Chapter Fifty: He Actually Cared That Much!

After confirming that nothing remained, Xie Jinchuan finally withdrew his spiritual energy.

With his eyes half-lowered, he tucked the quilt around Shen Qingli, then left the room and returned to the side of the sofa.

A slight movement of his fingers gathered up the last traces of the azure mist hidden in the corner of the couch.

“An enchantment from the fox clan?”

Once he identified it, Xie Jinchuan’s gaze turned icy cold. Ever since the spiritual energy around Shen Qingli had grown stronger, there were always some reckless creatures trying to beguile her into doing their bidding.

This time, it was likely the same.

A cold laugh escaped his lips. With another flick of his fingers, he infused the mist with a sliver of lethal spiritual force before flinging it out the window.

At that precise moment, as Xie Jinchuan severed the spell, Rong Qiaoyi, just returned home, suffered a backlash.

Having only recently possessed this body, her form was already unstable, and blood immediately trickled from the corner of her lips.

“Oh no, my dear Qiaoyi, what happened to you?” her manager exclaimed in panic, quickly pulling out a tissue to dab at the blood.

But before the manager could get close, Rong Qiaoyi sensed a surge of spiritual power. She reacted instantly, knocking the manager out with a single movement.

The spiritual energy closed in with a sharp hiss—there was no way for her to dodge. She managed to turn just in time, only for the violent, domineering energy to strike her squarely in the back, making her cough up a mouthful of blood.

On her knees, pain seared across her back, and she gritted her teeth. “Damn…”

Through sheer effort, she used her own power to barely quell the burning agony.

“Xie Jinchuan, do you care for Shen Qingli that much?” she spat coldly, her eyes glittering with frost.

She had only meant to test the waters today, but hadn’t expected him to be so protective of that woman.

He’d even laced his power with heaven’s thunder and earth’s fire. If she weren’t a divine being, any ordinary demon would have been obliterated!

The enchantment was nothing more than a trick she’d picked up elsewhere—a simple pleasant dream for Shen Qingli, no more.

“Truly maddening, and enough to spark envy,” Rong Qiaoyi muttered, drawing a long breath. Once she felt well enough, she helped her unconscious manager off the floor.

“The more dearly you hold her, the more I intend to make her suffer!”

She had endured countless trials and tribulations just to come to Xie Jinchuan’s side.

She hadn’t done so to witness their tender, inseparable love.

Exhaling a long, bitter sigh, Rong Qiaoyi excused herself for a bit of exercise and headed straight for the mountain. The wilds would help her synchronize with this body and achieve flawless control.

Meanwhile, sensing the dissipation of spiritual energy, Xie Jinchuan frowned slightly. But he didn’t probe further—no demon could withstand the onslaught of heaven’s thunder and earth’s fire.

“Mmm, Xie Jinchuan, you’re back?”

Shen Qingli, roused from slumber by a wave of spiritual energy, stood at the top of the stairs, rubbing her sleepy eyes.

“Why are you awake? Are you hungry?” He climbed the stairs, and seeing her dazed, found her utterly adorable—he couldn’t help but steal a couple of kisses.

Those kisses woke Shen Qingli in an instant. She tried to push him away, but he was relentless. He scooped her up by the waist, and, with her legs wrapped around his hips for support, the pose was as intimate as could be.

“Put me down,” she murmured, meeting his playful gaze.

“Do you really think I’d let you go?” Xie Jinchuan grinned, holding her firmly and pulling her even closer, pressing a light bite to her rosy earlobe.

She gasped, her soft moans at his ear impossible to resist.

A feverish light flickered in Xie Jinchuan’s eyes as he strode straight back into the bedroom with her in his arms.

“Xie Jinchuan… I—I have my period today,” she whispered.

He hesitated for a moment, then she heard him sigh softly by her ear.

“You really are tormenting me.”

The sound of his voice brought an unbidden smile to her lips.

“Get some rest. I have some work to attend to,” he said, setting her gently on the bed, ruffling her hair, and kissing her forehead before leaving the room.

She watched him hurry off to the bathroom, her smile brightening. Yet as she recalled the scene just moments before, the blush on her cheeks deepened.

But then, memories of the visions she’d seen in the illusion drifted into her mind, and her heart, which had been racing, gradually calmed.

“No, I must trust him…”

Yet even as she said it, she couldn’t help but brood over what she had heard that day—especially her father’s mention of the war her mother had spoken of…

All of it left Shen Qingli full of questions.

She had thought her arrival here was pure coincidence, but now she wondered if there was more to it.

As she pondered, a wave of exhaustion swept over her, and she drifted back into deep sleep.

Meanwhile, in the cold shower, a glint of chill passed through Xie Jinchuan’s eyes.

“That feeling just now couldn’t have been wrong…”

His self-control had always been impeccable, yet just now, his mind had been clamoring to devour Shen Qingli?!

He drew a long breath, and after making sure nothing strange lingered on him, finally felt reassured.

But still uneasy, Xie Jinchuan walked to the master bedroom and sat on the edge of the bed, watching Shen Qingli sleep. He called out for the system.

“Cai Cai.”

No response.

“Green Coriander!” This time, he sent a pulse of spiritual energy, and finally, the system stirred, its apologetic voice echoing in his mind.

[H—High Immortal, what… what happened to me?]

The system’s voice was weak and halting, making Xie Jinchuan frown. He sent a bit of his power over, and the system soon recovered.

“Who did Qingli meet today?”

At once, Green Coriander began its search.

[Today the host went out and met the famous star Rong Qiaoyi. The rest were people from the company.]

Rong Qiaoyi?

The name brought to mind the strange occurrences of a few days ago, but Xie Jinchuan couldn’t be certain—it could simply be a business connection.

But then his gaze fell upon Shen Qingli.

Her unusual state had only begun after meeting this Rong Qiaoyi, and while it might be nothing, he couldn’t dismiss the possibility.