Morning light first broke, far mountains held the ink-wash darkness, and the triple crowing of roosters in the village startled the white herons by the cold pond. Outside the village, the stream murmured, the distant sound of dogs barking drifted in, and light filtered through the paper window, painting the room in a pale yellow hue. In the dyehouse, fabrics hung down, and Lin Dalu stood guard by the couch, his voice carrying anxiety and a tremor, "Xiang'er! Xiang'er—! Xiang'er—!" Lin Dalu called out incessantly.
He saw Xiang'er curled into a ball, her eyelashes trembling slightly, her breath faint and flickering, her moon-white inner robe soaked with cold sweat, and her black hair clinging to her pale cheeks. The anomaly of last night was still vivid in his mind—the moment Xiang'er cast her spell, the light was like flame, drawing the lunar essence, the scene still before his eyes. At this moment, however, she suffered from Qi Reversal Disorder and her body was trembling, as fragile as a remnant lotus in the rain. Lin Dalu's heart was in a mess of panic, his hands and feet unsure what to do, also fearing he might hurt Xiang'er. He urgently thought to himself, "Xiang'er possesses such Immortal techniques, yet even she cannot resolve this tribulation. As a Mortal, what can I possibly do?"
"I... I must decoct the medicine," Lin Dalu muttered to himself.
He turned to leave, but suddenly heard a soft "thump"—Xiang'er's body rolled onto the ground, her hair scattered, making that glimpse of snow-white skin even more piercing.
"Xiang'er!" Lin Dalu suddenly bent over, his arms tightening as he picked her up. At that moment, his heart was in even greater turmoil, his eyes only on her breathing.
He placed Xiang'er back onto the couch, covered her with the quilt, and tucked in the corners. But after a short while, the quilt was kicked away, and her body rolled down again. He carried her again, covered her again... "Don't fall again..." he grumbled in a low voice, his tone showing heartache. "What should be done?... What should be done?"
"Sigh!" Lin Dalu was so anxious that sweat poured from his forehead. He suddenly had a thought and took Xiang'er back into his arms, using his own body to warm her coldness. Her skin had almost no temperature, like cold iron. Lin Dalu's chest tightened, feeling that if he didn't do something soon, Xiang'er's breath would dissipate.
He pulled Xiang'er completely into his embrace, his forehead pressed against her temple. At that moment, Xiang'er's fingertips suddenly twitched, clawing at his shoulder; a "rip" sounded, her nails sank deep, and blood seeped out. Just then, a bone-piercing chill surged through the skin where they touched, as if falling into a nine-cold ice cave, or like thousands of sharp blades stabbing into the bone marrow. Immediately after, an intense itch followed, as if ten thousand ants were swarming and wandering everywhere.
"Ugh..." Lin Dalu let out a muffled groan of pain but did not let go. He saw the frost on the brow of the person in his arms gradually fade, and Lin Dalu was instantly overjoyed, then he clenched his teeth, the veins on his forehead bulging, "It's alright... Xiang'er, it's alright, I'm here..." His voice was low, almost shattering in his throat.
But he quickly noticed that the heart-piercing pain and itch seemed to be drawn by some strange force, gathering at a spot on his waist and abdomen, then slowly dispersing.
"Hiss—" He took a sharp breath, letting out a low groan.
The room was silent, leaving only the sound of overlapping breaths. Outside the window, the morning light grew brighter, and the wind blew through the cloth curtains, making a "clatter" sound.
He knew not how much time had passed, a stick of incense, or perhaps an hour... Xiang'er's breathing gradually stabilized, and her face regained some color. Lin Dalu was soaked through, his breath weak, yet he still held her tightly, as if fearing that if he let go, she would fall back into that endless pain.
He stared blankly at the beautiful face in his arms—Xiang'er's brows were like beautiful crescent moons, rising and falling slightly with her breath; her lips were soft as water; her exhaled breath was warm, brushing against his neck, making his heart burn.
A faint feminine fragrance lingered around his nose, like medicine and flowers mixed with a hint of sweetness; Xiang'er's soft, delicate body was nestled obediently in his arms. Lin Dalu suddenly felt his mind settle, his body feeling light as a tide of fatigue washed over him.
"Whoosh—" The sound of the wind entered the window, and the lamp wick flickered slightly.
Lin Dalu's eyelids grew heavy, his whole person as weary as mud, yet his arms did not loosen.
Xiang'er's eyelashes moved slightly, and she slowly opened her eyes. She was stunned for a moment, then felt a surge of alarm—"I... actually didn't lose consciousness?" She knew that every time it flared up, she would fall into Qi Reversal Disorder and suffer brief memory loss, why was she intact tonight?
While she was thinking, she suddenly felt a heavy weight on her. Looking down, Lin Dalu was sprawled over her, his arms firmly protecting her, sleeping deeply, the sweat on his forehead not yet dry, a hint of a smile on his lips.
Xiang'er's cheeks instantly flushed like clouds, and her ears turned bright red. She tried to push him gently, but his strength was steady and he didn't budge. She pressed her palms against his chest again, her breathing slightly disordered, yet she still couldn't push him away.
"This... this man..." She felt both embarrassed and anxious in her heart, just as she was about to circulate her Qi to conjure a strand of Qi Mastery Formula to gently move him away, she suddenly paused.
"He... just now, was it he who absorbed that heart-piercing Pain-and-Itch Torment?"
She recalled that brief moment when the pain and itch in her body were taken away, while the person before her was soaked in sweat and looked exhausted. That scene made her heart soften several degrees.
Xiang'er pursed her lips and looked silently at Lin Dalu. The morning light shone on his face, the shadows mottled, and there was an indescribable clumsiness and sincerity in his features.
"You man... to treat me so well... I know your heart... but I... how should I tell you...?" she whispered, her voice as soft as fine silk.
The wind howled outside, but the room was so quiet that the breathing of the two could be heard. Xiang'er's hand hovered in the air for a moment, and finally landed on his back, giving a gentle stroke.
This stroke seemed to be both gratitude and pity.
The light from the window filtered in, falling on the two of them. The cloth curtains swayed slightly with the wind, and the air carried the scent of moisture and dye. The figures of the youth and the girl overlapped in the light and shadow, as blurry as a dream.
Xiang'er let out a soft breath, turned her face slightly, and stopped struggling. Her heart beat very fast, yet was strangely calm.
Only, this posture... one above and one below, pressed tightly together. Xiang'er's face turned even redder, even her earlobes tinged with a faint pink.
"Sigh... if someone were to see this, wouldn't it..." she whispered to herself, her voice trailing off like a mosquito's hum.
The Wind Chime outside was blown by the breeze, "ding-ling—ding-ling—" the sound as crisp as a dream, seeming to add a few touches of soft light to this ambiguous silence. She lowered her gaze, silently gazing at the sleeping youth. Her lips curved slightly, a complex look in her eyes, part embarrassment and part pity, a momentary heartbeat.
The dawn grew brighter, and all things in the world awoke. Faint mist coiled among the tree shadows at the edge of the village, and the eaves hung with dew like fine beads; as the wind passed, they swayed gently, falling silently to the ground. Only this corner of the dyehouse remained immersed in that interweaving of soft light and breathing.
The air in the room still carried the warmth of the night, and Lin Dalu slowly opened his eyes, his mind in a trance for a moment, only feeling the warm fragrance and soft skin in his arms. A moment later, his gaze moved down, and he saw Xiang'er lying quietly in his embrace, her face rosy and her breathing steady.
His entire person suddenly froze. His mind went blank, and he even forgot to breathe.
Xiang'er's eyelashes fluttered, as if startled awake, she looked up, and their eyes met. In that instant, the air seemed to freeze. In her eyes was reflected Lin Dalu's panicked expression, and her face immediately flushed crimson, even her neck tinged with a faint pink.
"Young Master Lin..." her voice was as light as soft silk, her eyes darting away, "have you... held me enough?"
Lin Dalu was like a man struck by lightning, suddenly snapping awake, realizing their posture was extremely improper—he was actually pressing his whole body against Xiang'er, his arms still tightly encircling her waist.
"I—"
He let go abruptly, almost scrambling and crawling to one side, his expression so embarrassed he didn't know where to put his hands and feet, even his ears turning red through and through.
"My apologies! Miss Xiang'er, just now you were in Qi Reversal Disorder, I... I was truly desperate and had no other choice. If I have offended you, I hope you will forgive me."
Lin Dalu bowed his head and cupped his hands, his tone sincere.
Xiang'er pursed her lips, her expression softening, and said softly, " Young Master Lin is being too formal, how could Xiang'er blame you? For last night, if not for Young Master Lin's rescue, Xiang'er would certainly not have escaped the suffering of that Pain-and-Itch Torment." She smiled slightly, her voice as gentle as a spring breeze, yet carrying a hint of concern, "Only... do you feel any discomfort? Just now you seemed to have taken on the suffering of my Pain-and-Itch Torment."
Lin Dalu shook his head and gave a bitter smile, "It's nothing, I have thick skin. But you, Miss, is there still anything wrong?"
"It's no great matter." Xiang'er shook her head gently, her gaze falling softly on his face, as if observing him, and as if thinking.
The two sat opposite each other by the bedside, light spilling through the gaps in the window, dust floating slowly in the golden shafts of light. The air was so quiet the heartbeat could be heard.
After a moment, Xiang'er frowned slightly and recounted the anomaly of last night in detail. Lin Dalu also described the stinging pain and strange itch he had felt. Comparing their experiences, they found that the strange force seemed to have protected them both simultaneously, as if it had generated itself within Lin Dalu's body to share Xiang'er's pain.
"Strange indeed..." Xiang'er murmured, then raised her hand, condensing Qi at her fingertips; a wisp of white light wandered, softly covering Lin Dalu's Pulse Gate.
Lin Dalu was stunned and about to speak, but she had already closed her eyes to investigate. A moment later, the brilliance faded.
"As expected, you have no Spirit Qi," she said with surprise. "Yet you can receive my Qi without harming your body... this matter is truly bizarre."
"Miss Xiang'er, could it be that there is... something wrong with me?" Lin Dalu scratched his head, his expression simple and honest.
Xiang'er thought for a moment and suddenly asked, "Do you have any strange items on you? A protective talisman, a jade pendant, or a gemstone would do."
Lin Dalu was taken aback, then looked down at his own Coarse Hemp Cloth clothes, "I have nothing else... just these ordinary clothes."
Xiang'er pondered, her face slightly flushing, and said in a low voice, "If... if we are to investigate closely, I fear you must undress to allow a look."
[Illustration ↓]
https://i.postimg.cc/rsv905BG/Q0008A.jpg
——(To be continued)