Chapter 493: Yu Die, an Unending Kiss
Roaring—
The muffled thunder echoed. The dark clouds, dispersed by the Nine Dragon Celestial Seal with immortal spiritual energy, gathered in the sky once more as drizzles fell, turning into a downpour.
The Gobi Desert, stretching across Donghuang for thousands of miles, welcomed rain that had not fallen in a thousand years.
Feng Yu Die, carrying Ye Anping on her back, flew swiftly on a spirit sword from a corner of the Donghuang Great Wall towards the Eastern Domain.
Half of the mask on her face had shattered from the previous impact. The ponytail she had tied up was now disheveled, like silver willow catkins, and her long dress had several large holes.
However, that was all.
The moment Ye Anping detonated the earth spiritual energy he had gathered with the Nine Dragon Celestial Seal, he immediately protected himself with spiritual energy and turned to shield her within his embrace.
Though this ensured Feng Yu Die was largely spared from the direct impact of the Kong Xiang Demonic Fiend energy and chaotic spiritual energy, apart from minor damage to her attire, she didn’t even sustain a single scratch.
But Ye Anping was in a dire state.
With cultivation at the Nascent Soul stage, he had directly taken a blow from a cultivator at the Deity Transformation late stage, and was also affected by the chaotic spiritual energy disruptions gathered by his Nine Dragon Celestial Seal.
Fortunately, although Donghuang was on the border of the Central Domain, it was still part of the Central Domain. Ye Anping was, after all, the acknowledged master of the Nine Dragon Celestial Seal, and the old nine had done their best to bear half of the impact. Moreover, Ye Anping had activated the most fundamental spiritual connection of the Nine Dragon Celestial Seal.
With these measures, Ye Anping managed to preserve his Nascent Soul.
Ye Anping was now extremely weak, his lips and collar soaked with blood, and he coughed up small amounts of blood foam intermittently.
However, he did not close his eyes and fall asleep. With the willpower forged through years of arduous cultivation, he endured the intense pain throughout his body, desperately clinging to his fading consciousness.
“Cough… Cough… Two hundred and thirty miles to the southeast, second… Cough… Below the second stone mountain, there is a grotto. It was once used by a…”
His weak voice, barely a whisper, brushed against Feng Yu Die’s ear, causing waves of pain in her chest.
This was the first time Feng Yu Die had heard Ye Anping speak in such a tone.
“Anping! Stop talking and rest! I know! There’s a temporary cave dwelling built by a Central Domain Sword Cultivator!!”
“…Cough cough—”
Ye Anping lowered his gaze slightly. He wished he could just close his eyes and sleep. If his junior sister were here, he would probably be napping on her back right now.
But now, he couldn’t let go of Feng Yu Die no matter what.
Although Kong Xiang Mo had also sustained considerable injuries, there were still three Deity Transformation elders and numerous disciples of the Ghost Spirit Sect within the city. Logically, someone would surely pursue them.
The reason he had protected Feng Yu Die was so that one of them could remain in perfect condition to escape with the other, and possess the strength to fight if pursuers appeared.
As for why he hadn’t used Feng Yu Die as his shield?
Ye Anping couldn’t quite explain the reason.
The situation at the time didn’t give him any time for hesitation. He simply acted on instinct. The moment the chaotic spiritual energy erupted, he turned and pulled Feng Yu Die into his embrace. That was all…
However, it wasn’t necessarily a bad thing.
If they encountered pursuers later, it would be easier for Feng Yu Die to deal with them while carrying him than for him to do so while carrying her.
If he had to explain why…
—Tch, damn Sky Dao.
Ye Anping relaxed and rested his chin on Feng Yu Die’s shoulder. Glancing sideways, he realized that Feng Yu Die was biting her lip tightly. Although she stared solemnly ahead, her eyes were already filled with tears.
A faint fragrance wafted into his nose. Ye Anping averted his gaze, suddenly finding Feng Yu Die’s scent rather pleasant.
“Cough cough…”
Speaking of which, this wasn’t the first time he had protected Feng Yu Die like this.
Back at the Moon Shadow Sword Sect, that night when he and Feng Yu Die went to rescue the kidnapped Yun Yiyi and Yun Jiujiu, he had also pulled Feng Yu Die into his embrace the moment the pill furnace exploded…
In the Northern Region, when Jiang Mojiao’s Nascent Soul exploded, he instinctively protected Feng Yu Die and was buried under the rubble together with her…
This was the third time…
Lost in these thoughts, Ye Anping finally couldn’t hold on any longer. He took one last look at Xiao Tian, who was leading the way with a geographical map in hand, and his heavy eyelids slowly closed.
Feng Yu Die felt the grip of Ye Anping’s arms around her neck relax. She glanced sideways, and her anxious expression intensified. She immediately called out,
“Xiao Tian!! Hurry!!”
“I know, I know!!”
Boom—!
The spirit sword beneath them let out a sonic boom in mid-air, and then accelerated again, leaving a golden streak in the sky heading east.
With Xiao Tian leading the way, they covered those two hundred and thirty miles in less than half an incense stick’s worth of time.
The place Ye Anping had mentioned was a completely brown sandstone valley. Each stone had thousands of grottoes, originally the nests of an ant-like beast. However, they had been abandoned during the war between immortals and demons a thousand years ago.
Feng Yu Die followed Xiao Tian to a cave entrance sealed by a massive boulder. Seeing the boulder blocking the entrance, she immediately understood that it likely had a restriction.
Xiao Tian, standing beside her, quickly took out the Heavenly Scroll of the Dao and flipped through it, saying,
“Yu Die… This place is protected by a Five Elements Illusory Formation. Send your spiritual energy into…”
Before she could finish, Feng Yu Die directly summoned her spirit sword from her storage bag. Carrying Ye Anping on her back, she took a step forward and unleashed four golden sword glows.
Rumble—
The boulder, along with the spiritual energy of the formation in this location, shattered and dissipated like glass.
“Ah…”
“…”
Feng Yu Die retracted her spirit sword and, carrying Ye Anping on her back, rushed inside.
From the outside, the grotto looked like a cave. But the moment she stepped past the yin-yang boundary of the entrance with Ye Anping on her back, everything in her vision twisted and changed. The barren cave instantly transformed into a jade dwelling with flowing water.
Feng Yu Die didn’t have the time to ponder it. She simply probed with her spiritual sense, confirmed that there were no living beings or strange creatures within the cave dwelling, and then ran towards one of the pavilions carrying Ye Anping.
The pavilion was spotless. A jade bed large enough to accommodate three people was situated in the center. Feng Yu Die took out the soft cushion she had prepared from her storage bag and quickly spread it out. Then, she lifted Ye Anping and laid him flat on the cushion.
Looking at Ye Anping’s extremely pale face and the dried blood foam at his lips and collar, Feng Yu Die inadvertently bit her own lip and shouted,
“Xiao Tian!!!”
“I’m looking!” Xiao Tian was now kneeling on Ye Anping’s chest, eyes closed, gently placing both hands on his pulse. “Yu Die, have him sit up.”
Feng Yu Die immediately climbed onto the bed without hesitation, kneeling on Ye Anping’s lap. She leaned forward, manipulating him like a doll, wrapping her arms around Ye Anping’s shoulders and helping him to sit up, leaning against her.
“And then?!”
“Send your spiritual energy to Anping’s Tianxue and Dutian acupoints. Anping has been invaded by fiend energy.”
“Mhm…”
Feng Yu Die quickly complied, taking a deep breath. Looking at Ye Anping, whose face was buried in her chest, she felt a pang of disappointment. If only she were a little older, would Young Master Ye feel uncomfortable pressing against her…?
But she quickly cast aside these unfounded thoughts, calmed herself, and slowly sent her spiritual energy into Ye Anping’s body.
Golden Spiritual Energy emanated from Feng Yu Die’s heart, enveloping the two of them and illuminating the somewhat dim room.
…
…
Drip—
Drip—
From the stalactites hanging above the cave dwelling, crystal clear water droplets fell onto the roof of the room, one by one.
The pavilion was silent, only the faint sounds of two breaths could be heard.
After an unknown amount of time, Ye Anping’s consciousness returned. His first instinct was to send his spiritual sense into his own meridians. His body, which had been close to death, had recovered significantly. However, the fiend energy and yang energy within him were like warring armies, fighting fiercely in his meridians.
But, at least, his life was no longer in danger.
He could slowly dispel the fiend energy later with the immortal spiritual energy from the Nine Dragon Celestial Seal.
As for the yang energy, it wasn’t a particularly critical issue.
Now that he had borrowed the spiritual root of the Dao Ancestor and formed his Nascent Soul through the Heavenly Dao, even if a yang energy surge occurred, it wouldn’t cause him to explode and die like before. It would just be uncomfortable.
Besides, he wasn’t without a girl beside him who could help him dissipate the yang energy…
With this thought, Ye Anping let out a silent sigh of relief. He forced open his heavy eyelids, and the moment he opened them, he was met with Feng Yu Die’s face, inches away.
He now realized that Feng Yu Die was sitting on his lap, facing him, presumably using her Spring Aspect to help him recover.
Seeing that Ye Anping had woken up, Feng Yu Die let out a sigh of relief. Her stiff shoulders relaxed slightly, and she slumped down, throwing herself into Ye Anping’s embrace.
“Young Master Ye, sob sob…”
Ye Anping leaned back slightly, propped up by the bed. He glanced around at the furnishings in the room and replied calmly,
“I’m fine. It was a bit more unexpected than I anticipated, but overall, it went smoothly.”
“…Mhm.” Feng Yu Die bit her lip lightly, sniffled, and gently placed her hands on his chest, propping herself up slightly. “If something happened to you, what would I do? You… *inhales*—”
Ye Anping frowned slightly, looking down at her pair of teary, golden spiritual eyes. A helpless smile suddenly appeared on his face, and he reached out to rub her head.
“You are the Tiantze; you can manage without me.”
“That’s not true!!” Feng Yu Die cried out with a sob. “If you died in the Eastern Domain, how could Junior Sister Pei and the others forgive me when we return?!”
“…”
Feng Yu Die fell silent for a moment. Her gaze slowly shifted from Ye Anping’s eyes downwards to his slightly chapped lips. After a moment of hesitation, she propped herself up on the sides of the bed and leaned forward, bringing her face closer.
“…”
Sensing that Ye Anping had no intention of dodging, Feng Yu Die felt a little more at ease. She quickly closed her eyes, leaned forward again, and kissed his lips.
*Chu~*
Ye Anping looked calmly at Feng Yu Die, who was now kissing him with her eyes tightly shut, feeling the gentle bite of her teeth at the tip of his lips, as if she were afraid of hurting him.
But he didn’t shy away or push Feng Yu Die away as he usually would.
His mind was calm, not a ripple of disturbance.
Ye Anping felt that Feng Yu Die seemed like a girl right now…
He was momentarily lost in thought, and then simply closed his eyes, focusing all his attention on the sensation at his lips, savoring this unique scent that belonged to Feng Yu Die, different from his junior sister, Yunluo, Yiyi, or Longling.
The sweet and salty taste of roasted chicken, yet carrying the fragrance of lily of the valley.
A moment later, Feng Yu Die pulled back slightly. Her golden spiritual eyes trembled slightly, revealing five parts innocence and five parts affection. She licked her lips with the tip of her tongue.
Thinking that Ye Anping hadn’t pushed her away just now, she felt her heart warm.
“Can… we do it again?”
“…”
“If you don’t say anything, I’ll take it as consent, hehe…”
Feng Yu Die chuckled foolishly as usual, then leaned forward again, kissing Ye Anping deeply once more.
*Chu…*
Her hands, which had been resting behind Ye Anping’s waist, slowly moved to the sides, resting on top of his larger hands.
After a moment of kissing, they parted again.
“Young Master Ye…”
“…”
Then, they kissed again.
*Chu…*
Once, twice, thrice…
Feng Yu Die seemed determined to make up for all the kisses she had missed over the years.
“One more time…”
*Chu—*
Ye Anping propped himself up, seemingly accustomed to it now. He didn’t resist. Instead, a blush crept onto his face, and he averted his gaze, silently acquiescing to Feng Yu Die’s kisses.
After an unknown number of kisses, Ye Anping finally spoke when Feng Yu Die separated from him.
“Can I rest for a bit?”
“Ah…” Feng Yu Die seemed to have just remembered that Ye Anping hadn’t fully recovered from his injuries. She chuckled awkwardly and quickly moved away. “Yeah, hehe.”
Her light laughter echoed. Feng Yu Die sat beside Ye Anping with her legs to the side. Seeing him lie down, she slowly leaned over and rested her cheek on his shoulder.
“Young Master Ye, are you cold?”
“…”
“I’ll hold you… You rest well.”
“Mhm.”
Ye Anping exhaled slowly, clearing his mind completely, letting Feng Yu Die rest her head on his shoulder, and slowly closed his eyes.
But the moment he closed his eyes, the faint sounds of rustling footsteps entered from outside the room.
Tap tap—
“Senior Brother, why is there a cave dwelling here?”
“There are traces of spirit swords at the entrance. Liang Liu might be hiding here. Don’t let your guard down.”
“Mhm…”
Hearing the voices of the two men outside, Ye Anping’s brow furrowed immediately. He realized they were likely pursuers sent by Kong Xiang Mo or one of the Ghost Spirit Sect elders.
Xiao Tian, who had been hiding beneath the headboard to avoid disturbing them, quickly crawled out. Her upper body emerged from the doorway to look outside, then she turned back and said,
“Anping, one early Nascent Soul stage cultivator and three late Core Formation stage cultivators…”
“I’ll deal with them.”
Feng Yu Die pushed herself up with annoyance, jumped off the bed in one stride, summoned her spirit sword from her storage bag, and leaned against the side of the wooden door.
Ye Anping looked at her and noticed the talismans placed in the four corners of the pavilion, used to conceal their aura. It seemed Feng Yu Die had anticipated the possibility of pursuers and had specifically set them up.
He felt a slight sense of relief. After pondering for a moment, he relaxed and closed his eyes, preparing to rest.
One early Nascent Soul stage cultivator and three late Core Formation stage cultivators—Feng Yu Die should be able to handle them with ease…
Just as he thought this, a roar suddenly erupted from outside:
“Who?! Ughh—!”
“Ah—!! There’s… cough—”
Swish swish—
The sound of spirit swords cutting through the air filled the air, but then silence returned once more after a short while.
Listening to the commotion, Ye Anping opened his eyes again and looked towards the doorway. He saw Xue E cautiously poking half of her body in from outside the door. She looked around left and right, and upon seeing Ye Anping, she quickly called out,
“Ming Xin!! Ye Anping and the others… Oh, dear!!”
Before she could finish, Xiao Tian punched Xue E directly in the face, sending her half-emerged body flying back out of the room.
Xiao Tian blew on her small fist and sneered,
“Heh…”
However, the next moment, Xue E came flying in through the window, holding a wooden sword. She appeared behind Xiao Tian and struck its forehead with a New Year’s greeting sword technique.
Bang—
“Ouch!!”
“You damnable Jin Shazi!!! Ptooey!!”
Xue E cursed, quickly darted down, and began to strike a wooden fish.
Tap tap tap—
“You hit me? Try hitting me again?!”
Ye Anping rolled his eyes at them, but he also relaxed completely, no longer paying them any mind.
…
…
