Love & Redemption
Chapter 110: Volume 3 Heartless Xuanji - 17 This Love Must Ask the Heavens (5)

Chapter 110: Volume 3 Heartless Xuanji Chapter 17 This Love Must Ask the Heavens (5)

Today, there was an urgent matter, so I could only update one Chapter.

Tomorrow I will make up for it by posting an extra Chapter.

That’s all.

*********************************

Because of a command from Liu Yihuan, Zhong Minyan’s face was gloomy all night, darker than the bottom of a pot.

Usually, when Zhong Minyan had such an expression, it served as a warning: I’m annoyed, don’t mess with me! Thus, several young people who knew him well tacitly chose to ignore him, to avoid accidentally provoking him.

Liu Yihuan couldn’t care less about his attitude, giggling as she walked ahead, leaving Zhong Minyan to carry all the prepared dog blood and boiling oil alone, while she urged him from the front, "Hurry up! Even a snail is faster than you, are you malnourished or what?"

Xuanji saw the veins on Zhong Minyan’s forehead were about to burst; he was clearly holding back his rage. With trepidation, she approached him and whispered, "Si—Sixth Brother, let me carry one jar for you..."

"No, no need!" Zhong Minyan spat out through clenched teeth. Seeing Xuanji still lingering nearby, he snapped, "What are you shaking for?! Keep moving!"

Xuanji had wanted to call Yu Sifeng and others to help, but his shout startled her, making her flinch. She clutched her braids and looked at him helplessly.

He slightly regretted his impulsiveness and his expression softened slightly. He hugged the four steaming jars to his chest, reached up to scratch his hair, and said in a low voice, "Don’t worry about me. The sooner we rescue Ting Nu, the sooner we can head to Buzhou Mountain, and then we might be able to quickly..."

He didn’t finish his sentence. Xuanji saw a profound sadness flowing between his brows, different from his usual spirited and flamboyant demeanor. A lot had happened recently; he had changed a lot. Under the hazy moonlight, his face seemed concealed by a soft glow, with only his eyes fiercely shining like burning flames. That expression made her suddenly think of four years ago in front of Little Yang Peak when he dived into the water to catch fish and emerged, water droplets flowing down his handsome features, his eyes shining bright like stars, gazing at her.

Her heart quivered suddenly, as if a tiny hand had grasped something fragile inside her, and she awkwardly turned her face away.

"It will be alright... Linglong and Second Senior Brother, they will all be rescued."

She muttered.

Zhong Minyan sneered with a hint of scorn, "There you go again with those baseless words. You’re going to rescue them? Are you capable enough?"

"I—I will definitely rescue them! It’s not baseless! I’m serious! Even if... even if it costs me my life..."

His hand suddenly came up lightly, resting on her forehead, and the palm felt burning hot. Her stammering words abruptly stopped.

"You mustn’t risk your life. Linglong has already... I can’t let anything happen to... her sister. Absolutely not."

After he finished speaking, he suddenly smiled, gently pushed her forehead, and Xuanji took a step back. She saw him smile brightly, "You’re just a little girl, just stay behind us! This time, you should be more obedient. When told to run, just run; don’t complain, got it? At least... if you get away, there’s still some hope for a counterattack. If everyone gets wiped out... haha, that would really disgrace the Shaoyang Sect."

Ahead, Liu Yihuan started yelling again in the empty street: "Did you guys not eat enough? Can you walk faster? At this rate, we won’t make it by dawn. If we fail to rescue them, don’t blame me!"

Zhong Minyan snorted and, holding the four jars, quickened his pace and ran forward.

Xuanji watched his retreating figure, feeling him both distant and elusive, ungraspable. It had always been like this a long time ago; he was so hard to approach, like a beautiful luan bird flying far away, never glancing back.

Suddenly, someone lightly tapped her shoulder. Yu Sifeng looked down at her with a smile and said softly, "Keep up, don’t daydream."

She looked into his deep black eyes, feeling something inside her fall. For some reason, she thought of the beautiful apricot blossom forest, where deep red and light pink petals fell like rain. This youth had said he liked her.

Once again, she awkwardly turned her face away, her mind in turmoil, something throbbing in her throat, her chest blocked by many emotions, her back alternating between cold and hot.

"There’s an artifact in the Zhou Residence, left by the Ancient Gods. Want to see it?"

Yu Sifeng asked her with a smile.

Xuanji was stunned for a moment, then hesitantly nodded, "What, what artifact is it?"

Yu Sifeng quietly pulled her aside and whispered, "Shh... Don’t let them hear, or they’ll definitely want to sneak out. That thing can’t be explained, you’ll know when you see it. From beyond the nine heavens to the depths of the Netherworld, there is nothing it doesn’t know."

He deliberately spoke in a mystical manner, and indeed, it piqued Xuanji’s curiosity. Her eyes widened like a little cat’s, eagerly waiting for him to reveal more.

But he only smiled, patted her head, and said softly, "I’ll point it out to you once we get there. For now, gather your spirits and let’s hurry."

Xuanji started running after him, and it took her a while to realize that he was just trying to cheer her up; her face must have looked terrible, and he was diverting her attention.

Si Feng was really good, she knew.

However, thinking about it made her unexpectedly sad, and she didn’t understand why. She quietly reached out to grab his sleeve, but he was always one step ahead of her. Without looking back, he turned his hand to grasp hers firmly and turned to smile, "Scared?"

Her heart started racing, and her face felt slightly warm as she hastily shook her head.

She was grateful for the dark night that hid all awkwardness; grateful for Zi Hu pretending to sleep on her shoulder, saying nothing, sparing her the embarrassment.

In the deep night of Qingyang City, apart from a snack stall getting ready to close in the alley, not a person was in sight. The sound of the wind whistling through the alleys moaned, picking up bits of lingering snow and swirling them on the ground—leaving the perpetually spring-like Fuyu Island, the outside world was still in the late winter and early spring, bone-chillingly cold.

The Zi Hu, who had been sleeping on Xuanji’s shoulder, suddenly stirred. Its whiskers trembled, and its purple fur fluttered in the wind.

"The scent of Qing Geng!" she suddenly shouted, leaping from Xuanji’s shoulder. Her form flashed like lightning, darting forward to the front.

The group instantly changed direction, following Zi Hu to the left. Around a bend, ochre tall walls replaced the previous white low walls, and everyone knew that they were now in the outskirts of Zhou Residence—the ochre walls were exclusive to the official residences.

Zi Hu cornered something in the corner by the high wall, frantically clamoring something. Xuanji felt a fishy smell hit her face, indecipherable whether it was demon energy or stench, completely overpowering Zi Hu’s demon essence.

She frowned and covered her nose; the smell was wafting out from Zhou Residence. It seemed Liu Yihuan was right; a demon lurked inside Zhou Residence, and the smell was strong and foul.

"Can you do anything other than squeak?! Say something useful! Where is Ting Nu?"

Zi Hu became so agitated that she almost scratched the walls, fuming with anger.

When everyone arrived, they saw a small bird with green feathers and a white tail cornered in the corner, about the size of a magpie. Perhaps because Zi Hu had shouted at it, it too was frantically hopping around and chirping like it was arguing.

"Let me check." Liu Yihuan approached and captured the Qing Geng in her hands, noting a bright red strip of fabric tied around its leg, resembling the material of a bridal gown.

"That’s Ting Nu’s clothing! The scent I smelled earlier must have been this. Ting Nu is trapped here by a demon; Dangkang is protecting him, and Qing Geng flew out to find help."

Zi Hu jumped onto Xuanji’s shoulder, burying her nose in her collar and called out, "I don’t know what demon lives here, but the smell is so strong! I’m nearly fainted! Can’t smell anything else."

Liu Yihuan stroked Qing Geng and released it. She turned back, smiling, "It just said that a very powerful Snake Demon resides here, nearly becoming a Dragon, and it’s at the shedding time, so the smell is incredibly strong. It, along with Dangkang, couldn’t handle it. Ting Nu will be in danger soon."

"A Snake Demon becoming a Dragon?!" Zi Hu was startled, "All my years, I’ve never seen a snake turn into a dragon!"

That must be quite formidable! The few youngsters here, plus her and Liu Yihuan, who possessed the Heavenly Eye, likely seemed like mere gaps in its teeth to it!

"What are you afraid of!" Liu Yihuan laughed, glancing towards Xuanji and whispered, "We won’t die, and if anyone does, it will probably be that Snake Demon."

Zi Hu immediately understood his point; indeed, that girl was a bit tricky. If she could unleash the Samadhi True Fire, even if it really turned into a dragon and hadn’t ascended successfully, they had a way to handle it.

"Second young miss’s boudoir is in the southeast corner, we need to split up and act separately, to avoid provoking her and getting swallowed whole."

Liu Yihuan casually pointed, "You, you, and you, go from this side. The beauty, the kid with the jar, and I will go from the other side. Listen for my command."

Everyone nodded, and with a flicker, they all jumped into the wall. (To be continued. To find out what happens next, please visit www.qidian.com, for more Chapters, support the author, support genuine reading!)