This frigid night went by in a fairly odd manner. Qianye sat crossed legged and Li Kuanglan, with her back to him, leaned into his chest. Ji Tianqing, on the other hand, was curled up beside Qianye like a little kitten.
Li Kuanglan was supposed to be entirely focused on channeling her vitality and thereby reducing Qianye’s workload. However, she felt as though a pair of eyes were watching her at all times. The feeling sent her heart into chaos, and she wanted nothing more than to get dressed and flee. Despite that, her body desired survival above all else, urging her to press against Qianye as tightly as she could. The blood core behind her was like a sun in the cold night, radiating vitality as it produced a small paradise in this frigid world.
Li Kuanglan knew that her mood fluctuation would tire Qianye. In fact, both of them had been in a constant fight against this world apart from the very first night that she had been unconscious.
At the thought of this, Li Kuanglan felt a slight pain in her heart. However, the pair of eyes was persistently sizing up each and every part of her body, not letting go of the slightest detail. Even in the Frigid Night, Li Kuanglan felt so nervous that she was sweating from the forehead.
At this point, Qianye tightened his arms around her waist, indicating that she should relax. It was not yet midnight, and excessive tension would only serve to drain one’s stamina. That would make it even more difficult to get through the cruel latter half of the night.
Li Kuanglan felt her face burning. Fortunately, it was dark and Qianye was behind her, otherwise, she would need to drill into the ground and never come out again.
Li Kuanglan was about to go mad, and finally, she could stand it no longer. She wanted to grab Ji Tianqing’s head and move it to the side, but who would’ve thought the seemingly out-cold Miss Tianqing would bite her hand? Even her origin defenses were shattered, and the bone-deep pain almost caused her to scream. She had never expected Ji Tianqing to be so ruthless. If it wasn’t for the calmness she had cultivated over the years, she might have fallen for it.
Li Kuanglan wasn’t one to be trifled with, either. A stream of frost energy shot out from her fingertips and reached into Ji Tianqing’s throat. Her frost power was extremely strong, to begin with, not to mention they were currently in the frigid night. Ji Tianqing’s mouth was immediately frozen from the inside out. Li Kuanglan took this opportunity to withdraw her hand, while the latter exhaled a cloud of frosty air and continued to sleep.
Qianye remained entirely calm, almost as though he knew nothing about what was going on, but he was, in fact, quite surprised. These two young misses never held back while teasing one another. Any other expert in their place would’ve been crippled if not dead. Even at this point, Qianye had no idea whether they were just fooling around or were being serious.
Regardless, the night finally went by without incident.
The sun hadn’t risen completely when Li Kuanglan left Qianye’s embrace despite her weakness and got dressed under the cover of the darkness. Ji Tianqing, on the other hand, remained unceremoniously beside Qianye and was even snoring faintly.
She s.h.i.+fted her posture unconsciously and wound even tighter around him. Qianye glanced over to check up on her condition but was immediately startled. At this moment, Ji Tianqing’s countenance was no longer giving off an ephemeral feeling—it felt genuine for a change. At first glance, she wasn’t a breathtaking beauty but was definitely well worth a second look. Speaking honestly, Ji Tianqing and Li Kuanglan were at the same level. They each possessed their own special characteristics and were many times superior to the beauties of the secular world.
What surprised Qianye was that her current face was identical to when they had first met. Only now did Qianye recall her appearance from back then. Before this, things would always feel blurry whenever he tried to think back on her face, and he simply couldn’t recall what she looked like.
In truth, Ji Tianqing had already revealed her true appearance to him during their first meeting. She had used a powerful secret art to bury it deep within his heart, to awaken one day if they were fated and to slumber eternally if they weren’t.
Perhaps it was due to the panoramic view he had gained of all life, and their workings inside and out, that he was able to chance upon this memory. Qianye couldn’t help but sigh in the depths of his heart.
When dawn arrived and the first rays of sunlight showered down on the camp, Ji Tianqing rubbed her eyes and sat up. “What happened? Why was it so cold last night? I could even feel my teeth aching.”
Li Kuanglan was already fully dressed at this point. Along with her clothes, she had also recovered her usual cold demeanor. Hearing Ji Tainqing’s words, she sneered, “There was definitely something wrong last night, an insect bit my hand pretty hard.”
Ji Tianqing seemed astonished. “Is that so? Are you sure you weren’t dreaming? I actually slept quite well last night, but I dreamed that I saw some things I shouldn’t have. Do you want to listen to it?”
“No!” Even someone as focused as Li Kuanglan couldn’t help but want to go mad.
Ji Tianqing added, “Oh, right. I’m a bit restless when I sleep and I move about when I dream. You guys should be prepared in case I accidentally touch something by accident.”
Li Kuanglan’s heart skipped a beat. Then, as though remembering something, she glared at Ji Tianqing while gnas.h.i.+ng her teeth. The latter looked back with narrowed eyes, not holding back in the slightest.
The so-called movement wasn’t just a normal b.u.mp. People at their martial-arts level could casually perform difficult movements, and it would take no more than a thought to do so. For instance, she could give Qianye a push from behind during the frigid night and effectively seal the deal between the other two. This wasn’t just fantasy. Li Kuanglan saw Ji Tianqing’s expression and knew exactly what she was thinking.
This was an undisguised provocation, but Li Kuanglan had no choice but to endure it.
She inhaled deeply, calming herself down and making ready to concede, when she suddenly noticed something. “Tianqing, your face?”
“Didn’t you say I should show people my true face? There’s no one else here, anyway. I don’t want to waste origin power on that secret art.”
Li Kuanglan’s expression was both joyful and worried. “I heard that if your face…”
“You heard wrong,” Ji Tianqing cut her short.
While the two girls were arguing nearby, Qianye was busy channeling the Darkness Chapter to supplement the blood energy he had exhausted last night. Qianye stood up after recovering a small amount and walked over to gaze at the distant mountains and rivers. His mind was wracked with uncontrollable frustration and anger.
This world was full of malice.
Was everyone supposed to buckle under the pressure and cast aside all morals and bottom-lines just for survival?
“You guys operate on your own today, but be careful. I want to take a stroll outside.” With that, Qianye leaped out of the camp and, without even glancing back, darted away like a mirage.
Ji Tianqing and Li Kuanglan were both stunned. “What’s wrong with him?”
Li Kuanglan replied angrily, “How should I know?”
“But, aren’t you two already quite close?”
“We were only forced by circ.u.mstances, and we never crossed the final line.”
Ji Tianqing nodded. “Indeed, the line wasn’t crossed.”
Li Kuanglan was driven mad. She grabbed Ji Tianqing and roared, “How did you know?”
Ji Tianqing replied, “You had nothing on! Of course, I saw everything.”
After saying that, Ji Tianqing cried out with an enlightened expression, “Ah, I know! You guys have been building up for so long and were planning to do it last night. In the end, I became a disturbance to you guys, right?”
This time, Li Kuanglan could no longer endure. She tightened her grip and said furiously, “It seems I need to choke you to death!”
“Save me!” Ji Tianqing cried out loudly.
“What are you screaming for? Do you want to attract all the natives?”
“So what? Haven’t we already killed all the strong ones?” Ji Tianqing was nonchalant.
Li Kuanglan put her down and said with a glare, “Don’t forget that you just drank an entire jar of wine last night! What if you really lure those natives over? We have enough trouble already.”
Ji Tianqing narrowed her eyes. “It’s fine, I have a secret art that can suppress the effects of the wine for a couple of days.”
Li Kuanglan wasn’t about to be fooled. “That’s a temporary suppression. The full effects of the drug will burst out sooner or later, what will you do then?”
“If there’s no other way, I’ll just have to borrow your man for a while. You won’t watch me die, will you?”
Li Kuanglan blushed hard. “Nonsense! I have no man!”
“Is that so? Then why did you look so awful when I drank the wine?”
“Tianqing, I feel like I should just choke you to death!”
The two bickered for a while, but they soon quieted down at the same time and glanced at one another. Their expressions communicated the same worry: Where did Qianye go?
Li Kuanglan was the first to break the silence. “Why don’t we explore the forest and see if we discover anything?”
Ji Tianqing shook her head. “No, we still have food, so let’s not risk causing more trouble. We should grasp this opportunity to cultivate. The stronger you are, the easier it will be for him.”
Li Kuanglan gazed intently at Ji Tianqing. “Tell me the truth. You drank so much wine, will you be okay?”
Ji Tianqing laughed. “Of course. I told you I have a method to suppress the effects!”
Li Kuanglan snorted. “If the secret art was that useful, you would’ve given it to us earlier. There’s no way you would’ve kept it to yourself.”
The smile on Ji Tianqing’s face gradually faded away. “Now that we’re here, there are certain things that are beyond our control. You’re right, this secret art can only suppress the effects for a while. When it stops working, the effects of the alcohol will erupt with even greater intensity. At that point, if you don’t let me borrow your man… I might have to kill myself while my head is clear.”
Li Kuanglan felt her heart tighten. “Stop saying these things! Don’t worry, Qianye won’t watch you die.”
Ji Tianqing whispered, “I know he won’t, but… it’s so unfair.”
Li Kuanglan was speechless. What was she feeling unresigned about?
After being so picky all this time, she had to admit that Qianye was really the best candidate. It was just that this man was dumb, so dumb that he had only one person in his heart. There was no s.p.a.ce for other people.