Originated from mountains and seas, life never ends

"..."

Qin Xiao looked at her steadily, without saying anything and without moving.

The girl's outstretched hand froze in mid-air.

The smile on his face also froze.

"You... don't want to be friends with me?" Jiang Xue slowly withdrew her hand, as if she was at a loss because of Qin Xiao's indifference. She clutched the corner of her clothes helplessly, half bit her lips, and her eyes were like autumn water.

"Why do you want to make friends with me?" Qin Xiao remained unmoved in the face of her half-resentful look.

"I... I've watched you compete with other people these days. You're really awesome." Jiang Xue's cheeks turned pink when she said this, and her snow-white, slender neck even turned a little red because of shyness.

"I admire you very much, even though you are an evil cultivator. But I know you don't want to be like this. Not only are you strong, but you are also gentle and calm, so... I want to make friends with you."

Jiang Xue said this while counting her fingers, secretly observing his expression.

Qin Xiao's expression was calm, and his eyes were as indifferent as ever.

"……Yeah."

After a moment of silence, he finally spoke.

"Thank you then."

Jiang Xue was delighted and was about to say something when she saw Qin Xiao turn around and leave.

"Where... are you going?" Jiang Xue was startled and tried to grab him, but he dodged her.

"Eat." Qin Xiao glanced at her.

"Then...can I come along?"

"casual."

Jiang Xue paused, then laughed happily.

Qin Xiao glanced at her, looked at the joyful smile on her face, and narrowed his eyes.

"So...about making friends..."

"Let's talk about it later."

Qin Xiao turned his head and kept a distance from her.

Faced with this girl who came up to him for no apparent reason, Qin Xiao was puzzled but did not intend to stop her.

"Have you made any friends in the past two days?"

Qi Yulang suddenly asked him: "You came back a little late."

"……do not know."

Ever since the conversation that night, perhaps Qi Yulang realized it belatedly and felt ashamed, he communicated with him less and less, and only today did he take the initiative to ask about it.

"What do you mean I don't know?" Qi Yulang frowned. "It's not a bad thing to make some friends. Didn't you have a good relationship with that kid named Yun Qi before? Why haven't you seen him these days?"

"Didn't you see him?" Qin Xiao was stunned for a moment. Thinking back, he seemed to have not seen him these days, whether in class or strolling around.

"Maybe something happened at home." Qin Xiao guessed. He still remembered the last time he met Yun Qi and the conversation he had with his roommate after they parted.

He had no intention of eavesdropping, he just heard it accidentally, and since he was far away from it, he had no idea what happened next.

Qi Yulang frowned slightly: "Does Qiao Zhinan know?"

After saying that, afraid that Qin Xiao didn’t know who he was, he specially added, “It’s your mentor.”

"I don't know much about it." Qin Xiao shook his head, "I haven't seen the teacher much these days."

"Then she might be busy..." Qi Yulang lowered his brows in thought, "I'll go ask her tomorrow. You've heard that she's not very stable these days. Stay out of school and be careful."

"I see."

The next day, Qin Xiao found Yun Qi's cousin and asked him.

The process was not smooth. The man resisted fiercely and Qin Xiao had no choice but to knock him unconscious and drag him to a quiet place, then splash water on him to wake him up and ask him.

"Wha, what?"

The cousin, who was in a defensive stance, was stunned and wiped his face.

"Where did he go? I don't know." The boy scratched his head. "After I told him what my uncle and aunt said, he disappeared. I thought he went home, but I contacted my uncle and aunt last night and found that he was not there."

"You haven't seen him either?" The boy looked at him suspiciously, "Why are you looking for him?"

Qin Xiao frowned slightly, did not answer, just left a sentence "stay out less recently" and left.

……strangeness.

Qin Xiao looked at the pier in front of him, which he had walked past countless times, and fell into deep thought.

Although he didn't know the way very well, he had been wandering around the city for a whole morning. With his spiritual sense expanded to its maximum, he should have covered most of the place...

But still nothing.

He couldn't sense Yun Qi's breath.

Qin Xiao lowered his eyes and looked at the rippling water surface. The bright sunlight cast a dazzling light on it, and it flowed slowly with the waves.

"Qin Xiao?"

Suddenly, a clear female voice came to my ears. As expected, it was Jiang Xue again.

"Why are you standing here in a daze?" Jiang Xue smiled at him, with her hands behind her back, looking a little mysterious.

"What's wrong?" Qin Xiao glanced at her.

"What's wrong? I came to say hello when I saw you." Jiang Xue said with a smile. Her slender figure and gentle smile gave people a kind and approachable feeling.

Qin Xiao was unmoved: "Oh."

"Oh what..." Jiang Xue couldn't help but twitch her lips, and kept smiling, "What are you doing here?"

"Look at them working." Qin Xiao said calmly, looking at the sweaty laborers at the dock.

"Ah... that's right." Jiang Xue also looked over, frowning, as if she was sad. "It's really sad to see someone working so hard."

"why?"

Unexpectedly, Qin Xiao looked at her strangely: "Why are you sad?"

This question confused Jiang Xue: "Because... they are very hard-working?"

"Really?" Qin Xiao did not comment and turned his head back.

"You... don't think so?" Jiang Xue asked, noticing his disapproval.

"In this era when there are so many Qi cultivators, they could have chosen Qi cultivators who are more convenient, labor-saving, and even cost-effective to do the moving work, but they still chose these ordinary people. I think this is very kind."

Qin Xiao said calmly.

A few days ago, he was chatting with Nangong Huaxue and happened to ask whether it took a lot of time and effort to build the magnificent palace.

Unexpectedly, Nangong Huaxue shook his head and told him in confusion that if a Xuan realm Qi cultivator did it, it would only take a few days to complete it; if it was an Earth realm cultivator, it would take about half a day; if it was a Heaven realm cultivator, it could be completed with just a thought.

The palace was built during the period of Nangong Hongying. It took several days to select the site, a month to design the drawings, and only a few minutes to build it.

But later, I thought that I should give some opportunities to those ordinary people who have not entered the Qi cultivation, so I handed over the carving and painting to them. In fact, if it is handed over to the Qi cultivation with related attributes, it will save more time, effort, and money.

Although some Qi cultivators who do odd jobs are more expensive, they work quickly and efficiently. However, if the same work is given to ordinary people, although the price is cheaper, the efficiency is slow and the working time is longer. If the money is calculated based on the time, it will be higher than that of Qi cultivators.

Therefore, few people would hire ordinary people, let alone do such labor-intensive and cargo-intensive transportation work.

According to Qin Xiao's observation, if this job was given to a Xuanjing Qi cultivator, it would take less than ten minutes to unload a boat full of cargo piled up like a small mountain. But hiring such ordinary manpower would take a whole morning or even a whole day, and even provide meals.

So Qin Xiao felt that the employer was already very kind.

Jiang Xue looked at him in surprise when she heard that. Her eyes moved slightly and she wanted to say something.

"Who are they from?" Qin Xiao asked, pointing at the employer.

Next to the laborer stood several people dressed in uniform, both men and women, with the same purple iris embroidered on their chests.

"That? That's the Yu family's logo." Jiang Xue was stunned, then replied with a smile, "Big families like the Yu and Pei families recruit ordinary people to do odd jobs at fixed times every year, and the pay is quite generous. Every year, there are people scrambling to get in."

Qin Xiao nodded thoughtfully.

"Even some Qi cultivators are willing to disguise themselves as ordinary people to earn some pocket money. Unfortunately, those families will insert two needles into each person's body to seal the Qi meridians. It's nothing for ordinary people, but for Qi cultivators it is extremely painful and they can't stand it for a few minutes." Speaking of this, Jiang Xue chuckled.

Qin Xiao glanced at her and said nothing.

Jiang Xue did not feel embarrassed. She stood quietly beside him, looking at the boats floating in the distance and the sparkling water.

At noon, Qin Xiao invited her to dinner. Although there was not much difference in his expression, Jiang Xue could feel that his attitude had softened.

There were no classes in the afternoon, so Qin Xiao walked around the two colleges. On the way, he met Xun Lingzhou and his wife. The two looked intimate, so he glanced at them for a few seconds and then left.

Still no clues.

Yun Qi's cousin became a little anxious when he saw him like this.

"My brother...he couldn't have been captured by the evil cultivators, right? That's impossible, right?" The boy said anxiously.

Qin Xiao didn't say anything. After confirming with him that there was still no news about Yun Qi, he turned around and was about to leave.

"and many more!"

The boy called him.

"Can you... help me find my brother, please..." The boy bent down and lowered his head, letting his usually frizzy hair fall down.

"I--"

The boy wanted to say something, but Qin Xiao had already turned his head and walked away without looking back.

Yun Qi’s disappearance also attracted Qiao Zhinan’s attention. After searching everywhere without success, she wanted to look for him in the mountains, but was stopped by Yu Qiuchi, the second lady of the Yu family.

"I understand that you care about your students, but you should wait a moment. You can't alert the enemy." Yu Qiuchi stopped in front of her and said solemnly.

"What do you mean by alerting the enemy? There's still no news after so many days. Don't we have to wait until we find the body before we go?" Qiao Zhinan frowned and said coldly.

"We are about to find the gathering point. It is already within the circle. Let's wait a little longer..." Yu Qiuchi's face was solemn. "A few days ago, our family and the Pei family formed a team and divided into five groups to go to the surrounding mountains to check. One team... three people in the upper level of the Profound Realm, two people in the middle level of the Earth Realm, and only one person in the Profound Realm escaped. According to her, the others sacrificed themselves to send her out, otherwise she would not be able to escape death."

"At that time... the tendons in her hands and feet were cut, three fingers on one leg were broken, 30% of her bones were broken, and 50% of her internal organs were damaged. She almost couldn't be saved. She is still being kept alive by herbs. Do you understand?!"

When Yu Qiuchi talked about this, he gritted his teeth, and his resentful look was frightening.

Xun Lingzhou was beside her, and seeing her like this, he couldn't help but hold her cold fingers soothingly.

Yu Qiuchi glanced at him, pinched his hand in response, loosened his hand, and looked at Qiao Zhinan: "Do you understand? You can't be their opponent."

Qiao Zhinan bit her lower lip, obviously unwilling.

Yu Qiuchi couldn't bear to see her like this, so he patted her shoulder and said, "Don't worry, I will notify you when I give the order to encircle and suppress them."

The clenched hands slowly loosened, Qiao Zhinan lowered her eyes, and finally compromised.

Outside the house, Qi Yulang looked in one direction with a helpless look.

"Have you heard enough?"

Qin Xiao, who was hiding in the dark, met his gaze, said nothing, and turned away.

On the mountain?

Qin Xiao looked at the black knife he was wiping in his hand, thoughtfully.

Come to think of it, I forgot to ask him about this.

It is said that the long sword was forged from his evil bones...

Qin Xiao wiped away the fallen leaves on the blade with his fingers, raised the long knife, and stared quietly.

This knife had been with him for nearly his entire life, and he had already mastered how to use it. For some reason, the blade was extremely sharp, and he had yet to encounter anything that he could not cut.

Qin Xiao thought about it and slowly moved his fingertips across the blade, and sure enough, a long bloody wound appeared.

The tip of the blade was stained with blood, and the blue animal pattern on the blade seemed to be brighter.

Qin Xiao looked at it for a long time and put it away.

In my previous life, this knife could be directly retracted into my body. It would go down along the spine and become one with the bone. Whenever I wanted to take it out, I could do so with just a thought. I don't know if this is still possible in this life.

Qin Xiao rubbed his temples and thought.

It was so painful when the sword pierced into the bone for the first time. Mo Ze simply pressed his neck and thrust straight down at the cervical vertebra. Blood kept flowing out. The cold blade broke through the flesh and bones, pierced his nerves, and penetrated deep into his body. The coldness spread like poison, from the back to the whole body, and even reduced the severe pain a little.

He eventually passed out, and when he woke up, he looked at Mo Ze beside him in confusion. The bloody memory was still clearly imprinted in his mind, but his body was unharmed and there was nothing unusual about it.

That pain was one of the few things he feared.

It won’t be like this again this time, will it?

Qin Xiao couldn't help but frowning when he recalled the pain.

The moonlight was just right, illuminating the surrounding scenery.

"Qin Xiao? What are you doing sitting here alone?"

Jiang Xue's voice sounded again. Qin Xiao didn't look back, but only heard a rustling sound, and someone sat down beside him.

"daze."

Qin Xiao remained calm.

"That's so boring." Jiang Xue smiled and looked at the bright moon. She suddenly became interested. "How about we go on a boat ride tomorrow? I've never been on one before."

"Then go ahead."

"I want to go with you." Jiang Xue frowned, looking a little dissatisfied. She rolled her eyes and thought of something. "We can go along the river to the surrounding mountains. I know you are worried about the boy named Yun Qi. I will go with you to look for him."

"……oh?"

It was unknown what Jiang Xue said that aroused Qin Xiao's interest. He slowly turned his head, his dark eyes deep and calm, like an impenetrable abyss.

"Sure." Qin Xiao agreed.

Although his attitude was a little strange, he was still very happy to agree with Jiang Xue: "Then it's an appointment, see you tomorrow."

"See you tomorrow."

Qin Xiao chatted with her for a few more words, and then they went their separate ways.

The next day, Jiang Xue was waiting for him at the pier as promised. She was dressed very beautifully, and her usually loose hair was tied up into two braids, hanging down her neck and shoulders, looking quite playful.

"I specially booked a boat in advance. It's just the two of us and a cook." Jiang Xue introduced him with a smile, "He's just an ordinary person. Nothing serious."

Qin Xiao glanced at the burly cook, said nothing, and got on the boat.

The boat was not too big, but not too small either, so there was still plenty of room for three people to board.

Qin Xiao looked at the scenery outside and felt the boat gliding slowly, gradually moving away from the shore and swimming towards a sparsely populated direction.

"How is it? Aren't the cakes here good?" Jiang Xue smiled and recommended the snacks on the boat to him. "This is also a way for ordinary people to work as cooks to attract ferry boats, giving away some snacks for free."

Qin Xiao looked at her, slowly took the snack she handed over, swallowed it in front of her, and took a sip of tea: "It's really good..."

Jiang Xue watched him swallow it, smiled slowly, chatted for a few words, and then found a reason to go out.

Qin Xiao waited quietly inside. After a while, two people came in.

"It seems that you have seen through these tricks a long time ago." The cook with a silly look on his face laughed.

"That's too bad." Qin Xiao said calmly.

He and Meng Liyun had been fooled like this many times in the past.

The cook laughed and sighed, "That's what I told you... it's better to be frank with you."

Jiang Xue next to him snorted softly, seeming dissatisfied.

The cook glanced at her and continued to say to Qin Xiao: "I believe you have heard about it recently. Yes, we are from that organization."

"The organization has taken a liking to you and wants you to join us... can this be considered recruitment?"

"What will happen if you refuse?" Qin Xiao blew the foam on the tea and asked in a calm voice.

"What will happen? Hehe..."

The guy smiled foolishly, and his eyes gradually turned cold over time.

"I can't say for sure..."