Chapter 6 Zhou Fuling, a fellow traveler, twitched the corner of her mouth: "How come you..."
Xu Qingning did not move upon hearing this, but her gaze darkened slightly, and she did not respond.
It's like they've gotten used to it.
Holding the Qi-seeking talisman, Xu Qingning's cold gaze drifted into the depths of the cave.
"Young Master!" Back at Kanghuangzhai.
The cave trembled mercilessly, and rubble fell. Suddenly, everyone saw a flickering firelight in the distance.
Hao Cheng: "Damn it, this firelight... is it from the Yun Ning Sect?"
"Sect Master Ning Tingyue is truly becoming more and more outrageous. Since that prophecy was made, his actions have become increasingly ugly. Young Sect Leader..."
A magical spell protected everyone. In the cold, bright blue light, Xu Qingning's hair danced in the wind, and he disappeared.
But faced with this ghostly aura, even the cultivators with their advanced techniques seemed powerless to resist it.
Xu Qingning's voice drifted from the air: "You all, go out first."
...
Zhou Fuling also arrived at Kanghuangzhai.
She found it strange.
In Kanghuangzhai, there was chaos, disorder among people, and disorder among smoke.
Although this was the effect she wanted to achieve, none of it was her fault. It was like this when she arrived.
Strange smoke billowed into the distance, dark sand rushed by, and demons roamed about. The cultivators and the rescued mortals fled in a ridiculous and panicked manner.
Amidst the yellow smoke, a wisp of pale green smoke rose up, crawling out of the trail like a snake.
Deep within the cave, the monster emitted a trembling hiss.
The smell was strange, like rotten osmanthus flowers. Zhou Fuling became irritated, as it was the same as the magical artifact she had prepared to use to ambush Xu Qingning.
But this magic artifact that uses love poison to attract demons can only be used once in this cave. She frowned.
But then she heard a rustling sound in the distance and sensed a rapid spiritual energy, so she quickly crept forward.
From the cave emerged a group of monks dressed in red robes with gold buttons, carrying knives and swords, their forms concealed by mist, seemingly searching for something in a hurry.
—They were wearing the uniforms of the Yun Ning Sect.
These are people from the Yun Ning Sect.
The Grand Master of the Southern Continent, the Overlord of the Southern Continent.
Zhou Fuling disliked the people of Yun Ning Sect.
Stupid and vicious.
She appeared as a shadow, hovering above the stone chamber, giving everyone a clear view, but no one noticed her.
Among this group of people, one of them was Elder Ning Chengsong, who had caused her trouble at the mountain gate yesterday.
Walking at the very front was a woman. She was beautiful, with phoenix eyes and crescent-shaped eyebrows. She held her head high and her chest out, wearing a fiery red silk skirt adorned with gold beads, making her look incredibly gorgeous and precious.
Despite being very young, Elder Ning Chengsong bowed and scraped before her with utmost respect.
Zhou Fuling recognized her... This was Ning Chaoxue.
She is the only daughter of the Yun Ning Sect leader and is also known as the "Dan Huo Fairy".
Zhou Fuling also disliked Ning Chaoxue.
Because Ning Chaoxue is extremely brainless.
The first time I saw her, I glared at her and kicked the rabbit away from her hand.
"You're dressed so tacky, no wonder you're from the mortal realm... How could Xu Qingning tolerate you by her side? You're truly tarnishing the grandeur of the Tianji Sect!"
She turned around and told Xu Qingning about it.
Xu Qingning kicked Ning Chaoxue out.
After this incident, Ning Chaoxue became even more domineering, but it seems that her parents stopped her from coming to Tianji Sect in the past few years, and nothing bad happened.
At this moment, Ning Chaoxue walked ahead, as arrogant as ever.
Elder Ning followed cautiously behind, but frowned as he stared at the cigarette in Ning Chaoxue's hand, seemingly very troubled.
“Young Miss, the Sect Master said we are here to find the person who caused trouble at Kanghuangzhai a month ago and harmed our Yun Ning disciples… We must find out who it is and bring back evidence. But why did you have to come when Xu Qingning was also here? And why did you have to set off this ‘mosquito-attracting smoke’…”
"Hmph, anyone who hurts Yun Ning deserves to die. But I won't let Xu Qingning off the hook either."
Ning Chaoxue stood with her hands on her hips, her brow gleaming with a bright red flame. "If I'm going to release him, I'll naturally force him out. Xu Qingning is the kind of person who never listens to reason and always chooses to suffer the consequences, so don't blame me for using such methods."
Although she said that, her expression softened somewhat, and even her ears turned slightly red. Clearly, what she was thinking was different from the harsh words she uttered.
"Didn't you want to arrange a marriage with him? Why go through all this..."
"Hmph, my marriage to him is merely to please my parents." Ning Chaoxue clenched her fists. "I will never forget the humiliation of the Ten Thousand Mountains Trial!"
Elder Ning didn't want to talk about it anymore.
...After all, the young lady was constantly thinking about the humiliation of the Wanshan Banquet.
At the Wanshan Banquet a hundred years ago, Xu Qingning exposed the young lady's schemes and coldly and arrogantly defeated her in the competition.
He was highly capable and had an outstanding appearance in the entire Immortal Realm, so the young lady always remembered him.
Fearing the young lady might go mad, he clutched his chest, rubbing it slightly, and whispered, "But we still have to investigate what the sect leader ordered us to investigate. If we fail..."
"Ning Chengsong, where did you get all this nonsense from?!"
Ning Chaoxue turned around, but suddenly interrupted him, "How dare you disrespect me?! If you don't help me capture Xu Qingning, I will go back and tell my parents that you and Ning Chengshan are secretly colluding!"
The name "Ning Chengshan" seems to be under a curse.
Elder Ning Chengsong's expression changed drastically, turning ashen. He said with a wry smile, "Young Miss, what kind of joke are you making!"
“I’m not joking. Don’t forget, you’re an elder who follows me, so you should listen to me first.”
Ning Chaoxue charged ahead recklessly, as if she didn't want to waste any more words with Ning Chengsong.
She picked up the lit insect-attracting incense and released several golden talismans that floated into the air, then darted toward the various paths, clearly heading to find Xu Qingning.
Zhou Fuling frowned.
Ning Chaoxue had actually come up with the same method as her... But now it's too risky, and her method can't be used.
Ning Chaoxue, being a second-rank cultivator, possessed martial arts skills that were unparalleled in most situations. Her insect-attracting smoke and golden talisman caused a commotion in the cave.
Ning Chengsong: "Young Miss, please slow down, don't break the magic seal here!"
However, Ning Chaoxue was used to being domineering and didn't care about whether or not a demon was fixed.
It wasn't a sect mission assigned to her.
Ning Chaoxue released the golden talisman again, and suddenly a loud booming sound was heard.
A giant rock collapsed, blood and smoke billowed out, and several ghostly thoughts suddenly rushed towards Ning Chaoxue amidst the sounds of array formations merging!
Beyond this chaos, a new disorder has been stirred up.
Blood, snow, and fire all rushed in.
All the figures were swallowed up. Zhou Fuling heard Ning Chaoxue's scream and frowned.
How could things have gotten so chaotic?
It seemed as if someone had deliberately triggered a very dangerous formation, forcing Ning Chaoxue into it.
In the past, she was the one who discovered Xu Qingning first, but now Xu Qingning has to find her.
Zhou Fuling transformed into human form and pressed down on the golden talisman hanging at her waist.
This was a protective talisman given to her by Xu Qingning, a talisman strong enough to withstand attacks from third-rank officials, and it could also provide her with a reason to enter Kanghuangzhai safely.
Faced with such a bizarre sight, was this reason sufficient...? She turned and fled.
However, amidst the bloody atmosphere, Zhou Fuling's shoulder was suddenly gripped tightly.
The man's fingers gripped Zhou Fuling tightly, coldly and fiercely.
She caught a whiff of the lonely fragrance of plum blossoms, and suddenly turned around to see Xu Qingning covered in blood.
His jet-black hair was disheveled, his handsome face was stained with blood, and he was pale. He was about to make a move, but he stopped and looked at her in disbelief.
Her phoenix eyes turned cold, as if she couldn't understand why she was here.
"Senior brother..."
Xu Qingning's gaze swept over her, then his expression changed drastically, and he pulled her away.
...
In the dimly lit corner of Kanghuangzhai, only light seeped through the cracks in the stones.
With a quick escape technique, Xu Qingning and Zhou Fuling leaped onto the rocks. The secluded cave temporarily shielded them from the chaos.
Zhou Fuling sat on a rock and straightened her disheveled cloak.
But then Xu Qingning, supporting himself with the "Changming" sword, faced the rock, his face as white as paper, and spat out a mouthful of blood.
Zhou Fuling helped him up.
A bloody wound appeared on Xu Qingning's back.
Her fingers pressed on his shoulder, and even his spirit was in disarray, as if his spiritual veins and physical body had been injured at the same time.
She frowned and asked, "How did you get hurt?"
"..."
Xu Qingning's black hair cascaded down like a waterfall, and blood seeped from her once snow-white neck. She lay there, her eyes cold yet shimmering, her beauty unparalleled.
He stood in the "Changming" meditation posture, his back straight, but his misty eyes gradually became clear.
He looked up at her, scrutinizing every detail, whether to confirm her safety or something else, it was unclear.
After a long pause, he stared at her, asking incredulously, "...How did you get here? How did you get in?"
"I just... I was worried about you because you couldn't see me, so I asked around to find out where you were... After I found out, I hired a carriage and got there." Zhou Fuling wrung her hands in front of her, her eyes slightly evasive.
Xu Qingning froze, and gradually, his gaze turned angry and scrutinizing: "I'm asking how you got out of the heavily guarded Tianji Gate, and how you entered this demonic land with its array?"
“Zhou Fuling, this is definitely not a deserted place. Don’t try to fool me.”
This was Xu Qingning's usual cold voice, but if the others from Bingjian Peak were here, they would know that Xu Qingning had become much gentler towards Zhou Fuling.
However, he has always been aloof and arrogant towards people, and most people can't stand his gentleness.
Zhou Fuling twitched the corners of her mouth, giving a forced smile:
"Why are you interrogating me like a criminal? I just followed the Tianji Sect members... and then used your talisman to sneak in."
Her hand touched the mustard seed talisman, but as if she only realized something was wrong after touching it, she pulled her hand away.
Xu Qingning's gaze fell on the back of her hand, her expression turning even more grim. She ordered, "Open the mustard seed talisman."
“No!” Zhou Fuling said, “…I have my own things in my mustard seed talisman, no!”
A stream of cool, clear spiritual energy, like water, suddenly restrained Zhou Fuling's wrists.
Her hands were forced up, her sleeves were lifted, and the mustard seed talisman was clearly visible between the two of them.
Xu Qingning rarely acted so arbitrarily towards her. Zhou Fuling disliked this.
The junior sister lowered her head, the blue silk hanging down, and she pursed her lips, looking angry.
Xu Qingning:
"Either you produce what I want to see yourself, or I'll take you back to Ice Mirror Peak and handle this matter according to the sect rules."
This is an ultimatum.
Zhou Fuling remained silent.
But in the end, under Xu Qingning's unpleasant expression, she summoned several small items.
There were He Yin's tokens, along with some documents and a universal demon-exorcising pass, all decorated with cranes, indicating that they all came from high-ranking celestial officials of Ice Mirror Peak.
Her hand was suddenly put down.
Xu Qingning's face was pale. He stared at the items silently for a long time: "...Did you steal all of these?"
Zhou Fuling explained, "No, I just saw that they left it lying around, so I took it. I planned to ask for their permission after I used it."
"..."
Xu Qingning remained silent for a long while, then said coldly:
“These things are never left lying around by cultivators within the peak. Zhou Fuling.”
Zhou Fuling lowered her head, both docile and stubborn.
She did steal it.
This was the real excuse Zhou Fuling had prepared to get here. She deliberately let Xu Qingning discover it and even tried to do things he hated to provoke him and confuse his judgment.
After all, her main goal was to draw down the insect smoke—but that was ruined by Ning Chaoxue.
Seeing that Xu Qingning's eyes were clear, Ning Chaoxue also failed.
Zhou Fuling controlled the souls of those people, using a secret method to make them release these things haphazardly.
But who would have thought that Xu Qingning would start asking her questions again, digging deeper into the details?
"I, I..." Zhou Fuling had no other choice but to whisper, "I used the secret talisman from the foot of the mountain."
The secret talismans from the foot of the mountain are forbidden talismans, originating from the black market. Because they may contain demonic materials, the mountain gate is restricted. Using these talismans would be a more fundamental mistake.
Xu Qingning stared at her with her lips tightly pressed together, remaining silent for a long while, her eyes like icy beads.
Zhou Fuling whispered, "Are you going to punish me?"
"certainly."
Xu Qingning recited a talisman, and Zhou Fuling saw a spiritual force twist into a rope shape in his hand.
Her arms were twisted behind her back and bound.
This naturally couldn't completely control Zhou Fuling, but what Zhou Fuling disliked was the feeling that Xu Qingning's actions gave her.
The fire shot towards Zhou Fuling's head.
She looked at Xu Qingning in disbelief.
In the past, Xu Qingning had always treated her with leniency and rarely treated him this way.
Meeting the girl's questioning gaze, Xu Qingning closed her eyes: "I don't have a junior sister like you who makes mistakes and can't distinguish right from wrong."
A sinister glint appeared in Zhou Fuling's eyes.
The girl said urgently, "I want to see you. I only did this because you won't see me!"
“I told you, this is a demonic calamity.” Xu Qingning finally raised her eyes, her gaze as cold as a spring, completely unmoved by Zhou Fuling’s words. “You, with your lowly status, are recklessly trespassing into demonic territory, harming both yourself and others. First, you will lose your own life! Second, other cultivators will also be killed by you.”
“Zhou Fuling, you need to understand right and wrong. Don’t think about romance. Thinking about it is—brainless.”
Zhou Fuling never expected Xu Qingning to say such harsh words.
After returning to Tianji Gate, he almost never did that again.
What do you want?
Xu Qingning carried her forward.
"Xu Qingning!"
Zhou Fuling called to him.
The girl's chest heaved as she struggled.
Her face was pale, her eyes were red, and her voice was choked with emotion, as if she was about to cry.
Xu Qingning stopped in her tracks, looked at Zhou Fuling with anger in her eyes, and remained silent for a long time.
But after a long silence, he finally released the spirit rope binding Zhou Fuling.
Instead, he placed two talismans around her waist for tracking and surveillance. Then his gaze turned cold, and he stopped looking at her.
Zhou Fuling: "If you treat me like this, I will never like you again."
Xu Qingning: "You made a mistake, and you have to pay the price. No matter how close we are, Tianji Sect will not show favoritism. When we get back, you will receive your punishment yourself."
“…” Zhou Fuling’s eyelashes trembled.
"This will also help you avoid going astray."
The two remained silent, their expressions grim.
However, a loud bang was heard—
The rocks above shook again, and with a loud crash, it seemed as if something was crushing down on them.
Boom—
They looked at each other.
-
Rocks fell, and yin energy scattered. The demonic tide had returned.
Xu Qingning carried Zhou Fuling on his back.
Zhou Fuling lay on Xu Qingning's back and hugged his neck.
A pure white spiritual energy protected her, and the "Eternal Light" sword led the way, emitting light that could illuminate the entire underground chamber.
The two have always shown great chemistry.
They had made a pact that no matter what conflicts or dangers they encountered, they would immediately travel together.
Xu Qingning had broad shoulders and looked ahead with a cold gaze.
A meticulous array was formed beneath the sword, its sword energy both fierce and chilling, protecting Zhou Fuling completely while simultaneously defeating the once-fierce demon tide.
A note from the author:
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