The Beautiful Pariah Thought He Could Be Loved - Chapter 33

Chapter 33: Xin Qishu Walked Toward Han Shuang Villa…

Upon hearing this, He Lvqing was not displeased; instead, he approached with a burning gaze. His ivory-skinned face was sharp and chiseled, his nose bridge high, with a few strands of ink-black hair falling before his eyes. Within those deep green pupils, a crackling flame seemed to flicker.

With the slight rustle of fabric, He Lvqing slowly pressed closer.

Xin Qishu tilted his head and stared back coldly, the corners of his eyes upturned in a look of defiant nonchalance. As a large hand found his waist and began to stroke his skin, he finally spoke: “But not now.”

“Are you…” Xin Qishu didn’t voice the words, but his expression and tone made his meaning perfectly clear.

Lvqing’s movements froze instantly. After a long moment, he sat back in his place.

He remained silent, and Xin Qishu stopped paying him any mind.

How familiar this scene was. Once, Xin Qishu had been the one under scrutiny, the one subject to cold words. Now, the tables had turned, and he was the observer. Was it satisfying?

From the bottom of his heart, Xin Qishu felt it was not. He didn’t like being this way.

And yet, he had just done it. Much like the day he used morality to suppress Dan Yu—he didn’t even like the things he said. He had always detested such rhetoric, but he was being gradually assimilated by his environment. When faced with conflict, the words that tumbled out were the very ones he used to despise.

How terrifying.

Xin Qishu knew he was someone easily swayed, easily influenced. Though his current situation had improved, he couldn’t help but overthink.

If he stayed with He Lvqing any longer, would he be assimilated by him? Or had it already happened?

He didn’t want that. He once believed He Lvqing possessed a myriad of virtues: handsome, upright, a protector of the weak… He had been captivated by them.

But when Blood Glory Palace was reduced to ashes and He Lvqing stood before him holding that umbrella, everything was overturned. He felt himself changing, and He Lvqing’s flaws became glaringly obvious.

Those flaws had birthed paranoid thoughts and actions.

They had both changed.

Is loving someone about liking a specific combination of virtues, or is it loving them regardless of how they change?

Xin Qishu chose to trust his intuition.

“Tomorrow is the first day of the Immortal Competition. Do you want to go see it?” He Lvqing asked calmly, his back turned, one hand hidden beneath the covers.

Lying there, Xin Qishu could only see his back. The He Lvqing of now gave him an eerie, chilling sensation.

Xin Qishu shuddered. “Are you about to suffer a cultivation deviation?”

“You can feel it?” Lvqing’s tone was devoid of emotion, a casual inquiry.

“It’s very obvious.”

“I’ve heard that spiritual union is quite effective. Do you want to help me?” Lvqing suddenly blurted out.

Absurd.

Xin Qishu’s reply was equally headstrong: “No. It’s better if you die.”

They spoke to each other with such flat, mundane tones.

“If I die, no one will protect you. Can you protect yourself?” He Lvqing asked.

“Just your excuses. Do you think I can’t live without you?”

“You didn’t say that when you were chasing me.”

“You weren’t trying to kill me back then.”

“I told you, I didn’t want to kill you. How could I kill you, I…” That sentence was like a switch. Lvqing suddenly became manic. He didn’t look at Xin Qishu but hunched over, muttering repetitions. The fabric of the bedding rose and fell; his hand beneath the covers was still moving.

Xin Qishu dressed and left in disgust.

…

He left the courtyard and Han Shuang Villa. The villa was located within a city, surrounded by a bustling district. Even though it was night, the lights were brilliant and the crowds were thick.

He had no particular preferences, so he picked a quiet teahouse to kill time.

On the stage, a storyteller was spinning a tale: “On that day, the young hero Ye Yi of Fayu Court displayed his divine prowess, descending from the heavens—” He gestured exaggeratedly. “And with one sword, he took the bitch’s life!”

“The demonic path instantly lost a great general! Their ranks were thrown into chaos…”

The storyteller spoke incessantly.

Xin Qishu ordered a pot of tea, mulling over his own affairs as he listened. He picked up his cup and took a small sip.

The clear tea reflected his eyes; beneath long, curled lashes, his light brown pupils were as transparent as a lake, quietly observing the world.

He’s talking about Qing Qianqian. Was she killed by Ye Yi? All the previous unpleasantness and resentment… Now that she was dead, the slate could be wiped clean.

Only a few months had passed, yet it felt like years.

The difficult problem he had to solve now wasn’t obtaining He Lvqing’s love, nor was it leaving Blood Glory Palace—it was getting rid of He Lvqing. It was one link after another. If he hadn’t sought out He Lvqing in the beginning, would He Lvqing have targeted him to destroy the Blood Demon Ring?

If he could leave, they should never meet again.

Thinking that they were about to part—that perhaps every meeting was the last—Xin Qishu’s mood finally improved slightly.

The plan to escape while He Lvqing was away was impossible to execute. Given He Lvqing’s current temper, a direct confrontation was unwise. There were ways, but he needed someone to help him.

The Immortal Competition started tomorrow, and He Lvqing could not leave the venue. He had to find a way during that time.

If only I could defeat He Lvqing… Countless cultivators in their moments of dejection had pondered that possibility. Now, having officially stepped onto the path of cultivation, Xin Qishu dreamed of it just like them. Only his motivation was different.

He had to pick up his cultivation again. Recently, his mind had been too cluttered to focus on it.

“Pity our Young Master of Han Shuang Villa. Dawn was right before his eyes, yet he was cruelly murdered by the demonic path. Our Young Master was only…” The storyteller covered his face at the appropriate moment, faking tears.

Xin Qishu tapped his fingers on the table. What did he have on him that could persuade someone to help?

A few people sat down at the table behind him, startling him out of his deep thought. He looked up; in just that short time, the teahouse had become full. When he raised his head, many lingering glances fell upon his face.

On the second floor, the gauze curtain of an elegant booth was drawn back. The guest inside looked sorrowful, dabbing at tears with a handkerchief.

The guest was young, with feminine features and an ambiguous gender. Dressed magnificently, the folding fan by their side was engraved with the crest of Han Shuang Villa. They had no cultivation, but… they did not seem like an ordinary person.

Xin Qishu felt a strange sense of familiarity, but he had never been to Xiangjiang and was a stranger to Han Shuang Villa. Where had he seen them?

The guest moved the handkerchief, revealing their full face. Misty, tearful eyes suddenly cast a vague glance toward Xin Qishu.

In a flash of insight, a young face surfaced in his mind. Among the youths he and Fei Jia had encountered during their escape, one of them bore a striking resemblance to the guest on the second floor.

Was that youth the Young Master of the villa?!

Immediately, Xin Qishu clenched his fists. Have I been recognized? These sect disciples carried many artifacts; perhaps one or two were capable of recording images.

Although he had changed his eye color and wore a dress, he hadn’t applied makeup today. Someone looking closely would surely recognize him.

Another wave of customers poured in. Amidst the noise, Xin Qishu left some silver, stood up, and used the crowd as cover to leave the teahouse.

He walked toward Han Shuang Villa. After turning several corners, he realized that in the crowded streets, a set of footsteps was consistently following him.

Xin Qishu cursed inwardly. When it rains, it pours.