Chapter 44.3

Chi Lu protected the bonfire, casting a sidelong glance at the little creatures who were hardly worth her effort. “Good thing I set up the barrier beforehand, or else this fire wouldn’t have been safe.”

She looked down at Jing Shuxing with lingering concern. “What would I do if he got cold?”

The appearance Jing Shuxing had in her dream was far too haggard; Chi Lu wasn’t about to let his condition deteriorate without doing something about it.

The composed young woman gently cared for the sickly yet handsome man lying on her lap. This scene unfolded vividly before the little creatures, prompting their imaginations to run wild.

Having lived in the spiritual vein for so long, they knew very little about the outside world. From stories, they had learned that some powerful female cultivators in the cultivation world liked to keep male companions, especially those from the Hehuan Sect, whose homes were filled with men like an emperor’s harem, too many to count.

This scene before them—it couldn’t be anything other than the legendary—

A domineering female cultivator and her pampered pretty boy?

The unsophisticated little creatures from this backwater place were thoroughly shocked.

Chi Lu, meanwhile, was sizing up the little creatures as well.

The little creatures had peculiar appearances. Some had partially human forms but with animal heads, while others had abnormally long necks or were top-heavy with small feet, likely due to their low cultivation levels that prevented them from achieving proper transformation.

One of the more human-like creatures mustered the courage to step forward and timidly negotiate:

“Honored immortal, we are the spiritual creature troupe cultivating here, and we would like to borrow your male concubine.”

Chi Lu nearly choked on her own saliva, barely holding back a cough to avoid waking Jing Shuxing. She deliberately lowered her voice and exclaimed, “Male concubine?!”

The creature extended a finger as thin as a boneless twig and pointed at Jing Shuxing. “Him.”

“We were just ordinary spiritual creatures, peacefully cultivating here. Not long ago, the spiritual vein was suddenly taken over by a resentful spirit who declared it a sacred place for her wedding.”

“That resentful spirit turned our cultivation grounds into her bridal chamber, making a racket with all sorts of renovations. When the time came for the wedding, she ordered us to follow the spiritual energy aura she provided and bring the person to her.”

The spiritual creature complained tearfully, and Chi Lu, sensing something was off, asked cautiously, “You’ve already taken someone there before?”

“We did take someone, but that person said we got the gender wrong and flew into a rage. Not only did she detain the person, but she also threatened to destroy this entire spiritual vein if we couldn’t find the groom.” The humanoid spiritual creature, braver than the others, mustered the courage to explain to Chi Lu.

The creature whimpered, “We’re just cultivating here. How could we have expected something like this to happen? We can’t leave the spiritual vein until we fully transform, so we had no choice but to follow her orders to capture someone.”

With that, dozens of pairs of eyes all turned simultaneously to Jing Shuxing.

Just then, Jing Shuxing “woke up,” opening his eyes.

In front of him, dozens of little creatures had gathered in a flash. If it weren’t for Chi Lu’s barrier, they might have immediately swarmed all over him.

“Honored gentleman, please do us a favor,” the creature pleaded, adding mysteriously, “If you’re willing to help, I promise to reward you handsomely.”

With a flick of its hand, a small bottle appeared from the creature’s sleeve, bearing the character “情” (affection).

They said that in the emperor’s harem, the favored male companions needed to compete for attention, and giving this to the young gentleman was definitely the right move.

Chi Lu, not seeing what was inside the sleeve, leaned forward curiously. “What are you planning to give him?”

Both the creature and Jing Shuxing turned their faces away simultaneously, and a blush spread across the man’s snow-white skin, even his voice became awkward and hesitant. “It’s n-nothing special, just some common herbs from the spiritual vein.”

Chi Lu didn’t press further. With her mind on the person kidnapped by the spiritual creatures, she straightforwardly asked, “Who did you capture? Where did you take them? Are they in any danger?”

The creatures exchanged nervous glances. “It’s a living person. The spiritual vein greatly avoids spilling fresh human blood, so they probably won’t die anytime soon. The resentful spirit said that as long as we bring back the correct person, she’ll release the young lady.”

Chi Lu looked up, her gaze falling on the decorated sedan chair, and she couldn’t help but smile.

Who would think that a man would be sitting inside a sedan chair meant for a bride? It seemed that the resentful spirit was likely a wealthy and powerful young lady in her previous life, capable of bringing a husband into her household.

“What’s the big deal?” Chi Lu shrugged and raised her hand to undo her hair bun. “I’ll disguise myself as a man, and you can take me to meet the bride.”

She removed her hairpin, and her long, black hair cascaded down like a waterfall, framing the young woman before them in an unparalleled cool elegance. Her usually gentle and sweet features now bore a touch of coldness.

Chi Lu was about to tie her hair into a man’s bun when a cold hand pressed down on hers.

“Why go that far?” Jing Shuxing’s voice was slightly hoarse. “We already have a man here; let me go instead.”

With his palm, he lifted Chi Lu’s jet-black hair, and using his five fingers as a comb, he carefully smoothed out her tresses.

Chi Lu was used to combing others’ hair and had developed excellent skills over time. Ever since she learned various hairstyles, she enjoyed playing with the hair of her elders. This was the first time someone else had combed her hair since she was a child. It felt awkward, but she couldn’t bring herself to refuse, so she stiffened her neck, staying completely still.

With her back to Jing Shuxing, she spoke with concern, “This won’t work. That’s a vengeful spirit; you’re already affected by the Yin energy just being in the spiritual vein. Getting closer to the spirit will definitely make it worse.”

Jing Shuxing frowned, discreetly untangling the knots at the ends of Chi Lu’s hair. “If you’re recognized, I’ll definitely have to rescue you, and by then, the erosion I’d suffer could be even worse.”

He furrowed his brows tightly and glared at the surrounding spiritual creatures. “Besides, the Linghua Sect has many precious treasures. If the Young Sect Leader doesn’t trust me, you could simply give me a spiritual tool that repels Yin energy.”

He deliberately spoke very slowly, trying to buy time.

After a while, Chi Lu finally sensed something was off. Glancing at the spiritual creatures, whose expressions varied, she couldn’t help but raise her hand and touch the top of her head.

With a smooth motion of her five fingers from top to bottom, Jing Shuxing let out a soft exclamation as the long hair in his hand was swiftly snatched away by Chi Lu.

Chi Lu’s hair cascaded down, and she casually grasped it in her palm. Turning back with a gentle, playful smile, she gazed at Jing Shuxing. “So, you don’t know how, do you?”

Jing Shuxing averted his gaze. “That’s not it. The Young Sect Leader kept moving, interrupting my actions.”

Before he could finish speaking, he felt a lightness on his head.

Chi Lu, smiling with narrowed eyes, handed an ice-blue hair tie to Jing Shuxing. “Here, tie a Zhuiyun bun for me and let’s see.”

With deft hands and a flow of spiritual energy, Chi Lu quickly and effortlessly gathered her hair into a neat bun. Meanwhile, Jing Shuxing, trying to maintain his composure, put his hands down, implying that he was finished as well.

His own hair was still neatly tied, but there was a hint of embarrassment in his eyes, as if he were trying hard to conceal his lack of skill.

Chi Lu couldn’t hold back and burst into laughter. 

“It really looks like you don’t know how.”

The surrounding spiritual creatures all turned their backs, not wanting to witness the playful banter between the two.

Soon, the creatures’ attention was drawn to the items from Chi Lu’s space bag.

Chi Lu held a small spiritual device in her hands, explaining its use to Jing Shuxing while casually piling them up to the side.

She even pulled out a piece of enchanted clothing. “These are all items that don’t require activating spiritual energy; they can be controlled purely by the owner’s will…”

As she took out the enchanted robe, a spiritual creature timidly interrupted the wealthy and powerful female cultivator.

“Honored immortal,” the creature said. 

“The resentful spirit has a rule that the groom sent over must be dressed in wedding attire.”

Author’s Note:

Ah Lu and Little Jing wish everyone a healthy Dragon Boat Festival! (Covers Little Jing with a red bridal veil)

Author’s random intrusion: This story will definitely have a happy ending—an ultra-super, unbeatable, big family reunion kind of happy ending. Don’t be scared by the journey!