Chapter 54

Dong Xia walked out while pondering over the formation diagram Li Qing had just handed over, and stopped at the doorway.

Li Qing’s inner demon was truly uncontrollable, she couldn’t walk more than ten steps away from him, which was also quite troublesome.

“My lady?” A woman approached with tea, paused for a moment when she saw Dong Xia, then smiled and said, “You’ve been wearing a mask these days, I was worried something had happened.”

Dong Xia interrupted her thoughts, murmured vaguely, and looked at the tea on the tray in her hand: “I don’t drink tea.”

“This is for the guest,” the woman said with a smile.

“What kind of guest is he?” Dong Xia leaned against the door and lazily curved her lips into a smile.

“A visitor is a guest,” the woman insisted, “Besides, you only drink alcohol, it would be a waste to let these good teas sit.”

Dong Xia didn’t stop her further. She tilted her head and said, “Don’t get too close to him, he’s very dangerous right now.”

The woman responded and walked past Dong Xia with the tray, while Dong Xia stared at an empty space in front of the door, quickly rehearsing Sun Zhuo Er’s current life-saving formation in her mind.

As long as she could break this formation, she would be able to enter and exit the Wen Tian Gate as if it were uninhabited, and capturing Sun Zhuo Er would be inevitable.

Dong Xia had a vague premonition that she could start with Sun Zhuo Er and uncover the entire chain of crime, thus solving the majority of the crucible disasters once and for all.

She became lost in thought as she deduced this.

When the woman put down the tray, she looked back at Dong Xia’s figure and said meaningfully, “I’ve lived here for so many years, this is the first time I’ve seen a guest from the immortal realm.”

Li Qing nodded in thanks for her tea, sitting somewhat stiffly in place.

He could sense that the woman’s body was quite weak. If the aura on his body fluctuated too fiercely, she would end up with blood splattered five steps away.

Li Qing didn’t dare to move at all.

“Even if it was just someone with cultivation, before there was only that Lord Bai,” the woman kindly pushed the cup in front of Li Qing, then stepped back a few steps, “But you’re different from Lord Bai.”

After creating this distance of a few steps, Li Qing relaxed somewhat.

He glanced sideways, confirming that it was a spiritual tea that was hard to come by even with a thousand gold pieces, able to extend longevity and strengthen the body, yet Dong Xia left it here for a bunch of mortals without cultivation to drink casually.

This was indeed the place Dong Xia cherished most, the place she remembered first even when she lost her memory and knew nothing.

“I know,” Li Qing said flatly, “She hates me.”

The woman hugged the tray to her chest and smiled at Li Qing like she was looking at a child: “Indeed.”

Getting confirmation from this person who clearly had a close relationship with Dong Xia, Li Qing wasn’t dejected, but rather had a sense of “as expected” and finality.

He lowered his eyes and asked about another matter: “Has Dong Xia ever told you about her past?”

“Which part do you want to know about?”

Li Qing used his gaze to confirm Dong Xia’s figure, making sure she was already engrossed and wouldn’t pay attention to the conversation nearby unless there was a crisis, then said softly, “She also has the same mark as you.”

Just now when the woman was brewing tea, her movements didn’t conceal the yellow-centered red flower mark on her forearm.

In addition, many people living here also had it.

But they didn’t deliberately hide it.

Li Qing had seen it on children who were about to be sold as crucibles, and on people who trafficked crucibles.

The woman finally showed a hint of surprise: “You’ve seen it?”

Li Qing didn’t say he was guessing.

“Our lifespans are too short,” the woman thought for a moment, not directly answering Li Qing’s question, but starting a new topic, “When all the people here were rescued, the lady was already as powerful as she is now.”

Li Qing nodded.

He had only been an immortal lord for seventy years, and Dong Xia had become famous even earlier than him.

“But I know that the lady was pulled out from the hands of bandits by her master.” The woman’s expression showed a hint of sadness as she lowered her eyes, “Her master ultimately died at the hands of that person. For so many years, besides saving people like us, the lady has also been searching for the identity of her enemy.”

Li Qing fell silent.

The truth was emerging before his eyes.

“I only know that the lady carries… but she has never let anyone see it.” The woman sighed, she lowered her eyes and gently rubbed her own mark with her fingertips, as if caressing an ordinary piece of skin, “Do you know what this means?”

“…She has never moved on.” Li Qing of course understood.

If she had already gotten over that past, Dong Xia wouldn’t still treat that mark as a taboo.

The more she covers it up, the more it shows she cares about it.

“Just the fact that you’ve seen it makes me very surprised,” the woman said with emotion, “Unfortunately, you’ll be dead soon.”

Li Qing: “…” He sincerely asked, “What if I could live for a while longer?”

“I’m afraid you’d have a lot to do then.” The woman smiled meaningfully, she hinted, “Actually, I’ve heard the name ‘Li Qing’ from the lady’s mouth before.”

Li Qing immediately felt a bit nervous, he quickly glanced at Dong Xia’s back: “…What did she say about me?”

“She said you’re very good at brewing wine.” The woman winked at Li Qing.

*

As long as Li Qing didn’t go crazy or lose control, Dong Xia couldn’t be bothered to care what he did in her home.

A person who was about to die, why waste time on him.

She focused all her attention on deducing the protective formation of Wen Tian Gate, and quickly simulated a small-scale replica based on the model, only about the size of a courtyard.

After setting up the formation, it was time to try to break in and destroy it.

After successfully finding the formation eye according to the diagram Li Qing provided and destroying the large formation, Dong Xia simply and decisively destroyed the remnant formation and started the second deduction.

Each replica was larger than the previous one.

Li Qing watched from the side and knew that Dong Xia didn’t fully trust the authenticity of the formation diagram he provided, and could only honestly accept and swallow this doubt, while assisting from the side when setting up the formation.

When Bai Ze Yue returned, he was pressed by the huge formation and coughed up blood, quickly retreating two steps to distance himself, and incredulously reminded Dong Xia: “This is the demon realm!”

Was this formation meant to slaughter the city?

“The demon cultivators in Winter City have already been evacuated,” Dong Xia said without looking up.

Usually, such matters that needed to be carried out from top to bottom were handled by Bai Ze Yue, but he was certain he hadn’t done this.

“I drove them away,” Dong Xia added.

Bai Ze Yue: “…” As expected.

Afraid that not only Winter City, but the surrounding towns probably had no one left either.

Who dares to compete with Dong Xia for territory? Moreover, the matter of Li Qing breaking through to here is no longer a secret now.

No one could forget the battle from over three years ago, fearing that if they got too close they would be obliterated when the immortals fought, of course they would run as far as they could.

Bai Ze Yue carefully stepped outside the range of influence of the formation diagram, looked at Dong Xia who was concentrating on the formation, then at Li Qing who was burying his head in work, and decided not to bother these two great gods: “I’ve brought the Sect Master of the Harmonious Union Sect.”

Dong Xia finally diverted some attention to look at the woman behind Bai Ze Yue.

The female demon cultivator with a voluptuous and seductive figure was staring at everything before her with a stiff expression.

Dong Xia wasn’t wearing a mask, and at first the female demon cultivator was shocked by her breathtaking beauty, but after hearing Bai Ze Yue speak, she immediately strangled the hint of jealousy that had just arisen in her.

There was always a theory in the immortal realm that demon women wore masks all year round because their looks couldn’t be seen by people, either disfigured or ugly.

Of course the demon realm wouldn’t say that, but arguing with the immortal realm was one thing, there was always some doubt in their hearts about why their boss always covered her true face.

The Sect Master of the Harmonious Union Sect now only wanted to poke out her own eyes: it wasn’t that she wasn’t good-looking, she was too good-looking to show her face!!

As the number one beauty of the demon realm, the Sect Master of the Harmonious Union Sect used to be quite pleased with this title, but now she lowered her head in shame: no, I’m not worthy.

Even Li Qing, who was diligently drawing formations on the side, was temporarily ignored by the Sect Master of the Harmonious Union Sect.

But Li Qing didn’t ignore the title of Sect Master of the Harmonious Union Sect, he stopped what he was doing and looked back.

—Of course Li Qing knew this female demon cultivator, because her reputation for romance was widely spread in both realms.

For example, she had as many men under her skirt as there were fish crossing a river, indiscriminate of gender, and even seduced several of the young talents of the immortal realm.

Beauty like a knife, bleeding with every cut.

The Sect Master of the Harmonious Union Sect had even boldly tried to seduce Li Qing once, and Li Qing thought at the time: nothing special. Could anyone really fall for beauty?

Later… he fell into Dong Xia’s hands.

Li Qing: “…”

Hmm, beauty like a knife, bleeding with every cut.

The Sect Master of the Harmonious Union Sect met Dong Xia’s gaze and stiffly pulled out a smile: “…My lady sought me out, so I came as quickly as possible to hear your orders.”

“I do have something to ask you,” Dong Xia made an affirmative sound, walking directly through the half-finished formation, “It’s about love and desire, I thought asking you would be right.”

The Sect Master of the Harmonious Union Sect watched in horror as Dong Xia casually walked through the formation, as if the formation that made her body stiffen just standing on the periphery was just a decoration.

When Dong Xia came in front of her, the Sect Master of the Harmonious Union Sect realized that Bai Ze Yue had disappeared at some point.

She cursed inwardly, put on a forced smile, and docilely moved closer to Dong Xia, her body instinctively submitting to the stronger: “Please speak.”

Dong Xia snapped her fingers to set up a sound-isolating formation, then asked with a half-smile: “When I said I couldn’t get heart blood, didn’t you say that essence blood could substitute for half the effect?”

The Sect Master of the Harmonious Union Sect shuddered, her face smiling even more coquettishly: “I was just speculating, actually I didn’t…”

Her words stopped abruptly halfway, the coquettish smile freezing unnaturally on her face, her whole person seeming to have been paused.

It wasn’t that she didn’t want to move, but a terrifying aura directly locked onto her, pinning her in place.

Forget her muscles, even the demon qi in her dantian was firmly restrained, unable to move even a hair’s breadth, no different from a statue or a corpse.

The Sect Master of the Harmonious Union Sect was immediately terrified, not knowing what she had said wrong to make Dong Xia so angry.

Dong Xia knew what was happening with just one glance. She frowned and looked back behind her, calling out warningly to the instigator: “Li Qing.”

Li Qing was staring fixedly at Dong Xia and the Sect Master of the Harmonious Union Sect, a hint of madness and bloodlust in his eyes.

“She smiled at you,” he said darkly.

Li Qing had seen that smile before. He knew it was the Harmonious Union Sect Master’s ultimate seduction technique, one that many people couldn’t resist.

Just the thought of this woman trying to seduce Dong Xia flashing through his mind made Li Qing feel his inner demon grow two degrees stronger.

Dong Xia clicked her tongue: “What does that have to do with you?”