Chapter 8

Chapter 8

The inn was simply too expensive to keep staying in. Before she could scrape together enough money for travel expenses, Qiao Ying decided to rent a simple little house and live there for a while.

She had almost no experience haggling with people, but fortunately, she knew how to “sell misery.”

“Our family has fallen on hard times, and our parents are gone. Now it’s only my elder brother and me, depending on each other to survive. You saw him too-my brother is in poor health, and his medicine costs a fortune every month. Please, just take it as doing a good deed. Could you lower the rent by ten percent?”

Qiao Ying’s eyes were watery as she looked at the broker, as if she were gazing at her savior.

Being stared at like that by such a pretty young lady, the broker couldn’t help feeling a strange, vain thrill of being a “savior.” Then he looked to the side.

Shen Qingyu stood quietly behind Qiao Ying, his white hair and blue robes set off by the white silk blindfold. His smile was faint, and the gentleness around him was like a spring breeze. Just standing there, he made people feel at ease.

The broker gritted his teeth. “Fine. Consider it my good deed for the day. I’ll earn a little less and take ten percent off the rent.”

Qiao Ying beamed. “Big Brother, you’re such a good person!”

For the sake of that “Big Brother” from a pretty girl, the broker practically floated away when he left.

The house Qiao Ying rented was in a run-down alley. It had two rooms and a small courtyard. With a little repair and tidying, they would be able to move in.

Of course, security in a place like this-almost a slum-wasn’t very good. But with a great being like Shen Qingyu around, there definitely wouldn’t be any problem.

No one had lived here for a long time, so it needed a thorough cleaning.

Holding a broom, Qiao Ying bustled back and forth between the rooms and the courtyard. When she looked up, she saw the Youth in Blue sitting on the steps, stroking that Blind Staff as if listening to the sound of the wind. He looked utterly comfortable and at ease.

For a moment, she felt deeply wronged. She rushed over and planted herself in front of him.

Shen Qingyu seemed to sense her unfriendly gaze. He lifted his face as though “staring” at her, then tilted his head slightly.

“I’m working so hard, and you’re sitting here enjoying the breeze.”

Shen Qingyu tilted his head to the other side. “Is there a problem?”

“Of course there’s a problem!” Qiao Ying shoved a rag into his hand and ordered him fiercely, “You’re so tall. You go wipe down the cabinets, tables, chairs, and windows. Make them all clean.”

With that, Qiao Ying picked up the broom and went back inside.

Shen Qingyu sat there in a daze for quite a while, clutching the rag in his hand.

Where exactly had she gotten the courage to order him around?

But then again, she was someone who, after seeing the brutal methods he used to kill “people,” could still sleep peacefully beside him that very same night. Her courage had indeed never been small.

Her shouting came from inside the house again. “Shen Qingyu, if we don’t finish the work today, we don’t get to eat!”

She really did not treat him like a blind person at all.

Listening to her completely nonthreatening threat, Shen Qingyu seemed to sigh helplessly. He felt for the Blind Staff, got to his feet, and turned to walk into the house.

By the time the moon hung high in the sky, the house was finally more or less cleaned up, and the two of them could sit down together to eat.

On the table were two dishes, one meat and one vegetable. Neither looked very good.

Qiao Ying placed the bowl and chopsticks into his hands, then glanced at the two plates and cleared her throat. “Let me say this first: I don’t know how to cook. I only managed to make this meal after asking the Zhao family’s cook for some last-minute advice. People who don’t cook have no right to complain that the person who cooked made something bad. Even if it tastes bad, you still have to finish it.”

He smiled. “I understand.”

Qiao Ying was a little worried that Shen Qingyu would be in an extremely bad mood if he ate something unpleasant. And if his mood turned bad, maybe he would attack her the same way he had killed that Chang Ghost.

But her ability was what it was. Even if he held a knife to her throat, she still couldn’t make any delicacies. So she simply adjusted her mindset and gave up struggling.

Qiao Ying tasted a bite of her own cooking. It was burnt and rather hard to swallow. She forced it down, then looked to the other side. Shen Qingyu’s expression did not change at all. He ate as calmly as if he were eating peanut cakes.

Did he have something wrong with his sense of taste, or was he just far better at enduring things than ordinary people?
Qiao Ying was well aware that her cooking was terrible, so she did not have the courage to ask what he thought of it. After they finished eating, she gathered up the bowls and chopsticks. “I’ll wash the dishes. You wipe the table.”

Shen Qingyu really did have a good temper. “All right.”

Qiao Ying went into the kitchen, then suddenly heard the sound of water. Following the sound, she looked out the window and saw that the water vat in the courtyard was actually rippling.

Curious, Qiao Ying set down what she was holding and walked outside.

The moon was high overhead, and the night was deep. At some point, the vat had been filled to the brim with water. A catfish was swimming back and forth inside it, though its tail seemed to be injured. Quite a few of its scales had fallen off, and blood was seeping out.

Qiao Ying stared at the fish in the vat in confusion.

Who had filled it with water?

And where had the fish come from?

She clearly remembered that when they had entered this courtyard during the day, the vat had been empty.

Qiao Ying reached into the water, just about to catch the catfish, when dots of firefly-like light drifted past, slowly drawing a beautiful arc before her eyes.

When she looked more closely, she realized it was not a firefly, but a tiny insect, glowing a ghostly green all over, of some unknown species.

Qiao Ying knew very well that this world was full of bizarre things. The best way to avoid trouble was not to provoke it.

She suppressed her curiosity, shifted two steps to the left, and went around the little insect.

However, the insect quickly fluttered its wings and stopped in front of her again.

Qiao Ying frowned and moved three more steps to the left.

The little green point of light flew over again.

Holding her breath, Qiao Ying slowly took a step back. Then, while the insect was not paying attention, she lifted her skirt and quickly ran in the opposite direction.

When she looked back, the insect was still hot on her heels. Seeing that it was about to fly right into her face, she panicked, chose a direction at random, and with another thunk, crashed into the osmanthus tree in the courtyard.

She covered her nose, stomping in place from the pain.

A light laugh sounded, clear and tinged with teasing. The Youth in Blue leaned against the doorway, the smile playing at the corners of his lips especially carefree.

Qiao Ying said in a muffled voice, “Stop laughing. A little green insect flew into our courtyard. It’s really strange.”

He said, “It’s a Bixiu Demon Insect.”

“A Bixiu Demon Insect?”

“A low-level insect that can track demonic energy and loves drinking demon blood most of all.”

Wasn’t that basically a mosquito among demons?

A sudden buzzing sound drew close. The green insect had gotten near Qiao Ying again.

Nervously, she asked, “Why is it chasing me?”

“Perhaps it likes you?”

“Th-then if it bites me, what will happen?”

“If an ordinary demon is bitten a few times, it just loses a bit of blood. Nothing too serious. But if it were a human, especially a human as weak as you…”

Qiao Ying swallowed. “What would happen?”

Shen Qingyu said with a smile, “Perhaps it would bite a big hole in you, peel off a layer of skin, and carve out a little flesh and blood too.”

Qiao Ying hugged herself tightly. Seeing the little green insect draw closer again, she looked up and said, “Shen Qingyu, hurry up and drive this insect away!”

Shen Qingyu sounded utterly unmotivated. “No. I’m busy wiping the table.”

The green insect was already right in front of her.

Both frightened and angry, Qiao Ying ran toward him. “Shen Qingyu!”

So her courage was not all that great after all.

Shen Qingyu only smiled without saying a word, listening to her frantic commotion as though it were a rather entertaining little game.

All at once, a sharp whistle split the air. His smile vanished.

Qiao Ying also saw the long sword flying through the air. Instinctively, she covered her head and shut her eyes. At the same time, a gust of wind swept past.

In the flutter of blue robes, he was already standing in front of Qiao Ying. The white silk blindfold covered his eyes, yet it did not affect the young man’s precision in the slightest. His raised fingertips lightly touched the blade, and the long sword that had been shooting toward them shifted an inch off course. The blade grazed his shoulder and nailed itself into the tree trunk behind him, humming without cease.

Qiao Ying opened her eyes, still shaken, and hurriedly hid behind him.

The gentle smile on Shen Qingyu’s face had not faded, and his tone remained calm. “We have a guest.”