Soon, Nie Xiaoqian seemed to sense something, and looked at Zhou Yan with a hint of urgency. "Young Master, aren't you going to send me back? It's too frightening here. Hurry and take me away, please."
"Alright."
Zhou Yan nodded, then carried the beautiful woman in his arms and entered the forest.
"Can you go faster? I'm getting a bit cold," Nie Xiaoqian said again anxiously.
Zhou Yan naturally knew that she was in such a hurry to leave because Yan Chixia had arrived.
He hadn't felt it before, but now hearing Nie Xiaoqian's words and feeling her soft, boneless body, he realized she was indeed quite delicate.
"Don't worry, with me here, no one can harm you."
Zhou Yan gave Nie Xiaoqian a reassuring smile, causing her heart to pound wildly.
"Where do you think you're going!"
However, a figure flew over from a distance, sword in hand, blocking his path and looking sternly at Zhou Yan.
"Young Master, I'm scared!"
Nie Xiaoqian clutched Zhou Yan's clothes tighter. She hadn't expected to be caught up with and wondered how she could escape.
"Young friend, do you know what you're holding in your arms?"
Yan Chixia looked at Nie Xiaoqian with displeasure.
"What? Are you trying to abduct a maiden, you Taoist priest!"
Zhou Yan said deliberately.
"Do you know that what you're holding is not human?" Yan Chixia said with a cold expression.
"You can leave now. You're blocking my path,"
Zhou Yan said dismissively.
"Kid, you're truly foolish. Don't you know that what you're holding is not human, but a ghost?"
Yan Chixia was almost infuriated to death by Zhou Yan.
"Heh heh, look at yourself. You don't look like a human either," Zhou Yan replied.
"You..." Yan Chixia was angered.
"Pfft!"
Nie Xiaoqian, held by Zhou Yan, heard this and burst into laughter. Those words were so satisfying.
"Since that's the case, then don't blame me for being impolite." Yan Chixia attacked with his sword.
This made Nie Xiaoqian instantly nervous. She didn't want Yan Chixia to harm Zhou Yan and prepared to leave. But Zhou Yan smiled slightly at Nie Xiaoqian and said, "Don't worry, I won't let anyone hurt you."
"Young Master, I..."
"Don't say anything. This guy can't do anything to me," Zhou Yan gave Nie Xiaoqian a reassuring smile.
Nie Xiaoqian wanted to say something but ultimately said nothing.
"Truly stubborn!" Yan Chixia had no intention of harming Zhou Yan; he only dealt with Nie Xiaoqian.
He lunged with his sword, aiming for Nie Xiaoqian, but was kicked away by Zhou Yan with a flying kick. The powerful force almost sent Yan Chixia's sword flying out of his hand.
Yan Chixia barely managed to grip his sword with both hands to prevent it from escaping his grasp, then looked at Zhou Yan in shock, saying, "Such great strength!"
"You are no match for me. Don't waste your energy," Zhou Yan replied.
Yan Chixia looked at Zhou Yan, sensing a mysterious aura about him, as pure and bright as the midday sun. He immediately said, "It seems I was meddling. I only hope you'll be careful and not be deceived by ghosts."
With that, Yan Chixia left.
"See? I told you this guy couldn't do anything to me."
Zhou Yan looked down at Nie Xiaoqian and saw her looking at him with shock, seemingly very surprised.
But if she knew her identity as a ghost, he would probably...
"You're so amazing."
Nie Xiaoqian no longer wanted to harm Zhou Yan. Even if she did, she felt she was no match for him.
She knew how powerful Yan Chixia was; even Grandma would hesitate to antagonize him.
Along the way, the two talked a lot. Nie Xiaoqian asked for his name and told him hers.
The more they talked, the more Nie Xiaoqian felt Zhou Yan was very special, possessing a unique charm that drew her in.
Zhou Yan sent Nie Xiaoqian back to her residence, a house filled with ghostly energy and boundless yin energy. This was manifested by ghostly qi and only appeared at night, invisible during the day.
However, Nie Xiaoqian seemed to sense something and quickly pulled Zhou Yan into the house. Without explanation, she shoved him into the bathtub and said, "You must not come out. My Grandma doesn't like living people."
Then, she directly pushed his head underwater.
Soon, some people appeared inside the house. It was Xiao Qing.
"Sister Xiaoqian," Xiao Qing said as she entered.
"I know Grandma is getting impatient. I'll come out after I've tidied myself up," Nie Xiaoqian pretended to be calm.
A gust of demonic wind appeared, and Grandma materialized in the room. "No need. I'm already here."
"Greetings, Grandma!" the two women said quickly.
"I've already betrothed you to Master Heishan. You'll be married in three days. He's not someone to be trifled with; even I can't defeat him when he's angry."
"Once you go with him, you'll never be able to return," said the Tree Spirit Grandma.
Nie Xiaoqian felt bitter but helpless. She couldn't change anything.
Seeing Xiao Qing heading towards the bathtub, Nie Xiaoqian's heart tightened, and she quickly stopped her. Just as the Tree Spirit Grandma asked her to try on her clothes, she quickly took Xiao Qing's hand and walked over. "You can help me look too."
Afterward, Grandma seemed to hear the sound of flowing water and walked towards the bathtub. "What's that sound?"
Seeing Grandma about to approach, Nie Xiaoqian, in a moment of inspiration, tore her newly tried-on wedding dress. "My dress is torn."
Grandma turned back, frowning. "How could you be so careless?"
Xiao Qing, nearby, felt that Nie Xiaoqian was acting very strangely. She noticed Nie Xiaoqian glancing towards the bathtub from time to time, suspecting something was wrong there. With a flash of inspiration, she then said, "My hands are dirty, I'll go wash them."
Saying that, Xiao Qing walked towards the bathtub.
Hearing this, Nie Xiaoqian's heart tightened, and she rushed over. "I'll help you."
"I can do it myself, don't worry," Xiao Qing replied.
"It's my duty to do so," Nie Xiaoqian replied.
Nie Xiaoqian quickly reached the edge of the bathtub, blocking Xiao Qing's line of sight, and used a ladle to scoop up some water, splashing it directly onto Xiao Qing.
"Why did you splash me!"
Xiao Qing looked at Nie Xiaoqian furiously.
"It was an accident," Nie Xiaoqian replied.
"Xiao Qing, don't always pick fights with your sister!" Grandma thought they were bickering again.
"No, we're not," Xiao Qing felt very wronged.
She felt even more that something was amiss and wanted to see what was in the bathtub. But Nie Xiaoqian quickly scooped another ladle of water and splashed it directly onto Xiao Qing's body, soaking her entire outfit.
Furious, Xiao Qing exclaimed, "You did that on purpose! I'm not washing anymore!"
With that, she huffily left.
Nie Xiaoqian breathed a sigh of relief and motioned to Zhou Yan in the bathtub, gesturing for him to remain silent.
Zhou Yan nodded to show he understood, then raised his head slightly above the water and smiled at Nie Xiaoqian.
Afterward, Grandma said, "Xiaoqian, take off your clothes. I'll mend them for you."
At this moment, Nie Xiaoqian felt flustered...
Then, in front of Zhou Yan, she directly took off her clothes.
Zhou Yan: "!!!"