Stone Fairy!

Li Qing's gaze first fell on the figure at the entrance of the canyon.

Xie Ning stood amidst the rubble and bones, his spear pointing diagonally at the ground, his dark blue outfit gleaming coldly in the dim light of the canyon.

Li Qing nodded to her, then turned to the two beasts on her shoulder and wrist, clasped his hands in a fist salute, and bowed.

"Thank you both, seniors." His voice was still a little hoarse, but his dark red eyes had regained their clarity.

The old turtle lay on Xie Ning's hair, its emerald green eyes slightly narrowed, but it didn't reply.

The green snake coiled around Xie Ning's wrist, its tail tip swaying slightly in response.

Li Qing shifted his gaze from the two beasts to Xie Ning's face. He looked at her for a moment, then clasped his hands in a fist salute again and nodded slightly.

"Thank you, young lady."

Xie Ning shook his head: "I didn't do anything. It was two seniors who saved you."

The old turtle spoke, its voice lazy and languid.

"We had our own reasons for saving you."

"You probably can't stay in this village any longer now."

Its emerald green eyes opened slightly as it looked at Li Qing, its gaze devoid of sympathy or pity, only displaying a direct, businesslike approach.

"Perfect timing, there's a place called Yunmei City where you can stay."

Li Qing remained silent for a moment.

He certainly knew what the old turtle meant. He killed the clan elder, injured his master, uprooted the ancient banyan tree, seized the heart of the Gu God, and confronted the ancestor head-on.

Regardless of his reasoning or whether he acted in the best interests of the Li people, he will no longer have a place in the village.

Li Qing glanced at the old turtle, then at the green snake. He could sense that the demonic power emanating from these two great demons was profound and deep, far beyond what his current cultivation level could withstand.

At the same time, he could sense that if he said no, these two great demons probably wouldn't harm him, but they would definitely use some method to tie him up and take him to that place called Yunmei City.

He had no reason to refuse, or rather, he had no right to refuse.

Li Qing shifted his gaze from the two beasts to Xie Ning. He looked at her for a moment, then spoke.

"After I devoured those spirits, I reached the state of contemplation."

Xie Ning's brow twitched slightly.

The state of contemplation, the same state as hers.

"Before that," Li Qing began, "I would like to have a friendly spar with you, young lady, to test what I've learned."

The old turtle's emerald green eyes narrowed slightly, a dangerous glint flashing in them. However, it didn't speak, but simply turned its head to look at Xie Ning, seeking his opinion.

Xie Ning looked at Li Qing, who was half a head taller than her and looked so thin that he seemed like he could be blown away by a gust of wind. But there was something in his dark red eyes that made him impossible to underestimate.

Xie Ning took a step forward.

"please."

Li Qing nodded, took a few steps back, and distanced himself from Xie Ning by more than ten feet.

His hands hung at his sides, his fingers slightly spread, the tips of his fingers tinged with a faint black.

The air in the canyon suddenly became heavy.

Xie Ning did not rush to make a move. She planted the spear in the crevice beside her, let her hands hang at her sides, took a deep breath, and then slowly exhaled.

Her breath changed abruptly with each exhale and inhale, and the power of her blood and qi erupted within her body.

A blazing, scorching wave of air emanated from her, sending the rubble and bone dust swirling in all directions. A faint red glow emanated from her skin, as if a fire were burning within her.

This is the unique blood and qi power of martial arts practitioners, pure, domineering, and unstoppable.

Li Qing's dark red eyes lit up slightly.

Instead of retreating, he took half a step forward, his hands clasped together in front of him, forming a hand seal that Xie Ning had never seen before.

A chilling aura surged from his body, colliding with Xie Ning's blazing blood energy, producing a hissing sound.

With a loud bang, Xie Ning moved.

Her figure moved like an arrow released from a bow, leaving a trail of afterimages.

He clenched his right fist, the surface of which was covered with a layer of crimson-gold light, and blasted it toward Li Qing's chest.

Li Qing didn't take the blow head-on. Just as Xie Ning's fist was about to touch his chest, he suddenly twisted to the side.

The twisting motion was so extreme that the upper body was almost parallel to the ground, yet it managed to avoid Xie Ning's fist without even touching his robes.

Xie Ning's fist swept past his side, the wind from the punch making his robes flutter loudly.

Before she could finish her move, she twisted her wrist, turning her fist into a palm, and slapped Li Qing on the shoulder.

Li Qing's body twisted again, sliding out of Xie Ning's palm.

He tapped his feet on the ground several times, each step light and airy, yet each step was a perfect retreat, just enough to avoid Xie Ning's attack while keeping himself within range of a counterattack.

Xie Ning raised an eyebrow slightly, and without pausing, leaned in.

Her figure flickered erratically in the canyon, each strike carrying intense blood and qi power, causing the air to explode with sharp, piercing sounds.

Li Qing dodged her attacks constantly, like a leaf caught in a whirlwind, swaying precariously but never being blown away.

Li Qing was observing Xie Ning's attack rhythm and the pattern of her blood and qi circulation.

Countless tiny points of light flickered in his dark red pupils; that was his Gu technique at work. He was using the Gu worms' sensory abilities to analyze Xie Ning's every move.

Then, he retaliated, his right hand emerging from his sleeve, his five fingers like claws, reaching for Xie Ning's throat silently and swiftly.

Xie Ning reacted extremely quickly. She tilted her head sharply to avoid the attack, and at the same time raised her left knee to strike Li Qing's abdomen.

Li Qing pressed down with his left hand, pressing down on her knee, and used the force to float backward several feet, landing on a protrusion extending from the stone wall.

A hint of approval flashed in Li Qing's dark red eyes.

"The girl's vital energy is stronger than I expected."

Xie Ning didn't reply, but simply pulled the spear out of the crevice in the rock, gripped it with both hands, and pointed the spear tip diagonally at the ground. Her aura changed again; if the previous exchange of blows was just a warm-up, then now she was going to get serious.

With a sudden jerk in her hand, the spear tip drew an arc in the air, emitting a sharp whistling sound, and the red tassel fluttered like blood.

Xie Ning took a step forward and thrust out his spear.

Her vital energy and spiritual power were concentrated at the tip of the spear, and a crimson-gold light flowed around it.

Li Qing's pupils contracted slightly. His hands flew rapidly in front of him, his ten fingers dancing like he was playing a piano. The Gu insect powder that covered the ground was drawn up by his power and flew up from the ground, condensing into a black shield made of insect powder in front of him.

The spear tip pierced the shield.

"Bang!"

A deep, resounding boom echoed through the canyon, causing boulders to shatter and fall from the rock walls.

Li Qing's body was pushed backward several feet by the impact.

A hint of surprise flashed in Xie Ning's eyes. She had used seventy percent of her strength in that shot, thinking it would at least push Li Qing back more than ten feet, but she hadn't expected that he would not only block it, but his shield wouldn't even break.

This young man is indeed extraordinary.

She prepared to strike again, but the moment she sheathed her gun, her expression suddenly changed.

Xie Ning felt something moving inside her body.

The thing was so small that it was almost imperceptible, but it was definitely moving.

It slowly rose from her dantian, traveled upstream along the meridians, and swam through her blood vessels.

Xie Ning's body suddenly stiffened. She subconsciously tried to circulate her qi and blood to force the thing out, but she could sense that it had no malicious intent.

Xie Ning raised her head and looked at Li Qing.

Li Qing had stopped, his hands hanging at his sides, the black mist at his fingertips had dissipated, his face was somewhat pale, but his gaze was calm.

He looked at Xie Ning, clasped his hands in a respectful bow, and said, "Miss, there's no need to worry."

"This is one of the two natal Gu I crafted, named 'Gecko.' It can protect you from one fatal attack."

Xie Ning frowned slightly. She sensed a faint thought coming from her, carrying a sense of intimacy.

"This is a small token of my gratitude," Li Qing said, her gaze calm and sincere.

The old turtle and the green snake remained silent, but they had clearly seen Li Qing's actions.

From the tiny glimmer of light that flicked from his fingertip, to that glimmer of light entering Xie Ning's body, and then to the moment Xie Ning's expression changed.

They did not stop it because it was indeed a natal Gu, and it truly meant no harm.

Xie Ning remained silent for a moment, then closed her eyes and focused on feeling the small presence in her chest.

It was a silkworm, pure white and plump, curled up on her chest. It didn't devour her life force or absorb her spiritual energy; it just stayed there quietly, occasionally wriggling its body as if searching for a more comfortable position.

Xie Ning could even feel its breathing, and at the same time, Xie Ning found that the circulation of his own Qi and blood was smoother than before.

That tiny white silkworm seemed to be helping her regulate her internal energy and blood in some way she couldn't understand, making her meridians smoother and her power more concentrated.

Xie Ning opened her eyes and looked at Li Qing.

"Thank you." She clasped her hands in thanks, saying only two words.

The turtle jumped down from Xie Ning's hair and landed on her shoulder, its emerald green eyes looking at Li Qing.

"Let's go."

Li Qing turned around and looked out of the canyon.

Looking from here, you can see the direction of Gu Village, with the rooftops of those stilted houses appearing and disappearing in the twilight.

A look of reluctance flashed in Li Qing's eyes, but he couldn't stay here any longer.

Withdrawing her gaze, Li Qing took a deep breath and then slowly exhaled.

"I will be troubling you two seniors from now on."