair of warm hands gently supported her waist.
"Take me back quickly."
Smelling the familiar scent of the newcomer, Chu Qing knew she was about to collapse. The pills were all in the brocade pouch, but she didn't even have the strength to take them out.
She couldn't let anyone with ulterior motives see her like this. Even though Zhang Liangcai was dead, she couldn't guarantee that there wouldn't be any others who had colluded with him.
Yin Li looked down at the woman in front of him. Her lips were not as red as he remembered; instead, they were grayish-white.
His pace quickened unconsciously, and upon arriving at the inn's entrance, he disregarded the gazes of the other disciples and rushed towards Chu Qing's room.
"This is--?"
The disciples outside only saw a black and white figure flash before their eyes, but they knew without guessing who had returned.
"Elder Qingge is injured?"
Someone in the crowd muttered something under their breath, but it was quite clear in the extremely quiet environment.
Instantly, everyone was in an uproar. Who on earth had such ability to hurt the number one person of Green Mountain Peak?
At the dark corner of the staircase, a blue figure quietly left, and then a paper crane flew away from the window.
Inside the room
With the calming incense swirling around, Yin Li placed Chu Qing on the bed and tentatively channeled his spiritual energy into her body.
In less than the time it takes for an incense stick to burn, the person on the bed suddenly opened their eyes and instinctively grabbed the hand beside them.
It was warm, bony yet slightly elastic, and because of the excessive force, it left a red mark when Chu Qing released it.
Yin Li was so stunned that she didn't have time to dodge and was caught and then put down.
"It was my disciple who overstepped his bounds."
"Alright, go and guard the door. No one is allowed to come near."
Chu Qing closed her eyes, struggled to get up, and only after he left did she slowly begin to circulate her spiritual energy.
This time, the Mystic Ice Spirit Pearl caused her considerable damage. For about an hour, the sky was still shrouded in darkness, and a light rain began to fall. Soon, the room was filled with a damp atmosphere.
The door opened, and as Chu Qing looked up, she was blocked by a tall figure.
"Master, how are you?"
Hearing the noise, Yin Li turned around and looked at Chu Qing with a worried expression.
However, he was still a little nervous about the leak of demonic energy, so he tentatively said, "While you were inside, I had people reinforce the barrier, and the demons and demonic beasts have all been eliminated."
Chu Qing remained calm and said, "Alright, I have already sent word to Elder Hua Qi of Qingshan Peak. He will send someone to handle the aftermath of Qingshan Peak's affairs. Once Elder Hua's people arrive, we can go back."
Yin Li narrowed his eyes slightly and nodded in agreement.
"If there is nothing else, I will also return now."
Chu Qing nodded. Her wound hadn't fully healed yet, so she gave up the idea of going out for a walk. As soon as her head hit the pillow, she fell into a deep sleep.
In her dreams, she was always restless. One moment she would see Yin Li as a child, rolling around in the dirt, dirty and fighting for food, and the next she would see him as a teenager, looking sad as he faced the back of "Chu Qingge".
The scene changed rapidly. Suddenly, the gentle boy in my memory had grown up, and his eyes no longer held the original admiration and flattery, but instead hatred, anger, and sorrow.
"Yin Li..."
The murmurs in her sleep were overheard by the person guarding her bedside.
"Chu Qingge, who are you calling?"
Yin Li quickened his pace, activating the demonic technique in an attempt to extract the opponent's memories from today's battle.
With the colorless and odorless sleeping potion he had previously administered, no matter how strong one is, they cannot wake up.
The crimson-purple light in his hand intensified as he scanned through Chu Qing's memories, only to discover that a large portion of them were—
When I was little?
My fingers curled up unconsciously for a moment, and the frustration in my heart surged up again.
Not only when he was a child, but also, there were even clips of Chu Qingge teaching him when he was young!
What about today's memories?!
Did Chu Qingge foresee this in advance?
Impossible, Chu Qingge wouldn't have that kind of brain.
At this moment, the person lying on the bed had furrowed brows, groaned in pain, and the cold sweat on his forehead had soaked the floral pillow.
Chu Qing felt as if she were wandering aimlessly through unfamiliar scenes, all of which were related to Yin Li: his joys, sorrows, and everything in between; his tragic childhood; and today—
Suddenly, the surrounding scenery faded away rapidly, like a white light flashing past on both sides, and then she was plunged into darkness. Her consciousness became even more blurred, and finally, unable to resist the drowsiness, Chu Qing fell into a deep sleep.
Yin Li's breathing was heavy, and his hands trembled uncontrollably. He hated seeing himself in such a wretched state, so why should Chu Qingge know?
At this moment, it was as if all his pretense had vanished, and those fig leaves were torn apart right in front of him. What was broken was not only that these memories were known to others, but also that all his pretense and self-esteem were shattered in an instant.
Kill her, Yin Li, kill her.
That way, no one will ever know about your past again.
A deep voice kept coming to my ears, just like that day's illusion.
Aren't you afraid that your master will find out about your half-demon bloodline? As long as you kill her, no one in this world will be able to stop you!
"roll!"
Inside the room, a low growl echoed from the boy. Perhaps influenced by Chu Qingge's memories, he recalled that day, under the night sky, pear blossoms were in full bloom, and the other person's cold face revealed a hint of appreciation and care. This was not Chu Qingge.
Yes, Chu Qingge has changed since he was imprisoned a year ago. He still needs to find out the other party's true identity and cannot kill her easily!
The demonic energy slowly dissipated. Seeing that his master was still asleep, Yin Li turned around and slipped into the quiet night, disappearing from the small space.
The room was quiet for a moment. The person on the bed opened her eyes. Her clear eyes shone brightly in the moonlight. Chu Qing slowly got up and was surprised to find that she was already covered in cold sweat.
If she hadn't kept a backup plan, guessing that Yin Li, with her suspicious nature, might come to her room to investigate, then this memory would have been exposed from the very beginning.
[System, what's your current favorability rating?]
[Querying, please wait patiently, host—loading countdown: 60, 59, 58...]
It's so tedious.
That minute felt like an eternity, agonizing and endless, but she had a premonition that the favorability rating would definitely change.
[5, 4, 3, 2, 1, Current favorability: 40. Congratulations, host, you have obtained a clue to a divine artifact.]
Sure enough, she guessed right.
Chu Qing thought to herself that she was certain the little brat would break down when she arranged for him to see clips of his childhood, but he had successfully broken through another stage, which was an unexpected surprise.
For the sake of this favorability rating, I now have to be careful even when I'm sleeping.
The next morning, when Chu Qing got up, she immediately sensed the aura of the Qingfeng Sword.
She was a little puzzled, so she walked to the window and looked down, where she saw a disciple fighting with Yin Li.
Isn't that Yelang?
I originally thought it was just a normal sparring match, but when it came to Ye Lang, I couldn't help but feel a little worried.
The male protagonist's spiritual power is not strong enough yet. After all, Ye Lang is Wen Ruyu's chief disciple, and his strength is incomparable to that of ordinary people. Is Yin Li stupid to agree to this?
What if the other party is instructed to harm him again?
While they were thinking, the two of them changed their positions rapidly. Ye Lang quickly drew up a sword technique and thrust it fiercely at Qingfeng Sword!
Clang!
Yin Li barely managed to withstand this utterly merciless attack; her arm was numb from the shock, but she didn't back down an inch.
When the two locked eyes, tensions were already palpable, and no one dared to approach the center of the low pressure.
"They were fine this morning, how come they suddenly started fighting?"
One of the disciples shook his head and sighed, saying, "I also heard that Ye Lang blamed Yin Li for acting without authorization, which resulted in Elder Qingge being injured."
"Then what?"
"Then, it's probably because Yin Li disliked Ye Lang for meddling in other people's business, so they started fighting."
Chu Qing listened quietly upstairs. Yin Li wasn't someone who was easily provoked, so there must be another reason. If the fighting continued like this, something bad was likely to happen.
well.
With a flick of his hand, a streak of purple light shot out swiftly, blocking the path between the two.
"Enough!"
Caught off guard by the sudden pressure, some disciples with weaker spiritual power were already lying on the ground in a sorry state, with traces of blood seeping from the corners of their mouths.
Yin Li wasn't in much better shape. He was kneeling, feeling extremely frustrated. He wanted to teach Ye Lang a lesson, but he was completely controlled and couldn't move an inch.
Chu Qing caught a glimpse of the other party's murderous intent; he wanted to kill Ye Lang?
Could it be that Ye Lang already knows Yin Li's identity?
Impossible. Even if he brought it up in front of Yin Li, given Yin Li's personality, she wouldn't be forced to take action.
Therefore, it can only be that Ye Lang made the first move.
"Yin Li, who gave you permission to spar with your fellow disciples without authorization? Have you forgotten what I said before you left?!"
She pretended to be furious, and the blood in her hand instantly transformed into a long whip. Without saying a word, she lashed it down hard in front of all the disciples!
"Smack!"
With full force, bloody marks instantly appeared on his back.
The boy's thin figure knelt on the ground, enduring a painful groan, his face stubborn, biting his lip tightly.
"Aren't you going to admit your mistake yet!"
Chu Qing glared at him and was about to raise her hand to strike with the second lash.
"Elder, please calm down!"
At this moment, Ye Lang, having watched the commotion to his heart's content, slowly appeared and said to her with a contemptuous smile, "It was my carelessness that angered Junior Brother Yin Li. However, I was truly worried about Elder Qing Ge's injuries, which is why I spoke without thinking, leading to today's situation."
That's a good point. He shifted all the blame to Yin Li. If he didn't show such a cold-blooded side, Wen Ruyu would suspect something and test him again.
I'm afraid that before I even get my hands on the divine artifact, Yin Li's half-demon bloodline will be discovered.
After all, in the original novel, Wen Ruyu was the murderer who killed Yin Li.
Seeing Ye Lang's explanation, Chu Qing did not pursue the matter further. Instead, she punished Yin Li by making him kneel there for a full hour before he could go back to rest.
The rain poured down, seemingly to welcome the approaching warm spring, drizzling gently, yet still carrying a hint of chill.
Having already been injured, Yin Li felt alternating chills and fevers after the morning's fight and the current punishment. Her consciousness was so blurred that she could no longer see the scenery in front of her.
Chu Qingge, why did you blame me without saying a word?
My heart felt like it was being squeezed tightly; the subtle, stinging pain was especially pronounced in the quiet, rainy night.
But if no one stops him, his injuries haven't fully healed, and there's no guarantee what might happen.
And that Mystic Ice Spirit Pearl—
Yin Li seemed to have grasped something, but ultimately couldn't overcome the drowsiness of her consciousness and collapsed to the ground with her eyes closed.
In a daze, a cool fragrance wafted into my nose, and I felt a warm embrace.
[Author's Note]
I love the plot of this chapter so much, hehe. Why is no one commenting? Waaaaah! But I've finally reached 30,000 words! I hope those who happen to pass by can add it to their favorites. I'll keep working hard!
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