#15: In Peril (1)

My head hurt, my legs hurt. In a daze, Yao Yin felt as if she had returned to Pure Heaven, to the time when she had just gained human form and became a disciple of Immortal Lisheng—one day at sunset, she was walking on a familiar path when a black shadow darted out. Before she could dodge, a sharp pain shot through her calf. She quickly shook off the black shadow on her leg, and looking closely, she realized it was a venomous snake that had bitten her. The snake coiled on the ground, provocatively flicking its tongue at her. She seemed to remember that medical texts said there was an antidote herb within fifteen steps of a snakebite. She frantically searched through the nearby flowers and plants, but couldn’t find the antidote.

Slowly, her body hurt more and more, and her head also hurt more and more...

“Master, help!” Yao Yin cried out and opened her eyes.

What met her gaze was not Immortal Lisheng, but Zichen’s concerned face. Yun Yan also stood to the side, looking at her indifferently. His small face was pale, and his eyes were slightly red.

“We’re still alive?” Yao Yin rose in astonishment.

“Lie down quickly, you can’t move right now,” Zichen said anxiously. It was fine when he didn’t say anything, but as soon as he reminded her, Yao Yin felt a tearing pain in her right leg. Yao Yin grunted, then fell back down.

“It’s all my fault,” Zichen said, his face filled with remorse. He held her hand, and for the first time, his perfect face showed self-reproach and anxiety. Yao Yin patted his hand reassuringly, managing a strained smile: “I’m fine, don’t worry.”

“Don’t be stubborn,” Zichen sighed, “Your right leg was struck by lightning fire, and the wound is deep enough to expose bone. Thankfully, Yun Yan’s medical skills are superb, otherwise, your life would be in danger.” After he finished speaking, Yun Yan bent down and checked Yao Yin’s pulse. Soon, he let out a long sigh of relief, nodded to the two of them, then walked out of the room expressionlessly.

“Is Yun Yan okay?” Yao Yin worriedly looked at his departing back.

“He stayed up guarding you for two nights without rest. He should be going to rest now,” Zichen said.

“It’s good that he’s okay,” Yao Yin nodded, relieved.

Zichen brought over a bowl of purple rice porridge, scooped a spoonful, blew on it, and then brought it to Yao Yin’s mouth, saying, “You’ve been unconscious for two days, without food or water. Are you hungry? Come, try some.”

“...” Yao Yin stared at him blankly, feeling that this was perhaps too intimate.

“What are you dazed about? Come on, open your mouth,” Zichen said with an open and honest expression, making Yao Yin feel like she was overthinking things. Yao Yin obediently opened her mouth and took a sip of porridge. As soon as she swallowed, she praised, “Hmm, it smells so good, I feel like I’ve eaten it somewhere before.”

“Impossible,” Zichen said, continuing to blow on the next spoonful of porridge.

“Why is it impossible?” Yao Yin was very curious.

“I’ve only cooked for one person, and that person isn’t you.”

“There really is a special fragrance...” Yao Yin mumbled, pondering, and unconsciously murmured, “This taste seems... seems like... oh, never mind, I won’t think about it anymore, it’s making my head hurt. It’s just a bowl of porridge, how different could it be?”

Zichen, uncharacteristically, didn’t argue with her, but continued to feed her carefully, spoonful after spoonful. After Yao Yin finished the last bite and felt most of her strength return, she looked at the gentle and refined Zichen before her and couldn’t help but ask suspiciously, “Are you suddenly being so nice to me because you have ulterior motives?”

“You’re overthinking it. I’m just pitying you because you’re ill,” Zichen said, putting down the bowl. He then stood up, took an apple from the table, and sat on the bed, idly peeling it.

“Where is this?” Yao Yin asked again.

“This is an inn in the capital. We were thrown here after entering reincarnation,” he said, handing the peeled apple to Yao Yin.

With a “crunch,” Yao Yin couldn’t help but praise, “So sweet.” As she ate the apple, she looked at the unbroken apple peel in Zichen’s left hand and admired, “You’re really skillful! As expected of a child raised in the mountains, your practical skills are strong!”

Facing her praise, Zichen was slightly taken aback: “What child raised in the mountains?”

“Aren’t you a woodcutter? Don’t all woodcutters live in the mountains?” Yao Yin rubbed her forehead, thinking that Zichen was not only disconnected but also forgetful of his origins! How many days had it been since he ascended? He couldn’t even remember his previous profession.

“Ah...” Zichen shook his head and sighed, an expression of “I don’t know what to say” on his face. He said, “You rest well.” With that, he took the empty bowl and left.

After Zichen left, Yao Yin, full and weak from her injury, drowsily fell asleep again. When she woke up again, it was already very late.

Yao Yin moved her right leg and felt much better, so she tried to get out of bed. She adjusted for a while and soon limped out. She slowly went downstairs, holding onto the wall. Her inconvenient legs caused her a lot of trouble, and soon her forehead was covered with fine beads of sweat. She originally only wanted to find something to eat in the kitchen, but then a white shadow flashed past outside the kitchen. She looked closely and saw a white gauze robe, a tall and slender figure, and a perfectly flawless profile—it was Zichen, wasn’t it?

At this moment, his hair was tied up high, dispelling his usual unkempt appearance. Yao Yin followed him with a candlestick and saw him flash onto the roof after leaving the room. Standing beneath the eaves, she could only see the white hem of his clothing.

“Zichen—” Yao Yin called out in a low voice.

Zichen poked his head out. Seeing Yao Yin, he immediately jumped off the roof and supported her, saying, “Why are you out?”

“I’m hungry, do you have anything to eat?” Yao Yin smiled, her face open and honest.

Zichen pointed to the roof and said, “I prepared a few dishes to go with wine up there. Want to eat together?”

“I’m not well, I’m afraid I can’t go up...” Yao Yin looked a little troubled. Zichen thought for a moment, then scooped her up in his arms and flew onto the roof. Yao Yin had never been carried by a man before, and she was so surprised she couldn’t speak, her whole body stiff in Zichen’s arms.

“What’s wrong?” Zichen asked softly above her head.

Yao Yin lay in his arms and said blankly, “You’re the second person to carry me.”

“Oh? Not the first?” Zichen looked curious.

“You’re... the first man.” Yao Yin said, then immediately felt her explanation was redundant, and became instantly awkward.

Zichen chuckled, gently put her down, then sat beside her.

The air on the rooftop was excellent. Although it was the twelfth lunar month, there was only an occasional breeze, so it wasn’t cold. In front of them was a low table, on which sat a pot of wine warmed by a stove, and a plate of braised beef, unfortunately already cold.

Zichen sat by himself, drinking alone. The atmosphere, like a winter night, was a bit desolate.

Yao Yin had never seen Zichen so downcast before. This was a stark contrast to his usual carefree and composed demeanor. He seemed to be enveloped by the boundless solitude of the moonlight, exuding an unapproachable coldness and detachment.

Yao Yin was startled by his appearance and dared not speak. Also, she was ravenously hungry, so she grabbed two pieces of beef and chewed on them, both to fill her stomach and to ease the awkwardness.

As she ate, she secretly watched Zichen. He must have been drinking, as his face was flushed. But this didn’t detract from his beauty at all; instead, it added to his charm.

“You look quite handsome when you’re serious,” Yao Yin blurted out involuntarily.

Zichen turned to look at Yao Yin, a smile playing on his lips, and said, “Do you mean I’m not handsome normally?”

“There you go again, not being serious,” Yao Yin rolled her eyes at him and casually said, “Why are you drinking alone here?”

“When a person loses the belief that has always sustained them, only this clear wine can offer solace.”

Yao Yin didn’t quite understand and didn’t respond immediately. But she remembered Zichen’s entanglement with Empress Yaozheng and quickly understood the reason for Zichen’s sadness. She couldn’t help but console him, “Don’t be disheartened. Even if you can’t become the Azure Emperor’s son-in-law, you’ll have broader choices. You’re so handsome, you won’t have trouble finding women who admire you.”

Zichen rubbed his forehead and sighed. Far from being grateful for Yao Yin’s comfort, he again wore an expression of helplessness.

“What’s wrong with you? Did I say something wrong?” Yao Yin asked, puzzled.

Zichen chuckled and shook his head, then changed the subject, saying nonchalantly, “What about you? Is there something that has always sustained you?”

Yao Yin thought for a moment and said, “Finding the Bashe for Lord Yisheng.”

“Your conviction is indeed simple, huh?” Zichen laughed in exasperation, feeling as if they were talking at cross purposes. So he rephrased it, asking casually, “Have you ever been in love?”

Yao Yin thought for a moment, really wanted to nod, but in the end, she helplessly shook her head.

Yao Yin’s hesitation was caught by Zichen, who pressed curiously, “So, do you or don’t you?”

“I used to like someone very much, but he always appeared in my nightmares, so after a long time, I stopped liking him.”

“There’s such a thing?” Zichen wondered, “Hate someone because of a dream?”

“I don’t know why it’s like this. Although the dream is very real, I also know it’s just a dream,” Yao Yin shrugged. “But this is pretty good. Otherwise, that person would be someone I could never meet in my entire life. Rather than loving without being loved in return and suffering the pain of longing every day, it’s better to cut off the thought early.”

Zichen shook his head and chuckled: “But then you’d also lose a lot of happiness.”

“But love eventually leads to pain and despair. You’ve loved, so do you have more happiness or more pain now? Thinking back to past happiness or pain, wouldn’t you rather choose for everything to have never happened?”

“No, I’m very grateful, grateful for everything she brought me,” Zichen said, then drained the wine in his cup.

“You’re truly devoted,” Yao Yin poured a cup of wine for Zichen, and one for herself. “In just a few days, you’ve completely harnessed the power of the Bashe for your own use, ascending to the rank of a rogue immortal. Perhaps with time, you might even become a High God? By then, the Azure Emperor will likely regret it...”

Zichen heard this, shook his head and smiled again, and his cup of wine was already half empty.

For the first time, Yao Yin spoke words that weren’t from her heart. She knew better than anyone that Azure Emperor Taiyi already possessed the highest honor; he didn’t need any additional embellishments. So, whether Zichen became a High God or not made no difference to him. She said this purely to comfort Zichen, to give him an upward motivation, but unfortunately, he himself didn’t seem to care much...

Occasionally, starlight could be seen in the sky, and only that crescent moon illuminated the Nine Provinces and Eight Desolations. Although its brilliance could not compare to the Sun Lord, in the dark night, it could still bring some light to people.

“Have you ever deeply loved someone?” Yao Yin tried to find a topic.

“Not ‘had,’ but still love deeply,” Zichen emphasized, “Deeply love.”

“Then can you tell me, what would it feel like to be killed by the person you love most?”

Zichen was silent for a while, then said faintly, “It would be a release, I suppose. As long as I can see her again, no matter what my fate is, it would be a release for me.”

“Is that so... Then she must have died very happily. To be killed by the one you deeply love, it turns out to be a release,” Yao Yin muttered to herself.

“He?”

“Nothing, I was just talking nonsense.” Yao Yin looked at the new moon in the sky and, on a whim, pointed at the bright moon, saying, “You’ve been to Lihen Heaven, do you know who lives there?”

“There’s a bunch of chattering rabbits in the Moon Palace.”

“That’s it?”

“Mm.”

“But my master said,” Yao Yin said with a longing expression, “that a very beautiful goddess lives in the Moon Palace. Unfortunately, the goddess has been frozen in ice and is a sleeping living dead.”

Zichen heard this, lowered his head in silence, and was seen biting his lower lip, his left hand clenched into a fist. After a long moment, he finally loosened it.

“It’s getting late. I’ll send you back to rest,” Zichen said in a deep voice.

“What’s wrong?” Yao Yin was startled. Seeing his displeased expression, she asked suspiciously, “You... why are you suddenly angry?”

“Nothing, I just feel that the night is deep and the weather is cold. You are still injured and should rest early.”

“Oh, then let’s go back.”

Subsequently, Zichen once again picked up Yao Yin, directly carried her back to her room, placed her on the bed, and even covered her with the quilt before exiting. During this time, the two walked in silence. Zichen, who was usually jovial, suddenly became quiet, which made Yao Yin feel very uncomfortable... She really couldn’t understand how she had offended him just now.