chapter 38

He understood the importance of apprehending the mastermind, and he knew Shen Li wanted him to give chase as it would help prove the Demon realm’s innocence, and yet…

He couldn’t walk away .

His grip unconsciously tightened as he stared at the pale face of the woman in his arms . She never painted her lips red or lived her life like other women . She was strong and had never hid behind anyone’s back . She was much like the red-tasseled silver spear she wielded, forceful and unyielding .

As she said, there was no Xing Zhi before, no one who could protect her . She was used to relying only on herself, to fighting alone, to guarding and bearing the burden of the Demon realm alone .

To see such a formidable woman in such a weakened state was both strange and distressing . She was like a cat that liked to reach out and lazily scratch at his heart with her claws . By the time he noticed those lazy scratches of hers, it was too late and the scratches had become itchy and painful . It was a hard to describe feeling .

“This person… so troublesome . ” The four words drifted from his lips into the empty room . He remained where he was, cradling Shen Li against is chest .

. . .

Xi carried the unused medicine box as she followed Fu Rongjun around the exterior of the temple . He had allowed her to be his personal attendant .

Xi’s martial art skills were not great so it took a lot of effort for her to keep her tail hidden . She quietly called out to Fu Rongjun .

At her call, he turned around with a bright smile on his face . He asked, “Tired sweetie? Want to rest?”

Xi wanted to hand the medicine box to Fu Rongjun . “Great immortal, I very much want to help, but I’m afraid I might accidentally change into my true form…”

“That won’t happen . ” Fu Rongjun replied, still beaming as he circled around her . “This lord’s power has imprinted on your body! It is absolutely impossible for your form to shift . ”

Saying as much he opened up a broken fan and teasingly toyed with Xi by puffing a bit a wind at her legs . It was an ambiguously playful motion that was suggestively flirty .

Xi blushed in embarrassment and took two steps back .

Fu Rongjun wore a carefree smile as he advanced one step forward his target, his fan still open .

Suddenly, out of nowhere Yan wedged himself in between them with a black sword pointed at Fu Rongjun’s chest . This made Fu Rongjun take two steps back .

“Great Immortal Fu Rongjun, please conduct yourself appropriately . ” Yan only said the single sentence before grabbing the medicine box in Xi’s hand and hurling it to the ground . Then he grabbed her wrist and pulled her back into the temple .

Fu Rongjun’s face turned green . “Ah! So you would let your lover touch you like that ha?”

The words stunned Xi . She looked at Yan only to see him barely turn his head to the side . In a cold voice he said, “I and Little Xi have no such feelings for one another . I ask that great immortal not slander Little Xi’s good name . ” He tugged at Xi’s hand to pull her back, but she refused to move . He was incredibly annoyed as he looked at her . “What are you still standing there for? Do you want to stay here and be taken advantage of?”

Xi tucked her head down, feeling the reprimand was unfair . “You’re being so fierce . ”

Yan furrowed his brow . He was about to speak when a clamor by the temple gates caught his attention . He saw a white billowy figure hurriedly carrying a bloody figure into the temple . The man’s voice was low but it resonating loud and clear . “Where is Fu Rongjun?”

Fu Rongjun had also noticed the scene . He immediately became respectful and hurriedly followed behind Xing Zhi into the temple . “What happened?”

Xi was also curious . She craned her neck to see what was going on .

Yan watched as Xi followed Fu Rongjun with her eyes . It made him unhappy so he moved his body in front of her to block her view . “Do you want others to take advantage of you?”

“Great Immortal Fu Rongjun is a good person…”

Yan’s face turned extremely ugly . “Shut up . ”

Xi mumbled to herself, “I didn’t do anything wrong… why are you so unhappy? You’re being so hard on me for no good reason . You should just go back and take care of that other person . ”

Yan shot Xi an uncomfortable glance . “Little Xi… I do have my reasons . ”

Xi turned her head away . “Whatever Brother Yan does is right . There’s always a reason, and I’m always wrong . ” She quickly walked away after saying her piece, leaving Yan to stare blankly after her .

Meanwhile inside the temple Fu Rongjun was staring at the blood covered Shen Li in shock . “How? How can she be so injured?”

Instead of answering, Xing Zhi carefully laid Shen Li on the ground . Then he held her right wrist, listening to her pulse . “Hold her left wrist and perform the divine purification spell . ”

Fu Rongjun didn’t dare be slow . He immediately complied and held Shen Li’s left hand . He was shocked the moment he touched her skin . Her body temperature was perilously low . On top of that there was something indescribable rushing around inside her body mixing with her blood . He couldn’t tell if it was poison or some kind of spell . He muttered apprehensively, “It was only a while ago that you left . How did this happen? It may be better to wait and confer with someone better versed in this matter . ”

“She doesn’t trust you . ” Xing Zhi spoke softly . He knew Shen Li wouldn’t trust Fu Rongjun or anyone from the heavens . Had her injury not been so severe, he knew she would have chased after the mastermind with a tenacious stubbornness .

Fu Rongjun ground his teeth . Even though the divine purification spell was already initiated, he couldn’t help but grumble . “This guy is not the least bit feminine . She’s not at loveable . I have no sweet feelings for her at all . Is there anyone who would dare marry and take such a crazed warrior woman home?!”

Xing Zhi glanced up at Fu Rongjun . His words left a sour mark in Xing Zhi’s heart . He had bestowed the marriage as a gift after all . He curled his lips as he tilted his head down to look at Shen Li .

In the quiet of the temple Fu Rongjun thought he heard someone softly say, “There is . ” He stared up at Xing Zhi confused, but Xing Zhi’s expression was the same benign one he always wore . The other didn’t dodge his gaze so Fu Rongjun wondered if he misheard, after all Xing Zhi was an unfeeling god that even his sister, Luo Tian, couldn’t tempt . How could someone like that have any feelings of tenderness toward a woman as masculine as Shen Li?

Shen Li’s injury was more serious than Fu Rongjun initially thought . It took them all afternoon just to stop the bleeding and bring some color back to her skin . She no longer looked like someone knocking on death’s door .

Fu Rongjun relaxed as things improved . He asked, “High god, what kind of monster had the ability to injure the Azure Sky King like this?” as he directed the qi in Shen Li’s body .

Fu Rongjun’s impression of the king was that of a bloody monstrous general that no one could take down . It really shocked him to see her in such a vulnerable state .

“This matter with the immortals may be more complicated than expected…” Xing Zhi muttered . “The mastermind behind it all is still loose . Furthermore, I don’t know if there are any other conspiracies . Shen Li is severely poisoned . It’s not a good idea for her to return to the Demon realm in her current condition . The best course of action is to rest for tonight . Early tomorrow morning you should go to the Demon realm and tell the emperor about the situation so he can mentally prepare himself . After that you must return to heaven . This is a grave matter so you should not delay . ”

Fu Rongjun blinked . “Me? Go?” He was somewhat unwilling . “It was with great difficulty that we resolved the matter with Yangzhou . But… I didn’t have any time to play…”

Xing Zhi looked Fu Rongjun in the eyes . With a smile he said, “My lord wishes to have some fun? Would you like me to call forth two divine creatures for you to play with?”

Divine creatures from the Heavens Beyond the Heavens were not to be trifled with; people, even immortals, couldn’t handle them, much less survive “playing” with them .

Fu Rongjun quickly nodded his head . “I will leave tomorrow, however there are still many in Yangzhou who have inhaled the miasma . What should be done about them?”

“I have already cut off the miasma’s origin . The four cardinal seals have also been restored to their proper state . [notes] The miasma will eventually peter out on its own . As for those sick patients, I have a solution . ” Xing Zhi checked on Shen Li’s complexion before continuing . “There is no other issue here to resolve . Go and prepare to leave early tomorrow morning . ”

Fu Rongjun curled his lips unhappily . He turned away and left looking for Xi . The sound of his voice drifted inside as he called for her .

. . .

“Catch,” Shen Li whispered . She opened her eyes with difficulty . She was awake and coherent .

Xing Zhi raised her up and held her against his shoulder so she would be more comfortable . “Are you hurting anywhere?”

Shen Li tugged at Xing Zhi’s clothes . “Fu Sheng, did you capture him?”

“Fu Sheng?”

“The one that burned Xing Yun’s yard that year . ” Shen Li clenched her teeth . “I hadn’t noticed anything amiss at the time, but the events of that night were too well orchestrated . That time we went to Prince Rui’s[notes] manor and Xiao He[notes] found out about the secret he was keeping from her, there was demonic aura in the air, but I had ignored it . It never occurred to me…”

At the time, Shen Li had felt a faint demon aura, but had dismissed it thinking that it was coming from those sent by the emperor to retrieve her .

“Now he’s even snatched the land gods and turned them into strange beasts . Just shameful! I don’t know how a nobody bastard like him got the audacity to use magic to commit such evil deeds, but when I catch him…”

Xing Zhi looked thoughtful . He didn’t know what he was feeling . He patted her back and said, “First heal your wound . Everything comes later . ”

Shen Li slowly let out a breath . It was an automatic reaction to being held by his side . The realization that she was so relaxed in his presence made her uneasy so she tried to twist her body away . “It’s better if I lie down . ”

Xing Zhi acted like he didn’t hear and instead moved cold air from his hand into her body . Shen Li assumed he was healing her so she obediently remained in his embrace and stopped trying to twist away .

“Is the poison in my body hard to purge?”

“It is somewhat difficult . ” Although his words were worrisome, his voice was light and relaxed so Shen Li wasn’t worried, instead she asked . “When can we return to the Demon realm?”

“In time,” Xing Zhi answered absentmindedly . His voice was faint as he spoke . “Wait until I reduce the miasma concentration further and after I teach the people here how to dispel the residue . ”

. . .

That night Fu Rongjun dismantled the barrier around the temple after the miasma stopped flowing . He took Xi to sit on the rooftop . “Do you want to see the stars?”

Xi blinked her large, hopeful eyes at him . “Is that possible?”

Fu Rongjun smiled . “If you want to see them, I can show you . ” So saying he waved his hand and a cool breeze blew across the sky . The sheet of miasma hanging above Xi’s head disappeared to reveal a clean crisp sky dotted with stars .

Xi gasped in admiration . “They really appeared! How pretty!”

Fu Rongjun gazed at Xi affectionately . “In my eyes, you are as beautiful as the stars . ”

Xi turned to stare blankly at Fu Rongjun . He held her gaze as his lips slowly descended on hers .

“Xi!” A loud voice clearly filled with anger yelled out Xi’s name nearly breaking her ear drums .

Xi turned to the source of the voice at once . She could see Yan standing below them . Ru Fongjun shouted angrily down to Yan before she could say anything .

“You again?!”

Yan’s eyes were like sharp arrows stabbing straight into Fu Rongjun’s body . Fu Rongjun was the kind of person to take advantage of the weak but was himself afraid of those stronger than him . He knew Yan could kill him but he also knew Yan couldn’t act on that desire . In the current situation all Yan could do was try to kill Fu Rongjun with his fierce glare .

“He’s always like that . Don’t pay him any mind . ” Fu Rongjun said as he took Xi’s hand in his .

Xi drew back and pulled her hand out of his grasp . “I… I should go down . ”

Fu Rongjun moved closer and whispered in her ear . “I know you like him, but right now he has another woman . How terrible is that? If you don’t let him be a little jealous, a little nervous, you’re going to always in the palm of his hands . ” Fu Rongjun smiled at Xi with a twinkle in his eyes . “Isn’t this lord a master of love? Believe in me . ”

Xi stared like a hopeful fool at Fu Rongjun . “Great immortal is helping me?”

“Of course! But payment is required . You must reward this lord with a kiss . ”

Xi’s face turned beet red . Waving her hand she immediately said, “I can’t . I can’t . ”

Fu Rongjun burst out in laughter . “You are so fun to tease . ” He reached for her waist and pulled her against him in an embrace . He turned them around so even their shadows were out of sight .

Yan was stunned as he stood below the roof looking up at them . A myriad of emotions washed over him one after the other . Astonishment was quickly replaced by anger only to by shoved aside by a growing sense of panic . It tore at his heart . This girl, that had grown up beside him, that had always belonged to him, was being stolen by this guy! He couldn’t contain his panic .