Lian Qiao was a bit dazed.
With her hands braced against the edge of Lu Wujiu’s bed, she blinked, staring at the abdominal muscles right before her eyes, momentarily speechless with surprise.
In that instant, she suddenly recalled what Yan Wushuang had once said.
Yan Wushuang had claimed that the most perfect man in her mind would have Lu Wujiu’s face paired with the body of their eldest senior brother.
The reason was that she liked tall, imposing men with well-defined muscles, and someone like Lu Wujiu—slender and elegant, ethereal and otherworldly—was probably not that type.
Lian Qiao had once wholeheartedly agreed, but seeing him up close today, she realized she had been completely mistaken.
Lu Wujiu appeared unassuming and reserved, yet who would have thought the sight beneath his clothes could rival his face?
The lines were smooth, neither scrawny nor exaggerated, flowing seamlessly down to his lower abdomen. Lian Qiao’s gaze slowly drifted downward, and when she caught a glimpse of a slight bulge, she frowned slightly, feeling it was somewhat out of place. However, before she could figure out why it seemed off, the clothing in her hands was swiftly snatched away like flowing clouds and draped gracefully over Lu Wujiu.
In the blink of an eye, he was fully dressed, standing two steps away and looking back coldly.
“What are you doing?”
His tone was icy, tinged with a hint of scrutiny.
Only then did Lian Qiao realize exactly what she had been staring at…
She awkwardly withdrew her hands and scrambled up from the bed in a flurry: “It’s all a misunderstanding, just an accident!”
She knew her earlier actions were highly suspicious, but heavens above, she truly only wanted to get closer to detoxify him—she hadn’t intended anything else!
What was strange was how easily Lu Wujiu’s sash had come undone?
Especially with an outsider like her present?
She had assumed someone with his aloof, unapproachable temperament would sleep wrapped up tightly in multiple layers.
Lu Wujiu seemed unconvinced by her explanation. When he glanced back, his eyes were dark and inscrutable, making it hard to discern his emotions.
Lian Qiao fidgeted with her fingers, feeling flustered, when a sudden inspiration struck: “Actually, there was a mosquito just now—a particularly large one—sucking your blood. I was trying to swat it for you. Why are you making such a big deal out of it?”
Lu Wujiu replied indifferently, “How big was this mosquito that you needed to move a stool over? Were you planning to hit it with the stool?”
Lian Qiao: “…”
She gritted her teeth and insisted, “It was huge, because… because it was a Demon Mosquito, naturally much larger and more formidable than an ordinary mosquito!”
As soon as she finished speaking, the atmosphere noticeably fell silent.
“Are you saying mosquitoes can become spirits?” Lu Wujiu raised an eyebrow slightly.
Lian Qiao could only brazenly continue her fabrication: “Although it’s rare for mosquitoes to become spirits, if mantises can, why not mosquitoes? Don’t you remember? I have the innate talent of Hundred-Demon Sight. When I was three, I even performed a great feat by catching a major demon spy!”
Mentioning this past event, Lu Wujiu truly fell silent for a moment.
Because the incident was so absurd, it had been classified as a top-secret event within Wuxiang Zong, never to be disclosed.
Even now, Lian Qiao still found it astonishing to recall.
The reason she often claimed to be exceptionally gifted was not only because she possessed Nine-Stage Spiritual Roots but also because of a little-known talent—Hundred-Demon Sight.
It might not sound like much, but in reality, demonic nature is fickle and ever-changing. If a powerful demon deliberately disguises itself in human form and conceals its aura, it is extremely difficult for Cultivators to detect.
Once, there was a great demon who not only took human form and infiltrated Wuxiang Zong, but even managed, against all odds, to become the master of one of its peaks. For years, no one discovered the truth.
It wasn’t until a banquet, when this great demon picked up the three-year-old Lian Qiao, playfully poking her chubby arms, that things took a turn.
Lian Qiao giggled with delight and, in her innocence, grabbed the demon’s arm, exclaiming that he had many more arms than she did—six in total!
Upon hearing this, the entire hall fell silent.
At first, everyone dismissed it as childish nonsense, forcing awkward laughs to cover their embarrassment.
But later, when the “arm” Lian Qiao was holding revealed its true form, complete with barbs, the crowd exchanged uneasy glances, realizing the situation was far more complicated than they had imagined.
Thus, the banquet ended abruptly with the shocking revelation that the master of Bihua Peak was actually a great demon in the form of a Compound-Eye Mantis, plunging the gathering into unprecedented chaos…
It was then that Lian Qiao’s father discovered her innate talent for the Hundred-Demon Sight.
However, her father was an exceptionally cautious man, believing that standing out would invite trouble. Fearing the demon realm would target her, he publicly downplayed it as a “child’s accidental discovery,” brushing the matter aside.
Wuxiang Zong, too afraid of losing face, dared not launch a large-scale pursuit even after the provoking Compound-Eye Mantis escaped. They even classified the incident as top secret.
As a result, few knew of Lian Qiao’s gift—except for Lu Wujiu.
To outshine him, Lian Qiao had no choice but to use her ability in his presence. Over time, it was inevitably noticed by someone as sharp-eyed as he was.
But Lu Wujiu was never one to gossip, or perhaps in his eyes, everyone else was equally mediocre, making an extra talent nothing special. Lian Qiao never caught him mentioning it to others.
So now, when Lian Qiao mentioned that she could tell the mosquito had become a demon, Lu Wujiu couldn’t directly refute her.
He mused thoughtfully, “Demon Mosquitoes are indeed rare. But even as a spirit, this mosquito is quite peculiar—going against its nature by ignoring blood and instead clinging to clothing?”
Lian Qiao: “…”
Even she could tell he was mocking her!
Flustered and angry, she retorted, “Who’s clinging to your clothes? It was an accident! What’s there even worth looking at?”
Lu Wujiu replied flatly, “Oh, nothing? Then why were your eyes glued earlier?”
Lian Qiao crossed her arms. “I was just surprised. Who knew someone so arrogant could be so… ordinary, no different from anyone else?”
She emphasized the word “ordinary,” and Lu Wujiu’s hands paused as he tied his sash. “So, you’ve seen many people and are quite experienced?”
Lian Qiao lifted her chin. “Of course! So, since you’re nothing special, why would I bother looking at you on purpose? I told you, it was an accident—all because of this Gu poison…”
She stubbornly rambled on about the annoyances of the Gu poison.
Lu Wujiu glanced down and noticed her slightly reddened earlobes, standing upright like cat ears, tinged with a faint pink.
His originally cold tone softened just a bit.
He said calmly, “Did I say I didn’t believe you?”
Only then did Lian Qiao fall silent.
Then, Lu Wujiu walked toward the bedside. As he turned, he gave her a glance: "You can come over now."
After a pause, he added, "Within one step is fine too."
With just one sentence, he directly exposed Lian Qiao's earlier pretense.
Lian Qiao stammered, "Who… who said I have to stay within one step of you tonight?"
"Didn't you?" Lu Wujiu replied. "Never mind then."
With that, he raised his hand to pull the screen by the bedside closed. Lian Qiao, quick as lightning, rushed forward to stop him: "Wait!"
She managed to press down the screen, but in her haste, her hand landed right on top of Lu Wujiu's.
As their hands overlapped, Lu Wujiu lowered his gaze slightly.
Lian Qiao swiftly withdrew her hand, hiding it behind her back.
Ahhh, this is the end—she actually touched Lu Wujiu's hand!
And she was the one who initiated it!
Lian Qiao's heart was in turmoil, and her expression shifted rapidly.
Just as she was wondering how to explain herself, she noticed that Lu Wujiu had already walked behind the screen, as if he hadn't paid any attention to what had just happened.
So Lian Qiao calmed down as well. Right, it was just a touch of the hand—what was the big deal?
She cleared her throat: "That's right, during this episode, I do need to stay within one step of you. But don't worry, I would never do anything to you."
As she spoke, she came up with an idea: "How about we spar?"
Lu Wujiu, who had been standing with his hands behind his back lost in thought, lifted his eyelids: "…What did you say?"
But Lian Qiao was quite pleased with herself: "Let's have a close-quarters match. I'll attack, and you defend. That way, we can stay within one step without having to look at each other with disgust!"
After saying this, she felt she was truly a genius to have come up with such a brilliant idea.
Lu Wujiu, however, showed no emotion, his gaze cold. Lian Qiao took this as agreement and immediately launched an attack, executing a move called "White Crane Spreads Its Wings."
Unexpectedly, before she could even touch Lu Wujiu, he pressed her down onto the pillow.
Lu Wujiu leaned over her, his tone not particularly pleasant: "Can you just settle down?"
Lian Qiao was baffled: "Are you tired? Don't feel like fighting tonight?"
Lu Wujiu neither confirmed nor denied it, simply watching her quietly for a moment.
Lian Qiao thought he was acting strange tonight: "Could it be that today's Barrier Technique drained you?"
Lu Wujiu still didn't respond.
Lian Qiao pondered further: "Or is it that Miss He drained your Spiritual Qi?"
Lu Wujiu's tone turned displeased: "…Can you speak properly?"
But Lian Qiao felt she had hit a sore spot. She smiled gleefully: "It's just a minor spell. I never expected you to be so weak and frail despite your tough exterior!"
"Frail?" Lu Wujiu glanced at her.
"Isn't that the case?"
Lian Qiao was overjoyed, mentally calculating whether she could perform the spell better than Lu Wujiu. The more she thought about it, the more convinced she became.
In her wild imagination, she completely failed to notice the increasingly profound look in Lu Wujiu's eyes, nor did she notice that his posture leaning over her was somewhat intimate. She also didn't notice that as she laughed uncontrollably, Lu Wujiu's hand pressing her down tightened slightly, leaving a red mark on her snow-white wrist.
Only after she finished laughing did she realize that Lu Wujiu had leaned down at some point, now uncomfortably close to her…
Lian Qiao finally sensed something amiss. Her eyes darted around: "Isn't it enough to just stay within one step? Why are you so close to me?"
Lu Wujiu watched her quietly. After a long moment, his thin lips parted slightly, as if he were about to say something.
At that moment, Lian Qiao suddenly felt a wave of relief wash over her. The heat that had been lurking deep within her body was instantly and completely drained away.
She immediately pushed Lu Wujiu away, rolled off him, and sighed with relief: "The two-hour mark has passed, I'm fine now!"
After stretching her limbs, Lian Qiao finally remembered Lu Wujiu. She turned back, her eyes clear and innocent: "What were you about to say earlier?"
Lu Wujiu merely pressed his fingers to his brow: "…It's nothing."
Lian Qiao clicked her tongue twice: "So tired, huh? You're so physically weak, you really need to nourish yourself properly."
"Nourish?" Lu Wujiu raised his eyes.
Lian Qiao blinked: "Of course. At your age, you can't afford to be lacking."
Lu Wujiu raised an eyebrow. Uncharacteristically, he didn't retort. Instead, the corner of his mouth lifted slightly: "Then I shall certainly fulfill your wish."
Lian Qiao was about to ask what nourishing his body had to do with her when a terrifying thought suddenly occurred to her, sparked by his smile.
The first time this Gu flared up, the two of them had to stay within five steps of each other. The second time, it was within three steps. This time, it was within one step. So next time, it would naturally be… negative distance…
Her smile froze abruptly.
Damn, it really does have something to do with her!
Didn't she just dig her own grave?
The two of them are currently not on the same wavelength, haha.