Chapter 314: Harm

This was partly due to Jin Xiaoqin’s responsibility as an elder, and partly to her personal awareness. Ye Wenxin, seeing her uneasy expression, said comfortingly, “Don’t be so anxious, Old Jin. They’re all true disciples; they won’t die that easily.”

“But they still might die. Unlike you, they haven’t learned so many unconventional methods,” Jin Xiaoqin implied, feeling that Ye Wenxin was hiding too many things.

Ye Wenxin felt rather helpless; she had just casually asked, and now she had to reluctantly explain the sutras she learned from Ling Jue.

“I almost thought you wouldn’t even spare the nuns of Southern Dipper Temple. Fortunately, you aren’t that crazy.” After learning the truth, Jin Xiaoqin finally sighed with relief. Ye Wenxin was a little annoyed, but felt something was amiss.

“Wait, why didn’t you mention the monks?”

“Did you actually harm the monks?” Jin Xiaoqin raised an eyebrow, her expression growing even more unpleasant. Ye Wenxin immediately shut her mouth, not daring to say another word. However, because of this sentence, Jin Xiaoqin finally relaxed a bit and sat down to eat something.

Their second day in the secret realm ended at this moment. As night fell, black fog shrouded the entire city. The fear from yesterday returned, causing everyone’s expressions to tense up.

Ye Wenxin appeared very relaxed. That single attack yesterday confirmed that Flower Burial was effective against these Yin Fetuses.

However, if one were to classify the Yin Fetuses in detail, they couldn’t really be considered humans, let alone ghosts. They were like hybrids—half-human, half-ghost monsters, not fitting into any specific categories.

“Old Jin, are you alright?” As soon as night fell, Jin Xiaoqin became tense again. Her face was pale, and she started pacing anxiously.

Ye Wenxin stepped forward to check her pulse. Physically, Jin Xiaoqin was fine, but her expression remained agitated.

It was probably personality-related. Yesterday’s battle against the adult Yin Fetus left the Hall of Teaching elder frustrated. She didn’t just get injured, but was also ultimately saved by the person she disliked the most—Fairy Fengya.

Seeing the complex look in Jin Xiaoqin’s eyes as she watched Fairy Fengya, Ye Wenxin knew it was her pride acting up again.

After thinking for a moment, Ye Wenxin advised, “Old Jin, we don’t need to compare ourselves to others; you have your own strengths.”

This was the same thing Ye Wenxin used to console herself whenever she saw her disciples running away in the past. She didn’t expect to be saying the same thing to someone else so many years later. Although she recently found herself increasingly aware that she and Fairy Fengya were on completely different levels, it didn’t stop Ye Wenxin from practicing this deceiving way of comforting herself.

“I know, but she seems rather interested in you. You haven’t actually done anything with Xiao Feng, have you?” There was someone like Xuan Luofei, who was blind but had keen hearing, in their group, so Jin Xiaoqin refrained from referring to Fairy Fengya by her actual name.

Ye Wenxin replied helplessly, “Do I look like someone who could get involved with Xiao Feng?” She hated Jin Xiaoqin’s perceptiveness, forcing her to use all her acting skills, putting her life into portraying that she had absolutely no relationship with Fairy Fengya.

“But your expression is very unnatural, Wenxin.” Jin Xiaoqin only needed a glance to see that Ye Wenxin was overreacting, and kindly pointed it out.

Ye Wenxin had been trying to keep up the act, but Jin Xiaoqin’s comment deflated her like a punctured balloon. If her acting skills were up to par, she wouldn’t have caused so many problems. Seeing her distress, Jin Xiaoqin continued, “However, since you’ve learned all these unconventional methods, you indeed need to learn how to lie properly.”

The conversation shifted back to acting. Jin Xiaoqin began explaining to Ye Wenxin the several obvious signs she noticed when observing lying disciples.

Eye movements, gestures, and speech patterns—people would unconsciously exhibit these reactions when lying. Ye Wenxin listened with some surprise.

She wasn’t amazed by the fact that Jin Xiaoqin could grasp human emotions through expressions, but rather that her viewpoint was very similar to microexpression theories on Earth.

Even though Ye Wenxin hadn’t systematically studied this knowledge, Jin Xiaoqin’s descriptions made her realize that, as long as she avoided the evasive actions Jin Xiaoqin mentioned and maintained steady eye contact, she could prevent others from detecting her lies.

Jin Xiaoqin seemed quite interested and continued, “Now, start telling me some secrets. You can mix truth with lies, and I’ll judge based on your reactions which is which.”

Ye Wenxin, similarly interested, thought of what to say to fool Jin Xiaoqin.

“You’re really pretty, Master.”

Jin Xiaoqin immediately answered, “Truth.”

Ye Wenxin was speechless; it was obviously a lie, but Jin Xiaoqin’s vanity was at play, so she didn’t dwell on it.

She had more truths in her stomach, however, and was unsure if she should voice them. If Jin Xiaoqin detected them, it could put her in a difficult situation.

After brief consideration, Ye Wenxin continued with: “I like Long Qingyue.”

“Truth.”

“I like Demon Lord Gu Qingcheng.”

“Lie.”

“I like Fairy Fengya.”

“Lie.”

In the course of their exchange, Ye Wenxin listed the names of the top ten people on the Unparalleled Beauty List. Jin Xiaoqin’s expression became subtle. “Can’t you talk about something meaningful? Why are you always chasing after female cultivators?”

Ye Wenxin was baffled. She had just wanted to slack off a bit, but it seemed to have led to a strange misunderstanding. Looking again, Long Qing’er also appeared very curious, so Ye Wenxin didn’t forget to include some lip service.

“I like Long Qing’er.”

“Lie.”

Jin Xiaoqin answered without hesitation, shocking Long Qing’er, who had been watching them. Ye Wenxin was also stunned. Although she wasn’t exactly fond of Long Qing’er, she didn’t dislike her either.

Could Jin Xiaoqin’s observation of microexpressions unveil such detailed information?

Ye Wenxin found it even more intriguing. Jin Xiaoqin smiled. “It’s easiest to see likes and dislikes. Since you can’t see your own expression, let Long Qing’er demonstrate.”

With a senior’s tone, she waved Long Qing’er over. Although Long Qing’er was reluctant, she realized she needed to do something to adjust her mindset, so she walked over and signaled with her eyes that Jin Xiaoqin could begin.

Jin Xiaoqin started with a few trivial questions, and Long Qing’er’s expressions and demeanor were very natural. Ye Wenxin carefully observed these details, thinking about how to act in the future to avoid arousing suspicion.