Chapter 5

Xu Ze and Qu Qinghan strolled alongside each other along the path.

In Xu Ze's recollection, he had taken numerous walks with Qu Qinghan, but those occurred in the later stages of the plot. In the early stages, Qu Qinghan had been incredibly aloof.

Even as the chosen one who grew up with him in the holy land, she always maintained an air of indifference. However, now it appeared that she had changed...

Xu Ze furrowed his brow slightly and decided to probe further. With his hands clasped behind his back, Xu Ze approached a blossoming pear tree by the roadside and plucked a small white flower. After a moment of contemplation, Xu Ze turned to ask, "Qinghan, do you recall the scenes from our childhood when we practiced martial arts together?"

Qu Qinghan's eyes flickered, swiftly regaining her composure. She delicately brushed her hair, and her eyes glistened. "Of course, I remember. In that year, both of us were the most exceptional disciples in the holy land, favored by the holy lord and taken as direct disciples. For the following five years, you and I honed our arcane arts under the holy lord's guidance. I recall one occasion when you wished to test the power of our arcane arts, so we engaged in a friendly match. As a result, we created quite a mess in the backyard and were disciplined by the holy lord, who made us transcribe several scrolls of scriptures."

Listening to Qu Qinghan calmly recounting their shared past, Xu Ze nodded ever so slightly. He remembered it vividly, yet he couldn't be certain if some time traveler had inherited her memories. After all, Xu Ze himself was a time traveler and understood the tricks of time travel. He fell silent for a moment and suddenly said, "Open sesame!"

Qu Qinghan: "?"

"Ah... It's nothing." Xu Ze coughed awkwardly and clenched his fist. Now he could be certain that Qu Qinghan was truly herself. But if she was indeed herself, why had she behaved so strangely earlier in the morning?

Xu Ze twirled the small flower between his fingers and inquired, "Qinghan, have you been bothered by anything recently?"

Qu Qinghan raised her gaze and glanced at Xu Ze. 'Yes, it's you.'

Of course, Qu Qinghan couldn't voice that. She knew that Xu Ze was asking these questions because of her peculiar behavior earlier in the morning. That was because she was too overwhelmed. Returning to Xu Ze's side, feelings of hatred and love intertwined within her heart. If it weren't for her exceptional temperament, she probably wouldn't have been able to resist beheading Xu Ze on the spot and then embracing his head with a foolish smile. Now that she had regained her composure, she naturally wouldn't behave as she had in the morning. She loathed Xu Ze, but she loved him even more.

She knew that Xu Ze had abandoned her, treating her as a sacrificial pawn. But precisely because of this, Qu Qinghan's heart burned with even greater unwillingness. 'You took everything from me, and yet you easily cast me aside! What am I to you? Just another woman by the wayside! I will have my revenge... I will completely imprison you by my side! Imprison your body, imprison your soul!'

Qu Qinghan lowered her head, her eyes flashing with madness. Xu Ze looked at her in bewilderment and asked, "Qinghan, are you even listening to me?"

Qu Qinghan immediately lifted her head, returning to her calm expression. "I won't hide it from you, Holy Son. I have indeed been troubled by a few things these days."

Hmm?

Xu Ze was taken aback. He had asked casually, but he didn't expect there to be something bothering her. However, what kind of subplot was this? He had never encountered it in his previous nine lives.

Although each of the nine reincarnations had some minor subplots, none of them were significant enough to alter the course of the story.

Xu Ze smiled faintly and gently placed the small flower on Qu Qinghan's forehead. "If you're troubled, can you share it with me? The holy lord is not here, and I am the only one who can take care of you."

After all, he would eventually have to pursue her. Even if the plot deviated slightly, he could still make progress. Qu Qinghan's body trembled. In her mind, scenes of affection between Xu Ze and her from the previous nine lives suddenly surfaced. Her eyes turned red, but in an instant, those tender moments shattered, leaving behind only feelings of abandonment and betrayal!

'Kill... Kill you! Kill you, heartless scoundrel!'

At that moment, Qu Qinghan's mind went blank. All she saw was herself raising an icy palm, aiming for Xu Ze's chest.

'What the heck!' Xu Ze was shocked. He quickly activated his arcane power and employed a move called "Flaming Palm" to swiftly counter her attack.

Boom!

The powerful impact sent pear blossoms flying in the backyard. Pear blossoms fluttered down, resembling a shower of white snow.

In that instant, Qu Qinghan snapped back to reality. She looked at the startled Xu Ze, a trace of complexity flickering in her eyes. She hastily withdrew her hand and spoke in a deep voice, "Holy Son, I have been troubled these days because it seems that there are some issues with my cultivation. Did you observe anything from that palm strike just now?"

'What did I observe?' Xu Ze glanced at his right hand, which had turned blue from the cold, and his eyelid twitched uncontrollably.

'All I saw was you attempting to kill me!'