The night wind was cold, bringing a piercing chill from all directions. Xie Jingci didn't dare make any sudden movements. She silently lowered her head and quietly looked at Pei Du.
He had taken off his clothes, his wounds tightly bound in bandages that faintly revealed the contoured lines of his muscles. Now, with the sudden gust of cold wind, the young man instinctively furrowed his brows even in his sleep.
Fortunately, before coming to the Ghost Tomb, she had purchased quite a few clothes from Jinxiu Boutique.
With extremely gentle movements, Xie Jingci retrieved a jade mink cloak from her storage bag, leaning over to drape it over him.
The garment was thick and heavy, completely wrapping his bloodless body. As if sensing something unusual, Pei Du's long eyelashes fluttered slightly.
Immediately following that, a pair of black eyes, overflowing with murderous intent, suddenly snapped open—
It all happened without any warning. Unprepared, Xie Jingci was stunned for a moment, only to realize a hand was already clutching her throat.
Pei Du was also stunned.
Having survived by the skin of his teeth through countless days and nights of endless pursuit, he was always a light sleeper. There were plenty of people who wanted to ambush him while he slept. Over time, at the slightest rustle of the wind or grass, Pei Du would instinctively strike back.
His fingers could feel the faint throbbing of a pulse.
He was strangling... Miss Xie's neck.
The moment his left hand let go, it left a shallow red mark on her fair neck.
Those people were right; perhaps he really had become a bloodthirsty monster.
Pei Du's breath hitched slightly. He lowered his eyes to look at the heavy brocade cloak draped over his abdomen. "I'm sorry, I thought—"
Miss Xie had only wanted to cover him to ward off the cold, but even this garment had been torn open by the spiritual energy he had unintentionally released.
Pei Du didn't know what she would think of him.
"It's fine."
He hadn't gripped her hard, and it didn't really hurt. Xie Jingci touched the side of her neck. "This outer robe is torn. I'll get you another one."
As she spoke, she looked down, intending to open her storage bag, but heard Pei Du say in a hoarse voice, "There's no need."
So Xie Jingci looked up.
The moonlight was dim and hazy, like wisps of sheer veil, falling on the young man's pale face and adding a touch of breathtaking allure. Pei Du sat leaning against the corner of the stone wall, his waterfall-like black hair scattered messily, a faint, almost imperceptible curve appearing on his thin lips.
He hugged the outer robe as if holding a precious treasure. With his long eyelashes lowered, his voice carried a hint of a smile, "This one... is already very good."
This was a gift Miss Xie had given him. Even if he never saw her again, it would be good to keep this as a memento.
After speaking, Pei Du paused, his gaze falling on the striking red mark on the side of her neck. "Does it hurt?"
Naturally, it didn't hurt.
Pei Du had quickly withdrawn his hand, leaving only an imperceptible soreness and numbness on her neck. Xie Jingci was a cultivator, after all, and wasn't so fragile as to cry over something like this.
Swallowing back the words that were about to blurt out, Xie Jingci looked up at Pei Du.
She had secretly liked Pei Du for so many years, only ever daring to stand in place and watch him from afar. He was aloof and taciturn by nature, and now that he had encountered such a disaster, he was determined not to burden others and would certainly not take the initiative to get close to her.
Only if she took the initiative to step forward could she break the deadlock.
The back of her ear felt as if it had been bitten by a small bug, burning hot.
In the quiet night, her gentle voice sounded, "It doesn't really hurt. Young Master Pei, I can't see the spot clearly. Could I trouble you to help me apply some medicine?"
Pei Du's back suddenly stiffened. When he looked up again, Xie Jingci was already handing him the ointment.
He had accidentally hurt Miss Xie, so it was only natural for him to apply the medicine for her, but...
A slight movement of his right hand drew out endless pain.
The bones in his sword-wielding right hand were broken, making even the simplest touch impossible. His left hand could move, but it was covered in scars and bloodstains, filthy and utterly hideous.
Catching a glimpse of her gaze drifting downward, Pei Du hid his left hand behind the outer robe.
"Didn't the Cleansing Spell clean it properly?"
Xie Jingci smiled. "This spell really doesn't seem to work well on bloodstains. Compared to the Cleansing Spell, sometimes clean water is more convenient, right?"
As she spoke, she took a water flask out of her storage bag, gave it a leisurely shake, and crooked a finger at him.
Pei Du immediately understood her intention.
A voice was telling him that his hands were too unsightly to be seen. If Miss Xie saw them, it would only add to her disgust.
However, her gaze was sincere. With just a slight smile, she could make him willingly follow her lead and extend that ruined left hand.
Miss Xie grasped his fingertips.
The clean water was slightly cool, spreading gradually as Xie Jingci rubbed his hand. Pei Du couldn't tell if this was true skin-to-skin contact or if there was a thin barrier between them.
Her fingers were warm, mixed with the icy coolness of the water. Tracing along his thumb, she outlined the lines of his palm one by one, like a feather brushing past, creating a subtle, tingling itch.
In the past, no matter what excruciating pain he faced, Pei Du could grit his teeth and not utter a single sound. Yet now, being stroked by her like this, a faint shudder ran down his back, and his breathing grew heavier.
He was truly pathetic; it was just a touch of the hand.
"Open your fingers, relax, don't tense up."
Her fingertips moved back and forth across his hand. Xie Jingci pressed down on the young man's protruding knuckles, moving in a circle. "I will take you back to Yunjing."
Pei Du looked up, suddenly meeting her eyes.
"Only by returning to Yunjing can we find a medical cultivator to heal your wounds."
Seeing the astonishment in his eyes, she continued, "Your meridians, your sea of consciousness, and all these various external injuries—my medical skills are shallow. I only know how to bandage and apply medicine; I can't help you much."
"There's no need."
Pei Du frowned. "What Miss Xie wants to do is merely repay a debt of gratitude. Saving me while I was gravely injured already counts as returning the favor. We owe each other nothing, so there is no need to trouble yourself."
Accepting the medicine was his limit. He would have to be a fool to follow her to Yunjing. Once people discovered them traveling together, Miss Xie would never be able to clear her name.
Xie Jingci just smiled. "So what? You want me to leave you alone in the Ghost Tomb to become food for evil spirits and demons? The Ghost Tomb has been in turmoil lately; Young Master Pei should know that, right?"
She pressed him step by step, easily dismantling all his defenses.
These were words no one could refuse, yet Pei Du could only push her away, trying his hardest to make his tone cold. "You and I have barely interacted. We have absolutely nothing to do with each other. Miss Xie doesn't need to—"
The hoarse voice of the young man abruptly paused.
Pei Du's heart clenched with a dull ache. "There's no need to pester me."
...He was truly rotten to the core.
Miss Xie didn't speak, and he didn't want to look into her eyes.
"Absolutely nothing to do with each other?"
Surprisingly, she didn't get angry. Instead, she chuckled softly, pressing her thumb against his palm and giving it a gentle hook.
The gesture was exceedingly intimate. Pei Du could hear the unstoppable beating of his heart in his chest, along with her voice: "Young Master Pei, since when... did even an engaged couple become 'having absolutely nothing to do with each other'?"
A drop of water fell on his heart, rippling silently, triggering an endless, towering tidal wave that crashed unstoppably against his chest.
Pei Du's entire sea of consciousness was in a daze, as if he were dreaming.
Her thumb continued to stroke along his palm lines. Amidst the maddeningly crisp itch, he felt an unprecedented nervousness.
"Since we are engaged, we are destined to become cultivation partners in the future. When a partner falls into hardship, there is no reason to abandon them."
Xie Jingci said, "I am not a reckless person. I have already considered this in advance. I won't let anyone easily discover your identity, and Young Master Pei doesn't need to worry about ruining my reputation. As for my parents... I will go and negotiate with them. They are not stubborn people, and I think they will understand your difficulties."
Pei Du trembled slightly at her touch.
"Settle down in Yunjing first. I will try my best to investigate the truth of the past and clear your name."
She noticed this momentary tremble, and there was a hint of a smile in her tone: "I'm not that incompetent. Just trust me this once for now, okay?"
There was absolutely no way to refute.
The emotions in his heart were so full that they were about to overflow. Pei Du saw her raise an eyebrow, stretch out her right hand, and hand over a bottle of ointment.
So he dipped some with his index finger, and Miss Xie leaned forward, maintaining a distance of inches.
The air suddenly warmed up due to her approach. Pei Du's heart tightened from the heat, and vaguely, he could feel her soft and gentle breathing.
When his fingertips landed on the side of her neck, she let out a low, breathy laugh and moved her body: "Sorry... it's a bit ticklish. Please continue."
Just this laugh was enough to make him hold his breath.
When he woke up from his light sleep earlier, Pei Du's first reaction was that he had a completely surreal, beautiful dream. After waking up from the dream, he was still struggling to survive in the Ghost Tomb. If he wasn't careful, he would be secretly assassinated by others.
But when he opened his eyes, he saw the real Miss Xie.
He had suffered for too long. When everyone turned their backs and left, there was only one figure approaching step by step.
And that person happened to be the girl he had admired for a long time.
Like a net covered in syrup, it gradually tightened, slowly restricted, and completely crushed his self-control all over his body, making him willingly drown in it.
Pei Du thought, he was doomed.
Pei Du rested for a night. Most of his wounds had stopped bleeding and coagulated into hard blood scabs.
When the sky was just getting bright, Xie Jingci gave him a few sets of inner and outer garments. It wasn't until she handed them to Pei Du that she suddenly felt something was wrong.
She had made up her mind to go to the Ghost Tomb to see Pei Du, so she bought clothes of a similar size to him. However, Pei Du knew nothing about this purpose. From his perspective, why would a perfectly good woman like Xie Jingci fill her storage bag with men's clothes?
And men's clothes that were much larger than her size.
Pei Du obviously thought of this too, showing a somewhat confused expression. Xie Jingci immediately straightened her posture and said seriously: "This is a gift I planned to give my dad. You can use it first."
When she bought it at the Jinxiu Workshop, the shopkeeper seemed to have said... this was the latest style of the season, which had just appeared not long ago.
These clothes couldn't be Xie Jingci's stock from three years ago. And according to what she told Pei Du, she rushed to the Ghost Tomb immediately after waking up. Unless her filial piety moved heaven and earth, how could she have time to carefully select clothes for Xie Shu?
Then what method did she use to buy it? Sleepwalking?
Xie Jingci completely couldn't explain it clearly.
Fortunately, although Pei Du felt it was strange, he didn't ask much about it. She laughed and changed the subject, and then Guiku was unsheathed, flying on the saber.
As the clouds and mist passed through her body, Xie Jingci thought very seriously, did this count as... kidnapping Pei Du and bringing him home?
The corners of her mouth curled up silently, and then she gently pressed it down. Xie Jingci rolled around in her heart.
"Bai Wan did such an unrighteous and unjust thing to you. If the truth can be revealed to the world, people's impression of you will be much better."
She thought carefully: "I heard that there are some methods to trace back memories in this world. If we find one of them, I think it will be much smoother."
Earlier, after applying the ointment, Xie Jingci asked Pei Du about the causes and consequences in the Ghost Tomb back then, as well as the major events that had occurred in the cultivation world in recent years.
The reason why the cultivation world hated him was that from the perspective of the vast majority of people, Pei Du was a murderer who harmed his relatives and single-mindedly tried to seize the family property. The reason why they crusaded against him was to uphold justice for heaven.
As long as the truth was revealed, everything would be completely different.
Pei Du, who was deeply hated by them, was actually the real victim of the secret back then. The justice and fairness they firmly believed in was just making a wedding dress for Bai Wan, unscrupulously harming kind people.
They were the executioners who couldn't distinguish between black and white, and what Pei Du had to face was the malice from the entire cultivation world.
By that time, the situation would definitely be reversed for the most part. After all, it was Bai Wan and Pei Yu who played everyone like clowns.
The favored children of heaven in the orthodox path were mostly arrogant. If they knew the truth, learned that they had been played for fools, and even helped the wicked...
Xie Jingci couldn't wait to see the scene at that time.
Guiku was sharp and desolate, drawing a majestic red light in the sky. Xie Jingci and Pei Du chatted intermittently. I don't know how long it took, but they finally arrived at Yunjing City.
Pei Du's identity must absolutely not be discovered by others.
Xie Jingci didn't care if she would be considered to have an illicit affair with an evil demon. The only thing she cared about was that once his identity was exposed, Pei Du would definitely die in the heavy encirclement.
She had already made preparations and applied a spiritual medicine that hid his aura and appearance on him. According to the original plan, she would first settle Pei Du in an inn. After she beat around the bush with her parents and observed Xie Shu and Yun Zhaoyan's reactions, she would decide whether to tell them the causes and consequences.
Of course, the premise of all this was "according to the original plan."
Standing in the noisy and clamorous Yunjing City, the corner of Xie Jingci's eye twitched.
Who could tell her...
Why did she run straight into her dad and her mom as soon as she stepped into Yunjing!!!
Before she left the Xie Mansion, she had left a note on the table, claiming that she had been bedridden for many days and wanted to go out for a walk to relax, hoping they wouldn't worry.
The meaning of this note's existence was to make a prevention in advance, ensuring that she wouldn't be beaten to death by her furious parents. But looking at it now, it seemed, appeared, probably, didn't have much use.
Yun Zhaoyan smiled coldly: "We searched the entire Yunjing. It turns out that Eldest Miss Xie went somewhere else. How truly carefree."
Xie Shu smiled amiably: "Where did Cici go? Did you have fun? And who is this young fellow Daoist?"
Their cultivation bases were so high. They must have sensed the aura the moment Guiku approached in the air, and so they followed the saber intent all the way here.
Xie Jingci felt like she was a fish on a chopping block.
"I went... to the suburbs. This is a friend I met in the suburbs."
She gave Pei Du a secret look, stepped forward, and grabbed Yun Zhaoyan's arm: "I'm sorry, Mom. When I woke up, it was quiet around, and you guys weren't home. Having laid down for so many days, I had to move around and find someone to talk to, right?"
"So it was the suburbs."
The female cultivator with cold and clear features curled her lips into a smile. Although her tone was light, the words she spat out were like thunder on flat ground: "I thought you went to the Ghost Tomb."
Xie Jingci's heart pounded, like someone had hit the back of her head.
She pretended to be curious and forced a smile: "The Ghost Tomb? Why would I go to that place? Did something happen?"
I don't know if it was an illusion, but Xie Jingci always felt that her mom's expression was wrong.
Like a fox waiting quietly for its prey, making her feel faintly uneasy.
And the fact was, this subconscious intuition was not false.
Yun Zhaoyan's expression remained unchanged as she blurted out, "Isn't it because you like Pei Du very much?"
If Xie Jingci had a mouthful of water right now, she would definitely have sprayed it all out.
L-l-like what? S-s-she liked Pei Du very much?
Xie Jingci jerked her head up.
"We were just planning to go to the Ghost Tomb to look for you."
Xie Shu also smiled, "When you got engaged to Pei Du back then, weren't you so excited that you didn't sleep for five days, crawling up and down the walls every night and laughing non-stop?"
She was clearly just curled up in her bedding rolling around! Plus, laughing while crawling around... she wasn't a monkey!
Xie Jingci tried to send a telepathic message to Pei Du, "He's talking nonsense, y-y-you have to believe me!"
Damn it, why did she stutter!
"Don't you have dozens of his portraits collected in your bedroom?"
Yun Zhaoyan chimed in, her gaze landing on Pei Du's face, "Little Daoist friend, wouldn't you say she looks like she's been possessed? To use her maid's exact words, 'Miss is giggling foolishly at the portrait again.'"
The more they spoke, the more outrageous it became. Was she that kind of person?
She merely often secretly sketched Pei Du's side profile in her diary, occasionally smiling as she drew. How could a scholar's hobby be called "being possessed"?
Xie Jingci understood.
These two were old foxes who had lived for a hundred years; they saw through her thoughts and Pei Du's identity at a single glance. The reason they said this was to force her to admit the truth as soon as possible.
—But you still shouldn't joke about your daughter's reputation!
She didn't even dare to think about what Pei Du would feel after hearing this.
"Little Daoist friend, are you feeling unwell?"
Xie Shu smiled kindly, showing not a trace of malice, "We are talking about Cici and her sweetheart, why is your face so red, little Daoist friend?"
Hearing the word "sweetheart," Xie Jingci felt her scalp go numb and hurriedly stole a glance up.
Good heavens, not just the tips of his ears, Pei Du's entire face was completely red.
Pei Du was blushing, and she had lost all face. Xie Jingci just wanted to cover her face and bury herself underground while sobbing.
A brief silence followed. In the blink of an eye, the young man had already taken a step forward and spoke in a deep voice, "Previously at the Ghost Tomb, thank you for your help, Senior."
He had temporarily changed his appearance using a spirit medicine, but his voice remained the same, clear and cold, with a hint of hoarseness.
Xie Shu had long seen through his identity, so he wasn't surprised upon hearing this, only laughing softly, "No need for formalities."
Xie Jingci: ?
This time it was Xie Jingci's turn to be confused, "Wait, what Ghost Tomb, what help?"
Pei Du explained in a low voice, "When the major noble families launched their siege before, at the critical moment, it was Senior Xie who let me off."
At that time, surrounded by enemies and heavy killing intent, Pei Du was already severely injured after breaking through the siege. As he fled in a sorry state, he happened to run into Xie Shu.
The sword-wielding man did not attack; instead, he quietly stared at him for a long time before letting out a long sigh, "Do you need my help?"
He was already a condemned man, how could he burden a senior.
So Pei Du shook his head, and Xie Shu stepped aside to make way, "Go."
"You little brat, do you have so little faith in your father and mother? Are we such unreasonable people? More than half of the healing medicines at home were gone, and when we passed by the Splendid Boutique just now, we heard that you specially bought several sets of men's clothing late at night. Putting two and two together, how could we not guess where you went?"
Yun Zhaoyan rubbed her temples, looking quite helpless, "But this is fine too. Being fully prepared is never a mistake."
More than half of the healing medicines were gone.
Specially bought several sets of men's clothing.
Xie Jingci felt she was doomed.
She had awkwardly told so many lies, but as soon as these words came out, wasn't it making it obvious to Pei Du that the reason she went to the Ghost Tomb... was entirely because she cared about him deeply and couldn't wait to bring him home?
Xie Jingci stiffened her neck and quietly looked up.
Pei Du's face grew even redder.
—So how on earth was she supposed to explain this later! Mother!
"It's not convenient to talk outside, how about we return to the Xie Manor first?"
Xie Shu raised an eyebrow, "You two must have a lot to talk about."
He wasn't stupid. The reason he was willing to help Pei Du was not only because he knew his daughter's feelings, but also because he could vaguely guess some of the truth regarding Bai Wan and Pei Yu.
Regardless of whether they knew each other or not, seeing an innocent child humiliated and falling, as a cultivator and a senior, Xie Shu would not be stingy with his assistance.
Xie Jingci stood stunned for several moments. Before returning to Yunjing, she had apprehensively made full mental preparations, formulating argument after argument in her head, determined to make her parents no longer reject Pei Du. However, listening to her father's tone...
She hadn't said a single word, and these two had already calmly accepted reality?
As expected of her father and mother!
Because he had hidden his aura and appearance, Pei Du was finally able to walk on the bustling streets again after several days.
The faint sunlight fell on the young man's face after a long time. He looked at every blade of grass, every tree, and the rows of towering pavilions with almost novel curiosity, the light and shadows flickering in his eyes, making it impossible to read his thoughts.
Xie Jingci coughed lightly, trying to mend the fold after the sheep had been lost, "Those things my parents said just now—"
"I understand."
Pei Du pursed his lips into a smile. Because he was standing in the sun, a faint light reflected in his eyes for the first time. The light was gentle, but brought about an inexplicable bitterness: "Senior was just joking to urge Miss Xie to reveal my identity truthfully. I know my place, Miss Xie doesn't need to overthink it."
He spoke so breezily, but Xie Jingci paused.
What did he mean... what did he mean by "knowing his place"?
This was clearly the phrase that suited him the least.
Actually, he was very good, different from everyone else; actually, someone had been secretly liking him all along, and would shed tears over the scars on his body. Pei Du knew absolutely nothing about these things.
Her heart skipped a beat again.
Perhaps the sunlight was too glaring, or perhaps the emotions in her heart were too full and overflowing, spilling all over the ground. Xie Jingci looked up to meet his gaze, her fingertips tightly gripping her cuffs: "What if I said, all of those things are true?"
