Chapter 5

Su Rong reached out to pick up the bowl of soup. It had to be said that the soup didn’t look particularly appetizing.

Seeing that she was holding it without drinking, Qing Xian felt a bit uneasy: “Actually, although this soup looks a bit… difficult to describe, Long Ling and I have tasted it, and the flavor is quite acceptable.”

His voice grew softer and softer, and a nervous expression appeared on his face.

Su Rong was a bit confused: “Did something upset you today?”

Earlier, he had seemed unwilling to pay her any attention, but now he was suddenly making soup and acting like this. It didn’t seem normal.

“No, not at all,” Qing Xian said, his expression very gentle and ordinary.

But it was precisely this ordinariness that was out of the ordinary!

Yesterday, he had been as cold and aloof as a banished immortal, but today he was suddenly gentle and considerate. Su Rong thought to herself that she couldn’t handle this kind of gentleness.

After thinking for a moment, Su Rong said: “If you don’t want to leave, you can stay. There’s no need to flatter me.”

Hearing this, Qing Xian suddenly raised his head to look at her and said: “If you don’t want to drink it, then forget it. Why do you have to needlessly speculate about my intentions?”

How could he be flattering her?

Qing Xian felt a bit hurt. He snatched the soup bowl from her hand and ran away from the bamboo house in a few steps.

Su Rong watched his retreating figure with confusion. After pondering for a moment, she suddenly realized that she truly couldn’t understand men’s thoughts. She simply closed her eyes again, preparing to sleep a bit more.

However, as soon as she closed her eyes, the image of Qing Xian’s injured hand flashed through her mind, and she unexpectedly felt a bit troubled.

Su Rong liked beautiful things, and Qing Xian’s hands were originally extremely beautiful, slender and elegant, like jade. Now, with those few scars, they had become extremely unsightly.

Thinking this, Su Rong casually opened the small drawer in the cabinet and took out a small white porcelain bottle.

She walked out of the room and saw Qing Xian sitting under the locust tree, lost in thought, his porcelain-white face expressionless.

The soup tureen was placed on the stone table, steaming.

She walked to his side, put the medicine on the stone table and said: “Apply this medicine later.”

Hearing Su Rong’s voice, Qing Xian came back to his senses, his gaze moving from her to the white porcelain bottle on the table.

“What medicine?” he asked.

“Can’t you see that your own hand has been cut with so many wounds?” Su Rong said with some exasperation. She was really being very patient with him.

Catching a glimpse of her impatient expression, Qing Xian felt a bit hurt.

He had worked hard to make soup for her, but she hadn’t drunk a single sip and had misunderstood him. Now she was even scolding him.

He turned his head away without speaking.

Su Rong sighed, looking at the wounds on his hand, and clicked her tongue in frustration.

Then she pulled his hand over, opened the bottle cap, took some medicine, and applied it to him.

When Su Rong pulled his hand, Qing Xian resisted turning his head, but when he felt the cool ointment lingering on his hand, he finally couldn’t help but look at her from the corner of his eye.

The woman was holding his hand with one hand and gently applying the ointment to his injured fingers with the other.

Her gaze was calm and focused as she lowered her eyes to apply medicine for him.

The setting sun hung lightly behind her, and the dappled shadows of the locust tree fell on her fair face, creating a dreamlike, illusory effect.

It was only now that he noticed Su Rong had a beauty mark at the corner of her left eye. Set against her fair skin, it seemed somewhat bewitching, like a sorceress who could bewitch people’s minds.

He hurriedly averted his gaze, no longer looking at her face.

Although Su Rong’s tone was impatient, her movements were very gentle. The cool ointment on his hand felt warm, carrying the lingering temperature of her fingers.

Qing Xian felt his hand getting a bit hot, and a bit itchy.

People often say that the fingers are connected to the heart. At this moment, he felt his heart was also a bit itchy, and he couldn’t help wanting to hold her hand.

Following his heart’s desire, he turned his hand and grasped the hand that was applying medicine to him.

There was a faint warmth, like holding warm jade, delicate and lustrous.

“Have you held it enough?” Su Rong said flatly, pulling her hand out of his grasp.

For some reason, Qing Xian instinctively said: “Su Rong, I still hurt~.”

After saying this, Qing Xian himself was startled. This was the first time he had shown weakness to someone.

He somewhat regretted his impulsiveness, but still had some expectation for Su Rong’s reaction.

Hearing this, Su Rong looked at him with some helplessness and reached her hand towards his face.

Qing Xian held his breath. Was she going to pinch his face again?

But Su Rong reached out to feel his forehead, and after a moment said: “You don’t seem to have a fever. Why are you acting so strangely today?”

Qing Xian’s face instantly turned red. He retreated, dodging Su Rong’s hand, and quickly stood up and walked into his small room.

Su Rong shook her head and turned to leave.

…

After the plan to make soup for Su Rong failed, Qing Xian started thinking of other methods.

It’s said that for a man to pursue a woman is the easiest thing, but why was it so difficult for him?

He only had three months. If they couldn’t be together within three months, they would never see each other again.

Thinking of this, Qing Xian felt a tightness in his chest, as if someone was covering it with a wet towel.

Seeing Qing Xian’s troubled expression, Long Ling said: “Cousin, you’re just too reserved. She can’t feel that you like her.”

“Then what should I do?” Qing Xian asked.

“You should appear by her side more often, showing concern for her well-being every day. When you’re in her eyes, you’ll naturally have a place in her heart,” Long Ling suggested.

“Really?” Qing Xian was a bit doubtful.

“How would you know if you don’t try? If you two just stay in your own rooms without talking when you have nothing to do, how can there be any progress?” Long Ling said, “Wait until she starts to have feelings for you, then express your intentions to her. I guarantee she’ll agree to be with you the first time you ask.”

Listening to Long Ling’s words, Qing Xian thought silently.

It seemed that Long Ling wasn’t wrong. Although he and Su Rong were in the same courtyard, they were always doing their own things.

But how could he have some interaction with her?

The next day, Qing Xian got up early and brought breakfast from the school canteen back to the stone table under the locust tree.

After setting out the breakfast, he walked to Su Rong’s door and knocked gently.

“Su Rong? Get up for breakfast. I brought porridge and steamed buns from the canteen today.”

For a long while, there was no sound from inside.

Qing Xian knocked again.

The creaking of the bamboo door finally woke Su Rong up.

She usually slept until just before the students started class. Being woken up so early for the first time, her whole body radiated coldness.

She opened the door and asked: “What is it?”

Her voice was cold with a hint of irritation, her aura chilling.

She had unconsciously sent a blast of demonic energy towards the outside of the room, but halfway through she remembered this was the mortal realm and quickly retracted it. Otherwise, there would have been a corpse waiting for her to open the door.

Qing Xian pressed his lips together, sensing the resentment emanating from the person in front of him. He lowered his voice and said: “I brought you breakfast.”

“I don’t eat breakfast. In the future, just eat by yourself. Don’t call me.” After saying this, she closed the door and went back to sleep.

Qing Xian looked at the tightly closed bamboo door, feeling a bit dejected.

He silently made a mental note: Su Rong doesn’t eat breakfast.

He took out Su Rong’s class schedule that he had copied earlier, committing it to memory, and then quietly drank his rice porridge alone.

His eyes still occasionally glanced at that door, hoping she would come out.

But the outcome was destined to disappoint him.

After finishing his meal, Qing Xian remembered Su Rong’s class time and knocked on her door again right on schedule.

“Su Rong—”

This time, he didn’t need to call out many times before the door was opened from inside. Su Rong wore a long smoke-gray robe, her figure tall and straight as bamboo.

“Su Rong, can I go to class with you?” Qing Xian asked.

Su Rong thought for a moment and said: “You really want to go?”

So early in the morning, trying to bribe her was actually to go to class.

“I do!” He wanted to watch her at all times.

“Next time,” Su Rong said.

“Can’t I go this time?”

“I’ll go get you a set of women’s uniforms, to avoid you standing out too much in the crowd,” Su Rong said.

“Okay.” Qing Xian nodded.

He actually looked quite docile.

After getting enough sleep, Su Rong was in a good mood.

Feeling that Qing Xian was unusually pleasing to the eye at this moment, she ruffled his hair and said: “Let’s go.”

“Mm.” Qing Xian’s expression was serious, but the tips of his ears hidden behind his hair were a bit hot.

The time when Su Rong was away passed very slowly. Qing Xian practiced sword in the courtyard.

Since he couldn’t cultivate now, he could only improve his swordsmanship.

After going through a set of sword moves several times, Qing Xian was somewhat dissatisfied.

He always felt something was strange, different from how he used to practice.

He tried again, but still couldn’t get it right.

“You’re not using enough strength,” a voice said.

Qing Xian turned around at the sound and saw Su Rong leaning against the doorframe. She had obviously been watching for a while.

He didn’t know when she had arrived or how long she had been watching.

“You’re not following through with each move before you stop. It’s a problem with your usual sword practice habits.” Su Rong stepped forward, lifted Qing Xian’s arm, and guided him through the movement again.

Qing Xian was shocked, not only because she had immediately spotted his problem, but also because she could perfectly execute this set of sword moves after just watching once.

This kind of ability wasn’t just based on memory, but also on understanding and insight into sword techniques.

Moreover, Su Rong couldn’t have been exposed to this set of sword moves before, because this sword technique was tailored specifically for him. No one else would use it.

With Su Rong’s guidance, Qing Xian suddenly realized where his problem lay.

In the past, when he practiced swordsmanship, he relied half on physical strength and half on spiritual power. The spiritual power could make the sword moves more thorough and unrestrained.

But now that he had lost all his spiritual power, he was still only using half his physical strength, so naturally, the movements couldn’t be executed properly.

He looked at Su Rong with some shock and said: “I didn’t expect you to understand swordsmanship as well?”

Su Rong carelessly withdrew her hand and said with a smile: “It’s just that your sword moves are too simple. They’re understandable at a glance.”

Qing Xian was speechless. Even if they were simple, it had taken him several months of practice to become proficient. Yet for her, she only needed to watch once.

Seeing his confused and depressed look, Su Rong curved her lips and said: “Don’t think too much about it. Here, this is for you.”

She picked up a pile of clothes that had been placed nearby and handed them to Qing Xian.

Qing Xian took the clothes. Since Su Rong hadn’t asked why he knew swordsmanship, he didn’t offer any further explanation.

“Thank you,” Qing Xian said.

“No need. Tomorrow, don’t call me early, and I don’t need you to remind me to go to class,” Su Rong said.

Qing Xian felt a bit disappointed, but then cheered up thinking that tomorrow he would be able to go to class with her.

The next day, Qing Xian got up early to practice sword. Since he was going to follow Su Rong to class, he had to move his sword practice time to the morning.

Moreover, now that Su Rong knew he could use a sword, he no longer needed to hide his practice from her.

When Long Ling came to find Qing Xian, he saw him practicing sword in the courtyard, looking graceful and handsome.

He hurriedly walked in and said: “Stop, stop, stop!”

Qing Xian put away his sword, looking confused.

“Does Su Rong know you practice sword?” Long Ling asked.

“She knows,” Qing Xian’s snow-white chin nodded slightly, as if it was perfectly natural.

“How could you let her know?” Long Ling felt somewhat exasperated. His master had deep cultivation and outstanding abilities, but he just didn’t understand matters between men and women!

“Women don’t like men who are stronger than them. They all like soft and weak men. With your outstanding appearance, you can capture her heart with your looks alone. Why do you need to brandish swords and spears?”

Qing Xian was a bit confused. Yesterday, Su Rong didn’t seem to dislike him practicing sword.

Could it be that she pointed out his mistakes because she didn’t want him to practice sword?