The air had been quiet for a long while, and Jiang Che still hadn’t fully grasped what Xu Qianlan meant.
What… was she looking at?
Then, a chill shot up from his feet straight to the crown of his head.
Jiang Che froze in belated realization.
He had actually stood up completely naked just now!
The edge of the wooden tub was just above Jiang Che’s waist and abdomen, and from where Xu Qianlan stood by the door, it was practically an unobstructed view.
Panicking, Jiang Che plopped down with a splash, burying half his face in the warm water, leaving only his eyes exposed.
Perhaps because the water was warm, Jiang Che’s face flushed deeply from his neck to the tips of his ears.
“Pfft!”
Seeing Jiang Che so embarrassed, Xu Qianlan couldn’t help but laugh out loud.
The corners of her eyes crinkled with amusement, her tone teasing.
“Why act so formal with your Shishu? Are you shy? I’m not that young anymore!”
“…”
Hearing this, Jiang Che’s face burned even hotter.
He even felt that Xu Qianlan was doing it on purpose.
In the past, Xu Qianlan always acted like she understood him very well.
The incident that left the deepest psychological shadow on Jiang Che was back when he first entered the sect, still quite young, when Xu Qianlan often teased him.
Of course, Jiang Che guessed it was probably because his Spiritual Root was too unique, and Xu Qianlan wanted to use him for medicinal experiments.
That indirectly led to Jiang Che’s rapid cultivation progress early on.
“Chief Xu, where… are my clothes?”
After a long while, Jiang Che slowly lifted his face from the water, his chin just above the surface.
Upon hearing this, the smile on Xu Qianlan’s face gradually faded.
Her gaze grew more delicate, mixed with a touch of disappointment.
“What’s wrong? You don’t even call your Shishu anymore?”
Xu Qianlan slowly approached the wooden tub, resting her hand lightly on its edge.
The old Jiang Che would never have addressed her as “Chief Xu” so awkwardly.
He would usually say “Shishu” or “Shishu Xu.”
She realized that Jiang Che had indeed changed.
A heavy feeling weighed on her chest, frustrating her deeply—worse than when she told herself that the Elixir Furnace exploded during the disciples’ pill refining session today.
“I’m not even a disciple of the Shenxiao Sect anymore…”
Jiang Che mumbled. When facing Xu Qianlan, it was better to be straightforward, but with her, he found it hard to act the same way he did with Lin Yin.
Xu Qianlan sensed this.
She had always known Jiang Che’s thoughts were mature and subtle from a young age, and he treated everyone differently.
He was humble and respectful toward elders; with junior brothers and sisters, sometimes serious, sometimes gentle.
He didn’t act like Lin Yin’s rough-around-the-edges disciple, nor like hers.
Xu Qianlan was considerate toward other sect disciples too; unlike Lin Yin, she wasn’t as rigid with other First Seats or the Sect Leader.
But Xu Qianlan had her own carefree nature—she only aimed to get by, never forcing perfection.
Jiang Che was different. He always wrapped himself in rules.
Sometimes she watched him and wondered: kid, aren’t you tired?
Sometimes she really wondered if Jiang Che was exhausted.
After a while, Jiang Che finished dressing, his cheeks still flushed as he sat on the bed in Xu Qianlan’s wooden cabin.
Since the clothes were put on by Xu Qianlan, her excuse was that Jiang Che’s legs had just recovered a bit from the pills and medicinal bath, so he shouldn’t move them too much.
Jiang Che didn’t understand, but he was surprised because he felt a warm energy spreading through his limbs.
It seemed he had taken a high-grade pill.
Even the medicinal bath was no simple matter; there were at least seven or eight rare spiritual herbs.
“So, I’ve basically been ‘packaged’ and entrusted to you?” Jiang Che’s tone was somewhat uncomfortable.
Xu Qianlan had just told him the whole story of how Lin Yin sent him over, including how she tricked Lin Yin into traveling to the Eastern Sea and the Northern Extremity.
Jiang Che roughly understood his situation now.
Well, that was fine—he didn’t want to see Lin Yin anyway.
If he did, his emotions might spiral out of control again.
At this moment, Xu Qianlan sat opposite Jiang Che, holding his right foot carefully as she examined it.
The once terrifying old scar had faded significantly.
Earlier, Xu Qianlan had used inner sight and discovered that all the tendons in Jiang Che’s right foot were severed.
Lifting his trouser leg to inspect, she gasped sharply. Her heart was heavy with sorrow and anger.
Judging from the scar, it looked as if something had violently torn into it.
“What’s wrong? Not happy about it?”
Xu Qianlan put down Jiang Che’s foot, seemingly unfazed, while she pondered the next treatment steps.
“No, I’m not unhappy… it’s just… I’ve still been brought back…”
“…”
Xu Qianlan noticed Jiang Che’s expression. She had replaced the eye-covering cloth strip with a new one.
From his expression, Jiang Che looked very disappointed.
She also knew quite a bit about what had happened three years ago.
Jiang Che’s releasing of the Demon Clan trapped beneath the Demon Suppressing Stone was already a grave crime.
He had also committed theft and even killed fellow disciples—these were not minor offenses punishable by simple expulsion from the Shenxiao Sect.
But Xu Qianlan just didn’t believe Jiang Che capable of such acts.
She stood up and pulled Jiang Che into a hug.
“Xiao Che… do you still hate the Shenxiao Sect that much? If you’re still bothered by what happened three years ago, you can tell me.
No matter what, I believe in you.”
Xu Qianlan’s way of addressing Jiang Che was different from how she spoke to others.
She called other Lin Fairy’s disciples “Shizhi” or simply by name.
For Jiang Che, she directly said “Xiao Che.”
“…”
Jiang Che said nothing.
He felt the warmth in Xu Qianlan’s embrace, but the more these people treated him well, the tighter his heart clenched.
It was just like the time spent with Feng Yaqin—her presence undeniably affected his life, so he was always on guard.
Here in the Shenxiao Sect, there were many good memories, but those good memories had betrayed him.
Were those good memories still good?
The junior brothers and sisters who were as close as siblings didn’t trust him, and even though he took the Heart Demon Oath, Lin Yin still didn’t trust him…
All those beautiful memories from the past had, on that day, turned into sharp thorns, piercing Jiang Che’s heart every time he thought of them.
Now, another question rose in his mind.
Could he trust Xu Qianlan?
……
After a long time, Jiang Che could only lie on Xu Qianlan’s bed.
He wanted to leave but was stopped by her.
“You can’t go. If you venture outside in your condition, you’ll surely die.”
Xu Qianlan also took the opportunity to tell Jiang Che about the Shi Ling Gu inside his body.
Jiang Che was shocked.
He knew there was something in his dantian, but he hadn’t expected it to be the Shi Ling Gu—a long-lost, ancient parasite.
Apparently, Lin Yin had been feeding it, which was why Jiang Che had survived until now.
Xu Qianlan said she would find a way to solve his physical condition, so Jiang Che had to stay by her side.
Then she picked up a wine jar and sat on a nearby chair, sipping from it.
“Mm~ Xiao Che, aren’t you going to tell me what you’ve been through all these years? Why have you become so small? You’re much cuter now!”
“Chief Xu, are you really trying to help me deal with the Shi Ling Gu?”
“Stop calling me that! ‘Chief’ sounds so awkward. Just call me Sister Xu!”
Jiang Che twitched at the corner of his mouth. If he remembered correctly, Xu Qianlan was at least two hundred years old.
A two-hundred-year-old woman getting drunk and acting crazy!