163: Chapter 163 She really is my little lover!

Ye Changge chuckled inwardly.

Having experienced Transmigration, he had no obsession with the divide between the Righteous Path and the Demonic Path.

Moreover, after struggling in this Cultivation World for all these years, he saw things more clearly than anyone else—

When Cultivators of the Righteous Path kill to seize treasures, have they ever shown mercy?

Among Cultivators of the Demonic Path, there are also those who Cultivate discreetly and never commit evil.

The so-called Righteous and Demonic Paths are merely a difference in stance.

He looked at Ling Xiaotang, his voice growing gentler: "Miss Xiaotang, what do you plan to do next?"

Upon hearing this, Ling Xiaotang suddenly raised her head.

She looked into Ye Changge's gentle eyes, which held no disdain or disgust, only genuine concern.

The tightly strung chord in her heart trembled slightly.

"I... I don't know..." Her voice trembled, yet she tried hard to make herself clear:

"But please rest assured, Senior, I won't implicate you! I... I will take Revered Master and leave in a moment, and I beg you, Senior... please don't tell others about this matter..."

Ye Changge frowned.

If she went out now, wouldn't that be courting death?

Her Revered Master was unconscious, she herself was injured, and the people from the Qingshui Sword Sect were still hunting them...

If she just left like this, she would likely be captured before even traveling a hundred li.

He looked at Ling Xiaotang, remembering how she had smiled and pressed the foundation establishment spiritual item into his hands back in the Secret Realm.

He had always remembered this kindness. Now that she was in trouble, how could he stand by and watch?

Xiao Caiyue, standing to the side, took all of this in.

She watched Ye Changge's slightly furrowed brows and the hint of heartache in his eyes as he looked at Ling Xiaotang, and she sighed softly in her heart.

It really was a little lover from the outside.

However...

She recalled the process of how she and Ye Changge had met and become Dao Companions, remembering his gentleness and care for her in the Immortal Cave, and the subtle discomfort in her heart gradually dissipated.

She had known from the very beginning that Ye Changge was not a "good" man. But so what?

He was sincere towards her. He was sincere towards her sister. He was sincere towards her family.

In the Cultivation World, it was the norm for the strong to have many wives and concubines.

For a hero like Ye Changge, who had achieved Foundation Establishment at such a young age and commanded a region, it was perfectly normal to have a few confidantes by his side.

She, Xiao Caiyue, was not the jealous type. Furthermore...

She looked at Ye Changge's handsome profile and thought to herself: He was already treating her exceptionally well.

Thinking of this, Xiao Caiyue hesitated no longer.

She took a Medicinal Pill from her Storage Pouch, walked forward, and handed it to Ling Xiaotang, her voice gentle:

"Miss, your Revered Master's condition is very poor right now. If you leave rashly and are spotted by the Qingshui Sword Sect, it will surely be dire. This is a healing Medicinal Pill I refined; let your Revered Master take it first."

Ling Xiaotang stared blankly at the dignified and gentle woman before her, then looked at the Medicinal Pill being offered, her eyes welling up with heat again.

"Th-thank you..." She took the Medicinal Pill and carefully fed it to Nangong Zili.

After feeding her the medicine, she raised her head and looked cautiously at Xiao Caiyue, then at Ye Changge, her eyes filled with a trace of trepidation.

Is this Senior Ye's Dao Companion? As expected, those around Senior Ye were all so outstanding.

A complex emotion surged in her heart—envy, bitterness, and an indescribable sense of loss.

Ye Changge saw the look in her eyes and understood what she was thinking. He said softly:

"Miss Xiaotang, if you have nowhere to go, why not stay here for now? This place is protected by a second-tier grand formation, making it very safe and difficult for others to discover."

He paused, looking at Ling Xiaotang's reddened eyes, and ultimately softened: "Let me check your Revered Master's injuries for you first."

"Senior..." Upon hearing this, Ling Xiaotang suddenly raised her head.

She bit her lip, her eyes red, and her clear, limpid orbs filled with tears as she looked softly at Ye Changge.

In that gaze, there was gratitude, dependency, grievances, and too many unvoiced emotions.

Ling Xiaotang was originally a strong-willed girl. Growing up in the Five Gu Sect, through cultivation, fighting, and injuries, she had never easily shed tears.

But over the past few days, she had been truly too exhausted to hold on.

Her Revered Master was injured and unconscious. She had fled with her Revered Master, evading pursuit, and had spent two months caring for her while living in constant fear.

Having finally found a hidden place and thinking she could catch her breath, they were discovered by the Qingshui Sword Sect again. It was more fleeing, more killing.

She didn't know how much longer she could hold on. She only knew she could not collapse. Her Revered Master was still waiting for her care.

But now—at this moment, hearing the person she dreamed of day and night not only not reject her for being a Cultivator of the Demonic Path, but instead comfort her gently, offer to take them in, and offer to help check her Revered Master's injuries...

The tightly strung chord in her heart snapped with a "pop."

Her little pearly tears could no longer be controlled and fell in torrents.

She stood there, her frail body trembling slightly in the wind, tears streaming down uncontrollably, yet she bit her lip tightly, refusing to let herself cry out loud.

Ye Changge looked at the exquisite little face before him, now weeping like pear blossoms in the rain, and felt a pang of heartache.

He was the type of person who couldn't stand seeing girls cry.

"Xiao Tang, it's alright." He said softly, stepping toward her.

Ling Xiaotang watched him walk toward her, hearing his gentle words, and the emotions she had suppressed for so long finally broke through the dam.

She could no longer hold it back— "Senior—!"

Like a swallow returning to its nest, she threw herself into Ye Changge's arms.

Her small body pressed tightly against him, her hands clutching his lapels, as if she had grasped the only support in this world.

"Wuwuwu... Senior... wuwuwu..." She buried her face in his chest and began to weep loudly.

All her grievances, all her fear, all her helplessness turned into tears at this moment and poured out.

Ye Changge's body stiffened slightly, then softened.

He gently raised his hand, placed it on her tear-dampened back, and patted her gently, one stroke after another.

"It's alright, it's alright..." He coaxed her softly, his voice as gentle as the spring breeze in March.

Ling Xiaotang cried even louder.

She didn't know why she was crying either. She clearly shouldn't be crying. She clearly should be strong. But... but...

"Wuwuwu... Senior... I'm so scared... I'm scared Revered Master won't wake up... I'm scared of being caught... I'm scared I'll never see you again..."

She spoke incoherently, burying her face in his chest.

Ye Changge didn't speak, just patted her back gently, letting her vent.

Xiao Caiyue stood to the side, watching this scene, the corners of her mouth curling slightly. She wasn't jealous, nor was she displeased; she just watched quietly.

This girl was also a pitiful soul.

Ye Changge gently stroked Ling Xiaotang's back, and when her sobbing gradually subsided, he spoke softly: "Alright, don't cry anymore. Let me check on your Revered Master's condition first, okay?"