Peach Blossoms

Chapter 12

"Don't worry, I won't take advantage of you. I'm just worried about your injury," Si Junxing said, then lowered his head to figure out how to take off her undergarment.

Lin Suyang was both ashamed and angry, wishing she could gouge out his eyes. Coupled with her injuries and pain, she thought she might as well just die. However, Si Junxing's next action almost made her bite her tongue and commit suicide.

To conceal her female identity, Lin Suyang always tightly bound her not-so-large breasts as if they were wrapped around something. As she grew older, this process became increasingly painful. Since marrying Qin Yu, she could safely remove the suffocating cloth at night, and during the day, with Qin Yu helping her wrap them, it was somewhat better, so she no longer had the trouble she used to have.

Before setting off, considering that she would be spending a lot of time with the man, she asked Qin Yu to help her wrap her arms around him even tighter. Si Junxing had never been so close to a woman before, and he didn't even know how a woman wore her inner clothes. He was also worried about Lin Suyang's injuries, so he made full use of his martial arts skills and shattered Lin Suyang's inner garment and chest cloth with a single palm strike without harming her in the slightest.

The flying fragments covered the ground like snowflakes. Lin Suyang felt a chill on his chest, gritted his teeth and closed his eyes. Very well, Si Junxing, if I don't avenge this, I'm not Lin Suyang!

Looking at the vermilion palm print on her fair and delicate skin, Si Junxing frowned deeply. "It's the Fire Nether Palm!" The Fire Nether Palm is a unique martial art of the Fire Cloud Sect in the southwest. This move is extremely vicious. In addition to feeling excruciating pain when first hit, one will experience excruciating pain all over the body when it is rainy or cold. The Fire Nether Palm is extremely hot and can only be countered with cold energy. Therefore, to heal Lin Suyang's injury, one must obtain the Nine Lotus Ice, which is extremely cold, and then use strong internal energy to integrate the ice into her body to completely remove the poison from the palm.

Nine-Lotus Ice grows atop a perpetually snow-covered peak, where a bottomless, unfrozen Heavenly Pool lies. The first snowflake to fall each season condenses into a nine-petaled lotus shape. This lotus must grow within the floating ice of the Heavenly Pool, and must withstand the first rays of the morning sun without melting, and be drenched in icy rain without dissolving to be considered true Nine-Lotus Ice. These stringent conditions make Nine-Lotus Ice extremely rare, highlighting its preciousness. Legend has it that it can cure all poisons and possesses miraculous powers to bring the dead back to life.

The only remaining Nine Lotus Ice in the world is said to be a family heirloom of the Kong family, the number one family in the martial arts world. The current head of the family, Kong Mingqi, is also the current leader of the martial arts alliance. Not to mention that he has the powerful influence of a regional overlord, even in a one-on-one fight, Si Junxing is not confident that he can defeat him. If you want to take the Nine Lotus Ice from him, it will probably be extremely difficult.

"The Fire Cloud Sect," a barely perceptible ruthlessness flashed in Si Junxing's eyes.

He took his robe and covered Lin Suyang's body, then quickly released her pressure points. As soon as Lin Suyang could move, she swung her left hand and slapped him hard across the face. Instantly, five clear red finger marks appeared on Si Junxing's face.

Ignoring the burning sensation on his face, Si Junxing forcefully wrapped Lin Suyang completely in his large robe, saying gently, "I will definitely find a way to heal your injuries, but you will have to endure the pain a few more times. Don't worry, I will help you."

Lin Suyang wasn't sure how serious her injuries were, but judging from Si Junxing's expression just now, they probably weren't minor. However, she didn't care about that. Anyway, she had been given a second chance at life, and being alive was already a great achievement. As for the pain, she could just endure it.

Thinking that Si Junxing had indeed done it for her own good, taking care of her and helping her ever since they met, and that she had only saved him once, and that he had already paid off the debt back in Shenzhou, Lin Suyang, though cold by nature, was not one to forget kindness. She wondered if she should still use her rational mind to consider what Si Junxing's intentions were, and whether he was acting under someone's orders.

What was she lying about? Lin Suyang had nothing to lie about; she had neither vast wealth nor priceless treasures. After all, he was the only person in both his lives who would jump off a cliff to save her. And this grown man would endure being scolded and beaten, and even worry and blame himself for injuries she didn't care about herself. What was he doing all this for?

"I'm sorry." Lin Suyang felt a little guilty. He had hit her so hard just now; it must have hurt a lot.

"It's nothing. It's just you, so it's nothing," Si Junxing said with a smile.

"By the way, um... how did you end up here?" Lin Suyang pretended not to notice the ambiguity in his words and changed the subject.

"Didn't I tell you I'd come back to find you? Don't you believe me?"

"Then... how did you know I was here?" It was so chaotic and the light was dim, how did he know?

“Because of your scent.” Lin Suyang looked at him in surprise. “You don’t know that you have a very special scent, do you? It’s refreshing and pleasant, and you can’t forget it once you’ve smelled it.” Si Junxing said, leaning closer to her and taking a deep breath.

Lin Suyang was furious: "Are you a dog? How come your nose is so sensitive?"

"Yes, I am a dog, just looking for you." His burning gaze was fixed on Lin Suyang, making her feel as if she were locked up and unable to move. She could only turn her face away and look at her clothes that were still steaming by the fire.

Seeing her like this, Si Junxing simply carried her to the fire and said softly, "It'll be warmer here."

The firelight illuminated Lin Suyang's face, revealing a mixture of helplessness and complexity. And so the night passed.

Volume Two, Chapter Thirty-Two: A Glimmer of Hope (Part 1)

Early in the morning, Si Junxing went out to check the situation. After he left, Lin Suyang carefully examined the place they were in. It was a long, narrow cave, and the rumbling sound of water coming from below could be clearly heard from the entrance; it must be the river they had fallen into yesterday. Further in, there seemed to be a natural tunnel, with no end in sight. Lin Suyang stepped inside.

At first, Lin Suyang could still see the shimmering ore on the road surface and cave walls, but the further he went, the narrower the tunnel became and the dimmer the light grew. He only stopped and turned back when he could no longer see anything at all.

Back at the place where she had rested the night before, she ran into Si Junxing returning from outside. "So fast?" Lin Suyang asked in surprise, considering how short he had been gone.

"Looks like you'll have to stay here with me for the rest of your life." Si Junxing looked at her with a half-smile.

Lin Suyang walked to the platform extending from the cave entrance. All around him were sheer cliffs, and below, the raging river roared like a herd of wild horses. The platform was about twenty meters above the water, with countless vines hanging down from the cliff beside the cave entrance, dragging into the water. There was no way up, no shore; truly, there was no way to ascend or descend.

When Lin Suyang and Si Junxing fell into the water, Lin Suyang fainted due to her injuries and inability to swim. Si Junxing held her tightly in his arms, breathing on her while using his own strength to slow the impact of the water. They finally managed to float to the surface, but even so, it did not alleviate their predicament. The two drifted with the current for a long time. Si Junxing never let go of her. Seeing that Lin Suyang was pale from the cold, he used all his remaining internal energy to warm her. Worried that she would be hit by stones, he used his hands and feet to protect her like a shield, while he himself was scratched all over by sharp stones in the water.

As the water flowed further and further away, its current began to slow down. In a daze, Si Junxing bumped into the stone wall at the bottom of the cave. Looking up, he saw thick, sturdy vines hanging by his side. He immediately grabbed them and, with his last bit of strength, leaped up. Once on the platform, he discovered that there was another world inside. Without even taking a break, he busied himself finding some dry grass and wood to burn and dry his clothes. Then he took off Lin Suyang's clothes and gave her his to change into.

He then stayed by Lin Suyang's side, occasionally touching her forehead to make sure she wasn't cold. He noticed the wound on her hand and ran outside the cave to find some hemostatic herbs. He took out a porcelain bottle from his pocket and saw that the amphibian inside was intact. Only then did he feel relieved and began to apply the medicine to her. He finally breathed a sigh of relief after everything was done.

Of course, Lin Suyang will never know these things.

Lin Suyang stood on the platform for a while, then walked back into the cave and said to Si Junxing, who was lying leisurely on the ground, "Since there is no way out, we have no choice but to try that place." As he spoke, he pointed to the tunnel they had just visited.

Si Junxing lit a torch and said, "I'll go first." He then stepped inside first, with Lin Suyang following closely behind.

Walking along the path Lin Suyang had traversed was like entering a night without stars or moon. A single torch could only illuminate the spot where one stood. Si Junxing was a martial artist, so this posed no problem for him. But it was a hardship for Lin Suyang. He frequently kicked stones on the ground, nearly crashing into the jagged, protruding rock walls.

Si Junxing turned around, stretched out his hand, and said, "Come on. Hold my hand."

Lin Suyang hesitated for a moment, but finally took his hand. With Si Junxing's help, the journey became much easier. Lin Suyang tried her best to shake off the strange feeling rising in her heart, forcing herself to concentrate on the increasingly distant tunnel.

Lin Suyang didn't know how long they had walked. Apart from the nearly extinguished torch in Si Junxing's hand and the glowing phosphorescent light on the cave walls, she could see nothing. She followed with peace of mind, guided only by the warmth emanating from the hands of the person ahead, without a trace of fear or unease.

Lin Suyang's physical strength was already inferior to Si Junxing's. Coupled with the exhaustion of the past two days and the lack of food to replenish her energy, it was already quite an achievement that she had made it this far. But she still gritted her teeth, tightly gripping Si Junxing's hand, struggling to keep up step by step.

Si Junxing sensed something was wrong. He asked softly, "Are you tired?" Lin Suyang stubbornly shook her head.

Si Junxing sighed, turned around, and squatted down: "Get on, I'll carry you." Guessing that Lin Suyang would definitely refuse, he added before she could answer: "Do you really want to stay here forever?"

Lin Suyang had nothing to say, so she climbed onto his broad back. Now, it was much easier.

Lin Suyang was utterly exhausted and dozed off on his back, while Si Junxing was in high spirits, even feeling like singing as they walked. If only time could stop at this moment! But that was impossible.

When Lin Suyang sensed the light ahead in his hazy state, he immediately shouted excitedly, "We're out!" Si Junxing felt a pang of disappointment, but had no choice but to quicken his pace under Lin Suyang's urging.

Emerging from the tunnel, a wide-open space stretched before me. Green grass, red and yellow flowers, and distant overlapping peaks resembled an ink wash painting, exuding a serene and elegant atmosphere.

Lin Suyang jumped off Si Junxing's back, ran to the grass, opened her arms, closed her eyes to embrace the gentle breeze, and smiled, "Finally out."

Although he was disappointed, seeing Lin Suyang's happy expression made Si Junxing feel joyful as well. As long as she smiled, that was enough.

After venting his anger, Lin Suyang suddenly realized, "Where am I?" Looking at the sky, it was getting dark. Was he going to have to sleep in the open again? Looking down at his clothes, they were tattered and filthy; he was practically naked. Seeing Lin Suyang's worry, Si Junxing smiled and said, "Don't worry, there are houses not far away."

"How do you know?" Lin Suyang asked incredulously.

“Didn’t you see the sheep on that grassland over there? These kinds of sheep are usually domesticated. Letting them graze freely like this is called herding. Since the sheep are all here and no one is watching over them, the family must live nearby,” Si Junxing said confidently.

Lin Suyang was so excited that he didn't notice there were sheep not far away. He cursed himself for being stupid, then raised the corners of his mouth and pulled Si Junxing toward the flock of sheep that were heading home: "We'll find them if we follow them."

Si Junxing looked at the hand she was holding and a smile brighter than any flower appeared on his face.

Si Junxing was right; the owner of the sheep did indeed live nearby. Following the sheep to the house, they saw the sheep obediently walk into the open pen, and an elderly couple standing in front of their door looking at the strangers who had suddenly arrived.

Just as Lin Suyang was about to speak, Si Junxing stepped forward and said to the two elderly people, "Grandpa and Grandma, my wife and I came out for a sightseeing trip, but we were robbed of our money and then pushed into the river. Luckily, we survived. However, we've been traveling for a long time and are lost. It's getting dark, so we'd like to ask if it's alright to bother you for the night?" His manner was refined and elegant, displaying the demeanor of a scholar. He really knew how to act. Lin Suyang wanted to laugh, but felt it wasn't the right time, so she secretly suppressed it.

The two elderly people looked at the polite young man and the young woman whose face they couldn't see clearly, and felt a pang of pity. The old man quickly said, "Oh dear, poor children, come inside and rest. My wife, go and boil some water and cook rice. Look how hungry these two children are."

Do I look hungry? Lin Suyang was a little annoyed, looking down at their attire. No one would believe they'd been robbed. He'd never encountered anything like this before. Even back in Shenzhou, at least they had food and clothing. Now they were starving. The Grand Tutor of the Great Yang Kingdom, starving? If word got out, countless people would laugh at him.

"Stop thinking about it and go inside," Si Junxing said, noticing Lin Suyang standing there in a daze.

"By the way, why did you say I'm your wife?" Sister or younger sister, it doesn't matter what you say, why did you have to say those two words?

"Because you will be soon." Si Junxing walked into the house with a grin.

"You." Lin Suyang gritted his teeth and clenched his fists behind him.

"Please sit down, please sit down. Let this old man cook a hot meal to warm you up. Haha, it's been a long time since I've had any guests here." The old man laughed and hurried off to the kitchen to work.

The old woman took out a woman's dress from the inner room and handed it to Lin Suyang, saying, "Girl, this is my wife's dress. She and my son live in the county town and only come back once every month or two. There's no one to wear it usually. I saw that your clothes are torn, why don't you change into this? Just don't mind that it's old."

The clothes were so worn that it was still clear that Lin Suyang was wearing men's clothes. The old lady thought it was because her husband cared about her and gave her his own clothes and styled her hair in a man's style for safety, so she didn't suspect anything.

"How could I? I already feel bad for disturbing you here, and you're being so polite, ma'am. I'm truly ashamed," Lin Suyang said, quickly taking the clothes from him.

"The water's heated up inside, so my daughter can take a hot bath later," the old woman chuckled.

Hearing this, Lin Suyang was overjoyed, feeling as if she had been reborn. She kept thanking him, "Thank you, Auntie." Realizing her face must be covered in mud, judging from Si Junxing's smirking expression, Lin Suyang glared at him before going to the inner room to change.

Volume Two, Chapter Thirty-Three: A Glimmer of Hope (Part Two)

After a relaxing hot bath that washed away the grime and fatigue of the past few days, and changing into the clothes the old woman had given her, Lin Suyang felt refreshed. Once dressed, she sat down in front of the bronze mirror to comb her long hair. Since it wasn't dry yet, she simply gathered it together, tore a strip of her old clothes into a ribbon, wrapped it around her head, and tied it in a lotus knot.

Standing up, Lin Suyang turned around in front of the mirror. Having not worn women's clothing for many years, she felt no discomfort whatsoever. The person in the mirror possessed a captivating allure in every smile and gesture, yet exuded a cold, aloof demeanor that kept everyone at a distance. Like a shooting star fallen from the sky, dazzling and alluring, yet its blinding light and destructive heat deterred anyone from crossing the line.

Lifting the curtain, Lin Suyang's small feet stepped out. Realizing her movement was inappropriate, she quickly withdrew them, adopting the shyness of a young girl, and moved her lotus-like steps lightly. She had naturally learned some of Qin Yu's movements from watching him do so often, but for someone accustomed to masculine behavior, there was still a long way to go before she could do it perfectly.

"Haha, she's out! Girl, come and try this old man's cooking..." The old man had just set out the bowls and chopsticks and was beckoning Si Junxing to sit down when he looked up and saw Lin Suyang, whose face had already been washed, and was stunned.

"This...this girl, is she some kind of fairy descended from heaven? How can she be so beautiful?" The old man rubbed his eyes and muttered to himself, "Could it be that my old eyes are failing me?"

"Nonsense, how can a fairy be as beautiful as a girl?" The old lady came out of the kitchen carrying soup and was taken aback when she saw Lin Suyang.

Si Junxing was taken aback for a moment, then laughed and said, "Auntie, you're right. Even a fairy isn't as beautiful as my wife. Don't you think so, my wife?"

Lin Suyang rolled her eyes at him, stepped forward and took the soup from the old lady's hand, saying, "Auntie, you're joking. What's this about beauty? It's just a pretty face."

“My dear girl, this old man doesn’t understand anything about looks, but I do know that fairies are mostly around royalty and nobility. How could we, ordinary folks from poor rural areas, ever see one?” the old man said as he sat down at the table.

Si Junxing immediately laughed and said, "Sir, since you say my wife is like a fairy, you can look at her to your heart's content today."

"That's true. I've lived most of my life, and to meet a fairy maiden today, I have no regrets even if I die now," the old man sighed.

"What nonsense is that old man spouting again? Doesn't he care what people think?" the old woman scolded with a laugh. Then she said to Si Junxing and the others, "Come and sit down to eat. Don't be shy. Just make yourself at home."

Lin Suyang frowned. The old man was right. Regardless of the era or country, the pursuit of beauty was prevalent. Take the Yan-Liao Kingdom, for example, known for its beautiful women, which attracted many to pursue them madly, even leading to jealousy and rivalry. This could escalate into war or even interpersonal conflict. Besides vying for power, the beauty of one's concubines was also a key factor in the face of the court officials. It was indeed rare to find a place where physical beauty wasn't the standard of evaluation.

After the dishes were served, Lin Suyang sat down next to Si Junxing. Seeing the abundant food on the table, her appetite was even larger than usual. Of course, this was also related to having been hungry for two whole days.

They were eating when the old man suddenly put down his chopsticks and exclaimed, "Ah!"

"What's wrong?" the old woman asked worriedly.

"I just realized how handsome the young man is!" The old man exclaimed, his eyes wide.

"Go away, I wondered what it was all about. You're getting old and your eyes are failing you. From the moment you walked in, I saw how handsome the young man was. He and the girl together are a match made in heaven!"

"Yes, he really looks incredibly old. Look at him, he's truly an exceptional individual!" the old man exclaimed.

These words made Si Junxing smile broadly: "Auntie and Uncle have such discerning eyes, my wife and I are a perfect match." As he spoke, he put his arm around Lin Suyang's waist.

Lin Suyang tried to struggle, but seeing the two elders staring at her, she gave up, lowered her head, and pinched Si Junxing hard with her left hand. He, however, acted as if nothing had happened, tightening his grip on her arm and smiling broadly.

"Look at this young couple, how deep their feelings are, how happy they are," the old woman said with a smile, thinking the two were just flirting.

"If my husband and I could be like that old man and woman, still holding hands even when we're old, that would be true happiness," Si Junxing said.

Lin Suyang paused, her grip on Si Junxing's hand tightening, as the strange, complex emotions she felt in the tunnel resurfaced.

"Hehe, it's amazing that young people have such aspirations at such a young age. They'll definitely be like us someday." The old man chuckled and patted his wife's hand.

The old woman smiled and glanced at him, then called to Lin Suyang and the others, "Eat quickly, or the food will get cold."

When it was time for bed, the elderly couple cleaned out their son and daughter-in-law's room for Lin Suyang and his family to stay in. Before leaving, they placed an oil lamp on the table and closed the door behind them.

Lin Suyang looked around the room. There was only a bed, and a worn-out table in the center, covered in dust. It seemed their son really rarely came back.

"How...how am I supposed to sleep?" Lin Suyang asked, looking at Si Junxing who was making the bed.

"How should we sleep? We're husband and wife, how do you think we should sleep?" Si Junxing turned around and looked at her ambiguously.

"I'm warning you, don't push your luck any further," Lin Suyang said coldly.