Chapter Six: Reluctance

“What’s wrong?” Hearing the commotion, Bai Shengyun rose to his feet and glanced over, seeing something thrashing in the water, sending up a great spray.

“Immortal Lord, that demon woman suddenly fell into the water. I’m afraid she may have disturbed you by accident.” Ning Qingqing sounded uneasy, unable to guess Bai Shengyun’s attitude for the moment.

Bai Shengyun looked only for a brief moment, then sat back down, brows furrowed, showing not the slightest intention of interfering or saving anyone.

Seeing this, Ning Qingqing was secretly delighted, though she put on a worried expression. “Immortal Lord, that demon woman doesn’t seem to know how to swim. Should we just leave her like that?”

When it came to Xie Yingying, Bai Shengyun was utterly heartless. Even as she fell in, he was unmoved.

Though Ning Qingqing was pleased to have set up Xie Yingying’s fall, if Bai Shengyun decided to ignore her and let her flounder in the water, she was more than happy to let it be.

Since Bai Shengyun didn’t care whether Xie Yingying lived or died, she had no intention of pretending to help or fishing her out, only to have her cause more trouble later.

Ning Qingqing glanced toward the river, but in truth kept a close watch on Bai Shengyun’s every move. Neither of them showed any intention of rescuing the drowning woman.

She gritted her teeth, deciding she couldn’t appear too obvious, and ventured a question: “Immortal Lord, what do you think we should do?”

Unexpectedly, Bai Shengyun remained motionless, his expression unchanged.

As cultivators, their senses were keen; without even looking, they could more or less discern Xie Yingying’s situation. The splashing sounded farther away now.

The river was icy and the current swift. Xie Yingying felt as if her blood had turned to ice; in her panic, she swallowed a lot of water, her consciousness growing faint.

She was not a strong swimmer. Being suddenly shoved into the water, she had no time to react—the more she struggled, the faster she sank.

Her vision blurred; she could barely see the riverbank. A buzzing filled her mind.

She hadn’t died at Bai Shengyun’s hands, but was about to drown here by someone’s scheming—how absurd.

At last, summoning her final strength, Xie Yingying broke the surface briefly, crying out for help, “Save me! I can’t swim!”

She only hoped Bai Shengyun had enough decency not to watch her drown; otherwise, she would die in vain.

Though her cry was weak, Bai Shengyun heard it clearly. Only then did he rise and walk to the riverbank.

He watched Xie Yingying sinking and surfacing in the water, his expression unreadable, but his steps were slow and deliberate. As the hem of his robe touched the water, Ning Qingqing panicked.

She hurried over, trying to stop him. “Immortal Lord, you mustn’t!”

At her words, Bai Shengyun looked at Ning Qingqing, his lips pressed into a thin line, silent.

Only Xie Yingying’s weakening cries rose from the river, her figure growing fainter.

Ning Qingqing’s scalp tingled under Bai Shengyun’s gaze. She swallowed hard and mustered her courage, “Immortal Lord, the current is swift and the river deep. Even the strongest swimmers would not dare go in lightly. You must reconsider.”

She wanted to stall, hoping Xie Yingying would sink and then they could figure out how to fish her out. By then, though, Xie Yingying might already have been swept away, and any effort to find her would be futile.

“Immortal Lord, your status is too noble to risk such danger.” She pressed on, hoping to dissuade him from going in himself, praying all the while that the river would carry Xie Yingying far, far away—never to return.

Suddenly, Bai Shengyun let out a cold laugh and pointed at Ning Qingqing. “Since that’s the case, you go and save her. Don’t let her drown before your eyes.”

Perhaps influenced by his own aversion to water, Bai Shengyun had no desire to soak himself. Watching Xie Yingying drift farther, he felt an inexplicable irritation.

Never mind how Xie Yingying ended up in the river; she’d been in there long enough—if they didn’t fish her out soon, she’d surely drown.

He fixed Ning Qingqing with his gaze. “The current may be swift, but you seem to know this river well. Surely you can swim?”

Ning Qingqing was taken aback. She hadn’t expected that after stopping Bai Shengyun, she herself would be tasked with saving Xie Yingying.

She cast a glance toward Xie Yingying floundering in the water, a flash of disgust in her heart. She had no desire to fish the woman out.

First, Xie Yingying had sullied Bai Shengyun; second, she had usurped the place that should have belonged to Ning Qingqing, making every step difficult. Merely being in her presence was unpleasant enough—let alone risking her life to save her.

“What, are you unwilling?”

Bai Shengyun spoke again, his brow creased with impatience.

“If you won’t go in to save her, do you mean to stand by and watch your mistress drown?”

Ning Qingqing certainly did not want to, but she feigned distress and protested, “Immortal Lord, I’m not a strong swimmer, and I don’t know the river’s conditions well. I dare not attempt it lightly.”

“It’s just saving someone—why so many excuses?” Bai Shengyun’s patience was wearing thin, his tone icy.

“Please forgive me, Immortal Lord. If not, I can fetch help!” Ning Qingqing gritted her teeth, risking his ire by continuing to argue. She wanted only to delay, unwilling to go in herself no matter what.

Though she followed Bai Shengyun willingly, she had no room in her eyes for Xie Yingying.

Let her drown in this river! Ning Qingqing thought hatefully.

What Bai Shengyun loathed most was defiance and scheming.

Seeing that Xie Yingying was nearly out of sight, he gave a heavy snort. “Go in. Save her!”

With these words, a terrifying pressure swept out. Ning Qingqing, standing closest to him, felt it first; sweat beaded on her brow, her face turned deathly pale.

Only then did she realize she had pushed too far and angered the man before her; panic filled her heart.

Staring at the shimmering water, she clenched her teeth. “Please calm your anger, Immortal Lord. I’ll go in and save her at once!”

No matter how unwilling she was, she had no choice but to wade in to rescue Xie Yingying.

It had been her doing that sent Xie Yingying into the water; now it fell to her to bring her out again. Round and round—she could not escape this vicious cycle.

Bai Shengyun stood motionless on the riverbank, brows tightly knit as he watched Ning Qingqing slowly wade into the water, stormy waves surging in his deep eyes.

By now, Xie Yingying had already gone under. Fortunately, the river was clear enough that one could faintly make out the color of her clothes—not very deep, but not exactly safe either.

She had nearly ceased struggling—she looked utterly spent.