He delivered the sweet soup and had to hurry back to Jinshui Town.
Yingran hugged him before he left, just like the previous two days, standing on tiptoe to kiss his cheek.
“I’m leaving.”
He said.
“Mm.”
Yingran nodded with a smile, watching him go downstairs.
After his antics yesterday, she couldn’t muster any anger.
The women resting in the guest rooms on the same floor as Yingran poked their heads out to look.
As soon as Xu Liling left, they teased her.
Yingran’s face flushed from their teasing, and she hid back in her room to rest.
In the evening, Xu Liling came to pick her up, and as they were leaving, they ran into the women and their husbands heading home.
Madam Wang: “Oh, by the way, that Ning Fei came looking for you again this afternoon. I say, if she really needed your help, that’d be one thing—it’s part of our duties. But she keeps trying to drag you out, who knows what she’s scheming.”
Madam Zhao: “Why is she so fixated on you? I can’t figure out what these cultivators are thinking. Qin Yingran, you should steer clear of her.”
Yingran couldn’t make sense of it either, but she agreed and thanked them.
Xu Liling took her home and boiled her a bowl of brown sugar water. After drinking it, she bathed and rested.
Near dawn, Yingran woke with a headache and abdominal pain, sweating coldly and tossing in bed.
As soon as she stirred, Xu Liling woke up, holding her and rubbing her stomach.
His warm palms soothed her for a while, and she drifted back to sleep in a daze.
When she woke again, Yingran’s headache was worse, and she felt nauseous.
She knew it was her usual menstrual ailment, so she wasn’t worried, just too weak to get up and feeling irritable.
Xu Liling was dressed and ready to leave, but she still couldn’t get up.
He sat on the bed, leaned down, and whispered, “I’ll go request two days off for you.”
Yingran nodded.
She was too uncomfortable to muster any strength.
Xu Liling left hot water by her bedside and went out.
Yingran dozed off groggily and woke to noises outside. Getting up to check, she saw Xu Qiugui and Guan Yi busy at the house.
Xu Qiugui was invited by Xu Liling, and she brought Guan Yi along.
She figured her daughter and son-in-law were frail scholars, so Guan Yi, a martial artist, could chop firewood for them.
She never stood on ceremony with Guan Yi.
Guan Yi, orphaned young, was raised by her, closer to Yingran than a real sibling.
They didn’t formalize their bond as kin because when Guan Yi was studying at Chunchang Academy, he feared gossip from other students.
Later, after leaving the academy, both he and Yingran were stubborn, and Qin Huan refused to acknowledge him out of frustration.
Guan Yi knew about Yingran’s chronic ailment and said, “Why are you up? Hungry?”
Yingran: “No appetite… Sorry for troubling you to help around the house again.”
Guan Yi feigned sternness: “What’s with the politeness? Trying to make me repay you for taking care of me when we were kids? No way, I’m not paying you back!”
Yingran gave a playful laugh: “What are you even saying?”
Guan Yi grinned: “Oh, right, I stopped by to see the manager this morning. Your husband already told him to let you rest at home for a couple of days. I think you should rest too. That cultivator who’s been eyeing you—I don’t trust her intentions.”
Before Yingran could respond, Xu Qiugui anxiously asked, “What’s that?”
Guan Yi: “When I went, the manager said that Ning Fei keeps asking about Yingran and her husband, with this sneaky look in her eyes. In this heat, she keeps trying to drag Yingran out for no reason. Isn’t that just deliberately tiring her out? We’re cultivators, not tools—we know how hot it is!”
“The manager also said he noticed Yingran’s young and soft-spoken, probably too shy to say no. A few times, Ning Fei didn’t even get to Yingran because the manager and my colleague’s wife stopped her on the way.”
Xu Qiugui frowned tightly, tempted to tell Yingran to quit.
But with so many spirit stones at stake, she held her tongue, thinking they could endure a bit longer.
Yingran’s brows also furrowed, unaware of these behind-the-scenes incidents.
She went back to her room, took out half a spirit stone, and asked Guan Yi to buy something as a thank-you for his colleague’s wife.
Guan Yi laughed heartily: “So polite!” and accepted the stone.
Yingran’s stomach ached again, and a wave of dizziness hit her. She leaned against the door to rest, panting as she returned to her room.
She rested at home all day, and when Xu Liling returned that evening, she was still asleep, unable to eat.
Xu Liling brewed her a bowl of medicine before bed.
The medicine tasted crisp and refreshing, and she felt much better after drinking it.
She asked, “What’s this medicine?”
Xu Liling: “Made from some spiritual herbs.”
Spiritual herbs were hard to come by around here.
If sold, they could fetch a good price.
But Yingran didn’t mention money, her attention fixed on Xu Liling’s hand holding the bowl.
His jade-white hand had new burn marks.
Yingran touched them tenderly, “Hurt from picking the herbs?”
Some spiritual herbs were tricky to harvest, their effects causing harm during picking.
Xu Liling didn’t hide it: “It’ll heal in a few days.”
Yingran held his hand, pressing her cheek against it. She applied medicine to his burns, then lay down with him, holding him as she fell asleep.
The next morning, Yingran felt much better.
But Xu Liling still insisted she rest at home.
The leave was already arranged, and Yingran thought, “Fair enough. It’s been a while since I visited the village. I’ll nap a bit, then go pick up some vegetables.”
The village vegetables were homegrown, fresh, and cheap.
She and Xu Liling had considered planting a garden behind the house, but neither could stand the smell of the soil, and they didn’t know how to farm.
The cost of growing their own was higher than buying surplus vegetables from the village, so they gave up.
Xu Liling nodded, and before leaving, he sat on the bed, leaned down, and touched his forehead to hers.
Yingran tilted her chin up, kissing the tip of his nose.
Xu Liling kissed her lips, “I’m off.”
Yingran nodded, watching him leave the bedroom, then rolled over and went back to sleep.
“She didn’t show up today either.”
“The manager said she took leave. But from the first day Ning Fei approached her, she’s been avoiding her.”
“Could Ning Fei’s aggression have tipped her off? I thought she was innocent, but now it seems she definitely knows her husband is…”
In Zhou Tuya’s room, disciples discussed Qin Yingran and Xu Liling’s movements.
Zhou Tuya sat to the side, his head pounding.
He was grateful for Ning Fei’s subtle guidance of the disciples.
But from day one, Ning Fei had been overly eager, to the point he could barely intervene.
What could’ve been a straightforward plan was delayed by Ning Fei’s insistence on “starting with Qin Yingran to avoid complications with Xu Liling.”
But Qin Yingran and Xu Liling were just mortals!
Her elaborate efforts to approach Yingran had backfired, alerting everyone that the cultivators were targeting her.
If this continued, his plan to take down the “Holy Demon” and claim credit would be ruined by Ning Fei’s overconfidence.
Zhou Tuya rubbed his temples, appearing deep in thought but actually scheming how to spur the disciples into action.
Suddenly, Ning Fei spoke: “No need to worry. From my interactions with Qin Yingran, I’m certain she’s just an ordinary mortal. And that demon, as Uncle Zhou and I predicted, has lost much of his power and is hiding as a mortal. This is a rare opportunity to avenge our comrades!”
Ning Fei’s gaze was resolute: “But we’ve alerted them now, so we can’t delay any longer. If they escape, we’ll never get another chance to kill the Holy Demon!”
“So, I propose we strike today while Qin Yingran is home on leave, possibly discussing plans with the demon. Let’s catch them off guard and kill them now!”
The disciples hesitated: “But… isn’t that too risky?”
In truth, they were scared and still had doubts.
“Risky?”
Ning Fei sneered: “Wasn’t it risky when my senior brother held the line for you? He died stopping the demon army to save you—was that not risky?”
“He defended the righteous path and protected his comrades without hesitation, yet you waver on avenging him! Look at yourselves—I’m ashamed for his death!”
Ning Fei turned to leave.
The disciples quickly stopped her, conflicted: “We’ll go.”
Ning Fei gave a faint hum, glancing subtly at Zhou Tuya.
Zhou Tuya felt a sudden unease, sensing something off but unable to pinpoint it.
“Cluck, cluck, cluck!”
Chickens flapped in panic, feathers flying everywhere.
The makeshift coop Xu Liling built was cleaved in two, and the courtyard gate was split apart.
Yingran, covering her mouth, hid among the bushes on the back hill, staring in panic and disbelief at the group storming her small courtyard.
Beside her, Big Flower tensed like a leopard, warning: “Host, don’t move. My energy in this world can only shield a one-meter radius around you. Beyond that, we’ll be detected.”
Yingran didn’t dare move or speak, nodding dazedly and thanking Big Flower with her eyes.
Just moments ago, she had grabbed her vegetable basket to head to Shanhe Village.
It was nearly noon, the sun scorching, and after walking less than half a mile, she couldn’t bear the heat. She turned back to grab a scarf to cover her face.
Then Big Flower rushed out, shouting, “Host, don’t go home!”
Before Yingran could react, Big Flower pounced, frantically pawing at her.
Yingran looked up and, through the trees, saw a crowd at her doorstep.
Her heart raced as she followed Big Flower to the locust grove on the back hill, hiding in Big Flower’s shielding circle to watch.
Just as she fled, someone went to check the spot where she had been standing, nearly discovering her.
Yingran, gripped by fear, peered at the group, her heart still racing.
At a glance, she spotted two familiar faces among them—Ning Fei and Zhou Tuya.
Today, they wore matching dark robes, wielding long swords, their presence menacing.
Their cold, sharp aura made Yingran feel, for the first time, what killing intent made tangible was like.
Yingran couldn’t understand—how had she provoked these people?
Was it just because she didn’t go wandering around Yunshui County with Ning Fei?
Suddenly, Zhou Tuya’s voice boomed: “Demon! Come out! Your identity is exposed—don’t dream of escaping! If you surrender willingly, we might spare your life!”
Yingran was puzzled: Who’s the demon?
Big Flower was equally confused, glancing at her: You’ve got a demon script too?
Yingran shook her head: No way!
No one answered from the courtyard. Ning Fei snorted coldly, swinging her sword, its icy gleam like a crescent blade.
With one slash, she shattered the courtyard gate and demolished the chicken coop.
Yingran and Xu Liling had only six chickens, and now, all but one were dead.
The last one, flapping in terror, tried to escape the courtyard but was kicked to death by a disciple who frowned at the collision.
“Uncle Master, they’re not home.”
“Have they already fled?”
Zhou Tuya’s brows furrowed tightly as he signaled a disciple: “Go check inside.”
The disciple hesitated.
Ning Fei scoffed, charging into the house with her sword drawn.
Yingran couldn’t see what Ning Fei did inside, but when she emerged, her clothes disheveled, it was clear the house was likely in ruins.
Ning Fei held up a handful of spirit stones: “They must have just stepped out—their money and belongings are still here.”
With a disdainful toss, she threw the spirit stones aside.
Yingran clenched her sleeves in anger.
This was too much!
Those were all the spirit stones she and Xu Liling had saved over the past year!
But she was powerless.
A mere mortal, she couldn’t take on even one of them, let alone a whole group.
Once they left, she’d report them to the Xuan Office!
Yingran bit her lip in fury.
In the courtyard, Zhou Tuya pondered briefly: “Then we’ll wait here for them to return.”
“Wait? No sitting around.”
Ning Fei’s expression hardened as she raised her sword high and slashed: “First, we’ll tear apart this demon Xu Liling’s lair!”
Zhou Tuya and the disciples froze.
But recalling their fallen senior brother, the disciples joined her, swinging their swords in a frenzy to vent their emotions.
“Kill!”
“Kill!”
“Kill this damned demon! Hang his head on the Xuanheng Sect’s gate to show those demons never to invade our righteous path again!”
Zhou Tuya’s gaze trembled.
Things were spiraling out of control.
This was all because of Ning Fei.
Had she done something to the disciples?
Was she even sane anymore?
Zhou Tuya wanted to stop them.
But fueled by Ning Fei’s incitement, the disciples, recalling the gruesome deaths of their comrades while fleeing to Yiwang Continent, had bloodshot eyes, lost in their rampage.
Yingran’s hands gripped the tree beside her tightly, watching the fenced courtyard she and Xu Liling had built be hacked to pieces, watching the bamboo baskets and sieves Xu Liling had woven be trampled, watching them destroy the home she and Xu Liling had created together. Her eyes reddened, but she didn’t dare make a sound.
So, all this time, their inquiries about her were aimed at Xu Liling.
What had Xu Liling done wrong?
To be branded a demon and persecuted by these inexplicable people!
A low, beastly growl sounded beside her.
Yingran glanced over and saw Little Yellow nearby, eyes glinting like a rabid wolf, baring its sharp teeth with a cold, lethal gleam.
“Little Yellow—”
Yingran reached to pull it into the shielding circle.
But Big Flower leaped up, pinning her down, and she fell onto her backside.
“That dumb dog’s too big—the shield can’t cover it. If it comes in, we’ll all be exposed!”
As they spoke, Little Yellow let out a low growl and charged out.
Big Flower’s cat face twisted, eyes filled with sorrow and rage.
Though it disliked that dumb dog, both were raised by their host, and in its heart, they were family.
But its abilities were limited—it couldn’t save the dog.
Yingran had just scrambled to her feet when she saw Little Yellow racing down the hill.
She had thought they were after Xu Liling, and if she rushed out to save Little Yellow, there might be a slim chance.
But now, if she went out, she’d only die with him.
Then, they’d call Xu Liling a demon, and the world would believe it. Her parents and Guan Yi would be implicated.
Who would seek justice for them then?
Yingran’s hands gripped the tree beside her, thorns piercing her fingertips, blood trickling unnoticed.
She closed her eyes, unable to watch.
She thought: If Huaizhen is gone, after she exposes the crimes of these Yunzhou cultivators and clears his name, she would…
In the courtyard, Xu Liling let out a soft “Oh.”
Little Yellow darted behind him, growling as if reporting the injustice.
Ning Fei frowned: “Xu Liling, have you nothing to say?”
Xu Liling ignored her, scanning the ground and picking up a firewood chopper from the debris.
Seeing him grab a weapon, the nearest disciple tensed, immediately slashing at him with a sword.
In an instant, a flash of cold light, and a head rolled.
The courtyard fell deathly silent.
Yingran opened her tear-filled eyes, her pupils widening in shock.
Blood sprayed like rain.
The scholar in green robes slowly straightened from picking up the chopper, casually weighing the bloodstained blade in his hand.
Behind him, a headless body thudded to the ground.
“You! How… could you… are you really…”
Fear, like poison, choked Zhou Tuya in an instant.
He stumbled back, wanting to flee.
But without the man before him releasing any demonic aura, Zhou Tuya’s legs already gave out.
“Really what?”
Xu Liling glanced back at him, his dark eyes like ghostly flames, gripping the heart with terror, silently devouring courage.
“Didn’t you say it yourselves? I—”
“Am a demon.”