Inside the inn room, Shen Qingyi stretched her waist.
She was just about to lie down on the bed and sleep when Su Qiulian spoke up and asked, “Not going to take a bath, Little Shen? You’ve been busy all day, haven’t you?”
“Bath? No, thanks, I’m way too tired to even move right now.”
As Shen Qingyi spoke, she collapsed onto the bed, lying face down on the pillow, planning to fall asleep just like that.
But Su Qiulian wasn’t letting it go, or perhaps she had her own intentions as she spoke again at the bedside, “But I’m here, aren’t I? I can help you wash, Little Shen!”
As soon as those words left her mouth, she immediately sensed a faint, almost imperceptible killing intent locking onto her.
She glanced back, and though the room was still empty as ever, some suspicions arose in her heart.
Before she could decide what to do, there came the sound of rustling from the bed.
Shen Qingyi rolled over on the bed.
She was already half asleep, and as she listened to Su Qiulian’s words, fragments of certain memories floated into her mind.
In her memory, on the bed, the two of them had made a mess of things, and when she was utterly spent, Su Qiulian had asked her, “Shall I carry you to wash up, Little Shen?”
Panting softly, she’d nodded and stretched out her arms, still wanting to be held.
And now, in reality, Shen Qingyi made the same gesture—she stretched out her arms toward Su Qiulian.
Murmuring drowsily, “Mm… carry me, then…”
Su Qiulian was stunned, seeing this familiar scene, and at the same time, she noticed that killing intent that had been locked onto her seemed to freeze as well.
For a moment, there was only silence, and no one moved.
Shen Qingyi, holding her arms up, was starting to feel a bit tired.
Yet, Su Qiulian still hadn’t come over, so she frowned and asked, “You don’t want to? Then I’ll just sleep…”
With that, her arms trembled slightly as she started to lower them.
Seeing this, Su Qiulian finally reached out to embrace Shen Qingyi.
And at that very instant, when their hands were but a hair’s breadth from touching—
That faint killing intent erupted in full force, and Su Qiulian heard a sword’s cry ring out on another plane of existence, though in reality, nothing changed; the room remained silent.
Reacting instantly, Su Qiulian spread her five fingers wide—one hand reaching behind, the other shielding Shen Qingyi at the front.
Two layers of Youling Shield unfolded—one larger, wrapping around Su Qiulian and the bed in front of her, thin as a sheet of paper; the other, smaller, enveloped just Shen Qingyi, but the Lingli summoned for it was even more refined and condensed, like a thick wall isolating Shen Qingyi from everything else.
“Zheng!”
The sword’s cry finally sounded in reality—this time, the tip of a sword clashing against the Youling Shield.
The impact made Su Qiulian’s hands tremble, and she summoned even more Lingli to protect Shen Qingyi, steadying the outer layer of the Youling Shield as well.
“Wu—”
The sword tip and the Youling Shield pressed against each other in a stalemate.
Su Qiulian didn’t look back yet.
After confirming that Shen Qingyi was undisturbed and had fallen asleep peacefully, she muttered, “Sword Intent of the Crossing Tribulation Stage—who else in this world but you could wield this? Bai Luoshuang!”
With those words, she turned her head, her face clouded and gloomy.
Sure enough, standing before her was the foremost Sword Sovereign of the era, Bai Luoshuang, her expression just as icy.
In her hand she gripped the hilt of her life-bound sword, Qingxue, pushing her Crossing Tribulation Stage Sword Intent to the limit.
But with only Sword Intent and no Lingli, its power was not fully unleashed.
Thus, the Youling Shield remained unbroken.
After all, Shen Qingyi was still asleep on the bed.
Bai Luoshuang wasn’t so reckless as to go that far.
On the hilt of Qingxue Sword, the tassel spun from top-grade ice silkworm threads quivered.
Bai Luoshuang glared at Su Qiulian, then at Shen Qingyi sleeping soundly behind her, her voice sharp as she demanded, “Let her go! What is your relationship with her?!”
At the same time, she didn’t lessen her force, and the sword tip pressed inch by inch into the Youling Shield.
“Relationship? Ha!”
“I should be asking you that!”
Su Qiulian increased her demonic power, making the Youling Shield even thicker and pushing outward, forcing the tip of Qingxue Sword back out.
She revealed her demon form—the nine Fox Tails fluttered behind her, two Fox Ears perked atop her head, and her ten fingernails sharpened to points.
A wisp of Foxfire ignited in her palm, spreading along the Youling Shield toward Bai Luoshuang.
Though the Sword Intent of the Crossing Tribulation Stage prevented it from getting close to Bai Luoshuang’s body, it still enclosed her, sealing her into a cramped space.
Yet Bai Luoshuang paid the Foxfire no mind; it didn’t bother her.
Her gaze remained fixed on Su Qiulian, then on the peacefully sleeping Shen Qingyi behind her.
Her anger and killing intent only grew stronger.
“You have no right to ask!”
“And what right do you have?”
“A dignified Sword Sovereign, yet you lurk behind someone, spying on their daily life. What, are you that idle?”
Su Qiulian sneered.
Bai Luoshuang didn’t reply.
Though her rage had reached its peak, out of concern for Shen Qingyi’s safety, she only pressed her Sword Intent against the Youling Shield, making no further moves.
The mood inexplicably grew heavy, and the two fell into a standoff.
Their gazes never left each other. Both wanted nothing more than to fight, yet out of consideration for Shen Qingyi, neither acted rashly.
Their tacit understanding was remarkable.
This tense atmosphere lingered for a quarter of an hour, and in each other’s eyes, they seemed to understand something.
Su Qiulian glanced back at Shen Qingyi again.
She was still asleep, and even rolled over, turning her back to them.
Turning back, Su Qiulian suddenly laughed, “A dignified Sword Sovereign, yet you covet someone else’s partner?”
“What did you say?”
“Xiao Yi… is mine!”
Bai Luoshuang lifted her sword to strike.
The Sword Intent of the Crossing Tribulation Stage condensed to a single point, instantly snuffing out the Foxfire as it fell upon the Youling Shield.
“Keng!”
Luckily, she still refrained from using her full power.
The Youling Shield only broke a little, still keeping Bai Luoshuang outside.
Seeing this, Su Qiulian laughed even more gleefully, but then her laughter paused.
She spoke, word by word, “Little Shen is mine!”
The two glared at each other, practically like wild beasts fighting over a mate, neither willing to yield.
But for Shen Qingyi’s sake, they still didn’t actually come to blows.
After all, if a Demon Emperor and a Sword Sovereign fought in this little inn, never mind destroying the room—even tearing the inn down would be more than possible!
If Shen Qingyi hadn’t been right there, they likely wouldn’t be standing here glaring at each other; if they fought, no one could stop them.
Yet, the main subject of their standoff was still fast asleep, utterly unaware of the storm raging beside her bed.
But all of this was seen by someone else.
Pei Xianyun put away the World-Hiding Pearl and her figure appeared in the room.
Su Qiulian didn’t seem surprised at her arrival, merely continued staring down Bai Luoshuang.
Pei Xianyun observed the two for a while, then looked at the still-sleeping Shen Qingyi on the bed, hand to her chin, quickly understanding the situation.
She said, “It seems, then, that our Sword Sovereign and the Demon Emperor of the demon border both fancy the same person!”
“But ladies, is there any need to face off here? Why not come to Yushenzong and have a chat? Perhaps you can talk it all out first!”
Of course, Pei Xianyun could tell the one opposite her was the Demon Emperor.
She wasn’t blind, and with that Divine Platform Realm peak aura, it wasn’t hard to recognize.
Not to mention, she’d just received a transmission from a certain fox she hadn’t seen in ages, so she was quite sure of the identity before her, and a plan was already forming in her mind.
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