After Cutting Off Love And Emotions, I Was Pestered By The Demon Sect’s Enchantress - Chapter 7

The Sulo Tribe (Part III)

When Zhu Shengxi returned to the room, A-Xu was wearing only thin white inner robes, clearly having just finished bathing.

A quilt had been spread over the spot where she had sat in meditation the previous night. A-Xu was leaning over, tidying the bedding.

Zhu Shengxi averted her gaze, her lips parting slightly. “I wasn’t cold last night; you didn’t need to get an extra quilt for me.”

A-Xu looked up at her and said leisurely, “It wasn’t for you. It was for myself.”

Zhu Shengxi: “…”

This dialogue sounded strangely familiar.

“It’s settled. You sleep in the bed tonight, so naturally, I will sleep here. I don’t want to sleep on the cold, hard floor, so I asked Ling Zhuo for another set of bedding.”

“I never agreed to this,” Zhu Shengxi looked at her, puzzled. “I am used to regulating my breath and cultivating throughout the night; I do not sleep. Why must you give up the bed to me? It is unnecessary.”

Unnecessary…

A-Xu dropped the quilt in her hands and flashed a fake smile. “Fine. Then Fellow Daoist Zhu should focus well on her cultivation.”

With that, she turned directly around and walked toward the bed with an expressionless face.

“Miss A-Xu,” Zhu Shengxi called out to her, asking with some hesitation, “You… have already bathed?”

A-Xu kept her back to her, her tone growing a bit cold. “Yes, what of it?”

Zhu Shengxi hesitated for a moment but spoke anyway. “If I am not at the door, do not bathe.”

A-Xu turned around to look at her and sneered, saying bluntly, “What, does Fellow Daoist Zhu even want to manage when I bathe now?”

Her tone shifted as she added, “Or is it that Fellow Daoist Zhu has a hobby of listening to others bathe?”

She had originally been worried about the other’s safety and had offered a kind reminder, so how did the meaning of her words become so twisted in A-Xu’s mouth?

A hint of anger inevitably appeared in Zhu Shengxi’s eyes. “Does Miss A-Xu enjoy misinterpreting people’s intentions this much?”

A-Xu’s eyes grew dark and unreadable as she said coldly, “Yes, I am just that annoying. Since Fellow Daoist Zhu loathes such behavior, then stay far away from me.”

“You don’t need to tell me; I wish for nothing more than to stay away from you.” After saying this, Zhu Shengxi picked up the quilt from the floor, placed it on the table, and resumed her seated meditation on the cold, hard ground.

A-Xu was speechless with anger for a moment, a sense of frustration rising in her heart that she couldn’t let go of. She wrapped herself in her quilt and thought resentfully: Taking kindness for ill intent—what a jerk!

She deliberately avoided looking at the person in the corner and closed her eyes to sleep.

The night was as cool as water, and the cold wind blew in gusts. Between being half-asleep and half-awake, A-Xu heard a series of faint, fragmented groans of pain.

She woke up instantly, flipped out of bed, and walked quickly toward Zhu Shengxi.

Zhu Shengxi’s face was pale, and her brow was knit with a pain she couldn’t hide. Even so, she subconsciously bit her lip, trying to suppress the low moans.

Seeing her like this, A-Xu’s heart tightened.

How could this be? She was fine not long ago. Could there be something in the room affecting the cold poison in her body?

A-Xu’s gaze narrowed as she scanned the room. Inadvertently, she glimpsed the fruit plate on the table.

Under the moonlight, the green and red fruits in the plate gleamed with an eerie luster. As A-Xu moved closer to the plate, she realized that as the distance between her and the fruit decreased, the spiritual power within her meridians felt as if it were being sucked by something, surging violently.

A-Xu quickly understood the reason and grew furious. She picked up the fruit plate and threw both the fresh fruit and the plate out the window together.

Zhu Shengxi was already unable to maintain her meditation posture, huddling in the corner and shivering all over. A-Xu crouched in front of her and called softly, “Zhu Shengxi.”

The person before her gave no reaction, as if she had lost consciousness entirely. A-Xu reached out, wanting to check her temperature, but stopped just before touching her.

She gazed at Zhu Shengxi, her eyes flickering slightly. After a long while, she used the back of her hand to lightly touch the side of the other woman’s face.

It was like a block of ice.

A-Xu’s brows furrowed slightly. Sensing the heat source, the person before her unconsciously rubbed her cheek against the back of A-Xu’s hand.

A-Xu’s gaze deepened as she asked softly, “Didn’t you say you wanted to stay far away from me?”

At this moment, Zhu Shengxi was unconscious and naturally could not answer. She knit her brows and hummed softly in distress, leaning her forehead against the neck of the person in front of her by instinct, drinking in the warmth.

A-Xu shuddered from the cold. She reined in her teasing thoughts, put her arm around Zhu Shengxi’s shoulder, and brought her to the bed.

The warmth still lingered under the covers. A-Xu lay side-by-side with her, then grasped her wrist to channel spiritual power.

Winding the slightly cool strands of hair around her fingers one by one, A-Xu stared at her without blinking. After a long time, she pulled her lips into a playful smile.

She wondered what kind of expression this person would have tomorrow morning when she woke up and found herself lying with her.

Thump. A-Xu was pushed off the bed without warning, letting out a hiss of pain.

“Zhu Shengxi, what kind of madness are you having so early in the morning?” A-Xu rubbed her arm, speaking with dissatisfaction.

“Why am I on the bed… and where is my outer robe?” Zhu Shengxi’s tone was extremely cold.

A-Xu tilted her head and smiled lightly. “Did you forget? Last night your cold poison flared up, and you begged me to take you to the bed. Later, you said it was uncomfortable to sleep in your outer robes and acted like a brat, insisting that I help you take them off.”

“Oh, I discovered last night that this bed can actually fit two people. So, I suppose we’ve… shared a bed now?”

Zhu Shengxi lowered her eyes, her voice trembling. “You’re lying.”

A-Xu sensed something was wrong and leaned in to look at her, finding that the corners of her eyes were red.

Zhu Shengxi usually looked cold and expressionless, but right now her tone and expression were off; she was clearly beyond furious.

A-Xu hadn’t expected her casual words to provoke such a strong reaction. For once, she was a bit at a loss.

“Don’t be angry… I… I was just talking nonsense. Please don’t be angry, okay?”

Zhu Shengxi’s expression became even colder as she turned her face away. “I’m not angry.”

A-Xu sighed softly. “Alright, the truth is I thought the bed was warm, so I took it upon myself to carry you here. Then I thought sleeping in outer robes would definitely be uncomfortable, so I… but, I only did it out of consideration for you.”

As expected. Zhu Shengxi couldn’t help but shoot A-Xu a glare.

No matter how delirious she was, it was absolutely impossible for her to act as improperly as A-Xu had described.

After a moment of silence, Zhu Shengxi’s face returned to calm. “I don’t know why, but the cold poison suddenly flared up last night.”

A-Xu replied, “There was something wrong with that plate of fruit. Last night, when I got close to it, I clearly felt the spiritual power in my body becoming unstable.”

Hearing this, Zhu Shengxi frowned. “Could it be that Ling Zhuo guessed we wouldn’t eat them?”

A-Xu sighed. “I’m not sure. This place is very strange. We should leave as soon as possible.” After speaking, she picked up her outer garment from the foot of the bed and was about to put it on when she suddenly felt a wave of dizziness.

Staggering a few steps, she leaned against the bed frame, her eyes tightly shut.

“What’s wrong?” Zhu Shengxi asked, seeing her state.

“It’s nothing. My spiritual power is likely over-exhausted.” A-Xu shook her head gently and forced a smile.

Zhu Shengxi looked at her, the emotions in her eyes unclear.

At that moment, the sound of footsteps and the rhythmic thump-thump of a cane hitting the floor came from the corridor. Zhu Shengxi straightened her clothes and went to open the door.

Outside stood Chief Gu. She swept a glance over Zhu Shengxi, her tone carrying a faint trace of impatience. “When are you leaving?”

Zhu Shengxi: “We will leave in two days.”

Chief Gu let out a cold snort. “Leaving sooner is better. Don’t blame me for not warning you.” Leaving those words behind, she turned tremulously as if to depart.

Zhu Shengxi called out to her, “Senior.”

Chief Gu’s body stiffened, and she stopped in her tracks.

“Senior is not a member of the Sulo tribe. Why have you remained here all this time?”

Seeing that Chief Gu did not respond, Zhu Shengxi continued, “Senior is also a practitioner. You are fully capable of maintaining your youthful appearance, so why would you…”

Before she could finish, the cane in Chief Gu’s hand swung rapidly toward her. Zhu Shengxi’s pupils contracted, and she reacted quickly, lifting the Chenque Sword to block it.

The scabbard and the iron cane collided with a crisp ding. The iron cane was only three inches from her cheek. Zhu Shengxi looked at her, her expression stern.

“Do not ask what should not be asked.” Chief Gu’s eyes were like knives, serving as both a threat and a warning.

The two remained in a deadlock for a moment before Chief Gu was the first to withdraw her cane. She said almost imperceptibly, “Your cultivation is not bad. Leave as soon as possible.”

After Chief Gu turned away, Zhu Shengxi inconspicuously rubbed her thumb and forefinger.

In that exchange just now, she appeared not to have lost ground, but in reality, her hand was numb from the shock.

Chief Gu’s cultivation was above hers, and her strength and reactions were not at all like those of an elderly person.

A-Xu, hearing the commotion outside, walked quickly to the corridor. Seeing that Zhu Shengxi was unharmed, she felt relieved and asked, “What happened?”

Zhu Shengxi shook her head and put the Chenque Sword back into her storage bag, saying only, “We are leaving in two days.”

Her voice wasn’t loud, but it could be heard clearly at both ends of the corridor.

A-Xu didn’t ask further and gave an “mm.”

At that moment, a wooden bird in the corner tilted its head, flapped its wings stiffly, and flew out soundlessly.

The wooden bird crossed the long street, flew over the tall stone houses, and landed on someone’s shoulder.

A slender hand tapped the little head of the wooden bird, followed by the sound of contemptuous laughter.

“Tsk, she actually thinks to warn others.” Ling Zhuo’s eyes were disdainful as she turned her gaze toward the woman in front of her.

The woman struggled to prop up her body. The headscarf that had originally covered her entire face had mostly fallen away, revealing a delicate and pretty countenance.

“To sustain the breath of the dead is to go against the Heavens. One day, you will suffer a backlash and be beyond redemption.” The woman coughed up a mouthful of blood, her breath faint.

“So what?” Ling Zhuo sneered, the expression on her face cold and terrifying—nothing like her previous innocent and simple self.

She walked slowly toward the woman on the ground, a trace of eerie red light rising from her right palm. Watching the person approach, the woman’s pupils shrank, and she uttered a threat: “If you kill me, the Xuanqing Sect will certainly not let you go.”

Hearing the words “Xuanqing Sect,” Ling Zhuo paused, her expression turning strange.

“Who is your master?”

The woman, thinking Ling Zhuo was intimidated, spoke up: “The former Sect Master of the Xuanqing Sect, Feng Yu.”

“Oh… then which of Feng Yu’s disciples are you?” Ling Zhuo toyed with the corner of her sleeve, asking casually.

The woman frowned. “What do you mean ‘which one’? Master only has two closed-door disciples—myself and my Senior Sister.”

“Oh?” Ling Zhuo curled her lips. “Then is your Senior Sister Li Yishuang?”

“Yes, my Senior Sister is the world-renowned Thousand-Frost Sword Master, Li Yishuang.” The woman answered loudly, hoping the reputation of her sect would deter the person before her.

Ling Zhuo understood. “So you are Feng Yu’s newly recruited disciple, Ye Liuxi.”

Ye Liuxi was stunned. She had only recently joined the sect. This person lived in a desolate desert with no one around, yet she was actually following the latest news of the Xuanqing Sect.

After a moment of silence, Ling Zhuo lowered her eyes and asked, “Is she… good to you?”

Compared to the previous ones, this question seemed inexplicable. Ye Liuxi didn’t know Ling Zhuo’s goal, so she could only answer truthfully: “Of course she is. My swordsmanship was taught by Senior Sister. Every time she returns to the sect, she brings me pastries from the mountain.”

Hearing her answer, Ling Zhuo’s hand at her side tightened bit by bit. She asked hoarsely, “Why is she so good to you?”

Ye Liuxi looked at her strangely. “Senior Sister and I are both Master’s personal disciples. I am her only junior sister; of course she is good to me.”

As soon as these words were spoken, Ling Zhuo suddenly lunged forward and grabbed Ye Liuxi by the neck, her expression bordering on frenzied.

“Only two disciples? Li Yishuang told you that, didn’t she? Heh, don’t worry, I won’t kill you now. I’ll wait for your dear Senior Sister to come find me herself.”

Ye Liuxi’s face quickly turned red as she hit Ling Zhuo’s hand frantically. Ling Zhuo calmly enjoyed the sight of her nearly suffocating, before slowly releasing her grip.

Ye Liuxi gasped for air, looking at Ling Zhuo in terror. “You… what exactly do you want to do?”

She steadied her breathing and forced herself to remain calm. “Even if you extract more spiritual energy, it won’t change the fact that this place is already a dead city!”

Ling Zhuo narrowed her eyes, ignoring that statement, and instead said something completely mysterious.

“Li Yishuang never told you, did she? Actually, you have two other Senior Sisters.”