Chapter 7: Weak Punch

The footsteps outside stayed where they are . Whoever is , he or she maybe ; had stopped right by the door.. I could hear it though, what should I do?.’

Su Qingxue slept on , her back warm against his chest , one hand curled near her stomach . The dual core kept turning , pulling the pure Yin that moved toward him without her knowing . His body was reacting again, his little champion...,he noticed it and then tried not to think about it , just focused on the door .

Wait, a small shift of weight on the wet path , now another ..the person outside is not leaving, not knocking either. The hell ! ’

Just standing there in the rain like they are waiting for something to happen , inside the house ,?

That thought made his jaw tighten a little .

Lin Tian’s hand found the edge of the blanket .

If the door opened I would be on my feet! My body is..still not strong , but it’s stronger than it had been four days ago. Strong enough for this maybe , probably ! ’ he thought ’ It Should be’

The footsteps finally moved . Slow steps along the wall , then away down the path then wet muddy sound .

He waited until there was nothing left but rain . Only then did he let his shoulders ease .

"Hmmmh..." Su Qingxue made a small sound and pressed closer in her sleep , like she felt the cold even in dream . He stared at the dark shape of her hair and did not push her away.

Whoever had been out there had heard enough or seen enough through the paper window . By morning the village would have a new version of the story!

I should take her away from this mess ! ..., and..I it’s not just because of dual cult... maybe I’ve started to like her

"Qingxue."

He woke her before full light ,

she stirred , then went still when she felt where she was . This time she moved back without scrambling . Her ears were already pink . She didn’t say anything for a second ..

"You..., didn’t push me?" Her sleepy voice echoing softly.

"Well, you asked me to if you turned over . You didn’t turn over..climb on me, you only shifted ."

"That’s still...."

"I know , I know.." He sat up and the Blanket fell a little . "Someone was outside last night , standing by the door listening ."

Her eyes opened fully . Sleep gone in one breath . Like someone poured cold water .

"Who?! "

"I don’t know that . They left when the rain got heavier , but they were there long enough ."

Su Qingxue sat up and pulled the blanket around herself even though she was dressed.

About probably! , she only feel embarrassed after a second later heh.

She always did that when she was nervous . "Auntie Zhao or one of those boys . Or your uncle’s people they’ll talk now"

"They already talk ." She looked at him for a long second .

The dual feeling in the air between them was thicker this morning , like the night had left a residue . She seemed to notice it too . She stood up and put space between them before she spoke again , fiddling with the edge of her sleeve .

"We should leave," she murmured finally.

"For the sect? " but it’s earlier than two months

" If the clan is going to cut you off by market day , and if people are standing outside the house at night , staying only makes it

worse .

"I feel so bad , It’s been a long time since we are together ! Just because I’m eighteen now , that changes everything for them ...why !

I can pack what’s useful and you can walk farther now . We don’t have to stay here "

Lin Tian watched her face . The dual core turned , tasting the sharp edge in her Yin : worry , anger , the same stubborn care that kept bringing her back to this house even when it cost her

"You’re coming with me," his voice determined but she replied with "I already said I would think about it ."

"I’m not asking you to think , I’m telling you , If we leave , we leave together otherwise we won’t .."

She stared at him . "You don’t get to decide that for me ."

"I do if the alternative is you staying here alone while they make up stories about what we did in the dark ."

The words landed and she looked like she wanted to argue and also like.., like she knew he was right and hated that part more , "that’s not fair !.haah " .

She turned away and started packing anyway . Rice. The last of the dried fish , a spare robe . The small pot she used for medicine . Her hands were steady , but she kept glancing at the door like she expected it to open .

Around mid-morning there was another knock .

Not the uncle but a young man from the Lin clan , maybe nineteen , the same one who used to run with the boys who laughed at the original Lin Tian .

He looked past Su Qingxue like she was a... furniture . Like she wasn’t even there . That made Lin Tian’s fingers curl a little .

" ’Lin brother ’ Clan says you have until market day, after that this house goes back to the family , and she--" his eyes flicked to Qingxue ,

"Should think about her reputation before she ruins it completely ."

Lin Tian stood up . The dual core pulsed once , . His hand was still a little red from yesterday but he didn’t care .

"You can tell the clan that I heard them, now get off my threshold ."

The young man smirked , "Your threshold? You’re only still here because she feels sorry for you ."

Su Qingxue stepped forward , " Leave ."

"Leave or what? You’ll cry ? Or crawl back into his bed and hope no one notices?..Like the little slut you are? Ha .hahaha! "

you bastard. Lin Tian moved , he was still weak . The punch was not clean ; It still caught the young man in the mouth, hard enough to send him back a step into the thin morning light . A little blood showed on his lip .

He stared at Lin Tian like he had not expected the sick boy to hit first .

"If you talk about her again I won’t stop at one ! " Lin’s breathing a little too hard ,

The young man wiped his mouth , spat pink onto the path , and left with a look that promised this was not finished .

That look stayed in Su Qingxue’s head even after he was gone . Qingxue shut the door , her hands were shaking now . She tried to hide it by holding the door frame .

"You shouldn’t..have done that , you shouldn’t have " her voice was shaking.

"I should have done it earlier ."

"Your body’s not ready for fights , and you know that, still you did that, why you , you ..."

"Even if I’m weak, and I can’t..I was ready enough for this "

She looked at his hand , the knuckles were red . Without asking she took his wrist , pulled him to the stool and pressed a cool cloth to the skin . Her fingers were careful . The dual core stirred hard at the contact and he had to look away for a second because she was so close .her hair smells like lotus ..

He watched the top of her head while she worked and di not say anything about how close she was standing .

"We’re leaving," she sighed , "Tomorrow or the day after but before market day , before.they try something worse , before ...you do something like this again "

"We ?" She did not correct him this time . She held the cloth against his knuckles a moment longer than needed , then let go and stood up like she needed the distance . Like the closeness was suddenly too much .

"I’ll finish packing., you rest the hand . If it swells more you’ll be useless on the road."

"Yes, Qingxue ."

She stopped moving. She did not turn around , after a second she kept moving , but her ears were pink again .

They spent the afternoon sorting what little they had .Lin Tian’s hand swelled a little ; she checked it twice without being asked . Every time her fingers brushed his skin the dual feeling thickened .

She pulled back sooner each time , and he let her do it, There was not much to pack : A spare robe , the rice , the medicine pot , a small knife she used for cutting herbs . She folded each thing like it mattered , neat corners , like she was trying to keep her hands busy .

"You’re packing for two person." he said at one point . "I can carry more than you think ! Your hand is still red just carry the lighter bag ." She chuckled a little proudly.

The dual core turned while he watched her work . She moved around the room with the same quiet efficiency she had always had , but every so often she stopped and looked at the door , or at the window , or at him , like she was measuring the distance to something she could not name yet . Awkward little pauses then back to folding .

Near evening she stood by the window looking at the wet path , arms crossed .

"If we go to the Azure Cloud selection early , we’ll have to find a place to stay on the road . I don’t have much money ."

"Yeah , well, we’ll manage somehow.."

She glanced at him . "You’re very sure for someone who was dying a week ago ?"

"I had a good reason not to stay dead " while speaking, his gaze shifted towards her eyes , lips then , slowly towards her collarbone....

’I really want to touch her right now ...I want to hold her in my arms and smell her closely..!

The way he looked at her when he said it made her ears go pink again . She turned back to the window and did not ask what the reason was . She already knew or she thought she did . That made it worse somehow and also better .

"When we get there," she said after a while ,

"the selection will be full of people with real backing , Clans , Sect recommendations . We’re two people from a village no one has heard of , and one of us still can’t walk a full day without resting ."

"Then we rest when we need to and show them what we can do when we arrive ."

"You make it sound so simple like it’s just a ... "

"Most things are simple people just add weight to them ."She was quiet for a stretch . Then ,

"If they reject us..."

"They won’t reject both of us ." , "I know I didn’t come back to this condition to stop at a village gate ."

The certainty in his voice made her look at him again . Whatever she saw there made her nod once , small and tight , and go back to the last of the packing . She didn’t argue cause that was new .

They ate what was left of the porridge . The room felt different with the bags by the door . After the bowls were clean she did not argue about the chair . She went to the bed , lay on the far edge , and turned her back to him the same as before , like routine now ..

"Hmph! Stay on your side, " she murmured into the dark .

yeah yeah , sure I’ll ’

Sleep took her slower tonight , he listened to her breathing change , then even out . The dual core turned drinking the thin yin she was leaking...

When she shifted in the dark and her back found his chest again , he stayed still but his body reacted , cock becoming stiff .

Should I turn and hug her slowly and gently fondle her breast .... If I turned right now , my cock would press tightly on her hips...she would feel its... warmth, and my feelings for her, that how much I’m aroused for her , how much I need her ! ’