She didn’t want to hear any of it anymore.
Sleepless last night, she had already decided not to think back, like a turtle hiding in its shell, pretending nothing happened, nothing was known.
She knew it was self-deception, but only this way could she continue on.
In her heart, she knew she took this upon herself for her mother-in-law.
She couldn’t blame anyone else, only herself.
Xiao Qiyu closed her eyes.
How could she not know Xi Fuhong’s thoughts? This girl seemed simple, yet was more complex than anyone.
Her avoidance was just a way to protect herself.
If the scars of the past were to be uncovered, she would have no support to continue living.
What would be left of her life? What could she still have? Was it just like being bitten by a dog? Is that it? In the end, to Xi Fuhong, Xiao Qiyu from Bi Xuan Palace was just a vicious dog.
With a self-mocking smile, Xiao Qiyu swayed to her feet and softly said, “Let’s go back.”
Xi Fuhong stopped shaking her head and looked up at Xiao Qiyu.
That gentle smile reflected her own disheveled appearance in Xiao Qiyu’s eyes.
Xiao Qiyu had returned, the one she knew, always gentle and graceful.
Her eyes warmed, and Xi Fuhong couldn’t help but shed tears.
Large teardrops rolled down her cheeks, not from sadness or pain, but from an unknown emotion in her heart that forced her to keep crying.
“So, so strange… why…” She reached out to wipe away the tears, only to smear her face.
Seeing this, Xiao Qiyu felt a pang in her chest.
She should have stepped forward to comfort her as usual, holding her hand to apologize or give her courage.
But now, she couldn’t take that simple step.
It was impossible to return to the past; those gentle moments, whether real or fake, had long vanished.
At this moment, in Xi Fuhong’s heart, Xiao Qiyu was left with only an ugly side.
…So what?
“Miss Xi,” Xiao Qiyu squatted down to look Xi Fuhong in the eye, “Did something happen last night?”
Hearing this, Xi Fuhong was momentarily stunned, her expression showing doubt and confusion.
Xiao Qiyu’s smile remained unchanged.
She was good at pretending, and now she had to pretend to be someone possessed by an evil spirit, forgetting the crimes of last night.
She wanted Xi Fuhong to believe she had forgotten everything, to use Xi Fuhong’s innocence and kindness to avoid guilt and blame.
Xiao Qiyu was not a good person.
“…No… nothing happened…” Like a fish taking the bait, Xi Fuhong was already caught in Xiao Qiyu’s trap.
“Miss Xi is crying like this, could it be that last night’s collapse scared you?” Xiao Qiyu adjusted her clothes and smiled.
Xi Fuhong didn’t answer, just nodded slightly.
Seeing that Xiao Qiyu seemed to have forgotten last night, the heart that had been hanging finally fell, not into peace, but into a deeper, unknown place, feeling both relieved and pained.
“Although the tomb was damaged, the main structure hasn’t completely collapsed.
Shall we go out first?” Xiao Qiyu stepped forward and naturally extended her hand, indicating she wanted to hold Xi Fuhong’s.
Seeing this, Xi Fuhong hesitated for a moment before finally taking it.
The warmth of the touch made both of them shiver inexplicably, saying nothing, but understanding each other.
They never mentioned the absurdity of last night, their interactions as plain as before.
Xiao Qiyu called her Miss Xi, and Xi Fuhong responded with Miss Xiao, seemingly ordinary, yet separated by a layer of ice, fearing it would shatter with a light touch.
After the battle with Baili, all the ghosts Xiao Qiyu had been nurturing were devoured.
She barely managed to navigate the vast cellar with the remaining spirits of the tomb.
Returning to the road, they found several corpses lying around.
Perhaps with Baili’s demise, all the resentful spirits dissipated, leaving the bodies exposed.
Xi Fuhong frowned tightly, not daring to look more.
She and Xiao Qiyu walked out of Huangcheng Hill one after the other, immediately seeing two brown horses grazing outside.
They seemed to have a sense of spirit, knowing their masters hadn’t returned, so they didn’t wander far, dutifully waiting outside.
Xiao Qiyu approached, patting the horse’s back and whispering something.
“This ring…” Xi Fuhong approached Xiao Qiyu, handing over a crescent-shaped white jade.
Xiao Qiyu looked at the jade, somewhat dazed, “Please, Miss Xi, keep it for now.”
“Let me keep it?” She was troubled, with a Black Dragon ring already feeling like a thousand pounds, and now a White Tiger ring…
“Yes, please, Miss Xi, keep it for now.” Xiao Qiyu didn’t explain further, and with that, she mounted the horse.
Holding the White Tiger Ring Head, the psychological pressure kept rising, but seeing Xiao Qiyu not intending to take it, she reluctantly stuffed it back into her sleeve.
The two rode back to the city, not resting much along the way, causing several wounds on Xiao Qiyu’s body to reopen.
Bright red blood stained her clothes again, even dripping down her arm, yet she seemed unfazed, her gaze straight, smiling, as they rushed back to Wulin Branch for two full hours.
“They’re back!! Miss Xiao and Miss Xi are back!!” A servant, seeing familiar figures approaching, hurriedly shouted.
The wooden door banged open, with Fang Qi Er rushing out first, followed by Shi Cuiyan peeking out.
The two brown horses approached from afar, Xi Fuhong steadily pulling the reins to stop, while Xiao Qiyu’s horse nearly crashed into a low wall.
Fortunately, a servant quickly pulled the reins, preventing a disaster.
“Sister Qi Yu!!” Fang Qi Er was so frightened her face turned pale, rushing to Xiao Qiyu’s horse in a few steps.
“It’s nothing…” Her slender body swayed, and Fang Qi Er immediately helped Xiao Qiyu off the horse.
Cold sweat soaked her outer garment, Xiao Qiyu’s face was paler than a corpse, barely able to stand.
Qin Ke Yun frowned, stepping forward to lift Xiao Qiyu’s left hand, seeing not only scars but also a spreading dark blue almost reaching her shoulder.
Her expression turned serious, and she quickly pressed three points on her shoulder blade, then took out a pill to feed Xiao Qiyu.
Supporting her, Fang Qi Er saw the spreading corpse poison and couldn’t help but gasp, “I said not to let Miss Xi follow! Sister… Sister’s hand…”
“Enough! The most important thing now is to have Divine Doctor Xue treat Sister’s injuries.” Qin Ke Yun coldly reprimanded, letting Fang Qi Er take Xiao Qiyu back to the branch.
Fortunately, most of Sister’s injuries were external, aside from the troublesome corpse poison inside, there was no life-threatening concern.
With that thought, she turned to Xi Fuhong and cupped her hands, “My junior sister is straightforward, I hope Miss Xi doesn’t mind.”
“It’s okay.” Xi Fuhong shook her head, as she indeed had burdened Xiao Qiyu.
“Sister Xi, you’ve worked hard catching ghosts this time, why don’t you go in and rest first?” Shi Cuiyan looked Xi Fuhong up and down, relieved to see she had no serious injuries.
It seemed Xiao Qiyu had kept her promise, not letting Sister Xi suffer despite her own injuries.
“I need to give the ring to the leader first.” Xi Fuhong avoided Shi Cuiyan’s support.
“Leader Chen is in the hall discussing matters with other sect leaders.
You won’t be able to see him now, so why not rest for a while?” Shi Cuiyan held onto Xi Fuhong, insisting on holding her arm with a playful smile.
Yesterday morning, Shi Sect, Ye Jiazhuang, and Jinjianpai had arrived, and today Nanshui Sect also came, all grandly staying at Wulin Branch, presumably for the Tiger Dragon Cave treasure.
“But…” The pressure of the two rings was immense.
“Look at you, all dirty.
Even if you want to see the leader, you should change your clothes first, right?” Shi Cuiyan couldn’t bear to see her haggard face, not wanting her to rashly run into the hall and disturb the sect leaders, so she persuaded her to rest first.
Just as Xi Fuhong nodded, a few scattered footsteps approached.
The newcomer was Luo Qingcheng, dressed in bright red: “No need to trouble, hand over the ring.”
Hearing Luo Qingcheng’s deep, magnetic voice, Xi Fuhong instinctively shivered.
Shi Cuiyan, seeing this, pouted in dissatisfaction, stepping in front of Xi Fuhong to shield her from Luo Qingcheng’s sharp gaze, boldly acting as a human wall.
“Luo Family Head, Sister Xi has contributed this time.
If you don’t praise her, at least don’t scare her.”
Luo Qingcheng glanced at her indifferently, and seeing the situation, Chen Tanghe quickly stepped forward to mediate: “This time, we really owe thanks to Miss Xi and Miss Xiao.
Just now, Miss Fang already told me…”
