Duan Meng used needles to incapacitate Zhou Sangong and all of his surviving followers who did not have their chance to escape, then led them all to the place of punishment, an underground pit in another part of Wansui Gu, not caring if they were injured, dying or had been bitten by poisonous animals. Zhou Xiangnu and Yang Lei assisted him.
The sound from Zhu Baique's bayinxiao flute could no longer be heard, replaced by the sounds of fighting from deep within the cave where Xu Qiao and the others were.
Liao Xian and Yin Xiuchen took the lead into the cave, and Jinshui still managed to see the two of them clash with Zhu Baique.
Huang Yu came closer, also witnessing this unexpected event, but he quickly noticed that the Zhu Baique that Liao Xian and Yin Xiuchen were facing did not carry a bayinxiao flute in her hand, nor were the moves she played at all typical moves of the original descendant of Huling.
The real Zhu Baique came out from the cave, charging towards the fake Zhu Baique with the bayinxiao flute in her hand. Xu Qiao followed her, her shawl weapon already stretched towards the fake Zhu Baique, about to snatch the neck.
However, the fake Zhu Baique was more cunning, had already scattered a few secret needles, and then quickly turned around, running away into thin air. Liao Xian quickly caught up while the original Zhu Baique held Xu Qiao from leaving the cave, still having time to twist the bayinxiao flute in her hand to knock out several needles.
However, several needles still managed to hit Yin Xiuchen. The needles were so small, they spread with great force and could be said to be no less than the way the Chailang's descendant spread his chess pieces.
"Qiao-er," Jinshui's main concern was his girl, "are you hurt?"
"I'm fine," replied Xu Qiao.
"Zu Ye Niang, the trickster of Liangshan Liu Mo," Huang Yu quickly realized the identity of the person who had just impersonated the descendant of Huling. "It must be him."
Yin Xiuchen pulled out the needle, realizing that the secret weapon that Zu Ye Niang spread contained poison. She quickly sat cross-legged and let Zhu Baique help overcome the poison with internal energy.
"Where's Liuxin Meimei?" Jinshui asked.
"Hua Jinshui, your little princess sister is here, come quickly and help her," a voice that answered his question was a voice sent from far away. Jinshui recognized the voice as Ma Yongtao's.
Jinshui didn't want to be provoked and left his injured friends behind again, but a second later a short blade was thrown at him, sinking into the ground beside him. That short blade was Liuxin's weapon, indicating that the owner might have fallen into Liangshan Liu Mo's hands.
Liao Xian hadn't returned yet, Qin Liangjie and Huang Yu were injured, Yin Xiuchen was poisoned, Jinshui himself was actually in no condition, but he knew there was no other choice but to go and save Liuxin.
"Qiao-er, you protect them," he threw his xuanlong sword to Xu Qiao, grabbed Liuxin's short blade, and took a leap to the origins of Ma Yongtao's voice.
Huang Yu didn't get a chance to stop him. He was about to come after, but at that moment he realized that Wang Wei's punch was not light, he had to sit down and try to deal with internal injuries.
Xu Qiao held the xuanlong sword and was about to catch up with Jinshui but realized that her qinggong was insufficient to match Jinshui's. She could only stay on the ground with Huang Yu and the others.
Jinshui chased Zu Ye Niang's voice all the way to the top of the cliff, but he didn't find a single human shadow on the cliff. The trickster's qinggong or body lightness, was indeed very good. If only Jinshui was in his normal condition, maybe then he would be able to catch up with him. Yet Jinshui was still recovering from the internal injuries from the fight with Xie Tianhu. If he had to face another high-skilled martial figure, he knew that he would face great difficulties.
He almost decided to return to the cave beneath the cliff when a figure in purple flashed on the rocks nearby, slowly luring him farther and farther. Occasionally the purple figure would deliberately slow down, allowing Jinshui to catch up.
Up above the cliff, Jinshui didn't want to chase any further. He left Xu Qiao behind in Wansui Gu, his friends were injured and poisoned, and things might get dangerous, so he began to slow down his footsteps.
"Hua Jinshui," the purple figure immediately called out to him, knowing that Jinshui was about to turn around and head back down there for Xu Qiao and the others.
"It's you…." Jinshui recognized the purple figure. "Qingyi."
Qingyi did not give him any answer. The handsome scholar Ma Yongtao suddenly appeared over the cliff with Liuxin in his hand, still alive and struggling. Ma Yongtao purposely pointed out his captive to Jinshui, then with a single kick, he flew to the top of a higher cliff.
"Qingyi, Liuxin is your sister," Jinshui said to Qingyi, "she is taken by the second member of Liangshan Liu Mo, a notorious gang of sadistic criminals. Considering Menggui Shishu, hurry up and help her."
"Liuxin is my sister?" Qingyi replied unhappily, "I never thought of her as a sister, for my mother's sake I should also get rid of her. She falls into Liangshan Mojun Ma Yongtao's hands because I asked Li Baixun to catch her lover first and lure her here. Now you tell me, why should I ask Ma Yongtao to let her go?"
"What did you say?" asked Jinshui. "Why are you with Liangshan Liu Mo?"
"I was the one who invited them to help Zhou Sangong seize power in Wansui Gu," Qingyi said. "To be honest, I didn't expect that Ma Yongtao would be willing to help, just like that, without any conditions."
Jinshui looked down. Xu Qiao was still there, and he was worried that another member of Liangshan Liu Mo would come to make troubles with those in the cave while he was here for Liuxin, also still had to deal with Qingyi.
"You only want to protect your lover, don't care about the fate of your little sister?" Qingyi asked in a mocking tone. "It took so much trouble getting up here, do you want to give up the opportunity to help her?"
"Then please don't get in the way," Jinshui said to Qingyi, growing impatient. He was about to continue hunting for Ma Yongtao, but Qingyi deliberately blocked in front of him, and they collided with each other on the cliff.
"Actually you can hit me once so that I fall down there and die immediately, can't interfere with your business here anymore, but why haven't you?" Qingyi asked him. "Don't you have the heart?"
"I promised your mother Menggui Shishu to take care of you for life," Jinshui replied. "That day you had rejected my promise, I should have no more obligation to you. But I don't like to break any promise. If you need help like Liuxin Meimei now, I will also wholeheartedly help you."
"Liuxin Meimei?" Qingyi mentioned the name with deep hatred. "You love Xu Guniang so much, but a part of your heart can still contain a Liuxin."
"Liuxin is a sister to me. Qingyi, pardon me." He aimed toward Qingyi's feet, forcing her to slip from her footing. Simultaneously Jinshui also slammed out a wave of energy, forcing her to fall to safety, then took a leap. Qingyi quickly stood up again and followed.
"Hua Jinshui, your obligation to me is done, but I still have some business with you!" she yelled in hatred, slowly pointing at a cliff nearby. "Look!"
Jinshui looked in the direction she was pointing. On top of the steepest cliff, there was an old dying tree. At the end of two separated tree branches were two figures tied with ropes made of leiying vines, one person on the far right and the other on the far left. They did not dare to move carelessly for fear of harming more than themselves. Saving one of these two persons would mean to sacrifice the other.
The two were Liuxin and Yue Songdai. While Ma Yongtao or Li Baixun, or any member of Liangshan Liu Mo were nowhere around them.
"Hua Gege!" Liuxin yelled loudly in despair.
"Hua Jinshui, you don't have to worry!" Yue Songdai yelled too, but more in a playful tone, "We have been poisoned, we will definitely die, we don't need you to play hero, you should go help the others."
"I gave them the leiying hua poison," Qingyi told Jinshui, "not only them but there are some more. Haitang Jian Pai disciples who were caught by Zhou Sangong, also had some of Zhu Ye's catches. I don't think I need to mention their name to you one by one, right?"
"Are you really Qingyi I knew?" Jinshui asked her. Menggui's daughter Qingyi was his childhood friend, and Jinshui never expected her to help Zhou Sangong to revolt in Wansui Gu, or harm her half-sister Liuxin. "Troubleshooting at Wansui Gu, your true target is Laofeng or us Yumen descendants?"
"My target?" the woman laughed cynically. "Of course, it's for the sake of blocking the descendants from rebuilding and reviving Yumen Sect. As for Zeng Baifeng, anyone knows that he masters the number one medicinal and poison scriptures under heaven, and can be used against you."
"What did Yumen Jiao ever do to you?" Jinshui asked again.
"What did you do?" replied Qingyi in a higher tone, "the guardians agreed to leave one person, on what basis did they let Shuiyao live comfortably as a concubine in the palace, while my mother had to die miserably."
Qingyi harbored deep hatred and dissatisfaction ever since Shuiyao got the status of a concubine, while her mother raised her alone with great hardships. The hatred and dissatisfaction deepened when Xianjing Wang accepted her at the wangfu but did not admit her as his biological daughter, instead letting her become a servant. Her anger peaked when she found out about Menggui's tragic death.
"I am the son of our late leader Wu Youwei, everything that happened to Menggui Shishu will be my responsibility," said Jinshui, "no need to involve other descendants."
"Ah, you have no right to call yourself the son of Wu Youwei," Qingyi sneered at him, "he would never acknowledge you as his son."
Her words were sharp and hateful, instantly piercing Jinshui's heart.
Jinshui realized, all this time Wu Youwei didn't know of his existence, naturally had not had the chance to acknowledge himself as a son. He never really thought about this matter, and the sudden mention influenced him to a lesser extent. At that moment, he lost his composure.
Qingyi took advantage of this opportunity. She let go of several secret weapons, aiming at the two ropes that tied Yue Songdai and Liuxin up on the cliff there. The weapons didn't cut the ropes entirely, but lower the strength of the ropes, instantly made things dangerous. Any small force would send Yue Songdai and Liuxin down the cliff. At that time, Shuiyao's inner energy wouldn't be enough to keep Liuxin alive either.
Jinshui didn't think much anymore, and immediately lunged forward to help Liuxin and Yue Songdai first. Qingyi blocked him, of course. On top of the cliff, the two clashed with each other, Qingyi deliberately toyed with her opponent, blocking his every move. Her objective was only to let Jinshui witness the death of his two friends without being able to help. She knew this would certainly affect his role among the other Yumen descendants.
"See how you help your friends!" Qingyi really made Jinshui unable to concentrate properly. Occasionally she showered Liuxin and Yue Songdai with her secret weapon. One managed to hit Liuxin's leg. Blood immediately flowed out, provoking Yue Songdai to scream out swear words.
"You shameless demoness! Lowly whore!"
Qingyi seemed to really have set her mind on killing the two. Once again she released the secret weapons, Yue Songdai's rope snapped in an instant. Jinshui almost too late jumped to grab the tip, trying to block it by sticking Liuxin's short blade between the rocks. He knew that at a time like this, it was nearly impossible to save two lives at once.
The situation had not changed yet, Qingyi approached Liuxin's ropes and untied the knot slowly. Jinshui tried to find a way to keep Yue Songdai in his place, but he didn't have time to act when Liuxin's body lurched down the cliff, and her screams suddenly heard.
"Liuxin!"
"Liuxin!" Yue Songdai was shocked as well.
Qingyi managed to grab the end of Liuxin's rope at a critical moment. Her strength was apparently enough to hold the princess down there. She laughed. This game seemed to be a lot of fun for her.
"Liuxin Junzhu has been very good to me, and I shouldn't have any grudges against her because she's not the biological daughter of Shuiyao that fox demon after all," Qingyi spoke in a slower manner. She held Liuxin's rope in her hands.
Liuxin was still alive, but if Qingyi let go of the rope one more time, then no one would be able to save her.
"It's just that Liuxin Meimei had to die too because Hua Jinshui cared about her."
"You are the daughter of one of the Yumen guardians, why do this?" Jinshui tried to buy time a bit, mustering enough strength in order to pull Yue Songdai up with one move and simultaneously save Liuxin in the next second. It would take strength, speed, and accuracy, and can't miss at all.
"I don't like her because you care about her," Qingyi spoke again, her eyes staring at Jinshui, "I would love to see her die in the most painful way. As long as I live, whenever I see you care for someone, I will kill her."
Jinshui paid her no heed, at that moment with a single move he pulled Yue Songdai up to the top of the cliff safely enough. Then he swiftly dashed off, snatching Liuxin's rope from Qingyi's hand. Qingyi didn't let go, Jinshui quickly cut the rope and managed to secure Liuxin in his arms. But of course, Qingyi didn't let him succeed.
While Jinshui was pulling Liuxin up, Qingyi stepped towards Yue Songdai instead. The young man had safely stepped on the ground above the cliff, but his hands and feet were still tied. With just one swoop, he was thrown down. Jinshui and Liuxin finally could only watch as Yue Songdai's body fell down the cliff, hit the rocks against the wall, then disappeared into the thick fog.
"Yue Dage!"
Liuxin screamed in despair, she struggled hard and was about to catch up with him. Jinshui's grip almost slipped, with all his remaining strength he just managed to pull Liuxin off the cliff.
"Let me go! Yue Dage!"
Jinshui had to knock her unconscious. Qingyi witnessed this situation, and although she failed in taking the life of one of the Yumen descendants, at least succeeded in making Liuxin watch as her lover was thrown down a deep cliff. She laughed loudly, letting Jinshui carry Liuxin to safety.
"Where is your xuanlong jian?" Qingyi suddenly asked Jinshui. "Did you lend it to your girl to protect her?"
She stepped towards the sloping part of the mountain, clearly indicating to Jinshui the intention to find Xu Qiao and harm her. Jinshui knew he couldn't let that woman go. He put Liuxin on a rock, then blocked her, wanting to paralyze her to block her from going down there.
Qingyi dodged to the side, then countered with a punch to Jinshui's back. Jinshui's strength was only one part left, coupled with his emotions which made him unable to think straight anymore, that punch hit his head. Jinshui's eyes turned blurry, and he didn't know what happened after that.
--
Jinshui felt the world turning dark for so long, it was like he was moving to another realm. His body felt light, he could float in the air, but when he knew his hands and feet were still intact, he didn't have the ability to move even the tips of his fingers.
He then saw a faint figure of a young woman dressed all in purple, force a spoonful of dark-colored liquid into his mouth. He couldn't tell whether the liquid was bitter or sweet, sour or salty. It wasn't long before he started to smell a distinctive fragrance. A familiar smell, as if it had once stuck in his world.
His fingers moved slowly, then his sights began to adapt to the incoming lights. He tried to get out of bed, but slowly the sunlight that slipped on the wall of the wooden hut where he was, touched his vision, telling him that he was still in the world.
"Jinshui, you wake?" a soft distorted voice came to his ears. "I just gave you medicine to increase your strength and also channeled some pure energy. Your internal injuries are no longer dangerous. It's just that for the time being, it's better not to use your own energy carelessly."
"You..." Jinshui recognized the voice. His head felt unbelievably heavy, the owner of the voice supported it with a fragrant and gentle hand. Jinshui tried to push away, but the fragrant and soft hand was still there.
"Your injuries are very serious, don't you know that?" the soft voice spoke to him again. "Right now, you don't need to think about them, nor do you need to care about anything. This place is safe, as well as quiet, and very suitable to be a place to rest and heal wounds. I will take care of you, in the next two months you will definitely recover completely, and you can even practice your inner energy with me. The wuqing xue that you study, will probably be able to break through to the higher level."
Jinshui's memories slowly came back. The events of that day replayed in his mind. Zhou Sangong's rebellion in Wansui Gu, was all injured and poisoned. He went to that cliff and tried to save Liuxin and Yue Songdai, and Qingyi knocked him unconscious.
"You...." his gaze shifted to the owner of the voice who claimed to be helping him, Jinshui's vision cleared, but his head still felt very heavy.
Qingyi. Jinshui still remembered the first meeting at Xuanwu Lake ten years ago, then escaping with Moying and Menggui. He and Qingyi had been together, had been in love... Jinshui had promised to take care of her for the rest of her life.
"You... why did you come to Wansui Gu, made a mess, and captured Liuxin and Yue Songdai?" Jinshui asked her. He remembered everything that happened, but his body was still very weak now. He knew he would not be able to have another fight with Qingyi.
"That day Liuxin left me at the Jianyin Bang headquarters, I didn't return to the prince's residence. I tried to find my mother in her hometown, only to find out how she died," Qingyi said slowly. "I initially was going to return to the capital and meet Shuiyao to tell her everything, but eliminating Shuiyao alone wouldn't be enough for me. My mother had been in a lot of trouble all her life, and the other guardians didn't care about her. The guardians are gone, so you, the descendants, have to pay for everything they did."
"Menggui Shishu never discussed personal matters with the other guardians," Jinshui said weakly, "Menggui and Shuiyao Shishu were always good sisters. Menggui Shishu never thought Shuiyao Shishu had taken away her rights."
"I was thinking, who was the most powerful clan to deal with the Yumen descendants in this martial world," Qingyi ignored his words. "Jianyin Bang is already destroyed. Lin Tongtian is too old and his organization is now useless. The leader of Yongjun Hui is nothing but a coward. Haitang Jian Pai doesn't have that much ability. So I then went to Zhou Sangong and said I would help him seize power in Wansui Gu."
"You want to use poison against us," Jinshui said.
Qingyi's eyes pointed at the incense burning in the room. The fragrance from the incense made Jinshui's head feel heavy, he couldn't exert even a bit of internal energy, even moving his fingers was hurtful.
"I once heard that in Wansui Gu there is a kind of poison called xian nu xiang du (goddess incense poison)," Qingyi said again, "this poison will be very useful for the qian li xiang wei (scented of a thousand li) that I am practicing, so I also asked for it a bit to Zhou Sangong. Unexpectedly, he was willing to give me some, and then also told me that he had indeed wanted full control over Wansui Gu for a long time."
Jinshui knew enough that Qingyi liked to use some kind of fragrance since she was young, meaning that she had studied this art for years. Qian li xiang wei was a kind of ability to influence people with the smell of an intoxicating fragrance. Jinshui didn't know where she got this knowledge from. Qingyi's mother Menggui even let her man leave her for another woman, meaning this knowledge should not be obtained from the mother. It was possible that Qingyi tried to learn it on her own so that she wouldn't have the same fate as Menggui.
"Qian li xiang wei alone is not enough for my mother to keep my father, nor can I use it to keep you," Qingyi spoke again, "but I'm pretty sure if I add xian nu xiang du, then I will be capable enough to bring you back to my side, wholeheartedly willing to leave your precious Xu Qiao."
"Qiao-er," this name brought a reaction to Jinshui, he did not know Xu Qiao's condition at that moment. The worry sent pain through his body.
Qingyi guided Jinshui to sit on the chair. Jinshui's energy had not returned in the slightest. Inside this small hut, it felt like there was no fresh air, but he didn't even have the ability to get out. His head felt very heavy. Qingyi wanted him to listen to her story, even he had no ability to refuse.
"After I met Shuiyao in Wuzhang City that day, I searched for other people who would possibly help Zhou Sangong seize power in Wansui Gu," Qingyi continued, "actually I didn't think much of it, nor did I know where to start, so I followed you from afar, knowing that the Yumen descendants were on their way to Baiyu Shan. Then, I saw Zhu Baique leaving with that mysterious scholar. I followed them, saw that the scholar seemed to have a certain intention, and found it really interesting."
"Ma Yongtao is the second member of Liangshan Liu Mo," Jinshui said, "apparently he really is using Zhu Guniang for his own benefit."
"Ma Yongtao said he would marry her, and told her that he would introduce her to his family, then take her to meet the other demons," Qingyi continued. "I saw Zhu Baique's reaction when she found out that her lover was Liangshan Mojun, who was famous for torturing people until they lost their minds. I know her father died because of Liangshan Liu Mo. Really this Ma Yongtao had deceived her very attractively."
She laughed happily, apparently enjoying seeing one of the Yumen descendants suffer. Jinshui clenched his fists, holding back his emotions. If that Ma Yongtao had hurt Zhu Baique, he would truly be unable to let him go.
"I saw everything that happened when you were there," Qingyi continued. "Ma Yongtao taking away his dajie laoda from the other members of Liangshan Liu Mo after your fight, I found this to be something interesting as well. I couldn't catch up with them, but later I confronted Zu Ye, Wang Wei, Li Baixun, and Fuchang Long, and inquired about this matter. Those four actually didn't want to say anything, but at that time Ma Yongtao suddenly came back, alone, so I immediately proposed to help the rebellion in Wansui Gu. When I told him that Wansui Gu could be used to deal with the Yumen descendants, he immediately agreed, and then even took his four brothers to capture more of Yuan Wancui's disciples."
Moying's internal energy was flowing fainty in Jinshui's veins, giving him the spirit to maintain consciousness. Slowly he tried to regulate the flow of energy into every nerve in his body, allowing himself to muster the strength to escape Qingyi's influence. But this process was very slow, Jinshui also had to be careful. The opponent he faced this time was no ordinary enemy.
"Yuan Wancui had been around Wansui Gu for several days, but her pride was too high to go directly to Zeng Baifeng and ask her father to support her against you Yumen descendants," Qingyi continued to tell her story, "but in the end, she abandoned his disciples, secretly single-handedly entered Wansui Gu, met Zhou Sangong. Catching a rotten woman like her wasn't too difficult, catching her students also only needed a little effort."
Zhou Sangong and his men poisoned Yuan Wancui, then brought her to Zeng Baifeng, hoping that after Zeng Baifeng exhausted his energy to save the Haitang Jian Pai leader, he would be killed easily. A simple plan of rebellion.
"You told me your plan, aren't you worried that I'll mess up the next one?" Jinshui asked, trying to buy more times.
"You're already by my side, can't you be kind to me like when my mother was around?" Qingyi sat beside Jinshui and touched his face, ignoring his questions. "As long as you are willing to come back to me, we are like before, then I will no longer make things difficult for the Yumen descendants. That Miss Xu, you might as well still see her." There was another intention in her subtle words.
"What did you say?" Jinshui stood up, reached for Liuxin's short blade lied nearby, gripped it in his hand, and pointed the tip at Qingyi.
"There's no need to think hard now," Qingyi pushed away the weapon, grabbed Jinshui's arm, and almost embraced him. The distinct smell wafting more and more distinctly, Jinshui momentarily felt his vision blur, it was almost too late for him to retain consciousness. This Qingyi in front of him was no longer the daughter of Menggui he had known years ago. He had changed, this Qingyi had also changed.
"Jinshui, why don't you rest a little more? There is still time to consider it."
Jinshui used the sword to get rid of her hand, then walked out of the small hut they were in. The door was unlocked, but he pushed it open with all his might.
Qingyi of course did not allow him to leave easily. She stepped ahead of him, blocking his steps while scattering some kind of piercingly fragrant flowers. If only Jinshui were still in the tight cabin room, he would have been locked in by the smell of this fragrance, but in the open air, the cool breeze at least reduced the intoxicating influence of the fragrance.
"You know, not a single mortal can resist this fragrance," Qingyi said softly as she dodged his sword strike. "You want to avoid me, but you can't."
Jinshui felt his head getting heavy, his blood starting to heat up. It was impossible not to breathe air and as a result, it was impossible to avoid the poison that was around it. He painfully told himself, he must leave this place as soon as possible, away from Qingyi.
Qingyi locked him up tightly. Jinshui's strength was only one part, he was completely helpless, forced by the opponent to just circle around in that place. As the blade in his hand fell to the ground, he froze in place, only able to let Qingyi run up to his back and gave him a hug. The smell of fragrance slowly faded in the wind but Jinshui's mind had gone completely blank. He was under Qingyi's total control now.
"We used to always be like this, do you still remember?" Qingyi asked him. "My mother also once asked you to take care of me forever. Jinshui, in all these years I have never thought of forgetting you. Liuxin Junzhu and wangfei once matched me with a man of their choice, I painstakingly refused, all for the sake of waiting for this day."
Jinshui didn't answer, Qingyi then fell silent, only resting her head on his back, time seemed to have stopped for them. Their relationship was indeed very close when they were in exile. Together they lived long and tiring days, escaping enemies one after another. When Moying and Menggui were seriously injured, it was Jinshui who was most expected to take care of everyone. Several times Qingyi felt that protection was more than a duty.
Before parting, Jinshui promised Menggui to take care of Qingyi for life. Yet everything changed at that moment when Yuan Wancui found them. Moying and Menggui who were already seriously injured were no longer able to hold on. Jinshui was arrested and held in an underground cave in Haitang Jian Pai for eight months. Menggui still managed to take Qingyi and also Qin Liangjie away.
Then Jinshui met Xu Qiao, the story about Qingyi was slowly forgotten, only a faint memory remained.
The mountain breeze died down a bit. Jinshui's gaze remained blank, as if not noticing that a third person was already present in that place. Qingyi looked away for a moment but didn't want to let go of her embrace. The figure that had just arrived stepped closer, the face showing deep sorrow and pain.
"I and Jinshui used to be a couple, we are a couple now and we will be a couple forever," Qingyi told the incoming figure. "Xiaoguniang, he loves me and will always be mine, do you have the heart to take him away from me?"
It was Xu Qiao who had already arrived there. Something happened when Jinshui went after Qingyi and was about to save Liuxin. She finally decided to climb the steep cliff where Jinshui disappeared. Her body was tired and covered in wounds, and her clothes were messy, when she found Jinshui, the one she was looking for, was in the arms of another woman. Actually, she didn't want to see the scene in front of her and wished she could run, but she knew she needs Jinshui for now.
"If Jinshui Gege really chooses you, then I will give him up, and there will no longer be any presence between you two," Xu Qiao said to Qingyi. Jinshui's xuanlong sword was in her hand, she slowly drew it.
Qingyi let go of her embrace, Jinshui reacted slightly hearing a voice that was very close to him, but Qingyi's influence made him unable to control himself, his eyes were blank, and his soul was somewhere else.
"But now I need him to help his friends," Xu Qiao said again, "I hope you can let him go."
Xu Qiao recognized Qingyi as Xianjing Wang's other daughter who had hugged Jinshui in front of her at the ruins of the Jianyin Bang base in Wuzhang City a few months ago. She didn't ask much about Qingyi's relationship with Jinshui in the past, nor did she want to care about their current or future relationship. Xuanlong jian aimed at Qingyi, but she didn't attack immediately.
"What do you want?" Qingyi asked her.
"Qiao-er...." Jinshui reacted more to seeing a flash of light from the body of the sword. He was very familiar with that weapon, and also recognized the person holding it.
Xu Qiao scraped her own hand against the sharp side, the dripping fresh blood startled Jinshui, the pain Xu Qiao felt woke him from the influence of the fragrance. Jinshui immediately stepped away from Qingyi, snatched the sword from Xu Qiao's hand, and returned it to its scabbard.
"Qiao-er, what are you doing?"
"It's the only way to release you from the fox demon's enchantment," Xu Qiao smiled and stared at him brightly.
"You." Jinshui worried about her more than he remembered about Qingyi. He tore off the end of his sleeve, about to bandage the girl's wound before more blood flowed.
"I'm fine," Xu Qiao said to him. "Jinshui Gege, there is no more time. We have to help them."
"Help who?" Jinshui didn't immediately remember what Qingyi had just told him. It felt like he was just waking up from a long dream.
"I'll explain everything on the way," said Xu Qiao. "We have to hurry."
"Jinshui...." Qingyi called for the last chance. But Jinshui and Xu Qiao didn't give her another glance. Xu Qiao tugged at Jinshui's arm tightly, not even giving him a chance to turn his head. Qingyi watched them leave, she didn't come after them.