Mountain and River Festival

Chapter 258 He's cutest when he's still weak.
Actually, to say that this incident was "life-threatening" is not such an exaggeration.

Lu Xingzhou knew this was an overload for him, but he still felt that with the help of the Shadow Moon Sect's four-directional formation, he could at least hold things together. He was just playing a central role in the flow of energy, but he never thought that this could cost him his life.

The injuries he ultimately sustained were not minor; any damage to the soul and exhaustion of the spirit would be considered a serious matter, and he is still lying in bed without the strength to even move a finger. However, they were not severe either, at least not requiring a elixir of the Yaochi Creation Pill to heal him.

Taking the Jade Pool Creation Pill might even be beneficial for my upcoming breakthrough to the third rank...

In fact, I didn't have the mind to think about so many other things on the spot. It was simply a matter of "she's fighting, what can I do to help?" I did what I thought of, that's all.

I never even thought about asking for any "reward"... Even if I did ask for it afterward, it would just be the usual teasing.

Lu Xingzhou never imagined that this gentleman would actually take the initiative to kiss him. What was she thinking at that moment?
In short, after that kiss, my feelings changed whenever I looked at her again.

At this moment, she was sitting cross-legged on the edge of the bed, the fragrance was so close, and her waist was within reach. I felt that she wouldn't refuse if I hugged her.

Unfortunately, I have no strength in my hands and can't move them at all.

Moonlight streamed through the window and fell on the bedside, illuminating her profile. Her posture, with her eyes closed in meditation, was serene and noble, like a perfect jade Guanyin.

To say that they resemble Yuan Muyu, at least in terms of temperament, the difference is so obvious that no one would mistake one for the other.

Another unmistakable difference is that the sisters' bust sizes are at opposite ends of the spectrum. Yuan Muyu's is barely any curve at all—a total flat-chested vixen. I wonder if her older sister steals all the nutrients from that area…

He had been thinking too much, and his mind couldn't take it anymore. A sharp, stabbing pain still emanated from his mind, and Lu Xingzhou subconsciously groaned.

Ye Tinglan immediately opened her eyes, her voice unconsciously anxious: "What's wrong?"

"No." Lu Xingzhou smiled weakly: "The tingling sensation in my sea of ​​consciousness is probably a normal aftereffect."

For some reason, his frail and broken appearance only amplified Ye Tinglan's sense of beauty and triggered an overwhelming urge to protect him. She inexplicably recalled years ago, when he sat brokenly in a wheelchair, burdened by the lingering poison and internal organ ailments he had carried since childhood. Wasn't he an even more quintessential sickly beauty back then?
A few more coughs and it would look even more convincing.

It was definitely much cuter than when he was all lively and teasing people these days. Yuan Muyu was really eating well back then.

The thought flashed through his mind, but what he said aloud was, "What do you mean by 'normal aftereffects'? You act like you know everything! You're the patient, and you're diagnosing yourself?"

"...I am an alchemist."

"You know nothing about mental trauma, just behave yourself." Ye Tinglan reached out and touched his forehead with the back of her hand for a moment, then sighed: "Hmm, it's not a big problem, just rest more and think less."

Lu Xingzhou glanced at her sideways.

Ye Tinglan couldn't save face: "What, do you think you've graduated from your apprenticeship?"

"No." Lu Xingzhou hesitated for a while, but finally blurted out, "You just used foul language."

"I can't use foul language, only your Yama is allowed to say it, right?"

Lu Xingzhou: “…”

What is this and what?
Realizing she had lost her composure, Ye Tinglan took several deep breaths to calm herself down, then softened her voice: "Close your eyes and rest, clear your mind. If I find out you're up to something again, I'll beat you up."

Lu Xingzhou: “…”

So the stinging pain just now was because she was thinking about bra size? And that's why she swore?

But how do you know what I'm thinking?
Lu Xingzhou said cautiously, "Sir..."

"how?"

"I feel the medicinal power nourishing my soul, but I can't guide or utilize it, unlike internal medication where I can guide and absorb the medicinal power myself."

"That's natural, you haven't even started cultivating your divine soul."

"Is there any way to help guide absorption? I don't want to keep lying down."

Actually, Ye Tinglan really wanted him to stay in bed. He's so well-behaved at times like this... Once he can move, who knows what kind of trouble he'll cause.

But seeing his pitiful appearance, Ye Tinglan's heart softened in the end, and she whispered, "Lie down and don't move, I... I'll help you."

She paused for a moment, then gently leaned down and pressed her forehead against his.

This posture is almost no different from the stolen kiss just now... foreheads facing each other, noses touching, both can feel each other's hot breath, tingling and itchy, lips only need to pout to touch.

"Stop overthinking." Ye Tinglan's own voice was trembling, but she still managed to maintain a cool tone: "Close your eyes and calm down."

Lu Xingzhou closed his eyes.

Soon, I felt my soul connect with yours, as if a goddess from the heavens had gracefully entered my sea of ​​consciousness and danced in the air.

Guided by her, the medicinal effects seeped into her soul, bringing comfort and a drowsy, hazy feeling.

I feel like I've regained some strength, and I think I can move my hands again.

So almost instinctively, he reached out and wrapped his arms around the waist above him.

Ye Tinglan froze, her soul receding from Lu Xingzhou's consciousness like a receding tide, about to angrily rebuke him. But she saw that Lu Xingzhou was actually half-asleep, mumbling, "Don't go..."

There was still some cold sweat on his temples, and he looked weak and uncomfortable. Seeing this, Ye Tinglan's heart softened again, and her angry rebuke turned into a gentle comfort: "Okay, okay, I won't leave."

In reality, Lu Xingzhou's instinctive thought was that the "goddess" in his sea of ​​consciousness should not leave, but in reality, it meant that he was holding onto his husband and telling him not to go.

Ye Tinglan sighed softly, letting him hold her in his arms, remaining motionless for a long time. After an unknown amount of time, the sound of a rooster crowing came from afar, and the first rays of dawn began to break through the sky.

When Lu Xingzhou woke up again, he found that his master was being held tightly in his arms and was sleeping soundly in the crook of his shoulder.

—She was also still recovering from her injuries, and after lying comfortably for a long time, she naturally fell into a deep sleep.

Lu Xingzhou stared intently at him, feeling a similar tenderness and protectiveness towards Ye Tinglan when she saw him sleeping weakly. He felt the same way when he saw Ye Tinglan sleeping soundly on his body like a little girl.

I saw that the green hills are more charming, and I expect that I should see you in Castle Peak.

The crowing of roosters grew more frequent. Ye Tinglan woke up groggily, her eyes still closed. She instinctively reached out and grabbed at something, feeling that the texture was a bit strange.

Then, she snapped out of her daze, opened her eyes wide, and met Lu Xingzhou's gentle, smiling gaze.

"Damn it..." Ye Tinglan cursed herself inwardly. This was an absolutely unacceptable lapse and mistake. Both of them were injured, and without someone on watch, a major disaster could ensue if someone attempted an assassination. Moreover, sleeping in each other's arms was, no matter how you looked at it, far too intimate.

But for some reason, nestled in his arms felt so relaxing, so relaxing that I didn't have any thoughts and just fell asleep.

Ye Tinglan abruptly broke free from his embrace, sat up straight, and tried to make her voice sound indifferent and calm: "How are you recovering?"

Lu Xingzhou struggled to sit up: "I'm still weak and exhausted, but I can move a little, unlike yesterday when I could barely move a finger."

Ye Tinglan nodded with a straight face: "Soul injuries are the most difficult type of injury to heal. It's only been a little past midnight, it's good enough that you can move... Does your head still hurt?"

Lu Xingzhou assessed the situation: "I can't concentrate on anything; I get dizzy as soon as I start thinking."

Ye Tinglan suddenly laughed: "For you, wouldn't you say you've lost your greatest treasure?"

Lu Xingzhou laughed as well: "That doesn't count."

"Don't you make a living with your brain?"

"It's okay to live off a woman occasionally, but my biggest asset right now is my husband."

Ye Tinglan raised her hand as if to slap him, and Lu Xingzhou showed a wronged expression.

Ye Tinglan's heart softened immediately, and she turned around and got out of bed in a huff: "I'll go get you something to eat, just rest."

After a moment, Ye Tinglan brought back a bowl of porridge, hesitated for a moment, and then shoved it into his hand: "Anyway, you can move your hand now, so drink it yourself."

As a result, Lu Xingzhou was able to move his hands, but he had little strength, and his hands were shaking as he held the bowl of porridge.

Ye Tinglan reluctantly took it back: "I really owe you!"

After saying that, he scooped up a small spoonful, blew on it, and held it to Lu Xingzhou's lips.

Lu Xingzhou stared at her intently, not uttering a word for a long time.

"What are you looking at?" Ye Tinglan said angrily, "If you're not going to eat it, I'm taking it away."

"Eat." Lu Xingzhou opened his mouth and ate, then whispered, "Thank you."

Ye Tinglan stirred the food in her bowl with a spoon for a while before saying, "I should thank you first. But Xingzhou..."

"Ok?"

"Don't push yourself like that again. This is a battle for the top spots, you..."

Lu Xingzhou interrupted: "If you can make things easier for people, I won't need to fight."

Night Listener Lan's eyebrows furrowed in disbelief.

Lu Xingzhou sighed: "You shouldn't have gone to the trouble yourself. Even if you don't trust the Shadow Moon Sect, you could have gone to the Listening Snow Pavilion or something similar and called a few First-Rank cultivators to form an array. That would at least pose a threat to the battle of the Super-Rank cultivators. The mortal realm is our home ground. No matter how much competition there is, no matter how many troubles there are in distinguishing friend from foe, the power we can wield far exceeds that of a lone wanderer like him. Why did you have to… hiss…"

He pounded his head with his hand as he spoke, feeling extremely uncomfortable; just organizing his thoughts made him dizzy and lightheaded.

Ye Tinglan helplessly reached out and rubbed his temples: "Alright, alright, you're the only one who can swear. Are you going to eat or not?"

"eat."

Ye Tinglan scooped up another spoonful and brought it to his lips: "Back then, he had already noticed my pursuit of him. I didn't have time to find other helpers, otherwise he would have noticed you... I did it to protect you. You really think I like being a lone wolf? You're so smart."

Lu Xingzhou stared at her blankly, and finally said nothing more.

The two silently finished feeding each other the porridge. Ye Tinglan angrily put the bowl on the table next to her and said, "Now I know why Anuo always roasts sweet potatoes. It makes things so much easier. There will be no more porridge starting tomorrow. You can choose between sweet potato buns or something else."

Lu Xingzhou tried asking, "Do I need to stay in bed for a few more days?"

“It’s uncertain. It depends on your own recovery ability. It will take at least three to five days.” Ye Tinglan sighed: “The divination at the time of departure has all come true. I don’t even know when we will return to Daqian. When we came out, we said it would be a month… and now it’s almost over.”

A glacier where nothing flourishes, a secret realm where heaven and earth do not interact; to venture forth there is to perish, for nothing will be gained.

The maiden's return is delayed; her late return may be inevitable.

But thinking of how Ye Tinglan had gently fed him porridge spoonful by spoonful, Lu Xingzhou felt that the divination he had made back then couldn't have been more auspicious. He could endure as long as he lived in seclusion here.

(End of this chapter)