Chapter 29: Chapter Twenty-Nine: Blood-Colored Icicle Flower

"Master, why aren't you speaking?" Shi Ran gazed at Ling Xiao, feeling as if his soul had flown away…

"Ah? Uh! Really! Yes." Ling Xiao came back to his senses and then affirmed.

"Then Master, let me check your wound?" Shi Ran's train of thought jumped; often before the other person could respond to the previous conversation, she switched topics.

"No need, I'm fine as your master..." Ling Xiao involuntarily shifted back a bit.

"How can you be fine? I stabbed you through…"

"Cough cough cough!" Shi Ran's words easily sparked imagination; Ling Xiao could barely cope: "Really, I'm fine, even Yu Sheng was injured by your master, isn't he the same?"

"He's not the same!" He is a born male lead; as long as his head isn't cut off, no matter where he's injured, the next day he's full of vigor.

"He's not the same! How are they not the same?" These words echoed in Ling Xiao's ears; he momentarily let his guard down, and Shi Ran ripped open his clothes.

"Shi Ran!" Ling Xiao finally shouted at her in exasperation.

Shi Ran paid no heed; just now in the water she had only vaguely seen his chest muscles, a glance made her dare not look further, but now that she had torn open his clothes she saw a faint blood-colored icicle flower on the master's left chest.

That tiny blood-colored icicle flower simply bloomed on Ling Xiao's chest.

That is the trace left by Bing Xi!

"I said I'm fine as your master!" Ling Xiao calmly pushed Shi Ran away, stood up, straightened his collar, "It's getting late; you should head back!"

"Master? Why?"

Why? But he is the creator of the barrier; within the barrier, everyone's injuries can disappear after the second reincarnation, except him!

As for the barrier, he is the Creator God, so he cannot suffer any harm at all.

"So, Emperor River will substitute for you to test us, right?"

"So, you only appear after each ending, right?"

"So, I really injured you, right??"

Ling Xiao turned around and saw Shi Ran's tears welling up beneath her eyelids. Like accumulated grievances, when he looked at her, she could no longer bear the weight; they slid down her jade-like cheeks, leaving a faint cool trace on her pink skin.

Her eyes, misty with tears, appeared even deeper like an autumn pool, reflecting the lights and shadows of the mortal world; the water rippled slightly, shattering countless reflected lights, and also shaking his contemplative state.

"You…"

"So, you're healing your wounds alone here?" Shi Ran touched her face; she actually cried? Why? Just out of guilt? "You know Bing Xi's injuries cause frostbite, even freeze the meridians!"

How painful must that be? This person, how can he be like that— isn't he also flesh and blood?

Ling Xiao felt it didn't matter; as a cultivator he'd seen all kinds of injuries, he just didn't understand; he unconsciously wiped the tears from Shi Ran's face, "You… why are you crying?"

"It hurts!" Shi Ran sighed; she had come to apologize, but seeing the wound she felt that saying "sorry" or not made no difference.

Ling Xiao stopped asking; the master said he had no long affection threads, so he merely felt strange— he was the one injured, yet it was another who cried, as if she could understand his pain.

The one who understood him still didn't leave, naturally saying, "Master, I'm hungry!"

Ling Xiao glanced at her, "You're practicing grain abstinence!"

Shi Ran wasn't hungry, but she craved, "I want spicy hot pot, spicy fragrant hot pot, spicy duck head over bridge rice noodles… I want Mixue Ice City, Luckin Coffee, Heytea…"

Ling Xiao listened silently for a moment, then rummaged in his treasure ring, "I only have roasted chicken and pear blossom white here!"

"Sure sure sure!" Shi Ran nodded eagerly, "Roasted chicken, hey! It's definitely better than those heavily processed foods!"

In the treasure ring there is no flow of time, so whatever goes in comes out the same; Shi Ran saw the roasted chicken still steaming, her eyes widened!

"Go ahead and eat! Although it can't compare to Wang Po's melon seeds, it's also the famous Zhang Family roasted chicken!"

"Wang Po's melon seeds? What's that?" Shi Ran couldn't recall, but it didn't matter; she tore off a chicken leg without hesitation and handed it to Ling Xiao, "Master, this is for you!"

"For him?" Ling Xiao dumbly took the drumstick, while Shi Ran on the other side had already gulped down half a chicken leg, couldn't swallow it, and washed it down with pear blossom white.

"... She downed a cup in one go!?" Ling Xiao immediately set down the drumstick, snatched back the pear blossom white, "Enough!"

"Hmm~ why won't you let people drink?" After a cup of wine, Shi Ran felt a bit light-headed, she rested her head and looked at Ling Xiao, only to notice his chicken leg had been sneakily snatched by a reddish-yellow fatty!

"What is this?" Shi Ran narrowed her eyes, realizing what stood before her was a miniature version of Emperor River!

"Smack!" Shi Ran slapped the table, "Great! Since heaven has a path you don't take, hell~ well, hell has no gate yet you barge in!"

Ling Xiao, unfazed by the oddity, calmly pulled Shi Ran, "You've had too much to drink, you're seeing things!"

"Seeing wrong? How could it be? Six legs, four wings, no eyes, no ears— who else could it be but Emperor River?" Shi Ran took off running to chase him, but Ling Xiao intercepted her at the waist, "He just likes to nibble on some roasted chicken; don't quarrel with him over it!"

"Why? Well~ why not mind, that's the roasted chicken you gave me!"

Ling Xiao froze, "Is that the point?"

Emperor River, seeing the two motionless, flew out from behind Ling Xiao, rushed toward the roasted chicken, didn't expect his aim to be poor, not as fierce as when he hunted people in the barrier; he dove in, missed the chicken, and instead knocked over the pear blossom white.

For a moment, fragrance of wine filled the Illuminating Heart Cave; the already muddled Shi Ran became even more muddled, she hummed and hawed at the hand gripping her waist, "Let go, let go, I… I… I want to see where it eats from! You… let go, you accomplice!"

Only then did Ling Xiao realize what he was doing; in his panic he had embraced Shi Ran, and now she still sat on his thigh, his hand tightly encircling her slender willow waist.

"Xiao Jiang!" Ling Xiao's face flushed red, whether from anger or embarrassment; he helped Shi Ran to her feet, "Stand steady! I'll catch him and give him to you!"

"Xiao Jiang, come out!"

Emperor River cautiously poked out a head… well, maybe a butt, looking pitifully at him and Shi Ran.

"Come over! Apologize!" Ling Xiao decided, let her do as she wishes; as long as she happily finishes playing, she can leave from here.

Emperor River stamped his foot, "Do you think I'm that silly turtle? I absolutely will not go!"

"Hey! He even rebelled against you!" Ling Xiao narrowed his eyes, about to catch Emperor River, but as he loosened his grip, the wine-soaked Shi Ran toppled backward.

To avoid hurting Shi Ran's head, Ling Xiao had no choice but to hold her again; yet Shi Ran remained unsteady, falling backward and dragging Ling Xiao down with her.