Cult of the Sacred Runes

Chapter 60 – Promise

Ye Wei rushed in to discover Lin Zi Yan lying on the ground. The left sleeve of her gown was dyed red by blood. He immediately ran forward to check her condition.

There was a huge bruise on her forehead and a long cut on her arm that didn’t look like it was going to stop bleeding anytime soon.

“Zi Yan! Can you hear me?” Ye Wei was completely distressed. He knelt down to feed her another Jade Moistener pill after which he crushed a trauma pill into powder and applied it to her wound.

“I… I’m okay.” Lin Zi Yan drowsily opened her eyes. She panicked again when she realized she was still in the same revealing silk gown. She tried to turn away from Ye Wei and stand up but immediately lost her balance and slipped. Luckily Ye Wei caught her before she hurt herself more. The seals on her body were very unstable at the moment and were disrupting her body functions, or else she would have already recovered given that she was stronger than most humans.

Ye Wei didn’t understand why she was panicking and acting crazy. “Stop moving!” He said while frowning.

After Zi Yan was calmed down by Ye Wei’s steady voice, he wrapped his right arm behind her neck and lifted her legs with his free hand then slowly rested her body on the bed. Just as he let go of her body, her gown slid off.

Lin Zi Yan closed her eyes and shivered in embarrassment. She didn’t even have the strength to cover her body with her hands. She had never felt this weak her entire life; she was scared, shy, and drowning in helplessness.

The soft and smooth texture was telling Ye Wei that he should not let go, but he did not let his impulses get the better of him. Instead, he focused on Zi Yan’s tired face, and how to help her recover.

‘One day I will win her heart properly, and before then I should not allow myself to take advantage of situations like this. She is too gentle and nice; I can’t degrade her any further.’

Lin Zi Yan’s eyes were tightly shut, so tight that her eyelashes were twitching. She just wanted to hide her nervousness and forget about the awkward situation she was in.

Ye Wei reached for the blanket and gently laid it on top of Zi Yan. He was actually relieved that she was now covered as he could finally think straight again. He filled his hand with Qi and placed them on Lin Zi Yan’s forehead, and then started massaging the bruise. The bruise faded little by little with each of Ye Wei’s strokes.

Lin Zi Yan slowly opened her eyes after understanding Ye Wei’s intent. She actually started to relax and enjoy the little treat.

Although they weren’t talking, their body language showed that they both felt warm and blissful.

Lin Zi Yan was watching Ye Wei, it was simply impossible for him to break eye contact. Feeling that the tension was building, Ye Wei opted to start a conversation. “So why did you move to Green Moon City on your own?”

Lin Zi Yan heard the question but was hesitant to answer. She arranged her thoughts and said: “Sorry, I can not go into details about that!”

“Oh…” Ye Wei felt slightly upset by Zi Yan being so secretive.

Zi Yan could see from Ye Wei’s facial expression that he was offended, and as she didn’t want to come across as distrusting she explained, “There is a large city thousands of miles away from here. It is hundreds of times bigger than Green Moon City. The martial families there are so strong it is actually hard to compare them to the forces here. My family is one of the most resourceful and influential families there. There are people in my family who could single-handedly erase Green Moon City off the map!”

Ye Wei’s eyes widened. He had heard about the world beyond Green Moon City, and he was told there were unimaginable powers out there, but he never thought he would meet a person from one of those high places. That someone actually turned out to be Lin Zi Yan.

“I am a direct descendant of my family. When I was born, somebody put numerous seals on my body. If I want to breakthrough one level, I will have to spend extra effort on loosening or breaking the seals so I can access my Qi.” Lin Zi Yan continued, “However, I can use part of the sealed energy at random times, they are out of control. I have always wondered who put these seals on me and for what reason…”

It was an unexpected confession, and Ye Wei did not even understand half of what Lin Zi Yan was saying. He did know that Lin Zi Yan becoming a Warrior under these circumstances was quite astonishing.

“Just focus on training. When you are stronger and able to defend yourself, I might tell you more! I did loosen a couple seals today and got some of my power back from that. I will be stronger than I am now once my body recovers.” Lin Zi Yan smiled to cover up her worries; the past two days hadn’t treated her well.

“That’s good to hear!” Ye Wei nodded and replied. He then solemnly looked at Lin Zi Yan and continued, “Zi Yan, next time you attempt to break those seals, let me know in advance. I will come to guard you!”

Unsure about Ye Wei’s intention, Lin Zi Yan started blushing again, “Erm… Why?” She asked shyly.

Ye Wei’s face turned red and started stammering, “I… I’m just, just worried that you will get into an accident like this again…”

Lin Zi Yan was not sure whether to accept his offer or not. She would have to be in thin clothes when she trains again. She did not want to go through this embarrassing situation all over again.

“Zi Yan, I will get you another glass of water.” The awkward silence was getting to Ye Wei’s nerves; he thought she wanted to say no but couldn’t say it to his face. He stood up and tried to escaped downstairs

Just as he was leaving the room, Lin Zi Yan stopped him: “Ye Wei…”

“What’s the matter?” He turned around in confusion not knowing what to expect.

Lin Zi Yan looked toward Ye Wei with a soft gaze, “Ye Wei, I meant it earlier… Nobody can know about what happened today, not a single detail… We…” She didn’t know whether to tell how she felt about him.

“I know. This will be our secret!” Ye Wei was increasingly frustrated. He tried to stay calm, but it was just impossible. He stomped out through the doors right after he replied.

Lin Zi Yan could see Ye Wei was hurt, and her heart was hurting from feeling guilty for giving him so much information at once and pushing him away to an extent.

Ye Wei suddenly stopped by the door on his way out. He did not turn around, but he spoke loud enough for Lin Zi Yan to hear it, “I know I am not good enough for you both in terms of my family background and cultivation. You are in another world than me…”

“No… That’s not what I mean…” Lin Zi Yan’s eyes turned red, and her heart was aching. She couldn’t find the right words to explain how she felt.

“But…” Ye Wei took a deep breath and said with determination, “My family is not very powerful, but we will work our way up; I am weak, but I will keep training as hard as I can! I will catch up with you one day and even overtake you! I just got to know you not long ago, but you’ve become the most important girl in my life. We are more like brother and sister now, but when I am strong enough I will ask you out properly and hopefully you’d eventually become my wife…”

Ye Wei stormed downstairs after giving the speech.

Lin Zi Yan was not expecting a confession, and her face was as red as a cherry tomato. The sweet taste lingered in her mouth while a line of tears ran down her face.

‘Ye Wei, you are talented and hardworking, but you don’t understand how my family works… I can’t expose you to that kind of risk. I’m so sorry.” Lin Zi Yan sighed and wiped her tears dry.