"How long is 'soon'? I can't place my hopes on something that's not going to happen anytime soon," Dongchou said, taking a sip of his drink.
"Master, do you mean you want Lingyu to send help to Dongqi Pavilion?"
Dongchou nodded, but Liuying shook her head: "Impossible. The sect leader would never agree to that. She said that the Lingyu Sect would never interfere in the internal strife of other sects."
“I’ll talk to her about this, you don’t need to worry,” Dongchou said, taking another sip of wine.
"When will you return to Lingyu, Second Senior Brother?" Xue Qing asked.
"Return to Lingyu? Why?" Dongchou put down his wine gourd, as if Xue Qing had asked a strange question.
“Since you’ve agreed to contribute to the Martial Alliance, you should naturally return to Lingyu. That way, it will be easier to discuss things,” Xue Qing said with a smile.
“There are many ways to communicate, this is enough,” Dongchou said, crossing his hands and waving his fingers like a bird in flight. “I don’t want to go back and listen to my senior sister’s nagging.”
Xue Qing didn't want to persuade him anymore. Anyway, she had done what Fang Yun asked her to do, and she couldn't control what happened after that. She had her own things to do. The three of them were having a lively discussion around the table. Jian Die couldn't understand and had already fallen asleep with her head on the table. Jian Die was a fifteen-year-old girl, and it was inconvenient for Liu Ying and Dong Chou to carry her. So Xue Qing had to carry her back to her room step by step.
Seeing Xue Qing covered in sweat from exhaustion, Dong Chou sighed and said, "How could you suddenly go into a qi deviation... Never mind, you've always liked flashy sword techniques anyway, and your internal strength wasn't deep to begin with."
"Second Senior Brother, are you trying to comfort me? Thank you," Xue Qing said, glancing sideways, telling herself that it was indeed comforting.
"No need to thank me, you're my junior sister after all," Dongchou said, patting Xue Qing on the head.
That night, Xue Qing tossed and turned in bed, trying to decide what to do. Dong Chou wanted to help Dong Qi Ge, while Yan Ming wanted to help Xi Lin Ge. Xue Qing was caught in a dilemma. She had no martial arts skills and, without the support of the Ling Yu Sect, was no different from a lamb to the slaughter in front of Yan Ming. But she also clearly had no place in front of Xiao Guiying, who loved the female lead. "Female supporting character, why did you have to get to this point where everyone dislikes you!" Xue Qing knew very well that Yan Ming was monitoring her every move. Xue Qing had followed Yan Ming wholeheartedly for all these years, but in fact, Yan Ming had never trusted her. Yan Ming became the Lord of the Underworld by killing the person who trusted him the most. How could he trust anyone else? Of course, the female lead was an exception. In the original novel, Xue Qing never knew the organizational structure of the Underworld until her death. She only learned about Yan Ming's six powerful generals through Nangong Luoluo's perspective. In an era without intercontinental ballistic missiles and nuclear weapons, martial arts were the greatest weapon. Although Yan Ming now spends most of his time training (censored), his martial arts are still exceptionally good. Perhaps he can increase his internal energy simply through photosynthesis. In any case, no sect in the Central Plains can currently stand against the Underworld alone. Xue Qing was certain of this. Who would be the strongest and the protagonist? Where would his pride be?
One thing puzzled Xue Qing: the original novel didn't include the scene where Yan Ming sent her to help Xilin Pavilion; instead, Xiao Guiying unified Qilin Pavilion. Perhaps it was omitted because it wasn't related to the main love story with Nangong Luoluo. If the Underworld sided with Xilin Pavilion, Xiao Guiying's chances of survival were slim. Could it be that she had unknowingly altered the original plot? If Xilin Pavilion won the conflict, no one in the Martial Alliance would bring up her past with Yan Ming. But if Xilin Pavilion aligned itself with Kunlun Palace, it would pose a threat to the Martial Alliance. Xue Qing was so frustrated she was rolling around on the floor. She'd only heard rumors about Qilin Pavilion; it would be better to see for herself before making a decision. Rumors weren't always reliable, like… her own affair with Xiao Guiying.
There's a reason why people say that what you think about during the day, you dream about at night. That night, Xue Qing had a strange dream. In the dream, she was still in this transmigrated body, but this body was still controlled by the original soul. Xue Qing was like an audience member, quietly curled up in the corner of the body.
"How are your injuries?" Xue Qing asked the man lying on the bed with concern. The man on the bed had a handsome face, and his open clothes revealed the well-defined muscles of a martial artist. A black butterfly was tattooed on the tiger's mouth of his right hand. This man was Yan Ming, the master of the Underworld.
“The bleeding has stopped, but it will take at least a month to heal,” Yan Ming said, reaching out to hug Xue Qing and kissing her neck. “Is everything ready?”
“Yes, I checked carefully. There’s a very narrow spot at the bottom of this cliff. I propped it up with branches and laid out leaves and blankets. You’ll be caught by this net after you jump down. The cave next to it connects to the path down the mountain. You can go down the mountain from there.” Xue Qing nestled in Yan Ming’s arms and said gently and obediently.
Yan Ming released Xue Qing, a smug look on his face: "Very good, let them all think I'm dead. I'll come back and settle the score with them after I recover!"
Footsteps could be faintly heard outside the house. Xue Qing quickly got up and listened carefully: "They're here."
"Let's go!" Yan Ming led Xue Qing and the other person out of the house. A large group of Wudang and Emei disciples chased after them up the mountain, and when they saw the two of them, they followed closely behind.
The two escaped to the edge of a cliff, and Yan Ming anxiously asked, "Where are the branches you laid out! Where am I supposed to jump from!"
Just as Xue Qing's body was about to tell Yan Ming the correct location, Xue Qing, who had been acting as an observer within her body, became anxious. A voice in her heart told her: "I can't let Yan Ming escape alone!" Xue Qing's soul tried desperately to control her body, and her body tried desperately to move. After taking two difficult steps, she finally succumbed to her stubborn soul.
“Here,” Xue Qing said, standing at a certain point on the edge of the cliff.
The disciples from Wudang and Emei had caught up and surrounded the two of them. They didn't even glance at Xue Qing. Yan Ming hurriedly jumped off the cliff. Xue Qing bent down and looked down the cliff. She saw Yan Ming falling straight down and saw his terrified face when he realized there was no support. Xue Qing smiled charmingly and gave him the middle finger.
With heavy thoughts weighing on her mind and having a strange dream, she woke up when the sun was high in the sky. Fireflies and Butterflies were making breakfast on the stove with leftover mushrooms from last night. Xue Qing had no appetite at all. Dong Chou's family didn't even have salt. Xue Qing no longer doubted that he had truly survived until now solely on alcohol.
"Auntie, which do you prefer, chicken leg mushroom or morel mushroom?" Cocoon Butterfly asked excitedly when Xue Qing arrived.
“I like chicken legs and lamb tripe…” Xue Qing replied.
Liu Ying served Xue Qing a bowl of clear soup, and Xue Qing said, "Actually, I think chicken leg mushrooms are quite delicious too."
"Ha~~~~" Dongchou yawned as he walked out of the house: "You guys are noisier than sparrows so early in the morning."
"Second Senior Brother, you can have lunch in another hour," Xue Qing told him, not entirely without kindness.
The butterfly glanced at the bowl, stood up, and said, "I'm full!" Then it dashed back to its room.
Her bowl was still full of soup; she had only taken a couple of sips. How could she be full? Was it just Xue Qing's imagination? She always felt that Dong Chou had come and she had deliberately run away.
Master of the Hungry Ghost Realm
Dongchou didn't react much. After sitting down and taking a sip of the soup that Liuying had served him, he asked, "Didn't you put any wine in it?"
"I've never heard of putting alcohol in mushroom soup," Xue Qing replied.
"Wine doesn't intoxicate, people intoxicate themselves. Liu Ling would be ashamed if he drank a thousand cups. Come, firefly, have a few cups with your master." Dongchou said, pouring a cup of wine for firefly.
Remembering Liu Ying's terrible drinking habits, Xue Qing quickly snatched the wine glass away, while Dong Chou and Liu Ying looked at her strangely.
"Liu Ying still needs to catch the carriage later, and it's wrong to drive after drinking," Xue Qing explained.
After dinner, they led the little white horse, which was in a bad mood after eating two meals of mushrooms, down the mountain. This time, with Dongchou's help, the four of them could easily share their luggage. Jiandie walked the furthest away from Dongchou. Xue Qing increasingly felt that there was something wrong between the two of them. Could it be that Dongchou had taken advantage of Jiandie in the dark last night? No way, Dongchou reeked of alcohol; if he went inside, he would definitely wake everyone up.
The four of them walked silently to the foot of the mountain. The carriage was still under the big tree they had chosen yesterday. The two men worked together to tie up the horses, threw their luggage onto the carriage, Xue Qing climbed into the carriage, and Liu Ying sat in the driver's seat. Something was missing.
"Cocoon Butterfly! What are you doing? Get in the car!" Xue Qing noticed something was missing; Cocoon Butterfly was still standing blankly outside the car.
Cocoon Butterfly looked at Xue Qing and then at Dong Chou, a troubled expression on her face. Then, as if she had made up her mind, she said, "Aunt, I want to stay here."
"What?" Xue Qing couldn't believe her ears.
"Aunt, I want to stay and take care of Uncle Er," Jian Die said in an even louder voice.
Xue Qing and Liu Ying exchanged a glance. Liu Ying said, "If she wants to, it's not impossible. Master will protect her."
Dong Chou, however, was unwilling: "Little girl, who gave you permission to stay? Go with your Aunt Xue Qing and let her take you back to Lingyu Sect. I only have enough money to buy wine for myself, not spare money to buy you food."
“I have my own money,” said Cocoon Butterfly.
"Liu Ying, can you understand what's going on?" Xue Qing felt completely bewildered.
“Cocoon Butterfly wants to stay here for some reason. She and Master have a secret that we don’t know,” Firefly replied.