After Cutting Off Love And Emotions, I Was Pestered By The Demon Sect’s Enchantress - Chapter 6

The Suluo Clan (Part II)

The scene was at a standstill. Zhu Shengxi took a step forward. “We harbor no ill intent; we simply wandered into the desert by mistake and encountered a sandstorm. We only wish to stay for a few days.”

Ling Zhuo immediately followed up. “It’s true, Patriarch. If they hadn’t saved me, the dagger in my arms would have been snatched away by those bandits.”

“Furthermore, they are upright people, and their cultivation is even higher than the cultivators who came before. The clansmen will surely welcome them.”

Zhu Shengxi glanced at Ling Zhuo. For some reason, she felt there was something strange about Ling Zhuo’s words.

The old woman looked at Ling Zhuo, appearing as if she wanted to say something but held back. After a long while, she let out a heavy sigh. Her gaze was complex as she looked at the two newcomers, leaving them with a single sentence:

“Bring them in.”

Ling Zhuo’s eyes brightened, and she smiled as she led the way for the two.

“May I ask how to address you?” Zhu Shengxi asked.

“My surname is Gu,” Patriarch Gu replied coldly.

After entering the stone formation, Zhu Shengxi observed that the strange rocks were shifting quietly. It was likely an array set up to protect the Suluo Clan.

Passing through the stone formation, tall buildings appeared before their eyes. Both sides of the road were filled with merchants, mostly small stalls selling ornaments and weapons.

A-Xu couldn’t help but look around. “Ling Zhuo, do they sell candied haws here?”

Ling Zhuo replied, “Yes, right at the corner of the street.” Hearing this, A-Xu was about to head over excitedly when a fair, strong hand pulled her back.

Sensing Zhu Shengxi’s silent warning, although she didn’t know the reason, A-Xu stopped her pace. Her tone was regretful as she said, “A pity I don’t have enough silver on me. I’ll speak of it next time.”

Zhu Shengxi used her peripheral vision to scan the surrounding merchants. She noticed that every single one of them kept their heads lowered. On the surface, they seemed busy with their business, yet they appeared as though they didn’t dare look at the newcomers.

“Arrange a guest room for them,” Patriarch Gu said before departing.

Zhu Shengxi was stunned for a moment. Ling Zhuo explained with a wry smile, “Immortal Zhu, Sister A-Xu, rooms are scarce in the Suluo Clan. We’ll have to trouble you to share.”

Seeing Zhu Shengxi’s hesitant expression, A-Xu smiled with great understanding. “It’s fine. Having a place to rest is already good enough.”

In the next moment, she looked at Zhu Shengxi. “Besides, we are both women. Sharing a room isn’t much of an issue, is it, Daoist Zhu?”

“Even sharing the same bed would be…”

“Miss A-Xu,” Zhu Shengxi interrupted her.

“No need to say more. I have no objection,” Zhu Shengxi said coldly, entering the room directly.

A-Xu winked at Ling Zhuo and then followed her inside.

The furnishings in the room were simple, consisting only of a bed, a wooden table, and chairs. A thick layer of dust covered the table. Zhu Shengxi cast a Cleansing Spell, and the room became brand new.

A-Xu walked straight past her and lay down on the bed, sighing, “The Cleansing Spell really is convenient.”

Zhu Shengxi pinched a hand seal, focusing her mind to probe the entire room. After a moment, she waved her hand; the half-closed door and open window were immediately shut tight, sealed without a gap. Afterward, she extinguished the candle on the table and walked toward the bedside.

The room suddenly went dark. Moonlight filtered through the sparse wooden window, leaving a few strands of clear light in the room.

Looking at the person getting closer and closer, A-Xu felt something was extremely off. She quietly gripped her jade flute and asked with a wary expression, “Are you Zhu Shengxi?”

“Haven’t you noticed? Something is wrong here. There is an array in the room,” a familiar voice echoed in A-Xu’s mind.

Voice transmission… A-Xu asked in a low voice, “Then what do you plan to do now?”

“The function of the array in the room cannot be determined for now. Do not act rashly. Rest as usual, and be extra careful yourself.”

A-Xu’s tone was surprised. “Rest now?”

Zhu Shengxi nodded slightly.

A-Xu pulled on her sleeve. “But I haven’t bathed yet. I’ve been traveling through the secret realm for days, and today I got a mouthful of sand. I usually bathe every day.”

Zhu Shengxi took a Cleansing Talisman out of her storage bag and handed it to her.

A-Xu turned her face away and didn’t take it. “I don’t want that. It’s not as comfortable as bathing.”

Zhu Shengxi frowned. “The enemy is in the dark while we are in the light, yet you’re still thinking about comfort?”

Fine, if you don’t want it…

She put the Cleansing Talisman back into her storage bag and said coldly, “Rest.”

Half an hour later, Zhu Shengxi leaned against the outside of the door, clutching her sword.

The candle had been relit inside the room, and the slight sound of splashing water made her feel flustered and irritated.

She really didn’t know what was happening; since meeting this person, she had compromised time and time again.

A “ding,” like the sound of metal clashing, rang out from downstairs. Zhu Shengxi straightened up, intending to go down and check, but she suddenly stopped after taking a few steps.

That person was still bathing in the room. If she left now, would she be in danger?

Zhu Shengxi felt somewhat helpless. She turned back to the door just as she heard a low voice from inside: “I’m finished washing.”

She took a deep look at the corridors on both sides and then opened the door to enter the room.

Zhu Shengxi opened the wooden window slightly to dissipate the remaining mist in the room. Her gaze shifted and she found that the bath bucket had been retracted into A-Xu’s storage bag, and the water stains on the floor had been cleaned up.

The person on the bed wrapped the quilt tightly, revealing only a fluffy head.

Zhu Shengxi leaned against the window and looked outside. The faint moonlight shone on her expressionless face, softening her cold and distant features. Under the water-like moonlight, her countenance appeared as refined as jade.

A-Xu peeked at her, watching a few strands of hair near her forehead flutter gently with the breeze.

The wind moved her hair, and it also brushed against A-Xu’s heart. After a moment, A-Xu thought of something; her eyes darkened, and she turned over, no longer looking at the other woman.

The moment A-Xu turned over, Zhu Shengxi turned her head to look at the person on the bed, her gaze filled with scrutiny.

The night passed without incident.

After the spiritual energy had completed a minor cycle through her meridians, Zhu Shengxi slowly opened her eyes.

Upon opening them, she immediately met the gaze of the person who was inches away.

Zhu Shengxi frowned slightly, rose from the floor, and asked coldly, “What are you doing?”

A-Xu, who had been squatting in front of her, also slowly stood up. “Did you not sleep all night?”

“Meditation,” Zhu Shengxi massaged her brow and tossed out those words.

“You were meditating on the floor; isn’t it cold?” A-Xu looked at her.

Zhu Shengxi shook her head. “It’s not cold.”

A-Xu gave a light cough and said, “Tonight you sleep on the bed. I don’t want to take advantage of others for no reason.”

She doesn’t like taking advantage of others?

Zhu Shengxi thought about this person’s behavior over the past few days and fell into a rare silence.

“Knock, knock.” The wooden door was tapped, breaking the silent atmosphere. A-Xu went forward to open the door and saw Ling Zhuo standing there, holding a plate of fruit.

The fruit was both green and red. Ling Zhuo came in, placed the plate on the table, and said obediently, “Immortal Zhu, Sister A-Xu, these are fresh fruits unique to our Suluo Clan. They have the effect of prolonging life and replenishing Qi. Please try some.”

Zhu Shengxi studied her for a moment and said warmly, “We will eat them later. You can just leave them here.”

After hearing this, Ling Zhuo nodded. “Mhm, then I’ll head out first.” Having said that, she turned and walked out of the room. From beginning to end, there was nothing unusual about her expression.

Zhu Shengxi silently recalled Ling Zhuo’s every reaction, only to see that the person beside her had already leaned in toward the plate of fruit.

“The red ones should be sweeter; the green ones are definitely sour,” A-Xu muttered.

Zhu Shengxi moved the fruit plate away from her. A-Xu glared at her and pulled the plate back in front of herself.

“Can’t I even look at them?”

Her tone carried a hint of coquettishness. Zhu Shengxi was stunned for a moment and didn’t say anything more.

A-Xu picked up a fruit at random and examined it. “After you reminded me yesterday, I made a point to observe. The Suluo clansmen on the street are a bit strange.”

Zhu Shengxi nodded slightly. “Indeed. They seem very resistant to us, not at all as hospitable as Ling Zhuo described.”

A-Xu put the fruit back on the plate and stood up. “Let’s go back to the street and take another look.”

Fifteen minutes later, the two were walking along the long street. The merchants around them were just as they were yesterday, all bowing their heads and tending to their own business.

A-Xu walked to a small stall and pointed randomly at one of the hairpins, asking, “How much is this hairpin?”

The woman dressed in grey cloth glanced at her, and then her expression turned exceptionally terrified. She said in a trembling voice, “Not… not for sale.”

Seeing her shifty eyes, Zhu Shengxi couldn’t help but feel puzzled. She asked, “Why is it not for sale?”

The woman did not answer their question further, merely muttering to herself, “Go quickly… don’t come over here.”

Seeing this, A-Xu leaned toward Zhu Shengxi and whispered, “Is she perhaps a bit simple-minded?”

Zhu Shengxi pondered for a moment. “Let’s leave first.”

It wasn’t just this one merchant; they visited several other stalls, and every merchant had a strange expression, appearing to avoid the two of them at all costs.

“Could it be because of the previous cultivators? Ling Zhuo once said those cultivators were in league with the bandits and harmed the Suluo people. Is it because of that the merchants are avoiding us?” A-Xu guessed.

To this, Zhu Shengxi neither agreed nor disagreed.

“We’ve been wandering for so long, and it’s getting late. Let’s head back,” Zhu Shengxi said softly.

A-Xu’s gaze continued to sweep around. “Strange, Ling Zhuo clearly said yesterday it was right at the corner of the street. Why haven’t I seen the one selling candied haws?”

Why is she thinking about eating all day and night?

Just as Zhu Shengxi was about to scold her, a figure walked hurriedly toward them and bumped into A-Xu’s right shoulder.

Although A-Xu was the one bumped, the person stumbled back several steps as if they were about to fall.

A-Xu was quick and caught the person. A headscarf covered most of the face, but based on the build, one could tell it was a woman.

“Are you all ri—” Before A-Xu could finish, the person said nothing and hurried away.

A-Xu stood stunned, a strange feeling surfacing in her heart.

Zhu Shengxi said indifferently, “She hasn’t even thanked you yet. Why not chase after her?”

A-Xu gave her a confused look, then realized she was being sarcastic.

“What’s there to chase? I’m not like this with everyone.” A-Xu arched her eyebrow slightly, meeting Zhu Shengxi’s gaze.

“Then why did you…”

“Did you take the detoxification pill?” A-Xu suddenly asked, interrupting Zhu Shengxi.

“I took it last night,” Zhu Shengxi answered honestly.

A-Xu hummed. “Not entirely dull, then.”

She wore a slightly wicked smile and whispered into Zhu Shengxi’s ear:

“If you hadn’t taken it by tonight, your internal organs would have rotted one by one, and you would have died as your blood drained completely.”

Her warm breath hit Zhu Shengxi’s ear, sending a series of tremors through her skin. That sweet fragrance also suddenly closed in, as if it wanted to trap Zhu Shengxi in place.

“You…” Zhu Shengxi’s breathing faltered for a moment. She took several steps back, putting distance between the two of them.

Like a stone thrown into a calm lake, A-Xu clearly saw the ripples rising in Zhu Shengxi’s eyes. She laughed softly in high spirits and said, “Daoist Zhu, I’ll head back first.”

A-Xu’s figure gradually drifted away. Only after the person had completely disappeared did Zhu Shengxi slowly raise her hand, her cold palm covering her right ear.

Why is it so hot…