“What’s the matter? Are you looking down on our Bi Xuan Palace?” Fang Qi Er stepped forward.
She and Xi Fuhong were about the same age and height, so they seemed to be the most compatible.
However, Fang Qi Er’s straightforward personality often made her come across as aggressive.
“It’s not that, I just… don’t want to trouble everyone…” Xi Fuhong hesitated, pinching the hem of her clothes.
“Considerate, aren’t you?” Fang Qi Er chuckled, suddenly changing her domineering demeanor and placing a friendly hand on Xi Fuhong’s shoulder.
Xi Fuhong couldn’t quite grasp Fang Qi Er’s temperament.
One moment she seemed angry, the next she was trying to be friendly.
Qin Ke Yun noticed this and felt it was inappropriate.
After all, Xi Fuhong was their honored guest, and she shouldn’t be treated so casually.
Just as she was about to speak up, Xiao Qiyu stopped her.
Seeing Fang Qi Er’s playful banter making Xi Fuhong smile, Xiao Qiyu felt somewhat relieved.
She didn’t want to make things difficult for Xi Fuhong, but she also couldn’t back down.
“It’s fine, let them have their fun for a while.” Her gentle gaze remained fixed on Xi Fuhong’s smiling profile.
“Senior Sister Qiyu,” Qin Ke Yun suddenly looked serious and leaned in to whisper in Xiao Qiyu’s ear, “Luo Family Head promised to release Miss Xi after the Tiger Dragon Cave opens, but the ghost spirit you had me attach to him is agitated because the secret treasure is missing.
In my opinion, Luo Family Head is emotionally unstable right now.
It’s best to take Miss Xi away as soon as possible to avoid any trouble.”
“Luo Family Head… no, Luo Qingcheng…” Xiao Qiyu’s lips curled into a mocking smile.
“Truly caught in his own web.
And am I not the same? Set out immediately for Baichuan Lake.”
Sitting by the carriage, eating the pastries Fang Qi Er handed over, Xi Fuhong stared blankly at Xiao Qiyu in the distance.
Earlier, the disciples of Bi Xuan Palace seemed to be in a hurry, driving the carriage at a fast pace.
In less than half a day, they had left Xu Loufeng far behind.
It wasn’t until Qin Ke Yun ordered a rest that they could take a break.
Along the way, Xi Fuhong received good treatment, not only having her own carriage but also an endless supply of pastries and sweets.
Unfortunately, the carriage shook violently, and she almost bit her tongue, so she simply lay down on the soft mattress for a nap.
“…Yawn.” Xi Fuhong yawned and brushed the crumbs off her hands.
After the Tiger Dragon Treasure incident, her mindset had completely changed.
The inexplicable relaxation made her feel lazy all over, and she even wondered if this was just a dream.
Had those terrifying experiences really ended? Xi Fuhong watched Xiao Qiyu and the other disciples talking, that constant gentleness seemed so unreal.
“Miss Xi, if you’re hungry, I have more snacks here,” Fang Qi Er hooked her arm around Xi Fuhong’s shoulder from behind, holding a delicate wooden box filled with colorful pastries that looked quite expensive.
“Senior Sister Qiyu said she didn’t know what you liked to eat, so she had me buy everything.
See, our Bi Xuan Palace treats people well, right? This time, Senior Sister really values you as an honored guest.”
Not to mention worrying along the way that Xi Fuhong might go hungry, Fang Qi Er often left the group to buy food in the villages and even provided her with a private carriage.
Such generous treatment truly gave her a lot of face.
Thinking of Xi Fuhong’s initial hesitation, Fang Qi Er found it amusing.
If she were a penniless young woman traveling alone, who knows how much hardship she would have faced.
“You don’t have to trouble yourselves, I can’t eat that much.” Xi Fuhong shook her head awkwardly, not wanting to be served like this.
“If you can’t finish, just leave it.
If you get a stomachache, we’ll be worried,” Fang Qi Er put down the wooden box and sat next to Xi Fuhong.
“Honestly, this is the first time I’ve seen Senior Sister Qiyu treat an outsider so well.”
“But I think Miss Xiao is polite and treats everyone well,” Xi Fuhong lowered her eyes and said flatly.
It was precisely because of Xiao Qiyu’s gentle and polite demeanor that she was deceived.
In fact, Xiao Qiyu’s smiles were just a facade, even though she knew it, she couldn’t help but be drawn in.
“Senior Sister Qiyu is indeed graceful and gentle, but she’s just so-so with outsiders…” Fang Qi Er suddenly stopped, looking at Xiao Qiyu’s profile and sighed.
“But it’s been a long time since Senior Sister looked at someone like that.
I can’t quite explain it, but the way she looks at you is different.
Haven’t you noticed?”
“What’s different?” Xi Fuhong frowned, feeling there was nothing unusual.
“I said I don’t know either.
Senior Sister is especially nice to you, that’s for sure.
Maybe it’s because you saved her? Or… is there another reason?” Fang Qi Er turned to scrutinize Xi Fuhong, her ambiguous gaze making her uncomfortable, so she simply jumped off the carriage and walked three steps away.
“You… your Bi Xuan Palace… seems to only accept female disciples?” Xi Fuhong forcefully changed the subject.
Fang Qi Er raised an eyebrow at this, “You’ve been mingling outside for a while, how come you haven’t heard about this? Our Bi Xuan Palace practices the art of controlling ghost spirits, naturally, we all cultivate extreme yin internal skills.
If it were men, they wouldn’t get much out of it.”
Xi Fuhong chuckled dryly.
Having witnessed Xiao Qiyu’s skills, how could she not know about this?
“By the way, most of the disciples in our palace are orphans, raised by the master from a young age to learn the Dao.
Starting with the basics, we’re much stronger than the average sect that takes in disciples.
Hmph, those so-called righteous sects are just a bunch of nobodies, always calling us demonesses.
When Senior Sister Qiyu takes over, she’ll show them what’s what.” Fang Qi Er proudly raised her chin, speaking with conviction.
“…Miss Xiao was raised by your master?” Xi Fuhong heard about Xiao Qiyu’s background for the first time.
“Yes, I heard from Senior Sister Ke Yun that Senior Sister Qiyu was brought in by the master at the age of eight and has been in Bi Xuan Palace ever since,” Fang Qi Er scratched her head, thinking, “As far as I remember, Senior Sister has always been like that, gentle with people, smart and clever, very much loved by the master and elders, and she doesn’t put on airs as the senior sister, getting along well with the juniors.”
No matter where she was, Xiao Qiyu was always so graceful.
“Then…” Xi Fuhong’s thoughts shifted, almost blurting out the name Ling Xue.
That absurd day, she was always troubled by the Ling Xue that Xiao Qiyu mentioned.
“What then? If you have something to say, just say it.
Why are you hesitating?” Fang Qi Er found her expression strange.
Xi Fuhong hesitated for a while but couldn’t bring herself to ask, “I mean, it’s getting late, why haven’t we set off yet?”
Fang Qi Er noticed her deliberate change of topic and was a bit concerned but didn’t press further.
“I think everyone’s rested enough.
Why don’t you get back in the carriage? I’ll go ask.” With that, she turned and left.
Xi Fuhong watched her walk towards Xiao Qiyu, regretting her earlier rashness.
Fortunately, she didn’t ask, or it would have aroused Fang Qi Er’s suspicion.
As soon as Xi Fuhong got into the carriage and sat on the soft mattress, she immediately heard the word “depart,” and the carriage began to sway again, though not as hurriedly as before.
So Xi Fuhong comfortably nestled by the window, lifting the curtain to look outside.
The surrounding scenery was all low hills and woods, desolate and uninhabited.
Thinking of her grandmother in Miaojiang, she felt a bit relieved, glad she didn’t let her grandmother come alone, or the outcome might have been even more tragic.
Thinking of her grandmother, she remembered she was also an orphan picked up and raised by someone.
So Xiao Qiyu had a similar experience.
Then what kind of existence was Ling Xue?
