At this moment, holding Lu Chengsha, Hua Yan felt an unusual sense of peace. He had a refreshing scent of pine needles, a broad chest, abundant inner strength, and a firm body. His waist was slender but powerful. Hugging him tightly gave her an overwhelming sense of security.
Her Great Hero Lu was the best! He would never stab her with a sword!
Hua Yan immediately tightened her embrace. Although she was still complaining randomly, the fear and panic in her mind gradually faded, replaced by a subtle joy. She wished she could stay in his arms forever…
However, she completely disregarded Lu Chengsha’s feelings at this moment.
Climbing out of bed, Hua Yan was only wearing a thin inner garment, unable to conceal her exquisite curves. From above, the view was even more indecent. When she rushed over like a cannonball, Lu Chengsha couldn’t avoid her and could only let her hold him tightly, every inch of their skin almost touching. His mind went blank, and suddenly four words emerged—“warm fragrance, soft jade.”
Although he had held her once before when he was drunk on the mountain top, it was in the freezing cold, in an awkward position, more of a hug than an embrace. It was nothing like today’s… The spot against his chest was extraordinarily soft, as if every inch of her was soft. Her head was even buried in his chest, revealing her fair and graceful neck and delicate, beautiful ears. The curves extended from her neck to her collarbone, and as she breathed, the loose knot on her thin garment seemed ready to fall…
His mind went blank intermittently, as if something was wrong.
Lu Chengsha tried his best to calm his mind and understand what she was saying. He murmured, “…What are you afraid of?”
Hua Yan softly said, “I had a nightmare, a very scary and terrifying one…”
Lu Chengsha was stunned for a while before slowly raising his hand and gently placing it on Hua Yan’s head.
Hua Yan felt very comfortable under his touch. If she were a cat, she would definitely be purring by now. She squinted her eyes and suddenly asked in a small voice, “Great Hero Lu, will you really always protect me…”
Lu Chengsha almost didn’t think and nodded forcefully, saying, “Yes.”
Hua Yan felt a bit anxious and continued, “What if I’m a bad person?”
Lu Chengsha said, “You are good.”
Hua Yan could only hypothesize, “I mean, what if I did something bad?”
After a while, she felt the vibrations in Lu Chengsha’s chest and heard him say, “I’ll take the blame for you.”
Hua Yan said, “Huh?”
Lu Chengsha said, “If there is punishment, I’ll take it for you.”
His voice was hoarse and low, but his tone was ordinary. It didn’t sound like a promise, but it was more certain than a promise.
Hua Yan’s heart felt like it had been crumpled and twisted into a ball. She didn’t know what to say for a moment, only that the embrace before her was growing warmer. She could hear the rapid and slightly erratic heartbeat from Lu Chengsha’s chest.
The fear from earlier finally dissipated completely. Hua Yan rubbed her head against Lu Chengsha’s chest, and the hand around his waist climbed up to his back. Almost simultaneously, she heard Lu Chengsha’s breathing become rapid and irregular.
Hua Yan belatedly realized their current position wasn’t quite appropriate, and Lu Chengsha’s body temperature was a bit too high. She didn’t need to look to know, just from his slightly stiff body, that his face must be red right now.
She should probably let go and step back.
That would be more reasonable.
But… she didn’t want to let go! She just really wanted to hold him! Why should she let go?
At that moment, a cold wind blew, and Lu Chengsha’s voice came stiffly from above her head, “…It’s cold outside.”
Actually, with her inner strength, she wasn’t cold at all, but Hua Yan enjoyed his words. She clung to him for a moment and said, “Carry me inside.” She even found an excuse, “My feet are a bit cold…”
After saying this, she felt her face flush slightly.
Lu Chengsha remained stiff and didn’t move.
Just when she thought he wouldn’t move, she suddenly felt a warm hand on her waist. She was gently turned around, lifted from her waist, and scooped up. Her legs instantly left the ground.
Hua Yan instinctively wrapped her arms around Lu Chengsha’s neck.
He walked inside without looking sideways. His handsome face was indeed covered with a faint blush, even the tips of his ears and the sides of his neck were not spared. His tightly pressed lips betrayed his nervousness. Hua Yan felt unusually close to him, and she tightened her grip, moving even closer.
Close enough to see the lashes at the corners of his eyes and the few strands of hair falling from his forehead, leading up to his flushed ear tips.
His ear tips were as red as if burned, more prominent in color than other parts.
They were especially… cute.
Hua Yan couldn’t help but lean in and plant a kiss on his earlobe, feeling its warmth.
Lu Chengsha’s entire body trembled instantly. He couldn’t help but turn to look at her.
Hua Yan, feeling a bit guilty, blushed and shrank back, but her bright eyes showed a glint of mischief, as if she wasn’t afraid at all.
Finally, Lu Chengsha spoke in a hoarse voice, “Don’t move, I might lose control.”
Hua Yan asked, “Lose control of what?”
Lu Chengsha finally walked to the bedside and gently put Hua Yan down. As he let go, Hua Yan still clung to his neck, seemingly waiting for the answer to her question. Lu Chengsha had to bend down, the fragrance in the room intensifying around her. He closed his eyes briefly, reached behind her head, grabbed her wrist, took a deep breath, and with a gulp, carefully chose his words, “Offend you…”
After uttering these words, his face felt even hotter.
The last time at the hot spring, he had pressed his lips to her forehead, but Lu Chengsha knew very well that it wasn’t just her forehead he wanted to touch, or rather, there was no part he didn’t want to touch. This thought was dangerous; the more he dwelled on it, the more it spiraled out of control. During that short walk just now, his mind had been filled with various phrases from books he couldn’t quite understand, making his body even hotter…
He finally managed to pull her arm away.
Her body was soft, her arms were soft, and her breathing was erratic. Her mind was filled with the two words Lu Chengsha had just said. His deep, hoarse voice was laced with restraint and patience, and a hint of something she couldn’t ignore… Hua Yan naturally knew she was asking an obvious question. She understood much more than Lu Chengsha, yet hearing him say it still made her shiver.
The scenes in Hua Yan’s mind and Lu Chengsha’s limited imagination were worlds apart.
It was very stimulating.
When she came back to her senses, Lu Chengsha was no longer there. Hua Yan immediately covered her face with a thin blanket, rolling back and forth on the bed, trying to expel the images from her mind. Reflecting on her actions just now, she felt a hint of the shyness that a young girl should have.
Was she being too forward?
What had her mother told her? Once the other person is interested, don’t be too forward. Keep a little distance, maintain some mystery—but her mother had taken the initiative and tied her father up and brought him home!
Hua Yan had heard her mother’s love story seventy or eighty times. Her mother was severely injured and being hunted by the Zhengyi Sect. While fleeing, she stumbled into an inn room where her father was studying for exams. Seeing a woman in distress, he hid her, pretending not to know. This allowed her mother to escape danger. Afterward, her father took meticulous care of her, always respectful and never crossing the line, but her mother’s heart had already been deeply moved. She played the weak woman card to the fullest. When her pursuers came to the door, her mother had to leave. Her father, still polite and scholarly, showed no reaction, so her mother, in a fit of urgency, tied him up and took him back to marry her, forcefully claiming him.
According to her mother, her father was quite awkward when he first arrived at their sect, but after spending the night together, he became a bit more compliant.
Later, her genuine affection moved her father, and eventually, she was born.
Every time this story was told, her father would blush and cough loudly, looking helpless yet somewhat content.
Hua Yan couldn’t help but wonder if, should she reveal her true identity and Lu Chengsha turned his back on her, she might be able to tie him up and bring him back. However, it seemed unlikely that even force would make Lu Chengsha submit, given that she was no match for him.
But if she couldn’t defeat him, there were others who might. Hua Yan even began to consider if Xie Yingxian could fight on her behalf and what the chances of victory would be…
Xie Yingxian, aside from displaying some of his skills during the competition for the sect leader position, had never shown his full strength. No one knew how powerful he truly was. Perhaps he could rival Lu Chengsha…
Hua Yan’s mind was a whirlwind of thoughts, making it hard for her to sleep.
***
By dawn, Hua Yan had barely slept. Looking in the mirror, she saw faint dark circles under her eyes. She hurriedly found some powder to cover them up, only relaxing when they were barely visible.
She put on new clothes, a simple white robe borrowed from the disciples of Cixin Valley, as she didn’t have time to choose an outfit. Hua Yan usually preferred vibrant colors and rarely wore plain clothes. However, she found that this outfit didn’t look bad at all. It gave her somewhat enchanting face a touch of elegance and even a hint of righteousness. She also restyled her hair into a simple yet stylish arrangement and adorned it with a small, elegant white flower.
Satisfied with her appearance, she felt a bit nervous as she stepped out, wondering how Great Hero Lu would react. Would he… like it?
Outside, disciples were already bustling towards the center of the valley, awaiting Nian Yi’s so-called instructions.
Hua Yan had initially thought that this personal address was meant for the disciples from the various sects who had come, but it turned out to be for everyone in the valley.
In the center of Cixin Valley stood a high platform made of white jade bricks, spacious and adorned with a gourd-shaped stone carving at the top, symbolizing the healing of the world. Hua Yan had passed by it several times during her aimless wandering without paying much attention. It was only now, amidst the throng of people, that she realized this was where important announcements were made.
At dawn, the light around the platform was faint, with morning fog lingering and creating a ghostly effect on the white-clad figure in the middle.
Below the platform, a crowd had gathered, forming several layers of curious onlookers.
After waiting for a while, Hua Yan finally saw Lu Chengsha. Dressed in black with his usual expression, he showed no signs of whether he had slept well the night before.
She deliberately moved closer, wanting Lu Chengsha to notice her new attire. However, Lu Chengsha seemed not to notice at all. He just awkwardly shifted his gaze away and looked towards the platform.
Well… maybe he didn’t like her wearing this, Hua Yan thought, feeling a bit dejected.
But she noticed that the tips of Lu Chengsha’s hair were slightly wet, which seemed strange. He couldn’t have sweated that much. She reached out and touched it, feeling that it was cold. Lu Chengsha immediately turned to look at her, and Hua Yan asked, “Why don’t you dry it?”
Lu Chengsha replied, “To cool down.”
“Oh, you…” Before she could finish, Hua Yan suddenly realized and blushed.
On the platform, the event was finally about to begin.
As the morning mist dissipated and daylight spread, Nian Yi stood rigidly in the center, with the stone sculpture of the gourd symbolizing healing the world behind him. He stood with his hands at his sides, his face as unpleasant as ever, yet his expression remained calm. He said nothing, and the murmurs below gradually quieted down. Since he had no internal energy, his voice wasn’t loud. Those with martial arts skills could hear him, but the unskilled had to remain very quiet to catch his words.
As the noise died down, he slowly said, “I am here today because of a medicine from our valley.”
Hua Yan noticed Xue Tingshan behind him, staring intently with a furrowed brow, looking as if he wanted to stop him.
Then, Nian Yi began to recite the prescription.
“This medicine…”
Before he could finish, someone interrupted him.
A voice from the crowd said loudly, “Master Nian, I have a question for you.” The speaker used inner strength, and the voice spread, audible to everyone.
Nian Yi naturally heard him. He raised his eyes slightly, without surprise, as if he had anticipated this, and smiled faintly, “Could you wait until I finish? It won’t take long.”
The man hesitated, glanced around, and said, “…Alright, you go ahead.”
Nian Yi continued, “This medicine had issues during testing, which I was unaware of at the time, resulting in its distribution. About ten to twenty percent of those who took it developed other illnesses, and among them, about thirty percent died as a result. This is entirely our valley’s fault. Cixin Valley will distribute notices to all major pharmacies and clinics, discontinuing this medicine. Families of those who suffered adverse effects can come to us for compensation.”
He finished calmly, leaving everyone surprised that Nian Yi’s so-called explanation was about this matter.
The crowd immediately erupted into chatter. They weren’t interested in this issue at all. Someone shouted, “Isn’t it a bit late to talk about this now that people have died? Are those two farmwomen’s deaths related to the valley?”
“Are you colluding with the Demon Sect? Where is Xie Yingxian, the Demon Sect leader, now?”
But the loudest voice came from the person who had previously spoken. He shouted, “Master Nian, can I ask my question now?”
Others immediately chimed in, “What do you want to ask? Get on with it.”
“Yes, ask it already!”
Nian Yi finally looked at him.
The man seemed a bit nervous, cleared his throat, and asked, “Master Nian, did you personally create the Blood Phantom poison?”
The crowd was immediately thrown into an uproar.
“What is the Blood Phantom?”
“What poison? Does Cixin Valley make poison too?”
Those who already knew about it looked horrified and said, “The Yin family, the Yin family and those two farmwomen died from this poison back then…”
“If this is true, doesn’t it prove that Nian Yi is indeed colluding with the Demon Sect? What a hypocritical master of a medical valley, secretly making poison to harm people…”
“The two farmwomen just wanted an explanation, and the Yin family was an innocent victim, killed by his hand… No wonder the Yin family, who had been doctors for generations, fell victim to poison. It was specially made by someone…”
Nian Yi’s expression remained unchanged. It seemed he had been waiting for this moment for a long time. He lifted his pale wrist and looked at his withered hand, then said, “Yes.”