Fire toads were rare spiritual creatures. Even cultivators might not have seen one before, let alone recognize one at first glance.
Xing Shuishui reacted quickly: “Years ago, my grandfather was nearly eaten by this kind of demon. The cultivator who saved him said it was a fire toad spirit. I never thought I’d encounter one myself. It’s terrifying, it really does eat people…”
The young girl lifted her still-frightened face, looking completely innocent.
He Liansheng sneered: “Oh? Does your entire family possess some rare treasure? To attract fire toads like this.”
He was definitely suspicious.
Xing Shuishui knew saying more would be useless. As He Liansheng stepped forward, she retreated behind Li Guanyu, falling silent.
Li Guanyu felt protective of her and scolded He Liansheng: “Know your limits. Miss Xing is just a mortal without any means of self-defense. Even if she possessed some treasure that demons coveted, that’s not her fault!”
He Liansheng scoffed: “You truly are beyond help with your stupidity.”
Li Guanxing immediately bristled: “He Liansheng, watch your mouth! So what if you’re a Celestial Master? Our Li family is no less than your He Lian family! You’re not worth a single strand of my sister’s hair!”
He Liansheng slid his thumb across the sword scabbard. The glimpse of silver light scared everyone. Li Guanxing cowered, stepping back. But Xing Shuishui pressed down on his hand, looking up to say: “Don’t be so fierce.”
She forcefully pushed the partially drawn blade back into its scabbard. She felt the coldness seeping into her fingertips, making them tremble.
He Liansheng questioned: “Fierce?”
He grabbed the young girl’s wrist, forcefully pulling her out from behind Li Guanyu, asking: “Did you catch the demon? Did you burn the fire toad?”
Xing Shuishui: “I…”
He Liansheng lowered his eyes, glancing at her pale face: “Blades show no mercy. I advise you to be careful.”
The killing intent from Qitong beneath her sleeve surged again, and Xing Shuishui almost couldn’t contain it.
When she came to her senses, He Liansheng had already left.
The cultivator who had been upstaged was indignant.
“How can Lingshan people be like this! Even if you resolved the demon situation, there’s no need to be so cold to everyone!”
“Exactly!”
Li Guanxing complained: “What do you mean ‘Lingshan people’? He’s not one of us. He’s a mountain unto himself.”
Li Guanyu: “Guanxing, be quiet. The Mountain Master must have his reasons for having us travel together.”
Li Guanxing: “Only sister is so good-natured. I can barely stand it anymore.”
Someone suddenly said: “That He Liansheng from the He Lian family? I remember now – he’s Lingshan Mountain Master’s only personal disciple! Never thought we’d meet him here. You must not provoke him! So young yet already a Celestial Master. It’s just a pity his personality is too cold, though that’s not necessarily bad – cultivators should avoid being ruled by emotions.”
“Wasn’t he said to have caused his parents’ death at birth?”
“They were killed by demons. It’s quite pitiful.”
No wonder his personality was so poor.
Li Guanyu’s courtyard was very quiet.
Xing Shuishui pushed open the door, privately pondering about the Earth God.
Lingshan people only eliminated the most vicious demons. Usually when they caught ordinary demons, they would first detain them and ask their masters how to handle them. That was the rule, but did He Liansheng seem like someone who followed rules?
She felt the Earth God was in danger. She needed to find where they kept the demons before He Liansheng decided to kill it.
Li Guanyu was meditating under the moon. Hearing the door open, she slowly opened her eyes and smiled: “Miss Xing, are you hungry?”
The moon hung in the branches – it was dinnertime.
Xing Shuishui nodded like a pecking chick: “Today was too scary. I barely ate anything all day, and I’m afraid to go out. I’m really hungry now, maybe I’ll look around for a noodle shop nearby.”
Li Guanyu patted her head comfortingly: “We’re about to have dinner too. If you don’t mind, you can join us.”
Xing Shuishui froze – her sister used to pat her head just like this.
She nodded, showing an obedient smile.
Li Guanxing walked in: “Sister, dinner’s ready. Tomorrow we still need to investigate the fire toad spirit matter.”
He stared at Xing Shuishui, clearly unwelcoming.
Xing Shuishui hugged Li Guanyu’s arm right in front of him. Li Guanyu grew more protective while Li Guanxing fumed. Xing Shuishui then put on a frightened expression.
Li Guanyu knocked his head: “Guanxing, don’t scare her. The young lady is timid, unlike you who grew up seeing demons.”
So Xing Shuishui received another glare from Li Guanxing.
Passing by a courtyard, Xing Shuishui sensed a faint demonic aura. She unconsciously stopped, looking inside.
Li Guanxing nearly crashed into her. Following her gaze, he frowned: “Hey, don’t go in there. If something happens, it’s not my problem.”
Xing Shuishui couldn’t help asking: “Are there fierce beasts inside?”
Li Guanxing nodded solemnly.
Well then, it must be where they kept the demons.
Cultivators didn’t care much for food. Dinner was simple – a pot of tea, some biscuits, and steamed bass. Xing Shuishui looked around but didn’t see He Liansheng.
Li Guanxing took out a communication talisman, putting it down with an unhappy face: “Sister, that person won’t eat. We might as well stop inviting him, let him eat fasting pills forever.”
Li Guanyu said: “That won’t do. He’s still our fellow disciple.”
Li Guanxing complained: “Who’s his fellow disciple? Sister, don’t you know? When Senior Brother Guan died right in front of him, he didn’t help. Next time, it could be us.”
Xing Shuishui stopped her chopsticks.
Li Guanyu raised her hand and slapped her brother’s face, saying softly: “Eat.”
Then she smiled: “Miss Xing, sorry you had to see this.”
Xing Shuishui waved her hands vigorously, pretending to be naive. Li Guanxing held his red cheek, not daring to act out, but glared at Xing Shuishui to vent.
Glare all you want, better if your eyes pop out.
After finishing, Xing Shuishui said goodbye. Before leaving, seeing Li Guanxing still glaring, she took all the biscuits from his plate. Li Guanxing had never seen someone so shameless, looking completely incredulous.
Xing Shuishui stopped, seriously meeting his eyes: “Does Brother Guanxing want more?”
Li Guanxing darkly replied: “No.”
Xing Shuishui smiled.
The courtyard Li Guanxing said not to enter looked ordinary from outside. As Xing Shuishui got closer, the demonic aura grew stronger – they were definitely kept here.
She followed where the demonic aura was strongest. The small courtyard had several peach trees, with a storage room beneath them, sealed with a spiritual lock. Opening it required spiritual power from whoever set it. Maybe try using separation fire?
As soon as she touched Qitong under her sleeve, the blade’s killing intent surged again. Her fingers burned with that familiar feeling…
Xing Shuishui suddenly realized something.
She turned her head. The young man stared at her coldly, those emotionless eyes seeming to demand why she was here. With each step He Liansheng took closer, the silver patterns on his sword scabbard flowed like water. Until he stood before her, leaving nowhere to escape.
He said coldly: “What are you doing here?”
Xing Shuishui’s breathing slowed. Such a persistent person.
So when Li Guanxing said don’t enter, it was because this was He Liansheng’s courtyard.
As she backed away, she bumped into a wine rack. The successive breaking sounds mixed with the cicadas’ noise. Her skirt got wet, and the air filled with strong alcohol fragrance. She realized too late.
Once wet, the concealment talisman risked failing!
She stayed silent. He Liansheng’s tone grew impatient: “What? You were quite talkative earlier, now you’re mute?”
Xing Shuishui lowered her head: “I’ll leave now.”
But He Liansheng blocked her way. What did he want? Xing Shuishui looked up. The young man’s expression was mocking, his lips slowly curving into a sneer: “So you’re not mute after all. Why leave?”
He seemed to have seen through Xing Shuishui’s thoughts. With a slight movement of his finger, the spiritual lock instantly broke, and the storage room door creaked open. Inside was completely empty except for a scarecrow. No demons in sight.
It was a trap!
Xing Shuishui saw the talisman on the scarecrow and felt furious.
A demon-attracting talisman that could emit demonic aura to make other demons think it was one of their kind, thus serving as bait. In other words, fishing for law-breakers. Most she’d seen in the mortal realm were quite crude. But this demon-attracting talisman was nearly perfect. This damn demon-hunter must have learned talisman-drawing from someone extraordinary! Just a bit more…
He Liansheng said: “Do you know what this place is for?”
Xing Shuishui pretended not to understand: “What kind of place is it?”
He Liansheng didn’t notice anything amiss, his tone turning cold: “You don’t know what this place is, yet you recklessly break in. Are you seeking death?”
Xing Shuishui could be flexible: “I was wrong. I’m sorry.”
She deliberately avoided him, creating some distance, but her wrist suddenly hurt, gaining several red fingerprints.
The young man bent down, his face very close. Xing Shuishui looked up to meet his pitch-black eyes, very cold, showing none of the warmth normal people should have.
He pressed aggressively: “You’re afraid of me?”
Ignoring his personality, this was indeed a face that could make people shy. Delicate features, beautiful eyes, very youthful. It’s just that once there was any expression, the whole person seemed to come from the netherworld – too much killing aura!
Xing Shuishui could only repeat: “I was wrong.”
“I set up demon-attracting talismans here. Since you’re neither demon nor spiritual cultivator, you shouldn’t be able to sense demonic aura. Instead of demons coming, you came.”
His eyes turned cold, “Do you have something that can conceal your aura?”
He Liansheng looked down. Xing Shuishui had been holding something the whole time, and now held it tighter: “No…”
The young man immediately said coldly: “Then what’s this? Move your hands, don’t make me force you.”
Stay calm, stay calm.
After a moment of tension, the young girl pursed her lips and slowly revealed not some magical tool, but two biscuits. Two still-warm biscuits she’d been holding the whole way.
He Liansheng was stunned.
Xing Shuishui seemed to have made a massive decision, saying seriously: “I heard Sister Guanyu say you didn’t come for dinner. So, so I took the liberty of bringing you some biscuits. After all, even though you’re fierce, you still saved me. Who knew your courtyard was so big, I got lost.”
She placed the wrapped biscuits on the ground, observing his expression.
He Liansheng stared at her coldly: “How presumptuous. Do you want me to throw you out, or will you take your biscuits and get out yourself?”
Xing Shuishui stared at him for a long time: “You’re so fierce.”
She turned and left his courtyard. He Liansheng momentarily forgot to stop her.
After coming to his senses, he reset the spiritual lock. The young man was about to return to his room when he glimpsed the biscuits on the ground. Already annoyed, seeing them made him more irritated, so he simply threw them in the pond to feed the fish. The pampered fish came forward, took a few bites, then floated belly-up.
Xing Shuishui returned to Li Guanyu’s courtyard. The room’s lights weren’t on yet. She went in to light the lamp, took off her wet clothes, and touched the partially wet concealment talisman, still somewhat dazed.
Tonight was lucky too, otherwise they would have inevitably come to blows, making it harder to save people later. But that place actually had a wine rack with wine – would she have to pay for it? The penniless Xing Shuishui was very worried about this.
Even more troublesome was He Liansheng. That damn demon-hunter definitely wouldn’t be so easy to fool. She’d have to be more careful in the future.
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