After repeated confirmations that Chen Yi truly didn't need a hospital visit, Luo Yan waited nearly half an hour before finally driving him home.
Throughout the journey, Luo Yan couldn't shake an inexplicable unease. As she drove, she kept shifting her posture, her hands alternating between gripping the steering wheel and nervously brushing her hair or touching her lips and nose. It wasn't that she herself felt unwell—it was Chen Yi's behavior that was deeply unsettling.
From the moment they left Weiran Garden to the time they reached Chen Yi's residence, a drive of roughly thirty minutes, Chen Yi had been staring at her. Not once did he avert his gaze.
Luo Yan couldn't help but feel as though his eyes resembled those of a starving wolf, ravenous after three days and nights without food, suddenly confronted with a tender, succulent lamb.
As if that weren't enough, Chen Yi kept swallowing, his Adam's apple bobbing visibly, which sent a chill down Luo Yan's spine. She recalled the strange events from earlier when Chen Yi had dispelled the Dragon's Malice, and her mind began to conjure unsettling possibilities.
Feng Shui practitioners were said to lead turbulent lives, often suffering dire consequences for their actions. The more secrets they uncovered, the more accurately they located dragon veins, the harsher their fates became. She had heard of practitioners who went blind, developed disfiguring sores, lost the ability to speak, or even descended into madness.
Now, looking at Chen Yi's increasingly primal and beast-like behavior, Luo Yan couldn't help but wonder if he was showing signs of losing his sanity.
Sitting in the passenger seat, Chen Yi was acutely aware of Luo Yan's discomfort. He wanted to look away but found himself powerless to do so. Several times, he tried to shift his gaze toward the road ahead or the passing scenery outside the window, but his eyes would inevitably drift back to her.
He felt as though he had been reduced to a creature driven purely by instinct. His rationality was slipping away, leaving behind only raw, primal impulses.
Flowing through his meridians, alongside the white spiritual energy and black malice, was a new golden energy. It was this golden energy that was causing his abnormal behavior.
Chen Yi felt both aggrieved and frustrated. He had done the dragon vein a monumental favor, yet it had "repaid" him by leaving him in this state!
The bizarre events that had transpired after he was pulled into the underground pit were the root cause of his current predicament.
When he first fell into the pit, the scene inside was completely different from what the others had witnessed. Instead of being submerged in clear spring water, he had been immersed in thick, viscous "dragon blood."
Before the others arrived, this dragon blood rapidly entered his body through every acupuncture point, merging into his meridians and flowing into his dantian, where it transformed into the golden energy now wreaking havoc within him. By the time the others reached him, the pit was filled with nothing but clear water, leaving only Chen Yi to know the truth of what had happened.
His body, utterly drained and empty just moments before, had been rejuvenated by the dragon blood. He now felt more energetic and vigorous than ever.
The black malice within him, sensing the golden energy as a natural nemesis, curled up into a tight ball, retreating to a distant corner of his dantian and lying dormant.
At first, Chen Yi had been ecstatic. He recalled Old Master Han's words: "To break through misfortune, one must perform great deeds of virtue." Saving the dragon vein surely counted as a monumental act of merit, and the dragon vein had, in turn, bestowed him with a great boon. While the lingering effects of absorbing malice into his body hadn't been completely eradicated, they had at least been suppressed.
But it seemed fate enjoyed toying with him. Just as one burden was lifted from his shoulders, another, far more troubling predicament arose.
When Luo Yan held his hand and helped him out of the pit, an unexpected and mortifying reaction occurred.
A sudden wave of heat surged through his body, an uncontrollable desire igniting within him. His lower half sprang to attention, standing tall and proud like a victorious general returning from battle.
Mortified, Chen Yi had hastily sat back down, waiting a full thirty minutes for the "little general" to retreat before daring to move again.
Thankfully, his quick thinking had spared him from a humiliating scene.
Ah, every blessing comes with its curse. Who would have thought "dragon blood" could have such an effect? Chen Yi was on the verge of tears from sheer frustration.
He now fully believed the old adage: "The nature of dragons is inherently wild." If just a trace of dragon blood could wreak such havoc, what would happen if he were a true dragon?
No wonder the nine sons of the dragon were all so different—their mothers weren't even of the same species!
Having barely regained his composure, Chen Yi climbed into Luo Yan's car, only for the primal urges he had suppressed to reignite. What had started as a spark quickly turned into a raging inferno, threatening to consume him entirely.
Chen Yi felt as though he were trapped in a hellish furnace, his body burning with unbearable heat. His mind was filled with thoughts entirely unfit for polite company.
"What's with you?" Luo Yan finally broke the silence, unable to endure Chen Yi's intense, unrelenting gaze any longer. She frowned as she spoke.
"The... scenery," Chen Yi stammered, narrowly avoiding blurting out something as ridiculous as "You're so beautiful." Though in truth, that was exactly what he was thinking.
Her graceful curves, her long, shapely legs, her slender waist, the faint, intoxicating fragrance that lingered in the air around her...
This wasn't a police officer—this was a femme fatale, a walking temptation designed to lead men astray!
"What scenery? There's nothing here but cars!" Luo Yan rolled her eyes, clearly unconvinced by his feeble excuse.
Chen Yi fell silent, too afraid to utter the words "You're the most beautiful scenery." He knew that if he said something like that, Luo Yan would surely think he'd lost his mind.
When they finally arrived at Chen Yi's modest apartment, Luo Yan, like Han Wenxue before her, was struck by the cleanliness and order of the space. The room's fresh, invigorating atmosphere, enhanced by the pseudo-"Four Symbols Spirit Gathering Formation," made it feel like a world apart from the smog-filled chaos of Quancheng.
While the room's ambiance was refreshing, Chen Yi's increasingly heated gaze sent shivers down Luo Yan's spine. Forcing herself to remain composed, she poured him a glass of water and asked, somewhat hesitantly, "Are you sure you don't need to go to the hospital?"
"No need, really. I'm fine," Chen Yi replied after taking a sip of water, the cool liquid helping to quell the fire within him. "It's just some residual discomfort from dealing with the Dragon's Malice. A little rest will fix it. Besides, modern medicine isn't much help with things like this."
Luo Yan observed him for a moment. He did seem much better than he had in the car—at least his gaze was no longer as unsettlingly intense. "Alright then. Take care of yourself and don't overdo it. I need to get back to the station."
She rose to leave, but Chen Yi suddenly grabbed her hand.
Though they had held hands before, this was the first time it had happened while they were both fully conscious and aware. And in Chen Yi's apartment, no less.
Luo Yan felt her face grow hot, a fiery blush spreading across her cheeks. She instinctively tried to pull her hand away, but Chen Yi's grip was firm. Remembering the nature of their relationship, she eventually stopped resisting and allowed him to hold her hand.
Chen Yi, knowing when to quit while he was ahead, suddenly found himself mesmerized by Luo Yan's shy demeanor. Her delicate, flushed face, her soft, inviting lips... Before he could think better of it, he wrapped an arm around her slender waist and leaned in for a kiss.
"Thud!"
"Ow!"
Chen Yi's romantic moment ended in disaster. Just as his lips were about to meet hers, Luo Yan grabbed his arm, twisted her body, and executed a flawless judo throw, slamming him to the ground.
Caught off guard, Chen Yi, the supposedly invincible Feng Shui master feared by countless petty thugs, had been thoroughly defeated by a single woman.
"Ah, I'm sorry!" Luo Yan exclaimed, startled by her own reaction. Years of training had turned her reflexes into second nature, and in her nervousness, she had acted without thinking.
Lying on the ground, Chen Yi clutched his back, his face twisted in pain. "You... you're trying to murder your future husband!"
Luo Yan, who had been about to help him up, froze at his words. "Hmph! What kind of 'husband' can't even handle his own wife?"
As soon as the words left her mouth, Luo Yan realized her mistake.
Chen Yi stared at her, stunned.
Luo Yan's face turned an even deeper shade of red. Hadn't she just indirectly admitted that he was her "husband"?
Chen Yi, however, wasn't about to let his pride take such a hit. With a sudden burst of strength, he pulled Luo Yan into his arms, flipped her over, and pinned her beneath him.
"You're not getting away this time," he growled before leaning down to claim her lips.