The room returned to silence, leaving only the wind passing through the window cracks, bringing a wisp of the scent of vegetation.
Lin Dalu sat on a low stool by the bed, looking at Xiang'er's face as she slept from exhaustion. A ray of light from outside reflected in, casting on Xiang'er's face; her profile lines were soft and exquisite, and her eyelashes cast a small fan-shaped shadow, yet that brow still harbored a trace of pain that wouldn't dissipate, making one's heart ache with pity.
As he watched, his heart felt slightly sour. She was so quiet, which made him think of many years ago when his mother was ill and bedridden; his father had stayed by the bed day and night like this, taking meticulous care of her. He was young then and only thought his father worked hard, but now looking at Xiang'er, he actually had a similar illusion in a trance... as if he and she were meant to be this close.
'If only Xiang'er could be my wife...' This thought popped up involuntarily, making his heart feel warm. But immediately, Liu Hai's teasing words rang in his ears again—"If you really get married, Brother Dalu's lovesickness should be cured too!" His cheeks instantly turned red, like the most vivid scarlet dye in the dyehouse.
He lowered his head, his thoughts churning. He originally only thought Xiang'er was as beautiful as a non-mortal; how could he, a rural Mortal, dare to hope? Furthermore, she turned out to be an Immortal! This... how could an Immortal and a Mortal be together? How could an Immortal possibly abandon the Great Dao of Longevity to marry a Mortal like me and live this mundane life of fuel, rice, oil, and salt?
Just as his thoughts were in disarray, Xiang'er on the bed suddenly frowned again and twisted uneasily in her sleep, as if trapped in a nightmare. The thin quilt covering her slipped a bit, and her collar, which had been loosened by that gale earlier, was now slightly open, revealing a small patch of skin as delicate as jade, making Lin Dalu's heart tremble.
Lin Dalu's breath suddenly hitched, and he felt a surge of heat rush to his head. He hurriedly looked away and clumsily tucked the quilt back in for her, his movements so hurried he almost knocked over the stool. In his mind, however, Liu Hai's usual teasing words echoed inappropriately; though unpleasant, they were lingering.
The inch of snowy white revealed below Xiang'er's neck involuntarily surfaced before his eyes. "No!" He immediately cut off these romantic thoughts. 'Not to mention that Xiang'er is an Immortal Maiden and I, with a mortal body, am not worthy of profaning her. Even if she were just an ordinary woman, she is so pure and jade-like; how could I harbor such frivolous thoughts? If one day I am truly fortunate... fortunate enough to marry her as my wife, I should respect and love her, and surely would not bear to treat her so abruptly!' Thinking thus, his gaze became clear and firm again.
He took a deep breath, suppressed his churning blood, stood up quietly, and went to the kitchen to start a fire, intending to brew some hot soup for Xiang'er to warm her body.
—
An hour later, Xiang'er slowly awoke. Lin Dalu came in carrying a bowl of steaming chicken soup, "Xiang'er, you're awake? Drink some hot soup to warm your body."
Seeing this, Xiang'er struggled to sit up. "Be careful." Lin Dalu hurried forward to help, but unexpectedly, as Xiang'er propped herself up, the quilt that was already loosely covering her slipped off completely, and her robe, which was not tied tightly, instantly fell open at the collar, revealing a small patch of skin and making Lin Dalu tremble.
"Ah!" Xiang'er let out a low cry of surprise, her face instantly flushing red like the finest rouge. She hurriedly closed her robe and turned around, frantically pulling at her clothes to cover herself.
Lin Dalu's face was also red up to his ears as he quickly turned around, stammering an explanation, "Miss Xiang'er... I... I didn't see anything! Really... didn't see anything!"
Xiang'er, with her back to him, straightened her clothes and then turned back, smiling shyly with a voice like a thread, "Young Master Lin, please do not blame me. It was my carelessness. I lost my composure and made you laugh..."
"No! Xiang'er, I shouldn't have..." Lin Dalu hurriedly handed over the soup bowl, "You... you should drink the soup!"
Just then, footsteps sounded outside the door, and Liu Hai walked in with a few packages of medicine, shouting, "Brother Dalu, Miss Xiang'er, I'm back! The medicine is here!" At a glance, he saw the two in the room, one red-faced and the other with head bowed in shame, the atmosphere extremely ambiguous. He couldn't help but wonder, "Eh? You two... what are you doing?"
Lin Dalu forced himself to be calm and coughed twice, "I boiled some hot soup for Xiang'er. Xiang'er, drink it quickly." Xiang'er was even more ashamed to look up, taking the soup bowl and sipping it in small mouthfuls to hide the embarrassment.
Liu Hai blinked, sensibly not asking more, and waved the medicine packages in his hand, "Brother Dalu, I'll go decoct the medicine. Oh, by the way, the shopkeeper at Chunhe Tang said today that the main medicine Autumn Poria Mushroom in the prescription happened to be out; it was all bought by Shopkeeper Tan of the Guangde Cloth Shop, so this medicine... the effect... might be slightly worse..."
"What?" Lin Dalu's brows immediately furrowed, "That won't do! Young Master Liu, Xiang'er was injured like this to save you! This medicine is to treat her injury; how can the main medicine be missing!"
Liu Hai, knowing this was improper, said remorsefully, "Brother Dalu... I-I'll go to the Guangde Cloth Shop to find Shopkeeper Tan and see if I can borrow some for the emergency."
Lin Dalu sighed and waved his hand, "Forget it, I'll go. Shopkeeper Tan is an acquaintance of my father and has been a regular customer of our dyehouse for many years. Given this relationship, I should have more confidence in asking him to borrow some medicinal materials than you." He turned to look at Xiang'er, whose face was still pale on the bed, and instructed, "Young Master Liu, take good care of Xiang'er. I'll go to the Guangde Cloth Shop and return as soon as possible."
Liu Hai hurriedly promised, "Don't worry, Brother Dalu!"
Xiang'er also looked over, a hint of softness in her eyes, and said softly, "Young Master Lin, be careful on the road."
Lin Dalu nodded, gave her a deep look, turned, and strode out toward the direction of Guangde Town.
He was worried about Xiang'er and walked as if flying. However, having just walked a hundred paces, he suddenly heard Young Master Liu's shout from behind, "Miss Xiang'er! Where are you going? Wait!... Brother Dalu! Come back quickly! Miss Xiang'er, she..."
Lin Dalu's heart tightened, and he suddenly turned his head. He saw that under the moonlight, Xiang'er was actually stumbling toward the direction he had left, her steps unstable and her figure swaying, while Young Master Liu followed behind with a panicked face to support her.
"Xiang'er!" Lin Dalu immediately turned back, rushed to her side, held her, and asked urgently, "What... what's wrong with you? Didn't I tell you to have a good rest?"
Xiang'er leaned in his arms, panting slightly, her face also full of alarm and doubt, "I... I originally wanted to lie down and rest, but as soon as I closed my eyes, I felt a mysterious force, like some lingering power of the technique, pulling me... I couldn't suppress it and could only move closer to you."
Lin Dalu was filled with doubt and had to send the extremely weak Xiang'er back to the house first, once again strictly instructing Young Master Liu to watch over her, and then went out once more. This time, he deliberately slowed his steps and paid attention to the movement behind him.
Sure enough, after walking another hundred paces, Young Master Liu's shout came again from behind, "Miss Xiang'er! What exactly is wrong with you? Brother Dalu! Come back!"
[Illustration ↓]
https://i.postimg.cc/D0WgwxMK/Q0003C1.jpg
Lin Dalu turned back again and saw that Xiang'er's face was even whiter and her breath was rapid; clearly, this forced movement had exhausted her strength. Seeing Lin Dalu, she smiled bitterly, "It's... it's the same again. That force... mysteriously pulling me toward you. I cannot control myself, nor can I stop it..."
Lin Dalu's brows were tightly locked as he pondered for a moment. This was the first time he had encountered such a bizarre thing. "Could it be... because Xiang'er is an Immortal? Or because of that Technique Formula?" He was completely puzzled and looked at Xiang'er, "Xiang'er, can you still hold on?"
Xiang'er nodded with effort, "I'm okay, I can."
"This matter is strange; I want to try one more time to confirm." Lin Dalu said in a deep voice.
Xiang'er responded submissively, "Young Master Lin can go ahead and try; I'm fine and can hold on."
Thus, Lin Dalu walked once each toward two different directions, east and west. The result was exactly the same—no matter which direction he went, as long as the distance between him and Xiang'er exceeded a hundred paces, Xiang'er would be like being pulled by an invisible thread, involuntarily chasing after him, unable to resist.
Xiang'er said with a bitter smile, "It's like there are invisible threads pulling me, making it impossible for me to stay away from you."
[Illustration ↓]
https://i.postimg.cc/vT1zZ0Ns/Q0003D1.jpg
Lin Dalu returned to the front of the house and looked at the extremely weak Xiang'er, having already understood in his heart. He said in a deep voice, "It seems, Xiang'er, you cannot leave within a hundred paces of me. Although I don't know the reason, the current situation is urgent and allows no time for us to think too much."
"Young Master Liu!" He made a prompt decision and said to Liu Hai, "We can't worry about that much anymore. You lead the way in front. I'll carry Xiang'er on my back, and we'll go to Guangde Town together!"
"Okay!" Young Master Liu responded.
Saying that, Lin Dalu turned and walked in front of Xiang'er, leaning down gently. Xiang'er hesitated for a moment but eventually leaned on his back. Lin Dalu wrapped Xiang'er's arms around his neck, then steadily propped up the bends of her legs and carried Xiang'er on his back. At that moment, Xiang'er's light and soft body was close against his back, her hair brushed against the side of his neck, and a faint fragrance and warm body temperature were transmitted. It made Lin Dalu's ears turn slightly red, but he immediately gathered his mind and said to Young Master Liu, "Go!"
The three no longer hesitated, treading upon the clear breeze of the countryside, and strode toward the direction of Guangde Town.
—
Not long after Lin Dalu left the village entrance with Xiang'er on his back, on that cliff overlooking the entire village. The shadows under the hoods of the two black-robed men seemed to turn slightly, and their figures faded away silently, as if merging into the wind.
At the same moment they disappeared, everything that had been frozen in the mountain forest resumed its flow.
"Chirp—" The sparrow cried out in alarm, flapping its wings and flying high, disappearing into the depths of the dense forest.
The rabbit that had been frozen in mid-air also landed with a "thump," turning its head to look around, then kicked its back legs and scurried into the grass, vanishing from sight.
Only the sound of the wind on the cliff remained, swirling up dust and leaves. On the ground, a faint Talisman mark appeared vaguely, flickering on and off. The lines were profound, the form elegant, and the aura ancient—it was, strikingly, a crane.
[Illustration ↓]
https://i.postimg.cc/hvJrt25n/Q0003E.jpg
——(End of Chapter)