Cultivating Immortality, Starting from Childhood Sweethearts-Chapter 338 - I’m Not Silly.

Looking at Shi Xin standing in front of him, Xu Ming froze for a moment.

Shi Xin, too, was momentarily stunned.

Then, Xu Ming was the first to react. Gripping the longsword in his hand, he took steady steps toward her.

Shi Xin simply stood there, unmoving.

Xu Ming raised his sword and slashed down at her.

Her pupils contracted sharply as she quickly formed a hand seal. A golden barrier instantly enveloped her.

“Clang!”

The sword energy struck the golden barrier, producing a deep, resonant sound—like a great bell being struck with force.

This was the first time Xu Ming had personally tested Shi Xin’s defenses.

And he had to admit—she really lived up to her reputation.

No wonder the abbot of Leiming Temple had felt at ease letting this little white rabbit roam the world.

Sure, Shi Xin wouldn’t kill anyone. Sure, she was kind and compassionate.

But honestly, ordinary people wouldn’t even be able to break through her defenses.

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And as for the extraordinary ones—those cultivators who were stronger than her—they wouldn’t dare touch her either.

After all, who in their right mind would want to provoke the wrath of Leiming Temple’s abbot?

“Not bad. Let’s try again.”

Xu Ming thought to himself.

Without hesitation, he swung his sword down once more.

This time, Shi Xin didn’t reinforce her barrier. She simply stood there, gazing at him calmly, as if resigned to fate.

Yet the golden shield around her shattered instantly.

A cold glint flashed before her eyes.

Xu Ming’s sword was already resting against her neck.

“Why didn’t you dodge?” Xu Ming asked with a smile. “Did you already guess it was me?”

He had deliberately slowed his second strike. If Shi Xin had wanted to, she could have easily avoided it.

But she had just stood there, foolishly still.

To Xu Ming, there was only one explanation—she had recognized him.

Shi Xin nodded. “Mhm.”

“How did you know?” Xu Ming asked.

“When you swung the second sword.” Shi Xin blinked her golden eyes lightly. “Your gaze had a hint of mockery in it.”

Xu Ming: “…”

“Then tell me, what was I mocking you for?”

“You were laughing at how foolish I was.” Shi Xin pouted slightly, her tone carrying a trace of grievance. “You were definitely thinking, this girl can’t tell the real from the fake anyway.”

Xu Ming: “…”

She wasn’t wrong.

He had been laughing at her for being naive.

The truth was, from the very beginning, Xu Ming had recognized that this Shi Xin was real.

Why? He couldn’t quite explain it himself.

It was just that—when the real Shi Xin stood before him, there was an undeniable feeling.

A realization.

So this is what true purity looks like.

If you had seen a fake Shi Xin before, then upon seeing the real one again—

You would understand even more profoundly—

This girl was truly pure.

Like a stream of clear water, standing before you.

Not fighting. Not competing. With no desires, no schemes.

Just quietly looking at you.

That kind of presence, that kind of aura—was something no illusion could ever replicate.

But even after recognizing her, Xu Ming had wanted to tease her a little.

He had wanted to see how she would react when facing “death” beneath his sword.

Unexpectedly, she had seen through him first.

“I’m not foolish.”

Just as Xu Ming fell silent, Shi Xin lifted her head and looked at him earnestly, a stubborn determination in her voice and eyes.

And that slight stubbornness, when displayed on her flawless face, made her seem all the more adorable.

“You’re right. You’re not foolish.”

Xu Ming sheathed his sword.

As if she had just received praise from Xu Ming, Shi Xin’s eyes lit up instantly. She moved closer to him, curiosity brimming in her voice. “Then how did you recognize me?”

Xu Ming thought for a moment. “Because you’re silly. The moment you stood there, I felt this... goofy aura. And that’s something no one else can imitate.”

With that, he didn’t bother explaining further and simply turned around, walking toward the courtyard exit.

Watching him gradually walk away, Shi Xin clutched the hem of her kasaya and murmured softly, “But you just said I wasn’t silly...”

“What are you standing around for? Let’s go.” Xu Ming turned back and called out to her.

“Oh!” Shi Xin quickly nodded and hurried to follow him.

“Xu Ming, where is this place?” Walking beside him, she lifted her head and asked.

Xu Ming yawned lazily, looking unconcerned. “Who knows? But it’s probably not a secret realm. Otherwise, I wouldn’t have run into you. My guess is that it’s some sort of barrier.”

“Oh.” Shi Xin nodded again.

Xu Ming glanced sideways at her. “Are you scared?”

Shi Xin shook her head. “No.”

“Really? I have a feeling there’s something really strong lurking here—probably not something we can handle. We might not even be able to escape this place and could end up perishing along with the Rootless Secret Realm.”

“I’m really not scared.” Her golden eyes held no trace of fear.

Xu Ming raised an eyebrow. “Why not? Are you that confident? Think you can get out of here?”

Shi Xin looked at him seriously. “Because you’re here.”

Xu Ming paused for a moment, then laughed. “What do you mean, ‘because I’m here’? I’m not invincible.”

Shi Xin lowered her head in thought. “I don’t really know... But as long as you’re with me, I just don’t feel scared. And I don’t need to think too much about it.”

“Alright then.”

Although what she said sounded a little like an expression of affection, Xu Ming didn’t read too much into it.

It was probably just that he had helped her through too many dangerous situations, and she had come to trust him.

“Dong... dong... dong...”

Just as Xu Ming was leading Shi Xin to find an exit, deep, resonant bell chimes echoed throughout the temple.

In the next instant, the scenery around them began to distort.

When the space around them stabilized again, Xu Ming and Shi Xin found themselves standing before the temple’s main hall once more.

As if they had never taken a single step forward since entering.

And they weren’t alone.

Other cultivators also began reappearing around the temple, exchanging confused glances. None of them seemed to understand what had just happened.

Then, the next thing to appear—were corpses.

One after another, lifeless bodies materialized within the temple.

Some cultivators even had fresh blood on their hands.

A chilling realization settled over them—unlike the stone statues or illusions from before, which left no blood when slain...

These were real people.

Which meant that, in the so-called “illusion” just now, they had actually killed each other.

“Amitabha, the Buddha is merciful.”

A childlike voice rang out within the temple.

Everyone turned to look.

Amid the many statues of deities and Buddhas, a small sculpture—no larger than a five-year-old child—began to change.

Slowly, it transformed into a living, breathing being.