It Turns out that I am Beautiful, Strong and Miserable [Quick Wear] - 150

 

ITOTIABSAM | The Immortal on Liuyun Mountain | 150

As Shen Qingshu's tightly clenched fist was pried open, he turned his head in confusion and saw a familiar face.

Feeling increasingly erratic lately, Shen Qingshu had strayed from his true nature. Qin Ji suppressed the urge to comfort him and said firmly, "Shen Qingshu, calm down."

This utterance, imbued with hidden spiritual power, resonated like a soul call, gradually bringing Shen Qingshu, who was still lost in panic, back to his senses.

The taste of blood still lingering in his mouth, he belatedly realized what he had done, and hastily tried to explain to whoever would listen, "I just felt the connection being severed and was worried that he might be in trouble..."

For cultivators, the spiritual sea in the mind is the most crucial location. Even some bonded Dao companions may not open up to each other in that regard. Shen Qingshu had established a one-way channel solely through the empathic link between his soul and Song He's body. 

However, just now, he had clearly overstepped his bounds, causing a momentary intrusion akin to possession.

With the sparse spiritual energy, the rudimentary wooden table, and a skinny little boy... Despite the limited information he perceived, Shen Qingshu was certain that Xie Ye had left Liuyun Mountain.

This situation was unexpected not only for him but for the entire cultivation world.

"It's possible that Song He's soul really did wander into Xie Ye's puppet. Otherwise, I can't think of why Xie Ye would take anything down the mountain," forcing himself to recall the scenes he had witnessed earlier, Shen Qingshu tightly grasped Qin Ji's sleeve and said, "He has gone to the mortal world. What does he intend to do?"

Was he planning to perform sacrificial rites using living souls, or was he aiming to create more puppets?

"Another possibility is that the process of leaving Liuyun Mountain has greatly injured his vitality, so he needs to recuperate in the mortal world," Qin Ji wiped away the bloodstains from the corner of Shen Qingshu's mouth and conjured a pill, which he fed to him. "Otherwise, he should have come to find you first thing instead of scaring children."

He wasn't one to joke around, but he deliberately made the conversation sound casual. Qin Ji vaguely understood that Shen Qingshu was probably like other cultivators who had escaped from Liuyun Mountain, influenced by the Celestial Immortal, teetering on the edge between sanity and madness due to their high cultivation level. 

However, Qin Ji, never believing that there was anything in the world that couldn't be overcome, was confident that Shen Qingshu could return to his original state once the source of his fear was eliminated.

Unconsciously influenced by Qin Ji's demeanor, Shen Qingshu himself didn't realize it, but the corners of his lips twitched slightly as Qin Ji spoke.

"I hope Song He will be safe," he said wearily, closing his eyes. "I used his body to contact him, so I don't think I was detected."

The only one Shen Qingshu truly cared about was himself, Qin Ji replied calmly, "He will be."

At least the body inside the coffin still had signs of life.

"Tsk tsk tsk." After investigating the situation on the protagonist's side by pinching his nose, 1101 wished it could open a teleportation portal for the host and punch Shen Qingshu in the face.

Just as Xie Ye descended the mountain, the protagonist suddenly felt like contacting "Song He". If it was not the world consciousness pulling the strings behind the scenes, it would have pulled its own head off. 

But who would have thought that in such an infuriating situation, the focus of their host's attention would be:

"Don't spit in my mental space," replied Xie Ye promptly.

The effect of the blood on the puppet's repair was immediate. The parts of Gu Cong's body below his right elbow, which had turned into dry wood, had returned to their normal appearance.

The wound on the fingertip, no matter how deep it was cut, would eventually stop bleeding without the activation of spiritual power. Moreover, Gu Cong was afraid of hurting Xie Ye, so he barely made any sucking motions.

It wasn't until he swallowed the last hint of faint rust taste in his throat that Gu Cong, who had completely regained his senses, realized how ambiguous his actions with Xie Ye had been. Even though he knew it was just feeding blood.

...But he was still holding Xie Ye's fingertip in his mouth.

Wrapped lightly between his lips, it felt like an intimate kiss.

Suddenly, Gu Cong felt his ears burning again. His gaze shifted rapidly, and he quickly raised his hand to hold Xie Ye's wrist, gently moving it back. However, in that instant when Xie Ye's fingertip left his lips, Gu Cong unavoidably saw the moist gleam on it, as well as a nearly transparent silver thread under the light.

Knowing how much Xie Ye valued cleanliness, Gu Cong instinctively wanted to use his sleeve to wipe it clean for him. However, he saw Xie Ye pay no attention to it and instead put the wound to his lips and blew on it.

Very close.

Close enough that he almost exchanged an indirect kiss with the youth through that fingertip.

"Your wound hasn't healed yet." The blood he had swallowed just a few seconds ago seemed to be all for naught. Gu Cong inexplicably felt his throat dry, and when he opened his mouth again, it came out with a slight hoarseness.

"Your original body is pulling you back," the crimson lips faded in color, becoming so pale that only a hint of pink remained. Xie Ye, however, was smiling, even teasingly, "If I didn't hold on tightly, your soul might have run away with it."

Gu Cong: Original body? Soul?

Caught off guard by the sudden revelation, he was momentarily at a loss for how to explain. He was both "Song He" and not "Song He". He had no intention of harming Xie Ye, but the actions of the original owner were undeniably real.

"You like Shen Qingshu? Your body is still there with him."

As if finding the situation not stimulating enough, the youth in white spoke slowly, "He's willing to take the risk to contact you, so he must have some interest in you."

Gu Cong once again tasted the bitterness of being wronged.

Clearly, it wasn't his doing, but ultimately, he would have to bear the blame.

"I don't," sitting slightly upright, Gu Cong earnestly stated, "I wanted to drive him away, so that's why it hurt so much."

Due to their misalignment and the fact that the youth's features had not fully developed, from Xie Ye's perspective, the downward arc of Gu Cong's puppy eyes became particularly apparent in this moment.

He even cried out in pain, as if he instinctively knew how to soften his heart.

But Xie Ye's subtle hint of jealousy in his chest had not completely dissipated yet. "Not the first time, I suppose?"

"Just once." Since Gu Cong had decided to abandon the mission, there was no need to hide anything from Xie Ye. So he quickly recounted the conversation from that day, leaving out only the line, "Don't worry, I'm fine."

Though it wasn't a confession or anything inappropriate, Gu Cong just didn't want Xie Ye to know that he had shown warmth to Shen Qingshu at the request of the quick-transmission system, even if it was just a little bit.

Carefully observing every expression on Gu Cong's face, Xie Ye paid close attention. He wasn't sure if there were any out-of-character (OOC) judgments in Gu Cong's mission, but if Gu Cong were to be punished because of this, he would immediately call it off.

Luckily, this frankness was probably seen as appropriate maneuvering of words in front of the "villain" under special circumstances. Gu Cong didn't suddenly zone out or show signs of distress.

This was also why Xie Ye made the snap decision to expose the "truth" today. After all, Shen Qingshu had handed him the handle himself.

When the protagonist's probing was abruptly caught, leading to the exposure of "Song He," even the most unscrupulous system wouldn't be able to shift the blame onto Gu Cong.

"You sit first." Unable to bear seeing the pale and weak appearance of the youth any longer, Gu Cong stood up, hands encircling Xie Ye's arms, guiding him to sit on the chair.

Most of the storage bags scattered on Liuyun Mountain had been smashed by the vines, and the usable ones were few. Gu Cong could only spread out his palms upward and request, "Medicine."

A few seconds ago, he was pitifully apologizing, but once serious, the handsome youth exuded an irresistible dominance.

With the truth exposed, Gu Cong felt like a heavy burden had been lifted from his shoulders. He felt lighter and more at ease facing Xie Ye. "What about Ma Shitou?"

"What do you think?" With just a small wound to tend to, it was still troublesome to apply medicine. Xie Ye, with his lowered eyelashes, pretended to be indifferent and said softly, "Or... kill him."

But Gu Cong didn't even furrow his brows.

Without the expected dissuasion, Xie Ye wanted to see Gu Cong coaxing him instead. So he repeated, word by word, "I said, I want to kill him."

"I know you won't." It was the first time Gu Cong discovered such a naive side to the mighty immortal. Half-crouching in front of Xie Ye, Gu Cong lifted his head, looking squarely into his eyes.

It was Xie Ye, the one who had initiated the provocation, who seemed uncomfortable, as if he had been scalded, and he averted his gaze.

"How come I haven't seen you so bold before?" Not only did he speak while avoiding eye contact, but even slightly intimate gestures had to be faked by him.

"Perhaps it's because I can finally connect with you sincerely." Gu Cong discarded the task, discarded his persona, and spoke from his heart. 

Silently completing the second half of the sentence, Gu Cong continued, "In this way, I have confidence."

The object capable of being stored in Xie Ye's sleeves was definitely extraordinary. As the spiritual medicine covering his fingertips rapidly dissolved, it brought a tingling sensation as the wound began to scab over.

The warmth of the youth's hand still lingered on his skin as Xie Ye's hand moved slightly, then restrained itself, curling into a fist and discreetly disappearing back into his sleeve.

At this moment, was he in the present, the future, or the past?

Until he had a clear answer to this question, he couldn't cross the line. He had to ensure that Gu Cong would ultimately complete the mission and safely leave this world. But soon enough, Xie Ye's retreating hand was forcibly pulled out again by another hand that reached into the sleeve.

"Don't clench," the puppet strings connecting them drew closer, from intangible to tangible, entwining and overlapping. With patience, Gu Cong cautioned softly, "It will reopen the wound."

In that moment, Xie Ye suddenly understood himself. He understood why he, in this chaotic world where he had already lived once, foolishly and meticulously planned his own death.

He probably loved Gu Cong.

And love had no reason.

"In fact, there's something I've been hiding from you," unable to directly reveal information related to the Quick Transmigration Bureau, Gu Cong carefully chose his words, speaking softly, "Although it may sound a bit random..."

"But Xie Ye, you have to believe me," Gu Cong insisted.

"I absolutely won't hurt you."

Empty promises, another undercover agent sent by Shen Qingshu, whose inception began with lies. If Gu Cong were in Xie Ye's shoes, he might not even believe it himself.

Yet Gu Cong wanted to tell Xie Ye that even villains in stories could have someone standing by their side.

Even if Xie Ye didn't understand, it didn't matter. Gu Cong just wanted to say it to him.

However, fate was twisted, and the Xie Ye sitting in front of him at this moment was the original, who had experienced countless reincarnations, the only person in this world who could understand this promise.

Drip, drip.

As dusk enveloped them, obscured by the dimness, something wet landed heavily on Gu Cong's hand.

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