While hurrying to Xie Xuanqing’s location, I put the yin-yang fish back on my ear. I still needed to monitor Xiaxia’s situation at all times.
If she woke up, I would still have a chance to switch places with her. After all, the most fatal flaw in my impersonation of Xiaxia was that I had Xie Zhuo’s blood in me.
Xie Zhuo’s cultivation level was so much higher than mine, this was something I could never hide, no matter how hard I tried.
Last time, Xie Xuanqing said he noticed something unusual about me the first time he saw me.
But at that time, Xie Xuanqing already knew Xiaxia, so he didn’t do anything to me.
This time, however, I had returned to before our meeting. As a strange woman carrying his blood, going to find him, this would certainly arouse his suspicion.
At our first meeting, it would be best not to give Xie Xuanqing a bad impression of me, but this was unavoidable. I could only hope that Xie Xuanqing was severely injured, with unclear consciousness, too blind to recognize the truth.
I just needed to get through today; in the future ten-plus days while Xie Xuanqing was unconscious, I would have plenty of time to devise strategies with Xiaxia.
This was a reckless move, but with the urgent situation and limited time, there weren’t many other options left for me. Rather than waiting passively for defeat, it was better to take a gamble. Who knows, small rice might turn into a big goose!
Watching the timing, I rushed along the way without hearing Xiaxia’s voice in my mind. At the last moment, I was finally forced to take this step.
Arriving at the place where Xie Xuanqing should be, according to my memory, I faced a small slope that blocked my view. In my memory, beyond this slope, I would see him sitting against two bamboo stalks leaning against each other.
I had come looking for bamboo shoots. Upon seeing him, my first instinct was to run, but Xie Xuanqing had grabbed me. Then there would be a sudden silver light attack.
But Xie Xuanqing would pull me, bringing me into his arms while also allowing me to narrowly avoid the silver light.
Back then, it was because he saved me that I didn’t report this demon to Xi Wang Mu and the immortals, choosing instead to care for him privately.
Counting it up, our first meeting today would only take the blink of an eye, and he was severely injured now, so he wouldn’t have time to see me.
Although this first meeting was important, what mattered more for our relationship was when he woke up after being unconscious for over ten days and saw that I had been caring for him.
After all, so many stories in the mortal realm have been written about this: if a girl saves a boy, but when the boy wakes up, he sees another girl, then the boy will end up with that other girl.
Staying by his side until he wakes up, letting him know of my kindness! That was the most important thing!
Today was just going through the motions of our first meeting.
I had to be confident that Xie Xuanqing wouldn’t discover anything suspicious!
Taking a deep breath to calm my emotions, I then stepped onto the snowy slope.
Just like the scene in my memory, Xie Xuanqing in black clothes was at the bottom of the slope, sitting against two twin bamboo stalks. He was wounded, with blood on his injuries, and the white snow had been stained red with his blood.
The scene was perfect! Matching! It was Xie Xuanqing!
I needed to hurry down; otherwise, when the silver light attack came later, I would miss my cue!
I ran down quickly from the slope, came to Xie Xuanqing’s side, and thoughtfully positioned myself where it would be convenient for him to grab my hand. Then I waited for Xie Xuanqing to look up at me, or for the silver light to shoot toward us.
But I stood there for a while…
Time flowed, light and shadows moved, and the wind in the Snow Bamboo Forest blew until I felt cold.
No silver light came, nor did Xie Xuanqing grab me…
But I did witness Xie Xuanqing opening his eyes.
His pair of pitch-black, deep eyes gazed at me like an abyss.
I looked at him, and he looked at me.
The scene was quiet and a bit awkward.
I couldn’t help but slightly turn my head, glancing at the sun, wondering if I had come too early.
That shouldn’t be the case! It was today! The hour should be now! Then I turned my head slightly backward. If the silver light was from someone pursuing Xie Xuanqing, I almost wanted to urge them to act quickly.
If they didn’t act soon, this scene would differ from my memory!
But no one made a move.
There was only Xie Xuanqing, leaning against the bamboo, looking up at me. I looked back at him; he had blood at the corner of his mouth, not moving, not speaking.
Suddenly, a possibility occurred to me.
“You…”
Could it be Xie Zhuo?
This question arose in my mind, but I didn’t dare to ask. If he weren’t Xie Zhuo, if he were truly Xie Xuanqing, wouldn’t my question cause trouble?
How could someone I just met possibly know his name? If I asked, I would only make myself suspicious! Wouldn’t that plant a landmine for Xiaxia and Xie Xuanqing’s future relationship?
I bit my lip, not daring to ruin my prospects, and could only frantically reason in my mind whether he was or wasn’t…
After hesitating for a long time, I decided to take the safest approach and inquire indirectly.
I crouched down to make my line of sight level with his, reducing my threatening presence. I tried to soften my voice and asked him: “How did you get so badly injured?”
The black pupils rippled slightly.
He stared at me, those pitch-black eyes reflecting only my face.
“Are you in pain?” I continued to ask.
I thought, if he were Xie Xuanqing, my questions would be completely normal. They might even build his favorable impression of me.
Although… I didn’t know if he had noticed the scent of his blood on me after staring at me for so long. But there was his blood all over the place here, so I could find a way to explain it later…