Qu Wei Yin gritted her teeth while dealing with the Qiongqi, but her concentration was disturbed by Luo Jinxiang’s words. In a moment of absentmindedness, the girl she had just been protecting suddenly turned around and grabbed her arm, pulling her out of the Qiongqi’s attack range.
The girl’s hand was slender and icy cold, sending a chill down Qu Wei Yin’s spine. As she stood in front of Qu Wei Yin, a silver-white light gathered in her palm, and the cold wind lifted her hair, freezing her sweat, giving her dark hair a silvery appearance, sparkling and eye-catching.
Qiongqi’s fiery eyes seemed to dim a bit. She shrank back and let out another howl. Concerned for Qu Wei Yin’s safety, Luo Jinxiang, fearing that she might be injured, pushed her out of the way with his left hand and confronted the Qiongqi with his right hand. The collision between the glow in her palm and the Qiongqi’s breath created a massive wave of energy, causing the night pearls on the ceiling to fall and shatter on the ground.
It had been a long time since Luo Jinxiang had experienced such a powerful surge of spiritual energy. She felt a surge of satisfaction, but there was also an underlying worry. After all, this was a forbidden technique that she had never used before. She would never have used this method if she hadn’t been forced to.
Seeing her dazed state, Qu Wei Yin took a few steps forward, and the Crescent Moon Star Sword suddenly rose into the air, blocking part of the attack on Luo Jinxiang.
The walls of the Grand Hall began to crack, and the objects in the room were tossed around by the strong wind. Even several redwood chairs with golden borders were lifted into the air and hurled at Luo Jinxiang with a thunderous crash.
Realizing the danger, Luo Jinxiang jumped into the air, her skirt fluttering wildly in the fierce wind. Seeing her in danger, Qu Wei Yin felt a sudden tightness in her chest and moved to intervene.
However, in an instant, Luo Jinxiang instinctively grabbed the Crescent Moon Star Sword that was blocking in front of her. In a flash, she sliced the flying chair into two pieces and scattered them. Qu Wei Yin was astonished to see the ancient divine weapon, the Crescent Moon Star Sword, being wielded effortlessly by Luo Jinxiang.
When she was done, she casually tossed it aside, showing a surprising ease and nonchalance as if she had just picked up a broom.
The Qiongqi could not withstand the combined efforts of the two, and it quickly became exhausted. Its previously dominant appearance completely vanished, and it began to whimper, its fierce eyes drooping and looking pitiful, like a deflated bulldog.
Luo Jinxiang had also reached her limit; after all, using a forbidden technique could deplete one’s strength in a short period of time. She swatted away the Qiongqi’s last breath and landed firmly on the ground. However, she suddenly felt weak in her knees and fell to one knee, her chest throbbing and nausea threatening to overwhelm her.
Qu Wei Yin noticed her discomfort and rushed forward to lend a hand, but she pulled back her hand and asked with a calm expression, “How are you?”
“I’m fine.” Not wanting to show her weakness, Luo Jinxiang forced a bright smile through gritted teeth.
The Qiongqi had also retracted its wings and stood still, fumbling and covering its face with its huge paws as if it was too afraid to look at Luo Jinxiang.
Just as Luo Jinxiang raised her head, her expression suddenly changed, “Watch out!” She then quickly pushed Qu Wei Yin out of the door.
Qu Wei Yin could have dodged it, but due to Luo Jinxiang’s push, they fell out together. Fortunately, the Crescent Star Sword protected its master and suddenly stood between them.
The two of them fell onto the enlarged scabbard together, with Luo Jinxiang holding Qu Wei Yin’s shoulder at first, but slipping down after the impact.
There was a moment of silence.
Qu Wei Yin found herself pinned under Luo Jinxiang. She tensed up, feeling the urge to strike at Luo Jinxiang, but ultimately held back. Through gritted teeth, she finally snarled, “Get off!”
Feeling the softness underneath her, Luo Jinxiang inexplicably blushed, quickly stood up, and raised his hands as if in acquiescence, not daring to touch her again.
Qu Wei Yin felt a mixture of anger and helplessness, and just as she was about to speak, a thunderous rumble echoed. The once sky-high No Regrets Palace began to break apart from its supporting pillars, and finally collapsed with a loud bang, leaving nothing standing.
The onlookers were completely dumbfounded, and the elders who had rushed over at the sound of the commotion looked on in disbelief, with some of the elders almost fainting.
Luo Jinxiang looked at the scene in front of her and felt her throat dry up.
How could that be good? If she wasn’t trustworthy, the most she could do was cleanse the No Regrets Palace. Instead, she directly caused it to collapse.
A few bricks in the middle moved, and a furry big head appeared, shaking off the dust and starting to clean itself.
“Is that a giant bug?” Elder He, on the verge of collapse, managed to stammer out.
“No, it’s a Qiongqi,” someone informed him.
Elder He suddenly let out a long belch and collapsed to the ground.
Luo Jinxiang found it amusing, but suddenly everything went dark and she staggered forward, falling into a fragrant and soft embrace.
The person holding her was startled and instinctively stepped back. After a moment, he bent down slightly, cupping her delicate waist and holding her tightly in his arms.
Dazed, she returned the embrace and then, feeling safe, she fell into a deep sleep.
This sleep lasted for a long and uninterrupted five days.
During her sleep, Luo Jinxiang had many dreams. At times, she was terrified, and at other times, she felt at ease, oblivious to her comatose state as she dreamed through past and present lives. In her stupor, she even saw a Yama-like figure pointing at her forehead and sternly proclaiming, “This is fate.
Later, Yama transformed into Qu Wei Yin, holding a blood-soaked sword in one hand and a blood-soaked Luo Jinxiang in the other, her eyes bloodshot and her gaze terrifying.
Qu Wei Yin was more terrifying than Yama, causing her to tremble. She suddenly opened her eyes and woke up.
There was a red canopy bed in front of her, and the room was decorated with elegant furniture and flowers, reminiscent of a maiden’s room.
Luo Jinxiang thought that such a pristine room must belong to a pure and gentle maiden.
As she slowly sat up and stretched her stiffened limbs, the door swung open. The pure and gentle maiden walked in and unceremoniously threw a basin on the table, icily ordering, “Why haven’t you taken a bath yet?”
Startled by the girl’s behavior, Luo Jinxiang glanced at Qu Wei Yin and wondered if she was still in a dream.
“You have been sleeping for five days. Elder Xie said if you don’t wake up today, it will be your anniversary in a few days.” Qu Wei Yin informed her with a slightly regretful expression. She then threw some buns onto the table. “It’s been so many days, and you still haven’t even started a clear liquid diet.”
Luo Jinxiang didn’t know what to say. She seemed to have gotten used to Qu Wei Yin’s way of speaking. She felt remarkably calm, even experiencing a glimmer of joy. Since she was in the witch’s room, didn’t it mean that the witch had been taking care of her for the past few days?
Unbeknownst to her, witches could also take care of others. Maybe she had softened. Just as she was feeling satisfied, she saw the witch, who had been icy, flash a soft and loving smile as she carried a basket of buns to a corner, her voice now soft as if it could drip with water.
“Come, it’s time to eat,” she said softly.
In the corner, the Qiongqi used its huge claws to clean its face. It glanced at Qu Wei Yin with a disdainful look, and then turned its back to her.
The little bit of joy in Luo Jinxiang’s heart instantly vanished. No wonder the witch took care of her – she had her eye on Qiongqi, not because she had a soft spot for her.
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