Chapter 151: Old Things (Part 2)

At the inn in the border town, there were few guests in the evening. The mortals passing by cautiously observed the few sword-bearing cultivators.

Hua Zimei’s longsword rested on the counter as she chatted with the Xiao Er (innkeeper), drawing frequent compliments from him: “So, the snow demon that’s been causing trouble recently was captured by the Qianlong (Hidden Dragon) Immortal Sect! The Qianlong (Hidden Dragon) Immortal Sect truly lives up to its name as the top sect. These past few days, your stay here is on the house.”

Tu Zhuang rolled her eyes upon hearing this. As she walked past Hua Zimei, she bumped her hard. Hua Zimei had just spent a great deal of effort dragging Lu You onto the bed. As she swung her hand and walked out, she saw Yun Chu standing directly at the door.

Tu Zhuang furrowed her brows. “What are you doing standing here?”

In her heart, she thought, the male cultivators from Penglai, only Senior Brother Su Mingyu is gentle and helpful; the rest are all so strange in their own ways.

Yun Chu glanced at the room door, lowered her eyes to tidy the whisk in her hand, and after a while said, “Senior Brother Shen and Xu Qianyu went in together.”

“Didn’t you see Xu Qianyu was injured?” Tu Zhuang asked, confused. “If he didn’t carry her in, was she supposed to crawl in by herself?”

“And then he never came out.”

“Perhaps he’s just taking care of her?”

“It’s already been an hour.”

“…Are you worried about Xu Qianyu?” Tu Zhuang looked at the door. “What does it have to do with you? I think Senior Brother Shen is a righteous man; he doesn’t seem like someone who would take advantage of others’ misfortune.”

She intended to peek with her eyes but stopped herself. “Ah, a man and a woman alone in a room; there’s no need for me to look. What if I see something I shouldn’t?”

Upon hearing this, Yun Chu’s fingers tightened around the whisk, turning slightly pale. A feeling she had never experienced before surged within her heart.

If it were anyone else, it would be one thing. But if it were Senior Brother Shen—thinking of his decisiveness and indifference deep down—if he ever wanted to monopolize someone, no one else would have a chance to interfere.

He took out a communication token. “Senior Brother Yun Lan told me that a half-step Transformation cultivator recently emerged from Penglai. However, this person, when struck by Heavenly Thunder, simultaneously triggered a severe nightmare omen. Senior Brother Shen didn’t attend the Spring Dispersing event, so why did he suddenly appear in the Demon Palace? That in itself is suspicious. You must have sensed it too, right? His cultivation level?”

Tu Zhuang’s mouth fell open. “Half-step Transformation into a God…”

She quickly realized what was going on, but before she could react, she grabbed his hand, eyes wide with anger. “Spreading rumors like a dog!”

“I didn’t mean anything by it.” Yun Chu calmly pulled his hand free from Tu Zhuang’s grip, then used his spiritual energy to tap the communication token. Instead of contacting Elder Yi, he sent a message to Xu Qianyu: “Just a reminder to be cautious. One should never let their guard down.”

Tu Zhuang, now finally peeking through the door, was stunned. “There’s no one inside.”

“The window’s open! Senior Brother Shen has escaped!”

Just then, a commotion rose from the counter. Hua Zimei’s spirit monkey, frightened by something, darted across the counter, knocking over several guests. Hua Zimei, angry and surprised, shouted, “Come back!”

The thing that had frightened the spirit monkey floated toward them. Yun Chu quickly recognized it—a red flying flower, about the size of a fist and shaped like a lotus. Its long, thin petals fluttered in the air like strands of hair flowing in the wind.

His expression darkened. This was the sword spirit of the Taishang Elder’s Light Red Sword, also the Gu mother of the Lianxin Gu (Heartlinking Worm).

A wound from the Light Red Sword would plant a Lianxin Gu (Heartlinking Worm) within a person, and only when the worm bloomed and took root would the person die. But if the worm’s mother was active, it would immediately drain the person’s life force.

Yun Chu had once witnessed the Gu Mu (worm mother) kill someone. So when he saw this lotus floating in the air, he froze, his breath caught, as if facing a poisonous jellyfish.

However, the Gu Mu (worm mother) hesitated briefly before flying around him and heading off into the distance.

Yun Chu couldn’t tell who the target was. He didn’t dare take action against the sword spirit, fearing it might alert the Taishang Elder. His anxiety rising, he quickly sent a message to Xu Qianyu.

Who else could it be?

Right, Lu You—since she was being used by the Taishang Elder, she must have also been planted with the Lianxin Gu (Heartlinking Worm). The late Master had told them to watch over her. Surely they couldn’t let anything happen to her.

“Go check on Lu You.” He rushed into the room.

But the bedding was disheveled, and Lu You was nowhere to be found. The Lianxin Gu (Heartlinking Worm)’s mother had already flown out through the window, vanishing without a trace.

Tu Zhuang lifted the covers. “She was unconscious just a moment ago; where did she go?”

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Xu Qianyu felt terrible. The demonic energy was clashing with the cultivator’s veins, causing her blood and energy to flow backward a searing pain that made her head spin. But Senior Brother Shen held her tightly, his embrace steady. Though they were flying swiftly on his sword, the wind and snow did not reach her. The sense of security in his arms soothed her discomfort.

But the communication token kept vibrating.

Shen Suwei glanced down, but Xu Qianyu quickly pressed down on the token. His hand then covered hers, almost painfully squeezing her fingers. Xu Qianyu closed her eyes, exerting a little force, and crushed the token, turning it to dust and scattering it on the ground.

Shen Suwei froze. By doing this, she had cut off all contact with Penglai, as though a kite had severed its string.

A sense of greed spread within him, like wild grass growing uncontrollably. Didn’t she fear that he would hide her somewhere, where no one could find her?

Xu Qianyu’s voice was soft. “Find a more expensive inn. I have a gold ingot in my mustard seed pouch.”

It seemed she was still not fully awake. Shen Suwei looked away, pushing the thought aside.

Xu Qianyu felt Senior Brother Shen lift her up the stairs, but he didn’t use her gold ingot. Soon, the wind and snow ceased, and the noise quieted as they entered a warm room. He pulled aside the curtain and gently laid her down.

The bed was similar to the large one at her home, and once Xu Qianyu lay down, her brows relaxed in satisfaction.

In the dim light, Shen Suwei saw her outer robe fall open slightly. Two fox ears eagerly popped out, like velvet flowers blooming in the dark, mischievous but strangely alluring. He stared at her for a while before reaching forward and brushing away the flower-shaped decoration on her forehead. But as soon as his fingers touched her, the fox ears twitched.

After wiping twice, Xu Qianyu sensed Shen Suwei’s slightly erratic breath, and her heart raced in her chest. But he didn’t touch her directly. Instead, it was as if he was carefully breathing her in, from her ear tip to her cheek, then down to her neck. Then, in a hurry, he pulled away.

She held her breath, but then a sense of emptiness flooded her heart. She quickly turned and sat up, poking her head through the curtains to see what he was doing. She caught sight of Shen Suwei’s jade crown, his black hair flowing smoothly behind him, spreading across the floor.

He was sitting on the edge of the bed, meditating, already in a deep state, not reacting even when she playfully tugged at a lock of his hair.

Xu Qianyu’s meridians ached, and her temper grew worse. She jumped down, walking to him with dissatisfaction, and stared at him for a while. After a moment, she awkwardly spoke up, interrupting his meditation. “Touch my tail.”

She turned her back, and Shen Suwei closed his eyes, letting the fox tail, like a challenge, brush against his pale face.

The second time the tail swept by, Shen Suwei suddenly pulled her hand and drew her into his lap, holding her firmly.

They were too close now. His cold aura was as sharp as ice and snow, striking her like a blade. Xu Qianyu tried to sit back, but he pulled her forward again, holding her legs tightly and making her lean against him. She pushed against his clothes, staring at him in surprise.

Shen Suwei’s eyes, slightly raised, locked onto hers, as if asking, “Is something wrong?”

Before Xu Qianyu could reply, he did as she wanted, gripping her fox tail and gently brushing it.

Xu Qianyu went still. 

Shen Suwei’s long lashes cast fragmented shadows across his face. His breath was clearly chaotic now, but he suppressed it, continuing to groom the tail with great care.

Xu Qianyu always enjoyed this. When Shen Suwei touched her in the Demon Palace, she had remembered it clearly.

Back then, he had worried that the demonic energy would harm her meridians, so he dismantled his sword aura into countless parts, infusing it with spiritual energy, sending it through each hair tip into her veins. To her, it felt like a cold, soothing sensation flowing into her veins, easing the pain while slowly pushing out the demonic energy.

But this kind of technique was mentally exhausting, requiring full concentration.

Shen Suwei had been at it for a long time, watching Xu Qianyu’s expression. Suddenly, he stopped, staring at her, seemingly having held back for a long time, before speaking, “Why don’t you call me ‘Senior Brother’ anymore?”

The spiritual energy disappeared, and the sharp pain surged back. Xu Qianyu, frustrated, slapped her tail against his arm. Shen Suwei remained unfazed, then looked up at her. “Did you read the letter I gave you?”

This is to force her to answer that question. It seemed like if she didn’t answer, he wouldn’t help her heal.

Xu Qianyu also looked at him. This was the first time they were speaking seriously since their falling out.

The endless days and nights of the past eight months rushed through her mind. All the trust she had given at the time was shattered on the ground. Xu Qianyu, like a frightened bird, had hated him and had been confused. Asking her to accept it directly was a bit too much. Xu Qianyu deliberately said, “I didn’t see it. What did you write? Read it to me.”

Shen Suwei’s expression shifted, and he reached out to enter her domain. Xu Qianyu immediately stopped him: “My domain is a murderous domain; you can’t enter it without permission.”

Shen Suwei looked at her indifferently: “Then give me the rabbit back.”

Xu Qianyu gripped his hand tightly: “It was my rabbit to begin with. Why should I give it back to you?”

Shen Suwei actually put her down, stood up, and turned his back to her. His shoulders were tense, and his breath was as cold and oppressive as dark clouds, as if he had truly given up hope.

Xu Qianyu paused for a moment. Hurting her senior brother in return didn’t seem to bring her any satisfaction. She felt somewhat lost and didn’t know what to say.

When Shen Suwei moved, she quickly hugged him from behind, afraid that he would run away. She felt his waist, which she was holding onto, tighten instantly.

Xu Qianyu’s body temperature was slightly higher, and when she pressed against him, there was warmth, a kind of clingy posture.

Shen Suwei lowered his gaze, and the warm tip of his tail curled up from behind, wrapping around his right arm and refusing to let go. Xu Qianyu then reached out to touch his other hand, lightly twisting the red string on his wrist with her fingertips.

Two different kinds of tingling sensations swept through. Shen Suwei’s pupils contracted, feeling like he was the prey entangled in vines, unable to move.
“Senior brother.” And Xu Qianyu, completely unaware, coquettishly said, “I want more.”