After Cutting Off Love And Emotions, I Was Pestered By The Demon Sect’s Enchantress - Chapter 21

Jiayu City (Part VII)

“Starting with that strange talk again; it seems you’re quite alright now.”

Zhu Shengxi cast a faint glance at her before surveying their surroundings, realizing they were inside a mountain cavern.

“This cave appeared right after we left the mist. I did a rough sweep; I didn’t find any danger,” A-Xu explained succinctly.

After speaking, she noticed Zhu Shengxi was gazing at her intently, her eyes reflecting a hint of worry.

“My eyes are fine. They’ll be better in a moment.”

Hearing this, Zhu Shengxi couldn’t help but feel a flicker of surprise. She hadn’t expected A-Xu to see through her thoughts so easily.

Zhu Shengxi gave a faint “mm” in response. She picked up the Chenque Sword from the ground and paused, noticing the hilt was completely free of blood.

The blade was bright and clean, the bloodstains already wiped away. It went without saying who had done it.

Catching her momentary daze, A-Xu turned her gaze aside, explaining with feigned indifference, “It is your natal spirit sword, after all. You should cherish it a bit more.”

The intention was clearly kind, yet her tone remained stubbornly awkward. Zhu Shengxi looked at her, a shallow smile surfacing in her eyes.

“Yes.”

A-Xu lowered her eyelashes slightly and said in a heavy voice, “I looked closely just now. The wound on your abdomen isn’t severe, but by logic, it shouldn’t have been that difficult to stop the bleeding. Therefore, I suspect it’s because of this deep forest.”

“After entering these woods, our spiritual power vanished and wounds don’t heal easily. While we were escaping earlier, I noticed the spiritual energy here is scarce, yet there is no gathered yin energy either. According to our previous deductions, the Chenze Beast should not appear in a place like this.”

A-Xu’s expression was serious, clearly discussing business, yet Zhu Shengxi’s attention was snagged on the words “looked closely.”

Looked closely… It was a perfectly ordinary statement, yet it made her face flush with heat. Zhu Shengxi lowered her gaze, her expression becoming somewhat unnatural.

Sensing her odd behavior, A-Xu intentionally paused her speech and looked at her.

Zhu Shengxi composed herself, meeting A-Xu’s gaze with what she believed to be a calm look. She saw the other woman’s eyes filled with mischievous laughter as she asked, knowing full well the answer, “You wandered off just now. What were you thinking about?”

Zhu Shengxi remained expressionless. “Nothing.”

A-Xu looked at her deeply for a few moments, her tone puzzled. “Why are you always so unwilling to speak your mind? Were you like this at the Guiyun Sect, too?”

Zhu Shengxi remained silent.

Seeing this, A-Xu understood. She sighed, “Then your life as a Hall Master must be quite suffocating.”

“I originally thought your status in the Guiyun Sect was second only to the Sect Master, and that all those disciples would be subservient to you.”

Hearing the word “subservient,” Zhu Shengxi couldn’t help but smile faintly. “You think too much. There isn’t such a strict hierarchy; in essence, I am simply their Senior Sister.”

She pulled her stray thoughts back, picking up where A-Xu had left off. “But the Chenze Beast appeared here nonetheless, hidden in the mist. There may be other cultivators here besides us. Seeing the beast appear, they certainly won’t want to return empty-handed, given the heavy rewards promised by the Xie family.”

A-Xu nodded in agreement. “Right. This is the mountain range closest to Jiayu City. Most people would start their search here. Luring people here and then trapping them in mist… it feels like someone is laying a trap in the shadows.”

Zhu Shengxi pondered for a moment. “If the ones setting the trap are the Xie family, and they lied about the Chenze Beast being lost to lure cultivators here, I wonder what their purpose is.”

As she finished speaking, Zhu Shengxi looked out of the cave. Outside, a fine rain drifted, and the mist was hazy. Both she and A-Xu were injured; they certainly wouldn’t be able to leave anytime soon.

“Along the way, we didn’t see any other cultivators.”

A-Xu didn’t seem to care, answering casually, “Maybe they’re all dead, and only the two of us survived.”

Zhu Shengxi remained non-committal. The ground inside the cave was damp and cold. Her gaze fell upon the dry straw spread out on the floor. “Did you gather these specifically as well?”

A-Xu looked around and arched an eyebrow slightly. “Who else? Is there anyone here besides you and me?”

Though this person always liked to say strange things, at certain times, she was exceptionally reliable.

Zhu Shengxi found a spot and sat cross-legged. A-Xu followed suit, huddling close to her side, and suddenly asked, “Are you happy at the Guiyun Sect?”

The change in topic was too fast; Zhu Shengxi blanked for a moment. Once she reacted, she looked at A-Xu with suspicion. “Why do you always ask about the Guiyun Sect?”

Meeting her doubtful eyes, the smile on A-Xu’s lips stiffened. She quickly found an excuse: “This… it’s because I want to know more about you.”

After all, only by knowing more and understanding her preferences could she better execute her subsequent plans.

When she woke up earlier, she clearly felt that Zhu Shengxi’s attitude toward her had changed; it wasn’t as cold as before. Therefore, hearing her concern, she would surely answer truthfully, right?

Thinking this, the corners of A-Xu’s mouth tilted up unconsciously.

Seeing her expression, Zhu Shengxi felt it was funny yet helpless. This person was smiling for no reason—it went without saying she was likely plotting something bad again.

Zhu Shengxi looked at her and said intentionally, “When I am at the Guiyun Sect, I can practice in peace for an entire day without anyone constantly disturbing me. Naturally, I am happy.”

Those words sounded rather pointed.

A-Xu frowned slightly. She had gone to such lengths to show concern, and in Zhu Shengxi’s eyes, it was all… a disturbance?

“You really are boring.” A-Xu turned her face away, her tone laced with dissatisfaction.

Hearing her say this, Zhu Shengxi wasn’t angered. She answered slowly, “Master and Senior Sisters are all very good to me, and the other disciples are wonderful as well. In the Guiyun Sect, I don’t have to worry about arrows in the dark. It is far better than the unpredictable hearts of people outside.” As she reached the last sentence, she seemed to look at A-Xu pointedly.

Unpredictable hearts… Casting shade at her again, was she?

A-Xu stared at her, her voice unreadable. “Are you still doubting me? If I truly wanted to kill you, I wouldn’t have risked my life to save you back then.”

Zhu Shengxi looked at A-Xu and followed the momentum. “I know, but your words are hard to distinguish as truth or lies. I cannot help but doubt you—unless you promise not to lie to me again.”

A-Xu didn’t hesitate long, agreeing with a smile. “Alright, I promise you. I won’t lie to you again.”

After speaking, however, A-Xu’s smile slowly faded. These words were truly a bit naive. Even if she made a promise, what of it?

Starting with a deception meant that no matter the process, it could only end in deception. She had understood this truth long ago.

“If you lie to me again, I will never believe you again.” Zhu Shengxi stared at A-Xu, her voice slightly cold.

Her tone was extremely serious. A-Xu’s eyelashes trembled, yet she remained expressionless as she said, “Fine.”

In any case, once she got what she wanted, she would leave without lingering. At that time, whether this person resented her or hated her wouldn’t matter anymore.

Zhu Shengxi was a pinnacle of the righteous path, instilled with the ideology of eliminating demons and defending the Dao since childhood. And she, A-Xu, was destined not to be tolerated by the righteous path. Even if they met again in the future, it would surely be with swords drawn.

The howling cold wind swept into the cave, interrupting A-Xu’s thoughts. She shivered and shifted sideways, pressing herself tightly against Zhu Shengxi.

“What is it?” Zhu Shengxi asked, feeling her deliberate closeness.

“Aren’t you cold?” A-Xu hugged her arms, shrinking back.

Hearing this, Zhu Shengxi’s gaze fell on A-Xu’s outer robe. It was late autumn, yet A-Xu was still wearing a thin outer garment—not to mention she had taken it off to cover her earlier.

The body pressed against her arm was trembling slightly; she must truly be feeling the cold. Zhu Shengxi glanced at her, and after a moment’s hesitation, she gently took her hand.

Those hands, usually warm, were exceptionally icy now. Zhu Shengxi thought of the robe that had been draped over her, and an indescribable feeling suddenly surged in her heart. She couldn’t help but tighten her grip on A-Xu’s hand.

The shared warmth was timely, dispelling some of the chill. A-Xu squinted her eyes with satisfaction, then held out her other hand, pushing her luck. “This hand is cold too.”

She thought the woman would thoughtfully warm both her hands. Unexpectedly, in the next moment, that warmth abruptly vanished, accompanied by Zhu Shengxi’s cold voice:

“If your hand is cold, put it in your own bosom to warm it.”

As expected, she had thought too much. Zhu Shengxi wasn’t that thoughtful.

A-Xu gave a soft huff and said as if casually, “When a certain someone’s cold poison flared up, I wasn’t afraid of the chill. I held her and let her drain my warmth. Now that my hands are cold, I don’t even have someone to help me warm them.”

Zhu Shengxi: “…”

Back then, when Senior Sister warned her to avoid owing favors as much as possible, it must have been to deal with someone like A-Xu.

Seeing that Zhu Shengxi remained silent, A-Xu curled her lip and said, “Forget it. Once we leave here, I can go find Little Flower to warm my hands.”

Zhu Shengxi looked at her in confusion. “Little Flower?”

“Yes. Little Flower is very good. I hold it every time I go there, and it loves being held by me.” A-Xu looked at Zhu Shengxi without blinking, intentionally keeping her words vague and ambiguous.

Zhu Shengxi fell silent. From the sounds of it, A-Xu had a profound relationship with this woman named “Little Flower.”

However, this talk felt strange no matter how she heard it.

Catching the doubt in Zhu Shengxi’s eyes, A-Xu struggled to suppress a laugh, feigning a sigh. “Sigh, I’m with you every day, Fellow Daoist Zhu, and have no time to visit Little Flower. I quite miss it.”

Zhu Shengxi frowned slightly. “I didn’t stop you from seeing her.”

“You indeed didn’t. But I’ve been busy helping you look into the matter of the residual jade; I haven’t had time to find it.”

Zhu Shengxi’s expression was flat. “I didn’t force you to help me. You can go see whoever you want.”

A-Xu laughed softly. “How could I? In my heart, your matters, Fellow Daoist Zhu, are the most important.”

Hearing this, Zhu Shengxi was stunned for a moment. She knew this person was full of flowery words and that her speech couldn’t be fully trusted. Yet, for some reason, she still asked:

“Why are my matters… the most important?”

A-Xu smiled brightly and seized the opportunity. “Warm my hands, and I’ll tell you.”

Zhu Shengxi looked at her coldly for a few seconds. Out of helplessness, she took her hands again, wrapping those slightly cold palms within her own.

Because of this movement, the distance between the two grew even closer. A-Xu looked up at her, her gaze sweeping over her quiet and indifferent features, her elegant nose, and finally landing on those pursed lips.

Zhu Shengxi felt her gaze and felt a bit uneasy. “What now?”

A-Xu lowered her voice and asked, “Have you ever warmed anyone else’s hands like this?”

Though she felt this person’s questions were all nonsensical, Zhu Shengxi answered her truthfully:

“No.”

At this, the corners of A-Xu’s mouth curved up. Those beautiful eyes grew bright, brimming with a radiant smile.

Did this answer truly make her this happy?

Zhu Shengxi looked up, subconsciously meeting A-Xu’s gaze. The eyes before her wavered slightly, carrying an indescribable spirit and playfulness. Because of the blood-red pupils, there was also a strange, demonic allure. Looking into those eyes made one almost want to drown in them.

Seeing her dazed state, the smile on A-Xu’s lips deepened. She leaned in slightly, drawing closer.

Warm breath brushed against her ear, accompanied by that familiar fragrance. Zhu Shengxi subconsciously placed her hand on A-Xu’s right shoulder—a gesture to push her away.

Seeing her movement, A-Xu thought she felt repulsed and immediately stopped her approach.

But in the next moment, as if sensing something, A-Xu tilted her lips, hooking them into an ambiguous smile.

It looked like a motion to push her away, but in reality, the hand on her right shoulder wasn’t using any force at all.

It seemed she didn’t truly want to push her away.

Bolstered by this internal certainty, A-Xu continued her unfinished movement.

Soft lips brushed past the ear, gently pressing against the jade-like cheek of the person before her—a touch that vanished as soon as it landed.

It was an extremely brief moment, like a feather drifting by. But unlike a cold feather, it was warm.

Her heart hammered like a drum. Her entire face belatedly became exceptionally hot. Zhu Shengxi turned her head slightly, looking at her with an astonished gaze.

“You…”

A-Xu propped her chin on one hand, looking at her with a beaming smile. “In my heart, your matters are the most important because I like you.”

When she said those last few words, her voice was light and soft, very much like a whisper between lovers.

The soft sensation seemed to linger on her cheek. Zhu Shengxi looked at A-Xu’s calm, unfazed appearance and suddenly shook her head, asking, “You don’t truly like me. You just want to tease me, don’t you?”

A-Xu arched an eyebrow, somewhat puzzled. “Why do you say that?”

Zhu Shengxi suppressed that strange sense of disappointment in her heart, saying only, “If you do this again next time, don’t blame me for striking you.”

Feeling that her affection was fake yet not saying why—A-Xu looked at this attitude, and a hint of anger couldn’t help but flare up in her heart as well.

Zhu Shengxi lowered her eyes, preparing to pull back the distance between them. At that moment, her wrist was gripped tightly.

Anger flickered in A-Xu’s eyes as she spoke word by word: “Make yourself clear.”