Chapter 37: Junior Shishu
The sharp pain made Luo Jinxiao jump. She grabbed the Qiongqi’s tail and scolded, “Little Sweetie!”
As the girl and her spirit beast were locked in their standoff, a figure stumbled into view. Her steps were unsteady, her sleeve stained with blood that continued to drip onto the ground. Luo Jinxiao rushed forward and caught the woman before she could fall.
The woman looked up. Recognizing Luo Jinxiao, she let out a sigh of relief and collapsed.
Luo Jinxiao knelt down and brushed the woman’s hair away from her face. She gasped. It was Chi Yi, and she was badly wounded. Her delicate features were contorted in pain.
“Fellow Cultivator Luo,” Chi Yi gasped, “the third gate… they destroyed it. They’re working together, ambushing people. Several of them are at Nascent Soul stage. We were no match for them. Many of our fellow disciples are injured. You’re alone, so you need to hide. Don’t go any further. Once one of them claims the pill, they’ll let us all out.” She gritted her teeth, channeling her energy to heal her wounds.
“Who are they?” Luo Jinxiao asked, placing her hand over Chi Yi’s wound to help her heal. Her spiritual energy was far more potent than that of ordinary cultivators, and soon, color returned to Chi Yi’s pale face.
“Shengsi Sect,” Chi Yi spat, her voice laced with hatred. “They call themselves a righteous sect, yet they resort to such despicable tactics. We’re not allowed to harm each other before the final round of the Ten Direction Grand Gathering, but they used their superior cultivation to break through the third gate ahead of time and lay this ambush. Despicable!”
If they’re all at Nascent Soul stage… Even with her divine sword, Luo Jinxiao knew she wouldn’t stand a chance against multiple opponents at once. Her mind went blank as she clenched her fists.
“They’re coming!” Chi Yi shoved Luo Jinxiao aside, conjuring a black bow in her hand. She wiped the blood from her mouth, her expression hardening. “Fellow Cultivator Luo, I can’t sense your cultivation level, but judging by your age, you’re no match for them. Go!”
“You acted with such kindness and righteousness that day. I thought you were someone worthy of my friendship. I’m already injured, so I might as well fight to the death and avenge my fellow disciples.” Chi Yi’s voice rang out, her black robes billowing behind her.
Luo Jinxiao felt a surge of emotion but had no time to respond. Suddenly, the air before them shimmered and cracked. Fragments of fabric materialized, followed by three tall, imposing figures. They were all sharply defined, with narrow eyes and an aura of menace.
The tallest one, holding a long spear, looked especially sinister. Black smoke curled from the spearhead, adding to the eerie atmosphere. He glanced at Luo Jinxiao and Chi Yi, then, without a word, thrust his spear forward. A shadowy projectile shot towards Luo Jinxiao with lightning speed.
Luo Jinxiao’s eyes narrowed. She summoned her divine sword, deflecting the attack with ease. The clash of black and white energy ignited a shower of sparks.
“Despicable cowards! Aren’t you afraid of becoming the laughingstock of the cultivation world once we’re out of here?” Chi Yi roared.
“Spare me the nonsense. The rules never said we couldn’t attack from the shadows, nor did they forbid us from fighting before the final round. You chose to isolate yourself, so don’t blame us for taking advantage. We’re only here for the pills. Surrender now, and we’ll spare your lives.” The leader said, suddenly lunging forward. The world around them seemed to plunge into darkness.
The suppression of their higher cultivation made Luo Jinxiao’s heart race with fear. She quickly closed her eyes, using her spiritual energy to dispel the darkness, retreating like a gust of wind to narrowly avoid the attack aimed at her face.
“Well, well, little girl. You managed to dodge that. Not bad at all.” The darkness receded, revealing the leader standing mere inches away. He looked her up and down with predatory gaze.
Luo Jinxiao despised this kind of attitude more than anything. Anger surged within her as she coldly snapped, “Get lost!” Raising her right hand, her divine sword instantly became shrouded in silvery-white spiritual energy. Snowflakes swirled down like a blizzard, and the temperature around them dropped sharply.
“This is bad!” The young man paled. He wanted to dodge, but all around him were shards of ice. Once he touched even a little, the ice would spread throughout his body.
He cursed, and black flames erupted from his body, melting the ice and snow that trapped him. But as soon as he raised his head, Luo Jinxiao’s thousands of ice cones had already reached his face. He hurriedly conjured a barrier to block them, and the sound of collisions echoed across the wasteland.
“This girl is pretty good. Senior Brother, aren’t you going to help?” the young man roared. Immediately, another young man stepped forward, and the two of them combined their strength to break Luo Jinxiao’s ice formation and counterattacked.
The two of them were almost completely suppressing her with their strength. Beads of sweat gradually dripped down Luo Jinxiao’s forehead. She lowered her head and silently recited a spell. Her divine sword, covered in frost, became dazzlingly bright. Light and shadow flickered continuously with the trembling of her arm, and she actually managed to achieve a balance with the two of them.
The two young men exchanged glances, the contempt in their eyes replaced with seriousness. They both concentrated. At the same time, Chi Yi, who had already been injured, was struggling to defend herself. Her body flew to the side, and the young man who was fighting her also turned to face Luo Jinxiao. The combined strength of three Nascent Soul cultivators was like a landslide and a tsunami. Luo Jinxiao’s vision went black, and she suddenly felt as if the blood vessels in her entire body were about to burst, causing her excruciating pain.
She felt a wetness behind her ears and at the corners of her mouth, and a metallic taste swirling in her head.
At that moment, a furious roar sounded behind her. Qiongqi suddenly leaped out, landing on her shoulder before jumping in front of her. Luo Jinxiao’s heart tightened, reaching out to pull it back.
Before her hand could touch Qiongqi’s tail, she saw a golden light suddenly rise from its body. A huge impact force rushed towards the young men, cutting off their spiritual power. The three of them retreated one after another, and one of them even fell to the ground.
“What the hell is this thing?!” The young man with the spear cursed angrily. He stabbed Qiongqi with his spear, only to be met with a burst of flames that almost singed his eyebrows.
Luo Jinxiao seized the opportunity to reach behind her ear and felt a wetness. She brought her hand before her eyes and saw a shocking red.
That was close! If Qiongqi hadn’t come out, she would have been bleeding from her seven orifices.
Although Qiongqi was her spirit beast, Luo Jinxiao had never thought of using it to fight. She always felt that Qiongqi was so small, if it often hurt people, wouldn’t it quickly grow into a ferocious beast?
She struggled to straighten her body and looked up at Qiongqi, who was resisting. Suddenly, her eyelids twitched, and she sensed something was wrong. Qiongqi attacked with turbid energy, it wasn’t a Zhulong, so when did it learn to breathe fire?
With doubts in her heart, she stepped forward to help. In an instant, both ice and fire rushed towards the young men, forcing them to retreat repeatedly.
“Damn it, use the formation!” The three of them suddenly retreated and formed a line. They called it a formation, but they took out several huge spirit stones from their sleeves and threw them on the ground. Immediately, waves of energy swirled, and a pale green turbid energy filled the air. Luo Jinxiao realized the danger, quickly holding her breath, but dizziness still overcame her.
Sure enough, these scoundrels, knowing they couldn’t win, resorted to using hidden weapons. She didn’t know what the gas was, but it quickly scattered her spiritual energy.
Luo Jinxiao collapsed weakly, her body unusually limp. She bit her lip hard, blood dripping down her chin, keeping her from losing consciousness.
The three young men walked up to her, talking amongst themselves and letting out ear-piercing, lewd laughter. One of them squatted down and tried to touch Luo Jinxiao’s face.
“Not bad looking, for a little girl,” the young man said with a contemptuous tone.
Luo Jinxiao clenched her fists, the divine sword humming in her hand, waiting for him to lower his head.
But at this moment, a golden light flashed. Qiongqi, who had fallen to the side, disappeared and transformed into a woman. The woman was dressed in red, her black hair cascading down her back, neat and calm.
Even through the blurry haze of her vision, Luo Jinxiao could tell the woman possessed a figure of captivating grace and elegance. Her face, delicate and fair, seemed to illuminate the desolate plain.
“Junior Shishu…” Luo Jinxiao murmured, unable to help herself. For a moment, she thought she was hallucinating.
Qu Weiyin? How could she be here?
But the aura surrounding the woman was undeniably familiar, comforting even. The sounds of battle seemed to come from a distance, muffled and indistinct. The woman in red was clearly far more powerful than her opponents from the Shengsi Sect, effortlessly forcing the three men back with every move.
She surveyed them with cool detachment, her demeanor exuding an air of absolute authority.
A slender arm reached down and gently lifted Luo Jinxiao from the ground. She was too weak to resist, clinging to the woman for support as she struggled to her feet. She stumbled, then instinctively wrapped her arms around the woman’s waist. The woman stiffened, her movements momentarily frozen.
“Junior Shishu, is that really you?” Luo Jinxiao whispered, resting her chin on the woman’s shoulder. Even in that moment, she couldn’t help but register how soft and comforting the woman felt in her arms.
“Useless.” The woman muttered through gritted teeth.
Luo Jinxiao had never been so happy to be insulted. The familiar voice confirmed it was indeed Qu Weiyin. Though her mind was still foggy and she couldn’t grasp how or why Qu Weiyin had appeared, a wave of joy surged through her.
Qu Weiyin looked at the girl in her arms and couldn’t help but soften. She gently lifted Luo Jinxiao’s chin, her gaze cold and sharp as she turned towards the three men, who cowered instinctively.
They could sense it now – the woman before them possessed a level of cultivation far exceeding their own. And the aura of menace radiating from her left no doubt that she was not someone to be trifled with.
“Clearly, you have a death wish,” Qu Weiyin said, her voice icy, her eyes narrowed with anger.
A wave of killing intent washed over the wasteland. The three men exchanged a glance and turned to flee, only to be blocked by a long red sword that appeared out of nowhere. It was a magnificent weapon, as long as a man, its blade a terrifying, blood-red hue.
“That’s… the Crescent Star Sword! You’re Qu Weiyin of the Wuhui Sect!” one of the men shrieked.
Before he could utter another word, the sword shot towards him, propelled by a surge of Qu Weiyin’s spiritual energy. He had no time to react. Blood erupted from his orifices as he crumpled to the ground.
“You… you wouldn’t dare! This is the Ten Direction Grand Gathering! If you kill us, they’ll never let you get away with it!” The remaining two were paralyzed with fear, all thoughts of resistance gone.
The aura of the Demon Lord descended upon Qu Weiyin, striking terror into the hearts of all who beheld it.
“Junior Shishu, please… don’t kill them,” Luo Jinxiao whispered, forcing her eyes open. Her voice, soft and calming, seemed to reach past Qu Weiyin’s rage.
Qu Weiyin paused, her gaze flickering to the girl in her arms. Slowly, she lowered her hand. With a flash of golden light, the remaining two cultivators collapsed, unconscious.
Luo Jinxiao had fainted in her arms. Though tall, she was still slender and light. Qu Weiyin easily supported her, sheathing her sword before kneeling and gazing at Luo Jinxiao’s face.
“Who are you really?” Qu Weiyin whispered, her finger gently tracing the tip of Luo Jinxiao’s nose, her expression complicated.
It seemed the girl’s true identity was even more mysterious than she had imagined. Who was she? What was her purpose? It was all a mystery.
Luo Jinxiao seemed to know her somehow. She seemed to understand her, yet at the same time, she didn’t. She clearly possessed considerable strength, so why pretend to be weak and talentless?
Qu Weiyin wanted answers, yet she was afraid to ask. A flicker of fear, unfamiliar and unwelcome, stirred within her. She had started to care about Luo Jinxiao, and that terrified her. She couldn’t afford to have a weakness.
“I will eventually kill,” she whispered, more to herself than to the unconscious girl. “I have debts to pay in blood. I will turn to the demonic path.”
As if sensing her turmoil, a single tear rolled down Luo Jinxiao’s cheek. Qu Weiyin’s hand trembled. She gently brushed the tear away, a humorless laugh escaping her lips.
“Don’t cry for me,” she said with a cold voice. “I’ve lived for thousands of years, and I’ve never once felt the need to protect anyone.”
“You’re the first.”
Qu Weiyin stared down at Luo Jinxiao for a moment longer, then gently laid her down on the ground. With a flicker of movement, she was gone.
no go back to her
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why you leave your wife? :[