Meng Shuying stood with her back to them, seemingly focused on sterilizing the instruments, but in reality, her entire attention was on Su Luowei. She strained to listen intently, hoping to catch every word from her Senior Sister. When she heard Su Luowei only praise Wen Miaomiao, she felt a bit dejected. However, when Wen Miaomiao mentioned her, she immediately turned around and gave Su Luowei a fawning smile.
Su Luowei, however, completely ignored her smile, lowered her eyes, and said coldly, "Yes, you've all worked hard."
She didn't even want to say a word to her.
Meng Shuying's heart tightened, and she awkwardly tried to explain, "Senior Sister, there really is nothing between me and her. It was Tian Fuling who... never mind."
She had initially intended to say that Tian Fuling had schemed against her and trapped her with charm magic, but then she remembered that it was she who had first pulled at Tian Fuling's clothes, giving her the opportunity to take advantage of the situation.
Although she hadn't intended for anything to happen with Tian Fuling, she still wasn't in the right in this matter.
Since Su Luowei was already cold towards her because of what happened, if she also found out that Meng Shuying had intended to kill and rob Tian Fuling, her image in Su Luowei's mind would be even worse.
Meng Shuying sighed softly, feeling that she had only herself to blame.
Hearing her sigh, Su Luowei's eyebrows furrowed, and her tone grew even colder. "If there was nothing between you, then why did you let the demoness go?"
When she had been searching for medicine earlier, she had gone into every room, including the one where the demoness had been held.
Su Luowei hadn't been deliberately searching for anything, but that room was the most lavish in the entire stronghold. If she wasn't mistaken, it had originally belonged to the bandit leader.
Since bandits made their living by robbing others, they would frequently get injured. The bandit leader, being the highest-ranking person in the stronghold, would surely have stored good medicine. With this in mind, she had searched the room and found a substantial amount.
But she also discovered that the demoness was no longer there.
That demoness had only mediocre cultivation. If Meng Shuying hadn't let her go, there was no way she could have escaped.
"I didn't let her go! I sealed her cultivation before I came here and tied her up."
Moreover, to be safe, she had also placed talismans on the ropes. If Tian Fuling had broken free and escaped, the talismans would have reacted.
Su Luowei, however, completely disregarded her explanation, treating it as an excuse. Her lips pressed into a thin line, and she said sternly, "I've already asked the white monkey. Aside from a few bandits, the demoness hasn't harmed anyone else. I shouldn't blame you for letting her go, but she's still a demon. Demons are ruthless and cruel, and who knows how much trouble she'll cause if left unchecked."
Meng Shuying didn't care at all about what Su Luowei thought of demons; her mind was consumed by the fact that her Senior Sister didn't believe her.
Feeling wronged, Meng Shuying suddenly turned around and placed the instruments on the table, saying, "I'm going to check."
She then left to investigate herself.
As expected, Tian Fuling was gone, and even the ropes and talismans that had bound her had disappeared.
Meng Shuying hadn't expected her to have such abilities. She had underestimated her.
Her expression darkened, and a surge of murderous intent filled her heart.
If she ever encountered Tian Fuling again, she wouldn't show any mercy.
Tian Fuling's escape only added to Meng Shuying's troubles. Her Senior Sister had already misunderstood her, and now she couldn't even explain herself.
Feeling bitter and frustrated, Meng Shuying had no desire to go back and tend to the injured. But she also feared that if she didn't return to that room, she might not see her Senior Sister again.
She returned to the room with a cold expression, and because she was holding back her frustration, her actions became even more efficient, making Wen Miaomiao anxious. She feared that these unfortunate people, who had just been saved, might suffer further under Meng Shuying's hands.
Even Su Luowei disapproved, giving her a stern look and saying, "If you don't want to stay here, you can leave."
She paused and, with an air of indifference, continued to twist the knife, "Or if you want to go after that demoness, you can. We won't stop you. Just don't take it out on these people."
Su Luowei was usually gentle with others, rarely showing displeasure or speaking harshly, especially not to Meng Shuying.
Meng Shuying felt so wronged that she almost cried, but she held back her tears and muttered, "I don't want to go after her."
The atmosphere between them was awkward, leaving Wen Miaomiao at a loss for words.
The three of them spent the entire night in the blood-scented room, tending to the injured and continuously channeling spiritual energy into them. It wasn't until dawn, when all the injured had stabilized, that they finally felt relieved and allowed themselves a moment to relax.
Su Luowei stood outside, quietly replenishing her spiritual energy with a spirit stone. When she saw Meng Shuying standing pale under the eaves, she hesitated for a moment before taking out another spirit stone and handing it to Wen Miaomiao.
Wen Miaomiao waved her hand. "Thank you, Senior Sister, but I have my own."
Su Luowei seemed to want to say something but hesitated.
Wen Miaomiao suddenly understood her intention. She glanced back at Meng Shuying, smiled, and took the spirit stone, winking at Su Luowei. "Got it."
She walked over to Meng Shuying and whispered a few words to her, after which Meng Shuying finally accepted the spirit stone.
Seeing Meng Shuying glance in her direction, Su Luowei quickly looked away and focused on the cobblestones beneath her feet, her fingers gradually tightening around the spirit stone in her hand.
A moment later, Wen Miaomiao returned, smiling as she said, "Mission accomplished."
Knowing there was a misunderstanding, Su Luowei wanted to explain, but she didn't know where to start.
What could she say?
Should she explain that she wasn't favoring Meng Shuying, and that she only gave her the spirit stone because she had worked hard to save people?
Or should she clarify that she and Meng Shuying weren't in that kind of relationship, and they shouldn't tease them about it in the future?
Feeling troubled, Su Luowei couldn't find the words, so she just sighed softly.
Around noon, a cloud of dust rose in the distance. It was Xie Hanzhu, who had brought reinforcements.
As soon as she saw them, Xie Hanzhu dismounted and, before she even reached them, began complaining loudly, "Hmph! Those people just wanted to take advantage of the situation. When the city lord saw me, he hesitated and tried to stall, not wanting to send anyone. But as soon as I mentioned that we had already subdued the bandits, his attitude changed completely!"
Wen Miaomiao wasn't surprised and tried to soothe her. "This place is at the border of Qingxu Sect and Dongji Sect's jurisdiction, so it's not surprising that the city lord was reluctant to get involved."
She then turned to the steward who had accompanied Xie Hanzhu and said, "I apologize. My Senior Sister is straightforward and speaks her mind. Please don't take offense."
The steward waved his hands hurriedly. "No, no, of course not. It's our good fortune that the fairies took action to subdue the bandits. To be honest, the city lord has been troubled by these bandits for a long time and has sent troops to eliminate them many times. But the bandits were cunning, and instead of defeating them, we lost many of our men."
This time, the steward had brought a large group, including well-trained soldiers and several doctors.
With someone else taking over, Wen Miaomiao was happy to step back. She briefly explained the situation and handed over responsibility to the steward.
Su Luowei had been worried that they might not have treated the wounds properly, but the doctors carefully examined the injured and were amazed. They said they had never seen such clean and precise wound treatment in all their years of practice.
Now that the people were taken care of, the group decided to rest briefly before continuing their journey.
The original coachman, now aware that they were cultivators, refused to continue the journey, even forfeiting his agreed payment, saying that the road ahead was too dangerous and that he had a family waiting for him at home.
With no other options, Xie Hanzhu had to swallow her pride and ask the steward she had mocked earlier to lend them a replacement.
The steward had wanted to invite them to the city lord's residence as guests, but Xie Hanzhu declined. On the way there, she had openly criticized the city lord in front of the soldiers, so how could she have the nerve to be their guest now?
Upon learning that their saviors were leaving, many of the injured, despite their wounds, came to see them off. The lead woman tearfully knelt and bowed deeply to them, her voice choked with emotion. "We cannot repay the kindness you fairies have shown us. When we return home, we will pray for you daily, hoping you will soon achieve perfection and ascend to immortality."
After crossing this mountain, they would enter Qingxu Sect's territory. Although they were still far from Qingxu Mountain, at least they were back on familiar ground. Even Xie Hanzhu, usually carefree, looked noticeably more relaxed.
Standing on top of the carriage, she gazed into the distance, feeling as if she could already see Qingxu Mountain.
Though she knew it was just an illusion, she couldn't help but calculate that it would take no more than five days to reach Qingxu Mountain from here, even less if they flew on their swords. Unable to contain herself, she quietly suggested to Wen Miaomiao, "Why don't we skip the carriage and fly back?"
Given what Wen Miaomiao knew about Xie Hanzhu, if anyone was least eager to return, it would be her. Curious, she teased, "What's gotten into you? Why the sudden change of heart?"
Xie Hanzhu playfully swatted her hand away, feigning anger. "What nonsense are you talking about? I just want to get home quickly."
Wen Miaomiao clearly didn't believe her.
Xie Hanzhu looked around to make sure the other two weren't nearby before leaning close to Wen Miaomiao and whispering, "What's going on between Senior Sister and Meng Shuying?"
Whatever it was, Wen Miaomiao knew it couldn't be explained in a few words. Besides, she wasn't the type to gossip behind people's backs, so she just shook her head and pretended to be clueless. "What about them?"
"Didn't you notice?" Xie Hanzhu frowned, recalling the past couple of days. Ever since they left the bandit stronghold, something had been off between them.
Meng Shuying, who used to follow Senior Sister around like a shadow, suddenly became withdrawn, spending most of her time sitting quietly outside the carriage.
Senior Sister, too, hadn't initiated any conversations with her. When she needed to speak with Meng Shuying, she'd send the message through Xie Hanzhu.
If it weren't for the fact that it was Senior Sister, Xie Hanzhu would have already called her out for it.
The carriage offered no real privacy, with only a curtain separating the inside from the outside. Any noise outside could be heard clearly within. Something that could have been said directly was instead relayed through her, putting Xie Hanzhu in the uncomfortable position of a go-between.
It bothered her so much that she lost her appetite and could only think about getting home as soon as possible to escape the awkward atmosphere.
When the carriage stopped for another rest, Xie Hanzhu voiced her suggestion, and to her surprise, no one objected.
She immediately packed her things, paid the new coachman a silver ingot as compensation, and then summoned her spirit sword for the flight.
After only half a day of flying, they could already see the outline of Qingxu Mountain in the distance. Since the mountain's protective array was active, they couldn't fly directly in. They landed at the foot of the mountain and began walking up the path.
Returning after seven years, Meng Shuying's cultivation and state of mind were completely different from when she had left to travel the world.
Su Luowei and the others returned to Yanmo Peak amid much excitement, with every disciple they encountered greeting them warmly.
Meng Shuying, however, walked alone back to Qionghua Peak. The few disciples she passed, though somewhat familiar, barely acknowledged her, showing no sign of the camaraderie expected among fellow disciples.