Entangled Souls

The two of them rested in the small hut for a while.

Lin Qingxue gathered the bloodstained bedsheets and carefully placed them into her storage ring.

This was the evidence of her taking this heartless man's first time!

After doing all this, she gracefully prepared to get out of bed. However, the moment her feet touched the ground, her legs gave way, and she almost fell to her knees.

"Careful!"

Ye Shu was quick-sighted and deft, catching her in his arms.

"Look at you, you don't have the stamina but you still love to play."

"It's all your fault."

Lin Qingxue glared at him with a blushing face. "You weren't gentle at all. Didn't you know I was still a virgin? You didn't even know to go a little lighter."

Ye Shu's mouth twitched.

Who was the one making endless demands last night?

But he still sighed.

"Yes, it's my fault."

Saying that, he supported Lin Qingxue as she limped out of the room.

He wondered how Xiao Qingli was doing.

Was she getting anxious from waiting?

Stepping out the door, they saw a young girl in a little green dress sitting by a stone table in the clearing outside, holding a bowl of steaming porridge and taking small sips.

Sitting directly opposite her was an old man.

"You're out?"

Hearing the door open, the old man turned his head with a beaming smile.

"Grandpa?"

Lin Qingxue was stunned. Then, she angrily threw off Ye Shu's hand and walked briskly over to Lin Heming. Her small face puffed up like a steamed bun. "Stinky Grandpa! We agreed to go to the Dangul Desert together, but where did you run off to? You almost made it so I couldn't come back!"

"Haha, Grandpa is getting old and lost his way."

The old man stroked his beard and chuckled, "I ran into a little mantis on the way, which held me up for a bit. Then I ran into a little canary, which delayed me a bit more."

"Where would there be mantises and canaries in the desert?"

Lin Qingxue curled her lips. "If you didn't go, you didn't go. Why lie about it?"

Hearing this, the old man did not argue.

He simply smiled and looked at Ye Shu, who was standing to the side. "You brought someone new, why don't you introduce him to your grandpa?"

Hearing this, Lin Qingxue finally reacted.

She first pointed to Xiao Qingli, who was drinking porridge. "This is Qingli. She was abducted by bad people before and left homeless. I saved her from the desert."

"Qingli, this is my grandpa, Lin Heming."

"Qingli knows."

Xiao Qingli held her porridge bowl, speaking as she ate, "During the half a month that Sister Qingxue and Big Brother stayed in the room, Grandpa Lin has been taking care of Qingli."

"Half a month?"

Lin Qingxue and Ye Shu were both stunned for a moment, then both lowered their heads in embarrassment.

They had been going at it for so long that they completely forgot about Xiao Qingli.

Ye Shu scratched his head.

He felt like besides Xiao Qingli, he had forgotten something else as well.

But since he couldn't remember, it probably wasn't important anyway.

"Young people are full of vigor, it's understandable,"

Lin Heming said with a smile.

Being teased by her own grandfather like this made Lin Qingxue's face turn even redder. She lowered her head, pointing at Ye Shu, and stammered for a long time before introducing him, "This... this is Ye Shu. He's a tea-serving boy I picked up from the desert."

"A tea-serving boy?"

The old man was taken aback, then smiled without saying a word.

Ye Shu, on the other hand, was perfectly poised. He cupped his hands and bowed to Lin Heming. "This junior is Ye Shu, Qingxue's... Dao companion. Greetings, Senior."

After saying that, he straightened his back, took Lin Qingxue's hand, and intertwined their fingers.

Lin Qingxue's face flushed even deeper, but she did not pull away.

Seeing this, the old man smiled in satisfaction.

"Good, good, good."

"So you are Ye Shu. My Nannan has been talking about you every day recently, saying things like she wouldn't marry anyone but you in this lifetime. My ears are almost forming calluses from hearing it."

"Seeing you today, you indeed look like a man of striking appearance."

Ye Shu froze, turning his head to look at Lin Qingxue.

To think that after returning to the mountain, this girl had been talking to her grandpa about him every day? No wonder she demanded he take responsibility right from the start; it turned out it was premeditated.

Lin Qingxue glared at the old man.

"Grandpa!"

"When did I ever say such things?"

"Your mouth didn't say it," the old man said with a beaming smile, "but your heart has been speaking all along."

Then, he looked at Ye Shu again.

"Young man, I can tell you are a responsible person." Lin Heming put away his smile and looked at him seriously. "I'm leaving my Nannan in your care. You must not let her down."

Seeing this, Ye Shu also dropped his joking demeanor.

He gripped Lin Qingxue's hand tightly and said, pausing after each word, "Please rest assured, Senior. I will definitely treat her well."

"With those words, I can put my mind at ease."

The old man nodded, then stretched his back. "Then this old bag of bones won't disturb you two youngsters' intimacy any longer. I'll be taking my leave first."

A light breeze brushed past, and the figure on the stone stool was already gone.

Leaving only the three of them by the stone table, looking at each other in dismay.

"Th... that..."

"You are not my Dao companion," Lin Qingxue stammered with her head lowered. "At most... at most, you're just a bed-warmer. I only gave you face just now because Grandpa was here."

"That's right, that's how it is."

"Don't overthink it. I'm going out for a bit."

Having just had such bold words exposed by her grandfather, Lin Qingxue felt like her sense of shame was being roasted over a fire. Now, she desperately wanted to escape from here.

"Where are you going?" Ye Shu asked.

"To handle the peak withdrawal procedures! You watch the house."

Lin Qingxue replied without looking back.

In any case, she couldn't stay at Zixiao Peak anymore. It would be better to return to her grandfather's Luoxia Mountain and tie this heartless man at home to be a tea-serving boy, preventing him from going out and harming others.

Now this was great; only two people were left in this place.

Two people who were unfamiliar with the place, at that.

"Since things have come to this, let's eat first." Ye Shu sighed, sat down, and poured himself a bowl of porridge.

"Big Brother, when are you going to marry Qingli?"

Right at this moment, Xiao Qingli, holding her porridge bowl, suddenly popped out a sentence that nearly scared Ye Shu into spitting out the porridge he had just eaten.

Ye Shu finally remembered that there was still this matter left unresolved.

"You can't just say things like that casually, you know?" He leaned in closer, his eyes darting around, terrified that someone might suddenly pop out from the side.

"Why not?"

Qingli asked with a look of confusion.

"Because there are many people in this world who think it's wrong for Big Brother to like Qingli. If they found out, they would definitely come and arrest Big Brother."

Hearing this, Xiao Qingli's face filled with indignation.

"Why are those guys so mean! Big Brother is obviously a good person, what's wrong with liking Qingli!"

"Qingli just likes Big Brother!"

She threw caution to the wind and threw herself into Ye Shu's arms, hugging his waist tightly as she acted coquettishly, "Big Brother, marry Qingli! Qingli wants to be Big Brother's bride!"

She looked up, her eyes sparkling.

"I even want to give birth to lots and lots of children for Big Brother!"

Looking at Qingli's immature and innocent little face, Ye Shu swallowed hard.

To tell the truth, he had already seen everything there was to see.

Even if he had no other choice at the time, he really had seen and touched the little girl all over. According to Lin Qingxue's logic, he really should take responsibility for Xiao Qingli.

That's right, it was Lin Qingxue who made him do it.

That was exactly it.

At this thought, Ye Shu's sense of guilt vanished into thin air.

He rubbed Qingli's little head and said softly, "When you grow up, Big Brother will marry you."

"Mhm!"

Xiao Qingli hummed happily, leaning into his embrace and contentedly enjoying his caress.

Meanwhile, on Zixiao Peak.

The System suddenly opened its eyes, a cold sneer forming.

"The aura of Destiny. Instead of running away, you chose to march straight into my stronghold? There is a road to Heaven, yet you refuse to take it; there is no door to Hell, yet you barge right in."

"Heh heh heh heh..."

"Then do not blame me for being ruthless..."