Looking at Zi Xuan, Xu Qing hesitated for a moment. The words of the mountain peaks and shackles that the captain had said appeared in his mind.
Back then, he felt that what the captain said made sense. Moreover, he had been busy comprehending during this period of time, so he only transmitted his voice to Fairy Zi Xuan to ask about the Heavenly Dao. He didn’t talk much or meet her.
Looking at Fairy Zi Xuan, Xu Qing cupped his fists and bowed.
“Greetings, Senior.”
Upon hearing Xu Qing’s term of address, Fairy Zi Xuan raised her brows. After sizing up Xu Qing a few times, many guesses rose in her mind. She felt that something was amiss.
Ever since two months ago, she had felt that Xu Qing’s emotions seemed to have changed. Right now, this feeling was even more obvious. After all, compared to men, women were more sensitive to details.
‘Could it be that Chen Erniu is itching for a beating again?’
Zi Xuan immediately guessed the key, but she didn’t bat an eyelid. After she stepped into the Sword Pavilion, she lifted her jade-like hand and waved it gently.
Immediately, the door of the Sword Pavilion behind her closed with a bang.
Zi Xuan then sat down cross-legged with a gentle expression and took out a pill bottle.
“Xu Qing, you said through voice transmission that you were going out for a trip. Are you leaving Fenghai County?”
Xu Qing nodded.
“In that case, the protection you have on you isn’t enough. Come, sit down.” Zi Xuan looked at Xu Qing and spoke softly.
This gaze caused Xu Qing to sigh inwardly. He silently walked over and sat cross-legged opposite Zi Xuan.
At such a close distance, the familiar fragrance assaulted Xu Qing’s nose again and lingered in his mind.
“You should have the protective item given by your master on you, but if you are leaving Fenghai County, you still lack a concealment method.” Zi Xuan placed the pill bottle in her hand to the side.
“This pill bottle contains the blood of the Sword Emperor. I obtained it in the battle when the emperor of the Spirit Sound Forbidden Region went out to wreak havoc in the Yinghuang Province and was jointly suppressed by the Yinghuang Province’s sects and the Sword Holding Court.”
“I’ve gained some results through this blood over the course of many years. There’s not much left now. Today, I’ll use the blood of the Sword Emperor and my own Dao to draw a concealment talisman for you.”
“Because the blood of the Sword Emperor is going to be used to draw the talisman, once this talisman is formed, its level will be extremely high. It can hide all of your aura for some time, causing outsiders to not be able to see your human identity or your true appearance.”
Xu Qing’s mind shook when he heard this. He looked at the pill bottle that Fairy Zi Xuan had placed at the side. He knew very well that the value of this item was extremely great.
“Unless you provoked an existence at the fourth stage of Nihility. However, such an existence is someone who lives in a high place no matter where it is. The possibility of you encountering them isn’t very high.”
“However, you have to remember that this blood talisman is volatile and won’t last long. It will dissipate in three months at most.” Fairy Zi Xuan’s voice was gentle and filled with reminders.
Xu Qing opened his mouth, wanting to say something. However, before he could say anything, the corners of Zi Xuan’s mouth curled up into a smile.
“There’s no need to say anything. Take off your clothes.”
Xu Qing started.
“What are you waiting for? I naturally have to draw the talisman on you.” Zi Xuan blinked, her eyes filled with a teasing look.
If it was anyone else, Xu Qing wouldn’t hesitate. However, he was always nervous when facing Fairy Zi Xuan. However, he also understood the importance of this concealment talisman. Hence, he took a deep breath and took off his Daoist robe, revealing his refined upper body.
Zi Xuan’s gaze swept over and her pretty face turned slightly red. She then lifted her right hand and pointed at Xu Qing’s shoulder.
Immediately, Xu Qing turned his body while sitting cross-legged with his back facing Zi Xuan.
“You have to calm your mind.”
Zi Xuan exhaled like an orchid. Her voice was like a feather landing on Xu Qing’s body, sweeping through his mind and stirring up waves of ripples.
Xu Qing was very nervous. He had never experienced such a thing since he was young. His heart instinctively beat faster. When his body stiffened, Fairy Zi Xuan, who was behind him, picked up the pill bottle. After pouring out a drop of golden blood, her expression became solemn.
“Xu Qing, this talisman is complicated. It needs to be completed in one go and can’t be interrupted.”
As she spoke, she lifted her jade-like fingers and dipped them on the blood of the
Sword Emperor. She then began to draw runes on Xu Qing’s back.
Her fingers slid with fast and slow motion as they moved on Xu Qing’s back. Wherever they passed, other than drawing golden marks, they also caused Xu Qing’s skin to tremble slightly.
All the hairs on his body stood on end.
“That sensation of fingers tracing his body felt like hair gently caressing him, seeping into his heart from his skin and creating more ripples. As the sensations accumulated,
Xu Qing’s scalp began to tingle uncontrollably.”
His heartbeat became faster and faster, and his breathing couldn’t help but become hurried.
In the end, Xu Qing gritted his teeth fiercely and took many deep breaths. The Grasswood Scripture appeared in his mind and he silently recited it inwardly.
This method was indeed effective. Gradually, his heart calmed down.
Just like that, time slowly passed.
As Xu Qing recited the Grasswood Scripture for the third time, dawn broke outside and his forehead became covered in sweat. Meanwhile, Zi Xuan was halfway done with the concealment talisman.
“Next is the front body.” Zi Xuan’s voice was also a little different from before. Before Xu Qing could distinguish it carefully, his body instantly spun half a circle under Zi Xuan’s gentle control.
He was now facing Zi Xuan.
The fragrant breath inevitably landed on his face. He could even see Zi Xuan’s trembling eyelashes, as well as the slight blush that was rapidly surfacing on her skin.
He had never seen such an expression on Zi Xuan before. Just as these thoughts surfaced in his mind, Zi Xuan coughed lightly. Her pretty face was slightly red and her eyelashes trembled slightly. However, her eyes were very bright as she pointed at Xu Qing’s chest.
She began to draw the talisman.
The moment her hand came into contact with his skin, Xu Qing’s heart trembled. After that, he closed his eyes and calmed his breathing. He then continued to recite the Grasswood Scripture and tried his best to calm himself down.
As for Zi Xuan’s fingers, they were like flowing water, gently stroking his body, becoming an obstacle for him to memorize the scripture. As golden runes appeared on Xu Qing’s body, that intense feeling caused waves to rise in Xu Qing’s mind.
After the amount of time it took for an incense stick to burn out, when the sky was bright outside, Zi Xuan’s finger returned to Xu Qing’s chest and paused slightly.
“Xu Qing, your heart is beating so fast.” Zi Xuan’s voice was very soft but it still clearly echoed in Xu Qing’s ears in the quiet Sword Pavilion.
Xu Qing took a deep breath and opened his eyes. He then saw Zi Xuan whose face was flushed red.
“Don’t move. This is the last stroke.” As their eyes met, Zi Xuan’s voice trembled slightly.
Her fingers moved slightly, moving from Xu Qing’s chest to his neck, to his chin, and behind his ear. Her body also slowly moved closer.
Xu Qing was incomparably stiff. The Grasswood Scripture couldn’t take shape in his mind and his eyes were filled with confusion.
Seeing that Zi Xuan was getting closer and closer, the captain’s excited voice suddenly rang out from outside the Sword Pavilion.
“Little Qing, are you ready? Come out. Let’s set off.”
“Eh, why is there an additional layer of defense here?”
“Little Qing, what are you doing?”
As the captain’s voice rang out, Zi Xuan quickly retracted her fingers and stood up nervously. Although she usually teased Xu Qing like a big sister, she had never experienced anything Xu Qing hadn’t experienced before.
At that moment, her face was red as she tidied her black hair to hide the panic in her heart. She coughed and didn’t dare to look at Xu Qing as she quickly spoke.
“Take care on the way.”
As she spoke, Zi Xuan turned around. Her graceful back view carried a hint of haste as she walked toward the Sword Pavilion’s door. With a wave of her hand, the door opened, revealing the captain outside with a surprised expression.
At the next instant, the captain’s expression changed from surprise to shock. His eyes were wide open as he stared blankly at Zi Xuan. He then glanced at Xu Qing, who was putting on his clothes.
“I didn’t see it, I didn’t see anything!”
The captain hurriedly took a few steps back and closed his eyes. Waves surged in his mind as he wondered if something indescribable had happened between these two.
“Chen Erniu.” Before the captain could continue thinking, Zi Xuan calmly spoke.
“Disciple is here!” The captain closed his eyes and replied loudly.
“Last month, the Eight Sects Alliance sent a letter saying that the ancient snake skeleton in the secret land has some dirt again.”
The captain’s mind shook. He could tell that there was a hint of criticism in these words, so he quickly wondered if he had made any mistakes. Very soon, he found the reason and thought to himself that he must have crashed into the other party’s good thing… He had seen a scene he shouldn’t have seen, so he hurriedly spoke.
“Fairy, there was a problem with my cultivation yesterday. For some reason, my eyes have gone blind.”
Zi Xuan let out a cold snort and continued.
“Also, I have a close friend named Li Shitao. A few days ago, she told me that she saw a sneaky fellow secretly looking at her while eating peaches in the Observance Palace. Was it you?”
“It’s definitely not me. I definitely won’t peek, and I only eat apples!” The captain’s expression was solemn as he spoke without hesitation.
“Oh.” Zi Xuan didn’t say much. After a few simple sentences, she left quickly.
It was only after Zi Xuan left that the captain opened his eyes. After looking around, he quickly stepped into the Sword Pavilion and looked at Xu Qing in disbelief.
“What happened!”
Xu Qing had already put on his Daoist robe. His expression was calm and he was surprised to hear the captain’s words.
“What’s wrong?”
“Eh?” The captain was stunned. He carefully sized up Xu Qing a few times and softly asked.
“You and Fairy Zi Xuan…”
“Eldest Senior Brother, we should set off.” As Xu Qing spoke, he walked out of the Sword Pavilion.
Behind him, the captain looked at Fairy Zi Xuan’s blurry back view. He then glanced at Xu Qing and took out a peach to take a bite. He chuckled and quickly chased after him.
There was no snow today but the wind was blowing heavily. However, this didn’t affect the clear sky. Moreover, because there were few clouds, the sky looked blue.
Hence, the first rays of the morning sun became especially dazzling, casting their light upon the ground and the two people standing far away, stretching out their figures.
A gentle breeze blew over, bringing about a sound.
“Junior Brother, tell Eldest Senior Brother, did you become an adult last night?”
“…”
“Junior Brother, why aren’t you saying anything? Are you shy?”
“…”
“Aiya, forget it, forget it. Senior Brother won’t tease you anymore. My dear Junior Brother, you must remember to introduce my Taotao to me when we return. I also want to become an adult.”
“…”
His teasing words were accompanied by laughter that echoed out. As the two of them moved further and further away, the laughter slowly became a whisper..