Good Fortune In Love Affairs . . .
Xuan Bing found herself in a state of perplexity as she looked at Cha Eun Xiao. "I must suspect that you are under some kind of spell," she remarked, her voice tinged with concern. "Why are you defending him? You've only recently arrived in this world. Even if you met him on your very first day here, it's been no more than half a year. How could you become his sworn brother? Has he employed some psychic technique or a special form of magic to control your mind? I must uncover the truth."
She made preparations to confront Han Bingxue once more.
Cha Eun Xiao hastily blocked her path once again and implored, "Miss Xuan, please. I know you care for me, but we're fine! In life, you may spend a lifetime with someone and still feel like strangers, while sometimes, you meet someone for the first time, and you become the best of friends! That's us. We're brothers, enduring brothers. It's true!"
Xuan Bing was taken aback. "Enduring? Are you absolutely sure? Think about it more deeply. What if he intends to harm you, and I'm not by your side? Consider the possibility that you're too feeble to oppose him, and he could easily force you to beg for death."
Cha Eun Xiao was visibly agitated, beads of sweat forming on his forehead. "I simply choose to trust him, alright? I swear on my life that Han Bingxue will never harm me!"
"Humph," Xuan Bing huffed and released the murderous aura. She uttered calmly, "Very well. There's still quite some time before I depart. Ultimately, we're all headed in the same direction. We'll see what Han Bingxue truly desires from you."
Cha Eun Xiao shook his head and sighed in exasperation. Han Bingxue, oblivious to the peril he had narrowly avoided, looked back at them, brimming with excitement.
Unaware of the close call he'd had with Xuan Bing, he had no inkling of how easily his life could have been snuffed out.
"There's a small town up ahead. We can get some food and rest for a while," Han Bingxue exclaimed, completely unaware of the tension he'd left behind.
Cha Eun Xiao couldn't help but glance at him with a mixture of embarrassment and relief. [Brother, you have no idea how I've saved your life once again...]
"Kid, you're still new to this world, and you lack experience," Xuan Bing offered her guidance as they continued on their journey. "You barely know enough about this place. Just be cautious. It's challenging to decipher a person's character, and the world is vastly different from where you came. While people may become fast friends at first sight, that's mostly the stuff of stories. It doesn't work that way in this realm."
She continued, "You possess remarkable talent, and you're a rarity in this world. I don't want to see you die here..."
"The first thing you need to understand is that this world is unlike anything you've ever known." She spoke at length as they walked.
Cha Eun Xiao could only nod and respond with affirmative sounds. [This woman is quite self-assured. What's most irksome is that she keeps dispensing advice as if I were in dire need of it...]
He was baffled too. [Why would Xuan Bing show concern for me? She appears genuinely sincere!]
[Great Elder Xuan Bing... She's a formidable figure in the world who could turn the sky red with blood.]
[Yet, I've never heard of her displaying such care for anyone.]
She claimed she didn't want a talented man to perish in this world, but Cha Eun Xiao found it hard to believe.
It felt like a lie.
Was a talented cultivator truly unique in the Qing-Yun Realm?
Not at all.
The realm was filled with exceptionally talented cultivators, geniuses, and peerless individuals!
Every day, every hour, numerous talented individuals met their end in this realm, their bones left to rot. Yet, nobody had ever heard of Elder Xuan Bing coming to the rescue of any of them...
[Why is she being so kind and protective of me?]
Cha Eun Xiao couldn't fathom it. Why had this inexplicable concern found its way to him?
A long road lay ahead of them, and Cha Eun Xiao felt it was time to break the awkward silence.
Cha Eun Xiao couldn't afford to let the presumed second most powerful cultivator in the realm grow silent. The idea of her becoming infuriated by the lack of a genuine response and casually dispatching him with a wave of her hand unsettled him. But what could he possibly say to keep her engaged?
He racked his brain for a solution, and finally, a spark of inspiration ignited.
He found a thread that might explain why Xuan Bing was so familiar with him.
"Great Elder X..." He began, but as he saw Xuan Bing's glare, he quickly corrected himself. "...Miss Xuan... Ahem... There's something I haven't disclosed to you. Elder... Miss Xuan, you're from Misty Cloud Palace. In truth, I am a friend of your sect..."
A smile played on Cha Eun Xiao's lips.
"Oh? You and our sect?" Xuan Bing inquired, her curiosity piqued. She regarded him with interest. "How is that possible?"
"Hmm... There's a young lady in Misty Cloud Palace," Cha Eun Xiao began, acknowledging the beauty and gentleness of the women in her sect. "They are all charming and gracious, hospitable..."
Xuan Bing's countenance darkened as he spoke.
[What is he implying?]
[A young lady? Beautiful? Gentle? Hospitable?]
She had an urge to set him straight with a sound thrashing.
["You scoundrel! How dare you mention other women in my presence... Shameless..."]
[And he had the audacity to lavish them with compliments...]
[Humph! Which girl is he talking about?]
With an air of anger, Xuan Bing clenched her teeth and asked, "Oh? So there are many beautiful women in our sect... Who is this particular one?"
Cha Eun Xiao, being relatively inexperienced in the realm of love affairs, failed to grasp the intricacies of the conversation and answered candidly, "Hmm, indeed. There are two young women in your sect who are my friends. They're both beautiful. We have some history together from the past..."
["Two women?"]
["Two now?"]
["And... they have history together?"]
["Scoundrel! He mentioned one woman earlier, and now it's two... Who's to say there won't be three or four..."]
Xuan Bing gritted her teeth and spoke with a smile that masked her anger. "Oh? So you have quite the following among women, don't you? You're quite the fortunate one in matters of the heart. Hehehehe..."