Chapter 68: Chapter Sixty‑Eight: Yet Another Deviation

After about the time it takes to burn half an incense stick, Ruan Xinli's tightly furrowed brows finally relaxed a little, but her consciousness was clearly not fully awake; she felt as if she were immersed in a chaotic ice lake.

Her long eyelashes trembled as she unconsciously murmured, 'So cold, so cold!' Instinctively seeking the only nearby source of warmth, she weakly and persistently curled into Qi Chengshuang's embrace, like a chick seeking shelter.

Qi Chengshuang had already stopped sending spiritual power; after successive fierce battles and the act of transmitting spiritual power, his inner qi surged incessantly, his meridians faintly ached, and he himself felt none too well, but his attention was wholly occupied by the fragile person in his arms. Feeling her slight tremble from the cold, that hint of discomfort was instantly overwhelmed by an indescribable pity.

He showed no hesitation whatsoever, even adding a kind of almost reverent tenderness; he carefully gathered Ruan Xinli's thin shoulders, drawing her tighter and more snugly against his broad chest, trying to dispel the chill deep in her bones with his own body heat. His movements were unconsciously gentle, fearing that even a bit more force would disturb her in his embrace.

Wow! What a situation! Shi Ran silently opened her mouth wide, raised her eyebrows, her eyes shining like a cat that had discovered a new continent, her gaze darting back and forth several times between Qi Chengshuang's weary yet gentle face and Ruan Xinli's half-exposed snow-white profile.

Good heavens! Earth! What had she discovered?! In the original novel, the three wives deeply devoted to Gu Yusheng, Ruan Xinli, actually had this second senior brother as an admirer, and moreover, that subtle affection between them had already blossomed?! For her, a reader who grew up on romance novels, this period was simply delicious to death!

To be honest, Ruan Xinli is someone she hasn't interacted with much; in the book, all the description of her revolves around the male lead's harem, portraying her gentle and tender, praising her as understanding and considerate. Although she isn't the male lead's most favored, she is the one he cannot do without, a comforting presence in his harem, the most fitting existence there.

Looking at it this way, she is indeed frail and pitiable, no doubt, but the object of her frail dependence... Shi Ran's gaze once again locked precisely onto Qi Chengshuang; right now she should be leaning on the male lead, so why is she clinging to this cold-faced second fool? The plot has gone awry, Author—she hasn't done anything, yet the plot has skewed on its own!

"Cough cough!" Luo Changfeng beside them couldn't bear to watch; the two clung to each other oblivious to the world, while Shi Ran's gaze almost burned holes through them—the gossip fire raged fiercely, even more intense than just burning spider silk—making him feel utterly uneasy.

Luo Changfeng sighed, grabbed Shi Ran and pulled her away without explanation, heading straight into the dense forest: 'Come on, come on, come on—don't you know that non‑propriety means don't look? Hurry and find a place to spend the night; that's the proper thing to do!'

"What non‑propriety... huh? Wait..." Shi Ran was just noticing Ruan Xinli's eyelids twitch slightly; she had wanted to stay and witness the ensuing romantic scene, but Luo Changfeng's grip was surprisingly strong and his action decisive—she didn't even have time to let out a short protest before being forcibly dragged away, leaving only a reluctant, lingering look over her shoulder as she departed.

The two pushed aside layer upon layer of branches and ventured deeper into the forest; they hadn't expected that after passing through an exceptionally dense vine barrier, the view would suddenly open up, revealing another strange sight: ancient trees with intertwined roots, canopies blocking out the sky, light dim yet not gloomy, and most astonishing of all, the mushrooms growing on the ground—enormous!

Their caps resembled little domed houses, firmly rooted in the thick moss—red like agate, yellow like amber, blue deep as the sea; colors varied yet strangely harmonious, scattered in orderly fashion across the clearing, like a tranquil, fantastical elf village.

These giant mushroom houses were simply perfect natural shelters.

Luo Changfeng looked around and finally settled on the red mushroom with the brightest color and thickest cap, deciding to camp there tonight. He bent over, skillfully clearing away the fallen leaves around the mushroom with his sword sheath to make sure no snakes or insects hid, and couldn't help but lecture Shi Ran, who kept peeking from the path: 'Hey, junior sister, why do you keep staring at people? If you really want to look, just release the Cloud-Listening Void and place it between them—saves you from craning your neck.'

In the sea of consciousness, the Cloud-Listening Void sneezed: 'Ah‑choo! Please don't think of me! Leave me alone!'

"Besides, the second junior brother is thin‑skinned, and Ruan junior sister is still dazed; if she opens her eyes she'll see your blazing gaze and feel even more embarrassed!"

Shi Ran helplessly withdrew her gaze, found a clean large stone to sit on, propped her chin and watched Luo Changfeng busy at work; hearing his words she smirked dismissively, 'What's embarrassing? Men and women attracting each other is natural—unmarried men and women developing mutual affection is perfectly justified!' Besides, she'd done nothing; it was Ruan Xinli's own fate‑red thread that had gone astray, and the plot had nothing to do with her.

Watching Luo Changfeng's focused profile as he cleared the ground, Shi Ran's eyes shifted and she suddenly threw out a question: 'Senior brother, coming back to this, don't you have anyone you like? You've lived... uh, such a long time!' She deliberately drew out the word 'long'.

"Pfft—" Luo Changfeng nearly choked on his own saliva, his clearing motions freezing. 'What do you mean by living such a long time? How long has he actually lived? How old is he?' he coughed.

Luo Changfeng rose to his feet, glared at Shi Ran with annoyance, his ears secretly reddening: 'You little brat, you have no idea what you're thinking all day! Worrying about others is less useful than thinking about how to improve your cultivation! Besides, the female cultivators chasing after me, your senior brother, number not ten but eight—I'm single‑mindedly devoted to the Dao, undistracted, with no such thoughts!'

"Really?" Shi Ran drew out her tone, full of disbelief.

In her mind flashed the original novel's tragic ending for Luo Changfeng: to fulfill Mei Ruoxue and Gu Yusheng, he resolutely chose to plunge into the Demon‑Slaying Cavern, leaving the chance of life to Gu Yusheng—how could that be lack of thought? It was clearly his deep, restrained love for Mei Ruoxue; he would sacrifice his own life as long as the ones he loved were happy, and then he himself would be happy.

Yet Mei Ruoxue wasn't particularly grateful to Luo Changfeng either, since going to the Demon‑Slaying Cavern was his own suggestion, so leaving him to be torn apart by myriad demons was only fitting; she even completely forgot that, had it not been to save Gu Yusheng, who was deeply trapped in the demon realm, Luo Changfeng would never have gone to his death!

But this is the destined ending—how could such an ending be changed?