Last night, Li Qinglin stayed awake on Xianji Mountain all night. To ensure he had enough energy for the journey, he didn’t chat for long. Soon, he was sitting on the edge of a pavilion, leaning against a pillar, and fell asleep while holding his spear.
Li Qingjun didn’t sleep. She stared intently at Qin Yi.
Qin Yi had also been awake all night and was feeling tired. Seeing Li Qingjun looking at him with such intensity, he asked, “Why aren’t you sleeping? Why are you staring at me?”
Li Qingjun replied, “What if I fall asleep and you have bad intentions toward us?”
“You’re crazy,” Qin Yi said, too lazy to argue. He sat on the railing, leaning against the pillar, lost in thought.
He was surprised at how easily the Li siblings dealt with the monsters. He felt that even low-level cultivators using basic spells might not handle the Winged Tiger and the spider monster as well as they did.
He also enjoyed the thrill of striking down foes with his weapon...
But martial arts had its limits. It couldn’t deal with some strange spells. Otherwise, Li Qinglin wouldn’t have needed to ask him for help, and Li Qingjun wouldn’t always fall for low-level traps and poisons. So, purely practicing martial arts didn’t seem enough.
But it seemed like this girl was too reckless and inexperienced... While thinking about this, he couldn’t help but glance at Li Qingjun again.
Li Qingjun was sitting at a stone table, resting her chin on her hand, still watching Qin Yi.
Qin Yi sighed, “What are you staring at me for?”
“I see you are cold and cautious. You didn’t act against the tiger on the mountain. Besides, we have a grudge. Why did you save me?”
“After all, we’re partners now. If something happens right in front of me, I can’t just stand by, can I?”
A smile appeared at the corner of Li Qingjun’s mouth. “Partners?”
That smile wasn’t one of joy; it seemed a bit mocking.
Qin Yi shot her a sideways glance and said coldly, “I know your family is important. I’m just lucky to be with you.”
“That’s not what I meant,” Li Qingjun said with a smile. “I just haven’t heard that term in a long time. It feels... well, a bit fresh.”
Seeing her attitude was different from what he expected, Qin Yi softened his tone and sighed, “What exactly is your background? I thought you came from a military family, but now it doesn’t seem like it.”
Since they were planning to deal with Dong Huazi together, there was no need to hide this anymore. Li Qingjun casually replied, “My brother is a prince, the second prince of Nanli.”
“My brother is a prince…” Qin Yi was stunned for a moment, his expression slowly turning awkward.
If Li Qinglin was a prince, then what was Li Qingjun?
In other words, he had been swinging around the princess of his country...
Fortunately, he hadn’t acted clumsily back then; otherwise, he would have had no place to complain if he got chopped up.
What kind of strange country was this, where the prince and princess traveled alone into the deep mountains without any guards, enthusiastically dealing with monsters? The prince even said that if the princess was hanging on him, it was because he wasn’t skilled enough? And the princess wanted to be a fairy all day?
Qin Yi thought this country was crazy.
“What’s wrong?” Li Qingjun asked with a hint of sarcasm. “Are you scared?”
Qin Yi honestly replied, “A little.”
“Are you afraid I’ll use my status to take revenge on you?” Li Qingjun said lazily. “Don’t worry; I’ve ignored worse insults from those in the martial world.”
It seemed he had not only been insulted... But thinking about it made Qin Yi feel that the Li siblings had it tough. With their status, they could endure the humiliation from the martial world... Maybe it was because, as Li Qinglin said, no matter your status, killing someone could lead to trouble?
Of course, he wouldn’t say that out loud. He just said, “Being royal and seeking help from a sorcerer, I feel like I’m getting involved in the world’s most troublesome matters, so I’m scared.”
Li Qingjun quickly understood what he meant and couldn’t help but laugh. “You, a country bumpkin, have such an attitude towards royal disputes. It’s unbelievable. Don’t worry, my brother’s interest in you has nothing to do with that; you can think of it as a battle between good and evil.”
Good and evil, huh? Even if it wasn’t a royal dispute, it was definitely a struggle for power in the court! Qin Yi didn’t laugh at her naivety but instead asked, “You’re a princess, not a hero. When you saw such a disgusting monster, I clearly saw you were terrified, yet you were the first to step forward with your spear. What were you thinking?”
Li Qingjun replied calmly, “This Taoist temple is in my Nanli territory, and the priests inside are my people, even those martial artists are. It’s our responsibility to protect the area and keep the people safe, not just the heroes’ duty.”
Qin Yi’s eyes flickered as he turned to look at Li Qingjun’s expression.
Her gaze was serious, still full of spirit.
“Want to drink?” Qin Yi took out a gourd. “This gourd is freshly filled; I haven’t drunk from it yet.” He tossed it over, and Li Qingjun caught it easily. Qin Yi took out the gourd he had drunk from during the day and raised it slightly. “Cheers to your words.”
Li Qingjun smiled, pulled out the stopper, and took a big swig, looking quite carefree.
Qin Yi also took a large drink. Outside the pavilion, the rain was falling softly. He looked at the curtain of rain and suddenly thought this trip to Lihuo City might be quite interesting.
Liu Suo commented, “Boring sense of duty, even a princess wouldn’t do it.”
Qin Yi remained expressionless and quietly let out a fart toward his club.
...
The next morning, the night rain had just cleared.
Li Qingjun woke up from the table and saw her brother talking to Qin Yi outside the pavilion. She felt a bit embarrassed. She had been planning to keep an eye on Qin Yi, but she didn’t even realize when she fell asleep. Looking at it now, it seemed Qin Yi had really kept watch over the siblings all night.
The scene from last night when Qin Yi had held her waist twice flashed in her mind.
She felt uncomfortable, and just thinking about it made her feel warm in her waist. But he did it to save her... Li Qingjun couldn’t say anything, and all she could do was stare at him.
Stepping outside the pavilion, she heard her brother ask Qin Yi, “Did you stay up all night, Brother Qin?”
“I’m used to staying up late to refine medicine and watch the fire,” Qin Yi replied.
Li Qinglin nodded, not asking more, but he stared at the Taoist temple for a moment and sighed, “Let it burn.”
Qin Yi agreed. It was indeed better to burn the temple. When he saw Li Qinglin take out a fire starter, Qin Yi suddenly said, “Wait.”
Li Qinglin looked at him curiously as he went to the horse and grabbed a bag, pulling out a bottle. He walked around the temple, sprinkling it.
Li Qingjun stepped outside and curiously asked, “What are you doing?”
“Oh, this is for fire prevention. I sprinkle some at home to prevent fires when refining medicine,” Qin Yi smiled as he looked up. “If we’re going to burn the temple, we should be careful not to set the mountain on fire.”
Li Qingjun mumbled, “It’s not easy to ignite the temple after the rain, and you’re worried about burning the mountain.”
Then she saw Qin Yi take out another bottle and sprinkle a little on the temple’s window.
“What is this?”
“Quick-drying powder.”
“...There are so many strange things.”
“Of course, otherwise why would you invite me?”
At this point, the conversation fell silent. The three of them looked at each other and suddenly laughed together.
The temple caught fire, and the flames indeed behaved strangely, staying within the circle where Qin Yi had sprinkled the powder. Li Qingjun watched for a while, clicking her tongue in amazement. This was truly something martial arts couldn’t do. If martial arts were to control such a big fire, they would have to dig a trench around the temple, which would be time-consuming and labor-intensive.
“Hey,” Li Qingjun suddenly asked Qin Yi, “When we get to the town, I want to wash up. Do you still have that toothbrush?”
“I do,” Qin Yi laughed. “Do you think I could make a living selling toothbrushes in Lihuo City?”
Li Qinglin chuckled, “Although I don’t know what a toothbrush is, it would be a pity if Brother Qin’s ambition is just to be a merchant.”
Qin Yi smiled but said nothing.
The three of them led their horses down the mountain. Halfway down, Li Qinglin paused to look back at the big fire on the mountain and sighed softly.
Qin Yi asked, “What’s wrong?”
“Monsters openly eating people used to be rare, but there have been quite a few cases in the past few months. This must be related to the demon transformation...,” Li Qinglin paused and continued in a low voice, “No matter what he is plotting... if this person isn’t dealt with, he will surely bring disaster to the country, and the foundation will crumble.”
(End of Chapter)