Translator: CinderTL
Zuoqiu Yi asked curiously, "With such a low cultivation level, you dare enter the secret realm?"
Lin Fan replied helplessly, "I came with the holy son, but we were separated after entering the realm."
"Oh~ the holy son! Third Sister mentioned him. Which holy son are you with? Qi Liang? Or Tu Wanshan?"
Lin Fan moved his lips to speak, "Neither..."
Before he could finish, Zuoqiu Yi clapped a hand over his mouth. Ahead on the street, a corpse demon was wandering, its path seemingly leading toward the giant bird.
Lin Fan glanced down at the warm, small hand covering his lips, feeling an urge to stick out his tongue and lick it.
Once the corpse demon had moved far enough away, Zuoqiu Yi removed her hand and carefully pulled Lin Fan forward.
Lin Fan felt a pang of disappointment, wishing the corpse demon had lingered longer.
"Where are you supposed to meet up?" Zuoqiu Yi asked.
"The south of the city."
"Eeeh, what a coincidence! We're heading south too. We can travel together. Don't worry, after you helped me earlier, I've accepted you as my brother! I'll protect you from now on!"
Zuoqiu Yi puffed out her chest with a heroic air, though her chest remained utterly flat.
Lin Fan's gaze drifted downward, a slight twitch at the corner of his lips. This is too flat.
Seeing Lin Fan's twitch, Zuoqiu Yi assumed he didn't trust her and grew flustered.
"What, you don't believe me? Have you even heard of the Huai Lake Seven Heroes? Everyone in the younger generation knows us! I'm the seventh member of the Huai Lake Seven Heroes. Even if your holy son himself came, I would..."
Zuoqiu Yi paused, her confidence wavering slightly, but having gone this far, she stiffened her neck and insisted, "...I wouldn't be particularly afraid!"
Lin Fan chuckled. "Heh heh, our holy son is a really good person. He cares deeply for his disciples and respects his elders. Though he comes from the demonic sect, he never kills innocents indiscriminately. Plus, he's generous and has remarkable poise. You'll see for yourself when you meet him."
Lin Fan was only in his early twenties. He had endured immense hardship in his early years before stumbling upon a miraculous opportunity to begin cultivating. Even then, his path had been fraught with trials. It wasn't until he met the holy son that his life began to improve. Naturally, he felt immense gratitude toward him.
Zuoqiu Yi nodded in agreement. "That's actually quite impressive. I always thought demonic sect disciples were all rapists, looters, and generally evil. I guess I need to get out more and broaden my horizons. You can't trust hearsay."
"Exactly."
"If everyone in the demonic sect is like you and your holy son, why does everyone speak so ill of you?"
"Not everyone is like that. There's this old miser, Old Man Wang, who's particularly nasty. He's always finding new ways to cheat us out of our spirit stones..."
"That's terrible..."
"You said it..."
As the moonlight gradually faded, the corpse demons that had roamed the streets vanished without a trace.
Xu Sanyan gazed at the mother stone in his hand, which displayed a message: "Senior Brother, this is Xiang Tan. There's a terrifying Ghost under the Chinese crabapple tree that appears every night. You must never look directly at it."
A Ghost?
Besides the corpse demons, there are also Ghosts here?
Xu Sanyan surveyed the ruined street, his brow furrowed in thought. Even if there were Ghosts, their power shouldn't be too overwhelming, or there must be some other restriction.
Zuoqiu Hui interrupted his thoughts. "Holy Son, my sisters and I must take our leave now."
"No need to rush," Xu Sanyan replied with a smile. "I'm heading south as well. We can travel together."
Zuoqiu Hui's expression stiffened momentarily before quickly recovering. "That would be wonderful. With the Holy Son's protection, we sisters will feel much safer."
"In that case, shouldn't you offer some compensation?" Xu Sanyan asked, his eyes gleaming with amusement. He saw through her insincere words and found great amusement in watching others squirm, trapped in a situation they couldn't escape.
"Uh... well..." Zuoqiu Hui's eyes flickered nervously, her mind already on high alert. While Xu Sanyan might have been cautious when the corpse demons were active at night, now that they had retreated, what if he harbored ulterior motives...?
One could never be too cautious when dealing with members of the Demonic Path. Although Zuoqiu Hui and Xu Sanyan had enjoyed a pleasant conversation the previous night, she wouldn't be surprised if he suddenly turned murderous.
Demonic cultivators have no humanity!
"Holy Son, what do you desire? If we sisters possess it, we'll gladly offer it to you."
Xu Sanyan stroked his chin. "Hmm... I'll keep that in mind for now."
"Very well."
Zuoqiu Hui breathed a sigh of relief. Her greatest fear had been Xu Sanyan demanding something compromising, like... her chastity.
After witnessing the night's events, Zuoqiu Xin also sensed her Third Sister's cautious demeanor, as if she were terrified of the man beside them. Not foolish, she understood that this man was beyond their ability to handle. She fell silent, content to remain a quiet observer.
"Let's go."
Xu Sanyan leaped into the air, swiftly gliding south toward the city. The two sisters followed closely behind.
Meanwhile, Fang Qingge peeked his head out from Wei Xunzhi's embrace, exhaling deeply.
"Hah..."
"Senior Brother Fang, are you feeling better?" Wei Xunzhi asked, her face flushed with embarrassment.
"Thank you, Junior Sister. Much better. But... was it really necessary to heal me in this position?"
Fang Qingge found himself in a rare predicament. He was genuinely reluctant to become further entangled with this woman, fearing he might wake up one day covered in venomous insects.
"Mm..." Wei Xunzhi nodded shyly.
Last night, the pair had been attacked by a sizable group of corpse demons. Fang Qingge had shielded Wei Xunzhi, taking a blow for her and sustaining minor injuries. He had been healing his wounds just moments ago.
Fang Qingge couldn't understand why he had to bury his head in her lap to heal.
"Senior Brother Fang, you saved my life. I have no way to repay such a great debt, except with my..."
Before Wei Xunzhi could finish, Fang Qingge waved his hands frantically, a hint of panic in his eyes. "Junior Sister, there's no need for that. We are fellow seekers of the Dao, bound to support each other. Please, let's not speak of this again."
Fang Qingge himself couldn't explain it. Since childhood, women had been drawn to him. Ever since he understood the ways of men and women, he had never lacked female companionship.
Whether they were delicate and adorable, mature and alluring, or innocent and lively, he had never turned anyone away. But Wei Xunzhi was the exception.
He genuinely loathed snakes, insects, rats, and ants.
The thought of those creatures crawling all over Wei Xunzhi sent a chill down his spine. Even when they were in bed together, he couldn't bring himself to kiss her.
But Wei Xunzhi truly loved Fang Qingge. His dashing, untamed spirit, his handsome, upright bearing, and his cultivation level that surpassed all others—everything about him captivated her deeply.
The only flaw was his philandering nature. Wei Xunzhi had heard of at least seven or eight women he had been involved with.
But it's normal for a man to have multiple wives and concubines, Wei Xunzhi thought. As a traditional woman, she could accept this.
Unfortunately, Fang Qingge couldn't.
"Uh... Junior Sister, let's hurry on our way. I received a message that some Junior Brothers saw several demonic cultivators heading south of the city. We should go investigate—there might be something happening there."
"Alright, I'll follow your lead, Senior Brother."
Wei Xunzhi smiled sweetly, glancing at the mother stone in her hand. It displayed a single message:
[Eldest Sister, we've found Wei Yue'er.]
Wei Xunzhi licked her lips and replied with a single word:
[Kill.]
Then she turned her gaze to Fang Qingge, her smile growing even sweeter. Softly, she asked with feigned concern, "Senior Brother, does it still hurt...?"
(End of the Chapter)
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