Chapter 290   Heartbroken

“I know. No one has succeeded in refining this elixir. But isn’t Bai Qianxue an alchemist too? But I don’t intend to let him have this scroll,” Yun Shimo said this as he kept the scroll quietly inside his robe.

Hua Qiyue paused for a while and said nothing. To Yun Shimo, no difficulty would faze him.

She had to see if he really wanted to refine the elixir. If he did, then he would try even if no one had succeeded since the ancient times.

Hua Qiyue was guessing inside. Perhaps because Bai Qianxue had refined for her so many Top-grade Magic Pellets, Yun Shimo would try to surpass him with this opportunity to refine an elixir?

Pointless comparisons also happen between men. Sometimes, such comparisons can be quite terrible too.

After that, Hua Qiyue hired a few brawny men to bury Hua Mengshi. After all, they were sisters. The only thing Hua Qiyue could do was to give her a respectful burial—a proper end.

Following that, she got the four strong men to take the two peasant girls back to their farm. Although they were still unconscious, they had not come to any harm.

After coming out of the village, the four brawny men did not look too happy. Although they were hired hands, they had buried a young, beautiful woman. How could they look happy?

They were brawny but always honest men, working as luggage-carrying laborers on the dock.

“Miss, is that woman... a devil? I sense that the girl is terrible. Even in death, her eyes are wide open, her eyeballs flashing red! I heard that a devil has emerged nearby, abducting peasant girls. After their abduction, the girls will be gone forever!” One of the bolder brawny men asked Hua Qiyue in a low voice.

Hua Qiyue turned back her head. Her gorgeous face was expressionless.

“We’ve killed the devil... but it’s not her. She’s my sister, who had been accidentally killed. I hope you guys won’t mention this again. Here are 400 taels of silver in banknotes. They are your wages.”

Hua Qiyue fished out some banknotes and handed them to the four brawny men.

The men took the banknotes and said agitatedly to Hua Qiyue, “Miss, please remember us if you have any jobs. We don’t need so much payment. 200 taels will do.”

They only earned seven or eight coppers carrying luggage for customers. Each job was worth far less than 400 taels of silver.

Now that they had 100 taels each, they could live on them for a couple of years. If Hua Qiyue had any job for them, they would earn another 100—so why not?

Hua Qiyue raised her brows. “Do you all really lack money so badly?”

Yun Shimo was quite amused. “You think everyone is like you? No matter which country you are in, whether big or small, there will surely be many who can’t afford three meals a day.”

Hua Qiyue embarrassedly fondled her chin. All this time, she was busy dealing with the Dark Sect and had no time to think about her finances.

Money was no longer important to her.

“Yes. Miss, you look so young. I’m sure you haven’t gone through any hardship. We’re all paupers trying our best to earn three meals a day.”

The brawny men started to laugh and pointed at a village in the near distance. “Look, there’s our village. Only ten families in it. So few villagers that most of us cannot find a wife, thanks to our poverty and thanks to the Dark Sect’s heinous deeds and plunder. But it seems that a while ago, quite a few of their Palace Leaders had been slain. So now, the Dark Sect is a little less wayward than before.”

Hua Qiyue gave a slight smile. She said no more, merely instructing them to come to Qinghe Inn on the coming seventh to look for her.

Yun Shimo heard her and smiled inwardly. He had understood: the eighth was their wedding day. These burly men could act as ushers and help receive guests.

Hua Qiyue and Yun Shimo did not stay. Their figures flashed and both disappeared. The burly men were scared out of their wits, thinking them ghosts.

Back in Qinghe Inn, Tianci was still fast asleep. Hua Qiyue lay down beside him, stretching out her limbs comfortably.

Luckily, the beds of this inn were all very wide. A grown-up and a child could sleep on a bed and not feel cramped.

For the next few days, all was calm.

Ji Jing and the others had found “Princess Mingzhu” missing. They came to query Hua Qiyue about this.

Hua Qiyue smiled slightly. At lunchtime, she succinctly narrated what had happened the night before.

The company heard her and was astounded. After all, they had not sensed any big problem. Bai Qianxue and Xuanji exchanged glances, both keeping silent.

In fact, on that night, both of them were tailing behind them.

But when he saw Yun Shimo taking Hua Qiyue’s hand, for some reason, Xuanji suddenly lost the courage to intervene.

No matter what he did, Hua Qiyue would not have him in her heart, would she?

“We didn’t expect Hua Mengshi to be so disgustingly cruel. She even practiced such a forbidden art... although Princess Mingzhu is also hateful, she’s only a bit of a jealous woman. Yet she was killed by Hua Mengshi, who absorbed all her essence,” Ji Jing had to frown in disgust, speaking with a little fear.

She was originally very welcoming to “Princess Mingzhu.” If Hua Mengshi turned her sights on Ji Jing, Ji Jing would be devoured as well, wouldn’t she?

Bai Qianxue lightly sipped his tea. “Entering the Dark Sect means stepping into the Devil’s Path. Take Chu Qianzhao as an example. Even though he had no evidence, he still insanely slew everyone he suspected.”

Such a grandfather would not beget a good granddaughter.

“Only that I didn’t expect the Dark Sect’s Leader to be a woman.” Ji Jing sighed lightly. The information they had did not mention the Sect Leader.

Because very few had seen her. So, of course, information on her was a blank.

“If Chu Qianzhao comes out of his retreat, what shall we do? He is a fiend even more powerful than the Venerated Supreme Devil,” Ji Jing asked worriedly.

“We will naturally find a way to deal with him then. Don’t worry,” Ji Feng said smilingly. All their expressions were quite collected.

Actually, their hearts were asking the same question as Ji Jing did.

Their strength was far below Qi Artists at the Great Completeness of Holy God—let alone the fiend’s at the Great Deity Realm. Hua Qiyue and Yun Shimo might not even survive the attack of a Qi Artist at the Great Completeness of Holy God.

Although their true power was very strong, Hua Qiyue and Yun Shimo had not tested themselves. Who knew how powerful a Qi Artist was, at the Great Completeness of Holy God?

After lunch, Yun Shimo left to refine his pills, while Hua Qiyue and the rest quietly began to cultivate.

Bai Qianxue and Xuanji were the idlest because even if Chu Qianzhao emerged, he would not dare to easily provoke them because of their renowned lineage.

“Brother Bai and Brother Xuan, you two are so idle. Taking tea here, eh?”

The voice of a woman rang out. Both Bai Qianxue and Xuanji turned back their heads.

They were having tea at Qinghe Teahouse by Qinghe River. The waiter was helping them brew tea. After all, there were few guests in the inn. Most who stayed here for long were wealthy patrons, so they must try to please them.

The grass around the inn was lush. The woman emerging from the backdoor was Ji Jing.

Ji Jing thought herself poorly endowed in talent, so there was no point for her to practice so hard.

She might as well go out for a stroll. She had not expected to see Bai Qianxue and Xuanji from the backdoor.

She knew that these two men were big shots. If Chu Cangye and Chu Qianzhao came after them, their chances of winning would be greatly boosted if they acted.

“Why, coming out to laze?” Xuanji said quietly. Although he was usually a very cold man, he was still quite friendly to Ji Jing.

“Yes. Cultivation’s too hard. I can’t be like you fellows, drinking tea here so leisurely!” Ji Jing smiled, pulling over a chair to sit.

The waiter hurriedly poured her a cup of brewed tea.

Ji Jing only smiled after the waiter left. “Brother Bai and Brother Xuan, the two of you must have heard that the Dark Sect’s leader is Chu Qianzhao’s granddaughter. So when Chu Qianzhao emerges from his retreat, he will surely fight for that... Ye girl. Then... we will be in trouble. Won’t you two join our team?”

“Am I not always in your team?” Xuanji asked quietly.

Ji Jing heard him and was instantly overjoyed. Xuanji meant that he would not simply stand by and watch.

Ji Jing turned to Bai Qianxue, the man in her heart. He was as handsome as a heavenly deity, yet he did not look at Ji Jing.

Ji Jing felt a wave of dejection. “Brother Bai, will you just stand by and watch?”

Bai Qianxue glanced quietly at Ji Jing. “Our Bai Family rarely interferes in the affairs of the martial world.”

“What affairs of the martial world? It’s the affairs of your friends, alright? Brother Bai, don’t you like us? If you don’t, why have you stayed so long with us outside your city? Why can’t you help us fight? I just don’t get it,” Ji Jing was somewhat angry, asking in some perplexity.

“That is because if you guys won’t accept challenges, you will never mature.” A quiet voice rang out from the outside. Ji Jing stared outside the pavilion and found a white hare walking over in measured strides.

So it was the Hare.

The Hare leaped up to the stone table and took an empty cup, pouring for itself tea. Then, it started to lift the cup and drink pompously.

Ji Jing saw it and was totally speechless.

But she must admit that the Hare was right too.

That was why the Hare had never acted all this while. So it was giving Hua Qiyue and her friends a chance to train themselves and accumulate combat experience. That would be far better than begging for help all the time.

“The Deity is right. To roam the martial arts world, you must keep on training and consolidating your power. If someone helps you every time you encounter danger, how can you grow and gain experience and strength?”

Bai Qianxue smiled quietly, but his eyes were exceedingly cold.

Ji Jing stared blankly at him. Such a handsome man would make anyone fall for him in one glance. Yet how could he say something so cold and heartless?

Bai Qianxue poured himself some tea again and lightly sipped a mouthful. He did not even glance once at Ji Jing.

Ji Jing suddenly felt quite sad.

She did not have the looks of Hua Qiyue, nor her intelligence. That must be why Bai Qianxue would not even glance at her. So he had taken meals with her only out of politeness.

For the past few days, Ji Jing had been paying Bai Qianxue attention. She could sense him treating her with special regard. She would smile even in her dreams.

But right now, she realized that her feelings were one-sided.

“Alright, I understand. You two talk. I’ll go back and practice.”

Ji Jing stood up. She was afraid if she stayed on, tears would fall.

As he watched Ji Jing’s dejected figure disappear, Xuanji said quietly, “Look, you’ve broken her heart.”

Bai Qianxue shook his head, his silvery hair flowing. His eyes were smiling helplessly.

“Some things can’t be forced.”

Xuanji kept quiet. Bai Qianxue was right: some things cannot be forced, especially feelings. If you don’t like someone, that is it. No matter how hard you try, it will be hard for feelings to develop.