"I knew it! They look like a married couple," Lingling's father said with a smile.
Xue Qing glanced at Liu Ying and found that he was also looking at her. Her gaze was lowered to the firelight. What he said made her even more fantasies. One day they would get married? That... seemed not bad.
"I've heard there's a Netherworld in the Desert Wilderness, it's very powerful?" Xue Qing asked abruptly.
Upon hearing the mention of the Underworld, the couple's expressions visibly changed, revealing a look of panic. Xue Qing quickly added, "My husband and I plan to stay here long-term. We don't have any other skills, just some martial arts. We wonder if the Underworld needs any people?"
“Girl, I advise you not to go to the Underworld. If you go... you’ll never come out,” Lingling’s mother advised.
Xue Qing was a little surprised. She thought that the actions of the Underworld were based on the conflict between the Desert and the Central Plains. The Underworld should be the guardian of the Desert. How come it seems that the people of the Desert don't have any good feelings towards the Underworld? Then she felt that this was reasonable. When Yan Ming's violent factors went berserk, he didn't distinguish between friend and foe. In his eyes, the world was divided into two kinds of people: the female protagonist and everyone else. He never cared about his people, and his people never loved him.
"Fairy sister, fairy brother, are you from the Central Plains? Isn't the Central Plains very beautiful?" Lingling asked, blinking her big eyes.
“The Central Plains have mountains and rivers, birds and beasts, which is very different from the desert,” Liu Ying said with feeling.
"I really want to go to the Central Plains too," Lingling said, full of anticipation.
Lingling's mother smiled and stuffed a piece of meat into her mouth: "Silly child, you can't go to the Central Plains. The people there will lock you up if they see you."
Seeing Lingling's disappointed face, Xue Qing patted her head: "If I ever return to the Central Plains, I will definitely take you with me." Drinking the same water and eating the same food, the Central Plains and the desert are two different worlds. It is clear that these ordinary people just want to live such a simple and peaceful life. Where is the demonic shadow that the people of the Central Plains describe?
After expelling all the poison from Nangong Luoluo's body, Yan Ming stood up from the pool, put on a coat over his wet body, and walked out of the bathhouse. An Luo was waiting outside the door. When she saw Yan Ming come out, she put another coat over his wet clothes.
"Has Miss Nangong been cured of the poison?" Anluo asked.
Yan Ming nodded, his eyes cold: "How could Luo Luo have such a rare and deadly poison as Peacock Tea? Summon the maid who has been serving Luo Luo these past few days."
When the two maids were brought over, they were already crying their eyes out and kneeling on the ground begging for mercy.
"Tell me, who has Luo Luo contacted these past few days? Or, who has contacted Luo Luo?"
The maidservant thought for a moment, then kowtowed and said, "Lord Asura! Lord Asura has been to Miss Nangong's room!"
Yan Ming's eyes flashed with murderous intent: "This woman has challenged my bottom line time and time again!"
At this moment, Lei Ji was in her room, sitting in front of her dressing table, combing her hair in front of a bronze mirror. The incense burner next to the mirror had an incomparably wonderful fragrance. Her room was always filled with strong incense because she disliked smelling the blood on herself. Her thin clothes and light makeup did not diminish her beauty in the slightest. A meaningful and charming smile appeared on her lips as she said, "Have you found them?"
The Daoist Master, Mo Qingshan, stood behind her, dressed in a green robe with a black sword at his waist. His gentlemanly image seemed out of place with the alluring woman before him, yet he was there nonetheless, as if he were meant to be a strange yet fitting addition to this boudoir. Mo Qingshan quietly watched Lei Ji do her hair, observing the ox-horn comb brushing her hair from root to tip, and replied politely, "In a farmhouse in the northwest."
Lei Ji smiled even more charmingly, her lips painted with crimson rouge: "The Lord is so engrossed in his pleasures, I shall go and entertain the guests in his place."
Easy Makeup
Easy Makeup
Lingling's mother said there was a market in the nearby Oasis Sand City today. Xue Qing was visiting the desert for the first time and wanted to join in the fun, so she borrowed two camels from Lingling's family, changed into Lingling's old clothes, and went to the market with Liuying.
The market sold everything imaginable, especially cow and sheep hides, which were incredibly cheap, displayed in bundles outside. Some Central Plains silks and porcelains, acquired through various means, could be easily exchanged for a bundle of sheep hides. There were also people selling horses; those tall, spirited steeds reminded Xue Qing of her own past: "I miss my white horse. I wonder if Xiao Guiying will treat it well… won't eat it!"
"...No, Pavilion Master Xiao was born in the Year of the Horse and doesn't eat horse meat," Liu Ying comforted him.
"Hey! Young ladies and gentlemen, come and take a look! These are homemade bells. Hang them around the necks of your cattle and sheep and they'll never run away again!" A woman hawked her wares to Xue Qing and Liu Ying, swinging a large string of bells.
Xue Qing took a closer look. It was made of solid iron and was much better than those hollow ornaments made with inferior materials in the Central Plains. She asked, "Will it really stay in place if I wear it?"
"Hey! The bell my husband makes won't rust even if it's soaked in water. If it tries to run away, the bell will ring right away, and it won't be able to escape."
"Can I exchange this for a coat?" Xue Qing said, taking out an outer garment. The woman saw that the garment was well-made and that she had made a profit, so she agreed.
"We don't have any sheep, so why are we selling this?" Liu Ying asked Xue Qing, puzzled.
Xue Qing tiptoed, tied the bell around Liu Ying's neck, and tugged at it, making a tinkling sound: "To prevent her from getting lost."
In the desolate desert, along the ten-mile-long sandy beach, Xue Qing and Liu Ying rode camels across the sand. The camels moved steadily and slowly, and the two held hands. The sound of the wind accompanied the tinkling of the bells around Liu Ying's neck, and Xue Qing chuckled.
"What are you laughing at?" Liu Ying had a bad feeling.
"Tell me, how did I end up meeting you? You're delicate and easily pushed over. What am I going to do now that I've decided on you?" Xue Qing said, pinching Liu Ying's cheek.
"I'll be there whenever you call, and you can use me as you please," said Firefly.
The image involuntarily flashed in Xue Qing's mind: "Vulgar! Who taught you that!" Xue Qing's cheeks flushed slightly, and she turned and walked away, driving the camel.
Liu Ying thought for a moment and realized that she must have seen this sentence in a book in the Shaolin Temple's Sutra Repository.
The two returned to Lingling's house, tied the camel to the door, and went inside to find no one there. Xue Qing called out, "We're back! Is anyone home?"
No one came out, but the sound of a pipa rose from inside. The pipa played only a single note, a few notes mingling with the silence, yet they stirred a deep unease within. Liu Ying pulled Xue Qing to her side. The Suwen sword was already drawn, its blade trembling slightly, seemingly hissing softly in sync with the pipa's melody. Xue Qing's Ling Shu at her waist was unusable, merely decorative. She quietly slid the hidden sword from her sleeve and clasped it in her hand.
Suddenly, a figure appeared at the doorway. The two women immediately became alert, and upon closer inspection, they saw Lingling staring at Xue Qing and Liu Ying with wide eyes. Liu Ying pulled Xue Qing away from Lingling, and Xue Qing also sensed something was wrong with Lingling's aura. They knew that simply staring at Lingling like this wasn't a solution, so Liu Ying patted Xue Qing's hand, signaling her to wait where she was. He walked to Lingling's side and asked, "Where are your father and mother?"
Lingling looked up at Liuying, her eyes dark and lifeless. She didn't answer, but suddenly stretched out her hand, which had been behind her back, and swung it at Liuying with a meat-cutting knife. Liuying was prepared and dodged by simply shifting his foot back. He had initially intended to use acupressure on Lingling, but then changed his mind. Facing Lingling's chaotic slashing, he calmly dodged, his ears constantly listening to the sound of the pipa. Whenever the pipa played, Lingling would move; the faster the pipa played, the more frequently she would move.
Knowing that Liu Ying had her own methods, Xue Qing wasn't in a hurry. She simply watched from the spot. An ominous shadow appeared in the corner of her vision. Xue Qing's eyes darted to the side and behind her. Lingling's father and mother came into view, their eyes vacant, like zombies from a movie. Xue Qing sheathed her hidden sword. After all, they weren't real zombies. Even if these civilians were being controlled, they could only use their meager brute strength. Xue Qing could easily handle them with her bare hands. Since she didn't know the physical condition of those being controlled, Xue Qing didn't want to hurt them.
The pipa music flowed smoothly like silk strings in a banquet, pleasant to the ear. Who would have thought that such a wicked thing was being done under the guise of heavenly music? Liu Ying grabbed Lingling's hand that was holding the kitchen knife, and Su Wen stabbed the wall beside her with the sword. Such a gentle sword pierced through the wall and disappeared into it. The pipa music stopped abruptly, and the three people who were being manipulated collapsed on the spot like puppets with their strings cut.
As Liu Ying drew her sword, a stunningly beautiful woman dressed entirely in crimson robes emerged from the house, carrying a pipa. The red beauty mark at the corner of her eye made her appear alluring, almost ghostly.
"Tears Princess!" Xue Qing recognized the woman at a glance, her eyes widening in surprise. Liu Ying thrust her sword at Tears Princess, but the sword was blocked by another dark sword just as it touched Tears Princess's gorgeous clothes. A refined man in a blue robe had appeared beside Tears Princess without anyone noticing.
Mo Qingshan, where Lei Ji is, how could Mo Qingshan not be there? Seeing that it was these two, Xue Qing was slightly relieved.
After exchanging blows with Mo Qingshan a few times, Liu Ying exclaimed in amazement, "The swordsmanship of the Wudang School!"
"The successor of Suwen is indeed a connoisseur," Lei Ji said with a giggle, holding her pipa.
"Did Yan Ming send you?" Xue Qing asked tentatively.