Chapter 35: Like Love at First Sight, Like Me Saving You
Time seemed to stand still in the mountains.
The light at the cave entrance was faint. When Chen Yin woke up the next day, it was still dim, and he couldn’t tell what time it was.
…Shen Shuanglian was sleeping peacefully in his arms.
Last night, they had initially held each other awkwardly, hesitant to get too close, maintaining a subtle distance.
But as the night wore on and sleepiness overcame them, Shen Shuanglian had finally leaned against his shoulder and fallen asleep, nestled against his chest.
Chen Yin looked down at her face.
Her expression was soft and peaceful, radiating an innocent and pure aura, like that of a first love. Strands of hair fell across her cheeks, and her rosy lips made him want to steal a kiss.
Chen Yin, the seasoned flirt that he was, had to swallow hard several times to resist the urge to sneak a kiss.
…No, no, taking advantage of someone while they’re asleep goes against my principles.
As if sensing his movements, Shen Shuanglian’s cute little nose twitched, and she let out a soft whimper, her eyes fluttering open.
“Mmm… Is it morning already?”
“If you’re still sleepy, sleep a little longer.”
Chen Yin teased, “No one’s going to force you to wake up early and practice cultivation in this place, right?”
His teasing half-woke her up, and she finally realized their compromising position. She was practically using his chest as a pillow, so comfortable that she instinctively didn’t want to move.
But she quickly blushed and shifted away, asking in a soft voice:
“Are you… okay? Are you still cold?”
“With the warm embrace of Senior Sister, how could I be cold?” Chen Yin grinned mischievously.
Shen Shuanglian’s face flushed crimson, and she lowered her head to avoid his gaze. However, her voice was still filled with concern.
“That’s good… What about other parts of your body? Are you feeling uncomfortable anywhere?”
“Instead of worrying about me, Senior Sister should be more concerned about yourself.”
Chen Yin’s expression turned serious. “Your body was colder than mine last night, didn’t you notice?”
Shen Shuanglian’s eyes dimmed slightly.
“I… I’m fine.”
“If you consider having half of your meridians shattered ‘fine,’ then yes, you’re fine.”
Last night, after Shen Shuanglian had fallen asleep in his arms, Chen Yin had immediately checked her condition.
He was shocked by what he found.
It seemed that Shen Shuanglian had used all her spiritual energy to protect him when they fell, leaving herself to bear the brunt of the impact.
Who knew how high they had fallen from or how hard the impact had been.
Chen Yin had tried to stabilize her chaotic spiritual energy, but he was no expert in healing. Swordsmanship was his forte, not medicine.
And unlike Shen Shuanglian, a wealthy and privileged disciple from the main sect, he didn’t have a stash of precious medicinal pills. Even if he asked his stingy Master for life-saving pills, she would probably just give him some fake medicine from a street peddler.
He could only do his best to stabilize her spiritual energy. He believed that Senior Sister, as a Chosen One, wouldn’t be defeated by these injuries.
Now that Chen Yin had pointed out her condition, Shen Shuanglian bit her lip slightly, but she still said stubbornly:
“It’s okay. It’s just a minor injury. I have some medicinal pills, and I’ll be fine soon.”
“But you, you’re still weak. The pill I gave you is very potent. You need to be patient and let the medicinal power disperse, otherwise, your life might be in danger.”
Chen Yin didn’t dare to tell her the truth and could only force a smile.
…If Senior Sister found out that he wasn’t actually injured, she would probably kill him for taking advantage of her last night.
The sky was still dim. Both of them needed to recover, so they weren’t in a hurry to leave the cave. They leaned against each other, enjoying the warmth and comfort of their shared space.
“It’s quite boring just sitting here. Senior Sister, let’s chat.”
“Okay.” Shen Shuanglian tilted her head slightly. “What do you want to talk about?”
“Hmm… Did Senior Sister sleep well last night?”
“…It was alright.”
“Was it because I was holding you and it was too comfortable?”
“…”
“I saw you sleeping so soundly, I couldn’t even wake you up. Were you having a good dream? Was I in it?”
“…”
“Senior Sister, you’re so shy. Have you never had a boyfriend? With so many people chasing after you, haven’t you found a boyfriend yet?”
“…”
After listening to Chen Yin’s relentless teasing for a while, Shen Shuanglian finally managed to squeeze out a response, “Ask something I can actually answer.”
Chen Yin coughed lightly and said, “Then… why did Senior Sister save me?”
“I-I told you, didn’t I? You’re my Junior Brother, I couldn’t just watch you fall to your death—”
“Are there any other reasons?” Chen Yin’s clear eyes stared into hers.
Shen Shuanglian lowered her gaze, avoiding his eyes. After a long silence, she finally turned her head away.
“Isn’t that reason enough?”
“It’s not enough for me.”
Chen Yin’s voice was laced with a hint of laziness. “I don’t know what kind of environment Senior Sister grew up in.”
“But ever since I can remember, I’ve been wandering this world alone.”
“No food, no clothes. To survive, I had to fight with stray dogs for scraps of food and discarded meat.”
“Just trying to stay alive was exhausting. Dignity… I didn’t even know what that word meant.”
“For people like us, even accepting kindness is a luxury.”
Chen Yin reminisced, “If someone offered me a piece of bread with a kind smile, I wouldn’t eat it.”
“I would be worried that they had drugged it, that they were planning to knock me out and sell me as a child prostitute.”
“If I found medicine for a cold, I would first test it on a stray dog. Only after making sure it wouldn’t kill the dog would I dare to take it myself.”
Shen Shuanglian was speechless. After a long while, she asked hesitantly, “Did you… really need to be that careful?”
“Children who weren’t that careful wouldn’t even survive half a year. I’ve seen many of them.”
He turned to Shen Shuanglian, his eyes piercing and intense.
“So, I don’t believe in kindness without a reason.”
“I don’t believe that anyone would sacrifice their life for a complete stranger.”
…Maybe in the world I came from, such things existed.
But in this world…
It was impossible.
“So, Senior Sister, what was your real reason for jumping down with me?”
His gaze was fixed on Shen Shuanglian.
Shen Shuanglian pressed her lips together, the atmosphere suddenly becoming heavy.
“Of course,” Chen Yin’s expression instantly changed, and he said with a playful smile, “If it was because you were captivated by my handsome appearance, fell in love at first sight, and decided that you wouldn’t marry anyone but me, then I might reluctantly believe you.”
“Ah, what can I say? I’m just that charming.”
Shen Shuanglian lowered her head.
Her beautiful eyes flickered, but in the end, she only whispered:
“Maybe, it’s just because I’m different from you.”
“For me, some things don’t need a reason.”
Like the love at first sight you mentioned.
Like me saving you.
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