Then, without delay, she walked toward the far end of the city, where her own people had left her a horse.
She rode for hours through the cold night until she reached the base of Zhenmu Mountain.
It was an old, forgotten place with ruined forts and crumbling towers.
Gu Jin stood in front of the broken gate and raised her hand. Green vines slid out of her sleeves and moved across the stone like searching fingers.
She closed her eyes and spread her mana in all directions.
Long Yifan... are you here?
But even after sending her mana everywhere, she couldn’t sense him.
She bit her lip and frowned.
I know he’s here. He has to be.
So she sat down on a smooth rock, letting her vines travel through the broken forest paths and old buildings.
She focused, letting her mana see through the vines’ eyes, feeling, listening, searching.
For hours, she sat in silence, her heart heavy with worry.
Her vines found something.
A faint trace of Long Yifan’s energy... weak but still there.
Her eyes snapped open.
She jumped to her feet and ran in that direction, her vines slithering beside her like green snakes.
After nearly an hour of walking through thick forest and ruined paths, she finally stopped.
The air smelled different.
She sniffed again, and her eyes softened.
His scent... He was just here an hour ago.
Gu Jin looked around, searching every tree, every rock.
And then, her vines tugged at her sleeve.
Behind a wide tree trunk, hidden under leaves and broken branches, Long Yifan sat slumped against the tree. His body was covered in blood and deep cuts.
His skin looked pale, and he was barely breathing.
Long Yifan’s body was weak and bleeding, but when he saw Gu Jin standing in front of him, his lips curled into a soft smile.
"...I still can’t get over the illusion," he whispered, voice hoarse. "Even now... I’m seeing you again."
Gu Jin frowned and stepped closer.
Long Yifan raised a shaky hand and motioned her to come nearer.
"Even if you’re just an illusion... I don’t want to hold back this time," he said with a small, tired laugh. "I think I’m getting close to the gates of hell."
Before Gu Jin could react, he leaned forward and kissed her.
Gu Jin’s eyes widened in shock.
She was too stunned to move.
After a few seconds, Long Yifan pulled back and blinked, confused.
He touched his lips, then stared at Gu Jin.
"...Wait," he whispered, dazed. "I... I could touch you? But... illusions can’t be touched..."
His heart skipped a beat.
Then the truth hit him.
He looked up slowly—and met Gu Jin’s furious eyes.
A mix of rage and disbelief filled her face.
But to Long Yifan, even that angry face was beautiful. His lips curved into a full smile.
Even if it’s anger... at least she’s feeling something.
Gu Jin raised her hand, ready to slap him.
But Long Yifan didn’t flinch.
He didn’t even blink.
He just stared at her like she was the most precious thing in the world.
Gu Jin paused. "Why... why aren’t you closing your eyes?"
Long Yifan laughed softly. "Because your face is too beautiful. I don’t want to miss a single second."
Gu Jin’s hand stopped in the air.
She stared at him, dumbfounded.
How could someone be so... shameless?
For a brief second, she seriously thought about leaving him behind.
Letting him stay in this forest and suffer for a few more hours.
But then she looked at the deep wounds, the dried blood, the pale skin.
She sighed and reached into her pouch.
From her alchemy bag, she took out a glowing golden healing pill.
She gently placed the pill near Long Yifan’s lips and helped him swallow it.
As she did, a familiar scent drifted up.
It wasn’t from the pill—it was from him.
It triggered a memory.
She had taken a mission alone on a snowy mountain. She was trying to find a rare herb for her cultivation. But she had been ambushed.
She was badly injured. She couldn’t even move. She had tried to enter her space to heal, but lost consciousness before she could.
Back then, she had felt someone lift her body and run.
In her foggy mind, she had smelled this exact scent.
The scent that now came from Long Yifan.
And then she remembered...
While she was unconscious, someone had fed her a golden pill. A hand had touched her cheek. A blurry face had leaned close.
She had thought it was just a dream.
But now... she remembered that face.
She stared at him, frozen.
"You..." she whispered. "Was it you? Back then... during all those dangerous missions when I was injured and alone... was it always you?"
Long Yifan looked at her for a moment.
Then he slowly nodded.
He reached for her hand, his fingers cold and shaky.
"I never told you," he said softly. "But for the past three years, I’ve always been watching over you. You just didn’t see me."
"Even when I was engaged to someone else, even when I left the country... I couldn’t bear to let anything happen to you. So I followed you. Every time I heard you took a dangerous mission, I came back to China."
Gu Jin’s lips parted.
She didn’t know what to say.
She had always thought she was alone. That someone had helped her, yes—but only out of luck or duty.
She never imagined it was him.
Her heart twisted. Something broke inside her.
Something that had been locked away for years.
But before she could understand what she was feeling...
Her defense kicked in.
Without thinking, she raised her hand...
She knocked Long Yifan out cold.
He slumped against the tree.
Then she gently lifted him and placed him into her space, storing him safely inside.
The forest was quiet again.
But her heart was noisy. Messy. Heavy.
She stood there, stunned, not knowing what to feel.
After a while, she entered her space too.
She sat down beside the unconscious Long Yifan.
His face looked calm, even with all those wounds.
Gu Jin reached out and poked his cheek.
"...Why are you doing this?" she whispered. "Why now?"
Her voice cracked just a little.
"I had already given up... so why are you still holding on?"
Or something softer... something close to feelings?
She didn’t know. She couldn’t explain it.
Her chest felt tight, and her mind felt too full. Everything was too loud inside her, and yet too quiet outside.
So she lay down on the soft grass inside her space and closed her eyes.
"I need rest," she whispered to herself.
She curled up slightly, letting her head rest against the earth. Her mana gently swirled around her as if it were trying to protect her.
Within minutes, she fell asleep.
Hours passed in silence.
A strange warmth touched her lips.
Her eyes fluttered open, and her heart almost jumped out of her chest.
His lips were pressed against hers.
His mouth was moving.
He was kissing her. Deeply. Boldly. Even invading her mouth.
Gu Jin’s eyes widened in shock.
She opened her mouth to yell at him—
But that only made it worse.
Long Yifan took the chance and slipped his tongue into her mouth, making the kiss even deeper.
Her heart skipped a beat.
Then it skipped again.
Her entire face turned red.
Her hands were frozen at her sides. Her heart was beating so fast, she thought it might burst.
For the first time in years, Gu Jin felt real emotions.
It felt like she was blushing all over.
But just as quickly, another part of her mind snapped.
No! Her thoughts shouted. Don’t fall for it!
And just like that, all those warm emotions vanished.
Replaced by cold, sharp control.
Without saying a word, she pushed Long Yifan away roughly and slapped him hard across the cheek.
Long Yifan didn’t even flinch.
Instead, he touched his cheek and smiled like a fool.
"I don’t mind getting slapped again," he said, grinning. "As long as I get to kiss you one more time."
Gu Jin rolled her eyes, furious.
"If you dare touch me again," she said in a cold voice, "I’ll bite you so hard you won’t have lips left to kiss with."
Long Yifan leaned closer with that same shameless smile. "Then bite me all you want," he said. "But you can’t kill me."
Gu Jin narrowed her eyes. "And why is that?"
"Because," he said proudly, "your future happiness depends on me."
Gu Jin stared at him like he had lost his mind.