“Look, the stars are out. It’s almost time. We can use the stars as our wedding candles, and this place will serve as nuptial chamber. What do you say?” He laughed again, lifting a finger to send another blast of wind at Xu Qing.
Her body trembled and blood seeped from her mouth. Actually, Zhao Shanhe had to carefully control the spiritual energy he used, otherwise it would kill her.
As her body quivered, the colorful cloud beneath her feet suddenly fell apart. Xu Qing fell down to the ground. Laughing melodically, Xue Yuncui shot forward and grabbed her, shoving her down into the dirt. Xu Qing couldn’t even struggle.
Her face was pale, and her features somewhat wan. However coldness filled her eyes as she watched Zhao Shanhe walking over, untying his robe as he came. A look of desperation filled her, and she tried to bit off her tongue, but Xue Yuncui restrained her jaw.
“Now now, Junior Sister Xu, you can’t do that. If you really want to kill yourself, you’ll have to wait until Elder Brother Zhao is done having fun.” Xue Yuncui laughed. Her words were spoken tenderly, but were filled with sinister viciousness.
“Excellent, excellent,” laughed Zhao Shanhe, looking appreciatively at Xue Yuncui. He stroked her face, which caused her eyes to shine. It seemed his approval was very stimulating to her.
Zhao Shanhe looked at Xu Qing, who was helplessly pinned against the ground by Xue Yuncui. His gaze roved over her lithe curves, and he laughed.
“If I gave you some medicinal pills,” he said, “then I wouldn’t be able to enjoy the struggle. So of course I won’t give you any.” His robe was now completely untied.
Xu Qing’s body quivered, and tears seeped out of her eyes. She couldn’t struggle. Xue Yuncui’s Cultivation base was higher than hers. Plus, she was exhausted from fleeing, and was being held down tightly. There was no way to flee.
The coldness on her face dissipated, replaced with bitterness and desperation. Her eyes emptied. Suddenly, it seemed she could see the Reliance Sect, and Meng Hao, standing on the East Mountain. She thought of Mount Daqing, and the young scholar stooping down and tossing a rattan vine over a cliff.
She remembered the first time she saw Meng Hao 1. She had been standing behind him as he searched for rattan vines. She watched him throw the vine down the cliff, and had heard him talking about Immortals to the people below.
At that time, she’d thought that this mortal scholar was very interesting. Thus, she’d taken him with her.
She thought about the stares of the crowd 2 when Meng Hao had offered her the medicinal pill…. And she thought about how he had gazed back at her right before he entered the black door.
“It’s all over….” The streaming tears made her face seem very bleak. She couldn’t stop herself from shaking. She was scared. From the day she had left the Reliance Sect until now, she had not experienced any happiness. And now, it seemed everything was coming to an end.
When she was a little girl, she had realized that she wasn’t very intelligent, and in fact, sometimes very foolish. Therefore, she had mastered the ability to cover it up with a cold smile. She used coldness and silence to conceal her lack of intelligence, and to make the world a bit simpler.
She didn’t like complicated things, because she often didn’t understand them. She liked peace and quiet. She liked to practice Cultivation by herself. As she did so, she watched the years pass, observed the ebb and flow of life, and recalled beautiful memories from the past.
This was her. Xu Qing. A cold exterior, and a simple heart.