A long silence hung in the air.
"What do you remember?"
Qin Xi's question made Jing Xingzhi pause.
Remember? He remembered being subdued by Venerable Songfeng, brought here, then being forced to swallow the Heavenly Fragrance Bean. In his dazed state, he saw Mo Tiange... At first, he still had some rationality, desperately trying to restrain himself. But before he could think of a solution, the drug's effects took hold. He only knew it was a woman and started tearing at her clothes. Unexpectedly, she still had her wits about her and resisted. Then... his head throbbed with pain, and he lost consciousness...
Wait! Jing Xingzhi suddenly jumped up, looked down at himself, and let out a sigh of relief. Though half-naked, his lower body was intact. He had been frightened by his own memories; it seemed he hadn't done anything.
Though he and Qin Shoujing weren't exactly bosom friends, the thought of sleeping with his woman was deeply uncomfortable. Fortunately, such a thing hadn't happened.
At this thought, a flash of insight struck Jing Xingzhi. He retorted, "You knew all along, didn't you? Nothing happened between us!"
A faint smile appeared on Qin Xi's face, a great weight lifting from his heart. Since Jing Xingzhi said so, it seemed nothing had truly occurred. If something had happened to Tian Ge, while he wouldn't hold it against her, it would have been a cruel blow to both her and himself.
"Are you absolutely certain nothing happened?" he asked again.
Seeing his expression, Jing Xingzhi relaxed. He took a healing pill, waited for his injuries to ease somewhat, then went to pick up his clothes while saying impatiently, "I got the short end of the stick, losing face so spectacularly. All I did was strip your woman's clothes!"
Hearing this, Qin Xi's face darkened. He snorted coldly, "You dare say that!" Just stripping her clothes—even a single touch—was enough to ignite his fury! If this weren't Jing Xingzhi, even if he didn't kill him, he'd have beaten him severely to vent his anger!
Taking a deep breath, Qin Xi swallowed his rage and asked calmly, "What exactly happened? Since Venerable Songfeng intended to take revenge on us, why are you both unharmed?"
Jing Xingzhi put on his clothes, thought carefully, and recounted everything he remembered. Finally, he said, "I have a feeling... someone knocked me out."
"Someone?" Qin Xi was puzzled. "Who else would come here?" This Lone Peak was extremely high and shrouded in mist. Unless someone came deliberately, who would ascend it? If people could come and go freely, Venerable Songfeng wouldn't have chosen such a place.
Jing Xingzhi thought for a moment, then shook his head. "Your Junior Sister seemed to be in better shape than me. Ask her when she wakes up; perhaps she knows."
"Mm," Qin Xi acknowledged, but then stared at him without speaking.
Jing Xingzhi grew uneasy under his gaze. "I already said I didn't touch her. You're not still thinking of killing me to vent your anger, are you?"
Qin Xi said coldly, "You may not have touched her, but you were the one who tore her clothes, weren't you?"
"That wasn't my fault either!" Jing Xingzhi said righteously. "You're not going to hold that against me too, are you? I didn't even get to kiss her!"
This statement made Qin Xi feel slightly better. He glanced at Mo Tiange in his arms, paused for a moment, and said, "I don't want to kill you to vent my anger, but I also don't want her to see you again. You should leave first."
"..." Jing Xingzhi sighed. "I know you've already shown me mercy. I'm not an ungrateful person. In that case, farewell for now." Without further ado, he got up, collected his belongings, summoned his flying sword, and flew away.
Fortunately, Venerable Songfeng probably didn't care for the possessions of two Core Formation cultivators and hadn't taken their Qiankun Bags. Otherwise, the loss would have been great—neither of them were ordinary Core Formation cultivators; the treasures they carried far surpassed those of typical Core Formation cultivators.
As Jing Xingzhi flew into the distance, Qin Xi withdrew his gaze. The matter was temporarily resolved, but it was far from over. Even if the worst hadn't happened, the harm to Tian Ge was real. Now, he only hoped her state of mind remained unaffected.
Moreover, Venerable Songfeng's scheme was truly insidious. If the act had actually been committed, even capturing Tian Ge and killing her wouldn't have been as repulsive as this. His master always said that this person, though the First Cultivator of Tianji, was neither human nor ghost, psychologically twisted, no longer normal. It seemed he was right.
An unknown amount of time passed before Mo Tiange awoke from the darkness.
Upon regaining consciousness, her first sensation was a headache—a splitting headache.
"Awake?" A gentle voice sounded in her ear. It was Qin Xi's.
"Senior Brother..." she called out, reaching out a hand. She was about to say something when fragments of memory flashed through her mind. Her eyes flew open in shock, and she jolted upright. "I..."
Opening her eyes, she indeed saw Qin Xi. Seeing her panic, Qin Xi soothed her gently, "Don't be afraid. It's alright now. You're safe."
His gentleness calmed Mo Tiange slightly, but the thought of what happened before she lost consciousness made her panic again. She grabbed Qin Xi's robe, looked up with a frantic expression, and asked, "Senior Brother, did I... did I..."
"No," Qin Xi knew what she wanted to ask. Without hesitation, he embraced her. "Nothing happened. Don't be afraid. I'm here. You're safe..."
"No!" Mo Tiange shook her head despairingly. "You don't know what happened. I, I... Venerable Songfeng he... Jing Xingzhi..." She was almost incoherent.
"I know, I know!" Qin Xi held her tighter, comforting her. "I know everything you're saying. Don't be afraid. Really, it's alright. You're fine. Nothing happened. Feel for yourself, isn't that right?"
"..." Such comfort and embrace soothed Mo Tiange. Following his words, she felt that her clothes were intact and her body showed no abnormalities. Slowly, she calmed down, murmuring to herself, "No, nothing happened. Nothing..."
"Yes, nothing. Absolutely nothing," Qin Xi repeated softly, patting her back.
Gradually, Mo Tiange's emotions settled in the warmth of his gentle voice. Leaning on his shoulder, she tried to calm her mind.
After a long while, she finally felt that everything was real—that she truly hadn't suffered that terrible fate—and returned to her normal state. She asked, "Senior Brother, how did you find me here? I thought you and Master wouldn't be able to find me..." When Venerable Songfeng brought her here and forced the Heavenly Fragrance Bean into her, she had been filled with despair, fervently hoping her master and he would come to rescue her. But until she lost consciousness, they hadn't arrived...
Feeling her shiver slightly, Qin Xi held her tighter, his hatred for Venerable Songfeng growing. Tian Ge had always been courageous, yet this incident had terrified her so. One could imagine how horrified and desperate she must have been then.
"Master thought of a way," he said, not mentioning his use of essence blood. "That's how we found you. Thankfully, you're alright."
"Did you rescue me in time?"
"No. When we arrived, you and Jing Xingzhi were already unconscious." Seeing her emotions stabilize, Qin Xi described in detail the scene they had witnessed upon arrival, specifically mentioning that only her outer robe had been torn, her undergarments were intact, and she was some distance away from Jing Xingzhi.
Mo Tiange listened carefully, lost in thought.
After Qin Xi finished, she asked, "Besides us, you didn't see anyone else?"
"No." This question puzzled Qin Xi. "Jing Xingzhi said it seemed someone knocked him out. Do you remember something?"
Mo Tiange slowly recalled. At that time, Nie Wushang had shown her mercy. She hadn't actually swallowed the Heavenly Fragrance Beans; only some juice had trickled down, so she was affected. After feeding them the beans, Venerable Songfeng left with a loud laugh. She wanted to save herself and finally spat out all the beans in her mouth. But Venerable Songfeng must have done something to her; her cultivation was restricted, and her mind was affected, leaving her dazed and weak. Then, Jing Xingzhi pounced on her, tearing at her clothes. She resisted desperately. Just when she thought she couldn't escape, the force suddenly vanished. Unable to hold on, she fainted.
"That's right!" she suddenly remembered. Before losing consciousness, she seemed to hear a sigh. The voice was somewhat familiar. She grabbed Qin Xi's robe and said, "It was Nie Wushang! She saved me!"
"Nie Wushang?" Who was that?
"Nie Wushang is Venerable Songfeng's disciple. We encountered her earlier, and she was the one who led Venerable Songfeng to us." Thinking of Nie Wushang, Mo Tiange wasn't sure whether to hate her or be grateful. Venerable Songfeng came because of her, yet in the end, she was spared because Nie Wushang intervened.
Qin Xi listened as she slowly recounted what happened after they were separated and the fragments she remembered. Finally, she said, "It must have been Nie Wushang. She came back later and knocked out Jing Xingzhi. I recognize her voice."
Qin Xi was silent for a moment, then said, "That's fortunate... Venerable Songfeng truly deserves this. If he hadn't treated his disciple so terribly, this Miss Nie wouldn't have risked saving you. In my opinion, when you escaped the mist with her, she must have reported to her master, never expecting Venerable Songfeng would devise such a despicable plan." He paused, then continued, "Even if she was involved in this matter, she ultimately saved you. If we encounter her in the future, we'll show her mercy."
Mo Tiange nodded and sighed, "She's a pitiable person too. Venerable Songfeng doesn't treat her as a disciple at all. Even servants aren't treated that way."
Qin Xi smiled, then bent down to hold her tightly again. "I'm just grateful... you're truly unharmed..."
After the ordeal, such an embrace felt especially comforting to Mo Tiange. They held each other for a while before she suddenly asked, "Senior Brother, if such a thing had really happened, what would you have done?"
Qin Xi didn't let go, so Mo Tiange couldn't see his expression. After a moment, she heard him say, "Naturally, I would have torn Venerable Songfeng to pieces!"
This wasn't the answer Mo Tiange sought. She pressed further, "What about me? Would you still want me?"
This time, Qin Xi didn't answer for a long time. Just as Mo Tiange began to feel disappointed, she heard a soft chuckle. He released her, met her gaze, and said with utmost sincerity, "No matter what you look like, no matter what happens, you are Mo Tiange. I love you, so I would never abandon you."
This was the first time he said he loved her.
Though these events hadn't occurred, though it was merely a vow, Mo Tiange felt she was willing to believe—to believe his words were utterly sincere.