Nineteen Frames

"What if I want something? Will you help me, Senior Sister?"

Can I say no? Qiao Ranran thought.

Chapter 19: Nineteen Frames

She had no interest in what Pei Ling wanted from the Profound Heart Sect. But after the strange thing she had seen in his sea of consciousness, she thought she could guess a little.

They were so close that Pei Ling could see every shift in Qiao Ranran's gaze and expression. Her thoughts were easy to read on her face.

"What have you guessed now?" Seeing her eyes dart away, Pei Ling realized he had underestimated her again.

Even the high-level cultivators of the Profound Heart Sect, including the master he had acquired, had failed to notice anything unusual about his Divine Soul. Yet she had sensed it almost at once. Later, he had wondered whether the Toxicity that had become inseparable from his Divine Soul had followed him through his rebirth. Qiao Ranran had recognized at a glance that he was poisoned, so naturally she could distinguish between different kinds of Toxicity.

She had said she thought he had come here by possessing someone else's body. But if she could tell different kinds of Toxicity apart, he doubted she had missed the connection between them. She was smarter than he had imagined. She guessed too quickly, and she played dumb too naturally.

Now she seemed to have guessed something else.

Having someone see through him so easily irritated Pei Ling, yet it also gave him a thrill he had never felt before.

Qiao Ranran turned her head and stared at the ground as if she could make a flower bloom there. In the end, she gave in. It wasn't that she didn't want to stand her ground; he was simply too strong, and she saw no shame in yielding.

"Blood Jade Nectar."

"Hmm?"

"Blood Jade Nectar can improve my constitution without any toxic side effects. It's exactly what I need."

Pei Ling laughed. He had not expected that answer from Qiao Ranran. Was she bold enough to demand the impossible, or was she trying to fool him again?

Blood Jade Nectar was indeed precious. It could improve not just her constitution, but anyone's. There was no question it was good stuff.

But Blood Jade Nectar was found deep within the South Sea Extremity, and a Blood Jade Ray could produce only a drop or half a drop in its entire lifetime. Given Qiao Ranran's constitution, even eight or ten drops might not be enough.

She was telling the truth, but she was also certain he would not take such a risk for her. With the strength he appeared to possess, reaching the depths of the South Sea Extremity to obtain Blood Jade Nectar was impossible.

Pei Ling had no intention of letting her have her way. A cool smile touched his lips as he lifted her chin with his fingertips, forcing her to meet his eyes. "But I've heard Blood Jade Nectar works best when taken immediately."

"Hmm?" Qiao Ranran understood every word, but what was Pei Ling trying to say?

"So it would be better if you came with me, Senior Sister."

"What?!"

Qiao Ranran had never imagined Pei Ling would drag her away without another word. By the time she recovered from her shock, they had already left the Profound Heart Sect.

Pei Ling did not travel through the air like Xi Lingge. He moved directly through space, truly tearing it open. Her vision blurred, and the scenery before her changed completely.

Cultivators could fly on swords after reaching the Foundation Establishment Stage and stand in midair after reaching the Deity Transformation Stage. After the Void Refinement Stage, they could teleport short distances. But to tear open space and teleport a great distance, one had to have comprehended the Space Law—or be an old monster of at least the Mahayana Realm.

Qiao Ranran had known Pei Ling's spiritual sense was powerful, but she was too weak to tell just how powerful. Now she knew: he was at least at the Mahayana Realm.

No wonder Pei Ling had said he was not the least bit small.

Qiao Ranran, who had still been considering one last desperate struggle, immediately behaved herself. It was just that Pei Ling showed little care in how he carried her. At least Xi Lingge had grabbed her by the back of her collar, allowing her to retain a shred of dignity. Pei Ling held her by her belt. She watched the changing scenery below her, face down, her mind perfectly calm.

The two men had one thing in common: both seemed to have forgotten that her cultivation was nowhere near high enough to withstand the Astral Wind at this speed.

Qiao Ranran silently began casting the Wind-Riding Art and the Wind-Blocking Art again. They were better than nothing.

When Pei Ling noticed her small movements, he realized that a quiet Qiao Ranran was no fun at all. He could not see her expression or her eyes, and he had no idea what she was thinking. It bored him.

Travel was boring enough already.

So Pei Ling raised a hand and changed how he held her.

"..." What was Qiao Ranran supposed to say about this position?

If Pei Ling's arm had been around her waist, she could have protested that men and women should keep their distance. But his arm was under the backs of her knees. He had perched her on his arm the way one might hold a child.

She was suddenly looking down at him. With a slight tilt of his head, Pei Ling could see her smooth, fair chin and the helpless disbelief in her eyes. She had nowhere to hide it.

Qiao Ranran suddenly had no idea what to do with her hands. The Spell Art she had been casting stopped abruptly, and a gust of Astral Wind struck her head-on, whipping her already tangled hair into an even worse mess.

Then it plastered itself across Pei Ling's face.

With an awkward laugh, Qiao Ranran pulled her hair off his face. The Astral Wind behind her had vanished too. Pei Ling had finally found his conscience and shut it out—or perhaps he simply did not want another faceful of hair.

"Sorry." Even after dealing with her hair, Qiao Ranran remained at a loss. "Junior Brother Pei, can we discuss something?"

Pei Ling regarded her calmly. He knew what she wanted to say.

"I suggest you put me down. I'll follow you obediently. I won't struggle or run away. If that won't do, you can even carry me by my belt like before. But could you please not hold me like this?"

"Hmm?"

Qiao Ranran gave him a pitiful look. "I'm afraid of heights."

He did not know whether she was truly afraid of heights, but he could see her discomfort. It had broken the measured composure she always maintained around him, revealing the uncertainty of a girl her age. Before this, even when she spoke of giving in, her clear eyes had remained calm, as though nothing could escape her notice and nothing could surprise her.

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