Chapter 111: The Peculiar and Strange Return of Lingxiang

Long Qi had not seen Lingxiang these past few days and was truly feeling somewhat restless; he had lost all the smugness he possessed just a few days ago. In his heart, he could only think: could it be that he had been too forward on the day of the Lantern Festival, and this little girl was now avoiding him?

Xin Yi watched Long Qi, who was sighing and lamenting from time to time, and immediately knew that this lad was surely feeling uneasy again because of Lingxiang. He just smiled, patted his shoulder, and turned to head down the mountain to rendezvous with Guanchen—today it was his turn to stand night watch.

Staring at Xin Yi's retreating figure as he went down the mountain, Long Qi's thoughts churned endlessly. If he hadn't listened to his words, he would never have been so reckless. Now, things were in a mess; that little girl had hidden herself away and wouldn't even speak to him. Where was he supposed to go to find her?

Rendong happened to be heading out at this moment and saw Long Qi sighing incessantly on the stone bench under the tree; he suddenly felt a sense of bitterness in his heart.

Long Qi had been right that day; when it came to the time spent with Lingxiang, Long Qi had spent the most, so he certainly held no advantage. However, looking at his current state, it seemed he didn't know much about Lingxiang's affairs, whereas he himself had learned quite a bit from Zhuzhang Laoren. Although it wasn't everything, he was surely more in the know than Long Qi, wasn't he?

Now that his body had fully recovered, he might as well cultivate diligently; who was to say he wouldn't be worthy of her one day? It was just that...

It was just that Lingxiang's whereabouts were now unknown, and he had absolutely no idea how to proceed. With his own Spirit Root aptitude, what could he even do?

While the two were lost in thought, they saw a puff of dust scatter at the courtyard gate, and before long, Lingxiang and Shoucheng appeared from within the dusty mist. As soon as the two stood still, they saw Lingxiang rush hurriedly toward the room she had previously forbidden everyone from entering. As she ran, she said to Shoucheng:

"The matter is somewhat urgent, so I've troubled you to see me to the door. I cannot thank you now; I will come to find you later. You should return to report to your master first."

She then entered the room and closed the door, leaving the three people in the courtyard dumbfounded.

Watching Lingxiang depart as if she were untethered from the world, Shoucheng had not yet regained his senses when he saw Long Qi approach with a fawning smile.

"Senior Brother, you went down the mountain with my master recently, didn't you? Could you tell us where you went? We could follow suit; who knows, we might even be able to improve our cultivation."

Improve cultivation? What kind of cultivation could one improve by plucking a blade of grass?

"Uh..." Shoucheng held out a hand to stop the approaching Long Qi. "I merely followed Junior Aunt to the Ancient Bamboo Forest. As for what she went there to do, I am not entirely sure." As he spoke, he squatted down, grabbed a handful of dirt, and tossed it into the air; with an Earth Escape, he vanished without a trace.

Ancient Bamboo Forest? The Ancient Bamboo Forest again. Why does this girl always run there when she has nothing to do?

Long Qi looked puzzled and glanced at Rendong under the veranda. Rendong returned a faint smile and turned to enter his room.

This Ancient Bamboo Forest is spoken of so mysteriously; if there is an opportunity in the future, I must certainly pay it a visit.

Lingxiang was so anxious, and naturally, she had her reasons; she wanted to craft a weapon for Rendong.

In ancient times, many magical artifacts and divine weapons were mostly made by people with profound Daoist attainments. Things like the Soul-Slaughtering Banner, when examined at their essence, were nothing more than talismans. Since others could make them, she could naturally do so as well. At the very least, she was in the Foundation Establishment Three Realms, was she not?

As for why she was so urgent: firstly, the Spirit Qi of the Purple-Leaf Gold Cloud is prone to dissipation—the longer it is delayed, the more is lost. Secondly, crafting a weapon requires time for careful polishing, and the process of chanting talismans is quite cumbersome; if it takes too long, many things will be missed.

As soon as she entered the room, Lingxiang rummaged through boxes and cabinets, searching for books. She vaguely remembered seeing a book when she was young that contained methods for making magical artifacts like the Gold Coin Sword. She had once read it with great interest, but after reading it, she had tossed it aside, never imagining that she would actually have a use for its contents today.

Long Qi could hear the sounds from inside the room as soon as he got close. He was very curious; he had never seen Lingxiang enter this room before, so why did she think to go in today? Moreover, what he was most curious about was what kind of objects were in this room that made Lingxiang hide them away like this, explicitly forbidding them from entering.

He knocked on the door and probed, "Lingxiang! Lingxiang! Is there some trouble? Why not let me come in and help you?"

"You dare!" Just as he was about to push the door open and enter, he heard Lingxiang shout urgently, "Your master is busy lately; do not disturb me. Go and cultivate on your own!" Although she said this, the sounds in the room did not stop.

Long Qi was utterly baffled. He hunched his body and leaned toward the door crack, wanting to see the situation inside, but the door suddenly opened, causing him to nearly tumble forward. Fortunately, he reined in his force, but his posture was now somewhat strange...

Lingxiang and Long Qi were one inside and one outside, face to face, with only half a hair's breadth away from touching. In such a situation, both were stunned, and they simultaneously thought of that night of the Lantern Festival.

Both of their faces flushed red. For a moment, neither moved, as if time had stopped; even the chirping of the sparrows could not reach their ears.

Just as Long Qi was thinking about whether to take a step further, Lingxiang suddenly pushed him. With his mind already blank, he lost his balance and tumbled down the steps.

"You... you... what are you doing!" Lingxiang's cheeks were crimson, her hands incessantly twisting the book she had just found.

Long Qi scrambled up, his face also flushed with red: "I... I... I just wanted to see if you needed help."

Lingxiang hurriedly turned and ran toward her own room. Just as she was about to push the door open, she said without looking back, "Your... your master... your master has things to attend to these few days; you behave yourself for a few days... I will take you all to cultivate after a while!" Saying this, she pushed the door open and entered, leaving Long Qi standing there in a daze.

Seeing Lingxiang close her door, Long Qi felt regret. Why hadn't he moved forward sooner? He might have been able to kiss Lingxiang. At the thought of Lingxiang's soft, sweet lips, he immediately became restless.

The lake was sparkling, and river lanterns drifted across the water, flowing with the current. The sounds of peddling and singing from the lakeside were endless, yet they did not affect the two people under the tree in the slightest—and these two were Long Qi and Lingxiang.

The old tree was covered in red ropes and silk ribbons tied by infatuated men and women making wishes. At this moment, a breeze blew past, and the ribbons fluttered. It was unknown which couple had tied one, but it hadn't been fastened securely and drifted away with the wind.

Under the tree, Lingxiang looked as if she were drunk, her face flushed as if she had applied rouge, and she kept biting her lip. Long Qi, watching from the side, felt immense joy in his heart.

Seeing the little person before him looking so delectable, Long Qi couldn't help but bend down and lean in, but Lingxiang shyly dodged backward and whispered:

"There are outsiders all around, Brother Qi, don't be like this..."

Her voice was so sweet it reached the bones, scratching at Long Qi's heart until it itched. He pulled Lingxiang into his arms and said in a low voice, "There is no one else. Even if there were, don't be afraid—I am here!"

As he spoke, he lowered his head, intending to kiss Lingxiang's alluring little lips.

But just at the moment they were about to touch, he heard a "clatter"...

He only heard a "clatter." Just now, Lingxiang had been in such a hurry to return to her room that she hadn't closed the room she forbade Long Qi and the others from entering. A gust of wind blew by, actually blowing open half of the door.

Hearing the sound, Long Qi immediately came to his senses. He looked at the door that wasn't fully closed, lost in thought: he wasn't trying to peek at the objects in the room; it was just that Lingxiang had forgotten to close the door. He was merely helping her close it properly, and it was only out of necessity that he saw what was inside...

Thinking this, Long Qi tiptoed into the room, only to see the room in a state of chaos, with books scattered all over the floor, the table, and the couch.

It was just books; what was there to be ashamed of?

Long Qi, puzzled, picked one up at random, only to see the four characters "Joyous Secret Play" written prominently on the cover!