Chapter 175
Chapter 175: Some Things Have Changed
Looking at the fire and weariness hidden beneath Ye He Qi’s smile, Shi Zi Chu blinked innocently, her face full of obedience.
“I think Clan Chief Ye should be happy, after all, I’m fine, aren’t I?”
Listening to her shameless words, Ye He Qi took out a handkerchief, inside which was a shattered disciple token.
He looked at Shi Zi Chu’s expression of pure innocence and goodness, then raised a smile. “May I ask, what on earth possessed you to shatter the disciple token?”
She was fine, but Ye Qing Zi had truly become useless! Sect Master Meng was half-mad with worry!
While she was leisurely enjoying herself in the ruins, everything outside was on the verge of chaos!
“Clan Chief Ye, please let me explain,” Shi Zi Chu said with a kind expression. “A beast tide approached. I went out to check, but Ye Qing Zi tried to kill me. To frame me, she even harmed herself. I only shattered the disciple token to get a little bit of revenge.”
Ye He Qi: …
Did he look like a fool?
Taking a deep breath, Ye He Qi calmed himself.
“We do share some alliance feelings. Please, I beg you, could you show some consideration for me?”
There was one thing he truly believed.
That brat—oh no, Shi Zi Chu—was definitely up to mischief!
“Clan Chief Ye, that’s such a hurtful thing to say,” Shi Zi Chu said, her hand on her chest in a melodramatic fashion, her voice filled with accusation. “Everything I do is to help ease your worries!”
“…”
Ye He Qi stood up, ready to leave.
Shi Zi Chu silently reached out and grabbed his sleeve.
After a couple of tugs with no success, Ye He Qi lowered his eyes and saw Shi Zi Chu’s stubborn yet righteous look, which instantly made him laugh in frustration.
“What are you doing?”
Shi Zi Chu raised her head, her eyes sparkling with a pleading look. “The kind and beautiful Clan Chief Ye, please do me a favor.”
Ye He Qi gave a slight tug to pull his sleeve free, his gentle face showing clear distaste. “Speak plainly.”
Shi Zi Chu pulled out her cloak, revealing a tear in the fabric, her eyes filled with pleading expectation.
Their gazes met, one filled with genuine pity, the other with a cold, mocking smile.
The silent standoff ended when Ye He Qi looked away.
“…Shi Zi Chu, you really are out to torment me!” He cursed under his breath before reluctantly reaching for the cloak. He bent down to start mending it.
Shi Zi Chu rested her chin on her hand, sitting to the side, watching.
The atmosphere inside the tower suddenly became eerily quiet.
As he threaded the needle, Ye He Qi asked without looking up, “Has Venerable Xing Lan gone into seclusion?”
Such a major event, Sect Master Meng wouldn’t have kept it from him, but Venerable Xing Lan hadn’t shown up. This seemed strange.
“No,” Shi Zi Chu answered.
Ye He Qi raised his gaze to look at her.
There, sitting idly with her cheek propped up in her hand, Shi Zi Chu squinted lazily, like a cat who had just woken up.
“Are you tired?”
Shi Zi Chu nodded softly.
The tower had no day or night. She had hardly rested, constantly climbing the tower and engaging in high-intensity battles, which drained both her mind and spiritual power.
Her plan had been to kill the poison scorpions, rest for a bit, then continue climbing.
Even though Ye He Qi had arrived, her plan wouldn’t be disrupted.
Seeing Shi Zi Chu’s head droop as if nodding off, Ye He Qi, feeling a flicker of compassion, spoke softly. “You can lean on my shoulder.”
Shi Zi Chu, pushing her luck, added, “Could you let me lean into your embrace too?”
The cold, hard ground was no match for a warm, comforting chest, and she was never one to deny herself comfort.
Ye He Qi fell silent as he looked at her.
Seeing she wasn’t joking, the refusal that had been on his lips suddenly faltered.
The unspoken silence made Shi Zi Chu realize that Ye He Qi had turned her down. His face remained unaffected, not showing a hint of disappointment.
She was about to lay her arm across the back of her head to rest when he spoke.
“Fine.”
Shi Zi Chu looked up, her eyes widening as she processed the unexpected answer.
Ye He Qi folded the cloak on his lap and showed through his actions what he had just said.
Shi Zi Chu wasted no time, immediately sitting down on Ye He Qi’s lap and resting against his solid chest, closing her eyes.
A faint sandalwood scent filled her nostrils with each breath, and in the stillness of the dark tower, it brought with it a sense of comfort.
Watching Shi Zi Chu casually settle herself on his lap like a chair, Ye He Qi’s body tensed slightly.
It was too intimate.
He shouldn’t have agreed to this.
The sudden surge of regret made Ye He Qi almost want to take back his words, but seeing Shi Zi Chu’s exhausted state, the words stuck in his throat.
“You’re like a little flower cat,” he muttered, then cast a dust dispelling spell over her.
“Clan Chief Ye, you’re truly unbearable,” Shi Zi Chu mumbled sleepily, her voice slow and heavy with drowsiness.
Ye He Qi glanced down at her, amused by the fact that she was still talking even while pretending to nap. “Is this the first time I’m so unbearable?”
Shi Zi Chu gave a small hum, her response.
The tower grew quieter still, and Ye He Qi could hear both their breathing.
Unconsciously, their breaths began to synchronize, and for a long time, neither of them spoke.
Eventually, he glanced down at her again.
In the dim light, Shi Zi Chu’s flawless, fair skin glowed like a pearl or a beautiful jade. Her delicate features were framed by her softly closed eyes, giving her a serene, gentle look.
In this peaceful state, she appeared even more docile than when awake.
Ye He Qi turned his gaze away.
The silence around them made him calm, his mind growing clearer. He suddenly realized that some things had changed.
He should maintain distance from Shi Zi Chu.
For example, in this situation, he shouldn’t have agreed to her request.
Ye He Qi stared into the distance, his eyes dark and deep like the evening twilight.
In the end, he couldn’t figure out when things had started to change.
—
When Shi Zi Chu woke up, the surroundings were still dark, and time seemed to have stopped.
“How long did I sleep?”
Ye He Qi, who had been lost in thought, snapped back to reality. “I didn’t keep track.”
The tower was dangerous, and Shi Zi Chu herself was a threat, but it was in this environment that he could let his guard down and relax a bit.
Shi Zi Chu nodded, then stood and stretched lazily. “Thanks, Clan Chief Ye.”
Ye He Qi stood up. “Shall we go higher?”
Shi Zi Chu searched the current floor for heavenly treasures before heading toward the thirty-eighth level.
As they ascended, Ye He Qi briefly described the situation outside.
After hearing it, Shi Zi Chu had a clearer picture.
Her master was forging the Life-Bound Sword and wouldn’t have time for a while.
Ye Qing Zi’s spiritual sense was shattered, leaving her vulnerable. This was something Shi Zi Chu had left for Elder Ye Cheng to find.
For her, unscathed, and Ye Qing Zi, whose spiritual sense had been greatly harmed, the situation was clearly unfavorable for her.
“What a pity,” Shi Zi Chu suddenly said, her tone full of regret.
How nice it would be if Ye Qing Zi were truly foolish.
Understanding the unspoken meaning, Ye He Qi replied in a gentle tone, “If Venerable Xing Lan doesn’t show up, the final outcome will be mutual punishment.”
Elder Ye Cheng had only one daughter, Ye Qing Zi. He would never stop pursuing Shi Zi Chu’s responsibility.
As for Shi Zi Chu, she wasn’t some harmless person either, and with Venerable Xing Lan backing her, she would stubbornly claim that Ye Qing Zi struck first.
In the end, both parties would be punished equally, just as he had said.