Chapter 17: I Only Trust You
“What are you doing here?” Qu Weiyin pulled her back slightly, lowering her voice with a hint of irritation on her face.
“Then what is Junior Shishu doing here?” Luo Jinxiao didn’t budge, simply turning back to ask.
Qu Weiyin couldn’t pull her any further and didn’t know how to answer, leaving her so frustrated that she couldn’t speak.
Qu Chengzhou watched the two of them with interest, then smiled kindly. “Luo Jinxiao, you’ve been at the Wuhui Sect for many days now. How is your cultivation coming along? Are you getting used to it?”
Seeing him put on such a benevolent facade, Luo Jinxiao mimicked his politeness and warmth, replying, “It’s going well. Thank you for your concern, Elder Qu.”
Hearing this, Qu Weiyin knew he was being insincere and grew even angrier. Just as she was about to say something, Luo Jinxiao tightened her grip on Qu Weiyin’s hand and yanked her forcefully, causing Qu Weiyin, unprepared, to almost bump into her.
“Luo Jinxiao!” Qu Weiyin snapped angrily.
“Shh.” Luo Jinxiao turned her head and winked.
Their sudden closeness made Qu Weiyin subconsciously lean back slightly, her heart skipping a beat as if it had stopped.
Luo Jinxiao’s side profile was truly beautiful, her eyes like pools of water and her brows like distant mountains. Up close, a faint fragrance wafted from her, along with the warmth of her face.
Qu Weiyin didn’t know if it was anger or something else, but she felt a flush creep up her cheeks.
“Weiyin has a strong personality and is often busy, while this elder has plenty of free time. I personally summoned you here, so if you need anything in the future, feel free to ask me directly. There’s no need to trouble anyone else.” Qu Chengzhou said it casually, as if joking, stroking his beard with a hearty laugh.
Luo Jinxiao sensed the sudden surge of anger in Qu Weiyin. She smiled and shielded Qu Weiyin with her body, then replied, “Thank you, Elder.”
Qu Chengzhou’s gaze lingered on them for a moment, as if deep in thought, then he said, “I was just patrolling. I still have a lesson to teach, so I’ll be on my way.”
Luo Jinxiao was eager for him to leave and quickly nodded obediently. As Qu Chengzhou turned, his figure dissipated like a wisp of smoke, drifting away with the wind.
She let out a sigh of relief. Before she could speak, Qu Weiyin shook off her hand and turned to leave without a word. Confused, Luo Jinxiao hurried after her.
“Junior Shishu, wait!”
“Don’t touch me!” Qu Weiyin raised her arm to avoid her touch, her face cold as she snapped, making Luo Jinxiao stumble.
Why was the Demon Lord so angry? Luo Jinxiao was completely confused.
As Qu Weiyin was about to leave again, Luo Jinxiao, now experienced, quickly ran a few steps ahead and blocked her path. She grabbed her arm, her expression showing helplessness and distress. “Junior Shishu, what’s wrong? If I hadn’t shown up, you would have fought with that Elder Qu. You may be powerful, but you can’t defeat him.”
Qu Weiyin glanced at her from the corner of her eye, shook off her arm, and said coldly, “I know I can’t beat him, so I won’t fight. What does it have to do with you?”
Luo Jinxiao frowned slightly, thinking to herself, You didn’t fight him, but you almost succumbed to your demonic cultivation.
“Then why are you angry?” Luo Jinxiao asked.
Qu Weiyin raised her long, narrow eyes. Her eyelids were still slightly red, making her eyes look watery and lessening her usual fierceness.
“I’m not angry,” Qu Weiyin said.
Luo Jinxiao didn’t believe her at all.
Qu Weiyin no longer tried to hide it. She looked away and suddenly asked, “Then who do you believe, him or me?” Her tone was resentful.
It dawned on Luo Jinxiao what she meant, and she almost burst out laughing. She coughed lightly, trying to suppress her amusement. No wonder she’s so angry. She thought I would believe Elder Qu and side with him.
“Of course I believe you. Even if Elder He, Elder Li, and Elder Liu were all here, I would only trust you.”
Luo Jinxiao had intended it as a playful joke, but as the words left her lips, she realized they sounded strangely like a sincere vow. A brief silence followed, and she felt a flutter of panic. The words were already out, leaving her no way to retract them. She stood there awkwardly, her cheeks flushing slightly as she tried to gauge the other’s reaction.
Qu Weiyin was equally embarrassed. Her fair skin and red lips made the blush on her face even more prominent. Avoiding Luo Jinxiao’s gaze, she quickly turned away, facing the quiet valley as the breeze played with her hair.
“Why aren’t you chopping wood? What are you doing here? Go back, quickly.” Qu Weiyin said.
“Just taking a break, only for a moment.” Luo Jinxiao gave her a placating smile and stood beside her at the edge of the cliff, looking down together.
Below them stretched an endless forest, with treetops forming a sea of shimmering green waves in the sunlight. The wind rustled the leaves, the sound echoing through the valley, adding to the sense of emptiness and solemnity.
Luo Jinxiao took a deep breath, finding the fragrance of the trees and grass incredibly refreshing.
“It’s so beautiful,” she couldn’t help but say.
“The same scenery every day for years. What’s so beautiful about that?” Qu Weiyin retorted.
Luo Jinxiao turned to look at her, thinking that this person, despite her picturesque beauty, could be so completely charmless with her words.
She glanced around, suddenly remembering something. Excited, she reached for Qu Weiyin’s hand, intending to lead her away, but Qu Weiyin dodged her touch as if it were dangerous.
“Don’t tell me Junior Shishu doesn’t trust me, afraid that a waste like me will bully you?” Luo Jinxiao teased playfully.
As expected, Qu Weiyin immediately started walking.
Luo Jinxiao led her down the mountain, through a dense forest, and plunged into a patch of thick grass.
Qu Weiyin watched nervously from behind, seeming to want to reach out but hesitated, asking calmly, “What are you doing?”
After a while, Luo Jinxiao emerged with a hole wide enough for a person. She paused, turning to Qu Weiyin with a playful wink and a bright smile. “Junior Shishu, come with me.”
This time, Qu Weiyin grabbed her, pulling her out with a frown, peering into the hole. “Did you make this?”
“I’m not a rabbit.” Luo Jinxiao shook her head. “I found it by accident.”
Qu Weiyin looked skeptical but ultimately couldn’t resist the temptation. She nodded curtly, placed her sleeve in Luo Jinxiao’s hand, and said coldly, “Hold on.”
Luo Jinxiao found her amusing and directly grabbed her wrist instead.
“Luo Jinxiao,” Qu Weiyin said, her voice laced with annoyance.
Not daring to provoke her further, Luo Jinxiao quickly let go and obediently took her sleeve instead.
Qu Weiyin looked away, the place where Luo Jinxiao had touched still warm. She bit her lip lightly, willing the blush on her face to fade.
In a flash, their figures disappeared like smoke. When they reappeared, they were at the other end of the tunnel, standing within a deep, long cavern. Sunlight streamed in from above, illuminating the dust dancing in the air before they drifted into the shadows.
Bathed in the sunlight was a tree, small and crooked, as if it had struggled to grow. Beneath it was a pool of clear water, so clear that a few red carp could be seen swimming within, seemingly floating in the air.
“This is a cave; It’s very quiet.” Luo Jinxiao walked to the tree and touched its crown. She had discovered this place in her previous life and often came here to read and rest. Back then, the tree, nourished by spiritual energy, had lived for a thousand years, yet it remained as small as it was now.
“It’s just a tree. What’s so interesting about it?” Qu Weiyin scoffed, but her eyes lingered on the red carp swimming below.
“Don’t even think about catching them. They’ll disappear if you do,” Luo Jinxiao said with a smile.
Qu Weiyin didn’t respond, so Luo Jinxiao turned and placed her hand on the tree trunk, muttering something under her breath. Threads of silvery-white light flowed from her palm into the tree. Soon, the once withering sapling began to grow vigorously.
Then, tender white buds appeared on its branches, blooming into flowers that glowed with a silvery light, illuminating the cave walls.
“How about that?” Luo Jinxiao turned to look at Qu Weiyin, only to find her being pulled back, frowned.
“I told you, you can’t use spiritual energy!” Qu Weiyin said angrily.
Luo Jinxiao gave her a reassuring smile, her gaze lingering on Qu Weiyin’s hand. “Don’t worry, this small amount of spiritual power won’t cause any harm.”
“Is it beautiful?” she pressed.
“Yes,” Qu Weiyin finally nodded after a moment. She released Luo Jinxiao and looked up at the falling petals.
“It’s getting late. Let’s go back,” she said suddenly, turning to leave. Luo Jinxiao was left standing there alone. She called out a few times but only saw Qu Weiyin’s cold, distant figure.
“So unpredictable,” Luo Jinxiao muttered. She took one last look at the beautiful scene before dusting herself off and crawling out of the hole.
When they returned to the grove where they had been chopping wood, Luo Jinxiao stared at the scene before her in astonishment, then burst out laughing.
The once dense forest had been cleared, a large swathe of trees cut down with astonishing precision.
