74: Unrest

Shen Jinhuan had always known her original purpose.

She chose to lie low, waiting to deliver a fatal blow to that person.

"I never forgot."

Shen Jinhuan was still looking out the window.

"I didn't forget, I was just too weak. If it weren't for that person, I would have fallen into danger. I've just been using him, I haven't forgotten.

I will kill him once I become strong."

Shen Jinhuan felt much more at ease.

She closed her eyes.

Then, she continued cultivating the Cultivation Technique from the torn page.

A week later.

Evening.

Shen Jinhuan finished her cultivation for the day.

Dark red Spiritual Qi flickered at her fingertips, staining a small area around her blood-red.

"I've reached the Qi Refining Realm Middle Stage."

Just now, she had broken through a small threshold, reaching the Qi Refining Realm Middle Stage.

This progress was very fast.

Her white-haired, red-robed self had not appeared in her Sea of Consciousness since that day.

She pushed open her door.

"Come quickly, come quickly! I just cooked some preserved egg and lean meat porridge. It's just right to drink!"

A head peeked out from the kitchen. Her Revered Master was looking at her with a gentle smile.

The sunlight fell on him, making his entire being much softer.

Shen Jinhuan felt all the gloom within her swept away.

"Coming, Revered Master!"

She smiled sweetly and ran to the kitchen to get the food.

Although her Revered Master had reached the Golden Core stage, in order to eat with her, he still hadn't chosen to forgo food.

The two of them sat facing each other.

Halfway through the meal, Shen Jinhuan saw Jiang Ning put down his chopsticks.

"What's wrong, Revered Master?"

"Something just came to mind."

Jiang Ning smiled gently.

He took out a soft sword from his Storage Ring.

"This is a soft sword I had someone forge for you, using the resources Dan Shuzi left behind to acquire the Materials.

Because it's a soft sword, the Materials are rare and hard to find, so it could only be made into a high-grade third-rank Spiritual Artifact.

Just make do with it for now, and later, when there's an opportunity..."

"Thank you, Revered Master! It's already very good."

Shen Jinhuan happily took it.

Seeing that she liked it, Jiang Ning smiled and said:

"This sword doesn't have a name yet. You can name it yourself."

"Okay!" Shen Jinhuan frowned and thought for a moment, then gave up. "Naming things is so hard! Revered Master, why don't you name it?"

"Let's call it the qing huan sword. It matches your name a bit."

"Great!"

Shen Jinhuan handed the sword back. "Please engrave it, Revered Master!"

Jiang Ning infused Spiritual Qi into his fingertips and engraved the two characters "Qing Huan" on the sword blade near the hilt.

The little girl seemed to really like it. She immediately put away her old soft sword and wrapped the qing huan sword around her waist.

After dinner, the little girl went to clear the dishes.

The two of them had their own unspoken understanding.

One person cooked, one person washed dishes.

When Shen Jinhuan came out of the kitchen, Jiang Ning waved to her.

She saw the immortal brew on the stone table, her eyes lit up, and she walked over.

"Revered Master, did you make immortal peach peach again?"

"No."

Jiang Ning poured a purple liquid from the wine pot. "This time, it's Immortal grape, made according to your idea."

"Oh!"

Shen Jinhuan's eyes lit up. She picked it up and took a sip.

It was a bit sweeter than immortal peach peach, with the added sweet and sour taste of grapes.

It was also very good.

"Another cup, Revered Master."

"Alright."

Jiang Ning poured her another cup.

After the little girl finished drinking, he asked with a smile, "Huanhuan, do you have something on your mind lately? I feel like you're not as close to Revered Master as you used to be."

"No!"

Shen Jinhuan seemed a little flustered. "I just want to cultivate as quickly as possible. It's not easy to have such good conditions, so I definitely can't be negligent."

Jiang Ning nodded.

Although the jade pendant the little girl wore to conceal her aura was as good as non-existent in front of him,

He didn't probe.

As for the little girl's reason, Jiang Ning didn't delve into it.

Everyone has unhappy times; giving the little girl some time to recover would be enough.

He had originally been wondering if the little girl, being twelve, was having her period.

Later, he realized it was purely a wild guess.

Cultivators have precise control over their bodies. Who ever heard of someone in the Qi Refining Realm having their period?

Two pots of wine were emptied.

Shen Jinhuan said she wanted to go explore Lingwu City alone.

Jiang Ning didn't say anything and let her go.

He only hoped Shen Jinhuan could adjust quickly.

Night fell.

Lingwu City was very lively.

The Spiritual Artifacts used for lighting illuminated the main streets of Lingwu City brightly.

Cultivators on the streets each had their own purposes.

Shen Jinhuan sighed after realizing she had been recognized by several people.

She walked out of Lingwu City.

The world suddenly grew dark.

Shen Jinhuan's mood also calmed down a lot.

Finding a quiet spot, Shen Jinhuan sat on a rock, hugging her knees, thinking about the things that had happened recently.

Her Demon Race Bloodline made her feel at a loss, and the appearance of her white-haired, red-robed self made Shen Jinhuan confused.

The peaceful days were suddenly shattered.

Many times, she lied to herself, and she knew it, too.

But once that paper was poked through, it would suddenly make her feel uncomfortable.

If things were generally manageable, it was fine to be blissfully ignorant.

But now... Shen Jinhuan's heart was not at peace.

She didn't know how long she had sat alone, watching the moon.

Shen Jinhuan got up, ready to return to the courtyard.

If she didn't go back soon, Jiang Ning would worry about her.

Suddenly, an unusual sound came from not far away. Footsteps grew heavier, accompanied by pained groans.

Shen Jinhuan looked over.

She saw a thin figure in the darkness, carrying a sword, stumbling towards Lingwu City.

Shen Jinhuan's hand touched her waist, ready to draw the qing huan sword at any moment.

When the person got closer.

Shen Jinhuan saw that it was a Female Disciple, but upon seeing her appearance, she froze.

She knew this person. She was one of the Disciples from Bixiao Sect who went to explore Dan Shuzis Cave Residence.

However, this person had very little presence among those people. Everyone else was fawning over Yun Qingyao, while this person silently followed at the end of the group.

The Female Disciple was also very happy to see her.

She directly threw away her sword and stumbled towards her.

The other party's blue Bixiao Sect Inner Sect Disciple uniform was soaked with blood, her hair was messy, and there were traces of blood at the corners of her mouth.

Shen Jinhuan frowned.

"One more step, and I'll kill you."

"Junior Sister Huanhuan..."

The Female Disciple stopped, forcing herself to speak.

"My name is Ye Xi. I'm a Disciple from the Affairs Hall and I know Sixth Elder."

"Bixiao Sect is preparing to pressure Lingwu City to hand over Sixth Elder and execute him."

"I know you don't believe me, and you don't have to. Just tell Sixth Elder, and then go hide for a few days. You'll know if my words are true then."

[Giving up, it's a vicious cycle. The more I grind, the more I want to rush progress, and the more tired I am, the less I can produce.

The Female Lead and the Male Lead (Jiang Ning and Shen Jinhuan) will resolve their conflict and re-establish a solid foundation of trust, so it's a bit stuck in writing.

But three updates a day can definitely be guaranteed.

Once I adjust, the update schedule will also resume.

Apologies, and thank you all for your tolerance and support.]