After Liu Buli finished speaking, he turned and walked away without looking back. Once they were a safe distance away, You Siqi said, "I already warned you that dragon would bring you trouble."
"Didn't I tell you I foresaw this?" Liu Buli chuckled. "Whether I killed him back then or not, this trouble would have followed me. Besides, our little disciple has a good relationship with that dragon now. I can't just kill him, skin him, and pull out his bones for these parasites to share, can I?"
You Siqi sighed. He had to admit, that made sense.
Perhaps it was because Li Qingcheng, trailing behind them, had such a low presence that the two spoke without reservation.
By the time she realized it, Li Qingcheng was staring at Liu Buli's face with a look of surprise. She hesitated and asked with a conflicted tone, "Liu Buli, you... you also keep a dragon?"
Since she had already discovered it, Liu Buli saw no reason to hide it any longer.
Moreover, from Li Qingcheng's current demeanor, it was clear she had no intention of harming him. So, he nodded generously. "That's right, there is a dragon. But he'll be leaving our sect to play soon, and I don't know where he'll go. What's up, do you want to be a dragon slayer?"
"I won't, and I don't want to hurt him." Li Qingcheng shook her head, her gaze falling again. "I've confirmed it now, I'm no longer human. But I also feel that it's not so bad not to be human. There are bad people among humans, worse than monsters who are openly evil. It's not a race worth clinging to."
Liu Buli's eyes widened in surprise. He patted Li Qingcheng's shoulder. "Not bad, you've progressed to be able to think about such profound matters yourself!"
Li Qingcheng immediately blushed.
Liu Buli realized his action was inappropriate and quickly withdrew his hand. He then earnestly explained to Lu Wuming, "I see her as a good brother, absolutely no other intentions."
Li Qingcheng's face turned even redder.
Liu Buli: ...
Although he was well aware that Li Qingcheng's current behavior was not malicious, he really wanted to tell the girl, "Could you please try to control your facial expressions a little? Otherwise, I'll never be able to clear my name!"
Seeing Lu Wuming's aura growing increasingly intense beside him, Liu Buli quickly grabbed him and ran towards the exit of the secret realm.
Since he didn't know how to explain it anyway, it was best to leave first.
The exit and entrance of the secret realm were not in the same location, which was a good thing. At least they wouldn't have to encounter any cultivators trying to enter the realm.
After leaving the secret realm, Shen Muzhi and You Siqi discussed it. They had been out for too long and it was time to return to their Medicine Master Valley.
This trip to the secret realm had been rather disappointing, leaving You Siqi dejected throughout. Shen Muzhi comforted him, holding him close. After bidding farewell to Liu Buli, they departed on their magical artifact.
In the blink of an eye, only Liu Buli and the other two remained.
The atmosphere became even more awkward.
Liu Buli's thoughts were the same as before. He could help Li Qingcheng within the secret realm, and he could indeed provide her with some material assistance outside.
However, taking her back to the Pill Sect was absolutely out of the question.
So, meeting Li Qingcheng's gaze, Liu Buli directly took out several magical artifacts from his Qiankun bag. Placing them in her hands, he said, "Your current strength is too weak, so these magical artifacts are to help you survive first. These are merely means for you to repay me later, nothing more. If you're willing to accept them, take them, but don't have any excessive expectations."
This was Liu Buli's direct refusal for what felt like the umpteenth time.
Li Qingcheng pursed her lips.
She looked at the magical artifacts in her hands and accepted them all.
Because, as Liu Buli had said, she was truly too weak.
At her level of weakness, even if she wanted to appear proud and refuse the gifts from the one she liked, reality left her no choice.
After all...
She had to survive.
Sighing inwardly, Li Qingcheng stored all the magical artifacts and then took out a dagger from her Qiankun bag.
Liu Buli was startled by her action.
Just as he was about to ask what she was doing, he saw Li Qingcheng draw a bloody mark on her palm with the dagger.
As blood dripped, Li Qingcheng began to chant.
The incantation was simple and basic, one that Liu Buli and Lu Wuming were very familiar with.
It was a blood pact, the contract etched into her flesh and blood. If she ever violated it, she would feel a curse emanating from the depths of her being, one she could not resist and which would cause her unbearable pain.
As her chant progressed, a contract written in blood gradually appeared in the air before them. The contents of the contract were clear: no matter what happened, she would never do anything to harm Liu Buli.
It was a unilateral contract, imposing no restrictions on Liu Buli himself. It was precisely because of this that Li Qingcheng's own blood was sufficient to finalize the contract.
Liu Buli looked at the contents of the contract, and his scalp tingled.
He wanted to persuade her that it wasn't necessary, but before he could finish speaking, Li Qingcheng pressed her palm onto the blood pact.
Red light flashed, and the contract was established.
Liu Buli felt a splitting headache. He pressed his forehead forcefully and said, "You really didn't need to do this. You're not my slave, nor my servant, why would you do this?"
"Because I will never hurt you, so you won't hate me, right?" Li Qingcheng smiled. "I don't intend to intrude into your world. I just hope that if you encounter any danger, you'll consider calling me to help. You've troubled me a lot during this time, and thank you for your care. I'll accept the magical artifacts for now and repay you in the future. I'll be going now and won't disturb you."
As she spoke, she took a few steps away, then suddenly turned back to look at them. With a smile, Li Qingcheng said, "Lu Wuming, I truly envy you, because I also like Liu Buli. That's all."