Chapter 137 - In the Camp

Xi He didn’t return to the hut until Beiming Youyu disappeared from sight and her aura disappeared from her perception.

“I’m the only one left.”

She blurted out unconsciously.

She actually wants someone to be with her, she really does. The burden on her shoulders is really heavy, it’s so heavy that she would like to find someone to share it with her.

But she knows that if she really asks someone to share it with her, to be frank, it’ll just be selfish of her. What’s more, in the entire Martial Demon Realm, who can bear this burden alongside her?

In fact, she can ignore everything that is going to happen in Martial Demon Realm. After all, no matter how noisy it gets on the periphery, it can’t affect her who is living in the depths of Martial Demon Realm.

However, she doesn’t want to see that tragic scene again.

The bloody killing, the merciless devastation, and the bitter crying that follows.

She doesn’t want to see it again.

Therefore, she made up her mind to defend this forest that is her homeland.

At all cost.

After making up her mind once again, Xi He came to the table in order to tidy up things.

Consequently, she found out that…

“Xi He, I know that you want to trap that gal with your innate skill, but she is proficient in unorthodox arts. I’m afraid you won’t succeed. Although I don’t know if it’ll work, but you can…”

There are beautiful words that give off a sense of vicissitudes of life carved on the table. They were carved with true qi.

Stroking the words carved on the table, Xi He uttered, in a daze: “Big Sister Beiming, I have received your power.”

*

A raging campfire is swaying and crackling.

Bathed in the light of the fire, the warmth is just right to summon the Sandman. Xue Qilin yawned, and tears appeared in the corners of her eyes. The black cat-shaped Phecda is already sleeping in her arms, curled up.

Xue Qilin often mocks Phecda, saying that she is this drowsy because she became a black cat.

However, in fact, this is only the case because maintaining Transfiguration around the clock consumes too much physical strength. Just like using martial arts, it not only consumes true qi, but also consumes physical strength. The same is true for spells.

At the other end of the campfire, Shui Yun’er is practicing magic. There is a stream of water flowing along her arm, towards her palm, and shuttling between the slander fingers, as if it has a life of its own.

This is a game to exercise magic control.

When Xue Qilin just started studying magic, she fell in love with this game. While practicing cultivation deep in the mountains, this game could not only pass the time, but it also served as an exercise, and so it gradually became the thing she likes to do in her spare time.

However, after she finished studying magic and went down the mountain, due to the many temptations of the outside world, she gradually abandoned this game that has accompanied her for more than 10 years.

Xue Qilin yawned again. She simply lay flat on the ground and looked out of the camp, bored.

“What, their practicing the sword…”

From between the cloth curtains, she can see Gong Tianqing and the Nangong siblings practicing by the lake.

After watching for a while, Xue Qilin sighed in admiration.

“I didn’t expect… Little Qing to be this amazing.”

Holding two swords “Heavenly Yin” and “Heavenly Yang” in her hands, Gong Tianqing is dexterously dealing with attacks coming from both sides.

Due to Nangong Mingming’s qi school aptitude, Xue Qilin processed her initiate short sword with magic and engraved a magic array on it, turning it into a medium for magic. As long as Nangong Mingming injects true qi into the short sword and activates the spell engraved on the sword body, she can construct a variety of true qi swords based on the short sword with her will, which can be said that she has mastered a simplified version of condensing qi into swords.

Now she is using qi swords to release a flurry of attacks barreling towards Gong Tianqing from different directions.

Compared to his sister, Nangong Mingye’s attacks are much more crude. The purple broad sword in his hands is slashing towards Gong Tianqing with wide movements.

Perhaps it is the bloodline bond at play, but the Nangong siblings cooperate very well. If one of them attacks, the other will restrain the opponent, making it difficult for the opponent to fight back.

Despite this, Gong Tianqing still seems to be at ease.

It’s like she’s a different person.

Brandishing both swords tidily, whether it is repelling attacks or counterattacking, it is perfectly accurate and has a certain sense of beauty.

Is this really Gong Tianqing? Xue Qilin couldn’t help but doubt her eyes.

“You mustn’t judge Junior Disciple Sister Gong by her usually timid demeanor…”

Noticing Xue Qilin’s surprise, Shui Yun’er looked away from the flow of water that depicts various lines and focused on her.

“She is the strongest Human Realm disciple in Merak Temple.”

“What!”

Xue Qilin exclaimed, incredulous. It took a lot of effort for her to swallow the words “how is this possible”.

Shui Yun’er covered her mouth with a hand and giggled twice.

“Is it hard to believe? Junior Disciple Sister Gong seems very timid, like a small animal.”

Xue Qilin nodded her head in agreement.

But… As if her face is expressing this word, Shui Yun’er turned her head to look at Gong Tianqing who had just leaned sideways to avoid a slash.

“She is actually very strong… both in terms of martial arts and heart. Young Teacher, can you imagine a person who looks this cowardly to have such a superb swordsmanship.”

With a slight admiration on her face, Shui Yun’er assessed with a sigh.

“People can’t be measured by their appearance. A long time ago, someone once said to me, ‘it is not power but the heart that makes a person strong’. I seem to understand it a little now. A formidable power may give you a lot, but it can’t equip your heart.”

What dazzles people’s eyes is not a Grandmaster’s radiance, but the image of a person pursuing something wholeheartedly.

Xue Qilin appears to be moved. At the same time, she asked herself “am I a strong person?”

There is no answer, she has no answer.

“Some people seem strong, but in fact are extremely frail.”

The self-deprecating expression Shui Yun’er assumed on her face seems to be saying “just like me”.

Her inability to trust others ultimately culminated in a catastrophe, hurting people who cared about her – this way, Shui Yun’er may be really weak.

However, I who am always afraid of repeating the same mistake am not much better than her. Xue Qilin thought.

“Young Ancestor, … Shui” Qian Duoduo who is using the camp fire to cook meat soup looked at Shui Yun’er and scratched his head, “I don’t know how to address you.”

He may not have been able to adapt to Shui Yun’er’s change in seniority yet.

“Senior Disciple Brother Qian, I don’t think you need to care too much about seniority. No matter experience or cultivation base, you’re ahead of me in both.”

Putting experience aside, it’s hard to predict who’d win if Qian Duoduo and Shui Yun’er fought.

Although Qian Duoduo’s cultivation base is already approaching the Earth Realm, but Shui Yun’er changed to cultivating magic and replaced qi passageways with “magic lines” to serve as a path for true qi to circulate according to the cultivation method. Since this is the case, it is difficult to measure her true strength by relying on notion of realm. Therefore, not even Xue Qilin can tell if she can beat Qian Duoduo when going all out.

Without dwelling on it a long time, Qian Duoduo laughed straightforwardly.

“Then I’ll respectfully oblige and call you Senior Disciple Sister Shui.”

“Actually, you can call me Junior Disciple Sister Shui like before.”

“That won’t do. Calling you Senior Disciple Sister already breaches several degrees of seniority. It is too much of a stretch to call you Junior Disciple Sister.”

Qian Duoduo waved his hands and Shui Yuner smiled helplessly.

“Then I’ll comply with you, Senior Disciple Brother Qian… Junior Disciple Brother Qian.”

Seeing that they are as embarrassed as a young couple who just started dating, Xue Qilin, who has never been in a relationship, is a bit upset.