Chapter 82: Let Go
After Bai Jingxue’s sincere but fabricated praise, the Fang sisters couldn’t help but feel a pang of guilt.
They hadn’t realized their sect had such a formidable reputation, inspiring these strangers to claim affiliation with the Ejian Sect.
But their sect was impoverished, its resources scarce. It was far from being a haven for powerful cultivators. Inner sect disciples at the Nascent Soul stage? They wouldn’t even dare to dream of such a thing.
Bai Jingxue also felt a twinge of guilt. She had received Fang Xin’s assistance after escaping Fang Yue Lian’s dream realm. But caution prevented her from revealing the truth.
However, seeing the Fang sisters alive and well filled her with joy. In the future, they would both meet tragic ends, one lost in her own memories, the other waiting in vain for her beloved to awaken.
Fang Xin, noticing Bai Jingxue’s intense gaze, turned to her, her brow furrowed. “What is it?” she asked.
Bai Jingxue shook her head, forcing a smile. “Nothing,” she said. “But Qingyan and I are both demons. Can we still join your sect?”
Fang Yue Lian, idly twirling a chopstick between her fingers, its movements a blur, propelled by her spiritual energy, chuckled. “Technically, no,” she said. “But who would know?”
Bai Jingxue, staring at Fang Yue Lian’s gentle smile, the mischievous glint in her eyes, couldn’t help but agree.
Rules were meant to be broken.
The view from the window was beautiful. They could see the green mountains beyond the city walls, their peaks shrouded in mist, the morning sunlight painting the scene in hues of gold and rose.
Bai Jingxue’s heart calmed.
They had left the inn and were now seated in a private room in a luxurious restaurant.
Bai Jingxue and Lü Qingyan had started their journey at the pinnacle of this world, one taken in by the Sword Saint, the other by the Demon Lord. The future Ejian Sect and Demon Palace were far grander than this small room.
But Zhu Er had never experienced such luxury. She gazed around the room, her eyes wide with wonder.
Er Ya, however, was ten years old. She sat stiffly, her head bowed, her breathing shallow, her demeanor timid.
Fang Xin, observing them, her heart filled with a joy she could barely contain, smiled.
This trip had been incredibly fruitful. Bai Jingxue and Lü Qingyan, with their strange abilities, were already valuable assets, but the other two were even more promising.
The little spider spirit possessed a pure heart. Her low cultivation level was simply due to a lack of guidance. And the little girl, with her head bowed, was a treasure, a rare gem with a top-grade water spiritual root.
Adding the Imperial Advisor they had met earlier, they had unearthed five treasures on this single trip. Any other sect would be envious.
Fang Xin’s usual frown softened, and she placed a piece of meat in Er Ya’s bowl, her voice kind. “Eat,” she said. “You need to gain some weight.”
Er Ya, staring at Fang Xin, her eyes wide with fear, her voice trembling, said, “My meat isn’t tasty.”
Fang Xin, confused, withdrew her hand, abandoning her attempt to feed Er Ya.
Fang Yue Lian, seeing her sister’s failed attempt, chuckled. “The little one thinks you’re going to fatten her up and eat her,” she said.
Fang Xin’s frown returned.
Bai Jingxue, watching them, wanted to laugh, but remembering their tragic fates, these ordinary moments became precious.
She suddenly noticed that her own bowl was piled high with meat. Another piece was added, and she looked up to see Lü Qingyan, her chopsticks working diligently, building a mountain of meat.
“That’s enough,” Bai Jingxue said, her voice laced with amusement.
Lü Qingyan reluctantly set down her chopsticks, her gaze lingering on the meat, as if she wanted to add more.
Bai Jingxue was a foodie, but she had no appetite at this early hour.
Lü Qingyan, however, ignored her, piling her own bowl with meat, her chewing enthusiastic.
Once she was finished, she wagged her tail contentedly.
Bai Jingxue, seeing a grain of rice stuck to Lü Qingyan’s lips, reached out, gently removing it. Then, noticing the oil stain on Lü Qingyan’s mouth, she retrieved a handkerchief, wiping it clean.
Although she wouldn’t publicly acknowledge their relationship, she couldn’t help but care for Lü Qingyan.
It was troublesome. Her emotions were still entangled with Lü Qingyan’s.
She sighed inwardly, then noticed someone staring at them.
It was a normal action, but their interaction seemed intimate, their movements tender.
Fang Xin, after observing them for a while, Bai Jingxue’s gaze meeting hers, couldn’t help but ask, her voice curious, “Are you two partners?”
“No!”
“Yes!”
The conflicting answers confused Fang Xin, but the conversation she had overheard that night suggested their relationship was more than just friendship.
The cat demon’s flushed cheeks were clearly a sign of embarrassment.
Fang Xin mentally confirmed her suspicions.
Bai Jingxue, seeing Fang Xin’s knowing smile, her cheeks burning even brighter, grabbed Lü Qingyan’s tail.
Lü Qingyan, startled, turned to Bai Jingxue, her eyes pleading, and Bai Jingxue’s heart melted.
“Ugh, dogs are the cutest creatures in the world,” she thought.
But a moment later, she gasped, realizing that Lü Qingyan had grabbed her tail.
She glared at Lü Qingyan, her anger simmering. “Lü Qingyan, you’re the worst dog in the world!” she thought.
She tugged her tail, her voice a low warning. “Let go, or else…”
Or else what? She had no idea.
Lü Qingyan, however, seemed genuinely annoyed. “No,” she said, her grip tightening.
Bai Jingxue realized this argument was childish. She wanted to let go, but she also wanted Lü Qingyan to let go first. They stared at each other, their eyes locked in a silent battle of wills.
The sound of a door opening broke the stalemate. They turned to see a figure standing at the entrance.
Fang Yue Lian greeted him. “Imperial Advisor.”
The man, his features delicate, his complexion pale, his red robes unable to conceal his illness, was the Imperial Advisor they had encountered earlier.
He looked young, his smile gentle and approachable.
And he was indeed approachable, his voice warm as he replied, “You honor me with that title, honored immortal.”
He coughed, his face filled with a polite apology. “Excuse me.”
Fang Yue Lian, aware of his condition, though she had accepted his fate, still felt a pang of regret.
The room was filled with women. He hesitated at the doorway, not entering. Fang Xin had summoned him, and the matters they were discussing were confidential. He hadn’t brought any attendants.
He had already paid them. Logically, this should have been their last meeting.
“Is there something else you require, honored immortal?” he asked, his voice laced with confusion.
Fang Xin, never one for beating around the bush, stared at him, her heart aching.
Such a pure and powerful ice spiritual root, wasted.
She couldn’t bear to look at him any longer. She turned away, her voice brisk. “We summoned you here to discuss a marriage proposal.”
The Imperial Advisor’s gentle smile vanished. He had never married due to his poor health. Countless people had urged him to find a wife, someone to care for him, but he had always refused.
Were even immortals obsessed with matchmaking?
He took a deep breath, his voice firm. “I appreciate your kindness, honored immortal,” he said, “but I have no intention of marrying.”
Bai Jingxue and Lü Qingyan, their eyes meeting, their shared love of drama making them forget their previous conflict, simultaneously released each other’s tails.
Fang Xin was about to try to persuade him, but seeing the flicker of annoyance in his eyes, she knew it was a lost cause. She might have been disappointed in the past, but now, with a room full of treasures, she didn’t need him.
She readily agreed to let him leave.
The Imperial Advisor, relieved by her understanding, his heart still pounding, remembering the rat demon’s victims, said, “If there’s nothing else, I’ll take my leave.”
Fang Xin nodded curtly, his departure of little consequence to her.
He turned to leave, his movements hurried, and he didn’t notice that he had dropped something.
The matchmaking session had ended before it had even begun, much to the disappointment of Bai Jingxue and Lü Qingyan, who had been enjoying the spectacle.
In their past life, they had both been subjected to countless matchmaking attempts. Bai Jingxue, in particular, with her quiet nature, her domestic skills, and her stable job, had been a prime target.
Her refusals had been ignored, her own family betraying her.
Exasperated, she had finally resorted to claiming that her family was deeply in debt, her siblings still too young to work. That had finally silenced the matchmakers.
Lü Qingyan had had it easier. She had always been rebellious, her temper so fierce that she had even punched a matchmaker. She had been blacklisted.
Fang Yue Lian, noticing their disappointment, asked, “What’s wrong?”
“Nothing,” Bai Jingxue and Lü Qingyan replied in unison.
They exchanged a look, then Bai Jingxue, unable to bear the awkwardness any longer, said, “Let’s go to the Ejian Sect.”
Fang Xin, delighted, stood up. “Alright,” she said.
Fang Yue Lian followed.
Zhu Er, trailing behind them, her excitement about visiting the Ejian Sect growing, tripped, her foot catching on something.
“Ouch!”
She rubbed her bruised backside, then glared at the culprit.
It was a jade pendant. She picked it up, examining it. It looked familiar.
The character “Luo” was engraved on its surface, but Zhu Er couldn’t read. She simply recognized the shape.
“Zhu Er, come on!” Lü Qingyan called out.
Zhu Er, hearing Lü Qingyan’s voice, tucked the pendant away and hurried after them.
Lü Qingyan, seeing her, asked, “What took you so long?”
Zhu Er, holding up the pendant, her voice laced with annoyance, said, “I tripped over this.”
Lü Qingyan’s eyes widened. “Isn’t that the Imperial Advisor’s?”
Zhu Er, remembering, nodded. “I’ll return it later,” she said.
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