Chapter 18: Solidifying Spirit Grass (III)

Due to the inconvenience of being a man, Xie Changzhou, the group’s only male member, left it to Sui Ning to personally take the girl back to Nanjing City on her sword.

Perhaps she had never ridden a sword before, so the girl was especially nervous during the trip and tightly clung to Sui Ning’s sleeve.

Helpless, Sui Ning had to talk to her and come up with ways to divert her attention.

The girl, named Su Kou, was the daughter of a concubine of the Su family from Longxi. Her family had once arranged a marriage between her elder sister and the son of the county magistrate, which was supposed to be an excellent match. However, the young man died before reaching adulthood.

In Longxi, there was a superstition that unmarried men who died before marriage couldn’t rest in peace, so the county magistrate forced the Su family to fulfill the engagement.

The Su family didn’t want to marry their eldest daughter off, so they had to find a neglected concubine daughter to take her place.

As Su Kou spoke, tears streamed down her face. Seeing such a delicate and beautiful girl crying, Sui Ning, as a protector of women, hurriedly comforted her.

They were so engrossed in conversation that they almost fell off the sword.

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Rd nsdvaypv, Fwk Lkdt yde Fw Isw bye y vyczl qwzz sq qsse kd qasdv sq vblx, kdnzwekdt nyjlp yde rypvaklp.

Su Kou was also very hungry and ate voraciously, without the demeanor of a young lady. Sui Ning could only occasionally offer her tea.

Qi Niang came forward with a smile and added tea. With her movements, a fragrance wafted over, and Sui Ning and Su Kou couldn’t help but sniff a few times.

They didn’t know what perfume the shopkeeper was using, but it smelled particularly good.

Qi Niang smiled and looked at Su Kou with a lazy and charming tone, saying, “This little girl is so beautiful and charming.”

Su Kou blushed and replied somewhat embarrassedly, “Thank you, shopkeeper; you are also very beautiful.”

Qi niang’s eyes flowed like water, as if she had heard a joke, and she lifted her slender jade finger to cover her red lips, saying, “I can’t compare to the young lady’s youthfulness.”

Her silver bell-like voice echoed, and after adding the tea, she twisted her slim waist and left, her back graceful and charming.

Sui Ning and Su Kou stared blankly at Qi niang’s back for a long time. Sui Ning spoke up, “Su Kou, this shopkeeper is definitely a great beauty.”

Su Kou replied, “I also think so.”

Although they didn’t know why she was wearing a veil, her figure was alluring, and her exposed beauty was particularly delicate and attractive, so her appearance under the veil must also be extraordinary.

Xie Changzhou felt helpless and put down his tea cup before turning to the two focused individuals and saying, “Ningning, Miss Su, your faces are going to become round.”

Sui Ning and Su Kou were taken aback and quickly buried their heads in their food.

“The innkeeper says to stay at the inn.”

As they were about to finish their lunch, a clear and gentle voice suddenly came from behind them, the tone especially soft and pure. It was just as refreshing and pleasant as Xie Changzhou’s presence.

Sui Ning and Su Kou couldn’t help but turn around curiously to take a look.

There stood a tall and straight man in a white monk’s robe, draped with a layer of kasaya, walking slowly and gracefully. He was like a chrysanthemum or jade tree, with a particularly pure and gentle temperament all over him.

He was a Buddhist monk.

As the man turned around, Sui Ning and Su Kou could see his face clearly. He had sword-like eyebrows and starry eyes, with high cheekbones and a pair of pitch-black and pure eyes, full of compassion and mercy.

Like Xie Changzhou, he also looked gentle and warm, but there was a difference. Xie Changzhou’s warmth contained a hint of distance and indifference, while this Buddhist monk was full of compassion and tenderness, making people feel close to him and wanting to get closer.

At this moment, a clear and gentle voice behind them said, “Disciple of the Jing Chan sect.”

Sui Ning quickly turned her head to look at him, her face full of curiosity. “Senior Brother, do you know him?”

Xie Changzhou shook his head and looked at her calmly. “I don’t know him, but the monk’s robe he’s wearing is the robe of a Jing Chan sect disciple.”

After he finished speaking, he lowered his head slightly and said with some doubt, “However, the robe he’s wearing is slightly different from the current disciple’s robe of the Jing Chan sect. The style looks older, and it should be a disciple’s robe that was already phased out by the Jing Chan sect.”

Sui Ning understood and smiled slightly. “Maybe he just brought some clothes to change while he’s away from home.”

“Hmm.” Xie Changzhou nodded, and his gentle eyes met the nearby Buddhist disciple with a hint of scrutiny.

The Buddhist disciple’s spiritual energy was pure and majestic, and his cultivation level was at least at the nascent soul stage. Xie Changzhou also moved around quite frequently with the Jing Chan sect, and Xie Changzhou had met most of the outstanding disciples. However, he had never seen this Buddhist disciple before.

But his spiritual energy definitely carried the breath of the Jing Chan sect’s non-intentional Buddhism.

Xie Changzhou lifted the tea cup and took a sip of tea. His black eyelashes drooped, hiding his deep thoughts.

Sui Ning couldn’t help but feel emotional and talked to the system in her mind, saying, “I have to say, there are so many handsome guys in this world, and they really have good temperament.”

Since arriving here, she had already seen four incredibly handsome men: Ling Lang, Shen Jie, Xie Changzhou, and now this Buddhist disciple who was full of compassion.

Sui Ning shook her head with a sigh and turned her gaze back to Xie Changzhou. Even if there were countless handsome guys around, she could only have Xie Changzhou as her lover. Whether or not she could capture him was related to her fortune and life.

Sui Ning continued to eat with her head down, but her companion Su Kou’s face suddenly changed. The Buddhist monk had already gone upstairs, and Su Kou’s beautiful eyes followed closely. Sui Ning noticed her gaze and showed a playful expression.

She quietly asked her, ‘Isn’t that monk good-looking? Do you like this kind of guy?’ But Su Kou seemed not to hear her, and her emotions were complex. Sui Ning couldn’t tell what it meant. Seeing the figure of the monk disappear around the corner, Su Kou became a bit flustered. “Ningning, Mr. Xie, I am full and will go upstairs first.”

Sui Ning didn’t have time to call her, and Su Kou had already rushed upstairs with her dress in hand. She looked a bit serious, and Sui Ning turned to Xie Changzhou, saying, “Su Kou seems to know that monk.”

Xie Changzhou nodded. “Sui Ning is really smart.”

At first, Sui Ning’s eyes were fixed on the monk, but she witnessed all of Su Kou’s changes in expression. When Su Kou looked at the monk’s back, her eyes were full of curiosity and longing. But when she saw his face after he turned around, her expression suddenly became excited, with a hint of sadness. It turned out that she really knew that monk.

As Sui Ning approached Xie Changzhou, she said, “I originally brought Su Kou along because the Soul Seal Plate sensed the scent of the Solidifying Spirit Grass on her.”

Xie Changzhou’s glassy eyes looked quietly at her without any ripples, as if he had already realized.

Sui Ning continued, “From the look in Su Kou’s eyes, it seems that she also knows that monk. If they really are acquaintances, will Su Kou follow him?”

They needed to find the Solidifying Spirit Grass, and it had to start from Su Kou’s body, so they couldn’t separate no matter what.

Xie Changzhou replied calmly, “No problem, she won’t leave.”

Although the monk clearly caught sight of Su Kou, his gaze was calm.

He didn’t know Su Kou.

Moreover, Nanjing City was under the jurisdiction of the Jingchan Sect, and the monk who belonged to the Jingchan Sect appearing here was likely to be handling matters. How could he bring a woman along?

Seeing Xie Changzhou so calm, Sui Ning could only calm down and continue eating the lump of noodles in her bowl.

Looking at the table full of dishes in front of her, Sui Ning felt a bit helpless.

It was a pity; there was so much food, but Su Kou hadn’t eaten much.

When Sui Ning finished eating and went upstairs, Su Kou was already sitting in the room.

Her beautiful face looked a bit low in spirits. When she saw Sui Ning come in, she quickly put away her low spirits and smiled again.

“Ningning, you’re back.”

Sui Ning nodded and sat down next to her, pouring her a glass of water and casually asking, “Do you know that monk?”

Su Kou’s eyes paused, then she shook her head and said with a smile, “How could I know him? I don’t.”

Sui Ning didn’t speak; her black eyes were focused on Su Kou.

Su Kou’s smile faded a little, but she forced it and continued, “I really don’t know him; I just feel that he looks a lot like a friend I had when I was young.”

“I just carefully looked at it; it’s actually just a little similar; that Buddhist disciple is not him.”

Sui Ning was silent for a moment and then softly spoke, “Okay, but are you hungry? You didn’t eat much just now.”

Su Kou let out a sigh of relief; her eyes curved with a smile as she spoke, “No, I’m full.”

Sui Ning smiled at her and stood up to say goodbye: “Then rest first; I’ll go back to my room.”

“Okay.”

***

That night, the moon was tranquil, like water. Two very light sounds of opening and closing doors were heard in the hallway, followed by several slowed footsteps.

Sui Ning suddenly opened his eyes and felt like laughing.

Su Kou didn’t think that just because she spoke softly, they couldn’t hear her, right?

But she was, after all, at the golden core stage, with heightened senses. This bit of sound was particularly clear to her.

She shook her head helplessly, put on her coat, and followed Su Kou out.

As she opened the door and took a step forward, she ran straight into a cool and wide embrace with a hint of cold fragrance.

Sui Ning was startled and quickly stepped back, but she forgot there was a threshold behind her. She stumbled and nearly fell to the ground.

Xie Changzhou quickly grabbed her shoulder and spoke with a gentle but anxious tone, “Ningning!”

Sui Ning steadied herself, her heart beating like thunder, with a hint of panic still in her pitch-black pupils.

She almost leaned into Xie Changzhou’s arms, smelling the sweet fragrance emanating from her body. Her wrists were very slender, and he held them with plenty of room to spare.

Xie Changzhou quickly let go and stepped back. His hand still retained the warmth of Sui Ning’s body. His heart was pounding, his ears were burning, and his long eyelashes were trembling slightly.

“Sorry.” Xie Changzhou’s voice came out with some hesitation.

Sui Ning shook her head, and his heartbeat slowly calmed down. “I’m fine. I don’t blame Jianzun.”

She looked down towards the lower floor, where Su Kou’s figure had already disappeared. She was anxious. “Jianzun, let’s go find Su Kou quickly.”

Sui Ning hurried in the direction where Su Kou had disappeared, and her hair brushed lightly against Xie Changzhou’s face, carrying a faint sweet scent.

Xie Changzhou was silent for a moment, sighed softly, and followed Sui Ning’s steps.

It was already late at night, and there was no one on the street. Sui Ning and Xie Changzhou followed Su Kou closely all the way.

Su Kou stopped her footsteps and shrank behind the wall, looking nervously ahead.

Not far in front of her, a white figure was tightly entangled with a black shadow, and the surging air waves exploded in all directions.

The white figure is the Buddhist monk seen earlier today, while the “black shadow” exudes a sinister demonic energy, with pale skin and hair falling down, making it impossible to see its face except for the occasional eerie crimson eyes.

Xie Changzhou’s gaze immediately darkened, his expression solemn. His voice was low, with a prolonged ending, and every word seemed to be uttered through clenched teeth.

“Three-soul corpse.”

Sui Ning suddenly looked up at him, her face filled with shock.