Mo Ruxue was completely oblivious to Zhu Yuexi’s little actions.
If possible, Mo Ruxue wanted to take Zhu Yuexi and flee from here, or at the very least, prevent Zhu Yuexi from noticing the red mark on Li Qingqing’s neck.
After all, she had just explained that such red marks were caused by cultivation. If Zhu Yuexi saw the mark on Li Qingqing’s neck, she would definitely ask about it.
At that moment, everything would be over.
But how could she possibly hide it?
All it would take was for Li Qingqing to turn her head, and Zhu Yuexi would see the red mark on her neck. How could she possibly stop that?
The walk wasn’t particularly long, but to Mo Ruxue, time felt exceptionally drawn out.
The length of time was one thing, but even with this drawn-out perception, Mo Ruxue still couldn’t come up with a solution.
…
This time, the place for the meal wasn’t a Japanese-style restaurant.
Instead, it was a living room with a massive viewing wall, allowing one to enjoy the scenery of the entire river while eating.
Xu Sheng was already seated at the dining table, waiting for the two of them.
Seeing Mo Ruxue and also noticing the red mark on her neck, Xu Sheng didn’t show any surprise, as if everything was within his expectations.
Li Qingqing naturally stood beside Xu Sheng, serving him just as she had during last night’s banquet.
At this moment, Li Qingqing turned slightly. Zhu Yuexi disliked her, but she wasn’t the least bit afraid to meet her gaze, so she stared directly at her.
Against her snow-white skin, the red mark was far too conspicuous. It was perfectly normal for Zhu Yuexi to notice it out of the corner of her eye.
She felt somewhat puzzled.
Mo Ruxue urged her:
“Sit down.”
The question on Zhu Yuexi’s lips was choked back. She obeyed Mo Ruxue and sat down, but just as she was about to open her mouth to ask about Li Qingqing’s neck, Xu Sheng cut in.
“It seems both of you rested quite well yesterday.”
Mo Ruxue actually felt a flicker of gratitude towards Xu Sheng in her heart. She replied:
“Indeed. Doctor Xu’s residence is filled with spiritual energy, which is beneficial for both rest and calming the spirit.”
Zhu Yuexi, however, gave a soft snort.
“A cultivator can rest well anywhere…”
This rude behavior was naturally directed at Xu Sheng, something everyone present understood.
In this situation, Mo Ruxue somewhat wished Zhu Yuexi would say a few more such things, if only to divert attention. Perhaps by the time the meal was finished, there would be no chance to ask that question.
Xu Sheng heard Zhu Yuexi’s muttering and gave a light chuckle.
“While that may be true, I believe yesterday’s treatment still had some effect.”
Both Zhu Yuexi and Mo Ruxue unconsciously tensed up.
It was perfectly normal for Xu Sheng to mention the treatment in response to Zhu Yuexi’s words.
But the two of them had become overly sensitive to the word “treatment.”
For Zhu Yuexi, it went without saying. The scene from yesterday’s “treatment” where Xu Sheng fed her medicine, the sensation in her throat, the feeling of suffocation—it was all still vivid in her mind.
For Xu Sheng to mention treatment now was undoubtedly like a warning to her.
For Mo Ruxue, treatment was the transaction between her and Xu Sheng.
She used her own body to have Xu Sheng treat Zhu Yuexi.
Was this a reminder to her?
Xu Sheng himself hadn’t expected that an offhand comment from him would trigger such rich internal dramas in both women simultaneously.
Seeing that neither of them spoke, he finally realized in his heart.
But what the two women thought had nothing to do with him. A little more of this kind of hint, and perhaps they would slowly conquer themselves.
So, Xu Sheng began to drink the porridge Li Qingqing had prepared.
In terms of psychological resilience in this area, Zhu Yuexi was slightly stronger than Mo Ruxue. She quickly regained her composure and wanted to change the subject.
Her gaze inadvertently fell upon the red mark on Li Qingqing’s neck again.
Right, she hadn’t had a chance to ask about this mark yet.
“Hey, traitor, how did you get that red mark on your neck?”
The question was directed at Li Qingqing, but the one who held her breath in nervousness first was Mo Ruxue.
In that instant, her heart practically leapt into her throat.
How would Li Qingqing answer?
Naturally, she would say it was from Xu Sheng…
At that time, Yuexi would definitely notice something and might even guess a lot of things from it.
Mo Ruxue opened her mouth, wanting to say something, but found she truly had no way to explain it away.
“This is caused by a cultivation technique I imparted to her. I see Immortal Maiden Mo also has a similar red mark on her neck. Could it be that both of you are practicing the same technique?”
It was Xu Sheng who spoke up to defuse the situation.
Hearing this explanation, Mo Ruxue was stunned. She even looked at Xu Sheng with a flicker of gratitude, completely forgetting that all of this was probably Xu Sheng’s arrangement.
“A cultivation technique?”
Zhu Yuexi looked at Li Qingqing. It wasn’t doubt, just that the coincidence was somewhat surprising.
If Zhu Yuexi had simply asked, Li Qingqing would naturally have told the truth. But now that Xu Sheng had spoken first, Li Qingqing naturally followed her master’s lead.
“Lord Xu imparted a cultivation technique to me yesterday. This is an acupoint used by the technique for detoxification.”
Mo Ruxue didn’t even think to blame Xu Sheng for eavesdropping. She just calmly chimed in:
“That’s probably it. Is this technique one for smoothing the flow of qi?”
Li Qingqing nodded.
“Mhm. Most techniques of this type share the same origin. Even if they aren’t exactly the same, there are likely many similarities.”
…
The matter that had kept Mo Ruxue on tenterhooks for so long was brushed aside so simply by Xu Sheng.
It was really rather strange.
The one who left this “hickey” on Mo Ruxue’s neck was Xu Sheng.
The one who prompted Mo Ruxue to keep this red mark was Xu Sheng.
And the one who caused the red mark on Li Qingqing’s neck was still Xu Sheng.
All the conflicts were created by Xu Sheng, yet Mo Ruxue seemed to actively ignore this fact. When Xu Sheng stepped in to save the situation, Mo Ruxue’s mind was filled only with gratitude towards him.
The underlying logic here was probably similar to Stockholm syndrome.
At this moment, Li Qingqing had been sent away by Xu Sheng to clean up the dishes. Only the three of them remained at the dining table.
Xu Sheng took out a handkerchief and gently dabbed his mouth. The movement actually carried a hint of elegance, and coupled with his appearance, he looked like a sickly young master from some wealthy family.
Seeing this, Zhu Yuexi couldn’t help but roll her eyes.
As she shifted her gaze back, she found Xu Sheng’s eyes fixed on her.
A faint smile played on his lips, but his eyes held a thoughtful, meaningful glint.
Zhu Yuexi instantly felt the hairs on the back of her neck stand up.
This look…
Zhu Yuexi knew Xu Sheng was probably calculating in his mind how to torment her next.
She wasn’t sick at all. It was all thanks to this bastard Xu Sheng constantly tampering with her body to deceive Mo Ruxue.
This treatment for half a year or a year… it was all up to Xu Sheng.
For a bastard like Xu Sheng… naturally, the longer, the better.
Thinking of this, Zhu Yuexi’s heart instantly plunged into an icy abyss.
Xu Sheng didn’t know the specifics of Zhu Yuexi’s thoughts at this moment, only that his visual intimidation had been successful. He chuckled inwardly.
“By the way, today’s treatment for Saintess Zhu can start a bit earlier.”
It’s over…
Zhu Yuexi thought.
…