Villain

Yan Jue: “……”

Something was a little different.

Yan Jue looked at the Cold Pool before her, its surface already glazed with a thin layer of frost, and couldn’t help curling her lips.

Qi Xianqing couldn’t be planning to torture her in some new way again, could she?

For example, making her walk laps in the Cold Pool with sandbags tied to her ankles or something.

Yan Jue eyed Qi Xianqing warily, only to see Qi Xianqing smile faintly, cool and distant, and say slowly, “Watch this footwork carefully.”

With her hands clasped behind her back, Qi Xianqing stepped forward steadily and actually walked straight onto the Cold Pool.

A thin layer of ice had formed on the pool, but it was far too fragile. Even tossing a fish onto it would have shattered it.

And yet Qi Xianqing’s expression remained calm as she took slow steps across the Cold Pool. In just eight steps, she retreated back to where she had started.

Yan Jue stared, dumbfounded.

“This is called ‘Drifting Snow,’” Qi Xianqing said, lifting her eyes. “Did you see it clearly?”

It was bitterly cold.

Yan Jue stared at the misting surface of the pool; a thin sheen of sweat had broken out on her forehead, as though heat were steaming up from inside her collar.

The reason it was called the Cold Pool was because it was extremely cold, especially in winter.

Although the Cold Pool was rich in spiritual energy, very few living things inhabited it, because once winter arrived, anything that fell into it would be swallowed instantly by the overwhelming cold!

This time, it was a hundred times harder than before.

The front and back were martial; the middle was literary. The beginning was seventy; the end was a tenth.

Yan Jue closed her eyes, settled her qi in her dantian, and stepped onto the ice.

The frost beneath her foot gave off a faint crackling sound; it even seemed on the verge of splintering!

Yan Jue steadied her mind and took a second step. Suddenly, all the frost beneath her feet shattered. Her pupils contracted sharply; losing her balance, she was about to fall!

In that instant, a golden rope flew out from somewhere unknown, wrapping tightly around her waist several times and hauling her up.

Yan Jue dangled in the air, swaying as she swallowed and looked upward.

Only then did she see that Qi Xianqing had somehow summoned her immortal sword, Zhuying, and was standing steadily on it while supporting her.

Yan Jue forced out a strained smile. “Thank you, Senior Sister.”

Qi Xianqing looked down from the sword, the corner of her mouth lifting almost imperceptibly. “It’s nothing. Continue.”

This time, with the rope wound around her waist, Yan Jue felt much safer.

She began to focus deeply on the meaning of light-body movement.

There was turbid qi within the human body.

The process of body refinement was the process of expelling that turbid qi from within.

When a person’s body became filled with spiritual energy, it naturally grew lighter as well.

Yan Jue closed her eyes and gathered her qi at her dantian. This wasn’t very difficult for her, because over the past month of climbing mountains, she had actually been doing exactly this.

Inhale… exhale…

Qi Xianqing watched from above and couldn’t help freezing slightly.

Yan Jue silently recited the mental formula, then stepped steadily across the thin ice, walking out step by step.

Pure spiritual energy gradually gathered in her dantian, like sweet dew flowing from the crown of her head through her entire body…

Exhale… inhale…

Under Yan Jue’s feet, wisps of cold mist actually began to rise.

The thin ice on the Cold Pool shattered under her steps; yet new frost spread again from beneath her feet! Thick layers of frost unfurled outward from around her, blooming into brilliant ice flowers across the pool.

Yan Jue copied Qi Xianqing’s earlier manner and took eight steps forward, then retreated back. She suddenly opened her eyes, looked up at Qi Xianqing, and smiled. “I think I got it!”

Qi Xianqing rested her chin on one hand and fell silent: “……”

She did seem to have learned it; but in truth…

Rather than say she’d learned it, it was more like this little troublemaker had created a new method entirely on her own.

Qi Xianqing had taught many junior brothers and sisters before, but she had never once seen anyone produce ice while practicing light-body movement.

After a moment of contemplation, Qi Xianqing said, “Try it again. I’ll take a look.”

Yan Jue silently recited the mental formula, took up the Five Dragons light-body stance, and walked out lightly.

Wherever she passed, frost condensed.

The young girl stepped steadily across the ice and actually walked back and forth more than ten steps.

Yan Jue leaped down lightly onto the bank and looked up at Qi Xianqing. “Senior Sister.”

Qi Xianqing: “……”

Qi Xianqing jumped off the sword and stood before Yan Jue. She coughed once, then said indifferently, “Today I’ll teach you one more move.”

Yan Jue blinked, looking at Qi Xianqing as her heartbeat suddenly sped up.

What, what, what? She could actually learn a second move?

Was this a buy-one-get-one-free bonus that came with learning light-body movement?

Yan Jue smiled at Qi Xianqing. “Mm-hm, thank you, Senior Sister.”

In the sunlight, the girl’s face looked powdered and luminous. She lifted those clear amber eyes and looked straight over without blinking, flecks of light glittering in them.

Qi Xianqing’s movements paused slightly. She had not expected that learning martial arts would be such a joyful thing for this Junior Sister Yan.

She seemed to have gained a somewhat different understanding of Yan Jue.

Qi Xianqing took up a stance and signaled for Yan Jue to watch carefully.

Yan Jue stared at her intently.

Qi Xianqing had been standing beside her a moment ago, but in an instant, she vanished!

Yan Jue froze; then she suddenly heard a soft clap from far away.

Qi Xianqing had somehow appeared beside a huge boulder several zhang away! This time Yan Jue saw it clearly; Qi Xianqing had only shifted slightly, yet in a flash she had moved several zhang. Her white robes billowed violently in the gale.

That speed of movement…

Yan Jue’s heart began pounding uncontrollably.

She was far too familiar with this kind of movement.

That day at Drunken Spring Pavilion, Qi Xianqing had also subdued the murderer in an instant.

And there was the bloody monster-slaying scene in Nanxing Town.

So strong… Was this what Qi Xianqing was going to teach her?

Yan Jue stared in a daze, when she suddenly heard Qi Xianqing’s calm voice beside her. “This is called ‘Instant Thousand Miles.’ It’s an intermediate light-body technique; Five Dragons disciples generally know it.”

Yan Jue blinked. “Five Dragons disciples generally know it? But…”

I’ve never seen anyone use Instant Thousand Miles as brilliantly as you.

It seemed Qi Xianqing knew what she was thinking, because the corner of her lips lifted slightly. “It’s a very basic technique. Most people can learn it; whether they can master it depends on fate.”

Perhaps because she had spent more time with Qi Xianqing, Yan Jue increasingly found herself seeing vivid expressions on her.

Qi Xianqing, in her eyes, was no longer that unsmiling iceberg of a Senior Sister…

Yan Jue mimicked Qi Xianqing’s posture and was just about to begin circulating her qi when she saw Qi Xianqing turn around, seemingly intending to leave.

Yan Jue froze. “You…” You’re not going to practice with me?

Qi Xianqing turned back, a trace of amusement appearing in her dark eyes. “What, you want me to keep you company?”

Yan Jue: “? I don’t want you keeping me company.”

Without looking back, Qi Xianqing walked forward. “Junior Sister Yan has always been clever. You’ve got enough energy to learn light-body movement and still have time for romance; Instant Thousand Miles is naturally easy. Ponder it yourself.”

After leaving behind a line that sounded vaguely sarcastic, she went.

Yan Jue:

“……”

Woman, I don’t understand you.

-

After teaching Yan Jue the mental formula, Qi Xianqing left.

There was no helping it; she was the first disciple of Thunderflame Sect. On days when she wasn’t in seclusion, she always had many things to handle.

Yan Jue had already grown used to that.

It was just that the last line Qi Xianqing had left behind… Yan Jue hadn’t understood it.

She had spare energy? She didn’t.

Yan Jue tried practicing Instant Thousand Miles for a while, but couldn’t quite grasp its rhythm. In the end, she returned to the dormitory and began memorizing the new mental formula Qi Xianqing had just taught her, reciting it while copying it down.

After transcribing the mental formula for Instant Thousand Miles into her study notebook, Yan Jue took her Qiankun bag and went out.

She had something very important to do.

The mountain path of Qiwu Peak was steep. Yan Jue wore the standard pale-green outer-disciple robe; her sleeves fluttered in the wind as she carried the Qiankun bag on her back, her face unflushed and her breathing steady, moving as lightly as if the wind itself were under her feet.

After descending a long, steep slope, she soon arrived at her destination.

It was early winter, yet Valley of a Hundred Flowers was as warm as spring.

Flowers of different colors swayed and bloomed in the valley, like brilliant rainbows against a perfectly clear sky.

Yan Jue took a long, slender “honey-collecting tube” from her Qiankun bag, crouched down in front of a patch of flowers, and began to suck up nectar flower by flower.

The nectar of different flowers in Valley of a Hundred Flowers had different effects.

For example, the ivory-white “moli” flower nectar, when brewed into tea, had a beautifying effect.

Or the purple “yeshi” flower nectar, which would make a person run faster after eating it.

The crimson hecao, if eaten, could keep a person awake all day and night, and so on.

Yan Jue slowly poured the collected nectar into her glazed bottle.

The glazed bottle lit up with a bright green glow.

The ghostfire fireflies were eating happily.

Yan Jue: “Slow down… There’s plenty more. Everyone gets a share.”

The nectar Yan Jue was feeding the ghostfire fireflies had been collected from a kind of blue-green flower called jiaoshui.

Several days earlier, Yan Jue had discovered that after feeding jiaoshui nectar to the ghostfire fireflies, their lightning attribute had become stronger.

When she first began raising them, the ghostfire fireflies’ electrical attacks only caused a faint tingling numbness on the skin.

But after half a month of cultivation with jiaoshui nectar, the ghostfire fireflies seemed to have evolved.

When dozens of ghostfire fireflies were linked together, they could form a powerful lightning field, equivalent to connecting five or six layers of lightning together; the might was tremendous.

And a month of feeding had already linked Yan Jue and the ghostfire fireflies in spiritual harmony, greatly extending the fireflies’ lifespan as well.

Now Yan Jue could even use Divine Sense to have the ghostfire fireflies help her do some things.

After feeding the ghostfire fireflies, Yan Jue collected a small pouch of jiaoshui nectar and then left with her Qiankun bag on her back.

She returned to the steep slope she had descended earlier and looked up at the mountain wall that seemed to rise without end.

In the sunlight, her narrow phoenix eyes narrowed slightly; she looked a little lazy.

Above her was a cliff jutting out between the rocks.

If she could fly with a sword, it would be much easier to go straight up from here.

A thought suddenly surged in Yan Jue’s mind; it itched and urged her to try.

So Yan Jue silently recited the mental formula and circulated the Drifting Snow technique Qi Xianqing had taught her.

One step… two steps…

Yan Jue’s Divine Sense sank, and frost suddenly condensed beneath her feet!

She stepped once more; countless wisps of frost spread outward around her, and with each step, ice flowers bloomed beneath her.

The Valley of a Hundred Flowers gradually shrank below her feet; her body felt lighter than ever before.

She seemed to be flying through the air!

Yan Jue’s heart nearly leaped out of her throat. With her right hand forming a seal and her legs driving down, she suddenly leaped upward.

The frost at her feet flickered on and off, nearly exploding.

In that instant, the layer of frost actually began to crack from the center!

Yan Jue’s body swayed; she hurriedly reached out and grabbed a broken stone in front of her.

Her legs swung in midair; that was close… she had nearly fallen.

Yan Jue exerted force through her arms and barely climbed up the cliff, then knelt on the ledge and panted softly.

Although her brief flight had lasted only an instant, it proved that her idea was workable.

The “Drifting Snow” Qi Xianqing had taught her was both a light-body formula and the basic formula for sword control in the Opening Light Realm.

Since she could now briefly rise into the air for a short time, that meant her current cultivation…

Could it be that she was already at the early stage of the Opening Light Realm?

Yan Jue sat cross-legged directly on the cliff, circulated her mental method, and probed the spiritual energy in her chest.

Sure enough, there was a mass of spiritual energy rampaging inside her body.

Yan Jue felt a little strange.

By rights, when cultivators were about to break through, they would feel a clear fluctuation of spiritual power deep within the body.

If the spiritual energy became too turbulent, one would even need to spend the time of one incense stick sitting in place, circulating the mental formula and dispersing the qi.

For example, last time by the Cold Pool, Qi Xianqing had gone from the great circle of the Opening Light Realm in the third tier to the Fusion Realm in the fourth tier.

Even when she was attacked by the black snake, in such a dangerous moment, Qi Xianqing still didn’t want to miss the rare opportunity to break through; she had even risked her life to spend ten breaths calming the spiritual energy within her body!

But if her own cultivation was already at the Opening Light Realm… why had she gone so long without ever dispersing the spiritual energy in her body?

If fox-demons didn’t need to disperse spiritual power in order to break through realms, Yan Jue clearly remembered that when she had first transmigrated into the book, she had been chased outside Drunken Spring Pavilion by Li Hao’s immortal sword, Baron, and she had clearly felt spiritual energy surging within her body as well, using meditation and a circulation method to resolve it.

But after that one time, it seemed she had never felt any spiritual fluctuations within her body again.

Without spiritual fluctuations, naturally there was no “aura.”

Every cultivator possessed aura, also called presence.

For example, the Fusion Realm had the aura of the Fusion Realm; the Opening Light Realm had the aura of the Opening Light Realm…

Others could also probe someone’s cultivation through sensing that aura.

She had no aura; therefore, even if she was already at the Opening Light Realm, others still could not detect it.

Could it be…

Because she was a fox demon, the human concept of “aura” simply didn’t apply to her at all!

Yan Jue stared blankly at her palm, feeling no joy whatsoever.

Instead, a chilling fear crept over her.

Her aura would not rise with her cultivation.

Yet she had already displayed strength clearly inconsistent with her aura.

At the beginning, when her cultivation was low, she could still barely hide it from the world; but once her cultivation kept rising, it would be impossible to keep it concealed.

A bright and proper place like the Five Dragons Sect had actually taken in a little demon…

Oh heavens, just thinking about her fate was terrifying.

Setting aside the old monsters of the Five Dragons Sect, even Qi Xianqing would come flying in with a sword and finish her off.

What was awkward was that the original Yan Jue had been a cannon-fodder villain who didn’t live past ten chapters. Yan Jue had never read the novel from the original’s point of view, so of course she didn’t know what the cultivation levels of the demon race were.

No, she needed to go to the Library Pavilion and check carefully later.

-

Yan Jue came to the Cold Pool to practice. First she went through Drifting Snow once more, then began practicing Instant Thousand Miles, which she had just learned today.

Yan Jue leaped suddenly.

Instant Thousand Miles. She still hadn’t fully mastered it.

Only the spirit; no form.

Yan Jue then sat cross-legged on the ground, thinking hard and slowly savoring Qi Xianqing’s movement technique, when she suddenly heard footsteps behind her.

Yan Jue jerked around and saw a familiar figure walking out from the grass over there.

“……”

In the sunlight, the young man had red lips and white teeth, tall and upright, wearing the pale-green outer-disciple robes of Shuiyun. He looked very handsome.

Chu Fu.

Damn.

Right—this Cold Pool had originally been set up as Chu Fu’s training ground.

The reason she hadn’t seen Chu Fu when she came to cultivate by the Cold Pool a few months earlier was probably because the plot hadn’t reached that point yet, and Chu Fu still didn’t know this place existed.

Now, he might have found it himself, or perhaps, after listening to the advice of that expert in the cave, he had come here.

“……”

Yan Jue slipped away, her mood a little sour.

No, she still needed to make a trip to the Library Pavilion and soak up some knowledge.

So Yan Jue went to the Library Pavilion and found some books related to Instant Thousand Miles.

After reading them, it was still early.

Yan Jue began wandering between the shelves again, looking for books that recorded monsters.

This was a world tilted toward the righteous path, so the books in the Library Pavilion were mostly about cultivation.

As for the rest, they basically came from what disciples had scavenged from all directions, or from whatever miscellaneous books their families had donated.

Yan Jue carried a ladder over to the innermost “donation area” of the shelves. She climbed the ladder and searched for a long time before finally finding an old, yellowed book among the many dusty volumes.

“Things You Absolutely Need to Know About Demons.”

Yan Jue turned to the first page; there was a drawing there.

In the picture, a menacing spider spirit had opened its bloodied maw and was devouring a human being.

Demon cultivation levels (crossed out):

1. Shape-Forming Realm

When a demon cultivated for a certain number of years, it would take on human form; this was the Shape-Forming Realm.

A demon in the Shape-Forming Realm was only slightly stronger than an ordinary mortal at the Qi Refinement stage.

The Shape-Forming Realm was only the foundation of a demon’s cultivation.

Only after breaking through Shape-Forming could one truly step onto the path of cultivation.

2. Spirit-Gathering Realm.

The second realm; its cultivation is slightly higher than that of a Foundation Establishment Realm cultivator. Beware when encountering demons of this level.

3. Intelligence Opening Realm.

The third realm; cultivation is equivalent to an Opening Light Realm cultivator, and slightly higher than an Opening Light Realm cultivator.

……

The cultivation levels of the demon race differed somewhat from those of human cultivators.

Mainly the cultivation logic and realm names were different; the rest was roughly the same.

For example, a cultivator’s cultivation levels were divided into Qi Refinement, Foundation Establishment, Opening Light, Fusion, Heart Movement, Golden Core, Nascent Soul, and so on.

Whereas demons divided their cultivation into Shape-Forming, Spirit-Gathering, Intelligence Opening, Bone Refining, Demon Core, Condensed Soul, Spirit Roaming, and so on.

Cultivators focused on drawing the spiritual energy of heaven and earth into their bodies.

The demon race’s methods of cultivation were varied: some took in yang to supplement yin, some ate human flesh raw, and so on. Very few demons were willing to cultivate the same way as human cultivators.

In short, although demon cultivation was somewhat different from human cultivation, if one really insisted on mapping it onto human realm divisions, it was not impossible.

Yan Jue stayed in the Library Pavilion for an entire afternoon.

By the time she closed the book about demons, it was already dusk.

Having harvested enough knowledge, Yan Jue finally let out a breath and had already thought of how to deal with it.

Although the demon race’s cultivation levels were somewhat different from those of human cultivators, the difference was only a little higher than that of the same realm.

That gap wouldn’t be exaggerated enough to make others suspicious.

As for the problem of her lacking aura…

In this world, there was a divine ability called Concealing Aura Art.

Using Concealing Aura Art could achieve the effect of hiding one’s aura.

It was a very basic divine technique, and the Five Dragons Sect even had special large classes dedicated to Concealing Aura Art.

Only, in this world, cultivators seldom wished to hide their aura when going out, in order to give others a sense of intimidation.

She had no aura, and others wouldn’t suspect much; at most they would assume she had also cultivated Concealing Aura Art.

Added to that the lock-ring around her neck sealing her demonic energy, and the Heart-Calming Formula suppressing her demon aura, there was temporarily no need to worry about others seeing anything amiss.

-

By the time Yan Jue returned to the dormitory, it was already midnight.

She had spent the whole day reading and was utterly exhausted, so she quickly fell asleep.

The next morning, Yan Jue woke very early.

After tidying up, she took the glazed bottle containing the ghostfire fireflies and, as usual, went to Qiwu Peak’s Cold Pool to train.

Passing through the dense forest, Yan Jue soon arrived at the Cold Pool.

She stood in the grass and looked out; sure enough, she saw Chu Fu’s figure again over there in the grass.

The handsome young man with a face like carved jade sat properly in the middle of the Cold Pool with his eyes closed.

Amid the mist, his frame was straight and tall, broad across the shoulders and chest, with solid muscles layered across his torso. Water droplets slid down his face, and his thin lips moved slightly as if silently reciting a mental formula, desperately absorbing the spiritual energy of the Cold Pool.

Yan Jue shook the glazed bottle in her hand; at the same time, little flecks of green light began to flicker inside it.

Chu Fu, soaking in the Cold Pool, stood up. Water droplets slid down through those muscle grooves.

He took a handkerchief from his Qiankun bag and wiped himself down briefly, then walked out slowly.

Wind surged at his feet; after just absorbing spiritual energy, his face was flushed and healthy.

Chu Fu lifted his head toward the sky, silent, his expression solemn.

The feeling of soaking in the Cold Pool during the dead of winter was not pleasant.

But Chu Fu did not care at all.

He had finally found this excellent place to cultivate. Even if his body went numb from the cold, it didn’t matter.

All he could think about was becoming stronger… He had to become stronger and make everyone who looked down on him pay the price.

As for Yan Jue, who had looked down on him, he would definitely make her regret it too.

Thinking of this, Chu Fu formed a seal with one hand, and a cold wind suddenly whipped up around him; the chilly air spread out beside him.

Chu Fu possessed a mutated wind spiritual root, and the divine abilities he cultivated were mainly wind-based.

This inexplicable wind naturally came from Chu Fu!

Seeing Chu Fu in this state, Yan Jue felt utterly numb.

This guy wasn’t just bathing here; he was practicing and pondering life here too.

Fox-demons were always quite sensitive to danger around them, and even from such a long distance, Yan Jue could sense Chu Fu’s aura.

At the very least, he was already at the early stage of Foundation Establishment.

As expected of the male lead; that cultivation speed was truly fast.

“……”

Yan Jue unscrewed the lid of the bottle, and one little ghostfire firefly after another flew out.

Recently, with the help of the Duanhun Mountain Demon Lord, Chu Fu’s Divine Sense had improved quite a bit as well.

The moment the ghostfire fireflies flew toward him, he had already noticed.

Chu Fu stared hard at the eerie green light in the distance, his eyes narrowing slightly.

It was… the ghost fire he had seen in the forest that night!

Chu Fu was a humble and eager learner; after suffering a setback in the forest that day, he had even made a special trip to the Library Pavilion. After consulting the records, he understood that the ghost fire that had nearly scared him to death that night was actually the lowest kind of ghostly creature.

Its only attack method was to make the skin feel faintly numb.

One ghostfire firefly after another emitted a faint green glow as they flew over in unpredictable left-and-right arcs.

Yet Chu Fu only curved his lips.

Hmph. That day in the forest he had not been prepared, which was why he had been startled by these ghostfire fireflies. But now…

Chu Fu was fully prepared. From his Qiankun bag, he took out a glittering glazed bottle.

This glazed bottle was made of upper-grade yellow-tier material; it was filled with heaven-and-earth spiritual energy, enough to sweep these bugs up in one net.

Chu Fu knew very well that becoming stronger meant not only improving one’s own cultivation, but also enhancing other abilities.

For example: raising animals, cooking, alchemy, and so on.

Although ghostfire fireflies were very low-grade ghost creatures, they were still considered rare in ordinary circumstances. After Chu Fu consulted the relevant books in the Library Pavilion, he had developed the intention of cultivating them.

Let these ghostfire fireflies become the first thing he raised!

Chu Fu jerked open the lid, and with a wave of his hand, the glazed bottle in his palm suddenly began to tremble violently!

In an instant, he noticed that the ghostfire fireflies in the sky seemed a little strange.

They flew left and right, gradually arranging themselves into a clear shape in the dark sky, as if laying out some kind of formation.

Chu Fu raised his hand abruptly; the bottle mouth opened wide. Forget it, he’d capture them first and talk later!

Then… Chu Fu saw lightning filling the sky.

BOOM!!

The lightning struck violently down, and the glazed bottle in his hand was instantly blasted into pieces!

Didn’t they say ghostfire fireflies had almost no offensive power?

Were the things flying in the sky really ghostfire fireflies?!

Chu Fu screamed as he was electrocuted; flames suddenly ignited on his arm. He flung his hand hard and ran out at a hundred-meter sprint.

Yan Jue burst out laughing, for no reason feeling as though she were the villain whose task was to torment the male lead whenever he was weak.

Suddenly, soft footsteps sounded behind her.

Yan Jue and Qi Xianqing had spent more and more time together, and she was already familiar with the sound of the other woman’s steps. Hearing it, Yan Jue cried inwardly that this was bad and slowly turned her head.

Not far away beneath a pine tree, Qi Xianqing carried her black sword on her back and was walking over expressionlessly.

Yan Jue knew that although Qi Xianqing usually lived in the Thunderflame Sect dormitories, because of the Frozen Peach Haven near the Cold Pool, she often stayed here for a while. It wasn’t strange to run into her here during the day.

Yan Jue’s side glance couldn’t help drifting toward the male lead over there.

Chu Fu was still bare-chested. Yan Jue, being a modern person, didn’t mind a man not wearing clothes, but she didn’t know whether Qi Xianqing would mind. And Chu Fu was in such a miserable state now… if the female lead saw Chu Fu and, because of her, her impression of him plummeted, that would be disastrous!

During this time, Yan Jue had completely figured out the rules of this Heavenly Dao.

For example, if Qi Xianqing’s impression of the male lead worsened because of some action the male lead himself took, then Yan Jue would be fine.

If Qi Xianqing’s impression of the male lead deviated significantly from the original plot because of Yan Jue, then she was the one who would suffer.

Yan Jue had deduced this pattern after enduring countless bouts of chest pain.

As she was thinking, she suddenly heard Qi Xianqing’s cool voice beside her. “Junior Sister Yan, what is it?”

Before Qi Xianqing’s gaze could move past her, Yan Jue abruptly raised her hand and covered Qi Xianqing’s eyes with the cleanest back of her hand.

The girl’s palm was soft and warm, pressing straight against her.

Qi Xianqing subconsciously closed her eyes; her raven-feather lashes fluttered lightly, like two small fans brushing over the back of Yan Jue’s hand.

Qi Xianqing turned her head slightly and asked in a low voice, “What is Junior Sister doing?”

Yan Jue said, “Senior Sister, there’s a pervert bathing over there. He’s not wearing any clothes; don’t look at him… don’t look!”

The girl had leaned in too close.

She carried a faint fragrance; soft and warm, her breath brushed at Qi Xianqing’s ear. Her tone was a little too familiar.

As if they had known each other for a very long time.

Qi Xianqing’s earlobe visibly reddened. She frowned unconsciously, her voice very light. “And now?”

Because of her special constitution, Qi Xianqing’s body was a little more sensitive than normal.

She had always been resistant to overly close contact with others.

To put it harshly, she had a touch of germophobia.

But unexpectedly, contact with Yan Jue did not make her feel uncomfortable.

Yan Jue had been watching Chu Fu’s movements out of the corner of her eye. Seeing the bare-chested young man flee back into the forest in complete disgrace, with a whole swarm of ghostfire fireflies still chasing after him, Yan Jue let out a breath of relief and smiled at Qi Xianqing. “It’s fine now.”