Chapter 153 Sensing the Aura

Still, she was somewhat unwilling to resign herself to this. She turned her head to cast another glance at the villa before her, wondering if that little girl truly was the Divine Tree, perhaps the wounds on her own body would be healed as well.

At this thought, a flash of greed crossed Rong Qiaoyi's eyes.

She hurried toward the villa, but for some reason, the closer she got, the more intense the pain in her wounds became.

It was a tormenting sensation, as if she were being repelled by something, forcing her not to dare approach a single step further!

"Damn it, why does it hurt so much?"

Gritting her teeth, Rong Qiaoyi reached out, intending to touch the villa, but it was as if an invisible barrier blocked her path, violently sending her flying backward!

"Bang!"

Hitting the ground hard, Rong Qiaoyi stared at the villa in absolute disbelief.

"What is going on here? What on earth is this thing?!"

Frowning, she inspected the area, but the villa appeared completely ordinary, showing no signs of spiritual energy or protective barriers.

If there was nothing there, why had she been forcefully repelled?

Just as she was pondering this, the Deer Spirit power within her body inexplicably broke through her suppression and suddenly surged for a brief moment.

That single instant was enough to alert Xie Jinchuan, who should have been fast asleep!

Xie Jinchuan snapped his eyes open, a dark shadow flashing through his gaze. There could be no mistake; the sensation just now belonged to Rong Qiaoyi!

He turned to glance at Shen Qingli, who was sleeping soundly beside him. After casting a protective barrier over her, he vanished from the spot in an instant.

Startled, Rong Qiaoyi hurriedly suppressed the Deer Spirit power within her. The next moment, sensing Xie Jinchuan's approaching aura, a cold sense of dread washed over her. She scrambled to her feet and fled the area without hesitation.

As the Deer Spirit power inside her was subdued once more, Xie Jinchuan arrived only to find the spot where the final ripple had occurred.

Frowning, he stared at the ground and channeled spiritual energy into his fingertips to investigate.

Yet he found nothing. Looking around and spotting Gu Qingming's villa, his brows furrowed deeply.

"Could it be that she has already discovered the existence of Guanyin?"

The trace of Deer Spirit power just now had been somewhat impure, something unique to Rong Qiaoyi.

Therefore, Xie Jinchuan could be certain that she was definitely not dead.

As for why she had suddenly vanished without a trace, he assumed she had used some alternative method to mask her aura.

Fortunately, he had placed a restriction on Guanyin; unless it was someone from the Deer Spirit clan, no one else should be able to perceive Guanyin's aura.

Still feeling somewhat uneasy, Xie Jinchuan erected an additional layer of spiritual barrier around the entire villa before finally departing.

What he failed to see, however, was that by the full-length window of the villa, Guanyin was emitting a soft, ethereal green glow, her face bearing an expression of maturity far beyond her tender age.

With the tips of her toes touching the floor, she walked expressionlessly toward the bed behind her.

On the bed, Gu Qingming lay fast asleep, his brows tightly furrowed as if he were trapped in a deeply distressing nightmare.

"Big brother, don't be afraid."

Guanyin whispered softly. A wisp of Deer Spirit power then slipped from her fingertips and entered Guening's glabella.

Her complexion turning somewhat pale as the green glow faded, she collapsed onto the bed and fell soundly asleep.

Startled awake, Gu Qingming snapped to his senses.

Seeing that Guanyin had somehow wandered into his room, he smiled helplessly, lifted her into the blankets, and gently patted her back until she drifted back off to sleep.

When Shen Qingli woke up and saw Xie Jinchuan beside her, she blinked a few times and asked, "Did you go out last night?"

Still drowsy, Xie Jinchuan pulled her into his arms and let out a muffled hum, his voice thick with the deep, magnetic resonance of a half-asleep man.

"I sensed Rong Qiaoyi's aura last night. When I traced it, I found it was right outside Gu Qingming's villa. I suspect she might be targeting Guanyin."

Burying his face in the crook of Shen Qingli's neck, Xie Jinchuan spoke in a low, muffled tone.

His warm breath tickled her skin, making her neck itch. She reached out and pushed him away slightly.

"Wait, explain this to me first. Why would she be over there?"

Seeing how exhausted he looked, Shen Qingli decided not to press further. She simply told him to get some more rest and reached for her phone.

As she got up to call Gu Qingming, she noticed notifications from Ping Lang alongside a wildly trending topic on Weibo.

Unease knotting in her chest, she bypassed Ping Lang's message for a moment and tapped directly onto the Weibo hot search list.

Seeing that the top three trending topics all involved Gu Qingming, she let out a helpless sigh.

"Does this man simply possess a magnet for negative publicity?"

Muttering to herself, she scrolled down to read the details, only to discover that the entire incident was somehow linked to Chu Li and Su He.

A dark shadow flashed through Shen Qingli's eyes. She switched back to WeChat and opened the message Ping Lang had sent her.

After grasping the full truth of the situation, she sighed and dialed Dong Yang's number.

True to form, the moment the call connected, Dong Yang's frantic, desperate voice came through the receiver.

"President Shen, save me..."

"I've already gathered concrete evidence, including surveillance footage and audio recordings. Publish a clarification statement shortly. As for Su He, bring her straight to my office. I'll be there in about half an hour."

Checking the time and hanging up, Shen Qingli quickly gathered her things and hurried toward the company.

Xie Jinchuan was still fast asleep in bed, feeling an inexplicable and profound weariness weighing down his limbs. Assuming it was merely accumulated fatigue from the past few days, he didn't think much of it.

When he woke up and found that Shen Qingli had already left, Xie Jinchuan frowned slightly and glanced toward the mirror in the corner.

"Tch."

He walked over, and Ah Li instantly snapped to full awareness, staring warily at the man who had suddenly materialized before her.

"What are you trying to do? Let me tell you, I've already signed a contract with your wife! If you shatter me, it will only bring harm to her and no benefit whatsoever!"

Ah Li said nervously. Ever since she had appeared by Shen Qingli's side, she had sensed how intensely the man disliked her aura.

Shivering with fright, she braced herself.

"I'm merely curious, how on earth did you manage to get here?"

Picking up the object, Xie Jinchuan shook it with childish mischief, spinning it until Ah Li felt dizzy.

"Wait! Stop shaking! Stop shaking, I'll tell you!"

Ah Li hurriedly cried out. After catching her breath, she continued, "I was drifting and cast out in the world. If you hadn't taken him to the Ghost Market last time, I never would have crossed paths with Shen Qingli. All things considered, I suppose I still owe you thanks!"

Hearing this, Xie Jinchuan felt a slight prick of displeasure in his chest.

Recalling the events of the past, he frowned and issued a warning: "You better watch yourself. Your only job is to stay by her side and protect her. If you ever dare to play tricks on her the way you used to, I won't hesitate to shatter you into dust."

Ah Li pouted. "I know I was wrong about the past. Weren't I just newly born back then? That's why I did some foolish things."

"Besides, that was hundreds of years ago. I've already learned my lesson."