Chapter 152: Old Things (Part 3)

Shen Suwei reached out to grab the fox tail tangled around his right hand.

The tail seemed to sense danger, and with a quick movement, it retracted, leaving him only holding the tip. The rest of the tail swayed, trying to tug the tip from his grasp, but he didn’t let go.

His fingers squeezed the fur, feeling the warm part of the tail deftly struggle against his touch.

The wind howled, pressing against the window, and faint thunder could be heard outside.

Shen Suwei quietly listened to the rumbling thunder, then suddenly said, “They should be looking for you in Penglai.”

“What does that mean?” Xu Qianyu asked. “Forget them. Where are you going?”

“I have my own path,” Shen Suwei replied, his words carrying a sense of fatigue and indifferent disregard.

Shen Suwei straightened his back, his clothes fluttering lightly, giving him an appearance of grace and flexibility. When Xu Qianyu held his waist, however, she could feel the firm, muscular build beneath the fabric, with the latent intent and strength of a warrior. She had no doubt that if he wished to leave, he could instantly turn into a streak of sword light and escape through the window, vanishing to a place she could never find.

Her senior brother had always been like the pillar of the righteous path of their sect, unshakable.

She had never before felt him so elusive, like drifting reeds or a half-dying flame; a gust of wind might snuff him out, and he would disappear without a trace.

He merely pinched the tip of her tail, as if their bond was connected by that single thread. Xu Qianyu felt a sudden panic in her heart and tightened her hold. “Don’t leave.”

As soon as her words fell, she felt a pure spiritual energy flowing from the tip of the tail into her body.

She wanted to clarify that she didn’t mean it that way, but the words stuck in her throat. Her left hand moved from the red string to the scar on his wrist, gently rubbing it. “Is this the stasis lock from Master?”

Her clear question caused Shen Suwei to freeze for a moment.

Xu Qianyu had really grown up. Her thoughts were far more astute and delicate than he had realized. Some things he hadn’t said, yet she had already deduced them with careful reasoning.

“This scar,” she continued, “is from forcibly breaking the stasis lock. I’ve seen it on demonic creatures. The stasis lock is used by stronger practitioners to control weaker demonic beings.

In the whole sect, only Master has higher cultivation than you.” Xu Qianyu went on, “The closed-door training on the Snow Cliff was also his doing. We both saw Master together, and he asked you to speak with him alone. That’s when he found out about the demonic thoughts in you and forced you into seclusion.”

Xu Qianyu waited for a long time, and finally, Shen Suwei spoke, “It’s not what you think. The Sect Leader put the stasis lock on me just to suppress the demonic thoughts.”

Xu Qianyu felt frustrated. She didn’t understand why he was willing to go to such extremes but still refused to speak a single word against Xu Binglai.

She asked again, “Why did the demonic thoughts arise?”

Her voice was heavy, as though lamenting for him. Shen Suwei’s tone softened, as though trying to console her. “There’s no reason. These things happen randomly, and it’s hard to avoid.”

“Then why break the lock?” Xu Qianyu touched the scar, and an odd, itchy sensation made him flinch slightly. He tried to move his hand away, but Xu Qianyu forcefully held onto it. “Does it hurt?”

It seemed like she was genuinely concerned.

His tensed fingers slowly relaxed, and he allowed her to hold onto his hand. “It was only painful for a moment when I broke the lock. I don’t feel anything now.”

Xu Qianyu’s hand wandered over his body.

She had always been like this, absent-mindedly touching things without understanding their significance. Shen Suwei had long been used to it, though he had to focus on controlling his breathing.

Until she reached the mustard-sized golden bead near his heart, about to take it out, Shen Suwei suddenly opened his eyes, and a burst of sword energy shot out, knocking her away. Xu Qianyu wasn’t prepared and collided with the edge of the table, hurting her tail. She stared at him, stunned.

Shen Suwei looked at her in the dim light, his gaze wild and animal-like yet also filled with sorrow. The sword energy from him slowly melted the frost on Xu Qianyu’s arms, and the cold seeped into her skin, causing her pain.

“Give me the demonic bone.” She wiped her arm, feeling wronged by his sudden attack. She didn’t understand why Shen Suwei kept the demonic bone on him. The dark energy it emitted was clearly affecting him, making him uncomfortable.

“I really don’t understand. Senior Brother, you know the demonic bone is a disaster. When Master sealed the Demon King, why didn’t he throw the demonic bone away with him?”

Why? Shen Suwei couldn’t provide an answer.

He had become a frightened bird, no longer trusting anyone. He couldn’t tolerate being suppressed, imprisoned, or forced to lose something precious. In critical moments, the demonic bone could also be a source of power. He had to keep it, or he wouldn’t feel at peace.

But such thoughts even disgust him. If she were to find out, she would probably be terrified.
After a long pause, Shen Suwei finally said, “You think too highly of me. I don’t deserve it.”

Xu Qianyu felt a surge of wicked fire rise within her.

At that moment, the window was struck open, and the sound of fine, steady rain became suddenly clear in her ears.

A glowing red lotus flew into the room, its petals gently drifting like seaweed in the waves. Xu Qianyu didn’t know what it was, but she could immediately sense the brilliant light and malicious aura rapidly closing in on her.

The situation was dangerous, and the wooden sword fell into Xu Qianyu’s hand.

But Shen Suwei’s sword aura “clang” hit her sword off course. The lotus circled her once before abandoning her and charging directly at Shen Suwei.

To be exact, it was Shen Suwei who reached out and caught it. He slowly loosened his grip, and the lotus regained its vitality, like a blood-sucking insect, burrowing into his palm.

Everything happened so quickly that when Xu Qianyu grabbed his hand, she could only see thin red lines spreading from his pale wrist up his arm.

“This is the Lotus Seed Heart Curse.” Xu Qianyu stared at him in shock. When she was in the demon realm, she saw similar red lines on Yun Chu. Yun Chu had explained that the red lines represented the growth of the Lotus Seed Heart Curse inside the body. When the lines spread to the heart, the person would die from the poison.

Shen Suwei seemed indifferent to the change in his body. He only glanced at it faintly and said, “It’s fine.”

Xu Qianyu touched her forehead. “I…”

She was the one carrying the Heart Curse, so why did it abandon her and go after someone else?
Shen Suwei said, “Your Lotus Seed Heart Curse has been removed.”

Xu Qianyu could no longer tolerate it. “Why didn’t you let me strike it earlier?”

Shen Suwei didn’t respond, silently watching her. After she had tried to take the magic bone, the two had fallen into this state of mutual confrontation.

Suddenly, Xu Qianyu stood up, lips pressed tight, her dark eyes staring at him intensely, as if about to explode.

The orange-red sword aura wrapped in leaving fire burst from her shoulders like a ribbon. Shen Suwei didn’t move. He had accidentally hit her with his sword aura earlier, and he knew she held grudges, so she would definitely seek revenge. He simply closed his eyes. But the sword aura didn’t strike him; instead, it wound around his wrist, binding him tightly, pulling him backward and then upward, cleanly circling around the beams of the room.

Shen Suwei sat on the bed, both hands suspended in the air, his snow-white sleeves hanging down. He moved his wrist, finding himself unable to move. There was a hint of surprise in his heart, and he turned his head.

Xu Qianyu, currently at the half-step transformation stage, had her sword aura surrounded by a layer of orange-golden light, her ears and tail looking like a fiery sunset. She drew a thin, transparent phoenix fire whip from her sleeve, her face expressionless as she said, “Do you think I don’t dare to act against you?”

She cracked the whip.

The whip made a crisp “snap,” and both of them froze.

Shen Suwei’s lashes fluttered, and his hair, raised by the wind, slowly fell. She hadn’t infused spiritual energy into it; she had only used physical strength, so it didn’t harm his meridians, nor did it tear his clothes. But it did leave a fleeting, sharp pain on his body, and in that pain, he clearly felt her urgency and emotions.

Shen Suwei vaguely heard the sound of the rain, which had become quite satisfying. The cool breeze from the broken window rushed in, relieving the heat.

Like a needle piercing to release blood, he actually felt somewhat better.

“The lotus flower is the sword spirit of the Elder Taishang’s Light Red Sword.” He said, “It came to kill someone. Originally, it was supposed to kill you. If you had struck it, it would have alerted the Elder Taishang, so I had to absorb it. I’m now at the half-step Transformation stage, and the sword spirit cannot harm me.”

Xu Qianyu hesitated at first, but hearing this, her anger flared, and she jumped up, cracking the whip again. “If I don’t whip you, you won’t speak!”

Shen Suwei lowered his lashes, biting his lips in silence, making no sound. In the flickering light of the room, his lips were a striking red, like a beautiful flower. Xu Qianyu’s heart pounded, and some strange feelings stirred within her.

She walked over, lifted his chin with the whip, and looked directly at him. “Do you like me?”

Shen Suwei was forced to look up at her, his eyes slightly narrowed, conveying a quiet sense of hesitation, as if he didn’t know whether to speak or not.

“You want me, but you refuse to admit it. You just use that look…” Xu Qianyu paused, struggling to find the right words, but eventually gave up. “To seduce me.”

Shen Suwei’s pupils widened slightly, a look of confusion in his eyes, clearly not understanding what “seductive” gaze meant.

Shen Suwei said, “Now that your soul has returned, I’ve always been hesitant to ask. In your heart, do you still have Yun Chu and Xie Yuzhen?”

Yun Chu? What’s going on?

Xu Qianyu took a while to react, then turned coldly, her skirt lifting slightly. “I have a bad temper.

I only give people one chance. If they betray me once, don’t expect me to treat them the same again. You saw how I treated Xie Yuzhen. But for you, I gave you three chances.”

“Shixiong (Senior Brother), do you know why?” Xu Qianyu lowered her eyes, tapping the whip against her palm.

In the darkness, her eyes were like stars, yet her tone was calm. “Because I like you.”

Shen Suwei raised his eyes to look at her, his heart shaken.

“When I first became your junior, I liked you. So I hated you helping others comb their hair. I was even jealous when you practiced swordsmanship with Lu You. When you hugged Lu You, I felt desperate. I started to hate you because you made me feel so uncomfortable. I should have cut ties with you. But this life, I gave you another chance and even called you Shixiong (Senior Brother); you abandoned me and went to the Snow Cliff Cave, and I still called you Shixiong (Senior Brother).”

At this point, Xu Qianyu’s heart was displeased, her eyes dark and bright, as she whipped Shen Suwei again in what seemed like retaliation. “Why do you get to call the shots over and over again?”

The rain outside grew heavier. Shen Suwei’s cold sweat soaked his clothes, and his black hair clung to his face as he breathed slightly faster. He keenly sensed Xu Qianyu’s approach, and his expression tensed.

Xu Qianyu had vented her anger and exhausted herself from the beating, also out of breath, her furry fox ears twitching in response. Her fair neck was covered in fine beads of sweat, causing the stray hairs at the back of her neck to curl into small, dark circles. A sweet, snow-like fragrance seeped from her body, and when the tension was at its peak, her presence became vividly intense, almost overwhelming.

After a while, the tension eased, and she was about to approach, intending to let her senior brother down. Shen Suwei, surrounded by the cold aura of his sword, suddenly pushed her back by half a step. Shen Suwei hurriedly said, “Don’t come closer.”

She took a step forward again, only to be pushed away once more.

Xu Qianyu’s anger flared up. With a flash, she was right in front of him, and in the dim light, she immediately noticed something strange with the way his robes were piled up.

Xu Qianyu stared for a while, puzzled, and suddenly remembered: the lotus flower had escaped!
Without thinking, she didn’t release him but struck out with her sword.