Although Qing Jun was unhappy, she wasn’t a weak girl!
She puffed up her cheeks and, after composing her expression, crushed the jade talisman in her hand!
...
Outside Heart Slaughter Cave, at the edge of the cliff.
Mao Yanyu did not leave. She stood still as a rock, her divine sense locked onto the churning clouds below.
Though Heart Slaughter Cave mainly tested the mind and rarely posed a life threat, Xu Qingjun was someone specially cared for by the Family Head and was also Mao Qingzhu’s... She dared not be careless.
Suddenly, a figure hurried over. It was Mao Qinglan, responsible for guarding the entrance’s restriction.
"Aunt."
Mao Qinglan approached, a respectful expression on her face,
"Earlier, while I was operating the array, I constantly felt that one spiritual power node seemed slightly obscured. I’m not sure if it’s my inadequate cultivation causing incorrect sensing? I’d like to ask the Elder for some guidance."
Upon hearing this, Mao Yanyu frowned slightly.
She glanced at Mao Qinglan, feeling somewhat impatient, but since the issue was about the array linked to the safety of Heart Slaughter Cave’s restriction, she couldn’t refuse directly.
"Oh? Which specific node?" She shifted part of her focus away from the cave entrance, directing her attention to probe the area indicated by Mao Qinglan.
Mao Qinglan hurried forward, pointing at an inconspicuous rune on the restriction’s light screen, beginning to describe in detail the anomaly she sensed.
During this brief distraction,
in the dense fog a bit further from the cliff’s edge, a faint white light flickered almost imperceptibly.
Zhiwei’s figure appeared silently; her face was pale, a faint silver glow flickering between her eyebrows, her body swaying slightly but quickly stabilizing.
Not sparing a glance at the two individuals, her form blurred and merged into the mist.
Almost simultaneously with Zhiwei’s disappearance,
"Buzz!"
From directly beneath the cliff, where clouds churned, a much brighter white light shot into the sky!
Qing Jun emerged at the cliff edge, looking a bit disheveled, her clothes dusted with soil.
But her eyes were bright, carrying a hint of unmistakable frustration.
"You’re out?"
Mao Yanyu immediately shifted her focus back, scrutinizing Qing Jun from head to toe. Seeing that although her aura was slightly disordered, her divine soul was stable and unscathed, she quietly breathed a sigh of relief, though her tone remained stern,
"Judging by your appearance, you must have suffered quite a bit in the cave, right? Did you gain anything?"
Qing Jun pouted, thinking about how only three of the six gourds came, and they all went to find her senior sister, which only made her more displeased.
But she wouldn’t show weakness in front of others, raising her chin she declared, "Hmph, mere sword qi, what can it do to me? As for gains... I’m not impressed!"
She certainly wouldn’t admit that she didn’t even manage to snag a decent flying sword!
Too embarrassing!
Mao Yanyu furrowed her brows slightly, "Didn’t get a flying sword?"
No,
One had to admit that Xu Qingjun’s talent was exceptionally high, how could she not obtain a flying sword?
However, seeing the little girl’s face clouded with sadness,
she sighed slightly, speaking sternly,
"Do you think flying swords are so easily obtained? This time entering Heart Slaughter Cave was merely to hone your mind. In half a year, you can enter Heart Slaughter Cave again!"
The little girl pouted.
As Mao Yanyu said, her divine soul indeed underwent significant tempering, becoming noticeably more consolidated.
What surprised her was, this old nun... seemed to be comforting her?
Mao Yanyu snorted coldly, "What are you still standing there for? I’m already tired of you little girl. Since the Heart Slaughter trial is over, hurry back to your master!"
"Meh!"
The little girl dropped her composed act, making a mischievous face and sticking her tongue out at the middle-aged nun,
"I’m tired of you too! Hmph!"
With that, the little girl dashed away at full speed.
"That mischievous girl!"
Mao Yanyu clutched her chest, almost losing her breath.
"Never mind... she’s just a little unruly..."
...
Qing Jun hummed a tuneless song all the way back to the bamboo loft with light and quick steps.
Although not getting a flying sword frustrated her, the thought of soon seeing her master swiftly pushed that displeasure from her mind.
"Master! I’m back!" Her voice called out before she even arrived.
Chen Ye had been waiting in the courtyard for a while. Seeing her bounce back, his heart finally relaxed.
He greeted her with a smile, "You’re back? How was it inside? Did you get hurt?"
"Not at all!" Qing Jun dashed into his arms, snuggling against his waist, "Those stupid sword qi are just annoying! And those dumb gourds have no taste whatsoever!"
Chen Ye chuckled, ruffling her hair, "A flying sword is about fate; you can’t force it."
"That’s different..." Qing Jun mumbled, suddenly sniffing the air, looking up in confusion, "Master, you seem to have senior sister’s scent on you?"
Chen Ye felt his heart flutter but maintained his composure, "Do I? Maybe it’s because Zhiwei was here earlier and left it on me."
After Zhiwei returned, she immediately went back to her room to meditate and said she needed to communicate with the Heart Slaughter Sword.
Upon hearing this, Chen Ye knew that the major decision had been made.
The Heart Slaughter Sword was sentient, and its so-called inheritance at the Heart Slaughter Cave was actually on the sword.
However,
What surprised Chen Ye was that this little girl had a rather keen nose:
"You can even smell senior sister’s scent? Your nose is like a dog’s, quite sharp!"
The little girl angrily hammered her master, "What dog nose? It’s clearly a dragon’s nose! Besides senior sister’s scent, I also smell Aunt Mao!"
Uh-oh...
Chen Ye was taken aback.
Could she really have a dragon’s nose?
It had been half a month since he last met Sister Qingzhu, and Qing Jun could still smell it?
The little girl folded her arms behind her back, her face cooled slightly as she paced slowly around the courtyard, looking down at Chen Ye:
"Old man! You’d better confess the truth! You can’t hide anything from me!"
"I confess, I confess! Just have mercy, my dear disciple!"
Chen Ye cooperatively raised his hands.
But the girl got into her role, getting cheeky, "Hmph! Have mercy? If you sincerely beg for forgiveness, I might spare your life!"
Her silver hair swayed slightly, her eyes flashed coldly, coupled with her gradually growing height, she indeed had some aura.
Chen Ye, seeing this, thought this wouldn’t do?
Did this girl really think he was afraid of her?
"Ow... Master, what are you doing!"
So, the once imposing girl was, in the next moment, effortlessly lifted by her master, like a kitten, held up in the air.
"Your Majesty?" Chen Ye raised an eyebrow, pinching her puffed cheek, "Getting bold, aren’t we? Dare to call yourself ’Your Majesty’ before your master?"
"Put... put me down! Stinky master! Bad master!"
Qing Jun flailed her limbs around, unable to escape Chen Ye’s grasp. Her momentary bravado vanished entirely, leaving only frustration.
Chen Ye set her down, lightly tapping her little rear, "No respect at all. Keep it up, and don’t blame your master for being harsh!"
The little girl clutched her backside, pouting and bursting into tears:
"Wah, you all bully me! The flying sword bullied me, now Master bullies me too!"
And with that,
Teardrops started to fall, landing on the stone slabs, shattering into tiny splashes.
Her young shoulders shook, complemented with her reddened eyes and petite nose, she truly appeared pitiable.
"This little girl doesn’t seem like the crying type... Just wanting some comfort from her master after all."
How could Chen Ye not understand Qing Jun’s character?
"Alright, alright, isn’t it just a flying sword? Master will find you a good one in the future."
Chen Ye knelt down, lifting Qing Jun up.
He pressed her head into his shoulder nook, gently patting her tender little back.
The little girl’s body was soft and small, curling in his embrace like holding a tiny kitten.
There.
How could this girl be a dragon in essence? Chen Ye would believe if someone said her essence was that of a cat.
"Hmm... Master is bad... Hit my butt..."
Qing Jun stayed nestled in Chen Ye’s arms, unwilling to let go, her little arms wrapped around his neck, her soft body clinging to him like a sticky little ornament.
"Yes, yes, Master’s bad." Chen Ye said helplessly.
The little girl wiped her tears, her eyes shifting, "Master, let Qing Jun hit back..."
Sigh.
Truly a little girl who knows no bounds!
The master always knew she was faking it!