ATLAS TRANSLATES

He Liansheng would be a tough obstacle to overcome.

Xing Shuishui tried many ways to lower his guard and make herself appear harmless.

Shortly after He Liansheng returned to his room, Xing Shuishui went to knock on his door.

Before her hand touched the door, it opened on its own. She nearly fell forward but looking up, saw no sign of He Liansheng inside.

Xing Shuishui glanced around thinking she had the wrong place. Just as she was about to leave, she sensed someone standing beside her.

“Xing Shuishui.”

The young man looked down at her coldly, making her neck stiffen.

“Nothing better to do after dinner?”

Xing Shuishui turned sideways and pulled out a small jar of medicine from her sleeve: “You hurt your hand when Li Shixu destroyed the tower. This is for you.”

“Where did you get the medicine?” He Liansheng asked.

Xing Shuishui hesitated: “It’s mine. A peddler on the road took pity on me and gave it to me. There’s a little left, use it sparingly.”

He Liansheng took her medicine and studied her face: “You really want to follow us that badly?”

Xing Shuishui nodded.

“Why?”

“To find my grandfather and see the world. I’ve never been to Lingshan before,” Xing Shuishui said.

“Of course.”

He Liansheng sneered and tossed the medicine jar back to Xing Shuishui. She caught it. He said coolly: “Not a single truth has left your mouth since the beginning.”

Well, that reason was indeed rather weak. Who would go running around with spirit hunters just to find their grandfather?

Xing Shuishui held up two fingers: “If you don’t believe me, I’ll swear an oath.”

“Did I ask you to swear?” He Liansheng replied.

“He Liansheng, then what do you want me to do? I just… you know I’ve been afraid of ghosts since I was little. Following you all is at least safe. I won’t get caught and eaten by spirits.”

“Didn’t I give you a spirit-warding talisman?”

About that… she fell silent for a moment. She had already burned it. Of course Xing Shuishui couldn’t tell the truth, so she said unconvincingly: “Who knows if that thing works? Better to rely on myself than external objects.”

“Go rely on yourself wherever you want. In any case, I advise you not to follow tomorrow.”

He was tired of listening to her twisted logic. He pulled Xing Shuishui away from the doorway and was about to close the door when she stuck her hand in and met his impatient gaze: “He Liansheng, since you have your immortal medicine and look down on mine, I also have food!”

“I have lotus cakes…”

“I have flatbread…”

“I also have ginger candy…”

Watching Xing Shuishui pull out many oiled paper packages, He Liansheng’s expression finally changed: “Xing Shuishui, were you a starving ghost in your past life?”

“Not quite,” Xing Shuishui thought for a moment. “I just often went hungry when I was young, so I instinctively grab food when I see it. You’re different, He Liansheng. You’re a cultivator from Lingshan, surely you grew up smoothly eating delicacies. Well, you probably look down on these too.”

He Liansheng couldn’t stand it anymore and suddenly threw open the door.

Inside the room, the young man looked at her coldly, very disdainful: “Who dares try cultivating while eating delicacies? We all eat fasting pills. Only you keep eating and eating all day. Even if you had immortal roots, it would be a waste.”

Once the door opened, she could feel how warm it was inside. As winter solstice approached and the weather grew colder, the red clay stove inside made it much warmer than outside.

Xing Shuishui squeezed inside with her cold reddened hands and closed the door, making herself at home as if it were natural.

“I can do more than just eat!”

He Liansheng wanted to throw her out directly, but seeing her flushed cheeks, he hesitated. Xing Shuishui had already entered.

Very annoyed, he sat on the bed wiping his Tao Yuan sword, saying coldly: “What did you come in for? Get out.”

“But it’s cold outside,” Xing Shuishui said innocently. “Why don’t you just agree? If you agree, I’ll leave right away, wouldn’t that be good?”

“You must be dreaming,” He Liansheng replied.

Xing Shuishui wasn’t idle – while warming up, she surveyed the room’s layout. Where did He Liansheng put the spirit-trapping tower? He couldn’t be carrying it on him, right? Ah, this was really annoying.

The young man’s room was very clean with a faint woody fragrance. Talismans were pasted everywhere. Xing Shuishui didn’t dare walk around randomly at first. After chattering with He Liansheng for so long, she had gotten hungry herself. She found a spot far from the yellow talismans to sit and eat pastries.

Right next to He Liansheng.

The candlelight flickered. He Liansheng originally wanted to ignore her completely, but she kept quiet. He glanced over and found her propping up her head as if asleep.

He said: “Xing Shuishui.”

“He Liansheng, have you changed your mind?” Xing Shuishui responded.

He Liansheng’s tone immediately turned fierce: “Get out. Don’t make me repeat myself.”

Xing Shuishui looked at him with clear black and white eyes. He Liansheng didn’t know why seeing her made him so annoyed.

“Did you not hear me?”

Xing Shuishui suddenly pointed at his sword: “To clean a sword you need to unsheathe it, what use is wiping the scabbard for half the day?”

He Liansheng looked down at the gleaming scabbard: “…”

Xing Shuishui continued trying to get closer: “I thought your Tao Yuan sword was beautiful at first sight. Why don’t… you let me play with it for a while and I’ll leave?”

She was truly curious about these cultivators’ spirit swords. They looked no different from ordinary swords but had completely different auras.

He Liansheng thought he had misheard and couldn’t help but mock: “Xing Shuishui, have you survived this long by dreaming?”

Playing with a spirit sword, of all things.

“You’re the one who wants me to leave. I’m compromising!” Xing Shuishui said.

“I can throw you out right now,” He Liansheng replied.

“If you throw me out I’ll scream for help, then everyone will know I was in your room tonight,” Xing Shuishui said.

He Liansheng: “…”

He suddenly just wanted to get rid of this annoyance, so he put the sword on the table, waiting to see the joke unfold. A spirit sword was called such because it necessarily bore its owner’s soul imprint – no one but the owner could touch it.

The Tao Yuan sword had been with him outside for years. Its murderous aura must be extremely strong.

Sure enough, as soon as Xing Shuishui touched the Tao Yuan sword, it reacted.

The silver blade hummed and burst into orange-red flames. Xing Shuishui was startled and dropped the sword with a clang before she could get a grip on it.

He Liansheng crossed his arms and sneered: “See, even my sword hates you.”

But Xing Shuishui looked up at him and smiled: “I don’t think it hates me at all. I actually think it likes me.”

“Look—”

Xing Shuishui showed him the hand that had just touched the sword – there wasn’t a single burn mark. He Liansheng’s eyes narrowed. Back at Lingshan, there had been a foolish disciple who touched the Tao Yuan sword once and was nearly burned to death.

Yet she was completely unharmed.

Xing Shuishui picked up the sword and the flames rose again, wrapping around her waist and hair, transforming into various lifelike flower shapes. But they didn’t burn her fair skin.

He Liansheng was connected to the Tao Yuan sword and could sense its current happiness. For so many years, the protective flames had always been murderous, cold, and untouchable to others. This was the first time it showed such an attitude toward such an ordinary girl – was it trying to please her?

His expression was particularly ugly.

The Tao Yuan sword’s murderous aura was very strong and could harm people without even touching them. He suddenly recalled that time in Fengdu City when Xing Shuishui had grabbed it but remained completely unharmed.

All signs pointed to something very abnormal.

He Liansheng coldly threatened it: “If you don’t come back, I’ll melt you down when we return to Lingshan.”

Before Xing Shuishui had played enough, the Tao Yuan sword dejectedly flew back to He Liansheng’s hand like a child who had done something wrong. She felt the Tao Yuan sword wasn’t much different from ordinary swords. Nothing too special about it.

She said regretfully: “See, your sword looks fierce like you but is actually quite easy to get along with. I quite like it. If you were gentler and not so fierce with me, I might like you too.”

He Liansheng was already impatient, and now the Tao Yuan sword wouldn’t listen to him. He grew more annoyed and said coldly: “Who cares if you like them? Get out.”

Xing Shuishui sighed: “Fine. I’ll leave.”

She had gained nothing tonight. The tower was probably being carried by He Liansheng, which made things more difficult.

Should she try to drug him unconscious and then search his body? For some reason Xing Shuishui felt that was creepy – better to use wit if possible. The urgent priority was to not get left behind by these Lingshan people.

But just as she was about to leave, she forgot to take her half-eaten lotus cake. She turned back to reach for it, accidentally stepping on her skirt hem. He Liansheng heard the movement and turned sideways.

Xing Shuishui lost her balance and fell forward. Her mind went blank. Seeing He Liansheng, she instinctively reached out to grab him.

Then she thought – his anger wasn’t so bad, as long as she could run fast enough before he stabbed her to death.

Unfortunately her luck was poor. She missed his clothes and grabbed his forehead ribbon instead.

He Liansheng felt the coolness of her fingertips.

Then, whoosh – she forcefully pulled off his vermillion forehead ribbon. In that moment, Xing Shuishui saw shock and confusion in the young man’s eyes, accompanied by intense killing intent!

This was the first time she had seen such an expression on his face.

It’s over, it’s all over.

Xing Shuishui crashed into a nearby table and chairs. Porcelain fell with loud clangs, shattering everywhere. Even more over! He Liansheng would surely cut her into pieces!

She quickly scrambled up from the ground, saying repeatedly: “I’m sorry, I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to! If you think I dirtied your forehead ribbon I can wash it… I wash things very quickly! I can give it back to you tomorrow.”

“Xing Shuishui, you’re seeking death.”

He Liansheng’s Tao Yuan sword instantly unsheathed with a sharp aura. His beautiful eyes widened slightly as thousands of silver plum blossom needles formed at the sword tip, ready to strike. Xing Shuishui tried to run out but was blocked back by his spell. Was this really necessary?

She gritted her teeth and threw the forehead ribbon to him. He Liansheng caught it and tied it back in an instant.

The jade-faced young man with red lips and knife-like eyebrows narrowed his eyes. The plum blossom needles flew out. Xing Shuishui dodged sideways, nearly getting her hair ends cut off. She touched her slightly painful cheek.

If she had known it would turn out like this, she wouldn’t have come tonight!

“He Liansheng don’t be angry first, I really didn’t mean to… if you think it’s dirty because I touched it, I can buy you a new one!”

At this point Xing Shuishui didn’t care about lotus cakes or osmanthus cakes anymore. She ran at the first opening she found, her skirt hem stained with tea, looking very disheveled. With He Liansheng this angry, trying to persuade him now would probably just get her chopped up.

Therefore, she could only seek help from the beautiful and kind-hearted Li Guanyu.