Chapter 184: Butterfly Loves Flowers

No human traces were seen within the stone alley; only the Yang family lanterns swayed gently in the night breeze.

Linghu Qingmo walked into the familiar alley with sword in hand, scanning the white walls on both sides, feeling a deep sense of "things remain, people change," but as he approached Courtyard No. 6, he suddenly heard a faint sound—hmm...

The sound of swatting mosquitoes?

Linghu Qingmo thought Ling'er had left a maid behind to watch the courtyard before departing; after a moment's consideration, he leaped over the wall.

He discovered the courtyard was spotless, indeed cleaned daily by someone, but the noise from the backyard suddenly ceased.

Linghu Qingmo, slightly puzzled, passed through the moon gate and looked toward the sleeping room lit by lamps.

Logically, even if a maid was left to clean, she would not possibly sleep in the master's bedroom...

Seeing the person seemed not yet asleep, Linghu Qingmo called out:

"Is anyone there?"

Splash~

Movement of someone rising immediately came from the room, seemingly mixed with the "pop~" of uncorking a bottle, followed by a familiar, clear voice:

"Seeing Mo Mo?!"

The tone was filled with shock, mixed with a hint of nervousness.

Linghu Qingmo also shuddered all over, first looking left and right at the surroundings, confirming he was in Danyang, then walked toward the door:

"Xie Jinhuan?! How did you end up here too?"

"Uh... tonight I was slaying demons and monsters at Songhe Bay, was ambushed, escaped here, and am recovering my injuries here. That thing..."

"Is that so?"

Linghu Qingmo ran in small, quick steps, pushed the door open with one hand, came directly to the bedroom entrance, and peered inside.

He discovered the room was clean, a small lamp lit by the bedhead, and two weapons leaning against the side.

Xie Jinhuan sat on the bed, covered in sweat with reddened skin, a clear wound on his left arm, the soft armor on his chest pierced with a hole, his expression somewhat indescribably complex.

"Xie Jinhuan?!"

Seeing this scene, Linghu Qingmo's heart nearly broke; he quickly came to the bedside to check the injuries:

"How did you get hurt like this? Even the soft armor was shattered; who did this?"

Xie Jinhuan's expression was quite awkward:

"Uh... I'm not clear either; it was definitely a supreme expert. Fearing an ambush upon returning to the capital, I ran here to hide and recover. How did you come?"

Linghu Qingmo sat nearby, carefully examining the injured arm:

"I came back to help you ask about the Diamond Dew, and by the way, I stopped by to check; who would have thought you'd be here too. You were perfectly fine this morning, and in the blink of an eye, you're covered in injuries. Eh? Why are you sweating so much?"

Xie Jinhuan had been constantly taking the Fire-Over-Water Pill, so sweating profusely was normal; he explained immediately:

"I was just circulating energy to heal my injuries; it's fine now."

Linghu Qingmo truly did not expect to encounter Xie Jinhuan, utterly wretched, here; seeing his upper body was still relatively intact, he pulled up the autumn quilt, wanting to check if his waist and legs were injured, but the quilt was pressed down.

Linghu Qingmo noticed Xie Jinhuan hesitating to speak, and his heart shuddered:

"Your leg isn't broken, is it?"

"Not yet; I just haven't put on clothes..."

"Let me see!"

Linghu Qingmo had touched before; seeing this, he forcibly pulled the autumn quilt away, only to discover...

Perfectly intact.

?

The room fell silent for a moment.

Linghu Qingmo quickly averted his gaze, pressed the autumn quilt down:

"What's going on with you? Even while hiding here to recover injuries, you can... I'll go to Wang Fu to call a Physician over..."

Xie Jinhuan quickly raised his hand: "No need; there might be spies at Wang Fu. I'm not in bad shape; resting for a while will suffice. Hmm... I've sweated all over; I'll go wash."

Linghu Qingmo could not bear to let the injury-ridden Xie Jinhuan get up; he pressed down on his shoulder:

"You just rest well; I'll go fetch water for you."

Saying this, he got up and quickly left the room.

Xie Jinhuan was somewhat dazed, but after Seeing Mo Mo left the room, he quickly got up and opened the wardrobe.

Creak~

Several robes hung inside the wardrobe.

Bing Tuozi, wearing a black skirt, had already pressed down the skirt hem, huddled on the lower shelf with knees hugged, holding shoes, a sword, and a veil hat in her hands; her eyes were terrified, and Bingshan's face was pale as death.

Xie Jinhuan knew Bing Tuozi was terrified; he comforted her in a low voice:

"It's fine; this is my bosom friend, one of our own. If you don't tidy up, we can meet..."

Do you think I haven't died fast enough?

Nangong Ye's eyes carried overwhelming killing intent and panic; she wished she could scatter this little thief right then and there!

But clearly there was no chance at present; she first carefully checked the window, then crawled out:

"I have no relationship with you; we cannot let others misunderstand! The antidote just now was mutual help; now I am basically fine; let us settle accounts here and now. If you dare to hold onto what happened just now, this will be the consequence!"

Crack~

As he spoke, Nangong Ye pinched the wardrobe partition between two fingers; with just a slight force, the finger-thick partition was directly crushed into a notch, and the wood shavings turned to dust!

Xie Jinhuan secretly drew in a cold breath, wishing he could spank this spendthrift wife:

"Why are you pinching the wardrobe? This is the landlord lady's furniture..."

Nangong Ye's soul was half scared away; she had no mind to care about these things; after warning with a face like Bingshan, she urged with her eyes:

"You go hold her back so I can leave. Also, wash yourself clean; don't touch that Miss!"

His gaze swept up and down, full of disdain...

Xie Jinhuan picked up his robe and draped it over himself, warning as well:

"You are not allowed to run around! And you are absolutely forbidden to go missing! Otherwise, you bear the consequences yourself... Hiss~"

Nangong Ye pinched his lower back with one hand, twisting it hard twice to sweep away Xie Jinhuan's stray thoughts:

"We are even from this point on! To prevent an ambush by a Super-Grade expert, I will send you back to Jingcheng. I will not hold what happened just now against you. In the future, do not come to Fengyi River without cause. If you do otherwise..."

Crack~

He squeezed another small notch into the partition.

Oh my goodness...

Xie Jinhuan's heart ached terribly; he raised a hand:

"Fine, fine, fine! Do not ruin the furniture. Since no one lives in the courtyard anyway, you may rest here for the night."

While speaking, he still tried to lean in for a farewell kiss.

?

Nangong Ye, whose Dao Heart nearly shattered from the fright, would not soften his heart again. He grabbed Xie Jinhuan's shoulders and shoved him straight to the door:

Splash~

Linghu Qingmo was looking for a basin in the bathroom. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Xie Jinhuan rushing out headlong. He quickly put down the object:

"Why have you come out? Did I not tell you to lie down?"

Xie Jinhuan had simply been thrown out by that monstrous carriage; at this moment, he smiled a bit awkwardly:

"I was afraid you would be scared alone at night, so I came."

"You are injured! Go back and lie down!"

Linghu Qingmo's eyes turned slightly fierce as he tried to send Xie Jinhuan back. Yet, the moment he reached him, he was pulled into the bathroom and pinned against the wall. His face instantly panicked, and he curled his hands against his chest:

"You are injured and still acting handsy?"

"Sigh, I'm just looking..."

"Move aside!"

Meanwhile, amidst the playful banter, Nangong Ye, wearing a veil hat and carrying embroidered shoes, cautiously peeked out. Seeing nothing, he leaped into the neighboring courtyard like the wind.

Xie Jinhuan was covered in sweat and indeed could not hold Seeing Mo Mo properly; he merely pinned him against the wall like a domineering CEO:

"I just asked you to inquire about news of the Vajra Dew. Why did you run so far?"

Seeing the scars on his body, Linghu Qingmo could no longer act fierce. He took the Mao Jin and helped wipe the sweat from his forehead:

"I asked fellow disciples in Jingcheng. They said this matter was difficult to handle, so I returned to Danyang to check. It is not far."

Xie Jinhuan had only asked casually that morning. He never expected Seeing Mo Mo to run all the way from Jingcheng back to Danyang for him. The gratitude in his eyes was genuine:

"Who said it is not far? Right now, the Jingzhao Prefecture is full of undercurrents. Incidents follow one after another. Remember to watch your own safety. If you must travel far in the future, either bring personnel or call for me. Do not run around alone..."

"You are lecturing me? I have seen you injured nine out of ten times..."

"Today was an accident; I accidentally drilled into the demon bandits' lair. It shall not happen again."

While Xie Jinhuan spoke, he drew water from the Cloud Pool and poured it directly over his head, washing away the sweat and everything else.

Seeing this, Linghu Qingmo was stunned. He hurried forward to help unbutton the robe:

"Why are you bathing with your clothes on? Be careful of your wounds..."

Xie Jinhuan had poured a bucket of cold water, finally cooling his fiery temper. He smiled and said:

"I will do it myself. You rest inside the room so I do not do anything reckless later."

"Do you do anything reckless less often?"

With the mindset of "I can also give you gentle care," Linghu Qingmo suppressed his shame, took the Mao Jin, and helped scrub his back, his eyes not wandering:

"Stand still! I will bandage you later."

Scrub, scrub, scrub~

The force was quite strong, like scrubbing a horse.

Xie Jinhuan felt truly ashamed to have Seeing Mo Mo help him. After thinking for a moment, he said:

"Are you going to bathe? I can help scrub you too."

?

Linghu Qingmo's action paused, his eyes turning slightly cold. The meaning was likely: "I am bathing, but can I do it with you?"

Seeing this, Xie Jinhuan did not press: "Then let it be owed for now. I will help you bathe later. I see the new residence has a large bath pool..." "Hmph~ Ling'er only knows how to get you all sorts of unnecessary things. We cultivators must take demon-slaying as our duty..."

"Doesn't this count as taking demon-slaying as my duty?"

"Hmm... You certainly count. But you must still uphold the Righteous Path. You cannot be bewitched by certain women who only know how to sleep secretly, losing your fighting spirit. The land of tenderness is the hero's grave..."

"Hehe..."

At the same time, in the neighboring residence.

Nangong Ye stood in the empty room, drawing water to wash quietly. Hearing the words coming from next door, his Bingshan face revealed a trace of sorrow. He wished he could just dive headfirst into the well.

But with matters already at this point, there was no turning back.

It was this young man who had worn him down with soft persuasion and coercion. Now that the poison is mostly gone and the Guardian Sand is still there, he would pretend nothing happened. In the future, he would simply draw a clear line.

How could a proper young hero of the Righteous Path possibly...

Nangong Ye dared not recall what had happened in the room just now. He simply chanted the Heart-Calming Mantra, wanting to sweep away all stray thoughts.

But he discovered that this young man was not only restless in front of her but was the same in front of Linghu Qingmo!

Shortly after, in the sleeping chamber.

Xie Jinhuan, clean all over, leaned against the headboard, holding the Ice Soul Armor in his right hand and examining it, his eyes filled with heartache.

Linghu Qingmo sat sideways on the edge of the bed, dipping a cotton ball in medicinal ointment to carefully wipe the scabbed wound on her left arm, then wrapping it with bandages:

"Only a piece of the chest is shattered; it can be repaired by Xu Hunli, but the price might be a bit high..."

Xie Jinhuan knew Xu Hunli's worth; one punch like that would cost him at least five thousand taels of silver, and that was already a favor price!

If he didn't repay it tenfold in blood, he feared he would be unable to sleep or eat peacefully in the future!

Thinking of what the Ghost Wife said today about it being a Buddhist Supreme Grade, Xie Jinhuan asked:

"What has the Abbot of Fanyun Temple been doing lately?"

Linghu Qingmo recalled slightly: "Patrolling for demons and evil spirits in Huzhou. Do you know that Daoist Li secretly kept a mistress? It seems Monk Jinghai was the one who pointed that out..."

Xie Jinhuan had naturally heard about it and recalled slightly:

"According to the records in 'The Rogue Lu Wu Zhen', it seems Zhang Sect also had a few romantic entanglements..."

Linghu Qingmo shook her head hastily: "Although Zhang Sect had two wives, they were subsequent marriages after the previous ones passed away naturally. The path to immortality is long; if there is a gap in talent, the lifespan difference is actually quite large. It is said that Zhang Sect's current wife was found by the previous one on her deathbed, fearing that Zhang Sect would seek immortality alone without anyone by his side..."

Xie Jinhuan nodded slightly; hearing the topics of 'Daoist Partner' and 'Immortality', he couldn't help but hold Seeing Mo Mo's hand:

"I am different. If one day I can attain immortality, I will definitely pull you with me to the Jade Terrace."

?

Linghu Qingmo was originally somewhat moved, but upon thinking carefully:

"Do you think my talent is weak and I can't ascend on my own?"

"No!"

Xie Jinhuan said earnestly: "It's just that with me, you will ascend a bit faster."

"Hmph~ Smooth talker."

After bandaging her arm, Linghu Qingmo thought for a moment and said:

"By the way, I just asked my Junior Uncle. Junior Uncle came up with an idea that could help you get the Vajra Dew. I don't approve, but I still want to discuss it with you..."

"What idea?"

"It's a challenge duel with a wager..."

Linghu Qingmo explained the method of 'Rising in Anger for a Beauty':

"If you go to Fanyun Temple to challenge in the name of helping me, winning would certainly get us the Vajra Dew, but then the two of us would... would be unclear! And if we lose... eh?"

Xie Jinhuan raised his hand and pulled Seeing Mo Mo over, leaning her against his shoulder:

"The two of us are already unclear; who in Jingcheng doesn't know about Dan Yang? Is it not right for me to settle matters on your behalf?"

Linghu Qingmo's face flushed red, and she wanted to get up:

"That's because you were secretly writing love letters to me here and getting handsy; I... I never agreed to you..."

"Last time when we returned from Tieji Gang, you..."

"That was taking the wrong medicine; it can't be taken seriously!"

Linghu Qingmo's gaze was serious, as if she had completely forgotten the matter of 'taking what was said at that time as the standard'.

Xie Jinhuan looked at the hairpin inserted in her bun, then gazed at the Bai Yu bracelet, and nodded:

"Then I will confess now. The path of immortals is long, and immortality is hard to expect. I wonder, Miss Seeing Mo Mo, are you willing to become my Daoist Partner, to study profound methods together and go to the Jade Terrace together in the future?"

"..."

Linghu Qingmo didn't dare to answer immediately; after pondering for a long time, she responded haltingly:

"It is hard to disobey a master's order; I listen to my master. Asking me is useless..."

Xie Jinhuan nodded: "Fine. I will go raze Fanyun Temple the day after tomorrow, just to serve as a敲门 brick for Zhang Sect."

Linghu Qingmo tried to struggle up, but hearing this, she froze:

"The day after tomorrow? You were just injured; prepare for at least half a month..."

Xie Jinhuan had to attend the martial arts tournament in eight days, and he also needed to go see the Abbot of Fanyun Temple to confirm whether he was indeed the Supreme Grade who attacked him; this matter was definitely better sooner rather than later, so he said seriously:

"The Chan Meditation School excels at defense; their offensive arts are not strong, and Fanyun Temple's eldest disciple definitely hasn't reached the peak of Rank 1. I am confident. Leave these matters to me."

Linghu Qingmo's eyes moved; she couldn't well deny Xie Jinhuan's decision, and tried to get up again:

"It is too late; rest early. I will go sleep at the Princess's Manor... eh?"

Xie Jinhuan pulled the person back, pulled the autumn quilt over both their legs, and said earnestly:

"Current safety is uncertain; don't run around. Rest here, and we will go back together tomorrow."

Linghu Qingmo knew that Sister Vase slept with him all day, but she herself hadn't slept with him yet; her eyes were slightly fierce:

"Don't think I don't know your intentions; I won't sleep here."

"Don't you have a 'Stop' opportunity? If you feel the situation is wrong, just shout 'Stop'; I will definitely keep my word."

"..."

Linghu Qingmo thought it made sense and pondered slightly:

"I can guard the night and protect your Dao for you, but you must give me an extra 'Stop' opportunity!"

?

Xie Jinhuan hadn't even thought that this thing could be used as a bargaining chip; he carefully examined the ice-and-snow intelligent Seeing Mo Mo:

"Fine."

With two 'Stop' opportunities to back her up, Linghu Qingmo's courage grew; she turned and blew out the lamp:

"You sleep; I will guard the night for you... 呜~?"

Their lips met.

A lone man and a lone woman leaned against the headboard, starting to flirt, occasionally sparking little love sparks...

Scritch-scritch~

……

In the courtyard next door, Nangong Ye stood fully dressed by the wall, his Bingshan face wearing a very complex expression.

His look was like that of a Bingshan female CEO who had caught a hooligan flirting, yet also like that of a conservative elder who had caught a junior stealing food.

If he knew he ought to call the hooligan "Little Junior Uncle," it would probably be even more complex…

Discovering the situation inside the room was not quite right, Nangong Ye knew he shouldn't intervene, but he also feared Linghu Qingmo might be bullied so foolishly; after a moment's deliberation, he leaped up, plucked a leaf, and landed on the balcony of Princess Changning's boudoir.

"Doo~ wuwu…"

Su Boyu's "Butterfly Loves the Flower"…

Xie Jinhuan noticed Bing Tuozi was eavesdropping and even playing a tune; fearing the person might be provoked into rushing in to stab him, he reined himself in slightly.

But Linghu Qingmo wasn't paying attention to what was happening outside the window; noticing Xie Jinhuan had suddenly become quiet, she felt slightly puzzled—I haven't even said stop yet…

"What's wrong?"

"Nothing. Rest well and gather your strength."

"…"

Linghu Qingmo was very surprised; after a moment's thought, she said:

"If you feel I'm disturbing your rest, I'll go to the Princess's mansion…"

"How could that be!"

Fearing Seeing Mo Mo would feel hurt, Xie Jinhuan turned his head and launched a sneak attack; then the two of them started fighting again…

Scritch-scritch—

"Doo-wuu~…"

Nangong Ye played the tune for a long time, only to find Xie Jinhuan still flirting; her phoenix eyes grew colder and colder.

But she could do nothing about it; she even had to stand guard there to prevent anyone from coming to assassinate, and she couldn't even feel jealousy, after all, her jealousy would be unjustified!

I, the great Sect Master of Mount Zihui, have one day ended up squatting on a balcony, reduced to such a wretched state…

Is this the result of bringing it upon oneself…

If that dead kid ever gets close to me again, I won't be Nangong Ye anymore…

Demonic Woman, all of this is your doing; sooner or later, you'll have to stand outside like this too…

That's actually quite difficult; no matter how blindly the Demonic Woman messes around, it's impossible for her to end up in such a situation…

Thinking this, a trace of sorrow appeared in Nangong Ye's Bingshan beautiful eyes; she entered Ling'er's room and sat in meditation, pretending not to see and thus keeping her mind at peace…

……

(End of this chapter)