Hearing the sudden indifference in Qiaolian's voice, Huan Xue felt deeply conflicted. He opened his mouth to speak, but not a single word came out of it. He was unwilling to reveal the condition of his power.
"It's my fault, I'll fix it," said Qiaolian and did not linger with his refusal either. There was no need for her to hold him accountable. She slowly closed her eyes, trying to numb her senses.
Huan Xue shook his head. "My lady, since you can fix your energy, then, it is probably right for me to express my concern. You should know that I did not just approach you for nothing?"
"Ahhh... But, Master Huan had such a perfect life. What else do you need for Qiaolian to do?" She attempted to guide the energy flow within her inner core again while maintaining her eyes tightly closed. But, within her heart, somehow, her instinct seemed to warn her, that this effort of controlling the flow of her inner force will eventually lead to a futile result.
Huan Xue pondered for a few moments and thought carefully about how he would ask the lady to be his dual cultivator partner.
Actually, he was also contemplating if he really wanted to get her as a cultivation partner.
Sure, Qiaolian was more than qualified. But, with her tricky deeds, the man could not help but question his security around her!
Unbeknownst to Qiaolian, her initial plans of pretending to lower her guard were actually effective. She successfully attracted the foreign forces targeting her! However, the problem now was that her situation was no longer something that she was still pretending.
Just a few meters away from them, there were six figures with bright red eyes lurking in the dark. The figures slowly dispersed and took an accurate position to surround them.
Huan Xue was still in deep thought when he sensed a chilling force holding a strong killing intent!
'An ambush!?' Huan Xue suddenly sensed that the air around them suddenly turned heavy. His intuition was quick to warn him of an unprecedented threat. The crimson vines that were resting on the ground immediately moved near his feet.
"I should probably remove the restriction in your body first. Just find a way for you to escape. I'll face them," Huan Xue whispered. His green eyes looked all over the place and started counting their enemies. "F-Five... No, there are six... "
"Heh! You are not their target, Master Huan," Qiaolian retorted. The restriction in her body actually helped her energy flow to be less active. And why would he face them when these enemies were targeting her?
"I never expected that my plan will backfire in this instance! Ahh... it is the fault of whoever planted that herb!!!" she grimaced and exhaled in frustration.
After counting the enemies, Huan Xue glanced at her with a meaningful expression on his face. "That's right! I am not their target. Hehehe..."
"How immature!" Qiaolian murmured. There was no certainty if her words were directed to Huan Xue or to the enemies that surrounded them. In any case, her body remained in the same position.
In the distance, the bright red eyes around them blinked in each direction. Then, six black silks moved forward at a fast speed. The silks were thin and it was hard to discern their location. But, when it reached inches away from them, the crimson vines floated in the air and intercepted the silks.
"Interesting! Their weapons are fabrics!" said Huan Xue with a glint of curiosity in his eyes. "Is that part of martial arts cultivation technique?"
In the air, his crimson vines did not stop moving. After the silks were blocked, the crimson vines swirled sideward and looped its body to the silks.
The six enemies who had just started their attacks quickly tossed away the silk weapons in the air to abandon them. After losing the grip of its wielder, the weapon swayed and softly landed on the ground.
These enemies were also aware. If they pulled back their silk weapons, the crimson vines would surely come at them!
"Elemental cultivator, we only want that woman beside you. Don't interfere." A deep cold voice suddenly echoed to the entire surrounding. The crimson vines that stopped their attacks indeed belonged to the concept of elemental cultivation.
"Hear that? Right now, their target is me. Hahaha... But, I wonder if they know your identity... will they also target you?" said Qiaolian in a very faint tone. Despite the coldness of the night, a few drops of sweat started to form on the side of her forehead. The fire building up within her body was ready to engulf her entire consciousness.
"You still have the energy to laugh?" Huan Xue whispered and stepped closer to her. But, as soon as he closed their distance, he felt the extremely abnormal heat in her body, flaring in the air. He almost flinched and gulped, "Y-Your body wants to cultivate?"
There was really no need to ask such a question. With the heavy breathing and abnormal warmth in Qiaolian's body, any man could recognize the heat.
"Hmmm... Didn't I ask you to guide the flow of energy in my inner core?"
"I assumed you were experiencing a backlash of your cultivation technique!"
"No," Qiaolian gritted her teeth and felt how dry her lips were. She subconsciously licked the side of her mouth and bit her lower lips until she started to taste blood from it. "Nevermind, just don't get offended when I lost control over my consciousness. I've accidentally inhaled a malicious herb."
"Hah! You should have told me earlier!" Huan Xue murmured. With the situation of Qiaolian, it was impossible for him to be unaffected.
"Hahaha... what else could I say?" Qiaolian retorted. Soon after, a visible pure black aura started streaming in her chest, slowly advancing towards her neck.
This aura was even darker than the night!
And within a split second, Qiaolian's arms stretched in the direction of Huan Xue, touching his shoulder and burning the skin under his garments in the process.