Her thoughts were in turmoil, and her brow furrowed involuntarily.
A strange fluctuation of energy surged within her, rushing towards her heart and forcing a metallic taste up her throat.
Jiang Xidai swallowed the mouthful of blood. She closed her eyes, her brow furrowed tightly, and endured the brief moment of darkness that washed over her.
She pulled her hand back, as if it had never been held.
“Stay away from me.”
She was too close. Jiang Xidai could even smell the unique scent on this person. It was a light, faint fragrance, as delicate and gentle as osmanthus.
Jiang Xidai didn’t particularly like it. It inevitably distracted her when she was meditating and healing. Not to mention what had happened earlier—heaven knows why this girl would come up with such a harebrained scheme. She was getting bolder and bolder.
Isn’t she afraid I’ll kill her to vent my anger?
Perhaps…
Jiang Xidai’s thoughts turned again. Does she know something, which is why she’s so fearless?
Her gaze, tinged with a hint of inquiry, swept over Yan Huirou’s face. But seeing the girl’s clear eyes, seemingly without any undue worry, Jiang Xidai found herself unable to figure her out.
And Yan Huirou, not understanding her deeper meaning, could only lean back a little, considerately reducing her presence so as not to disturb her further.
The surroundings fell into silence once more.
Sect Master Jiang closed her eyes. Her face was overly pale, her expression colder than usual, most likely due to her still feeling unwell.
Yan Huirou thought to herself, That pill should be effective, but it’s not enough. She didn’t know if Jiang Xidai needed to see a doctor. Her gaze often lingered on the piercing wound on her chest, and she couldn’t help but look at it a few more times. It looked so painful that it sent a chill to her heart, making her feel as if a piece of her own flesh were being squeezed… Even for a powerful cultivator… can she really be fine after being injured to this extent?
But unfortunately, Sect Master Jiang’s instinctive reaction to her approach was one of displeasure. Even if Yan Huirou wanted to take care of her, she had no way to start. She could only wait anxiously as the day passed, inch by inch.
She continued to watch Jiang Xidai meditate with her eyes closed. The evening glow shone on the woman’s profile, seemingly not leaving any of its own brilliance, but rather bestowing all its light upon her.
A breathtaking beauty.
Yan Huirou sometimes thought that she would stand out in a crowd, but she always felt that someone like her wouldn’t grow up in a crowd—it wasn’t the kind of beauty that was a riot of color, which had a certain worldly and lively quality. She was more like a flower blooming defiantly upwards in the cold rain, a large, crimson flower, proud and delicate.
“Still looking?”
A crisp sound cut through the air by Yan Huirou’s ear. She turned to look, and a plum blossom dart was embedded in the rotten pillar she was leaning against. It was so fast that she had barely registered Jiang Xidai’s move.
“…”
Realizing that a few more glances might cost her her sight, Yan Huirou obediently closed her eyes and completed her mental image:
Beautiful, but with thorns.
She kept her eyes closed, not knowing how much time had passed. She had fallen asleep and woken up a few times in between. The sky had darkened and then brightened again, but by the end, Yan Huirou couldn’t sleep a wink.
Yan Huirou finally spoke, her voice a little hesitant. “Sect Master Jiang. I want to go and see if there are any towns nearby.”
The woman, meditating with her eyes closed, said, “You’re not allowed to go.”
Yan Huirou’s voice trembled slightly. “I don’t feel well.”
Jiang Xidai frowned slightly, a hint of impatience in her heart. She opened her eyes, wanting to see what new trick this troublesome woman had up her sleeve—
Yan Huirou had already propped herself up and was standing, but she was unsteady. Suddenly, without any warning, her legs gave way, and she fell forward with a thud.
A dark shadow rushed towards her.
Jiang Xidai subconsciously used a spell to block it, but thinking of Yan Huirou’s constitution, she didn’t want to suffer again, so she only reached out a hand to loosely block her. With that block, Yan Huirou subconsciously grabbed Jiang Xidai’s hand before she fainted, falling by her crossed legs and nearly collapsing onto her in a strange posture—but not quite.
“Yan Huirou.”
The woman’s slender fingers tightened slightly, already grabbing her by the back of her collar, stopping her at the last moment. “If you try to get close to me again, I will take your life.”
Yan Huirou’s voice was as thin as a thread. “Sorry, Sect Master Jiang, I just suddenly remembered…”
She looked at her with clear eyes.
“I haven’t eaten in three days.”
In the forest, the weak Miss Yan, her body no longer able to support her, was shakily using a wooden stick to clear a path through the overgrown weeds.
Jiang Xidai walked behind her, following at a distance, like she was herding sheep.
She hadn’t wanted to go with her to find food. Yan Huirou had offered to go by herself.
But Jiang Xidai had thought it over and disagreed, reluctantly deciding to go with her.
It wasn’t that she was afraid of her escaping. After all, for a mortal as fragile as Yan Huirou, catching her would be as easy as turning over her hand.
But Yan Huirou could not fall into the hands of those with ulterior motives. There were many people eyeing this little girl, wanting to use her to counter Jiang Xidai.
Since she couldn’t kill her, she had to keep her by her side.
Yan Huirou had already walked out of the forest, and the view had opened up. But the flat ground did not mean it was easy to walk, especially with the waist-high weeds covering every inch of her sight.
She panted as she trampled down the path before her, then carefully took another step.
A sentence drifted from behind her.
“So slow.”
The view was open, and the autumn sun was a little dazzling. Yan Huirou used her wooden stick to support herself on the ground and managed to turn around to look.
Jiang Xidai had already opened her infamous embroidered umbrella, simply to block the sun. She leaned against the side of the umbrella, her brow slightly furrowed, seemingly a little impatient.
“Which direction are you planning to go?”
Yan Huirou held the wooden stick with both hands and stood on her tiptoes. “Um… Sect Master Jiang, I think I see some cooking smoke or something over there. Yes, that’s right. Over there.”
Yan Huirou felt a tug on the back of her collar, and a sense of weightlessness overcame her.
She saw the embroidered white umbrella fly up into the air from her side. A red robe flashed before her eyes, and in a few steps, she was walking on air. Jiang Xidai seemed to have been born with wings, moving freely in the air. She reached out, grasped the handle of the umbrella again, and gracefully carried Yan Huirou in the direction she had pointed.
Only Sect Master Jiang was graceful.
Yan Huirou was being carried in her hand, floating wretchedly in the air, her clothes fluttering in the wind.
She looked down and saw the short path she had just painstakingly cleared flash by in the blink of an eye. Her perseverance—seemed exceptionally arduous and unnecessary.
Yan Huirou couldn’t help but let out a sigh.
If that’s the case, why didn’t you just carry her from the start?
But a gaze brushed past the side of her face. Yan Huirou looked up, and under the orange-red sunlight, she saw a slight curve at the corner of Jiang Xidai’s lips.
The woman looked at her, her eyes slightly curved, and said with light sarcasm, “How is it?” She seemed quite pleased with that sigh.
“Sect Master Jiang is truly amazing,” Yan Huirou praised her obediently.
Jiang Xidai’s expression froze. She gave her a strange look, as if she had realized something, and her smile disappeared, her expression turning three parts displeased.
Yan Huirou paused, feeling that her reply had been too quick and a little perfunctory. So she tried to salvage it. “Um… I mean, for you to be able to float so lightly in the air while carrying me… Ah—”
She cried out in surprise as the scenery around her changed drastically. Who knew the woman carrying her would suddenly put on a burst of speed.
Yan Huirou only felt the wind whipping against her cheeks. Her stomach, which had nothing to hold, seemed to want to turn inside out and vomit something. After a wave of nausea, Yan Huirou was thrown to the ground.
She rolled once and lay on the ground.
And Jiang Xidai, unhurriedly, floated down like a falling flower, her toes touching the ground without making a sound.
Yan Huirou saw her standing in front of her.
The red-robed beauty before her held an umbrella and asked lazily, “Are your bones broken? Hmm?”
No, but they’re close.
Yan Huirou let out another almost inaudible sigh.
She propped herself up and stood. Before her stood an old city wall, with a dense cluster of buildings inside. They had finally arrived at a place with people.
“I thought it was just cooking smoke, a few houses. I never thought there would be a small town here.” Just as Yan Huirou was marveling, a few figures on flying swords flew past the city gate, the sword light even leaving a long trail behind them.
“Is this… a city where cultivators gather?”
Jiang Xidai’s expression was as usual. She opened her umbrella and, like a gentle breeze, swept past Yan Huirou and walked in calmly.
Yan Huirou didn’t think much of it and followed her through the city gate.
The streets were bustling with people coming and going. Some were dressed like ordinary merchants, but some wore Daoist robes with swords at their waists, clearly cultivators. The streets were lined with all sorts of stalls, selling storage rings, various low-quality medicinal pills, and strange little trinkets. There were also carts with steamers on them, selling steamed buns, various pastries, and a colorful array of snacks that made one’s mouth water.
Yan Huirou followed the aroma and walked over. She pointed to a steamer and asked politely, “How much is this, ma’am?”
“Oh! Little girl, you have a good eye. Of all the stalls around here, mine is the most delicious. This one sells for…” The smile on the old woman’s face suddenly froze along with her words. Her gaze pierced through Yan Huirou, first stunned, then wide with disbelief, and finally, with visible fear.
Because behind Yan Huirou stood a woman, so stunningly beautiful that she was easily spotted in a crowd.
She wore a bright red dress and held an embroidered white silk umbrella in her hand. She was glancing over in their direction. Her gaze wasn’t sharp, but her bright, beautiful eyes seemed to be sizing them up. But just that one glance made the old woman selling pastries tremble, a chill running from her spine to her stomach.
That outfit, that umbrella…
Oh my god… it’s her…
“Sell my foot!” the old woman practically shrieked. In her panic, she even knocked over a steamer. She hastily picked it up and began to pack up her stall, pushing her cart away in a whirlwind and disappearing without a trace.
The old woman was quite advanced in years, yet she could still run with such vigor, which made Yan Huirou stare in a daze.
Her shriek had attracted the attention of the entire crowd, and their gazes naturally fell on Jiang Xidai.
In an instant, the bustling market fell collectively silent.
