Chapter 191: Qingqiu Zhaoying

“Haven’t you left the city yet?”

Shen Xu, who was assigned to patrol the city as usual today, spotted Xiu Qingcheng and Meng Yingxing from a distance.

She looked delighted and waved to them from afar.

“Miss Shen.”

Xiu Qingcheng stopped in front of Shen Xu and greeted her in return.

“I didn’t expect the Blood Kong Flower to be put so far back in the auction order; it was already quite late by the time we came out of the Anqing Auction.”

Shen Xu nodded in understanding.

“I heard all about it. The Blood Kong Flower sold for a super high price this time. Was it you?”

Shen Xu asked, looking at them with curiosity.

Meng Yingxing remained silent, while Xiu Qingcheng nodded with composure.

“You could say that.”

Regardless, the Blood Kong Flower was now in their hands, so they could say whatever they wanted.

It was just that the flower had already been turned into a pill.

Meng Yingxing thought to himself: ‘If Shen Xu, with her black-and-white sense of justice where all evil must be punished, knew we had robbed someone, I wonder if she would still be this polite to us.’

Hearing Xiu Qingcheng’s words, Shen Xu’s eyes brightened, and she gave them a thumbs up.

“As expected of you! It’s getting late now; are you still planning to leave the city today?”

“If you’re not in a rush, you can stay at my house for one more night and leave tomorrow instead.”

This suggestion was exactly what Xiu Qingcheng wanted.

She and Meng Yingxing had just obtained the pill refined from the Blood Kong Flower and were looking for a quiet, safe place for him to consume it.

Shen Xu’s suggestion was like sending charcoal in the snow.

Xiu Qingcheng didn’t refuse and accepted immediately.

“In that case, we will trouble you for one more night.”

“No trouble at all! Besides, my mother hasn’t even cleaned the room you stayed in yet.”

A moment later, Xiu Qingcheng and Meng Yingxing appeared back at the Shen residence.

They received the same warm hospitality from Mother Shen and Shen Xu.

After dinner, Shen Xu had to go on a night patrol with the City Guard.

After saying her goodbyes, she hurried out with her sword in hand.

Xiu Qingcheng led Meng Yingxing back to their original room.

With the doors and windows tightly shut, Xiu Qingcheng casually waved the Ting Tian Sword, using spiritual energy and sword intent to set up a barrier.

Once finished, she turned around to see Meng Yingxing standing dazed in the middle of the room.

“My dear disciple, why are you just standing there? Sit down quickly—the floor or the bed is fine.”

Following her instructions, Meng Yingxing sat cross-legged on the bed.

He took the narrow-necked jade bottle from his interspatial bag and poured the pill refined from the Blood Kong Flower into his palm.

It was a white pill about the size of a fingernail, with red lines on its surface.

Looking closely at the red lines, they seemed to flow slowly across the pill like red ribbons in the wind.

Meng Yingxing’s heart skipped a beat.

‘Is this… the pill that can repair spiritual veins?’

His gaze shifted from the pill to Xiu Qingcheng.

“Master, should I just swallow it?”

After all, any pill should ideally be taken under the guidance of a professional.

Meng Yingxing asked Xiu Qingcheng just to be safe.

“Eat it. I’ll help you fully digest the pill.”

Xiu Qingcheng raised her hand, looking full of confidence.

Hearing this, Meng Yingxing swallowed the pill without hesitation.

Xiu Qingcheng’s eyes narrowed slightly as she sat down lightly behind him.

She pressed two fingers infused with spiritual energy against his back.

Once the pill entered his stomach, Meng Yingxing immediately felt a warm current dissipate from within.

Xiu Qingcheng then guided this warmth toward his internal organs and throughout his limbs.

His spiritual veins, in particular, felt as if they were wrapped in warm, soft cotton—incredibly comfortable.

It made him feel drowsy, as if sinking into a dream.

“Demons are rising everywhere. If this continues, Yelan City won’t last much longer.”

“A-Ying, I’ll find a way.”

“Xie Yuguang, is the ‘way’ you thought of picking up that demon sword!? Do you want to die!?”

“Xie Yuguang, is this the person you want to protect with your life!?”

“No regrets? What a ‘no regrets,’ Xie Yuguang!!”

“Qingqiu Zhaoying, listen to me. It was ‘them’ who killed Yuguang.”

“‘They’ are all murderers.”

Blood-colored eyes flashed before his vision.

Xie Zhaoying snapped his eyes open.

He looked like he had been fished out of water, his entire body drenched in cold sweat.

His vision gradually cleared, and along with it, his consciousness returned.

He hadn’t had a dream in a long time.

He hadn’t expected to dream about things from so long ago during this period of unconsciousness.

Was it because of the appearance of that demon sword?

Xie Zhaoying allowed himself to lie on the ground, staring blankly at the sky.

The moon hung on the willow branches, swaying along with them in the night breeze.

After catching his breath, Xie Zhaoying propped his upper body up from the ground.

The dense sword wounds on his body continued to stimulate his nerves.

But he raised his hand expressionlessly, attempting to exert a bit of demonic power.

He looked at his hand and slowly frowned.

Despite lying there for so long, why hadn’t his demonic power recovered at all?

‘That woman… she actually used her sword intent to seal my demonic power?’

Quickly finding the root cause of why he couldn’t use his power, he thought of the woman accompanying Meng Yingxing.

Why did she do this? Was she afraid he would come looking for them again?

Demonic power?

As Xie Zhaoying was about to stand up, a panicked female voice reached his ears.

“Hey! What’s wrong with you!? You have such serious injuries on your body!”

Before he could turn toward the source, a figure in red and white crouched before him, holding a bright torch.

It was Shen Xu.

The firelight illuminated her face. She was looking at the wounded Xie Zhaoying with a worried expression.

In that moment, Xie Zhaoying felt momentarily dazed.

The high ponytail reminded him of someone he knew well.

Facing her worried inquiry, Xie Zhaoying asked instead, “Who are you?”

“Me?”

Shen Xu pointed to herself.

“Don’t be afraid. I’m Shen Xu of the Yelan City Guard. Were you attacked by demonic beasts? Are you alright?”

Shen Xu? Shen Xu!

Hearing her name, Xie Zhaoying gave a bitter smile, feeling a sense of loss.

“Hey, can you still walk? It’s too dangerous here at night. I’ll take you back to Yelan City.”

Even though the man before her hadn’t answered a single question properly, Shen Xu still asked with dutiful care, showing no impatience.

“Back to Yelan City?”

“If you can’t walk, do you want me to carry you?”

As Shen Xu spoke, she handed her torch to another guard and prepared to carry him on her back.

In the next second, she saw the man silently stand up from the ground.

Shen Xu gave a silly smile.

“It’s fine,” Xie Zhaoying said softly.

Ignoring the other guards, he lifted his feet and began walking toward the direction of Yelan City.

He had only taken one step when his stride weakened, and he stumbled to the side.

“Whoa! Careful!”

Shen Xu cried out and rushed forward to support Xie Zhaoying.

“The injuries on your body are very serious; don’t push yourself! Just lean on me.”

Shen Xu held onto Xie Zhaoying. Although he was much taller than her, the way he leaned on her looked a bit comical.

“So, how did you get these injuries?”

After answering a few questions from the guards with some casual excuses, Xie Zhaoying allowed Shen Xu to lead him back toward Yelan City.

“You spiritual cultivators are quite at risk too, getting robbed just walking down the street.”

“But it’s fine. With me, Shen Xu, here, no one can bully you again!”

Following the information she had just coaxed from Xie Zhaoying, Shen Xu patted her chest proudly.

Xie Zhaoying glanced at the woman beside him, who was just an ordinary person, and felt a bit amused.

Her strength was average even among ordinary people, yet she talked big.

However, her tone was somewhat similar to a certain person’s.

Thinking of this, Xie Zhaoying shook his head.

Perhaps it was the appearance of the demon sword that had caused his long-dormant memories to resurface.

Now, he couldn’t help but connect people or things to the past.

Perhaps to keep Xie Zhaoying from feeling afraid while walking at night, Shen Xu kept chatting about everything under the sun, even though Xie Zhaoying didn’t respond at all.

“We’ve talked so much, yet I still don’t know your name.”

Shen Xu turned her face to look at the man beside her.

Xie Zhaoying was somewhat speechless. It was clearly her talking enthusiastically by herself, yet she insisted on using the word “we.”

He replied in a cold tone, “Qingqiu Zhaoying.”