After being reborn, all I want to do is run away.

Chapter 487 The Evil Fire in My Heart

In the early morning, Shen Xu rubbed his eyes and let out a comfortable groan.

For some reason, Tingtao Residence seemed to possess a special magic that always allowed him to let down his guard and fall asleep peacefully.

Stepping out of the room, he took the snow mountain spring water that Qing Ning had prepared and drank it down in large gulps. The clear spring water invigorated him once again.

“Delicious!”

Shen Xu couldn't help but sigh once again that this was the life of immortals.

"Are you going to set sail again today?" Shen Xu asked Qing Ning.

"No need! Tingtao Boat is open one day and closed the next. My sister and I have nothing to do today."

"Oh! I heard that the joint judging panel is coming to Hundred Flowers City today. Would you like to come with me to take a look?"

“There will definitely be a lot of people. I don’t really like crowds. You should go with your sister!” Qing Ning said with a smile.

"You don't like crowds, that doesn't seem like it!"

"How long have you known me? How much do you really know about me?" Qing Ning said, her expression somewhat displeased.

"Qingning, what's wrong?"

"I'm fine!" Qing Ning said coldly, then turned and left him.

Shen Xu was a little confused by the sudden change in attitude. What had he done to offend this girl?

At this moment, Li Linghui slowly walked out of the quiet room. The moment Shen Xu saw her, his eyes lit up.

The woman before him wore a gorgeous moon-white silk dress with silver threads, her flowing sleeves billowing in the wind, and a white jade hairpin swaying gently as she walked.

Sunlight streamed through the porthole and fell upon her, casting a soft glow upon her.

Her eyebrows resembled distant, verdant mountains rendered in ink wash painting, and the moment she raised her eyes, a golden brilliance shimmered within them.

The blush that peeked through her slightly parted lips in the morning light resembled a red plum blossom falling on the snow.

A faint, sweet fragrance emanated from the woman, causing him to waver slightly...

"Master, son..."

The gentle call brought Shen Xu back to reality.

"Excuse me! Miss Li, you look absolutely stunning today." Shen Xu immediately turned his head, swallowed hard, and said somewhat embarrassedly.

Logically speaking, he must have seen many stunning beauties, so how could he lose his composure like that!

"Young master, you can just call me Linghui. Isn't Miss Li too formal?" Li Linghui said with a light laugh as she looked at Shen Xu's behavior.

He had experienced this more than once, and historical experience told him that it was better to obey in this situation.

"Linghui, is there something important that needs to be done today? Why are you dressed so formally?"

Shen Xu felt something was off about him today. Li Linghui had only changed into a nicer outfit, so why was his mood fluctuating so much?

"The joint judging panel will be visiting Hundred Flowers City today. Master Meng invited me to attend the ceremony and also to support Lan Yue Fang."

"I didn't really want to get involved in the grudges of those brothels, but Lady Meng helped me a lot when I was at Lan Yue Fang, so I couldn't refuse her invitation," Li Linghui explained softly.

"I see! That's a pity. I was planning to take you and Qingning to see it!"

"Qing Ning doesn't want to go, and Ling Hui, you have plans too. It'll be no fun for me to go alone." Shen Xu couldn't help but feel a little regretful.

"Qing Ning doesn't want to go? But she promised to go with me to Lan Yue Fang yesterday." Li Linghui was a little surprised, and then she walked gracefully towards Qing Ning's room.

As Li Linghui walked past him, her long, black hair, reaching her waist, drifted past his eyes, and the fresh scent of her hair made him squint.

He bit his tongue lightly, forcibly bringing himself back to his senses. He banged his head hard, but a strange anger still rose in his heart.

He simply couldn't understand how he had suddenly become like this.

He strode to the table and poured the snow spring water from the pot into his mouth repeatedly. The cool spring water gradually calmed him down.

Is it because of yesterday's food, or is it a side effect of practicing the Overlapping Waves technique?

Thinking of this, Shen Xu sat cross-legged on the cushion and activated the divine consciousness crystal in his soul. The next moment, his consciousness appeared in the ruins space.

"Useless!"

Shen Xu was startled. As a Soul Devourer, he should have noticed if someone had tampered with his soul.

"Is this really what I truly feel in my heart?"

Shen Xu took a deep breath; it was best for him to avoid close contact with Li Linghui for the time being.

Back in the real world, Shen Xu opened his eyes to see a stunningly beautiful face, with eyes like shimmering autumn water beneath half-closed eyelashes.

Shen Xu's heart skipped a beat, and his heart began to race.

"Did you not sleep well last night, young master? Or are you feeling hot?" Li Linghui knelt on the ground, wanting to touch his forehead with some concern.

"I'm fine!" Shen Xu immediately stood up, avoiding Li Linghui's hand.

Li Linghui blushed, then slowly stood up. "Qingning said she wants to go to Lanyue Pavilion with me, so I'm afraid you'll be alone today, young master."

"It's alright, I happen to have things to do today too." Shen Xu deliberately distanced himself from Li Linghui.

"By the way, remember to be careful at the Moonlit Pavilion."

"What do you think we need to be careful of, young master?" Li Linghui slowly approached Shen Xu and asked with a smile from behind him.

"There are always some people in the world who want to use their status and position to force others to buy or sell, and some people may force you to serve them."

“Young master’s concerns are very reasonable, but isn’t the purpose of our existence as Fangshi (fragrant envoys) precisely this? If we can attach ourselves to a great figure, we can be said to have reached the sky in one step.”

The arrival of the judging panel is a rare and valuable opportunity for most of the Fang envoys.

Shen Xu chuckled lightly, "If that's really what you think, you wouldn't have left Lan Yue Fang to open Ting Tao Ju."

And even if you manage to curry favor with those people, so what? Human life is cheap in this world, and people are always fickle.

At this point, Shen Xu frowned, recalling some unpleasant images.

"Although what you said is very true, most of the Fang Envoys do not have many choices."

"Whether to wait until she's old and faded and be eliminated by Hundred Flowers City, or to take advantage of her youth and beauty to earn enough capital, seems to be a decision that doesn't require hesitation." There was a hint of melancholy in Li Linghui's voice.

"We seem to have gone off on a tangent. I'm going to stay at Tingtao until the end of the Hundred Flowers Festival, and I've also promised to protect your safety."

Here, take this. It might come in handy if anything happens at the Moonlit Pavilion.

Shen Xu handed his identity jade token from the Four Directions Sword Alliance to Li Linghui.

"What is this?" Li Linghui took the jade token.

When their fingers touched, Shen Xu's body trembled; the warm, soft touch made his breathing quicken.

Turning to look at the morning sun outside the window, Shen Xu forced himself to remain calm and said, "This is my identity jade token in the Four Directions Sword Alliance. Many people in the Four Directions Sword Alliance know me."

“I can’t accept this,” Li Linghui immediately refused.

“I’m not giving it to you, I’m just lending it to you temporarily, so why can’t you accept it?”

"Besides, if some fool forces you to stay at Lan Yue Fang, where am I supposed to find a place as good as Ting Tao Ju?" Shen Xu turned to look at Li Linghui.

"What aspect of Tingtao Residence do you like, young master?" Li Linghui suddenly asked.

“You and Qing Ning are the soul of Tingtao Residence. Without you, I probably wouldn’t have stayed at Tingtao Residence.”

Li Linghui smiled and said, "Does the young master mean he likes me and Qing Ning? Then the young master is a bit greedy!"

"I can give in to you, young master, but please spare Qingning; she's still just a child!"

"Oh? What have I done to deserve the favor of such a beauty?"

Shen Xu gently lifted Li Linghui's face with two fingers, his brow gleaming with a crystal light, his golden-red pupils gazing into her eyes.

But Li Linghui's rosy cheeks and lustful eyes still ignited a nameless fire within him that shot straight to the top of his head.

"Sister, I've changed my clothes, let's go!"

Qing Ning changed into a light blue dress adorned with small floral patterns and walked out of the room with a big smile on her face.