"Don't push yourself."
At the moment he was about to take a nosedive, Ren Suo felt his shoulders and waist firmly supported.
Hearing the familiar voice, Ren Suo turned to look and said, "Thanks, Cheng Ling."
Dong Chengling seemed not to have taken a shower yet. She was dressed in a white shirt and slim-fit jeans. Her complexion was snow-white, and under the dormitory's white streetlights, it appeared even more fair, as if she had never sweated or gotten oily all day.
Cultivators, especially female Cultivators, seemed to become more beautiful the higher their Cultivation—Qiao Muyi, Dong Chengling, and others were all testaments to this.
But the male Cultivators I know... why is it that the higher their Cultivation, the dumber they act? There's Zhao Huo nearby, and Yu Kuangtu further off. At least Bai Ji is a bit better.
I'll need to be more careful about who I befriend in the future.
Zhao Huo found it a bit strange. "When I was driving over just now, I didn't see Teacher Dong."
"I saw you from the balcony and teleported down," Dong Chengling said.
"…That's pretty handy." At that moment, Zhao Huo said, "Perfect timing then. I need to take the car to the parking lot. Teacher Dong, could you help Ren Suo up?"
Ren Suo managed to stand up straight and said, "Actually, I can go up by myself..."
"Let's go." Dong Chengling grabbed Ren Suo's hand. He immediately didn't dare to move a muscle, obediently letting her help him walk.
The image of Dong Chengling slitting throats barehanded and crushing a coffee table with her palm was still vivid in his memory.
"You encountered some big trouble at Pazhou at noon, right?" Dong Chengling asked. "Is what happened to you now related to those people?"
Ren Suo shook his head. "I was cultivating too hastily these past few days. I accidentally hurt myself while casting Spells during the play. It's all right; I've healed myself."
Injuring oneself while casting Spells was quite common; Lin Xianyu's hands were covered in scars from her awakened spells. Dong Chengling didn't suspect anything and asked, "Don't you need to go to the hospital? I can accompany you there right now if you want."
"I'm a Healing Cultivator," Ren Suo said, changing the subject. "How did you know Zhao Huo and I went to Pazhou?"
"No wonder. We bumped into her."
"Xiao Qiao said you were trying to scam her."
"At that time, the aftereffects of a Spell just happened to act up; that's not on me."
Dong Chengling served Ren Suo a glass of water. Ren Suo looked around the house and asked, "Eh, Xing Mei hasn't returned?"
"The intensive training class has a very tight schedule, and it's for two consecutive days. She must have gone back to stay at the dormitory," said Dong Chengling.
"Ah." Ren Suo remembered his sister had cooked breakfast in the morning and then left for the intensive training class. "Thank you for your trouble, Cheng Ling."
"This is part of my duties," Dong Chengling said. "By the way, Ren Suo, do you remember my closed-door Cultivation at the beginning of this month?"
"Hmm? I remember." Ren Suo remembered very clearly; those days, he had his clones ordering takeout every day.
"I don't know why, but during those days, my Cultivation went remarkably smoothly, and I could circulate the Threefold Circulation without any pressure. But after a few days, that feeling never returned..." Dong Chengling said. "It felt as if someone was blessing me during those days."
Ren Suo's thoughts stirred, recalling the last scene from "High Energy Ahead": the villagers throwing their treasured possessions into the bonfire, praying for their loved ones in this world... Googlᴇ search novèlfire.net
Could it really work?
"How have your parents been recently?" Ren Suo asked.
"They're doing well. They even took time off to travel this month..." Dong Chengling wore a faint smile.
"Every day they send me photos, saying they hope I could go with them... that I could join them."
Just like that, drinking water and chatting casually, with Dong Chengling doing most of the talking and Ren Suo agreeing, an hour passed without notice.
Ren Suo glanced at the time, wondering why Dong Chengling was suddenly so talkative today, and said, "I've taken up a lot of your time today. I'm fine now, maybe you should head back first."
The swift reply from Dong Chengling caught Ren Suo off guard.
Dong Chengling turned her head to look at the sofa, letting her hair obscure her face and prevent Ren Suo from noticing her reddened cheeks. "You're still in pain all over, aren't you? What if you bump into something or fall down while walking and can't find anyone to call for help? What then?"
"I am at least a Cultivator..."
"Right now, you're a patient who struggles even to walk."
Having calmed herself, Dong Chengling looked at Ren Suo and said earnestly, "It's too dangerous for you . Cultivators are also flesh and blood; there's no need to take risks unnecessarily. Otherwise, I could take you to the hospital and let the nurses look after you."
Ren Suo immediately shook his head—he didn't want to go to the hospital.
"Or I could stay here for the night, so I can take care of you if anything happens tonight."
"Ha!?" Ren Suo didn't know what expression to make. After a long pause, he replied, "I might as well call Zhao Huo to stay over..."
A cold glint, unseen by Ren Suo, flashed in Dong Chengling's eyes. She quickly turned her head away and sighed softly. "That might be better... if that's what you feel more comfortable with... Ren Suo, I'm just worried about you."
Dong Chengling's Echo: 'Distance', 'Persuade to Stay'.
Ren Suo immediately regretted it. By saying that, wasn't he implying Dong Chengling was untrustworthy? He had simply reflexively rejected the opportunity to be alone with a girl—a typical affliction for someone who'd practically majored in being a monk. Moreover, he and Dong Chengling shared a Level 4 Bond, a very practical one. It was precisely this kind of situation that usually made Ren Suo instinctively distance himself from her.
"...But you don't have a change of clothes..." Ren Suo began, then felt he had blurted out something pointless.
"I'll go get them now," Dong Chengling said, standing up. She headed straight for the door, leaving Ren Suo dumbfounded.
Dong Chengling entered the elevator and leaned against the wall, exhaling softly.
What's wrong with me...?
Dong Chengling touched her forehead. I'm not usually one to lack self-control...
She was never one to talk much. But that evening, she found herself unconsciously chatting with Ren Suo for a long time about Cultivation and family. It was mostly her talking, with Ren Suo listening.
But whenever Ren Suo responded with even just a sentence or two, Dong Chengling felt elated—almost as if she had successfully completed a Fourfold Circulation.
Ren Suo seems different today... very... cute?
At that moment, Dong Chengling remembered something, took out her phone, and told Qiao Muyi what had just happened.
Qiao Muyi was one of the first to know about Ren Suo's sudden temporary disability. When she conveyed the news to Dong Chengling, she suggested Dong Chengling take care of Ren Suo for the night. Even from the perspective of a friend, such an act was beyond reproach, as a patient indeed needed care.
Soon enough, Xiao Qiao replied, "Keep it up! Hurry up and win over this dense pig! It's dragged on for too long!"
Dong Chengling: "It hasn't been that long."
Xiao Qiao: "I can't guarantee there won't be other twists in the future... Delays breed complications."
Xiao Qiao: "Has anything unexpected happened?"
Unexpected? Dong Chengling thought of a name and replied, "There was, but it's fine."
At this moment, Zhao Huo had finished his bath at home. He was on the balcony, enjoying the cool breeze and watching a series on his tablet, when he suddenly felt a chill on the back of his neck.
"Hm...?" Zhao Huo touched the back of his neck, turned around to look outside, and saw nothing.
Suddenly, he rubbed his eyes and applied 'Spirit Qi - Vision Strengthening' to them, peering towards the other hillside of Heavenly Lotus Academy.
I thought I saw the silhouette of a nine-tailed creature leaping through the woods... I must have been mistaken.
How could I experience so many mysterious occurrences in one day?