He certainly couldn't tell A Shui about his time-traveling experience. If he did, people might think he's crazy if they didn't believe him, and if they did, it could bring endless trouble and disaster. So he decided to keep it to himself.

  A Shui didn't know whether to believe Wen Chaoshen's story, but she didn't ask further and continued eating horse meat.

  After a moment of silence, Wen Chaoshen seemed full. He patted his stomach and said to A Shui, who was still eating and drinking:

  "In the coming days, you need to be more cautious."

  "No matter where you're from, if Chun Qiong finds out you tampered with Liu Jinshi's corpse, he'll definitely be suspicious. The worst-case scenario is that he might collude with those forces in the Martial World looking for you, and who knows what kind of trouble that might bring."

  A Shui replied indifferently, "Just a bunch of rabble."

  Wen Chaoshen rummaged through his belongings and somehow pulled out a small fsk of wine, tossing it to A Shui. She caught it effortlessly and raised an eyebrow, "You got money to buy wine now?"

  Wen Chaoshen said, "You treated me st time, so this time it's on me."

  "I didn't have much money, so I just bought this small fsk. Drink it sparingly."

  A Shui smiled, uncorked the fsk with one hand, and took a swig. The burning sensation surged from within, and she let out a low excmation, "Refreshing."

  "Wen Chaoshen, just for this fsk of wine, I'll say you have some conscience."

  Wen Chaoshen continued the previous topic, warning, "Chun Qiong is not simple. You better not underestimate him. Even if they're not your match, in your current state, who knows when an old injury might fre up during a fight."

  A Shui swished the strong liquor in her mouth, gargled twice, and spat it into the fire in front of Wen Chaoshen. The fmes suddenly brightened significantly, then gradually returned to normal.

  "At worst, I'll return to my homend. What's there to worry about?"

  She had long been indifferent to her own life and death, never taking it to heart whenever it was mentioned.

  Wen Chaoshen couldn't agree with her disregard for life, his tone tinged with sarcasm, "You're so eager to die, then why bother investigating the truth?"

  "When you're dead, all that's left is a mound of earth, and everything becomes bones. What difference does it make whether you know or not?"

  "If you really care about this, you should at least ensure you survive."

  "And besides..."

  He locked eyes with A Shui, his gaze sharp as if it could pierce through flesh and bone to the deepest part. But Wen Chaoshen stopped there, not continuing. They stared at each other for a while until A Shui suddenly averted her eyes, speaking in an annoyed tone:

  "Your eyes are really annoying."

  "They see too deeply."

  "I've always disliked people prying into my secrets."

  Wen Chaoshen tossed a stick into the fire, saying helplessly, "I don't want to either, but I was born this way. If I don't say anything, just pretend I didn't see it."

  A Shui sneered, "I'm starting to regret befriending someone like you."

  Wen Chaoshen looked at her and smiled, "How much do you regret it?"

  A Shui thought for a moment, raised her arm, and extended a slender index finger. Wen Chaoshen could vaguely see calluses on the joint, a mark left from wielding weapons for a long time.

  "As much as a horse."

  Wen Chaoshen was intrigued and asked, "Why a horse?"

  A Shui replied, "When I first escaped, I was severely injured and disoriented. Many people were after me. I shouldn't have made it here alive, but an old horse carried me across the wastend, running over a thousand miles. It finally succumbed to a snowstorm, freezing to death in the wastend. I stumbled into the mountains and was found by you."

  "So if it weren't for that horse, I wouldn't have met you."

  Wen Chaoshen looked at A Shui's sidelong gnce through her falling hair and ughed, "I can tell, meeting me has been quite frustrating for you."

  A Shui sighed, shook her head lightly, and tossed the half-empty wine fsk back to him.

  "Not drinking anymore?"

  Wen Chaoshen asked.

  A Shui y down, using her hands as a pillow, closed her eyes, and zily said, "I'm tired. You drink it."

  Wen Chaoshen didn't hold back, tilting his head to finish the remaining wine. The intense spiciness turned into a burning sensation that shot from his throat to his stomach. He let out a satisfied "Ah," closed the fsk, set it aside, and y down as well.

  Closing his eyes, the alcohol quickly took effect, making him feel dizzy and light.

  It was kind of pleasant.

  A perfect time to sleep.

  But tonight was different from usual.

  Outside the temple, snow fell heavily, and several crow-like shadows appeared in the sky.

  In pces unseen by the human eye, the sharp sound of weapons being drawn could be heard, leaving footprints in the snow.

  Inside the temple, the fire flickered. Wen Chaoshen had barely fallen asleep when a hand suddenly grabbed his colr, yanking him off the ground. He realized something was wrong and opened his eyes to find A Shui's face inches away. His heart skipped a beat, fearing the drunken A Shui might gouge out his eyes in anger.

  "What do you want?"

  He asked, panting.

  A Shui squinted and said, "They're here."

  "North of the temple, a mile away, thirty-six people."

  Wen Chaoshen was taken aback. Though still tipsy, his eyes immediately searched for his hatchet. He didn't question how A Shui knew about the situation a mile away, understanding that cultivators like her often had special abilities. The most important thing now was to figure out how to stay alive.

  A Shui whispered, "Stop looking, the hatchet is with me."

  Wen Chaoshen said, "Aren't there plenty of weapons in the temple? Why take my hatchet?"

  A Shui lightly swung the hatchet, her wrist steady as if she hadn't drunk at all.

  "Your hatchet is quite handy. I like it."

  Wen Chaoshen was speechless. He pointed to himself and asked, "You use my hatchet, so what do I use for self-defense?"

  A Shui replied, "There are so many weapons in the temple. You're afraid you won't have one to use?"

  Wen Chaoshen shrugged, "I don't know how!"

  A Shui released his colr and said calmly, "Then just grab a knife or sword."

  "Wen Chaoshen, didn't you want to learn martial arts from me?"

  "Tonight... I'll teach you how to kill."

  PS: Only one update today.

  kant202323