The person who was originally sleeping soundly suddenly woke up, frowning in discomfort, with a strange flush at the corners of her eyes.
Just as Su Luowei was about to check on her, Meng Shuying suddenly opened her eyes.
Unlike Su Luowei's bright and radiant beauty, Meng Shuying's appearance and temperament were colder.
Especially those eyes, black as ink, which looked particularly deep.
But now, those usually emotionless eyes were misty, like heavy clouds before a summer storm, ready to burst into rain with just a little more moisture.
Seeing Su Luowei looking at her, Meng Shuying bit her lip lightly, her expression filled with frustration, but her breathing couldn't help but carry a heated undertone.
Since she was awake, Su Luowei walked over to her and felt her forehead.
"You seem to have a bit of a fever, but after taking those pills, you should be fine." Su Luowei pulled the outer robe higher over her and asked, "Do you feel uncomfortable anywhere?"
Meng Shuying's lips moved slightly, but she hesitated to speak, eventually shaking her head.
Su Luowei couldn't tell if she was genuinely okay or just pretending to be fine to avoid worrying her.
She thought of getting a cloth to wipe Meng Shuying's face, but Meng Shuying grabbed her hand, not letting her leave.
Her palm was burning hot, fingers tightly clutching Su Luowei's hand, with a flash of vulnerability in her eyes.
Meng Shuying didn't know what was happening to her.
A wave of heat surged within her.
She wanted to be closer to her Senior Sister, closer still, as if only by touching her, skin to skin, could she alleviate this strange and unsettling desire.
Yet, deep inside, a voice told her that this wasn't right.
Reason and emotion clashed, and in the end, she slowly released Su Luowei's hand, though her gaze remained fixed on her.
Su Luowei felt a chill down her spine from her stare but, after a moment of hesitation, decided to sit down beside her.
"Sleep a bit more. I'll stay here with you. I won't go anywhere."
Her voice was gentle and reassuring.
Faced with such a kind Senior Sister, Meng Shuying couldn't find the words to speak, silently pulling the robe up to cover her face.
Not long after, Su Luowei heard a faint sobbing.
Realizing it was Meng Shuying crying, she gently pulled the robe away from her face, asking with patience, "What's wrong? Are you feeling uncomfortable again?"
Meng Shuying kept her eyes closed, letting the tears flow silently. When pressed, she whimpered, "Senior Sister, I feel so uncomfortable."
A strange, unfamiliar sensation was raging within her, nearly overwhelming her sense of clarity.
Su Luowei examined her face closely, noticing the flush at the corners of her eyes and the way her expression hinted at something more. Suddenly, it dawned on her, and she leaned in to catch a faint, sweet scent.
It was the scent of the Ni Shang flower.
Normally, the Ni Shang flower's effects only worked on spiritual beasts.
Unless…
Su Luowei suddenly remembered the giant tree they had briefly rested under when they first arrived in the outer region of the Ten Directions Blessed Land.
It was a Fusang tree.
A normal Fusang tree wouldn't grow that large, which was why Su Luowei hadn't recognized it immediately.
First, they encountered the Fusang tree, and then they inhaled the Ni Shang flower.
These two things together could overpower even a Nascent Soul stage cultivator.
No wonder Meng Shuying was feeling this way.
Fortunately, she was a woman, and easing the spring fever wouldn't be too difficult.
And as someone exposed to all sorts of modern information, Su Luowei was more than prepared for this kind of situation.
Though feeling awkward, she still steeled herself and said to Meng Shuying, "It's okay. Just... handle it yourself."
"Handle what?" Meng Shuying asked, her eyes filled with confusion.
She was so innocent that Su Luowei found herself in a difficult spot. How could she explain it to her?
Curiously, despite the strange feelings messing with her head, Meng Shuying could tell from Su Luowei's hesitant tone that her Senior Sister had a way to help her.
She moved closer, leaning against Su Luowei, arms wrapping around her waist, and rested her face on her knee like a small cat, softly crying.
"Senior Sister, please help me."
Her appearance was so pitiful that it was hard not to feel compassion for her.
What happened next, even Su Luowei couldn't quite explain.
She had only meant to hold Meng Shuying's hand, intending to guide her gently, but somehow, Meng Shuying ended up pulling open her own inner robe and burrowing into Su Luowei's arms.
Meng Shuying didn't understand either. When close to her Senior Sister, even though she felt ashamed, she still trembled and held onto Su Luowei's hand, seeking comfort.
She only knew that she was willing to completely entrust herself to her Senior Sister.
The undershirt embroidered with lilies was pulled aside, and though feeling nervous, Meng Shuying still held onto Su Luowei, yearning to be closer.
Gentle kisses fell on her forehead and nose, then slowly moved down to her neck.
Meng Shuying gasped softly, her chest rising and falling rapidly. Her hair was disheveled, her eyes full of confused desire.
The robes and inner garments were haphazardly laid beneath them, their dark hair intertwined, indistinguishable from one another.
When Meng Shuying studied with her Senior Sister in that small study room long ago, she had seen her Senior Sister use those hands to write, to hold a teacup, to gently pinch flower petals.
Her fingers were pale, slender, and strong.
Just like they were now.
The jade hands play the clear stream,
The ripples return again.
"Senior Sister…"
She tugged at Su Luowei's collar, unsure whether she wanted her to stop or to go further.
"Yes, I'm here," Su Luowei responded, her voice as gentle as ever.
The moon's reflection fell into the still waters, floating aimlessly without a trace.
It felt like waking from a beautiful dream. When Meng Shuying awoke this time, her entire body felt light.
No one was around. She opened her eyes, staring quietly at the stalactites hanging from the cave's ceiling. Only when the drowsiness completely faded did she begin to observe her surroundings.
She was in a cave, pitch black, with the only light coming from a nearly extinguished fire.
Not far away, there was the sound of trickling water, likely from an underground stream that passed through the cave and flowed eastward.
She sat up, and the robe that had been covering her slipped off.
Beneath the robe, her clothes were neat and tidy.
The gray robe with a tear at the waist, the snow-white inner garment, and the small inner shirt.
Meng Shuying sat there in a daze for a long time, before quietly blushing and tugging at the collar of her inner garment to check.
The moon-white garment clung to her body, simple and plain without any embroidery.
Indeed, it was her own clothing.
She couldn't tell if she felt disappointed or relieved, but Meng Shuying let out a long sigh.
So, it had all been a hallucination brought on by her injuries and confusion.
"You're awake."
Su Luowei had just returned from exploring the depths of the cave when she saw Meng Shuying sitting up.
The weak firelight cast a long shadow over her figure.
Su Luowei gathered a few branches from the ground, tossing them into the fire, and used a long stick to stir the embers until the flames reignited.
Meng Shuying's voice came from behind, filled with confusion: "Senior Sister, why… why are you here?"
Su Luowei's hand, which was stirring the fire, paused.
What did Meng Shuying mean by that?
"I've been here the whole time."
When Meng Shuying had been unconscious, Su Luowei had worried about how they would interact once she woke up.
In the past, they had simply been Senior Sister and junior sister. Meng Shuying respected and admired her, and Su Luowei had gladly taken care of her within her abilities.
Even though one day they would inevitably be on opposing paths due to Su Luowei's mission, for now, Su Luowei wanted to give her as much as she could.
She hadn't known how Meng Shuying would react after waking up.
Would she be flustered, angry, or perhaps too shy to face her?
Given her nature, she would probably be more on the shy side.
Maybe her face would turn red, she'd stutter, and she'd bury her face in her arms out of embarrassment.
Su Luowei had never considered that Meng Shuying would react this way upon waking up.
Was it possible she truly didn't remember, or was she just too embarrassed to acknowledge what had happened?
Su Luowei wasn't sure what Meng Shuying was thinking.
Senior Sister had been here all along?
Meng Shuying was almost shocked enough to jump up.
Had her Senior Sister been there while she was caught in that shameful dream?
Had she said anything inappropriate in her sleep?
Meng Shuying's heart raced, her thoughts tangled in anxiety, but she still tried to keep her voice steady.
"Really? I don't remember much. The last thing I recall is falling into the water."
Su Luowei turned to look at her, her eyes carrying a hint of inquiry as she studied Meng Shuying.
Facing Su Luowei's probing gaze, Meng Shuying neither dodged nor evaded, though her fingers subtly tightened around the hem of her sleeve, using all her strength to maintain a calm demeanor.
When she had first woken up and saw her Senior Sister, a small part of her had hoped that maybe it hadn't been a dream.
But her body bore no marks—everything was as it had been, clean and unblemished.
She was still wearing her original clothing, and everything felt fresh and clean.
Su Luowei had no idea that, in an effort to prevent any awkwardness when Meng Shuying woke up, she had carefully restored everything to its original state, even wiping her clean. This led to a significant misunderstanding.
But now that Meng Shuying had said this, whether she truly didn't remember or was simply pretending, Su Luowei had no choice but to go along with it and pretend as if nothing had happened.
Sometimes, leaving things unsaid is a form of kindness.
"When I found you, you were in the water and injured, so I brought you here," Su Luowei said as she walked over and squatted beside her, handing her a water flask.
Meng Shuying accepted the flask and took a small sip. Her eyes, reflected in the water, rippled with the waves.
She attempted to circulate her spiritual energy throughout her body, and finding no discomfort, she stood up, picking up the outer robe and handing it back to Su Luowei.
The robe was dusty, but Su Luowei accepted it without wearing it, instead draping it over her arm.
Since Meng Shuying had recovered, it was time for them to leave.
Each with their own thoughts, they remained silent, following the direction of the underground river as they slowly made their way out.
When they finally emerged from the water, the sun was already high in the sky.
Su Luowei climbed out first, then turned back to help Meng Shuying. As Meng Shuying reached for her, she noticed the water still dripping from Su Luowei's fingers, causing her breath to hitch, nearly sending her back into the water.
Their clothes were soaked again, clinging tightly to their bodies.
Fortunately, they had reached the surface, where the warm sunlight bathed them.
Relying on her memory of the path they had taken, Su Luowei quickly found the way out. Holding onto the scale that Yu Nu had given her, they encountered no resistance from the formations along the way.
The distance from the Spiritual Herb Garden to the teleportation array was still quite far. When Su Luowei had come, she had flown on her sword alone, but now that Meng Shuying was with her, they had to walk.
After traveling for most of the day, they suddenly came upon a group of people led by someone they recognized—Yun Fei.
Yun Fei was also happy to see them.
"Thank goodness you're safe."
It turned out that the others had waited outside for a few days, only seeing the disciples from Yan Mo Peak return. The other two peak masters became restless and asked Yun Fei to lead a group inside to check.
Yun Fei had just entered the Ten Directions Blessed Land when she encountered the disciples of Bai Zhan Peak. Although they were in a sorry state, they were all safe and sound.
After sending the Bai Zhan Peak disciples back, she went to search for the disciples of Qiong Hua Peak.
But the Qiong Hua Peak disciples weren't so lucky. Almost all of them were seriously injured, especially Jiang Ye. When Yun Fei found her, she was covered in blood.
Su Luowei and Meng Shuying exchanged glances, both seeing the confusion in each other's eyes. The disciples from Qiong Hua Peak and Bai Zhan Peak had entered the formation together, so why were the Bai Zhan Peak disciples unscathed while the Qiong Hua Peak disciples were so badly hurt?
Could it have been the Qinglong?
Su Luowei quickly dismissed that thought.
If the sect knew there was a young Qinglong in the Ten Directions Blessed Land, it wouldn't have been Yun Fei coming to retrieve them but rather the sect master and the two peak masters themselves.
So, it seemed the disciples hadn't informed the sect elders about what had happened in the Spiritual Herb Garden.
"Did they say what happened to cause such serious injuries?" Su Luowei asked.
"They said they were already injured and then had the misfortune to encounter an eagle beast."
Yun Fei shook her head, exasperated. "Who could have imagined that after so many sweeps by our predecessors, there would still be Golden Core stage beasts hiding in the Ten Directions Blessed Land? And according to those disciples, there's more than one. What a mess…"
The mention of this made Yun Fei's head ache. After learning that her disciples were injured, Min Lanmeng had constantly pestered her, using the excuse of treating her disciples to try and get her hands on Yun Fei's spiritual herbs and elixirs. Yun Fei knew Min Lanmeng had plenty of her own stash and was reluctant to give her anything, but Min Lanmeng had even taken it up with the sect master.
The sect master, unable to withstand her nagging, had no choice but to relent.
Honestly, everyone from Qiong Hua Peak, from top to bottom, was nothing but trouble!
Meng Shuying: I'm a top.
Su Luowei: Oh, really? You were crying the first time, though. (Gets her mouth covered)