Chapter 4: A Growing Heart, A Vow to Stay Forever

Chapter 4: A Growing Heart, A Vow of Forever

Hearing the praise, Lin Yu's joy had nowhere to overflow, so he took Ling Xuance's slightly cool palm and pressed it over his dantian in his lower abdomen.

He tilted his face up, eyes clear and earnest, and asked softly.

"Brother Che, can you feel it? Can you sense the little grass?"

The warm, soft feel of his abdomen reached Ling Xuance through his palm. The boy's pure, straightforward closeness held no hint of hidden intent, yet it made the normally cold and ascetic Ling Xuance stiffen.

A deep crimson instantly crept up his ears, spreading from the tips to his neck. His cool, composed features were suddenly tinged with fluster and heat.

"A Yu, this place isn't for just anyone to touch."

"The dantian is a cultivator's vital gate—the source of all spiritual power in the body. It is the most private and fragile point, not to be casually touched."

Lin Yu blinked in slight surprise, then obediently noted the words. Still holding Ling Xuance's hand, he spoke softly and seriously: "I understand."

His eyes were filled with unwavering trust as he said gently, word by word.

"But Brother Che isn't just anyone."

That soft, pure sentence touched the softest corner of Ling Xuance's heart.

A man who had never been moved by desire, who had always been level-headed and restrained, now found himself utterly shaken by the boy's straightforward, defenseless affection.

He couldn't suppress the unfamiliar feelings surging within him. He turned his head away and gave a low, quiet cough, using it to mask his out-of-control emotions and reddened ears. His voice still carried a faint hoarseness: "Mm."

That single word was filled with indulgence and a pounding heart, yet he dared not look down again at the boy's bright, innocent eyes.

Nestled in his arms, Lin Yu slowly realized the situation.

The two were pressed close together—he was curled up entirely in Ling Xuance's embrace, held securely, in a position far too intimate.

Lin Yu's face burned. He hurriedly raised a hand to push against Ling Xuance's chest, backing away frantically, not daring to look at him again.

The charged atmosphere in the stone hut faded, settling into gentle calm.

From then on, Ling Xuance began to teach Lin Yu the methods of breathing and cultivation.

He did not teach orthodox immortal cultivation techniques. Instead, he tailored a breathing method perfectly suited to Lin Yu's unique vital essence—one that required no forced absorption of spiritual energy, only quiet harmony with the vitality of heaven and earth.

The instruction was simple and soothing, perfectly suited to Lin Yu's timid, gentle nature, without any risk.

Lin Yu studied with remarkable dedication. Every morning, he would sit on the green stone steps before the hut, eyes closed, breathing and cultivating in silence.

The mountain breeze brushed his face each day. The tender sprout grew ever more lush and vibrant, and his body became more at ease and stable.

One afternoon, Ling Xuance watched the boy cultivating on the steps and spoke gently.

"A Yu, I need to leave for a while."

Lin Yu opened his eyes at the words, shock in his eyes, his heart tightening.

Ling Xuance patiently explained his reasons.

"I've been trapped on Thought Severance Cliff for a long time, and no one from the Qingmu Sect has ever come to check on me—no one has bothered to see if I'm alive or dead."

"They either believe I'm seriously injured or dead, or they simply choose to ignore me. I need to go down the mountain to learn about the outside world."

Beyond that, there was another important matter he had not mentioned.

The boy had a special physique, a pure and timid heart, and no means of self-protection. He needed to go down the mountain to find a suitable protective spiritual artifact—so that no matter where Ling Xuance was in the future, Lin Yu would be safe.

His words were calm and steady, an ordinary announcement, but to Lin Yu's ears, they meant something else.

Thought Severance Cliff was his sanctuary, and Ling Xuance was the only anchor and support he had in two lifetimes.

The moment he heard Ling Xuance was leaving, the deep-seated unease welled up. He feared that once Ling Xuance regained his power, he would no longer be willing to stay trapped on this barren mountain, no longer willing to accompany a timid, helpless boy like him.

His eyes reddened instantly. Tears welled up without warning, rolling down his pale cheeks and falling onto his robes.

He didn't throw a tantrum, didn't cling or plead. He just stood quietly, tears falling in silence, enough to break anyone's heart.

Seeing the boy in tears, all of Ling Xuance's composure was replaced by heartache.

He stepped forward quickly, gently resting his hands on the boy's thin shoulders, his eyes filled with anxiety and remorse as he soothed him softly.

"Why are you crying?"

Lin Yu kept his head down, tears streaming down his face, his voice broken and choked: "You... are you leaving... and don't want me anymore?"

That timid question broke through all of Ling Xuance's composure.

Ling Xuance gently wiped the tears from his cheeks with his fingertips, his movements extremely gentle. Then he raised his eyes to the sky, his expression solemn and serious, and swore an oath to heaven and earth.

"I, Ling Xuance, swear today that I will never abandon Lin Yu in this life. I will keep him safe, stay by his side through every dawn and dusk. If I break this vow, may my cultivation dissipate and my soul be destroyed."

The spiritual energy of heaven and earth rippled faintly, responding to the oath, a solemn pressure descending upon the cliff.

Lin Yu panicked immediately, hurriedly grabbing his sleeve.

"No... I... I believe you. You don't need to make an oath."

He didn't want Ling Xuance to gamble his cultivation and soul for his sake. Even with fear in his heart, he couldn't bear to see him harmed in any way.

Watching the boy frantically trying to comfort him in turn, Ling Xuance's heart melted. He leaned down and gently drew him into his arms.

"Don't be afraid. I'll return soon."

"I'm just going down the mountain to handle some business. Once I'm done, I'll return to the cliff to stay with you. This place is my home, and you are the only one I want to protect."

The gentle reassurances washed over his heart again and again, and the solemn vow eased all of Lin Yu's unease.

"Mm."

After comforting the boy, Ling Xuance raised his hand and formed a strong barrier, covering the entire Thought Severance Cliff within it.

The barrier was invisible and undetectable, not affecting daily life, yet it could block all prying eyes and intruders—enough to ensure Lin Yu's complete safety while alone.

"I'm leaving." He ruffled the boy's hair, all his warnings condensed into one gentle wish: "Take good care of yourself."

Lin Yu stood at the edge of the cliff, nodding obediently, watching Ling Xuance's figure vanish into the distance.

After Ling Xuance left, the entire Thought Severance Cliff fell into complete silence.

In the past, with Ling Xuance by his side, even sitting in wordless stillness, the hut and the cliff had been filled with warmth and comfort.

At night, being held as he slept, with a warm embrace and steady breathing, gave him complete security, but now, alone, the silence around him was too deep, eerily so.

The faint rustle of wind through the cracks in the stone hut, the soft whisper of branches swaying in the mountains—all sounded strange and unfamiliar to him.

The stone hut that had once felt so reassuring now filled him with deep unease.

At night, Lin Yu didn't dare lie on the spacious stone bed. He retreated to the farthest corner of the hut, hugged his knees, and leaned against the cold stone wall, barely managing to feel a sliver of safety.

The sleepless nights dragged on, long and agonizing, and he endured a full half-month of anxious turmoil.

Fifteen days later, as dusk deepened and the twilight painted the entire cliff red, a tall, elegant figure rode the wind back, landing firmly on the green stone of Reflection Cliff, lightly dusted with the journey's grime.

The first thing Ling Xuance saw when he landed was the small, curled-up figure in the corner of the stone hut.

The youth shrank in the shadows, his back tense, radiating an unmistakable air of timidity and unease. Half a month of solitude had turned him back into a bundle of fear.

A wave of intense heartache and guilt washed over Ling Xuance.

Hearing the sound, Lin Yu looked up, and when he saw the returning figure, a faint light flickered in his eyes.

Ling Xuance crouched in front of him, gently brushing the fine dust from his hair, and spoke softly in apology.

"You've been through a lot. I'm late."

With that, he raised his hand and produced a magical artifact he had found during his trip down the mountain.

It was a jade piece, warm and translucent, simple yet elegant in form, surrounded by a gentle spiritual aura. It looked like an ordinary storage pendant, but its inner structure was exceptionally special.

"This artifact is very similar to the Beast Cage, but it holds no fierce or binding power—it's extremely gentle instead," Ling Xuance explained patiently, his voice soft and soothing. "Ordinary storage artifacts can only hold inanimate objects, but this one can hold living beings. Inside, it forms a stable little world of its own, with a constant temperature year-round."

He had sought this item so that, in future travels, he could keep the youth by his side, never again leaving him alone on a desolate mountain to endure loneliness and fear.

Lin Yu didn't show a trace of disdain; instead, he was overjoyed.

He tilted his face up, his eyes sparkling with starlight, and said softly: "That's wonderful! From now on, I'll never have to be apart from you again!"

Seeing the youth's delighted expression and feeling the tender emotions surging in his own heart, Ling Xuance leaned down and pressed a kiss to the youth's smooth, warm forehead—gentle and precious.

The sudden intimate touch made Lin Yu shrink back slightly, lowering his head as a blush quickly spread across his cheeks, full of shyness.

But this time, there was no strange fear, no instinctive flinch or retreat.

The longing and unease from the half-month separation all melted into trust and closeness.

He tilted his head up, leaned in on his own, and rubbed his forehead against Ling Xuance's cool neck, like a small beast finding its home—docile, clingy, and full of trust.

The deathly silence of Reflection Cliff was once again filled with warmth.

Having endured the fear and loneliness of half a month without companionship, Lin Yu returned to his usual gentle demeanor, even clingier than before.

During the day, while cultivating, he always stayed close to Ling Xuance. When the other sat in meditation, he would obediently nestle nearby, absorbing spiritual energy.

The previous distance born of timidity and restraint had completely dissolved, replaced by a soft, clingy aura of total reliance.

At night, he wouldn't leave his side.

Having grown used to the warmth of sleeping in someone's arms, Lin Yu could no longer bear sleeping alone in the cold. Every night, he would burrow into Ling Xuance's embrace, clutching his robes, curling into a small, docile ball.

Once deeply asleep, he was utterly defenseless, unconsciously nuzzling toward the warmth, his soft hair brushing against Ling Xuance's neck, his warm breath lightly dusting his collarbone—clingy and gentle.

Night after night, Ling Xuance held the youth firmly in his arms, protecting the soft, tender figure, his heart filled with calm indulgence.

But the youth's innocent, unknowing intimacy tugged at his taut heartstrings every time. An unconscious shift, pressing even closer into his embrace, the soft body brushing against him, the warmth of the touch.

A restless heat stirred in his lower body.

Ling Xuance lowered his gaze, quietly gazing at the peaceful, serene sleeping face in his arms through the faint moonlight outside the window.

The youth's lashes were long and soft, his nose gently fluttering, his lips pink and tender—he slept completely unaware of the feelings he had just stirred.

Afraid of disturbing the youth's sweet dreams, and even more afraid of losing control and hurting the innocent boy, he slowly suppressed all the turmoil in his eyes and silently recited a solemn, obscure calming mantra to himself.