As the sun slowly rose above the mountains of Divine Sword Sect and streaks of red appeared in the sky, Jing Pu and Ling Ju rode together on a Dragon Horse, heading for Qinghe Town.
Jing Pu had also felt bad about making Ling Ju run alongside him. At first, he'd mainly been worried that if they sat together, he might accidentally bump into her and get mistaken for a pervert again.
Ling Ju sat in front of him now, her face flushed. She lowered her head slightly, her limpid eyes darting around at the scenery. Her thoughts were in turmoil.
Jing Pu sat behind Ling Ju. Fortunately, the Dragon Horse was big. They weren't exactly far apart, but they weren't close, either—about half an arm's length between them. Jing Pu was deliberately keeping his distance.
But Ling Ju's long, ink-black hair, which fell to her waist, kept fluttering against Jing Pu's face as the Dragon Horse ran. Its delicate fragrance enveloped him, sweet and intoxicating.
In his previous life, Jing Pu hadn't even held a girl's hand. Now, he was truly at a loss, especially since Ling Ju was such a breathtaking beauty.
Of course, Jing Pu had no improper thoughts. He'd praised Ling Ju's looks before, but he only admired her.
Jing Pu knew his place. He was just a mortal. If he developed feelings for Ling Ju, he'd only be asking for heartache.
It wasn't even a question of whether he was worthy of her. The crucial problem was that Jing Pu was just a mortal. The biggest obstacle wasn't strength or cultivation realm—it was lifespan.
Cultivators could live for ages, while he, a mortal, would be gone after seventy or eighty years.
He shouldn't even entertain such thoughts. Jing Pu's wishes for his life in this world were simple: stay alive, live well, and live in peace.
If he ever had the chance to meet a mortal girl he liked, Jing Pu hoped they could walk through life together.
But he had no such thoughts about an immortal maiden like Ling Ju. Perhaps if he could live a couple more years... After fixing up the front courtyard, Jing Pu planned to try refining pills and see if he could make one that would extend his life by a couple of years.
But whether he lived a couple more years or a few dozen, he still couldn't compare with a cultivator.
Jing Pu let his Dao Heart settle, clearing away the jumble of thoughts stirred up by Ling Ju's fragrance. Then he looked earnestly at the woman sitting in front of him and spoke softly.
"Ling Ju..."
Ling Ju seemed lost in thought. Jing Pu called her twice before she started, blushing as she hurriedly replied, "Senior... I was thinking about something and got lost in thought..."
Jing Pu rubbed his nose, awkwardly beginning, "About what happened yesterday... I really don't know what came over me. I just..."
Before he could finish, Ling Ju cried out bashfully, "Oh, Senior... I know... It was all Ling Jing's fault for taking it upon himself to meddle..."
She knew?!
Jing Pu froze, then his face lit up with delight. So Ling Jing wasn't such a bad guy after all!
Ling Ju must have gone back and asked Ling Jing about it last night, so now she knew everything!
Jing Pu let out a breath of relief. Thank goodness. As long as she understood.
But just as he relaxed, Ling Ju lowered her head, her face turning red as she said, "...It's nothing much. It's just a little quirk. Senior, you don't have to feel embarrassed..."
Last night, Ling Ju really had grabbed Ling Jing and questioned him. Ling Jing's answer was that while keeping an eye on Jing Pu that morning, he'd noticed Jing Pu staring at Ling Ju's shoes.
According to Ling Jing, everyone had their little preferences. As long as they didn't hurt anyone, what was the harm?
After Ling Jing talked it through with her, Ling Ju had thought he made a lot of sense...
Hearing Ling Ju's words, Jing Pu suddenly froze. What did she mean, "just a little quirk"? The point was, he really didn't have one!
He hurriedly said, "No, I really don't have that kind of quirk. Honestly, what I meant was..."
But before he could finish, Ling Ju blushed and hastily said, "Senior... I know, I know. Please don't talk about something so embarrassing anymore..."
After that, she lowered her head again, her face flushed as she murmured, "Besides... I'm not angry..."
Jing Pu: "????"
What did you know?!
Jing Pu still wanted to make it clear that he really wasn't a pervert. But Ling Ju didn't seem to want to talk about the embarrassing subject any longer. She hurriedly said, "Oh, Senior, let's not talk about that. Um... what are we going to Qinghe Town for?"
For some reason, Jing Pu felt that Ling Ju's tone had suddenly become rather cute.
Seeing that Ling Ju had asked a proper question, Jing Pu quickly answered, "To buy some food, and some paving stones and things like that. I'm going to renovate the front courtyard properly."
Ling Ju glanced back at Jing Pu, a little curious. "Is that all?"
She'd thought Jing Pu had something important to do, but it turned out he only had these errands.
Jing Pu nodded. "I'll be living there from now on, so I naturally want to fix the place up. It should be comfortable to live in and pleasant to look at."
Ling Ju was slightly taken aback. Living there from now on?
She'd thought Senior Jing Pu would enjoy himself in the mortal world for a while and then leave. She hadn't expected him to stay there for good.
Ling Ju nodded thoughtfully as she listened to Jing Pu.
Jing Pu paused, then hurriedly asked, "Am I keeping you from cultivating? What I needed to tell you was just what we talked about earlier. If you want, I can take you back first. I won't come straight back after I've finished shopping in Qinghe Town, anyway. I plan to wander around there for a bit."
Ling Ju quickly replied, "No, I don't mind. Spending time with Senior is a kind of cultivation, too."
Jing Pu nodded. As long as Ling Ju was willing. Just as she was about to make some more small talk, the entire sky suddenly filled with thunderclouds. They gathered at a shocking speed—almost in the blink of an eye, the clear sky turned dark with rolling thunderclouds that pressed down overhead.
The storm clouds stretched for over a hundred li; their edges were nowhere in sight. It was as dark as night, and only the Dragon Horse's faint jade-white glow lit the way.
Jing Pu frowned slightly as he looked at the dark clouds. Was it going to rain?
That would be bad... He didn't know whether Ling Jing and Lie Chun had packed down the earth in his courtyard well yesterday. If they hadn't, the front courtyard would turn into a mud pit.
While Jing Pu worried about his front courtyard, terror appeared on Ling Ju's face. A Demonic Beast at the Spirit Transformation Stage was advancing?!
Why would a Demonic Beast at the Spirit Transformation Stage advance in a place like this?!
Did it not know... the Myriad Sect Grand Ceremony was about to be held again? This was a blatant provocation. Was it trying to get itself killed?!
But Ling Ju quickly came to her senses and turned to look at Jing Pu behind her. When she saw him gazing up at the sky with an irritated expression, the fear in her heart eased a little.
With Senior here... surely everything would be fine.
She just didn't know whether Senior, who was disguising himself as a mortal to enjoy life in the human world, would step in to help.
Senior was kind and gentle, but since he was living here disguised as a mortal, he would probably avoid getting involved if he could. Still, he'd said he planned to stay here. Surely he wouldn't want this place to become a living hell.
A Demonic Beast at the Spirit Transformation Stage—if it advanced further, it would reach the Tribulation Crossing Stage. These thunderclouds were the heavenly tribulation it needed to overcome. If such a beast succeeded, the strongest people in the region would be the two Nascent Soul Realm elders, and they wouldn't stand a chance.
By the time other powerful cultivators heard the news and arrived, there might not be a single living thing left in the whole region!
And if the beast were allowed to undergo its tribulation, who knew how many innocent people would be struck by the heavenly lightning and reduced to charred corpses?
Just as Ling Ju was at a loss, Jing Pu glanced at the sky and muttered, "What's wrong with this weather? It changes its mind like a lunatic... Wasn't it perfectly fine just a moment ago?"
As soon as Jing Pu finished speaking, Ling Ju stared in horror as the tribulation clouds stretching over a hundred li... actually... began to disperse?!
???!!!
The tribulation clouds... had actually... been scolded away by a single word from Senior?!
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