Chapter 098: The Self-Sacrificing Assassination of Teng Jing

"Hmph, is a mere vine poison enough to harm me?" As everyone was in a panic trying to save Liu Hanzhi, they heard her cold voice.
Shui Liusha felt a sense of relief; the true master had returned.
```htmlHua Ruying was still startled to hear her say that.
Liuhang Xi slowly began to chant a spell as she opened her eyes. She noticed that her pupils turned purple, and the redness on her face gradually faded. Holding a bundle of herbs in each hand, she then grasped the vines that were binding her.```
Hua Ru Gui had already been completely drained of her vitality by Hua Qing Kong, leaving her with barely a breath, unable to escape from her grasp. Liu Han Xi halted the curse, and Hua Ru Gui spat out a mouthful of black blood. Following that, the vines loosened their grip and fell to the ground, and she rolled onto the ground as well.
“你……是……戚啸月……”花如瑰看样子，十分惊愕。
“我是柳寒兮，不过，是谁，都不影响收拾你这样的精怪。”柳寒兮答道。
“Are you okay, Xi'er?” Hua Qingkong jumped over and asked. Seeing that her complexion had returned to its original pale color, he felt relieved and took off his own cloak to wrap her up.
“I suppose you won't tell me the whereabouts of the Xuanling Treasure Box either,” Hua Qingkong said, looking at Hua Rugui.
“Hmph! She’s already Qi Xiaoyue, what does she need the treasure box for? Hahahaha! Wang doesn't need to look for the key anymore...” Hua Rugui laughed, her fading body slowly melting away; this was Liu Hanxi's antidote working on her.
Finally, the flower transformed into a puddle of black water, exuding an enchanting floral scent, and then vanished completely from this world.
“Could you think of the spell a bit earlier, instead of only using it when danger arises?” Hua Qingsky shook his head and sighed at Liu Hanzhi.
Liu Hanxi has resumed her original appearance and replied with a smile, "If you don't push a bit, I might not remember! Besides, there's also the celestial master! You don't really need anyone's help to deal with a small spirit, right?"
“You say that, but what will happen if one day I’m not by your side?” Hua Qingkong refused to give in.
“Well, then I’ll just think of a spell.” Liu Hanzhi said shamelessly.
Hua Qingkong wanted to confirm the poison from earlier, just as Shui Liusha approached and handed Liu Hanxi a pill to take. She then said to the crowd, "In the South region, we have many poisonous insects, so mastering the skills of treating poison and detoxifying is essential. You can rest assured, our master ancestor will be fine."
Everyone finally felt at ease.
However, Hua Qingkong had a worried expression on his face. He was pondering why the vine spirit wanted to steal the Xuanling Treasure Box, and why it wanted to kill Liu Hanxi. Who was the "king" she mentioned?
```htmlAs I pondered, I couldn't help but glance at Liu Hanxi.
“I'm just as confused! Don’t look at me,” Liu Hanxi replied, understanding what he was thinking. “Since we've already killed it, it should be fine now, right?”```
“It seems we can't find the Xuanspirit Treasure Box, we need to look for other methods or magical artifacts,” Hua Qingkong said with concern.
“Hmm, it’s fine, no rush. My body doesn't feel any unusual symptoms. The devouring you mentioned might not have started yet, and now that I have acquired some of the priestess's magic, I should be better off. You don't need to worry,” Liu Hanzhi genuinely felt no abnormalities in her body; in fact, she felt even better after restoring her magical power.
“I'll set up a barrier in your room…”
“Sigh, in our yard, besides not having any deities, we have demons, ghosts, humans, celestial masters, and shamans; what kind of beings are you planning to block with a barrier? Forget it.” Liu Hanxi shook her head in refusal, worried about offending these individuals.
“But why don’t you two live together? Living together would solve the problem, right? After all, you both need a celestial master’s protection.” Ji Ya posed a soul-searching question.
Then, everyone turned in unison to look at the two of them.
Even the eloquent Liu Hanxi couldn't find her voice this time.
“Uh… let’s all go back and sleep… It’s late, and we've been up half the night…” Fortunately, Hua Yuanshan was older, so he hurriedly urged everyone out of the courtyard.
“Uh... then I'll go back to my room and sleep.” Liu Hanxi said awkwardly.
But unexpectedly, Hua Qingkong grabbed her and said, “The... the room is messy. Tomorrow... tomorrow I'll clean it up before you move in. You can sleep in my room, and I'll go to the study. Anyway... anyway, I don't need to sleep in a bed...”
Liu Hanxi has been living in the side courtyard where the side consort should reside. Since returning to the royal residence, Hua Qingkong has been staying in a small room next to the study, instead of living in the main building. The main building has already been decorated as a new home, making it inappropriate to live there before the wedding.
“Oh.” Liu Huanxi obediently followed behind him, walking toward his room.
Both of them entered the room where Hua Qingkong lived. Like her room, it was divided into an outer and inner chamber, but it was slightly smaller than hers. The outer room is generally used for daily activities, furnished with a couch and tables and chairs, but his was completely empty, with only a cushion placed in the center and a small incense burner in the corner, emitting a faint fragrance. The inner room was also very simple, with just a bed and a table and chair for resting. Seeing that the bedding on the bed was neatly arranged, Liu Huanxi guessed that it probably wasn’t used for sleeping very much.
```htmlHua Qingkong went to check the bed again, smoothing out the covers before feeling reassured to go out.
Liu Huanxi sat on the bed and found it already warm. She began to remove the blue cloak like Hua Qingkong's, noticing his scent on it—a faint aroma of incense.```
Halfway through, Hua Qingkong came into the house again.
“Ah! Mom! Can you please come in through the door? You scared me to death!” Liu Huanxi went to lift the quilt and turned around, only to find him right behind her.
“I came in through the door!” Hua Qingkong argued.
“Knock on the door! What if I like to sleep naked?” Liu Hanxi rolled into the blanket, saying angrily.
“Oh, alright. Here, take this; don’t you hug it to sleep every night?” Hua Qingkong brought her the half-length fish.
Liuhanxi reached out from under the blanket and pulled the fish into the quilt with one swift motion.
“I’m just next door, if you need anything…” Hua Qingkong's words were left unfinished as a loud, heavy breathing sound came from the bed; what had just been calling out was now soundly asleep.
Hua Qingkong turned off the lights for her, and didn't go out again. Instead, he lowered the curtain separating the back room from the front room, and sat down in the place where he often meditated in the front room, focusing on his cultivation.
Even being next door can't ease his mind; he must stay by her side to feel at ease.
In the first twenty years, the Taoist practices he devoted himself to were for killing ghosts, slaying monsters, pacifying souls, and saving the living. From then on, it would be solely for her protection.
He didn't know when he had started to have such thoughts in his heart. When the idea first popped into his mind, he was surprised, but later, he came to terms with it.
In this world, there are many cultivators who can save the masses, but only he can protect her.
Thinking of this, he sent a letter to his master, Hua Chen, mentioning two things: first, he would marry Liu Hanxi; second, the Xuanling Box might be lost, and he asked if there were any other solutions.
The master, who usually replies quickly, hasn't been in touch this time, and I also don't know where he has gone off to for fun recently. It seems that after getting married, I need to go find him, and I’ll bring Liu Hanxi along. I’m sure she must be tired of staying in Tiandu as well.
Qing Yao watched everything happening in the courtyard from the clouds, still in shock.
She did not linger any longer and returned to the Heavenly Realm.