Lu Xueqi's Interrogation

The sunlight poured down overwhelmingly, so bright it was impossible to keep one's eyes open.

Under the old locust tree at the village entrance, the disciples of the Qingyun Sect had finished gathering and were making their final preparations.

Then, everyone saw it.

Senior Brother Lu walked out from the depths of the village, carrying Jin Ping'er in his arms.

Jin Ping'er was dressed in a moon-white and pale cyan dress that no one had ever seen before, her long hair draped loosely, her face buried in the crook of Lu Jiuyuan's shoulder, making her expression impossible to discern.

Lu Jiuyuan's pace was steady, his expression as calm as ever, as if he were doing something perfectly ordinary.

Wen Min was drinking water, and upon seeing this scene, the water sprayed directly out of her nose.

"Cough, cough, cough, cough—"

Lu Xueqi stood at the very front of the formation, the Tianya Sword strapped to her back, her white robes as pure as snow.

Her gaze landed on Jin Ping'er in Lu Jiuyuan's arms, on her unfamiliar dress, and on the patch of skin exposed at her neck, where a few faint red marks were visible.

Her face turned pale for a fleeting moment, then returned to normal just as quickly.

It was as if she had seen nothing, as if nothing had happened.

"Senior Brother." Her voice was very calm, as calm as the frozen surface of a lake on Xiaozhu Peak in winter. "Can we depart now?"

Lu Jiuyuan looked at her and was silent for a moment.

"We can."

He set Jin Ping'er down.

Jin Ping'er swayed slightly when her feet touched the ground, but she quickly steadied herself, keeping her hand on his arm without letting go.

Wen Min ran over, her eyes darting back and forth between Jin Ping'er and Lu Jiuyuan, her mouth opening and closing repeatedly, but in the end, she asked nothing and stood silently beside Lu Xueqi.

Jin Ping'er leaned against Lu Jiuyuan's arm, her gaze passing over his shoulder to land on Lu Xueqi.

The gazes of the two women met in the air.

One was as cold as frost, her face as calm as if nothing had ever happened.

The other was as languid as a cat, a faint, elusive smile playing on the corners of her lips.

Jin Ping'er curled her lips, saying nothing.

Lu Xueqi looked away and turned to walk at the very front.

"Move out."

The group began to advance.

Lu Jiuyuan walked in the middle, with Jin Ping'er by his side; her steps were still a bit unsteady, but she insisted on walking herself and did not let him carry her again.

Wen Min walked at the very back, looking at this one and then that one, feeling as if ten thousand ants were crawling in her heart.

She leaned in close to Lu Jiuyuan and lowered her voice: "Senior Brother."

"Hmm."

"That dress Jin Ping'er is wearing..."

"What about it?"

"It doesn't seem to be the one she was wearing yesterday."

Lu Jiuyuan remained composed: "Her clothes got wet, so I lent her a set."

Wen Min looked at the cloudless sky above and then at the cracked, dry mud on the ground, and fell silent.

Wet?

How did they get wet?

She didn't ask.

She didn't dare to ask.

Jin Ping'er walked beside Lu Jiuyuan, the corners of her mouth curved, looking to be in a very good mood.

After walking a few steps, she suddenly leaned close to his ear, her voice as light as the wind.

"Husband."

"Hmm?"

"That sound-insulation barrier from last night!"

Lu Jiuyuan's footsteps faltered slightly.

"Remember to set it up in advance next time." Jin Ping'er winked at him, smiling like a fox that had successfully stolen a chicken. "Setting it up after we've already started is too slow."

Lu Jiuyuan was silent for a moment; he didn't speak, but the corners of his mouth curled upward. He took her hand into his palm and continued walking forward.

In his mind, the group chat was deathly quiet.

After that group of women went offline last night, not a single one had logged back on since.

He glanced at the group member list; everyone was offline.

Lu Jiuyuan raised an eyebrow and closed the group chat.

It seemed the power of that voice message was far greater than he had imagined.

Sunlight blanketed the earth, and the wilderness of the Southern Border appeared vast and desolate in the morning light.

On the distant horizon, that patch of black clouds had drawn closer.

The group continued to advance in the morning light, heading toward the direction where the black clouds were churning.

Lu Jiuyuan walked in the middle of the group, with Lu Xueqi on his left and Jin Ping'er on his right.

Wen Min walked at the very back, looking from one to the other and sighing silently.

Lu Xueqi had not spoken a word.

From the moment they set off from the abandoned village until now, a full two hours had passed, and she had not said a single thing.

She walked at the front of the group, her white robes fluttering gently in the morning breeze, the Tianya Sword strapped to her back, its tassel swaying softly with her stride.

Her silhouette looked very calm, no different from usual.

But Lu Jiuyuan knew she was angry.

He tried to walk up to her side several times, but she would quietly quicken her pace, always maintaining that same distance, neither too far nor too close.

Jin Ping'er walked by his side, wearing that moon-white and pale-green dress with a different flair; she was like a different person compared to the seductive and alluring woman from last night, quiet and still, like a well-fed cat.

Wen Min followed at the very end, not daring to even breathe loudly.

She looked at Lu Xueqi's back, then at Lu Jiuyuan, and then at Jin Ping'er, her heart thumping like a nest of rabbits, beating incessantly.

A mountain range appeared ahead.

The terrain was steep, with the main peak rising abruptly to pierce the clouds, the upper slopes shrouded in mist and indistinct.

Lu Xueqi suddenly accelerated, her white figure darting forward like a streak of light.

"Xueqi!!!" Lu Jiuyuan had just opened his mouth, but she had already flown quite a distance away.

He did not hesitate; channeling his spiritual power, his figure shot up from the ground to give chase.

A cry of surprise came from Wen Min behind him, but Jin Ping'er reached out to press down on her shoulder, her tone as indifferent as if she were commenting on the nice weather. "Let him go."

Wen Min turned to look at her, and Jin Ping'er had a faint, elusive smile on her lips, her gaze fixed on the two figures moving into the distance.

There was no jealousy or unease in her eyes, only a certain, composed calmness, as if she were saying, "He can't run away."

The mountain range drew closer and closer.

Lu Xueqi's figure rose and fell ahead, passing through a dense forest, skirting a mountain stream, and finally landing beneath a towering tree.

Lu Xueqi stood before the trunk, her back turned to him.

Lu Jiuyuan landed a few steps behind her and said nothing.

The mountain breeze blew, the leaves rustled, and a few withered leaves drifted down from above, spinning as they landed between the two of them.

Lu Xueqi turned around.

There was no expression on her face, and those cold, clear eyes stared fixedly at him, as if she were looking at someone she had known for a long time, or perhaps as if she were looking at a stranger.

She walked over, step by step, neither fast nor slow. She reached him and did not stop, continuing to walk until she had forced him back against the tree trunk.

Then, Lu Xueqi raised her hand, pressed it against his shoulder, and gave him a shove.

The force was not great, but it carried an irresistible strength.

Lu Jiuyuan's back hit the rough bark with a dull thud.

Lu Xueqi leaned in, one hand braced against the tree beside his ear, the other pressing against his chest, pinning him against the trunk.

Lu Xueqi's gaze shifted from his face to the side of his neck. There were several red marks there, of varying depths, left behind from last night.

"What is this?" Her voice was very soft, as light as a leaf falling onto a lake, unable to stir up any ripples. But her fingertips were trembling slightly.

Lu Jiuyuan looked down into her eyes; there was no interrogation or anger in them, only a cautious, almost humble search for confirmation.

It was as if she were waiting for him to say, "It's not what you think."

It was as if she were waiting for an explanation she already knew was impossible.