193: Chapter 193 Taking advantage of someone's misfortune

However, what Xing Yaoyan didn't know was that Qian Mo didn't feel at all the way she expected; the reason he recited the Heart-Clearing Incantation was purely out of habit.

In his past life, every time he finished an assassination mission, his Master would have him go back and recite a passage of the Heart-Clearing Incantation, saying it was to suppress the Killing Intent on his body and allow him to recuperate.

At that time, he had been dismissive of it because he felt he didn't need to hide his Killing Intent; Killing Intent could help him intimidate his enemies and complete his missions with half the effort. So, every time he was forced to recite the Heart-Clearing Incantation, he was extremely half-hearted about it.

But now, after living a second life, he experienced another way of living, unlike before when he was either killing or on the way to kill.

He was no longer as expressionless as in his previous life; he seemed to have found a way to conduct himself as a normal person. Moreover, he now had a place in his heart for others and was no longer alone like before.

So, as if possessed, he didn't just casually recite a line or even fudge it without saying a single word like before. Instead, he spontaneously and seriously recited it just as his Master had taught him in his past life:

“The heart is clear as water, clear water is the heart... My emotions overflow, heaven and earth return to the heart... Utmost nature and goodness, the Great Dao is achieved naturally.”

As the final note fell, the young man exhaled a breath of turbid air and looked up, his gaze softening as he looked at the girl who was watching him with a smile.

“What... is there something on my face?”

“No... it’s nothing.”

For some reason, Xing Yaoyan suddenly felt a bit of a blush.

The feeling Qian Mo gave her had changed. In the past, she could always feel an irrepressible Killing Intent from him; although it didn't affect her, it was always somewhat of an eyesore.

But now, even after killing so many monsters, this guy didn't give off any sense of discomfort at all. Instead, he gave off a transparent feeling like a newborn baby, which was particularly attractive.

“Buzz~”

Suddenly, Xing Yaoyan stumbled.

She knew that with such a powerful surge of energy suddenly erupting here, combined with the appearance of the Breath of the Abyss, the human higher-ups would certainly not sit idly by.

Sure enough, the damned “Star Soul Ritual” arrived as expected.

But she was no longer the same person she used to be. The “Star Soul Ritual” that used to cause her splitting headaches and force her to reveal her true form now only made her feel a little dizzy; her resistance to this thing was growing stronger and stronger.

“Young Miss Xing Yan, are you alright?”

“I'm fine... I might have overexerted myself just now and feel a bit weak. I'll be fine after a little while...”

Hearing the young man's concerned words, Xing Yaoyan quickly found an excuse to brush it off, but the discomfort in her mind still caused an unnatural flush to appear on her face.

“How about we find a safe place to rest for a bit before moving on...”

“No... Crow and the others are still fighting; we must go and support them!”

In truth, what Xing Yaoyan was thinking was to leave this area quickly, because the Star Nest's teleportation array was not far away. The longer they stayed here, the easier it would be to attract monsters and inadvertently expose the existence of the Star Nest.

Her core objective this time was to help the Star Nest through this crisis; there must not be any problems.

“Then... Young Miss Xing Yan, just stay behind me, and we'll fight our way out.”

Qian Mo looked at her with concern and gently twisted his wrists. His black gloves, stained with various types of blood, rubbed against each other with a “rustling” sound.

Suddenly, while Xing Yaoyan wasn't paying attention, he reached out and grabbed her hand, pulling her toward Crow's direction.

“Qian Mo... you...”

The hand being pulled subconsciously tensed for a moment, but soon, it slowly relaxed.

For some reason, a different kind of sweetness suddenly rose in her heart.

This Blockhead finally dared to take the initiative... Although it could be considered taking advantage of her vulnerability, it was still quite a bit of progress...

Following behind Qian Mo, she watched him methodically repel all the attacking monsters with one hand. The black cloak behind him was like an indestructible black shield, blocking all danger for her.

A feeling she had never experienced before gradually crept into the girl's heart.

Ever since the day she and Qian Mo parted, she had always been forced to move forward on her own. But now, just like back then, he had once again become her brief support.

She suddenly lowered her head somewhat shyly, letting her white bangs hide the increasingly vivid blush on her face.

If her two good teammates were present, especially Ying Linglong, seeing her current state would surely result in another round of teasing.

The young man's footsteps suddenly paused.

“Young Miss Xing Yan, are you feeling better? They are right over there; I was thinking it might be better to wait a bit before going over...”

Qian Mo said, still with concern.

“Mhm...”

Xing Yaoyan lowered her head and let out a soft hum like a mosquito, reaching out to touch the flush on her face that had yet to dissipate.

She actually hadn't realized when the “Star Soul Ritual” had ended.

She tried to pull her hand away from the young man's grasp, but it didn't budge...

“Qian Mo...”

The blush on the girl's face became a few degrees more embarrassed and annoyed.

“Oh! Sorry...”

Only then did Qian Mo seem to realize, and he quickly let go of her hand, rubbing the back of his head and laughing awkwardly.

On purpose... this guy is definitely doing it on purpose... Didn't I know before that this guy looks very innocent, but once he feels he has a chance, he's a total “White on the outside, black on the inside” type?! Huh?!

The familiar dizziness struck again.

Xing Yaoyan seemed to realize something instantly and hurriedly looked up at the young man, who was still pretending to look at the scenery, her heart in turmoil.

This guy can isolate her from the effects of the “Star Soul Ritual”?!

She moved slightly closer to him as an experiment. Sure enough... the dizziness in her head lessened significantly!

Seeing the girl's sudden movement to get closer, Qian Mo subconsciously took a few steps back.

Feeling the discomfort in her head intensify slightly, Xing Yaoyan moved closer to him again. He retreated further, and she advanced further, until...

“Thud!”

Qian Mo suddenly realized there was a wall behind him; he had nowhere left to retreat.

Yet the girl seemed to be immersed in her own world and was still advancing.

And just then!

“Boom!!!”

The stone wall beside them suddenly exploded.

In the next moment, a somewhat disheveled figure slowly stood up from the dust.

“Cough, cough, cough... I didn't expect these guys to have such crappy combat skills, but they're damn strong... Uh... what are you two doing here...”

Crow looked at the two people in front of him, who were staring affectionately at each other, and then at his own disheveled state from the battle, and asked such a Soul-searching question.