130 - Confession (Ying Cheng)

Chapter 130: Puzzle (Part 2) The girl in the red dress had captivating phoenix eyes, her amber gaze slightly lifted as she leaned back, lazily cuddling into Qi Xian Qing's arms from behind, an air of both willfulness and charm about her. Mu Zhong Zi furrowed his brows slightly. Is this how affectionate young women are these days? Though it was just playful teasing, could they perhaps tone it down in his presence? The sect leader coughed gently, about to speak. But then he saw Qi Xian Qing turn around, affectionately wrap her arm around the girl's waist, and give a gentle pat to her back. Mu Zhong Zi: "......" Yan Jue lifted her head, looking at the Five Dragons sect leader, her possessiveness getting the better of her. She knew the leader disliked her, so she intentionally wanted to provoke him further. With a sidelong glance at Qi Xian Qing, Yan Jue inexplicably felt that Qi Xian Qing enabling and indulging her whims gave her a certain sense of entitlement. Yan Jue blatantly ignored Mu Zhong Zi's peculiar gaze, stating sweetly, "Big Sister, I've already figured out the clue." Qi Xian Qing paused slightly. Yan Jue retrieved a sealed pack of parchment pieces from her sleeve: "The key lies here." The two approached the table and emptied the pack of fragments onto the surface. There were a few hundred pieces in total. Qi Xian Qing pondered for a moment, then picked up the largest piece and placed it in the lower left corner. Qi Xian Qing, being the scholarly genius she was, handling such things always brought a sense of security. Yan Jue cradled her face, sitting beside her with a smile as she watched her work. It seemed she found it amusing, as under the table, her leg brushed against Qi Xian Qing's calf now and then. Mu Zhong Zi felt somewhat uncomfortable. The girl's actions were unmistakably flirtatious towards Qi Xian Qing. By rights, Qi Xian Qing's nature was always indifferent; such a level of flirtation shouldn't affect her. Yet, Qi Xian Qing seemed not only drawn in but thoroughly captivated by her. Though in the world of martial arts, relationships or dual cultivation between women were not uncommon, the examples were still too few. Especially within the Five Dragons sect, the sect leader Mu Zhong Zi was certain the female disciples were all normal. How could Xian Qing... No, perhaps he was overreacting. Maybe, after being secluded for too long, he mistook this for typical female camaraderie. The sect master Mu Zhong Zi remained contemplative on the bodhi leaf, "Xian Qing, is this clue part of the current competition?" Qi Xian Qing replied, "Yes." Mu Zhong Zi: "Are you and she on the same team?" If they weren't, Yan Jue watching nearby could possibly steal the clues. Mu Zhong Zi intended to remind Qi Xian Qing to maintain basic vigilance. Qi Xian Qing smiled calmly, "Yan found this clue first. Since she shared it with me, I'm naturally not afraid of her looking." The sect master quietly observed Yan Jue, then addressed her, "You found this clue first?" Yan Jue never liked the sect leader. Hearing his question, she reluctantly responded, "Yes." Mu Zhong Zi, left with nothing more to say, retreated back into the bodhi leaf. ... About their secret involving sect leader Mu Zhong Zi’s spirit residing with them, it could not be disclosed for the time being. Mu Zhong Zi was too weak at present, and their demonic adversary likely had nearly complete mastery over the body they had seized with eighth-level cultivation powers. The demonic arts were sinister and treacherous; any slight misstep could lead to Mu Zhong Zi’s spirit being lost forever. For now, they needed to use the incense of tranquility to continually sustain him, allowing his spiritual power to recover first. Yan Jue yawned. She spent an entire afternoon piecing together a puzzle in the dormitory, managing to fit only five or six pieces, not easy work for hundreds of fragments. Completely drained, Yan Jue tried her best to keep up with Qi Xian Qing's efforts. Qi Xian Qing glanced at her, frowning slightly, "Don't worry, I'll handle the puzzle. You go rest for a while." Yan Jue, unable to hold on any longer, nodded and climbed into bed. The night had already grown late. When she drifted in and out of sleep and eventually awoke fully, it was already the early hours. Cracking her eyes open, Yan Jue peeked outside. The light was still on, and she could faintly hear the clinking of cups. Qi Xian Qing was still awake. Lying in bed, staring at the ceiling for a while, Yan Jue sat up, slipped on her shoes, and moved outside. In the dim light and flickering shadows of the candles, Qi Xian Qing, dressed in plain white inner clothes, sat at the desk, her expression focused and serious. Still working on the puzzle. Yan Jue dragged a chair to her side and sat down, watching as Qi Xian Qing placed a tiny piece on the edge of the paper. In the candlelight, Qi Xian Qing looked somewhat weary, the arch of her elegant eyebrows drawn together slightly. The clue puzzle was difficult to piece together. Without any sample image for reference and with so many pieces to sort through, Qi Xian Qing had worked through the night but managed only a fraction. Yan Jue joined in beside her. Qi Xian Qing glanced over, her brows softening. Freeing one hand, she gently mussed Yan Jue's face, her voice hoarse, "Why not sleep a bit longer?" Suppressing the urge to nuzzle into Qi Xian Qing's palm, Yan Jue smiled softly, "The competition is in its final stage. I want to be part of it too." Qi Xian Qing chuckled. For the next hour, Yan Jue and Qi Xian Qing worked on silently piecing the fragments together. The ink-black sky soon gave way to the clear white light of dawn. When daylight finally emerged, growing too sleepy once more, Yan Jue nodded off as she worked. The morning air at Five Dragons Mountain was crisp, almost chilly. Tenderly, Qi Xian Qing draped an outer robe over Yan Jue. Watching her sleep, Qi Xian Qing couldn't help but chuckle softly, "Little lazy cat." - Qi Xian Qing was indeed dependable. After just one night of working with Yan Jue, the puzzle's completion had already reached one-tenth. Yan Jue bid goodbye to Qi Xian Qing, taking the puzzle back to her dorm to work on it with her team members. However, their pace was sluggish. At this rate, who knew how long it would take to complete? Come evening, Qi Xian Qing proposed that the two teams combine efforts, thinking it might speed things up. Yan Jue happily agreed. Xie Zi Jin, from Qi Xian Qing’s team, wasn't initially thrilled about the joint endeavor. But after a few sessions of working together, she let go of her reservations. Though both teams applied themselves diligently, the sheer number of paper pieces kept the completion rate disappointingly low. ... After a late meeting, Yan Jue gave a languid yawn, donned her inner clothing, and sat on the bed. She had been especially weary lately, so she hadn't been frequently visiting the Ice Peach Spring at night. Focusing listlessly on the puzzle laid out on the table, Yan Jue suddenly felt a slight heat at the corner of her eyes and an uncomfortable tingling at the base of her spine. Trouble. Her physiological period just ended yesterday. Since that morning, she'd had a persistent feeling of discomfort, a sort of loneliness gnawing in the pit of her heart. Parts of her body felt unusually warm. She was in heat. Yan Jue now understood some behaviors dogs exhibited. For spirit foxes, the physiological period was prolonged, with the heat phase at its end, essentially part of the cycle. This was the mating season for spirit foxes. Even after assuming human form, as a creature, she retained certain animalistic traits. Having consulted with Mistress San before, Yan Jue still found it awkward to recall all the details. Yan Jue thought her urges during this time could be quite scary. If Qi Xian Qing were in front of her, she'd likely have the uncontrollable urge to cling to her legs. "How annoying..." Yan Jue punched her pillow and lay dispiritedly on the bed. At such times, fatigue overwhelmed her, and just lying there, she drifted off to sleep. The night dragged on. Yan Jue had a peculiar dream. In it, she pressed Qi Xian Qing onto the bed, kissing her; Qi Xian Qing gazed at her with languid peach blossom eyes, a misty, dark look in them, a faint pink on her pale cheeks. She slowly unraveled Qi Xian Qing’s belt, and the robe slipped loosely off her shoulders, as Qi Xian Qing’s fair, jade-like hand encircled her shoulder. ... The day brightened, bringing yet another monotonous puzzle session. Finally done for the day, Yan Jue couldn't resist bringing the half-completed puzzle pieces to Qi Xian Qing at Ice Peach Spring. It was night again as Yan Jue wended her way along the chilly pond, feeling her heart pounding wildly. During this time, her body temperature was always high, her thoughts preoccupied with inappropriate fancies. Particularly now, on the cusp of seeing Qi Xian Qing, Yan Jue felt a rush of excitement but recognized how odd it was, trying earnestly to push away her unruly thoughts. In no time, she arrived at Ice Peach Spring. Yan Jue set the puzzle on the table, "We've been working on this for over ten days, and progress is still minimal." Qi Xian Qing and Yan Jue contemplated the puzzle, which was roughly one-fifth complete. Qi Xian Qing nodded slightly, "At this pace, it's indeed too slow." Yan Jue: "What does Big Sister plan to do?" Qi Xian Qing: "Why don't I work on completing it here?" Yan Jue: "..." Indeed, for someone like Qi Xian Qing, although others can lend a hand, their assistance doesn't make much difference. Both teams had been diligently working on the puzzle for ten days straight, their involvement strong. It was time for Qi Xian Qing to take the lead herself. As the team leader, her contributions should naturally outpace the others. Yan Jue nodded, "Alright, I'll join you." Their eyes met in the air, and Qi Xian Qing's lips curled into a smile, "Thank you." - With this decision made, Yan Jue and Qi Xian Qing shut themselves in to tackle the task. They labored tirelessly, day and night, for two days straight. Whenever exhaustion set in, they'd lie down for a brief rest, barely taking a break. By the first dawn, the massive puzzle of several hundred paper pieces was nearly complete. Yan Jue was now certain that if Qi Xian Qing had done this alone, her speed would surely have been several times faster than before. Staring at the puzzle on the table, Yan Jue hesitated, "You’ve put the most effort into solving this clue, do you want..." She intended to ask what kind of compensation Qi Xian Qing desired, but Qi Xian Qing seemed unbothered. She blew softly on the completed paper, her tone relaxed, "Your team can just treat me to a meal." Yan Jue chuckled, "That's easy." Just a few days ago, Piggy had won a Celadon Glass Pot in a culinary competition, so whether Qi Xian Qing wanted to dine out or eat at home, Yan Jue could manage it. Qi Xian Qing inquired, "Do you see what this is?" Yan Jue took a closer look at their newly completed creation and was slightly surprised. It wasn't a map. It was a painting. The painting depicted a field filled with grass. On the surface, it appeared chaotic, but upon closer inspection, a few tender seedlings stood out conspicuously. Since it was an ink painting, the seedlings were uniquely highlighted in vibrant green. Yan Jue frowned, "Is this clue indicating green beans..." Qi Xian Qing nodded, "So the places marked in green on this painting are where the green beans are located." Yan Jue remarked, "This painting refers to a location within the secret realm, doesn't it?" Her gaze shifted to the background of the painting, where majestic snow-capped mountains loomed, shrouded in swirls of white mist... Yan Jue pulled out a map of the secret realm from her sleeve. Upon unfurling it, she immediately pinpointed the mountain's location. Although she had explored much of the secret realm during the group competition, she had never ventured to the western snow mountains. Thoughtful, Yan Jue returned the map and clue to her sleeve, only to feel Qi Xian Qing grab her wrist halfway through. Qi Xian Qing looked up, her expression teasing, "Junior Sister Yan, if you take the clue, what will my team look at?" Yan Jue felt slightly guilty, "You've seen it too, just explain it to your team." Qi Xian Qing seemed surprised, "Are you not going to have me wait half a cup of tea's time this time?" Both teams had put considerable effort into this map, and Yan Jue wasn't shameless enough to have Qi Xian Qing wait again like last time, arriving later than her by half a cup of tea. Yan Jue laughed, "I see more than one green-spot on this clue, meaning there are at least three green beans." The Five Dragons Summit's group competition awarded prizes to three winners, so the final number of green beans should be three as well. "Let's see who can collect the ingredients and submit them to the elder first." Knowing Qi Xian Qing had gone without sleep for two days straight to complete the puzzle, Yan Jue tugged her toward the bed, "You should rest first." Qi Xian Qing was taken aback. Her original plan was to finish the puzzle and immediately venture into the Five Dragons secret realm to find the green beans. She never considered resting. "So many fragments, finished in two days." "If you don't claim first place, Heaven would surely owe you something." Yan Jue muttered to herself, finally turning around, "Could you ease up a bit?" Watching Yan Jue's incessant chatter, Qi Xian Qing's amusement, imperceptible, flashed through her eyes. - After the two replenished their sleep in the small cabin at Ice Peach Spring, they awakened to find the sun already high in the sky. Yan Jue lay amidst soft bedding, her long phoenix eyes opening a sliver to gaze at the person beside her. Sunlight streamed through the window, Qi Xian Qing's peach-blossom eyes closed in repose, lying on her side, her fair arm loosely draped around Yan Jue. Much like cuddling a little fox. The curtains billowed slightly in the breeze. Yan Jue inhaled deeply the ethereal fragrance lingering around, moving her stiff body. Just sleeping next to Qi Xian Qing brought back that dream. She felt sticky and uncomfortable. Silently, Yan Jue gazed at Qi Xian Qing’s face from close proximity, observing the sunlight casting soft shadows beneath her dense lashes. Her thoughts were complicated, her expression hesitant and unsure. What to do? She liked this person far too much!