Her Little Disciple Again

At the mention of this, Wei Mingchi seemed somewhat moved, and he glanced behind him.

"Did A Man seem very bad-tempered to you just now? She wasn't like that before."

"She used to be very gentle, but her family members passed away one after another over the past few years. A Man became very sensitive, always afraid of losing what she had. She's afraid that in the end, even I'll abandon her, so she keeps losing her temper over little things."

"I see. What a poor child. She looks only a year or two past fifteen." Sister-in-law Little Liu sighed.

"Actually, I know she doesn't mean it, so I always want to accommodate her, but I keep carelessly letting hurtful things slip out."

Zhu Lianqing, who had been quietly listening to the gossip, suddenly spoke. "From your accent, you're not from the Eastern Territory. I take it you're traveling far from home?"

Wei Mingchi hadn't expected the subject to turn to this. He paused, then answered, "Yes."

"Since you can travel far from home, your mourning period must be over. In that case, why haven't you married? You just said you know she's become sensitive and fragile, has no family to rely on, and fears you'll abandon her. Since you know all this, why haven't you married her sooner?"

Wei Mingchi clearly hadn't expected Zhu Lianqing to ask this. After a moment's daze, his steps briefly faltered, and he looked toward the person following far behind them, his gaze darkening for an instant.

"I have nothing right now. What could I marry her with? Once I pass the county examination next year, I can become a teacher at a private school and at least have a job. Right now, I make a living writing letters for people. If she stays with me, I'm afraid she won't have a good life."

Sister-in-law Little Liu sighed repeatedly as she listened. "That might matter with someone else, but you two have come all this way together. Since she's chosen you, that means she doesn't care about those things."

"When Er Liu and I married, he was the poorest man in the village. His house let in both wind and rain. We bowed to heaven and earth under the tree at the village entrance, without so much as a red garment. Things have all gotten better now."

Zhu Lianqing idly brushed the wild grass beside the road with her hand. "It's good that you don't want her to suffer, but you shouldn't keep putting it off and leaving her needlessly afraid of losing you. At the very least, you should tell her how you feel."

"You're young and don't know how hard love can be, making something as simple as mutual affection so complicated. Careful, or your wife might run off with someone else."

Sister-in-law Little Liu chuckled twice at this and looked at Zhu Lianqing. "I thought you were rather reserved, miss. I didn't expect you to enjoy listening to domestic gossip so much."

Zhu Lianqing returned her smile.

Free gossip to while away the time. Why let it go to waste?

"You young people all insist on saving face, squabbling over little things. But when you look back on it, why bother? Once hurtful words leave your mouth, you can never take them back."

Wei Mingchi glanced behind him twice more and nodded. "You do have experience, after all. I'll remember everything you just said. Thank you."

Sister-in-law Little Liu smiled. "I have experience, but this young lady doesn't. There are two kinds of people in this world: those experiencing love who can't see through it, and those who have never experienced it yet see it with great clarity. I think you're more like the second kind, miss."

Zhu Lianqing raised her brows. "Why would I need to experience it? I've seen plenty of matches made in heaven, and plenty of bitter couples too. Handling these relationship problems comes as easily as plucking something with my fingers."

Sister-in-law Little Liu lowered her eyes slightly and gently shook her head. "Not necessarily. Unless you experience love yourself, you'll never understand its hardships."

Zhu Lianqing neither agreed nor disagreed.

Her mission targets in every world were people bent on destroying heaven and earth. How could she have the leisure to fall in love?

It wasn't as though no mission target had ever shown an interest in Zhu Lianqing, but that particular man had three thousand beauties in his harem. Zhu Lianqing had been so frightened that she hadn't even allowed herself a buffer period before faking her death and fleeing overnight.

Later, when 191 reported to her, it said that after hearing of her death, the man who had claimed his sky would collapse if he couldn't have her had spent one night in low spirits, then fallen in love at first sight with two women in succession the following day.

Zhu Lianqing couldn't even be bothered to roast him.

So, among Zhu Lianqing's many mission targets, although Xie Lingchuan had committed bloody, violent acts such as slaughtering entire sects after turning demonic in the original plot, the normal version of Xie Lingchuan still made her work experience very pleasant.

Because he was obedient enough. Though rather quiet, he had none of those messy thoughts, which saved Zhu Lianqing a great deal of worry.

Once, she'd had a mission target who was on the verge of turning over a new leaf, only to fall in love with a girl whose heart belonged to someone else. He spent all day overthinking and nearly made himself blacken ahead of schedule. Back then, Zhu Lianqing had felt her head swell to twice its size.

"Who are you thinking of, miss?"

Coming back to herself, Zhu Lianqing saw Sister-in-law Little Liu's somewhat teasing smile and knew she had mistakenly assumed she was thinking of a sweetheart.

She couldn't be bothered to explain, and Sister-in-law Little Liu didn't press her.

Sister-in-law Little Liu was an old hand at hosting visitors. Once they returned to the village and she settled the two of them in, she brought over hot water and an oil lamp.

Wei Mingchi and Qin Man's room was right next to Zhu Lianqing's.

As night fell, Zhu Lianqing saw that the lamp next door had already been lit.

Zhu Lianqing's body was still exhausted, so she couldn't be bothered to light a lamp and sit idly that night either. She lay down early to sleep.

Before falling asleep, she could still hear the two people next door arguing.

The dream once again dragged Zhu Lianqing's consciousness into that lavish, eerie palace.

Zhu Lianqing sneered as she looked at the graceful figure in the distance.

"Today, I'll see just what sort of demon you are, daring to play these supernatural tricks right under my nose."

She pushed aside layer upon layer of beaded curtains and gauze drapes and walked toward the bed. The woman's back grew clearer and clearer.

Her skin was as white as cold snow, her black hair long and smooth. Even without seeing her face, one instinctively felt that she was a peerless beauty.

Zhu Lianqing reached out and rested her hand on the bed curtain. Just as she was about to lift it, a piercing scream nearly punctured her eardrums.

The dream shattered in an instant, and Zhu Lianqing jolted upright in bed.

The scream had yet to fade, accompanied by the sound of flesh and bone being chewed.

It came from the room next door.

This is bad. Something's happened.

Zhu Lianqing swiftly swung herself off the bed and opened the door.

Outside, the night was deep. The slightly cool night breeze carried the smell of blood and another unusual scent, like some kind of powder with an eerie fragrance.

Zhu Lianqing instinctively frowned. She had only just taken a step outside when a bloody hand clamped around her ankle.

Zhu Lianqing instantly felt her temples begin to throb.

"Can't we talk this out? Please don't scare people in the middle of the night, all right?"

"Help..."

Zhu Lianqing crouched down, grabbed the bloody hand, and hauled her up from the ground.

"Miss A Man?"

A Man already seemed barely conscious. Zhu Lianqing quickly helped her sit against the wall under the eaves and even cast a small spell. Then, carrying the oil lamp that had fallen to the ground, she walked toward the room next door, where faint, strange noises were coming from.

The oil lamp's light only reached so far. Zhu Lianqing entered and lowered it to illuminate the floor.

The blood by her feet wound in a crooked trail. Zhu Lianqing followed it two steps forward, then raised the lamp to shine ahead, revealing half a male corpse hanging over the bed, dripping blood.

Crouched over the corpse was a Ghoul, chewing on an arm.

Judging by the clothes, the victim was none other than Wei Mingchi.

The instant she saw clearly, killing intent surged in Zhu Lianqing's heart.

She raised her hands and formed an array, trapping the Ghoul inside without giving it a chance to escape, then activated the array and ground it to pieces.

The Ghoul's shrill wail rang out at the same time as the door closed behind Zhu Lianqing.

Before Zhu Lianqing could turn around, something wet and soft coiled around her neck.

Zhu Lianqing felt a wave of nausea rise within her. She moved the lamp behind her to her side and twisted to look.

In her slanted field of vision was a vividly multicolored pattern.

Beautiful and eerie.

Zhu Lianqing channeled her spiritual energy, summoning the wooden chopsticks from the table into her hand, then stabbed backward.

She had no idea where she had stabbed it. An extremely soft sensation traveled through her hand, and the thing wrapped around her neck immediately loosened.

Zhu Lianqing leaped back and raised the lamp. Once she made out the thing's shape, she nearly retched.

It was an enormous moth, clinging to the wall and almost covering it entirely.

What she had stabbed just now was probably this moth demon's belly.

Goosebumps rose all over Zhu Lianqing.

At the same time, the moth before her suddenly beat its wings, and the sweet fragrance in the air grew stronger.

Zhu Lianqing stepped back and covered her mouth and nose.

A moth woman. Its body is easy to kill. The troublesome part is the powder on its wings. It's poisonous.

But to Zhu Lianqing, this was clearly no trouble either, because she could deal with a low-level monster like this with a twitch of her fingers.

Zhu Lianqing prepared to raise her hand and blast it.

But just as spiritual power began to gather in her hand, sword light flashed outside the window.

Zhu Lianqing's thoughts shifted. Not good. A cultivator.

They had probably sensed the demonic aura and come to slay the demon. In that case, she couldn't very well make a move.

And so the spiritual power circulating in Zhu Lianqing's hand slammed on the brakes.

She had just lowered her hand when sword light flashed before her like a white rainbow, and a long, slender blade pinned the moth's fluttering wings firmly in place.

Zhu Lianqing felt a weight on her shoulder. Someone gripped it and pushed her aside.

"It's poisonous. Don't breathe it in."

That familiar cadence, that familiar tone, and that familiar scent of soap pods.

In the darkness, Zhu Lianqing silently closed her eyes for a moment.

Of all the people who could have come, why was it her little disciple again?