546: Lu Xueqi (23)

Time flowed slowly in the silence.

The moon was high in the sky.

Its cold light spilled over the earth,

draping a thin veil over all things.

Su Han's mind was immersed in a mysterious state.

Half of his consciousness focused on the circulation of Qi within his body,

while the other half spread out like ripples within a ten-zhang radius, perceiving any subtle movement.

In the latter half of the night,

just past midnight,

an extremely faint sound of clothes rustling in the wind

faintly drifted from a distance.

Su Han sharply opened his eyes.

A flash of brilliance flickered in his pupils.

He did not get up immediately.

Instead, he completely reined in his aura,

as if he had merged with the rock beneath him.

His gaze sharply fixed on the source of the sound.

The sound was extremely light,

indicating that the other party's cultivation was not weak

and that they were deliberately concealing their tracks.

In this desolate wilderness,

the appearance of a master in the dead of night

was highly likely to be an enemy rather than a friend.

He quietly moved to Lu Xueqi and Bi Yao's side,

ready to immediately take them away if the situation turned sour.

The sound grew closer,

but when it was still a hundred zhang away from their hillside,

it suddenly changed direction

and sped off in another direction,

seemingly unaware of their presence.

Su Han listened intently.

There wasn't just one sound of rushing wind,

but two.

One in front, one behind,

as if in pursuit.

The aura of the one in front was slightly disordered,

while the one behind exuded a chilling killing intent.

Soon,

both sounds disappeared into the distance.

The wilderness returned to silence.

Su Han let out a slight sigh of relief.

But his vigilance did not wane.

It seemed this area was not peaceful.

The cultivation of both parties involved in the chase just now

seemed to be no less than his own.

He returned to the campfire,

added a few dry branches,

and made the flames burn brighter again.

The firelight dispelled some of the darkness

and brought a touch of warmth.

There were no further incidents in the latter half of the night.

The sky gradually lightened with a fish-belly white hue.

The first rays of dawn appeared,

dispelling the chill of the night.

Birdsong began to echo through the mountains and forests.

A new day had arrived.

Lu Xueqi was the first to awaken.

After a night of recuperation,

her complexion had improved somewhat,

but it was still pale.

She looked at Su Han, who was guarding the campfire,

and softly said, “Senior Brother Su,

you've had a hard night.”

Su Han shook his head.

“It's my duty.

How do you feel, Junior Sister Lu?”

“My internal Qi is a little more stable,

but the backlash from heavenly abyss is extraordinary.

It will still take time to resolve.”

Lu Xueqi's tone was calm.

At this moment,

Bi Yao also rubbed her eyes and sat up,

muttering, “It's morning already…”

She saw Su Han,

and remembering their conversation by the stream last night,

her face flushed again.

She quickly stood up

and stretched her limbs.

“I feel much better!

My true Qi has recovered by more than half!”

Su Han smiled slightly.

“That's good.

Let's tidy up quickly

and set off for the fishing village as soon as possible.”

The three extinguished the campfire,

erased all traces of their stay,

and continued eastward along the direction in Su Han's memory.

The closer they got to the sea,

the more pronounced the salty smell in the air became.

Scattered farmlands and cottages also began to appear along both sides of the road.

In order not to alarm Mortals,

and to avoid any potential scouts,

they tried to choose secluded paths.

Along the way,

Su Han bought a few sets of ordinary coarse cloth clothes.

After the three changed into them,

their outstanding aura was somewhat concealed.

They looked like ordinary travelers on a journey.

However, Lu Xueqi and Bi Yao's appearances were truly too striking.

Su Han found some grass ash

and had the two women lightly disguise themselves.

Although it couldn't completely hide their exceptional beauty,

it did reduce some of their eye-catching Immortal Qi and ethereal charm.

Bi Yao was quite reluctant about this,

but she also knew that the situation called for it.

She could only pout and comply.

Lu Xueqi remained silent throughout,

allowing Su Han to make the arrangements.

After a day of arduous travel,

in the evening of the second day,

the three finally arrived at the small fishing village Su Han had mentioned.

The fishing village was nestled beside a small bay.

Dozens of simple wooden or stone houses were built against the mountain.

Many fishing boats were moored at the village entrance,

gently swaying with the waves.

The setting sun dyed the sea a golden red.

Fishermen returned one after another,

their faces bearing tired but contented smiles.

Women and children helped to sort the catch on the shore

and hang fishing nets to dry.

The air was filled with the strong smell of fish and the scent of the sea breeze.

It was a scene of peace and tranquility.

Su Han led the two women.

Instead of entering the village directly,

they circled to the back of the village,

to a secluded sea cliff.

There was an old, seemingly abandoned wooden house there.

The wooden house was somewhat dilapidated,

but its main structure was still relatively intact.

Behind the house was a small grove of trees,

making it quite hidden.

“This is a place I stumbled upon many years ago.

It seems no one has lived here for a long time.

We'll make our temporary base here.”

Su Han pushed open the creaking wooden door.

The house was filled with dust

and covered in cobwebs,

but the space was quite spacious,

with an inner and outer room.

“We'll clean it up.

It's barely habitable.”

Bi Yao wrinkled her delicate nose.

“So much dust…”

But she still joined Su Han in cleaning.

Lu Xueqi also silently joined in.

All three were cultivators,

quick and efficient.

They quickly cleaned the interior of the house.

Su Han took out some simple bedding and supplies from his Magic Treasure and laid them out.

They finally had a temporary place to stay.

After settling down,

Su Han said to the two women, “You two rest here.

I'll go into the village to gather some information

and buy some food and water.”

Lu Xueqi nodded.

“Senior Brother Su, be careful.”

Bi Yao quickly said, “I'll go with you!”

Su Han shook his head.

“You stay here.

With Junior Sister Lu,

you can look out for each other.

More people would only draw attention.”

Although Bi Yao was reluctant,

she knew Su Han was right.

She could only agree.

“Then come back quickly.”

Su Han smiled,

turned, and left the wooden house.

His figure quickly disappeared down the path shrouded in twilight.

Only Lu Xueqi and Bi Yao remained in the house.

The atmosphere was quiet for a moment.

Only the sound of waves came from outside the window.

Bi Yao walked to the window,

looking at the last rays of the sunset on the distant sea.

She sighed, “It's quite peaceful here.”

Lu Xueqi sat cross-legged on the wooden bed covered with dry grass.

Hearing this,

her eyelashes fluttered slightly.

She softly uttered an “Mm,”

and then said nothing more,

continuing to close her eyes and regulate her breath.

Bi Yao turned her head,

looking at Lu Xueqi's cold and beautiful profile.

Her heart was filled with mixed feelings.

She had to admit,

Lu Xueqi was indeed very beautiful.

That aloof aura, as if she didn't belong to the Mortal world,

was something her own lively and charming self lacked.

Moreover,

Lu Xueqi's cultivation was profound,

she was a prodigy of the Qingyun Sect,

and a fellow disciple of Su Han.

Thinking of Su Han's protectiveness towards Lu Xueqi,

Bi Yao felt a pang of jealousy.

She walked over and sat opposite Lu Xueqi.

Unable to resist, she spoke.

“Hey.” (End of this chapter)