novelapdf Chapter 236 The Stubborn Sparrow
Chapter 236 The Stubborn Sparrow
Jin Qiaoqiao stopped three steps away, dragging her injured left arm.
He kicked aside a withered leaf with his toe, revealing half of a yellow talisman buried in the soil.
"The Hehuan Sect is actually quite wealthy."
"Even when scouting ahead, we have to bury a few high-level talismans in the mud as fertilizer."
She touched the edge of the talisman with her toe, and the light in her phoenix eyes dimmed as the night deepened.
Mo Chengyue was bending down to sort through a pile of dry branches, and without pausing, he added a handful of dry grass to the fire.
"The air in this forest is very damp at night. If we don't bury something to warm up the ground, I'm afraid Her Highness's wound will fester before tomorrow morning."
He brushed the dust off his hands, stood up, turned around, and pulled out several thick pieces of patterned cloth from his storage bag, throwing them onto the open ground.
"Let's pitch a tent."
He cut Jin Qiaoqiao off abruptly, his tone casual.
Yu Jianhuan immediately swayed her slender waist and moved closer from the side, her rose-purple skirt deliberately brushing against Mo Chengyue's calves.
"How can we let our junior brother do such hard work all by himself? It breaks my heart to see him suffer like this."
She giggled and bent down to pick up the pillar on the ground, using the motion of getting up to lean half of her body against the man's shoulder.
The tips of her nails, stained with henna, slid down the edge of the metal, finally stopping at the knuckles of Mo Chengyue's hand, drawing circles.
"Junior brother, these hands are used to draw high-level talismans. If you accidentally get your skin chafed, I'll have nightmares every night."
She drew out the last syllable as she cast the hooked bait into the quiet woods.
Mo Chengyue shoved the remaining four array pillars into Yu Jianhuan's arms.
"Since you're so afraid of having nightmares, then do some more physical work to tire yourself out. I guarantee you'll sleep like a log tonight."
He released his grip and took a half-step back to create distance between them.
"Put these four pillars in the southeast corner. If the spacing is more than half an inch off, you'll be left outside the formation tomorrow morning to be the monsters' breakfast."
Yu Jianhuan hugged the pile of cold, hard metal pillars, and the charming smile in her eyes flickered.
"Junior brother is so considerate."
She spat out those words through gritted teeth, then turned and headed towards the southeast corner to deal with the array pillars, her footsteps crunching on the dry branches on the ground.
Jin Qiaoqiao stood in front of the pile of patterned cloth that she had been assigned, staring at the intricate knots for a while.
The laceration on my left arm, from shoulder to elbow, had only formed a thin scab, and even the slightest tug would cause a piercing pain.
She crouched down and grabbed one corner of the fabric with her right hand, trying to shake out the heavy material, but the other end always drooped into the muddy water against her will.
"If you want to reopen the wound and make it bleed all over the place, then keep acting like a fool and tearing at the cloth."
Mo Chengyue walked over and casually snatched the mud-stained cloth from her hand.
Jin Qiaoqiao raised her chin slightly, took back a corner of the patterned cloth with her right hand, and even lowered her head to bite one of the knots used for securing it with her teeth.
"The Peacock Clan has never had the custom of standing idly by while others work."
She mumbled a sentence, beads of sweat forming on her forehead, her fingers stubbornly trying to tie the knot tightly.
Mo Chengyue leaned against a withered tree trunk with his arms crossed, looking at her.
"Rules are set by the living; only the dead adhere to them. If you break two more tendons, I'll have to tie you to a tree as bait for the rest of the race."
Jin Qiaoqiao loosened her grip on the rope and awkwardly wiped the sweat from her forehead with the back of her hand.
"You don't need to pretend to assess my usefulness here. This little injury is not enough to kill me."
She turned around and sat down in a sheltered spot away from the fire, never looking at the pile of rags again.
At this moment, a clear and melodious sword cry came from the outermost edge of the camp.
Su Qingying gripped the sword hilt and walked slowly along the inner side of the defensive formation that Mo Chengyue had just set up, her steps as light as weightless falling leaves.
Every three steps, she would lightly tap the ground with the tip of her sword, and the transparent emerald green sword energy would ripple outwards from the point of contact.
In just a short while, a complete barrier of sword energy appeared above the soil.
After doing all this, Su Qingying walked to a flat rock furthest from the fire and sat down, still maintaining the posture of holding her sword and closing her eyes.
Yu Jianhuan had just finished inserting the last array pillar when his peripheral vision swept over the green barrier that exuded a dangerous aura, and a mocking smile appeared on his lips.
"Making your sword energy so bright in the middle of the night, as if you're afraid people won't know there are a few living people hiding here, huh?"
She patted the dust off her hands and swayed her hips as she walked back to the campfire.
Jin Qiaoqiao leaned against the tree trunk and snorted coldly.
"Some people only know how to make their presence felt with their words, while others know how to speak with their actions. Some foxes who only know how to mate are truly an eye-opener."
Yu Jianhuan stepped forward and stood between the fire and Jin Qiaoqiao.
"A fallen phoenix is no better than a chicken. What are you doing here crowing, you wild pheasant with a broken wing?"
"Everyone come over and divide up tonight's shifts."
Mo Chengyue spoke up at this crucial moment, using a thick wooden stick to stir the burning firewood, making it crackle.
The three women, each with a different pace, gathered around the fire, subtly forming a triangular formation where none would yield to the other.
Mo Chengyue ignored the three piercing gazes and took a sip of water from a water pouch in his storage bag.
"Tonight I will keep watch until the fourth watch."
He put down the water bag and warmed his hands over the fire, his tone completely businesslike as he gave the report.
"Princess Jin is injured; the time between midnight is yours."
"Senior Sister Yu will be in charge of the second watch, and Senior Sister Su will take over the fifth watch."
"The meeting is adjourned once the arrangements are made."
He turned around to get his bedding.
"Wait a minute, junior brother, this scheduling is really inconsiderate."
Yu Jianhuan immediately clung to Mo Chengyue like a sticky rice cake, her perfume scent wafting into his nostrils.
"How could I possibly fall asleep at the second watch of the night? My mind is filled with thoughts of my poor, deceased junior sister. Why don't you let me stay up until the fifth watch and go out to feel the morning breeze to wake me up?"
She deliberately dragged out the last syllable, her phoenix eyes brimming with tears that were about to overflow.
Mo Chengyue turned his head to look at her pitiful face, his mind already racing with calculations.
The darkest time of day is between the fourth and fifth watches of the night, when everyone is sleeping the most soundly. This woman clearly wanted to take advantage of that gap to do something shady.
If Su Qingying were to remain on watch until dawn as originally planned, the quiet atmosphere during the handover would be a good opportunity to exchange information.
"Can."
Mo Chengyue only answered with two words, without pausing for even half a second.
A surge of smugness welled up in Yu Jianhuan's eyes, and even the smile on her lips became more blatant.
"Since Senior Sister is in such good spirits, Senior Sister Su, why don't you switch with her and go keep watch at midnight?"
Mo Chengyue looked over Yu Jianhuan's shoulder and made his conclusion directly to the blue figure in the distance.
"That's settled then. Nobody should try to cause trouble again."
He picked up a twig and threw it into the fire, sending up a string of orange sparks.
Yu Jianhuan's smile completely blossomed, and even her steps became much lighter. She turned around and hummed an unknown tune as she walked towards her tent.
"Junior brother's understanding nature is really endearing. I will definitely keep a close eye on the surroundings for you tonight."
Just before she crawled into the tent, she turned back and gave him a suggestive wink.
Jin Qiaoqiao remained silent throughout, simply observing this brief yet turbulent exchange of interests with a cold eye.
She completely understood Yu Jianhuan's ulterior motives and also saw through Mo Chengyue's smooth and opportunistic tactics.
Su Qingying, still standing on the outer flat stone, maintained her posture with her back to everyone.
The moment Mo Chengyue announced the decision to change shifts, her slow, deliberate wiping of the sword paused for a beat.
The metal sword guard was pushed out half an inch by the thumb, producing two crisp, piercing impact sounds.
The two voices carried far through the empty, dark woods, a silent protest.
After she finished speaking, she pressed the sword back into its sheath, her fingers continuing to trace the lines of the hilt. The surrounding air felt even colder than before.