Chapter 63

Chapter 63

As his words fell, Lu Yuanyin couldn't help but fall silent for a moment.

She had no idea when she had ever given him that impression!

After a moment, she lifted her head and glared fiercely at the tall male cultivator before her. His white hair cascaded down, and his thin robe hung loosely on his body, faintly revealing the lines of firm muscles. A hint of satisfaction lingered in his eyes, and the scarlet demonic markings beneath them shimmered faintly in the moonlight.

At that moment, he lowered his head slightly, gazing fixedly at her with a trace of confusion on his face.

She clenched her fists silently. Seeing him like this, Lu Yuanyin grew angrier and angrier, afraid that she might hear more shocking words from his lips.

Lu Yuanyin gave a heavy snort. "I don't like it at all! Don't talk nonsense!" With that, she rummaged through her storage pouch and pulled out a new dress. As she moved, the ache in her waist became more pronounced.

After dressing, Lu Yuanyin walked out of the cave with a grim face, her strides long.

Huo Wuyan watched her slender back, his brows furrowed slightly. According to those books he had read, women often said the opposite of what they meant—"no" meant "yes," and "don't like" meant "like."

But looking at Lu Yuanyin now, she seemed genuinely angry.

Yet she clearly enjoyed being intimate with him, enjoying their time together. So why was she angry?

Huo Wuyan couldn't quite grasp Lu Yuanyin's thoughts.

He rubbed his palm, his fingertips seemingly still feeling the delicate, smooth touch of her skin. His Adam's apple bobbed as he silently followed behind her.

The cool night breeze blew against their faces, accompanied by the crisp chirping of cicadas from the surrounding woods. A stream babbled nearby, and the atmosphere was gentle and serene.

Pale moonlight filtered through the gaps in the leaves, casting dappled shadows on the ground. Lu Yuanyin had walked this path dozens of times; even with her eyes closed, she could find her way. Enduring the soreness throughout her body, she slowly made her way down the mountain.

She could hear soft footsteps, neither too close nor too far, following behind her. Glancing back, Lu Yuanyin caught sight of a tall silhouette, and the annoying tail behind it swayed leisurely, standing out conspicuously.

Lu Yuanyin pursed her lips, averted her gaze, and continued walking without stopping. Just as she was about to enter the city, she heard faint, pained moans coming from the woods not far away. The sounds were especially clear in the stillness of the night.

Lu Yuanyin halted. Her eyes lingered on the dense thicket for a moment. The shadows swayed, as if countless ghosts were hidden in the darkness. She quietly drew her sword, and faintly, she caught a whiff of a rotten stench.

Just then, the faint cry of a child came from behind the thicket. The cry was weak, like a kitten's mew, pitifully soft. Lu Yuanyin furrowed her brow. She had initially thought someone was injured by a nearby spirit beast and had taken shelter there.

But now, it seemed otherwise.

She eyed the thicket warily, thought for a moment, then asked softly, "Is anyone there?"

As her words fell, a low, suppressed cough came from behind the thicket. A rustling sound followed, and a skeletal hand covered in sores weakly parted the undergrowth. With the noise, the stench grew stronger, as if rotting corpses were rotting in the scorching sun—nauseating beyond words.

Lu Yuanyin's brows furrowed. A woman, emaciated to the point of being just skin and bones, with sores all over her face, emerged from the thicket, stumbling forward with a child in her arms. Her eyes were sunken, her face pale as paper, and she looked as if she were on the verge of death.

Lu Yuanyin's gaze paused behind the woman, where a crowd of people lay sprawled on the ground, all suffering from the same symptoms. Some had already rotted all over, lifeless and still. Her pupils contracted slightly, and a trace of surprise flickered in her eyes.

From the corner of her eye, she saw Huo Wuyan standing expressionlessly beside her, coldly observing the woman.

The woman kept her distance, not approaching Lu Yuanyin.

She glanced at Lu Yuanyin from afar and said quietly, "Miss, please leave quickly. This place is not safe..." After just two sentences, she couldn't stop herself from coughing. Her sallow face instantly turned bright red, as if she might cough out her internal organs.

Lu Yuanyin could tell at a glance that these people were likely suffering from a plague. But what puzzled her was, "Why don't you go to the Chongyao Sect for help? Why wait here to die?"

As a prominent sect on Chongyao Mountain, the Chongyao Sect regularly collected money from the nearby villagers. In return, they were supposed to guard the area and protect the villagers. Although the plague seemed serious, it wasn't necessarily a death sentence.

The woman gave a bitter laugh at her words. She gently patted the crying infant in her arms and said sadly, "We did go, but before we even entered the gate, we were kicked out. They wouldn't even let us stay in the city."

They were told to rest here for a while, but the real meaning was to leave them here to die.

Ever since the discovery of many corpses with their spiritual roots removed in the city's river, many people had inexplicably fallen ill. First, their bodies itched unbearably, then sores spread all over, and finally, they rotted and died.

They were ordinary mortals with no cultivators in their families, unable to afford the costly spirit pills.

The Chongyao Sect had suffered heavy losses earlier and was barely managing to take care of itself, let alone them. And even if they could, those lofty immortals probably couldn't be bothered. In the short time since, they had faced nothing but contempt, eventually ending up here, waiting in despair in the woods.

She coughed and looked at Lu Yuanyin with hollow, murky eyes. "Miss, this illness is very contagious. Please leave quickly, or it might infect you."

With that, she turned to sit back under the tree, holding her baby.

Lu Yuanyin looked at the villagers, covered in sores and listless, and couldn't help frowning.

Under the woman's astonished gaze, she took several bottles of antidote spirit pills from her storage pouch and handed them over. "Take these pills for now. I'll bring more for you tomorrow."

The villagers froze, staring at her in disbelief, their eyes wide. After a moment, tears streamed down the woman's grimy face. Holding her child, she knelt down straight. "Thank you! Thank you, miss! Thank you so much!"

The villagers who could still stand also dragged their heavy bodies to their knees, tears in their eyes, thanking her repeatedly. "Thank you, miss! We'll never forget your kindness!"

Seeing the woman distribute the pills to everyone, Lu Yuanyin walked toward the city with a heavy heart. She hadn't known that a plague had broken out in the city. Remembering what Qing Nong had said earlier—that the bodies in the river might be connected to Lu Sisi—Lu Yuanyin tugged at her storage pouch, deep in thought.

The night was deep, and there were far fewer people on the streets.

For the moment, Lu Yuanyin ignored Huo Wuyan and hurried toward the inn, head down. As soon as she entered, she heard Qing Nong's excited voice from inside. "You're finally back! I thought you'd run off!"

Lu Yuanyin looked up to see Qing Nong striding toward her with a tray. "Come try the new dish I learned! The old lady said this stuff is really nourishing! Are you hungry? Come eat! I've been keeping the food warm for you."

She paused. The inn was still blazing with light, filled with the rich aroma of food.

Seeing them return, the old medical cultivator immediately called for servants to prepare food and hot water, asking repeatedly, "Are you all right? Did those bastards bully you? Are you hurt? Come here, let me check!"

Lu Yuanyin looked at their concerned faces, and her nose prickled. She had left without a word, and she had thought Qing Nong and the others might be upset with her... She shook her head softly. "Grandma and the elder dragons arrived in time. I wasn't hurt. Sorry for worrying all of you."

The old medical cultivator stroked his beard and chuckled. "Good, good. Eat up, then get some rest. Tomorrow, I'll teach you some powerful stuff."

With that, he sneaked a glance at Huo Wuyan, who stood expressionless at the door. Just that one glance sent a chill down his spine.

He thought Huo Wuyan seemed a bit off today.

A beautiful maidservant skillfully laid out a full table of dishes, almost all of which were Lu Yuanyin's favorites. Lu Yuanyin picked up her chopsticks and ate slowly. She asked quietly, "Have you seen Grandma?"

Qing Nong pushed the braised pig trotters, which were a bit far, closer to her. "Your grandma said she has something to take care of and will come find you in a few days. Don't worry."

Lu Yuanyin nodded gently. Then, as if remembering something, she curiously looked around the inn. "And the elder dragons? Why haven't I seen them?"

Qing Nong fell silent for a moment at the mention of the elder dragons. His expression was hard to read. "You'll know tomorrow..."

After saying that, he couldn't help sneak another look at Huo Wuyan. The atmosphere between the two today felt strangely off. His eyes flickered.

Huo Wuyan stood at the door, his gaze falling on Lu Yuanyin at the table from a height. His expression was cool and distant.

Then, to Qing Nong and the old medical cultivator's slight surprise, Huo Wuyan lifted his robe and sat down unhurriedly beside her. He looked expressionlessly at Lu Yuanyin.

But Lu Yuanyin only buried her head in her bowl of lean meat porridge, giving him nothing but the top of her fluffy head.

The inn suddenly fell into dead silence. After a long moment, Lu Yuanyin set down her small bowl and smiled at Qing Nong and the old medical cultivator. "I'm full. I'm going to rest now."

With that, she picked up her skirt and unhurriedly walked upstairs.

Huo Wuyan raised his eyes, staring straight at her back as she walked away. His brows were slightly furrowed, his gaze icy.

Qing Nong, “...”

At this moment, even a blind man could see that these two were acting strangely.

Qing Nong touched his chin. This Lu Yuanyin was the first person who dared to lose her temper with him.

What surprised him even more was that Huo Wuyan hadn’t gotten angry. After all, this dragon was usually the one who threw a tantrum; he was unpredictable and moody. In the past, if anyone had dared to treat him with such a cold face, they might have been reduced to dust and ashes by now.

Qing Nong’s gaze lingered on the two for a moment. His eyes flickered, and then he heard a faint sound next to him.

Qing Nong scratched his head and saw Huo Wuyan stand up with a cold face, returning to his room expressionlessly.

Qing Nong exchanged a glance with Old Medical Cultivator, both seeing a glint in the other’s eyes. They winked at each other in tacit understanding. Qing Nong quickly hurried after him, “Wait for me!”

He quickly walked into the room. The room was dark.

He saw Huo Wuyan sitting expressionlessly by the window. The cool moonlight fell across his brow and cast dappled light across his sharp features, making him look even colder and more distant.

The air around them seemed to still. Qing Nong carried a pile of jade slips and stepped forward two paces. “These are the recent reports. Take a look later...”

Huo Wuyan only looked coldly at the tightly closed door opposite, half of his face hidden in the shadows, his expression unreadable.

Qing Nong’s brows twitched, sensing something was off. He was about to slip away.

But then Huo Wuyan suddenly looked up and gazed coldly in his direction. He said in a deep voice, “How do you make it up to someone?”

Although Huo Wuyan didn’t think he was wrong and didn’t understand why Lu Yuanyin was angry, seeing her like this, he instinctively wanted to break the silence.

Although he didn’t like her, he wouldn’t go so far as to have a quarrel with a young woman.

Qing Nong, “?”

He looked at Huo Wuyan’s icy expression, his mind a bit dazed. Are you sure you didn’t ask how to kill someone?

Author’s note:

None.