Chapter 33.1

Working On It (1)

Under the moonlight, Shen Rongyu’s figure seemed to be shrouded in a layer of fog. When he came back, he seemed to have brought the fog from the forest, as there were drops of water on his sleeves.

When he entered, the door that usually creaked when pushed made no sound.

The one who was resting on Ji Qingzhou’s sleeve woke up first again. He flapped his wings and flew towards Shen Rongyu, but Shen Rongyu ignored him.

He whined and wanted to attract Shen Rongyu’s attention, but Shen Rongyu only found him noisy, so he pinched his mouth. Youyou could only whimper a couple of times, and then he ran somewhere to play by himself.

Shen Rongyu stepped on the water, and the hem of his coat embroidered with dark clouds fell on the surface of the water noiselessly.

The night breeze was blowing, and as it was late summer and the start of autumn, the breeze was getting colder and colder. It was hot during the day, and Ji Qingzhou was still wearing her thin clothes. It was a pinkish dress that Shen Rongyu had bought for her when he brought her to the market last time, the one which spread like flowers.

Ji Qingzhou was used to shrinking herself to a small figure whenever she slept, and this habit remained even when she was in Shen Rongyu’s courtyard. She also curled her arms and legs. The backs of her feet hidden under her skirt were tense, and her hands on the bamboo bed where she was resting her head were clenched into fists.

When asleep, she usually never dreamed, but sometimes she would emit a trace of tension. For example, in Shen Rongyu’s courtyard, the night wind was cool, and she couldn’t help thinking of the killing intent she perceived in front of Jiang Qianke several times.

She was subjected to the system’s warnings in every Formation Class that followed. Whenever her eyes collided with Jiang Qianke’s, his eyes remained calm and harmless, in sharp contrast to the system’s blunt alarms.

The sleeping Ji Qingzhou clenched her hands tightly. Shen Rongyu walked close to her, leaned forward, hugged her almost bodily, and called out, “Zhouzhou?”

Ji Qingzhou had been keyed up recently and had not slept well. Unexpectedly, she was able to doze off in Shen Rongyu’s courtyard, so she did not answer him.

Shen Rongyu noticed the faint dark spots around her eyes. He picked her up, and the ribbon embellishment on her sleeves fell off. One tip of the ribbon formed a knot in the shape of a flower, delicate and lovely.

Ji Qingzhou tilted her head in his arms and remained asleep. She woke up several times the night before, and it had been a long time since she had such a peaceful sleep.

“Zhouzhou,” Shen Rongyu called her again, but still didn’t get a response.

It was cold outside the house, not to mention that it was surrounded by water. It would inevitably cause harm to the body if she was exposed far longer than necessary. Feeling helpless, Shen Rongyu could only carry her into his room.

With both his arms holding her, he pushed the door open with his toes. A luminous lamp was burning inside the room. The light was dim, and the moonlight outside the door was much brighter than it.

Ji Qingzhou lay on his shoulders, dead to the world, her breathing even.

Shen Rongyu turned his head sideways and looked at her profile. Above her fair and delicate neck, there were delicately shaped ears without any adornment. Her fair earlobes were no longer rosy due to shyness.

All of a sudden, he was reminded of what Ji Qingzhou had said to him some time ago.

— “I’m not tasty.”

Shen Rongyu lowered her head villainously and bit her earlobe, and the big palm that he wrapped around her back slowly tightened.

She was such a petite and light block of wood. Once she was in his arms, it seemed that he could do anything to her.

Ji Qingzhou felt something, but she hadn’t woken up yet because she was terribly sleepy. Shen Rongyu was the only person she was familiar with in this cultivation world.

She turned her head and rubbed her head against the side of his neck because her ears felt itchy.

Shen Rongyu stretched his neck. He gave the impression that he was avoiding her, but he also seemed to be enjoying the intimate touch.

The shadows of candle lights in the room swayed, reflecting the two figures on the wall, like rippling water.

In the end, Shen Rongyu still whispered to her, “If you’re sleepy, go to bed.”

Ji Qingzhou didn’t answer him, but he still put her on his bed. There was no other option. There was only one bed in his courtyard.

The moment Ji Qingzhou’s body touched the bed, she quickly turned over, and automatically shrank to the far corner, gripping the quilt. She felt the safest when asleep this way.

When Shen Rongyu looked down at her, her long eyelashes trembled, and she drifted off once more.

He could guess why Ji Qingzhou had not slept well these days. His hand gently stroked the Burial Snow Sword around his waist, and suddenly asked, “Are you afraid?”

Ji Qingzhou didn’t answer him, and in her deep sleep, his voice seemingly drilled into her ears.

Her brows scrunched up. Wanting to go back to sleep, she could only answer him amidst her jumbled consciousness, “En.”

“Of Jiang Qianke?” Shen Rongyu asked again. He inched closer and sat on the side of the bed. He knew that Ji Qingzhou was not awake. He looked at the moonlight outside the door and asked softly.

When Ji Qingzhou heard the name, her hand gripping the quilt instantly clenched tight. This was what she didn’t understand the most. She had no enmity with Jiang Qianke. Then why did he want to kill her?

She replied again, “En.”

Shen Rongyu glanced at her wrinkled brow. His voice turned crisp and clear, like a dagger slashing into the water, slicing the water surface.

“Then let me kill him,” he said.

Shen Rongyu turned around and went out, closing the door for her.

Ji Qingzhou woke up after a long slumber. It had been ages since she last slept so peacefully. When she woke up, she smelled the familiar scent on the bed.

She quickly rolled over in the bed and sat up, and found that she was indeed Shen Rongyu’s room.

Ji Qingzhou was given a start. She didn’t expect that she had slept for a long time while wool-gathering. She rolled over once more and sat up. She saw that her shoes were neatly placed on the side of the bed.

She stretched her feet out, her bare toes curled up. In the dim light of the room, their fairness glowed.

It must be Shen Rongyu who took off my shoes, Ji Qingzhou thought. Once this idea popped in her head, her toes quickly shrank back as soon as they touched her shoe.

Her mind couldn’t help but visualize how Shen Rongyu must have bent over to help her take off her shoes while she was sleeping. His hair should have slipped from his shoulders and landed on the back of her feet, gently tickling them.