Chapter 15: Snowy Nights, Moonlit Nights, and You
Two hours later.
The entire room was littered with broken wine jars, the strong aroma of alcohol permeating every corner. It was to the point where even taking two breaths of air would make one feel tipsy.
Chen Yin sat on the edge of the bed, looking at the mess on the floor and sighing softly.
Beside him, Luo Qiaoqiao was lying on the bed, her eyes closed, breathing evenly.
…He had finally escaped by relying on his alcohol tolerance.
After much effort, he had persuaded Luo Qiaoqiao to drink more, but they had already finished all the wine in the inn. To his surprise, Luo Qiaoqiao simply waved her hand and summoned all the fine wine in the entire city.
This time, they truly drank until the sky and earth spun.
Since they had agreed not to use their cultivation, even Luo Qiaoqiao, with her exceptional tolerance, became increasingly intoxicated as the night went on.
In the end, although she still stubbornly clung to Chen Yin’s hand, she couldn’t resist the effects of the alcohol and fell into a deep sleep.
But it had to be said that Luo Qiaoqiao was even more passionate when drunk. Even in her drunken stupor, she clung tightly to Chen Yin.
Her thin silk dress pressed against his chest, and he could faintly feel the soft and moist warmth of her sweat.
And her unconscious mumbling:
“Don’t go… Don’t leave…”
“I’ll be good, just don’t leave, okay…”
Chen Yin wanted to leave.
But Sister, your spiritual energy chains are so strong, I can’t leave if you don’t let go.
So Chen Yin could only hope to get Luo Qiaoqiao drunk enough to have a chance to escape.
Fortunately, after she fell into a deep sleep, the spiritual energy chains that had been binding him, now uncontrolled, began to loosen.
Chen Yin rubbed his sore wrists and sighed. Just as he was about to leave…
He realized that her hand was still tightly gripping his.
But this time, there was no spiritual energy or cultivation involved.
It was like a child clinging to a beloved old toy, refusing to let their parents throw it away.
Chen Yin turned to look at Luo Qiaoqiao, who was lying on the bed.
Dressed in her fiery red dress, she lay on the wide bed like a blooming red spider lily.
Her delicate eyebrows were slightly furrowed, beads of sweat clinging to her skin.
…Like a rain-soaked sculpture, breathtakingly beautiful and captivating.
But at this moment, the face that could drive countless men in the cultivation world mad wore a vulnerable expression, like that of a child.
Chen Yin recalled what he looked like when he had nightmares as a child.
After hesitating for a moment, he whispered:
“…I’m leaving.”
There was no response.
“You really don’t have to punish yourself like this.”
Chen Yin spoke as if to himself. “If you’re unhappy, punishing yourself won’t change anything.”
“It will only make you regret it even more when you sober up.”
“I’m not a virtuous gentleman, I’m a pervert. Normally, if a beautiful girl like you threw herself at me, I wouldn’t refuse.”
He paused, then suddenly chuckled.
“But, I can tell. You’re a good girl.”
“If one day you truly decide to spend the night with someone, it should be under the red wedding canopy.”
“…Not in some random inn.”
Chen Yin noticed that the hand that had been tightly gripping his wrist had loosened slightly due to sweat.
He carefully placed Luo Qiaoqiao’s hand back under the covers and tucked her in.
After hesitating for a moment, he gently kissed her red lips.
“…You took my first kiss, so consider this a return gift.”
“From now on, we’re even.”
He closed the door, casually setting up a spiritual energy barrier to prevent anyone from approaching. By the time Chen Yin left the inn, the sky had already begun to brighten with the first rays of dawn.
He knew that Luo Qiaoqiao would probably wake up when the sun fully rose.
However, if she woke up and found that he had really left her behind and run away…
…The wrath of Silk-Robe Fairy would probably be enough to keep the area around Flowing Cloud City restless for a while.
***
That was how it happened.
Chen Yin had thought that this was just a fleeting and ambiguous interlude, a night that would be forgotten by both of them.
Mount Yu and the Heavenly Net Sect had never interacted much, and he might never have the chance to see her again in his lifetime.
But he never imagined that less than a year later, he would run into this woman again by chance.
And judging from her current attitude, she wouldn’t let him go easily this time.
And he probably wouldn’t have the chance to get her drunk on an entire city’s worth of wine again.
“I say,”
Chen Yin said helplessly, spreading his hands. “Sister Qiaoqiao, why are you so fixated on me? There are plenty of fish in the sea.”
“I’m just a small, unknown cultivator. It’s not a good match for someone as renowned as the Silk-Robe Fairy.”
“There are so many talented and handsome young men in the cultivation world, who am I to you?”
But Luo Qiaoqiao just stared at him intently.
“I don’t want to hear any of that.”
“I just… don’t want to let go this time, no matter what.”
Her fiery red dress fluttered gracefully as she took a step forward, her jade-like fingers gently pinching Chen Yin’s chin.
“…I want you to come with me.” She tilted her head slightly, her eyes filled with an unquestionable determination.
No man could refuse such a direct and passionate invitation.
But Chen Yin truly couldn’t agree.
He took a deep breath and said with a wry smile:
“…I’m sorry. I really can’t go with you.”
“Then I’ll just take you by force.”
“I don’t want to hurt you.” Chen Yin looked at her seriously. “Don’t force me.”
Luo Qiaoqiao countered, “Would you hurt me?”
There was no fear in her eyes, only a defiant glint as she stepped closer.
Chen Yin was at his wit’s end.
When a woman became unreasonable, it was truly terrifying.
There was nothing he could do.
If he relied solely on his cultivation, he would probably have to hurt her to escape. But Chen Yin couldn’t do that.
He didn’t dislike this girl.
She was straightforward, passionate, and didn’t play any games. She simply told him directly:
…I want you to come with me.
As if she had decided on the person she wanted to spend her life with and wouldn’t hesitate to follow him.
But Chen Yin still felt that his Little Junior Sister’s matters were more important. Getting entangled with Luo Qiaoqiao now would only hinder his future actions.
“Why are you so certain that it has to be me?” Chen Yin couldn’t understand. “We were just strangers who met by chance. Aren’t you afraid that I might be a bad person?”
“Are you a bad person?” Luo Qiaoqiao asked with a playful smile.
“…”
“If you were a bad person, why would I have remained alone until now?” She chuckled, her smile brightening the world around them.
“If you were a bad person, you would have done what you wanted that night.”
Chen Yin covered his face helplessly.
This girl was even more open-minded than his foul-mouthed loli granny Master.
“Then if I do what I wanted that night with you now, can we pretend we don’t know each other?”
“No.” She raised her head proudly. “Once wouldn’t be enough for me.”
“Once a day would barely suffice.”
“…You win.”
Chen Yin raised his hands in surrender.
This time, he was truly defeated.
He was now starting to think about when he could find an opportunity to sneak away if he was really taken by force.
Xiang’er was still waiting for him in the city.
“Alright.” He sighed regretfully. “I’ll go with you.”
“But I came here with my Junior Sister to participate in the Fairy Conference. You have to wait until I’m done with my business, right?”
“The Fairy Conference? Perfect.”
Luo Qiaoqiao said with a smile. “I’m going too, we can travel together.”
…What traveling together, you just want to keep me by your side. Chen Yin sighed deeply.
“Alas, I never thought I, Chen Yin, a man of such charm, would be defeated by a woman’s skirt.” He lamented.
Seeing that he was no longer resisting, Luo Qiaoqiao’s mood brightened, and she couldn’t help but smile at him radiantly.
***
That morning.
When Luo Qiaoqiao woke up from her drunken stupor, she stared at the wine jars and the strong aroma of alcohol filling the room for a long time.
She could still feel someone’s warmth lingering on her hand, and her heart ached with a sense of loss.
After a long while, she finally spoke, her voice dazed:
“System, has he left?”
“He left last night.”
The System’s mechanical voice echoed in Luo Qiaoqiao’s ears. “I don’t understand. This person hasn’t appeared in the plot records at all. He should be just an ordinary person.”
“Why are you so infatuated with him?”
Luo Qiaoqiao was silent for a long time, then suddenly asked:
“Do you know why he said last night that our encounter should be accompanied by heavy rain?”
The System honestly replied, “I don’t know. I thought he was just speaking in riddles.”
Luo Qiaoqiao didn’t answer, just chuckled self-deprecatingly.
“…Of course you wouldn’t understand.”
The rain is a window. Hiding behind the rain, we can peek at each other without restraint.
The rain is also an excuse.
An excuse for him not to approach me.
“I’d rather it rained every day, thinking that you didn’t come because of the rain…”
She murmured to herself, “I loved that line ever since I redeemed this book from the System Shop.”
“And sometimes, liking someone is like liking a sentence.”
It doesn’t need a reason.
It can blossom in an instant.
“You’re not human, so you naturally wouldn’t understand.”
The System seemed to be used to being talked back to like this and simply said helplessly, “Suit yourself.”
“As long as it doesn’t affect the plot, you’re free to do whatever you want.”
A hint of loneliness flashed in Luo Qiaoqiao’s eyes.
“Yes.”
“If it doesn’t affect the plot…”
“I only have… five years left to live anyway.” She looked at her hand calmly.
His warmth still lingered there.
As if he was still holding her hand.
***
Just as Luo Qiaoqiao, in high spirits, was about to walk forward while holding Chen Yin’s hand…
She suddenly frowned slightly and turned around abruptly. The Heavenly Net Sect disciples nearby also began to whisper among themselves.
“Why is it so noisy here?”
A cold and ethereal voice came from not far away.
Chen Yin froze.
He had only heard this voice twice, once in each of his lives.
But it was so unique that he could never forget it after hearing it just once.
…It was the voice of his Senior Sister, Frost Moon Sword Immortal Shen Shuanglian.
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