Chapter 13: Melodramatic Immortal Saga

Chapter 13: Melodramatic Immortal Saga

The moon rose over the willow branches outside the window, deepening the night.

Ye Qingsang observed the sleeping figure beside him, struggling with the situation for a while before ultimately resigning himself to it, given the tough circumstances they were in.

He decided to stay alert and avoid any physical contact with this person.

With that thought, Ye Qingsang slowly closed his eyes, trying to coax himself into sleep.

However, what he hadn't anticipated was the woman's terrible sleeping habits. She kept squeezing towards him on the small wooden bed, and that wasn't all - she even hit him.

As he was drifting into sleep, a hand descended from above and slapped onto his chest, right at his injured spot.

A painful grunt escaped Ye Qingsang's lips, his face paling, but upon opening his eyes and seeing her oblivious face, he fell silent for a moment and endured the pain.

But enduring it once was of no use.

The woman, in her drowsy state, was restless and liked to kick the blanket, occasionally flailing her arms around. Ye Qingsang, unable to take it anymore, had no choice but to hold her down to stop her erratic movements.

Finally, she became still.

Ye Qingsang breathed a sigh of relief.

But after holding her down, he realized how soft and pliant her body was.

He involuntarily held his breath as her warm, soft body pressed against him, feeling like he was holding a boneless, soft little fox in his arms.

Ye Qingsang's heart skipped a beat, and he quickly let her go.

Even so, his heart uncontrollably missed a beat.

His gaze slowly fell on her face, and he noticed that her sleeping visage was vastly different from her usual demeanor.

Although she bore a strong resemblance to He Nanwan, there were still noticeable differences upon closer inspection. A small crimson mole lay beneath her brows, and her sleeping expression was unusually peaceful and gentle.

Deep down, she must be a gentle and kind woman; otherwise, she wouldn't have saved his life.

...With these thoughts, Ye Qingsang fell asleep. Perhaps due to the injury and lack of proper rest before, or maybe because he stopped dwelling on the past, he slept particularly peacefully that night.

It wasn't until he woke up the next day that Ye Qingsang felt something soft in his arms, and upon opening his eyes, he realized he had embraced Nan Yan completely, his hand resting on her waist.

How could this be?

His face flushed instantly, and in a fluster, he hurriedly pushed her away.

This push woke Nan Yan.

Rubbing her forehead, she opened her eyes to see Ye Qingsang's red-faced, embarrassed look and immediately showed a hint of suspicion, "What's wrong with you? Why is your face so red?"

Ye Qingsang dryly replied, “I... nothing, just woke up…”

Nan Yan half-believed him and just uttered "Oh," not pressing further.

Noticing it was getting late, she got out of bed, and Ye Qingsang, watching her easily believe his words, felt even guiltier.

……

Even after Nan Yan went out and returned, Ye Qingsang still maintained his earlier red-faced, distracted demeanor.

Nan Yan found this odd. She placed the prepared herbal medicine on the table and approached him, asking, "What's wrong with you? Why are you motionless and refusing to take your medicine?"

Speaking of the medicine, it was bought with the money from selling his sword, a valuable item from the cultivation world, which fetched a considerable sum.

As Ye Qingsang looked up at the bowl of medicine, he felt even more uncomfortable. Now a mortal, he had been drinking lots of medicine, which naturally needed to be metabolized, leading to the need for a restroom break.

At this moment, Ye Qingsang needed to relieve himself and had been holding it in all morning.

But how could he possibly voice such a matter?

After all, there are differences between men and women...

Yet, if he didn't speak up soon, the situation might become even more desperate for him.

Ye Qingsang struggled internally, his face turning red from the effort.

Seeing Nan Yan about to leave, he instinctively grabbed her wrist and said with a mix of embarrassment and irritation, "I need to use the restroom. Could you... help me up?"

Nan Yan was taken aback. She finally understood why his face was red - he had been holding it in all morning. The realization made him seem all the more formidable.

She looked at him with a bemused expression.

Ye Qingsang kept a straight face under her scrutiny, though he couldn't bring himself to let go of her wrist.

She naturally had to help him. She assisted him to stand, and he leaned heavily on her shoulder, bearing half his weight on her.

His legs, having rested for a few days, had regained some strength to support him for a short while, but he still needed to hold onto Nan Yan's hand. She stood outside, separated by a tattered bamboo curtain.

Ye Qingsang felt this was the most embarrassing moment of his life, relieving himself while a woman stood guard. Despite his carefulness, the inevitable sound was impossible to ignore.

His face blushed crimson, his fair complexion almost translucent like blood-infused jade. Eventually, he tightened his grip on her delicate, soft hand, his palm burning hot, and his heart racing as if it would leap out.

Ye Qingsang coughed lightly, saying dryly, “Okay... it’s done…”

His legs still couldn't stand for long, so Nan Yan exerted force to support his arm, helping him to stand.

Perhaps they were both exhausted from standing too long, or maybe they didn't notice the threshold on the floor. As Nan Yan took a step forward, Ye Qingsang, unable to keep up, lost his balance and his entire weight uncontrollably leaned onto her.

This caused him to crash entirely into Nan Yan.

Before Nan Yan could react, her body was enveloped in a sudden embrace, and they both crashed heavily onto the floor.

The pain made her cry out, her face turning pale.

Ye Qingsang was startled by this unexpected turn of events, but still instinctively reacted.

He stretched out his hand to cushion her head, absorbing the impact. His hand went numb from the force.

"Are you alright?" Ye Qingsang asked anxiously, propping up half his body to lessen his weight on her.

Nan Yan's lip was cut, apparently struck by his chin. The pain brought tears to her eyes as she glared at him, lips pursed.

"What did you put on your body? It's so uncomfortable," she complained.

At her words, Ye Qingsang first froze, then slowly realized the implication, his face turning as red as a boiled shrimp.

"I didn't put... anything..."

"Then why is this..."

Ye Qingsang, at a loss for words, stammered, "It's not..."

His red-faced, extremely embarrassed expression made Nan Yan... understand something.

Ye Qingsang's face changed drastically in response.

Nan Yan immediately began to struggle, pushing the person on top of her. In the chaos, she inadvertently touched something, intensifying the sensation. Her face flushed with anger.

"You――"

"…It's not what you think,"

He truly didn't do it on purpose.

Ye Qingsang struggled to defend himself, but before he could finish, a crisp slap landed on his face. "Scoundrel!" she spat.

She struck without hesitation.

……

Ye Qingsang immediately realized that no explanation would suffice and resigned himself to silence. After all, such matters are hard to believe, no matter how much one protests.

The atmosphere that followed was even more awkward and tense.

Under her icy glare, Ye Qingsang turned his face away, the bright mark of the slap stark against his fair complexion.

Both sat in the courtyard, lost in an uncomfortable silence.

Ye Qingsang obediently drank his medicine, deliberately avoiding her gaze.

As he set down the bowl, he inadvertently noticed something off in her expression.

Nan Yan's brow was slightly furrowed, one hand rubbing her arm, her complexion somewhat pale, possibly from getting hurt during the fall.

Instinctively, he asked, "Are you injured?"

Nan Yan stiffened at the question, looking up with a disdainful expression, "It's none of your business."

That was an implicit acknowledgment of her injury.

Ye Qingsang didn't dwell on her earlier comment and continued, "Where are you hurt? I... can help treat it."

Nan Yan didn't even lift her head, completely ignoring him.

Seeing her continued indifference, and knowing she was angry, he softened his tone, "You said it yourself, your body is your own. Hurting yourself out of anger with me is ultimately hurting yourself."

Nan Yan gave him a strange look upon hearing this, fell silent for a moment, and seemed to concede that he had a point.

Her expression softened, revealing her scraped elbow, "It's your fault. I hurt it when I fell."

Ye Qingsang felt uncomfortable, "Sorry, I didn't mean to."

Following her arm, he noticed a large scrape on her fair and delicate skin, some areas already swollen and bleeding.

He frowned, "Don't move, let me treat it..."

This time, Nan Yan hesitated only briefly before relenting, the pain indeed significant, "…Then be quick."

Ye Qingsang responded and carefully rolled up her sleeve, noticing the residual bruises and swelling. He became gentler, "It won't hurt after applying the medicine…"

After cleaning and treating the wound, he looked up to see Nan Yan biting her lip, her face flushed, even the corners of her eyes tinged with red.

He felt a strange sensation, wondering what was happening.

He looked down, noticing their hands were still clasped together, realizing he had been touching her hand for quite some time.

He let go, somewhat embarrassed.

Then, inadvertently meeting her eyes, he saw his reflection in her clear, distinct eyes, as if they were filled with his image.

In that moment, Ye Qingsang's heartbeat suddenly quickened.

A peculiar feeling seemed to stir within him.

He gazed at Nan Yan somewhat dazedly. She, seemingly unaware, frowned at the wound on her hand. The light cast upon her softened her entire demeanor, making even her furrowed brow appear delicately graceful.

He was about to say something to ease the awkwardness...

Just then, a noise came from outside the door.

The small wooden door was pushed open.

The figure entering made Ye Qingsang snap back to reality. Almost instinctively, he lowered Nan Yan's sleeve to conceal any hint of the injury.

"Ouch... what are you doing? Be gentle..."

The sound of a familiar voice followed.

"Ye Shixiong, are you alright?"

Ye Qingsang looked up to see He Nanwan standing opposite him, his eyes revealing an expression of disbelief.

"…Wan'er?"

Nan Yan also turned to look, catching sight of He Nanwan, who shared her face.

As she registered surprise, her gaze inadvertently collided with another's.

Shadowy, oppressive, and filled with indescribable emotions... all mixed and intertwined, penetrating deep into the marrow.

Nan Yan and he locked eyes.

After a moment of silence, she calmly shifted her gaze away.

Chu Liyue hadn’t planned to enter, but then he saw their hands clasped tightly together, standing very close in an intimate posture...

Just like she used to be with him.

In that moment, the long-suppressed, restrained, and enduring emotions deep within him finally burst forth, finding a vent in that instant and flooding his mind.

Jealousy and possessiveness engulfed his entire being.

Especially seeing them so close, a sharp pain suddenly struck his chest, so suffocatingly unbearable that he uncontrollably wanted to rush forward and separate them.

But why…?

He clearly loved He Nanwan, he had someone he loved, so why… why were all his thoughts filled with memories of He Nanyan?

What was the reason…?

Chu Liyue clenched his fingers beneath his sleeve robe tightly, forcing himself to calm down.

He Nanwan beside him also noticed his unusual mood, thinking he was jealous, and reassured him, "A Yue, as I said, I just want to talk to Ye Shixiong, nothing more."

Ye Qingsong, upon hearing her words, also saw Chu Liyue beside her. He subconsciously clenched his fist, a surge of hatred welling up inside, yet now he had nothing left.

He knew that until he had the chance for revenge, he must endure in silence. Only by staying alive could he hope to change anything.

When He Nanwan saw Nanyan, she felt guilty and approached her, touching her shoulder, "Nanyan, I'm sorry, I wronged you before."

Nanyan shook her head; after all, the original person couldn't hear her anymore, and saying more was futile.

Knowing they had things to discuss, she patted Ye Qingsong's hand, signaling him to let go, then said to them, "I know you two have more to talk about. I'll leave first."

As for her, she naturally went to give the male lead a little trouble.

Seeing this, He Nanwan sent a grateful look her way, "Thank you."

Chu Liyue watched that familiar figure slowly approaching him, until her hair, lifted by the wind, accidentally brushed through his fingers before slipping away silently. Finally, they passed by each other…

He could even feel his heart pounding violently as she approached, a suffocating sensation that left him breathless.

Yet, she said nothing, didn't look up, not even a glance; she just passed by, emotionlessly.

In that moment, Chu Liyue felt an elusive sense of loss, an impulsive urge to rush forward and grab her hand...

...and in the end, he really did chase after her.