After a brief, dead silence, the gloom churning in Xie Zhou's eyes slowly receded, and a faint smile spread across his lips.
His handsome features softened, making him look somewhat like his usual gentle and harmless self from the past.
He spoke in a leisurely manner, “Do you not know what kind of character Third Senior Sister has?”
He casually spun a half-formed, pale gold rune at his fingertips. As the wind whipped up a corner of his robes, the dark, chilling aura wrapped beneath his exquisite skin became even more spine-chilling. “How many people has she said those words to? You've been coaxed so many times, yet you still believe her?”
The emotionless curve on Wen Tang's face vanished instantly.
Her dark pupils contracted sharply, and the dark wind churning around her suddenly surged, causing the wicker rocking chair in the courtyard to creak loudly.
Song Yao couldn't hear what they were saying. The wind caught the paper bag in her hand, sending the peach pastries tumbling to the ground. She let out a pained cry of distress and bent down to pick them up.
Xie Zhou seemed completely oblivious. He took another step forward, his gaze crashing directly into Wen Tang's eyes. Curving his lips, he asked again with near-cruelty, “You say she is staying with you of her own free will, but do you dare untie the cord?”
“Do you dare let her choose whether to stay or go herself?”
Wen Tang clenched her fists so hard that her knuckles turned a translucent white.
The dark poison around her body flared up violently, instantly filling the air with a pungent, metallic sweetness.
Opposite her, Xie Zhou refused to yield an inch. Layer upon layer of pale gold runes lit up in his palm. The light of the talismans clashed with the poisonous mist, blasting shattered stones in all directions.
A wild wind swept through the courtyard once more.
Song Yao had just managed to pick up the peach pastries and pat them clean when the oil paper was blown away again. The pastries hit the ground once more, shattering completely into tiny crumbs.
Song Yao clutched the very last piece of peach pastry in her hand: “...”
Right now, she disliked Xie Zhou and Wen Tang one hundred percent.
It was high time she underwent a little corruption of her own.
Just as she resignedly kicked the crumbs aside, waves of spiritual energy suddenly rippled from the distant sky. The clouds churned, and several streaks of sword light pierced through the air.
All three of them sensed it and turned to look at the same time.
Xie Zhou narrowed his eyes. “People from the Taiqing Pavilion.”
Wen Tang withdrew her gaze and said icily, “Are you still not going to get lost?”
Xie Zhou curved his lower lip. Then, without warning, he completely withdrew all of his spiritual energy.
Wen Tang hadn't expected this move from him and couldn't stop her attack in time. The dark red stream of light slammed heavily against his chest.
Xie Zhou let out a muffled groan. Stumbling backward from the impact, he was thrown out of the spiritual energy vortex with a thud, landing precisely beside Song Yao.
Song Yao's attention had been entirely focused on the approaching presences in the distant mountains, wondering what they were here for. Startled by the person suddenly crashing down beside her, she shuddered, and the very last piece of peach pastry in her hand tumbled to the ground once again.
She weighed her options for half a second between saving her pastry and showing concern for her Fourth Junior Brother. In the end, she hurriedly turned to support Xie Zhou. “Are... are you all right?”
Xie Zhou's long eyelashes fluttered, casting shadows that concealed a fleeting dark glint in his eyes.
He coughed weakly, a trace of blood trickling from the corner of his lips. When he looked up again, his face was so pale it was almost translucent, making him look incredibly fragile. His voice was as raspy as if it had been scraped by sandpaper. “I'm fine.”
He paused, his gaze falling upon her hand gently supporting his arm. His voice grew even softer. “I probably won't die.”
Standing not far away, Wen Tang's eyes were as cold as ice, and wisps of poisonous gas leaked uncontrollably from her.
Why did there always have to be shameless fools crowding around her Third Senior Sister?
Ye Chang'an was one.
Xie Zhou was another.
From the look of things now, Xie Zhou was a thousand times more shameless than Ye Chang'an.
As the sword lights in the sky drew closer, Wen Tang took a deep breath to suppress the murderous intent in her eyes. She spoke coldly, “Get lost if you've put on enough of a show. Don't make me say it a third time.”
Xie Zhou had no intention of paying her any mind. He looked at Song Yao and coughed twice. His complexion grew even more dreadful, matching his face to look like a figure in an ink wash painting drenched by rain.
Swaying on his feet, he said weakly, “Seventh Elder entrusted me to find you. Do not make the old elder worry. Come back with me.”
Wen Tang: “...”
Wretch.
Song Yao had originally wanted to stay out of it, but seeing his condition, she quickly helped him steady himself.
Turning to see that Wen Tang seemed on the verge of losing control again, she felt compelled to speak up. “Um, shouldn't we deal with the Taiqing Pavilion people first?”
No one answered her.
Once again, Song Yao was utterly bewildered and confused.
What on earth were these two fussing over?
She really wanted to give each of them a slap to snap them out of it.
Enduring it for a moment, she chose to persuade Xie Zhou, who seemed slightly, just a tiny bit more normal. Lowering her voice, she whispered in his ear, “Fourth Senior Brother, Fifth Senior Sister only became like this because of Ye Chongguang. She didn't hurt you on purpose. Don't take it to heart. We can talk things out once she regains her senses.”
After a moment's thought, she added, “How about this? You go back first and have the elders see if they can find a way to return Fifth Senior Sister to normal. If you stay here and others discover you, it will be hard to explain.”
Xie Zhou paused, his eyes darkening slightly. “You're not coming with me?”
Song Yao nodded. “I'll be fine, don't worry about me. Fifth Senior Sister won't do anything to me. I'll stay here to keep her company.”
Xie Zhou: “...”
Keep Wen Tang company?
She really was always so kind-hearted.
She couldn't bear to see anyone fall into distress, left lonely and helpless.
He slightly lifted his eyelids, staring at the red cord around her ankle, and curled his lips again. “So you like this sort of thing.”
Song Yao: “?”
What sort of thing?
Xie Zhou gripped her wrist, supporting himself slightly as he stood up. He adjusted the peace jade pendant at her waist to make it straight. “Don't let any other sketchy things touch it. If you want to return to the sect, you can use this peace jade pendant to send me a message.”
Song Yao: “...All right.”
Before leaving, Xie Zhou placed a bag of osmanthus cakes in her palm. “And don't eat sketchy things either.”
Song Yao: “...Sure.”
As soon as Xie Zhou left, Wen Tang quickly stepped closer to her. A red thread shot out from behind her, precisely wrapping around the bag of osmanthus cakes in Song Yao's palm. Without a shred of politeness, she flung it away, and the bag disappeared into the distant sky over the mountains.
Before Song Yao could react, Wen Tang grabbed her wrist again. Pulling out a clean, plain handkerchief with her other hand, she lowered her head and meticulously wiped Song Yao's hand bit by bit, as if wiping away some filthy grime.
Once she finished wiping, Wen Tang finally let her go. Her tone was flat but brooked no argument. “Whatever you like, I will buy it. You are not allowed to eat other people's things, especially Xie Zhou's.”
Song Yao: “...”
How domineering, little Tangtang.
Is her corruption heading in a slightly wrong direction?
Wen Tang stared at her intently, her dark eyes completely black, looking as if she wouldn't let Song Yao off if she didn't agree.
Song Yao found it amusing and nodded. “I know, Fifth Junior Sister. In the future, I'll only eat what you buy.”
Wen Tang frowned, not quite liking her placating tone.
She was always like this.
She was like this to everyone.
Promises slipped easily from her tongue, yet she never kept them.
Who on earth could ever be an exception to her?
An evil cultivator came rushing in from outside. Now was not the time to argue over forms of address. Wen Tang gave her a deep look, then turned and left.
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