Chapter 29 , second part, Completing the Mission

Chapter 29: 29 , second part, Completing the Mission

Chapter 20, second parte, Completing the Mission

"If they could, I wouldn’t be here at this hour."

She sat down beside the table, unlike Yun Che, who remained standing. Su Lian poured tea only for herself to calm down before changing the subject.

"Has your name become popular in some circles within the sect?"

Yun Che raised an eyebrow.

"I’m popular now?"

"A little. Your name has been going around."

She took a small sip.

"The rumors are spreading."

"What rumors?"

Su Lian placed the cup down.

"About the Massage House."

Yun Che became attentive.

"Go on."

"There are disciples saying that your technique is different and that you have magical fingers or something like that."

He smiled discreetly.

"That isn’t exactly a rumor."

"Don’t interrupt me."

Su Lian gave him a stern look.

"Some say that after your massages, the circulation of spiritual energy improves. Others say that you can discover where energy is blocked in the meridians without the person even needing to explain the problem."

Yun Che remained silent as she continued.

"And do you know the worst part?"

"What?"

"They’re coming back."

Yun Che almost smiled.

"That means the treatment works and that my techniques are effective."

"You don’t understand the point."

Su Lian narrowed her eyes.

"Now some disciples specifically seek you out, don’t they?"

Su Lian observed his expression.

"Are you satisfied?"

"A little."

"I knew it. Then why are you looking for me at this hour instead of looking for them?"

She snorted.

"There are even people saying that your massage can help with cultivation."

"That isn’t entirely wrong either."

"I know."

The answer came so quickly that Yun Che was surprised. Su Lian noticed and looked away.

"I’ve heard people talking."

"Then you believe them?"

"After what I experienced with you during our Dual Cultivation..."

She stopped in the middle of her sentence. Yun Che looked at Su Lian, who in turn tightened her fingers around the cup.

"It’s difficult not to believe it."

For several seconds, the room became quieter. Only then did she add:

"And the Pill Refining Hall is talking about you as well."

Yun Che raised an eyebrow.

"That also reached you?"

"Yes."

"Hmph."

"Someone who was once treated as useless is now demonstrating knowledge he shouldn’t possess."

Yun Che’s expression became serious, and Su Lian noticed.

"Does that bother you?"

"No."

"You’re lying."

"I’m just being careful."

She nodded slowly.

"You should be. The cultivation world is not a place for games. No one knows what the elders would do to you if they discovered that you possessed some kind of secret."

Su Lian stood up and walked toward the window, looking at the moonlight that illuminated half of her face.

"In the sect, talent attracts attention."

She looked outside.

"But rapid growth attracts suspicion."

Yun Che remained behind her.

"I know."

"And you’ve done both, which has drawn attention to you. If you have more secrets, you’d better keep them to yourself until you gain enough strength to protect those secrets."

She turned around and saw a faint smile on Yun Che’s face.

"Fortunately for you, there is something else that has overshadowed your brilliance and is keeping the elders occupied enough that they won’t pay too much attention to you."

"The Secret Realm."

She nodded.

"The Ancient Flower Secret Realm will open tomorrow."

Yun Che’s expression immediately became more serious. Su Lian continued:

"All the disciples are preparing. Some have been waiting for this for a very long time and have accumulated resources. Others have tried to advance before its opening."

She approached him.

"Do you know what that means?"

"Competition between disciples, with their lives at stake."

"More than that."

Su Lian stopped in front of him.

"It will be far more dangerous than you can imagine."

Yun Che nodded.

"The Secret Realm can bring opportunities, but it can also turn fellow sect members into mortal enemies."

"I know."

"Then why are you so calm?"

Yun Che looked at her.

"Because worrying won’t make me stronger. And if I want to become stronger, I’ll have to enter the Profound Flower Secret Realm."

Su Lian remained silent as Yun Che continued:

"I’ve made my preparations."

"Prepared for what?"

"For anything I might face. Monsters, traps, other cultivators, or even trials left behind by ancient inheritances."

Su Lian watched him for several seconds, thinking deeply about something before asking again:

"Shouldn’t you be making your preparations?"

"My preparations are almost complete."

Yun Che slowly approached her, but this time, he did not touch her.

"Better for me to leave. It’s already late."

She remained silent. Meanwhile, to make his words a reality, Yun Che turned around to leave. Su Lian felt something tighten inside her chest.

Yun Che walked several steps toward the door.

"Yun Che."

He stopped when he heard his name but did not turn around immediately.

"What is it?"

Su Lian clenched her fingers, her expression conflicted, with shame, pride, and hidden desire in her eyes.

But above all, there was a decision she herself was trying to accept.

"Are you really going to leave?"

Yun Che turned around.

"I came here to cultivate, but you don’t want to, right?"

Su Lian stared at him. She had expected insistence, some kind of negotiation. Above all, she had expected him to try to convince her. Yet Yun Che simply accepted her decision.

For some reason, that made everything even more difficult. Su Lian slowly walked toward him, taking several quick steps.

Yun Che did not move from where he stood. When she reached him, Su Lian raised her eyes.

"You’re a very irritating man, aren’t you?"

Yun Che merely smiled at the statement.

She remained silent for several seconds, the two of them locked in an intense gaze. Then she grabbed the sleeve of Yun Che’s robe, and he simply looked at her hand.

"Su Lian..."

She pulled him slightly closer, and a second later, her lips were pressed against his in a passionate kiss. This time, there was no surprise.

When she pulled away, Su Lian remained very close to him. Her face was red like a ripe tomato, but her eyes were firm.

"I want it too."

Yun Che did not answer immediately.

"You do?"

"Yes."

She took a deep breath.

"I want to practice Dual Cultivation with you."

Her voice was low but clear.

Yun Che simply nodded.