Chapter 55

Chapter 55 Wei Zhao knocked on the door in front of Zhou Qingxue and said, "Qingxue, it's me. I'm coming in." She then tried to push the door. Qingxue's voice came from inside the room. "Who invited you? Go and accompany your master. I don't want to see you." Despite hearing the muffled voice from inside, Wei Zhao still pushed the door open. She was hit by the things thrown by the young lady, fortunately, it was just handkerchiefs and blankets, which didn't hurt much when they hit her. Wei Zhao hurriedly gathered these items and placed them on the table in the room. Looking up, she saw the young lady lying in front of the wall, her shoulders trembling, apparently quite upset. Wei Zhao carefully walked to the bedside, found a place to sit, and sneakily leaned in to look at the young lady's expression. As Qingxue covered herself with the blanket, she used her hand to push Wei Zhao, "Get out. I don't need you here. Go attend to your master." Wei Zhao barely moved when Qingxue pushed. She reached out and grabbed Qingxue's wrist, and in a rare soft tone said, "Qingxue, don't be angry. I didn't mean to. I apologize, alright?" Qingxue turned away, burying herself under the blanket. Wei Zhao was taken aback. The young lady was indeed difficult to appease. Recalling her master's words, she took out the little golden figurine from her Qi sea. The little guy was still trying to play with Wei Zhao, who handed it over to Qingxue through the gap in the blanket. "Qingxue, I brought you something fun. Take a look at this. Please don't be mad at me. I've never pacified anyone before. It's really hard." Qingxue felt something being put in her blanket. Wiping her tears, she sat up and found a little golden figurine in her arms. On closer inspection, she realized it was an infant spirit. Forget her anger with Wei Zhao, she turned and asked, "Where did you get this infant spirit?" Seeing Qingxue being open to her, Wei Zhao hastened to explain, "It's mine. I brought it for you to play with and to calm you down." The little figurine was nothing like Wei Zhao. It snuggled Qingxue's hand and nuzzled in her palm, treating her as if they were close. Qingxue's lips curved slightly, but she soon suppressed it, glaring at Wei Zhao. "Have you come to finish or keep your master company?" Wei Zhao knew referring to her master made Qingxue angry. She explained, "My master has a Daoist partner, Miss Song, who doesn't need my company either." "That's even better. Ice Cube, don't show this infant spirit to anyone else casually in the future. It's important." Qingxue glanced at Wei Zhao. "Yes, I understand. But as for you, you're not just anyone. Aren't you no longer upset?" Wei Zhao asked cautiously, seeing the young lady's calmness. "Come over and sit closer to me." Qingxue blushed intensely. Seeing Qingxue's rare calmness, Wei Zhao obediently moved closer and put away her figurine. As Qingxue snuggled into Wei Zhao's arms before she could react, Wei Zhao, stunned, recalled her master comforting her Daoist partner in a similar way. She cautiously wrapped her arms around Qingxue's slender waist. Unnoticed, Qingxue secretly smiled. She knew Ice Cube couldn't stand her tears. It was only a matter of time before she made Ice Cube like her. No, it wasn't her who started liking Ice Cube first. It was because Ice Cube hugged her first inside the secret realm, taking advantage of her! Only after consoling Qingxue did Wei Zhao relax. If only Hua Ben hadn't deceived her, she would only have needed to consider her master. Now, she not only had to cope with the young lady but also didn't know why she felt uncomfortable when Qingxue cried. Let's just accept that she has found herself another master. Pondering this, she noticed the disciples in front of her in turmoil. "Something's wrong. The black-clothed men are attacking the residence of the inner sect disciples." "Quick, inform the headmaster." Wei Zhao panicked upon hearing of trouble at the disciples' residence and hurried back. Upon arriving, she saw several black-clothed men surrounding Song Wei Zhi, but Zhao Xuankun and others were also nearby, lending assistance. "How's the situation, Master?" Wei Zhao urgently shouted, joining the battle with her whip. Facing a dozen black-clothed men, Song Wei Zhi wielded her sword, trying to fend them off. She managed to find a moment to tell Wei Zhao, "Wei Zhao, go help Xuankun protect Xiazixia. I've got this covered." Xiazixia was still unconscious after entering a meditative state. Prematurely interrupting meditation could cause internal injuries, and in the worst case, it risked falling into the demonic path. With the enemies' cultivation levels around the Infant Spirit stage and their numerous numbers, Zhao Xuankun soon found it difficult to handle them. Thankfully, with Wei Zhao's return, she was able to fend off the assailants attempting to force their way into the residence. After blocking the attackers, Wei Zhao turned her attention to protect Xiazixia, who finally stopped and retreated. Yet, five or six black-clothed individuals appeared on the roof, attempting to infiltrate from above. Wei Zhao rushed to intercept. Although she had reached the full Infant Spirit stage, she soon found it challenging to fend off seven or eight adversaries by herself. Fortunately, room inside was protected by Song Wei Zhi's barrier, making it difficult to breach. On Song Wei Zhi's side, surrounded by a dozen black-clothed men, she managed to disperse four to five of them but with more approaching, and their leader's martial prowess surpassed hers, leaving parts of the fight unattended. "Hmph, you better hand over the person we're looking for. It's not you we're after," the leader with a strange voice said. "You wish." Song Wei Zhi's moon-white disciple attire had amassed some bloodstains, both hers and her adversaries'. She had not expected the crisis to come so soon. Wei Zhao, being hit on the rooftop, touched her left earring in panic. "Qingxue, are you there? My master and I are surrounded by black-clothed men. Can you find help for us?" Qingxue thought Wei Zhao had come looking for her when she realized it was in desperation. "Wei Zhao, be careful. I'm coming." She immediately soared towards Zhou Cheng Wen, "Brother, the black-clothed men have invaded our area. Quickly summon disciples to assist me." Without a word, Zhou Cheng Wen gathered his disciples and headed towards the inner sect disciples' residence. Seeing that Wei Zhao was surrounded by seven or eight black-clothed men, Qingxue's eyes turned red. She hurried to help Wei Zhao. Zhou Cheng Wen, alongside his disciples, confronted the black-clothed men. Realizing the situation wasn't favorable, their leader ordered, "Retreat." He and his companions rushed to escape. The remaining assailants were either slain by the disciples or took their own lives after being captured, leaving no one alive. Song Wei Zhi, enduring her sword wounds, had already expended a considerable amount of spiritual energy and sustained several cuts. She now appeared pale, and Wei Zhao wasn't faring much better, being supported by Zhou Qingxue. Zhou Cheng Wen instructed his disciples to search the black-clothed men's bodies to see if they could determine their identities. "How's it going?" Zhou Cheng Wen inquired. "Senior Brother, they're from the Soul-Inducing Sect. Each of them had the character 'soul' carved on their chests." "Why would demonic cultivators come here for no reason to kill people?" murmured Zhou Cheng Wen. Observing the wounds on Wei Zhao, Zhou Qingxue's eyes reddened. "Why didn't you tell me earlier? Just look at how you're hurt. I specifically said not to make me cry." Tears streamed down the young lady's face. Wei Zhao wiped her bloodied hand on her clothes before reaching up to wipe away Qingxue's tears. A faint smile appeared on her pallid face, "Don’t cry. It doesn't hurt." "Having lost so much blood, how can it not hurt? I'll go and dress your wounds." Sniffling, Zhou Qingxue supported Wei Zhao as they made their way back to the room. Author's Notes: Thank you to the angels who voted for me or nurtured me between 16:57:04 and 21:14:22 on May 30, 2021. Thanks to the nurturing angels: Eleven (20 bottles); cm, wanderer, One to Search for Riches (5 bottles);