Chapter 9

Chapter 9: My body holds your blood, in this life our kinship knows no other

The streets were packed with pedestrians of all ages—men and women alike, dressed in simple, unpretentious attire of various colors. People strolled at a leisurely pace, and the cries of hawkers echoed endlessly. Every face wore a different expression: some looked around in curious wonder, others chatted happily with companions, and at a stall ahead, people were arguing fiercely over a mismatched price. A glance across the scene revealed a lively and bustling atmosphere.

On both sides of the road, stalls stood shoulder to shoulder. The accessory stalls were crowded with young maidens, where various gemstone pendants glittered brilliantly under the sunlight, capturing the girls' gazes.

Liu Qingqing pushed her way through the crowd, pulling Xiao Yichen by the hand as she kept running forward. Passing a stall selling dolls, her attention was instantly caught by the clay figurines on display, and she insisted that Xiao Yichen buy her one.

"Boss, how much for this clay figurine?" ………… …………

At noon, lunchtime arrived. The two of them sat inside an inn. Liu Qingqing held the clay figurine in her left hand, turning it around in the air, while her right hand continuously stuffed candied haws into her mouth. The floor was covered with the fruits of her shopping spree, leaving Xiao Yichen feeling quite helpless as he muttered inwardly: "Shopping really is a woman's innate nature."

Xiao Yichen looked at the young girl playing to her heart's content in front of him, gently shook his head, and said, "Senior Sister, the dishes will be served right away. Stop eating these snacks for now."

"Oh, Brother Xiao, I already told you to call me Qingqing when we're outside. Besides, from now on, outside the sect I'll call you brother, and inside the sect you'll call me sister. Did you remember that?" As she spoke, she reached out to grab the candied haws that Xiao Yichen had taken away from her. But since the proper meal was about to be served, how could Xiao Yichen possibly give them back? Furious, she tried to snatch them back while muttering incessantly, "Brother, what are you doing? Hurry up and give the candied haws back to Sister."

Their playful commotion caught the attention of the surrounding diners, who smiled as they looked at the two of them, assuming this strange form of address was just a playful banter between young lovers. After managing to coax Liu Qingqing into a good mood, the dishes were mostly served. Looking at the braised pork knuckles and chicken drumsticks before her, Liu Qingqing showed not a shred of a maiden's modesty, stuffing food into her mouth frantically in a way that gave the surrounding diners a start.

"How long has this little girl gone without a meal? She's so starved." "Exactly. It seems her family doesn't care much for her."

Hearing the whispered discussions around them, Xiao Yichen had no choice but to lower his head awkwardly. While slowly eating the rice in his bowl, he kept serving food into Liu Qingqing's bowl. A pack mule had to look the part of a pack mule, and emotional support had to be delivered to the maximum.

When the two of them had eaten their fill, they stepped out of the inn. Liu Qingqing patted her round little belly, linked her arm through Xiao Yichen's, and walked toward the Flower Lake that the diners inside the inn had been discussing.

Along the way, a gentle breeze blew, carrying wisps of floral fragrance. A radiant smile hung on Liu Qingqing's face as her bright, expressive eyes looked around in curiosity.

Following the bluestone-paved path, the two soon arrived at the Flower Lake. Seeing the scattered boats upon the water, Liu Qingqing blinked her big eyes and gazed with utter envy at the pairs of men and women on the boats.

Seeing this, Xiao Yichen led her straight to a nearby boatman, spent a bit of silver to rent a small boat, and stepped aboard with Liu Qingqing. He took charge of rowing the oars, while Liu Qingqing sat at the bow, splashing the water for fun. From time to time, small fish would leap out of the water, making her giggle brightly.

Xiao Yichen looked at the fragments of silver in his pouch and sighed with some emotion, "Thanks for Dahuang's generous assistance. How can you take a girl out without any money?" …………

At the Back Mountain of the Meiyu Sect, Dahuang was scratching at the dirt everywhere, searching for the prey it had hidden away earlier—food it had saved for the winter. After a long while, it sat flat on the ground and let out a mournful cry toward the sky, filled with utter reluctance. …………

Returning to the Flower Lake, the two of them were now leisurely enjoying their time of relaxation."Brother Xiao, look." Liu Qingqing suddenly pointed at a passing boat where a man and a woman stood at the bow, locked in a deep embrace.

Xiao Yichen glanced briefly at the couple, then looked back at Liu Qingqing standing at the bow of his boat, gazing with immense envy at the slowly departing pair.

Xiao Yichen smiled. Since he had already agreed to accompany her, he couldn't very well go back on his word. Besides, he rather liked this little girl. *Having such a quirky, mischievous little sister is actually not bad at all,* he thought to himself.

He put down the oars, stood up, and walked slowly toward Liu Qingqing. Seeing him approach, a sudden blush bloomed across her face.

When he reached her, Xiao Yichen proactively opened his arms. But Liu Qingqing, by contrast, suddenly seemed somewhat ill at ease.

"If we do this... won't we be wronging Senior Sister Yun?" Liu Qingqing kept her hands clasped behind her back, her fingers twirling in circles as she asked in a soft, conflicted voice.

Hearing this, dark lines crossed Xiao Yichen's face.

*Is this little girl messing with me?*

He dropped his arms, took her small hand, and sat down slowly with her on the edge of the boat. He rubbed her head gently and said, "Qingqing, in this world, mutual affection isn't exclusive to romantic companions. Take you and Senior Sister Yun, for example—your relationship isn't that of companions either, yet do you like her?"

"Of course! Senior Sister Yun is so good to me, of course I like her."

Seeing Liu Qingqing nod without the slightest hesitation, Xiao Yichen smiled softly and continued, "Then we can actually have that kind of relationship too—not as romantic companions, merely as brother and sister."

At these words, Liu Qingqing drooped her head, her lips softly and repeatedly murmuring the two words "brother and sister." She had been parentless since childhood, wandering from place to place and surviving on scraps left by others. If not for the good fortune of being taken in by the sect, she would likely have turned to dust long ago.

Xiao Yichen watched her quietly. He knew that Liu Qingqing's feelings for him weren't the romantic kind at all. To put it bluntly, she had simply been provoked by the senior sisters in the sect; watching senior brothers and sisters form pairs day in and day out, it would be a lie to say she wasn't envious.

As if she had figured something out, Liu Qingqing suddenly raised her head to stare at him. Before he could react, she threw her arms around him in a tight hug, and the next moment, Xiao Yichen felt a sharp pain shoot through his neck.

"Qingqing, what are you doing?" He wanted to resist, but his strength simply wouldn't allow it. Liu Qingqing wrapped her arms around his waist and sank her teeth fiercely into his neck. Within moments, he felt his skin pierced by her little canine teeth, and his blood being steadily sucked into her mouth.

*Does this little girl have some kind of demonic bloodline?* Just as Xiao Yichen was about to pass out from blood loss, Liu Qingqing finally pulled her mouth away from his neck.

Looking at Xiao Yichen, who was slightly anemic and swaying on the verge of collapse, Liu Qingqing smiled somewhat sheepishly, pulled a pill from her tunic, and popped it into his mouth.

After a long while, Xiao Yichen slowly recovered from his dizziness. Seeing Liu Qingqing clinging to him in his arms like a koala, he felt a twinge of panic and tried to push her away, but he still lacked the strength.

"Qingqing, why did you just drink my blood?"

At that, Liu Qingqing lifted her head from his chest, widened her big eyes, and looked at him with a beaming smile. "Hehe, that way my body will carry the exact same bloodline as yours! From today on, we're the closest people in the world, Big Brother..." With that, she buried her little head back into Xiao Yichen's chest and nuzzled it affectionately.

Hearing this explanation, Xiao Yichen felt completely numb, his worldview shattered on the spot.

*Is that how bloodlines are inherited in the cultivation world?! All those years of compulsory education were for nothing.*