The Young Lady Only Wants to Cultivate Immortality Chapter 70

Before A’Ling spoke, Gu Jingyang had considered all sorts of things A’Ling might want to tell her.
But even her wildest guesses couldn’t compare to the shock of what A’Ling had just said.
After A’Ling finished speaking, she tightly hugged the chicken in her arms—oh, no, the Sound Devouring Bird—and was speechless for a long time.
How to describe this feeling? A wave of shivers spread from the depths of her heart. The tremors weren’t strong, yet they caused an undeniable ache throughout her entire body.
She even felt a little like crying.
Gu Jingyang, her eyes slightly red-rimmed, glanced at A’Ling. The complex emotions in her gaze made A’Ling’s scalp tingle with surprise.
“What’s wrong? Why are you looking at me like that? Did you understand what I just said? What’s going on with Shi Qingqian? Why can she suddenly become a demon and then return to normal in an instant?”
A’Ling truly couldn’t figure out the reason behind it.
Gu Jingyang didn’t answer her. After retracting her gaze from A’Ling, she looked towards the slender figure on the bed.
In the dim light, it was still immediately apparent that the person on the bed was unusually pale.
She never imagined that Qingqian had directly teleported here!
Directly teleported from Mystic Crane Mountain to Zhuoling Mountain!
They had flown on their swords for six days to cover that distance, yet she dared to teleport over just like that!
Was Qingqian insane?
Gu Jingyang’s eyes grew even redder. What kind of conviction did it take to accomplish something so nearly impossible!
She now understood why Qingqian, despite appearing fine with no external wounds, looked as if all the blood had been drained from her body.
For such a distance, let alone losing all her blood, even having a single breath left was a miracle!
She turned her head again to look at the oblivious A’Ling.
Qingqian sacrificing her life like this, it must be for A’Ling, right?
Gu Jingyang immediately affirmed this conjecture; there was no other possible answer.
Her relationship with Qingqian was merely that of ordinary friends. As for Lan Fushang, Qingqian might not even remember her name.
But one thing left Gu Jingyang feeling puzzled.
“A’Ling, how did Qingqian know you were here?” It was clear she must have known A’Ling’s precise location to save her at such a critical moment.
Gu Jingyang immediately thought of this crucial question. She could understand why Qingqian had gone to such mad lengths, but how did Qingqian accurately know A’Ling was in this Great Demon Cave?
What A’Ling wanted to know was how Shi Qingqian could switch back and forth. Gu Jingyang didn’t answer her, instead asking this inexplicable question.
A’Ling raised an eyebrow, her eyes showing confusion: “What do you mean, ‘know I was here’?”
Gu Jingyang explained: “Since Qingqian accurately teleported here, she must have known you were here. How did she know? Did you tell her?”
“Am I crazy? Why would I tell her I’m here?” A’Ling flatly denied it, glaring at Gu Jingyang for her wild speculation.
Gu Jingyang pressed on: “Then did you send messages to anyone else? People in the dwelling?”
A’Ling immediately shook her head, stating with certainty: “No.”
Besides, the incident happened so suddenly. Who could she send a message to? Apart from Gu Jingyang and Lan Fushang, she had no other friends within Mystic Crane Mountain. Moreover, the dwelling was so far away, no one would have had time to save them. Why would she waste time sending a message?
Thinking of this, A’Ling also grew puzzled. Right, how did Shi Qingqian happen to arrive just then?
Gu Jingyang saw that she also seemed to be pondering, looking deep in thought. She didn’t know whether to praise the person before her for finally using her brain.
Gu Jingyang waited for a moment, then continued to ask: “Well? Have you thought of anything?”
A’Ling had an oblivious habit of taking many things for granted. Although Gu Jingyang didn’t see this as a flaw—on the contrary, it made A’Ling seem more pure—at this moment, to uncover the truth, she really needed to think more deeply.
A’Ling did indeed think deeply. She truly hadn’t considered this question before. As she thought about it, she remembered another matter and looked at Gu Jingyang with hesitant eyes.
“Do you remember what happened before, at Kaiyao Mountain? I fell into the Armored Beast Cave and sent you a message with a phoenix feather, asking you to save me.” A’Ling paused as she spoke, and only continued after seeing Gu Jingyang nod: “That time, did you tell Shi Qingqian I was in that Armored Beast Cave?”
Gu Jingyang raised half an eyebrow, her face full of confusion: “No, as soon as I received your message, I immediately headed to Kaiyao Mountain.”
“That’s strange,” A’Ling’s brow furrowed slightly. “Then how did she know I was in the Armored Beast Cave, and even teleport directly into the cave?”
So it wasn’t just once. Gu Jingyang was now certain: Qingqian definitely had a way to know A’Ling’s location.
She scrutinized A’Ling from head to toe, her gaze stopping at the purple bracelet on A’Ling’s wrist.
Could it be because of this magic artifact?
A’Ling didn’t know the inside story, but Gu Jingyang did. This item was actually refined by Qingqian. Perhaps there was something inside it that could sense locations.
Gu Jingyang was merely guessing. For the specifics, only Qingqian herself could provide an accurate answer.
And then there was the string of white bone beads on A’Ling’s hand. Before Qingqian fainted, she said it had chosen her. This bracelet was formed from Jin Zhuyue’s remains, and Jin Zhuyue and Qingqian looked so similar.
What their relationship was, and what purpose this bone bracelet served, perhaps only Qingqian knew.
“Just ask Qingqian directly,” Gu Jingyang suggested after thinking it over.
A’Ling gave her a surprised glance, seemingly finding her suggestion utterly preposterous.
“She’s not my dog, is she? She won’t just listen to me and answer whatever I ask. And even if she did tell me, how would I know if she’s lying to me?”
Mentioning dogs, A’Ling suddenly thought of her ugly dog, and worry resurfaced in her heart.
She didn’t know who had broken the barrier she’d set up in her dwelling, and hoped that person wasn’t after her ugly dog.
She didn’t know how her ugly dog was doing now.
A’Ling thought, if she went back and found that something had happened to her ugly dog, and she found out who broke her barrier, she would surely beat them to death!
She hoped her ugly dog wouldn’t run off and would wait obediently for her to return to the dwelling.
Gu Jingyang saw A’Ling’s extreme distrust of Qingqian and sighed. She was now a little perplexed; why did A’Ling have such strong defenses against Qingqian?
A’Ling was actually a very easygoing person, and frankly, a bit foolish, with a tendency to blindly trust others.
This could be seen from her former ‘friends’ in the academy, and later, how she declared she wanted to find a cultivation partner as soon as she met Lan Fushang upon entering Mystic Crane Mountain.
She naturally assumed everyone else was a good person from the start.
But only with Qingqian did A’Ling seem to unreasonably conclude she was a bad person from the outset.
Given this premise, no matter what Qingqian did, A’Ling seemed to analyze her actions with the assumption that Qingqian intended to harm her.
But as far as Gu Jingyang knew, the only genuinely wrong thing Qingqian had done that caused harm to A’Ling was falsely accusing A’Ling back at the academy.
Or perhaps something else had happened between A’Ling and Qingqian that she didn’t know about?
If it was merely because Qingqian had wronged A’Ling that one time, honestly, a soft-hearted dummy like A’Ling would quickly forgive her with a bit more kindness.
There must be something else. Based on Gu Jingyang’s understanding of A’Ling, she was certain there was more to it.
And it’s quite possible it’s all a misunderstanding.
“A’Ling, why do you have such great animosity towards Qingqian? Has she done something to wrong you?”
Gu Jingyang asked A’Ling directly, thinking it would be better to clear up any misunderstandings sooner rather than later.
As she spoke, Gu Jingyang glanced at the very weak Qingqian lying on the bed, and a hint of sympathy rose in her heart.
A’Ling heard Gu Jingyang’s question and scoffed inwardly. Shi Qingqian had wronged her countless times, but those were all matters from her previous life, which she couldn’t tell Gu Jingyang.
She could only earnestly warn Gu Jingyang: “I’m warning you in advance, stay far away from Shi Qingqian. She’s not a good person.”
Gu Jingyang didn’t know whether to laugh or cry. It seemed A’Ling’s prejudice against Qingqian was etched into her bones. Her sympathy for Qingqian grew even more.
Qingqian had depleted her spiritual energy and risked her life to teleport from Mystic Crane Mountain to Zhuoling Mountain, but if she couldn’t change A’Ling’s prejudice, she might never truly be able to face A’Ling.
“This time, she risked her life to come and save you.” Gu Jingyang had to speak up for Qingqian. “Although I don’t know how she knew you were in this Great Demon Cave, she must have known you were in danger to be so reckless, depleting her spiritual energy to arrive in time.”
“She risked her life to save me? Her? You mean Shi Qingqian? She rushed here to save me?” A’Ling sounded like she’d heard a joke that wasn’t funny and was a little horrifying. “What kind of joke are you playing?”
Without waiting for Gu Jingyang to speak, A’Ling raised her voice and continued excitedly: “You can come up with such a preposterous idea? If you’re going to put it that way, I’d say she risked her life to come here because she sensed something had happened to those two mutated Sword Dragons. She came to save them, arrived, found these two mutated demonic beasts were out of control and even tried to kill her, so she simply finished them off.”
After A’Ling finished speaking, her eyes lit up. She found this conjecture inexplicably reasonable; it was far more reasonable than Shi Qingqian risking her life to come and save her.
Gu Jingyang’s temple suddenly throbbed, and the corner of her mouth twitched uncontrollably. A’Ling’s brain, sometimes, truly made one want to crack it open and see what was inside.
“According to you, these two mutated Sword Dragons were raised here by Qingqian?” Gu Jingyang didn’t know whether to laugh or cry. Was Qingqian some world-destroying demon lord to do something so monstrous?
A’Ling didn’t truly believe Shi Qingqian had done this; it was just that, compared to what Gu Jingyang had just said, she would rather believe this reason.
“Otherwise, you tell me, why would Shi Qingqian go crazy and come to save me, even risking her life? Is she some great saint?”
“Because she likes you.”
Gu Jingyang blurted out the answer, stating it plainly. If you didn’t tell A’Ling directly, she would never figure it out.
Like the house she specially prepared for her, or the magic artifact Qingqian painstakingly gave her.
A wave of bitterness rose in Gu Jingyang’s heart, not for herself, nor for Qingqian, but for A’Ling.
She seemed to never believe that others could like her.
Just like how she talked about pursuing Lan Fushang to be her cultivation partner; the only bold thing she dared to do was talk a big game. In reality, she only dared to approach Lan Fushang as a friend. She didn’t even dare to tell her she liked her, or that she wanted to pursue her as a cultivation partner.
She merely approached her silently, wanting her to first get used to her presence.
She didn’t believe anyone would like her; she only yearned for others to need her.
As expected, after Gu Jingyang spoke, A’Ling immediately rejected her statement.
“Did Fushang feed you some poisoned mushrooms again? Do you even hear what you’re saying? How could Shi Qingqian possibly like me?”
This was even more preposterous than Fushang constantly saying ‘I’m going to bloom.’ At least Fushang’s words were cute; what Gu Jingyang said was a bit horrifying.
“What’s wrong? Can’t she like you?” Gu Jingyang abandoned her gentle and good-natured demeanor, her tone becoming almost aggressive.
A’Ling’s brow twitched. She didn’t know why Gu Jingyang was acting so unusually, but the question was truly laughable: “Impossible. I’d be thanking heaven if she didn’t intend to kill me.”
Gu Jingyang didn’t back down an inch: “If she wanted to kill you, why would she save you again and again?”
A’Ling opened her mouth, intending to retort, but her words weren’t as self-assured: “Perhaps, perhaps she just wants to torment me and doesn’t want me to die so easily.”
A’Ling didn’t want to continue this topic. She felt uncomfortable all over right now; she didn’t even want to talk to Gu Jingyang anymore.
“Enough. I’m tired.”
She just wanted to know why Shi Qingqian could switch between being a demon and a normal person so freely. What was all this about?
Shi Qingqian likes her?
How is that possible!
Was she going crazy, or was Gu Jingyang?
It must be a hallucination. Yes, she was too tired; she was seeing things from exhaustion.
She snatched the Sound Devouring Bird from Gu Jingyang’s hand, stuffed it back into her Universe pouch, dispersed the barrier, turned her back to Gu Jingyang, and said: “I’m going to sleep. You should go to sleep early too, and stop talking nonsense.”
Gu Jingyang looked at the back of A’Ling’s dark head, sighed after a long silence, and finally softly said: “Sweet dreams.”
Sweet dreams were impossible. Ever since A’Ling heard Gu Jingyang’s nonsensical words, she had been tossing and turning, unable to sleep.
She meticulously thought back to every single event since her rebirth, all those moments she had found a bit strange, the abnormalities she hadn’t considered before.
She recalled that morning when Shi Qingqian unusually appeared at her door, disheveled, with red eyes, apologizing and saying she regretted it.
She also remembered the day she broke ties with Huo Zhen. There was actually a moment when her consciousness froze. When she regained clarity, she saw Shi Qingqian in front of her, biting her finger, doing who knew what.
She thought of Kaiyao Mountain, when her life hung by a thread, it was Shi Qingqian who suddenly appeared and saved her. She applied medicine to her, using the Wulou Bone Tendon Silk.
If Fushang hadn’t introduced this item today, she wouldn’t have realized how rare and precious it was. A’Ling slightly raised her hand, gazing at the Wulou Bone Tendon Silk on her wrist.
Gradually, her gaze moved past her raised wrist, venturing forward.
A’Ling gazed at the person on the bed, who seemed to be in a deep coma, her eyes filled with confusion. Did she really rush here specifically to save me?
But how could that be?
Why would she come to save me?
A’Ling slowly sat up from the reclining chair. The secret chamber was silent, with only the soft, long breaths harmonizing with the night to create the melancholy of a proper evening.
She tilted her head and glanced at Gu Jingyang beside her. Gu Jingyang seemed unaffected, sleeping soundly despite having uttered so much baffling nonsense that had disturbed A’Ling’s peace of mind.
A’Ling thought, when dawn breaks, she absolutely had to properly correct Gu Jingyang’s dreadful idea.
How could Shi Qingqian possibly like her…? She probably wished she would die sooner.
But if that were the case, why would she save her, and indeed, more than once?
A’Ling couldn’t find a reasonable explanation for a moment.
She quietly got up from the reclining chair and walked to the side of the bed where Shi Qingqian lay.
This person is quite amusing.
Terrifyingly strong one moment, then so fragile the next.
A’Ling gazed at the pale, somewhat faint person on the bed, hesitated for a moment, and then extended her hand.
Warm true energy slowly flowed from Shi Qingqian’s brow into her body, instantly warming her blood, which felt as cold as if it were about to freeze.
Shi Qingqian’s tightly furrowed brow gradually relaxed. She didn’t know where she was; everything around her was a vast expanse of white.
There was nothing: no people, no objects, no colors, and no sound.
No, only one voice.
It was urging her: “Run, monster.”
Shi Qingqian kept running ceaselessly in this white world. The more she ran, the colder she became, and a layer of frost gradually covered her body. She felt as though she, too, was turning white.
But just as she was about to turn completely white, a warm light shone upon her face.
She desperately absorbed this warmth, and the pale world gradually cracked open.
Through a shimmering crack in that pale world, Shi Qingqian hazily saw a pair of familiar eyes.
“A’Ling.”
A’Ling abruptly withdrew her hand, her eyes wide as she looked at the person on the bed who had suddenly spoken. She had only channeled some true energy to Shi Qingqian; she hadn’t done anything else.
Just as she was about to explain, she realized the person on the bed had only murmured a single phrase, her eyelashes fluttering twice before settling down again.
She didn’t wake up…
Shi Qingqian called her name in her dream?
A’Ling’s brow twitched violently. She felt her hallucinations might be getting worse. She quickly and quietly returned to the reclining chair, forcefully closed her eyes, and ordered herself to fall asleep immediately.
Only after she lay down did Gu Jingyang slowly open her eyes, which were filled with understanding.
She knew A’Ling was soft-hearted. Earlier, she wasn’t willing to channel more true energy, but now, here she was, doing good deeds while everyone was asleep.
In the darkness, another pair of eyes slowly opened.
Lan Fushang subtly pursed her lips. She had just felt some movement, and with a start, woke from her dream. Seeing A’Ling’s figure standing by the bed, she thought something was wrong.
When she saw A’Ling channeling true energy to Shi Qingqian, she marveled inwardly. A’Ling truly is a very, very good person.
She must tell Shi Qingqian about this tomorrow when she wakes up.
The next morning, Lan Fushang was the first to wake up. After getting up, she first went to check on Shi Qingqian on the bed and was surprised to find that her complexion had returned to normal.
There was no trace of the pale, almost transparent, sickly appearance from last night.
What astonishing recovery ability, she marveled inwardly, while reaching out to examine how Shi Qingqian’s internal condition had recovered.
Just as she was about to touch Shi Qingqian’s hand, it suddenly withdrew.
Lan Fushang looked up and saw that Shi Qingqian had already opened her eyes.
“You’re awake. Let me check your internal condition to see how you’ve recovered,” Lan Fushang said with a slight smile, lowering her voice.
Shi Qingqian sat up from the bed, the confusion in her eyes gradually dissipating like mist as she saw the person sleeping on the reclining chair directly opposite her.
A’Ling’s head was slightly tilted, loose strands of hair obscuring a small part of her face. More than half of her blanket had slipped off the reclining chair, almost touching the damp floor.
Shi Qingqian’s actions preceded her thoughts. She got up from the bed, walked to A’Ling’s reclining chair, and gently folded the blanket back up, covering A’Ling with it.
Her movements were very gentle. When she finished and returned to the bed, A’Ling showed no reaction, still sleeping soundly.
Lan Fushang smiled as she watched all this. When Shi Qingqian sat back on the bed, she lowered her voice and repeated herself.
“I’ll check your recovery. Your complexion looks much better, so A’Ling getting up in the middle of the night to channel true energy to you wasn’t in vain.”
Shi Qingqian had originally been watching A’Ling. Hearing this, she turned her head to Lan Fushang, seemingly a little confused: “What did you say?”
“I said I’ll check your recovery,” Lan Fushang repeated, gesturing for Shi Qingqian to extend her hand.
But Shi Qingqian shook her head: “Not that part.”
Lan Fushang was puzzled for a moment before realizing that this was something she had intended to tell Shi Qingqian anyway.
“Last night, after we all fell asleep, A’Ling still got up to channel some true energy to you. Don’t let her harsh words fool you; she’s actually very soft-hearted.”
Shi Qingqian lowered her gaze and glanced at Lan Fushang, trying to determine if she was joking. After confirming she was serious, Shi Qingqian grew even more puzzled.
She withdrew her gaze and, feeling drowsy, turned to look at the deeply sleeping A’Ling.
As she moved, loose strands of hair by her temples brushed against her shoulder and neck, causing an uncomfortably ticklish sensation.
How could this be…? A’Ling actually took the initiative to channel true energy to her…
Shi Qingqian reached up to sweep the hair behind her shoulder, and then realized it wasn’t about her hair; it was the ripples in her heart that made her feel oddly uncomfortable.
She pursed her lips and silently extended her hand to Lan Fushang.
Lan Fushang’s examination revealed that the situation wasn’t very optimistic. Her internal spiritual energy was still depleted, but her internal injuries had recovered quite well, only her heart rate was still a bit fast.
Just as she finished examining Shi Qingqian, Gu Jingyang and A’Ling gradually woke up.
She quickly assessed their complexions. Gu Jingyang looked more spirited than A’Ling, so she chose to examine A’Ling first.
After a thorough examination, she found that A’Ling had advanced to the Nascent Soul realm after absorbing the Moonlit Essence from the Moonlit Ice Crystal this time. Her body’s recovery ability was significantly stronger than when she was at the Core Formation realm.
The wounds that looked quite gruesome yesterday were now almost healed when observed today.
Lan Fushang looked at the piece of Wulou Bone Tendon Silk on A’Ling’s wrist and increasingly felt it was somewhat wasted.
After A’Ling woke up, she saw Shi Qingqian sitting on the edge of the opposite bed, constantly gazing at her. That gaze was so piercing that she suspected there was a sun belonging to it in the secret chamber.
Seeing those shimmering eyes, her mind was filled with Gu Jingyang’s phrase: ‘She likes you.’
“That’s great, A’Ling, the flesh on your wrist has already grown back!” Lan Fushang unveiled the Wulou Bone Tendon Silk and, to her surprise, found that the area where white bone was visible yesterday now had new flesh grown over it.
A’Ling was startled back from her scattered thoughts by Lan Fushang’s shout.
She also looked down and was surprised to find that it had indeed healed. Gazing at the Wulou Bone Tendon Silk in Lan Fushang’s hand, the phrase ‘She likes you’ popped into her mind again.
“It truly makes one a little envious,” Gu Jingyang remarked quietly. She was also at the Nascent Soul realm, but she hadn’t recovered so quickly.
It must be due to Shi Qingqian’s top-tier healing medicines, and that rare Wulou Bone Tendon Silk.
A’Ling turned to see the culprit behind her insomnia, who now, as if that wasn’t enough, was making pointed remarks. She glared at her with a warning in her eyes.
“I’ll deal with you later when we get back.”
A’Ling said fiercely. When they returned to the dwelling, she would fight Gu Jingyang. Since both of them were now at the Nascent Soul realm, there would be no question of one bullying the other.
Gu Jingyang raised an eyebrow, as if to say, ‘I’ll be waiting.’
After Lan Fushang finished examining A’Ling, she went to examine Gu Jingyang. A’Ling sat alone on the reclining chair, feeling as though the person opposite her was frozen in place, sitting on the edge of the bed like a statue, watching her.
A’Ling couldn’t stand it anymore. With furrowed brows, she gazed back, and their eyes inevitably met in the air.