Chapter 485 - 218: Fragrance Fades

Chapter 485: Chapter 218: Fragrance Fades

Qin Fang froze at her words, suddenly realizing his heartache and anger had made him lose his self-control...

...He possessed 250,000 jin of brute force!

He subconsciously loosened his grip slightly.

But before he could apologize, Qinghe snuggled closer into his embrace, her arms gently wrapping around his waist. She pressed her cheek against the cool fabric of his clothes, her voice a low murmur filled with a mix of shyness and dependence as she added, "But... I like it."

Qin Fang went completely still, and the very aura around him seemed to freeze.

He lowered his gaze to the flushed side of her face. After a long while, he slowly raised his hand and gently laid it on her back, his touch so tender he seemed afraid of breaking a priceless treasure. He just quietly held the soft, fragrant girl in his arms.

The girl said no more, content to rest quietly in his embrace. She inhaled his faint, clean scent of grass and trees as shyness and a sense of security intertwined in her heart, even chasing away some of her lingering fear.

The silence stretched on. Qin Fang’s Adam’s apple bobbed as he suppressed a surge of emotion and said in a low voice, "You must be hungry. Have something to eat."

Only then did the girl pull back from his embrace, her pretty face still flushed, but her eyes were sparkling. She let out a soft "Mm."

Qin Fang turned and walked to his master’s nearby tea table. He picked up the Giant Bee Meat he had offered his master earlier, as well as a bamboo tube of honey.

"Ah, it’s Giant Bee Meat!"

Seeing it, Qinghe cried out in delight, her eyes curving into crescents. She quickly reached out to take it, her tone full of excitement. "We ran out of ours a few days ago. I can’t believe Brother Qin brought some!"

"Thank you, Brother Qin!"

She looked up at him and smiled, the vibrancy in her eyes making Qin Fang feel, for a dizzying moment, as if he had returned to five years ago. Back then, in the bamboo forest below Old Ox Back, she had held Giant Bee Meat just like this, her smile completely unguarded.

His heart suddenly clenched. Qin Fang gazed at the vibrant girl before him, and the memory of his master’s words—"one stick of incense"—gripped him with an unprecedented sorrow.

He fought back the lump in his throat and offered her the bamboo tube of honey, forcing a faint smile. "If you like it... then eat some more."

"Thank you, Brother Qin!"

Qinghe replied happily, completely oblivious to the deep pain in his eyes. She picked up a piece of Bee Meat and popped it into her mouth, her eyes curving even more. "Ooh... It’s cold? The taste is different from before... but it’s even more delicious."

Chewing the meat, she murmured in slight confusion, "I’m sure I just had this a couple of days ago, but why does it feel like I haven’t tasted it in a very, very long time..."

Qin Fang’s Adam’s apple bobbed, and his fingertips trembled slightly. In the end, he could only silently look away, hiding the welling bitterness in his eyes. He didn’t dare to respond.

After she had eaten a few pieces, he pushed the bamboo tube of honey toward her again.

Qinghe paused and looked up in confusion. "Brother Qin, what’s this?"

"Honey from the Giant Bee," Qin Fang’s voice was low.

"Huh? Brother Qin actually managed to get honey?"

Qinghe’s eyes instantly lit up with astonishing brightness, her voice full of surprise. "Xiao Jiu and I were just talking about this! The Giant Bee Meat is so delicious, we figured if there was honey, the honey would have to be..."

Before she finished speaking, a swift whistling sound suddenly cut through the air.

Qinghe instinctively turned her head to look, but her eyes immediately went wide, her hand holding the honey freezing in mid-air.

A behemoth with golden fur leaped onto the peak.

Qin Fang also looked up, a hint of surprise flashing in his eyes...

’...Xile?’

’It actually followed my scent here?’

After landing, Xile spotted Qinghe at once and immediately trotted over affectionately, making happy noises at her.

The girl’s eyes looked ready to pop out of her head. She stared blankly at the Xile before her, which was several times larger than she remembered. It took her a long moment to find her voice, her tone filled with disbelief. "Is... is that... Xile?"

"How did Xile get so big?!"

Qinghe jumped to her feet in surprise, her hand stopping halfway as she reached out... as if she couldn’t believe this behemoth was really Xile.

But Xile took the initiative, nudging its warm head toward her. Her eyes lit up instantly, and she boldly stroked its fur, her fingertips gently rubbing it as her tone filled with wonder and joy.

"It really is Xile! It’s only been ten-odd days, how did you get so big?..."

She was chattering on in pleasant surprise.

But suddenly...

Her body trembled violently. The smile vanished from her face in an instant, her gaze quickly lost focus, and her entire body slumped limply to the side.

Qin Fang’s heart hammered in his chest. He lunged forward in a single bound to catch her, his voice trembling as he cried out, "Qinghe! Qinghe!"

The bamboo tube of honey in her hand THUDDED against the stone slab. The wooden stopper rolled away, and sweet honey gurgled out, flowing over the cracks in the stone and filling the air with a rich, sweet fragrance.

Qinghe leaned against him, her expression dazed and her gaze unfocused. It took a long moment for her to manage to focus on Qin Fang’s reddened eyes. Her voice was as light as a feather. "Brother Qin... I think I’m a little tired... Huh? Brother Qin, why are you... crying?"

She raised a hand, wanting to touch his cheek, but her fingertips lost their strength as soon as she lifted them. She murmured softly, "I-I’m fine... just a little tired, a little sleepy... I want to sleep for a bit..."

Her gaze grew more and more unfocused.

"Qinghe, Qinghe!!"

Qin Fang shouted her name as he circulated his True Essence, pouring it into her body.

But there was no response. He could clearly feel her life force fading away rapidly.

Unwilling to give up, he then used his Divine Sense, trying to stimulate her Divine Soul.

But his Divine Sense passed right through her body.

It had no effect at all.

"Brother Qin, it’s okay. I-I’ll just sleep for a little while. I’ll be fine after a little sleep..."

Qinghe struggled to stay conscious. She looked at Qin Fang, whose eyes were bloodshot and who was even letting out cries of anguish. In her daze, she seemed to realize something.

Her breathing grew slightly ragged as she looked at Qin Fang.