525: Lu Xueqi (Part 2)

At this moment, he stood alive before her, having just experienced a brush with death.

All her usual coolness, all her restraint, crumbled the moment she confirmed he was safe and sound.

Lu Xueqi stepped forward. Before Su Han and Bi Yao, who stood by with a complicated expression, could react, she extended her arms and tightly, forcefully, embraced Su Han!

Her action even carried a hint of reckless determination, as if she feared that if she let go, the person before her would disappear again.

Su Han was completely stunned.

His body stiffened. He could clearly feel the slight trembling of the delicate body in his arms, and the warmth, so different from usual, that permeated through her thin clothing.

Junior Sister Lu... actually took the initiative to hug him? This was even more unbelievable to him than being surrounded by Shadow Assassins just now.

In his impression, Lu Xueqi was always cool, aloof, and kept others at arm's length. When had she ever been so flustered?

Bi Yao stood by, watching the two embrace tightly, especially Lu Xueqi's visibly uncontrolled emotions. She pouted, feeling a little sour, but more than that, there was a complex understanding.

She recognized this White-Clothed Woman; it was Lu Xueqi of Qingyun Sect's Xiao Zhu Peak. She had seen her before at Mount Liubo and Dead Spirit Abyss.

She could also tell that this woman's feelings for Su Han were probably no less deep than her own.

Lu Xueqi buried her face deeply into Su Han's shoulder, inhaling his familiar and comforting Qi. The tears she had held back for so long finally broke through the dam, silently falling and soaking the fabric on Su Han's shoulder.

Her voice, filled with an uncontrollable sob, came in broken whispers in his ear, each word seemingly using all her strength:

"Su Han... you're fine... that's great..."

"Back in Dripping Blood Cave... you disappeared... I thought... I thought..."

She couldn't continue the rest of her words, only hugging him tighter, her shoulders trembling slightly.

Her suppressed sobs, though soft, struck Su Han's heart like heavy hammers.

Only then did he realize that his disappearance from Dripping Blood Cave, with no news, had caused even someone as cool as Junior Sister Lu such immense pain and fear.

A great wave of guilt and pity surged within him. His stiff arms slowly rose, he hesitated for a moment, and finally gently wrapped them around Lu Xueqi's slightly trembling back, awkwardly patting her and softly saying:

"Junior Sister Lu... I'm sorry for making you worry. I'm fine, I'm really fine."

Bi Yao watched this scene, and the sourness in her heart gradually turned into a hint of unpleasantness and a touch of inexplicable envy.

She huffed, turned her face away, and deliberately kicked a pebble at her feet, muttering:

"Hey, it's broad daylight, and there are others here! How long are you going to hug?"

Lu Xueqi was startled by Bi Yao's voice and only then realized what she had done.

As if burned, she suddenly broke free from Su Han's embrace, retreating two steps. A stunning blush flew onto her beautiful cheeks, spreading all the way to her earlobes.

She quickly lowered her head, frantically wiping away the tear stains on her face, trying to regain her usual cool demeanor, but her reddened eyes and slightly rapid breathing exposed her current state of mind completely.

Never in her life had she been so flustered in front of others, especially in front of a man.

The immense shame made her almost want to immediately leave on her sword.

Su Han looked at her, so different from her usual self, and his heart softened even more. At the same time, feeling a bit awkward, he lightly coughed and looked at Bi Yao, introducing her:

"Bi Yao, this is Lu Xueqi, Junior Sister Lu of my Qingyun Sect's Xiao Zhu Peak."

Then he said to Lu Xueqi: "Junior Sister Lu, this is Miss Bi Yao."

Lu Xueqi had by now managed to calm her emotions, at least on the surface.

She raised her head, the blush still on her face, but her eyes had returned to their usual coolness. She looked at Bi Yao, nodded as a greeting, her tone calm and unwavering:

"Miss Bi Yao."

She naturally recognized Bi Yao, the daughter of the Ghost King Sect's Sect Master. She just hadn't expected her to be with Su Han, and their relationship seemed quite close. In her haste earlier, she hadn't paid attention, but now that she had calmed down and saw Bi Yao, a hint of doubt and an imperceptible tension arose in her heart.

Bi Yao, however, was much more generous. Although she still held some resentment towards Lu Xueqi's previous actions, she smiled beautifully on the surface and, mimicking Su Han's address, curtsied:

"So it's Junior Sister Lu, I've heard much about you. Thank you, Junior Sister Lu, for your assistance just now."

Her words were clever, both pointing out that Lu Xueqi's earlier fluster was due to excitement after "lending a hand," and carrying a subtle hint of teasing.

How could Lu Xueqi not hear the meaning in her words? Her cheeks flushed again, but her expression remained cool. She simply responded indifferently:

"It was my duty, no need to be polite."

The atmosphere became subtly awkward for a moment.

Su Han quickly changed the subject, asking: "Junior Sister Lu, why are you here? And how did you happen to arrive just as these assassins were attacking?"

Lu Xueqi took a deep breath, completely suppressing the turmoil in her heart, and explained:

"I was ordered by my sect to investigate the Demonic Cult... to investigate some unusual activities.

As I passed nearby, I vaguely sensed the presence of evil Qi and the spiritual power fluctuations of a fight, so I came to investigate.

I didn't expect..."

She paused, looked at Su Han, her eyes complex, "I didn't expect it to be you. And I certainly didn't expect someone would hire Shadow Assassins to deal with you. Do you know who wants to kill you?"

Su Han shook his head, his brows slightly furrowed: "I don't know either."