The Warmth You Give (4)
A wisp of smoke rose from the top of the four-cornered incense burner, swirling and filling the room with a light, fragrant scent that permeated even the pages of the books. The aroma was calming, a welcome respite from the tension that had hung in the air.
Lin Qianshuang had brewed a pot of flower tea, adding the detoxification powder Xiao Lanle had given her. She poured two cups, handing one to Xiao Lanle.
Xiao Lanle, having finished copying the five hundred sect rules, folded the booklet neatly and took the cup of tea. She gently blew away the white petals floating in the porcelain cup, sipping the tea with an air of elegance that contrasted with her usual abrasive demeanor.
Lin Qianshuang, on the other hand, drank her tea quickly, as if it were just plain water. Xiao Lanle couldn’t help but feel a touch of amusement. The tea was made with ice lotus from Kunlun Mountain, a rare and expensive flower.
Xiao Lanle wanted to tease Lin Qianshuang for her lack of appreciation for the fine tea, but then she caught sight of Lin Qianshuang’s cheeks, slightly puffed out as she chewed on a petal. The sight was inexplicably endearing. Unable to resist, Xiao Lanle mimicked Lin Qianshuang, biting into a petal herself.
The sweet taste lingered on her tongue, leaving a pleasant fragrance in her mouth.
Her heart stirred, her fingers warming around the porcelain cup. Her gaze, filled with a hint of warmth, lingered on Lin Qianshuang.
Lin Qianshuang was engrossed in the open book, meticulously circling key points with her pen. Sensing Xiao Lanle’s gaze, she looked up, meeting the other girl’s smiling eyes. Her beautiful face, usually reserved and even sharp, now seemed to soften, like ice melting under the dawn sun. The gentle smile, paired with her dark, almond-shaped eyes, was so captivating that Lin Qianshuang felt a moment of disorientation.
The beautiful face drew closer, the red lips approaching hers. As their noses nearly touched, Lin Qianshuang’s heart skipped a beat, and she instinctively closed her eyes in fear.
A hand, holding a silk handkerchief, gently wiped her cheek.
Xiao Lanle smiled, leaning closer to Lin Qianshuang’s ear. “Senior Sister Lin,” she said, “You’ve got ink all over your face. Are you really so clumsy that you can’t even hold a pen?”
Lin Qianshuang blinked, coming back to reality. A blush crept onto her cheeks as she realized her awkwardness. Junior Sister Xiao’s smile was truly captivating, enough to leave even a woman speechless.
But why had she closed her eyes? Junior Sister Xiao wasn’t having an attack; she didn’t need to be afraid of her at all.
Lin Qianshuang thought dejectedly, suspecting she was traumatized by Xiao Lanle’s inner demons.
A hand quickly and forcefully adjusted her pencil grip, transforming it into the standard way to hold a brush.
Xiao Lanle walked behind Lin Qianshuang, resting her chin on her shoulder. She gently held Lin Qianshuang’s hand, which was holding the pencil, and patiently circled and corrected the marks she had made.
“Senior Sister Lin, it seems you haven’t heard Fairy Jinghua give a proper lecture. The points you’re marking are all useless. Look… it should be here, and here…”
Lin Qianshuang tilted her head. Xiao Lanle’s breath was close at hand, and her usually petulant and arrogant face was now serious and solemn. The hand holding hers was gentle.
She lowered her head and looked at the neat and clean markings and underlining on the booklet, and the patient explanations from the other party. A warm current flowed through her heart. It turned out that Junior Sister Xiao also had such a warm-hearted side, and she wasn’t as ill-tempered and venomous as she had initially appeared.
She might only speak ill of those she hated, but it was good to be so clear-cut in love and hate, living a simple life.
Lin Qianshuang rested her chin on her hand, lost in thought. She carefully examined the markings Xiao Lanle had left on the pages, each key point clearly highlighted. Xiao Lanle was clearly organized and sharp-minded. If she were in the real world, she’d probably be a top student, easily mastering any subject.
The system whispered in the shadows, “[Host, you’ve chosen her to lead the Immortal Alliance. You should have more faith in her. Also, I must remind you that investing in relationships is risky. Your heart rate has reached a dangerous level whenever Xiao Lanle is near. Please be cautious.]”
Lin Qianshuang clicked her tongue. “My heart is racing because I’m scared, alright? But you’re right, we need to address Xiao Lanle’s mental health issues before they escalate. It’s a serious problem.”
Footsteps echoed from outside the library.
Lin Qianshuang peered out the window and saw Liang Jingxuan approaching, his face flushed from his recent encounter with Huaixiang.
She quickly feigned unconsciousness, collapsing over the open book on the table.
Lin Qianshuang cautiously opened one eye and glanced at Xiao Lanle, who was also pretending to be asleep, her head resting on her hand.
Liang Jingxuan entered the library and went straight to the incense burner. He extinguished the calming incense with tea and tossed it out the window. He then placed the teapot on the table, patted Lin Qianshuang’s shoulder, and gently nudged Xiao Lanle.
“Senior Sister Lin? Junior Sister Xiao?”
Liang Jingxuan was relieved to see that the two, lying on the table, didn’t respond.
Ever since the Demon Realm Domain Lord had severely injured him, the system hadn’t spoken for a long time. It had been showing that it was under maintenance, with only the latest unlocked quest clues remaining.
The first quest, which appeared very early on, was to find the sect’s greatest treasure. The second quest had now appeared: becoming the Sect Master to seize the sect’s greatest treasure.
Liang Jingxuan’s original divine sword, the Purple Heavenly Sword, had nearly shattered after the battle in the Demon Realm. Only the Penglai Immortal Sect’s supreme treasure, the Glazed Temple Gem, was able to restore it.
“Senior Sister.”
Lin Qianshuang felt a hand touch the top of her head.
“Give me ten years. After ten years, I will repair the Purple Heavenly Sword and take you away from the Penglai Immortal Sect.”
Lin Qianshuang scoffed inwardly, a wave of disdain washing over her. This shameless man dared to dream so grandly. He had ruined countless girls in the Penglai Immortal Sect, and now, after ten years, he planned to simply walk away? She wished he could experience the sting of being used and then discarded.
Liang Jingxuan, after a moment of gazing at Lin Qianshuang, withdrew his hand and turned his attention to Xiao Lanle, who lay unconscious at the table opposite her.
Xiao Lanle, asleep, was far more alluring than when she was awake. Her peaceful face, bathed in the soft light of the library, captivated him.
Business first, he thought. After all, Xiao Lanle was going to marry him. She would be his sooner or later.
A sense of smugness filled him as he gently lifted Xiao Lanle from her seat and helped her lean against the back of the chair. He then pressed his hand against her temple, his fingers weaving intricate spirit art. This was the forbidden Soul Search Spell, a lost art that could delve into the subconscious and extract hidden memories.
Liang Jingxuan tried to penetrate Xiao Lanle’s sea of consciousness with the Soul Search Spell, hoping to awaken her subconscious and question her, but it was like throwing a stone into the sea—no reaction whatsoever.
He was surprised. He had used the Soul Search Spell on others before, but no one had reacted like Xiao Lanle. Not even the most basic response.
Liang Jingxuan wondered if he had cast the spell incorrectly, so he gathered a vortex of true energy around his fingertips and stabbed towards Xiao Lanle’s temple.
A powerful and intimidating force within Xiao Lanle’s sea of consciousness sensed the intrusion. As Liang Jingxuan’s true energy invaded, a repulsive force seized him and flung him out of her consciousness.
The cold edge of a sword pressed against Liang Jingxuan’s throat, and his limbs were crushed in an instant.
Liang Jingxuan’s limbs hung limply on the ground. He screamed in agony but couldn’t move. His bones seemed to have dissolved into dust, offering no support.
He stared in horror as Xiao Lanle’s eyes turned crimson, and a cruel, twisted smile stretched across her lips.
Xiao Lanle crouched down, holding a small dish crawling with poisonous insects. She patted Liang Jingxuan’s cheek and laughed cruelly, saying, “Senior Brother Liang, you betrayed Lanle and deceived my feelings. Do you choose to die slowly, cut to pieces by a blade, or would you prefer I cut your skin open with this sword and let these hungry insects devour your flesh and blood?”
Liang Jingxuan was stunned by Xiao Lanle’s sudden, aberrant behavior. He didn’t know what had happened. His Purple Heavenly Sword was shattered, his limbs broken and useless, and he was so terrified that his teeth chattered. He stammered, “Junior Sister Xiao, I am a descendant of the Beiling Liang family, and your fiancé. You can’t kill me!”
“A cowardly, lustful man like you wants to be my fiancé? Ha!”
Xiao Lanle sneered, her face twisted with contempt. She slashed Liang Jingxuan’s clothes to shreds with her sword qi, carving dozens of bloody wounds across his back. As she overturned the bowl in her hand, the poisonous insects crawled onto his exposed flesh, drawn by the scent of blood, and burrowed into his open wounds.
She pinched his chin, relishing his terrified expression, and forced a red pill into his mouth. Closing his lips, she said with a wicked smile, “Senior Brother Liang, how could I let you die so easily? I was just teasing you. These insects won’t kill you. They’ll leave once they’ve had their fill, at most making you faint from the blood loss. As for this medicine, it’s the best. You drugged me with Ecstasy in my room, how could I not return the favor?”
Liang Jingxuan was shocked. The red pill had already been swallowed and digested. He wanted to hurl the most vile insults at Xiao Lanle, but the drug took effect, his consciousness blurring, and his body feeling light and floating, as if he were walking on clouds.
Lin Qianshuang, watching from the table, felt a chill run down her spine as Xiao Lanle’s protective personality surfaced.
She hurried over to check on Liang Jingxuan. If something happened to him at this crucial moment, the laws of heaven might protect him from death, but the story would definitely change.
Lin Qianshuang quietly slapped Liang Jingxuan on the head with demonic energy, completely erasing his memory of the incident.
A sharp sword energy struck from behind. Lin Qianshuang dodged and drew her sword to block Xiao Lanle’s attack.
“Senior Sister Lin, I like you very much, but you’ve affected Lanle. She’s resisting my appearance, and she’s starting to face my existence.”
Xiao Lanle’s crimson eyes fixed on Lin Qianshuang. The Plain Inquiry Sword slid and ground against its scabbard, producing a piercing hiss. She pressed the sword against Lin Qianshuang’s shoulder, forcing her into a corner. The full weight of her Golden Core stage pressure bore down on Lin Qianshuang.
“It’s a pity if you’re dead, but if you don’t die, then you’re my greatest threat.”
Xiao Lanle brought her sword close to Lin Qianshuang’s cheek and whispered in her ear, “Senior Sister Lin, tell me, should I kill you?”
Lin Qianshuang was about to unleash her full cultivation strength to push Xiao Lanle away, but suddenly Xiao Lanle’s face contorted in pain. The Plain Inquiry Sword in her hand disintegrated into scattered spiritual light, and her eyes flickered with shifting colors.
Struggling against the emergence of her inner demon, Xiao Lanle threw a soul-locking rope at Lin Qianshuang, gasping, “Senior Sister Lin, use this rope to bind me and take me to Tianshu City… I’m having an attack, I… I can’t control myself.”