Je vends des vêtements et j'achète du vin à boire avec toi

Chapitre 58

Following Long San's instructions, Feng Ning lit all the torches on the cave wall. After carefully looking around, she saw a large, smooth rock. She helped Long San sit down there, and Long San touched the rock and said, "I used to sleep on this rock."

Feng Ning was somewhat surprised: "Why do you choose to live like a wild man in this desolate mountain instead of staying at home?"

"A lot happened at that time. My parents died, my family was in chaos, and two of my friends in the martial arts world also passed away. I was weak for a moment, so I ran away from home and happened to find this place, so I stayed for a while."

"You actually ran away from home too?" Feng Ning's eyes widened, then she chuckled, "If even you're like this, then my running away is nothing."

She then asked, "How did you find this place?" Such a hidden place, no normal person would be able to find it.

Long San pointed to the upper diagonal corner: "There's a hole up there. That's where I fell down."

Feng Ning looked up, but the darkness made it impossible to discern anything. However, she could imagine the perilous situation he had faced. She pouted, "Look, you're even more immature than me. If I had family like you who care about me so much, I wouldn't leave. I would definitely live a good life with them."

Long San's heart skipped a beat, and he instinctively tightened his grip on her hand. Feng Ning, her ears perked up at that moment, heard the sound of water again and, grasping his hand, cried out, "Long San, is there water in here too?"

"Yes, there is a pool." Long San looked at her flustered appearance with some amusement and said, "The water is not deep, only up to my waist. It is formed by the convergence of warm springs. The fame of West Pool Mountain comes from the warm spring pool. There are several other pools in this mountain."

Feng Ning had no interest in warm springs or pools; the farther away from lakes, rivers, and ponds she was, the better. She sat down on the large rock and nudged Long San, saying, "Go and practice your internal energy."

"Circulating internal energy?" Long San stared at her pretty face, which was flushed red by the firelight, and was somewhat taken aback.

"Didn't you want to detoxify? You said you knew how to force the poison out. It's safe here now, so hurry up, I'm a little tired."

Long San was speechless. Feng Ning ignored him and looked around. She found two boxes next to the big rock, which were sealed tightly. Feng Ning called out, "Long San, there's treasure."

“Those are my old clothes and blankets from back then, I packed them up when I left.” Long San stared at Feng Ning, not particularly interested in her treasure hunt.

Upon hearing this, Feng Ning hurriedly opened the box, took out the clothes and bedding to check them, shook them out—perfect, no dampness or odor. She tossed the things onto a large rock, then ran around building two fires in the cave. After a while, she finally finished. She turned around and saw Long San still sitting on the rock staring at her, and couldn't help but get annoyed: "Stop daydreaming! Hurry up, I've cleared some space for you; go practice your internal energy."

"And what about you?"

"I'm going to sleep." Feng Ning said matter-of-factly, climbed onto the big rock, spread out her quilt, and hugged Long San's robe, really intending to take a break while Long San was expelling the poison.

Long San hadn't moved yet when Feng Ning asked curiously, "What's wrong? Is there anything you need? Do you need any herbs? Are there any in these mountains? Should I go out and dig some for you?"

Long San stared at Feng Ning for a long time before saying in a hoarse voice, "No need for herbs."

Feng Ning thought for a moment, then touched his forehead: "You're not sweating anymore, and you're not so hot anymore. Are you feeling uncomfortable from suppressing the poison? You don't even have the strength to speak. Hurry up, hurry up, let me help you to sit down and meditate."

Feng Ning lifted Long San by the arm and helped him up. Long San had no choice but to let her help him to the open space by the fire. He sat there and assumed a meditation posture. Feng Ning was satisfied. She squatted down next to him for a while, yawned, and walked back to the big rock: "You keep practicing your internal energy. I'm going to take a nap. Wake me up when you're done."

Long San hummed in agreement, watching Feng Ning hug his robe and lie down on the stone bed, clearly intending to sleep.

"Feng'er," he called out to her, unable to resist.

"What's wrong?" Feng Ning turned over and blinked at him. Her eyes were clear, her face straightforward, and she hugged his robe like a child.

Long San looked at her, then fell silent. Feng Ning asked, "Long San, is something on your mind?"

Long San didn't answer, and Feng Ning felt that she had guessed correctly. She comforted him, "We can talk about any worries later. Right now, getting rid of the poison is the most important thing."

She blinked. The cave was warm, and Long San was beside her. She was really sleepy. But she was still worried about Long San, so she reassured him, "Don't worry, you still have me."

Long San finally agreed, saying softly, "Yes, I have you."

Feng Ning smiled sweetly at him: "Then I'll take a nap. Call me if you need anything." She closed her eyes and felt Long San's gaze burning into her. She blushed a little and turned away.

After a while, she heard Long San making rustling noises. Turning around, she saw him walking towards the other end of the cave. Feng Ning was startled: "Where are you going?"

"I need some water to soak in," Long San replied, raising his hand to light two more torches hanging on the cave wall, instantly illuminating the other end. Feng Ning sat up and asked, "Are you alright?" Could this poison be difficult to cure?

"It's alright." Long San carried her on his back and began to take off his clothes. Feng Ning blushed and turned her face away. After a while, she heard Long San go into the water. Feng Ning imagined the water covering his body and was a little scared. She shouted, "Long San, be careful! If you get into the water, I won't be able to save you."

Long San remained silent. Feng Ning looked over and, in the dim firelight, saw Long San leaning against the pool wall with his eyes closed. His arms were draped over the shore, and the small portion of his chest and arms that were visible above the water glistened with a crystalline light.

Feng Ning called again, "Long San..." He didn't respond. Feng Ning panicked a little, sat up and glared at him, "Long San, don't scare me, I'll get scared."

Long San remained silent. Feng Ning jumped to the ground and spun around barefoot, asking, "Are you alright? You're alright, aren't you?" Silence answered her.

Feng Ning heard her heart pounding wildly. Staring at the motionless Long San, she finally gritted her teeth, tried to ignore the dark water, and slowly walked towards Long San.

"Say something, Long San," Feng Ning called out, stopping some distance from the pool. She squatted down and said to Long San, "Long San, I'm afraid of water. It makes me dizzy just looking at it. Please don't scare me, okay?" She closed her eyes, trying to put her discomfort behind her. "Come up, okay? Let's not try to expel the poison. So what if we lose face? I'll go back and find you the antidote."

Long San remained motionless. Feng Ning was extremely worried, afraid that he would sink into the water at any moment. She braced herself against the ground and slowly crawled over, her body stiff. After a long while, she finally reached the edge of the pool. She was trembling all over, but she dared not close her eyes. She touched Long San's shoulder hard; her hand was icy cold, but the skin on his shoulder felt burning hot.

“Long San…” she called out.

He finally opened his eyes, his gaze fixed on her with such intense intensity. Feng Ning was both angry and frightened, and she cursed in a trembling voice, "You scared me to death!"

"I'm sorry." Long San leaned over and kissed her lips. Feng Ning lay on the edge of the pool, too scared to move, and could only say again, "Don't kiss me, I hate you, come up quickly, I'm really scared."

Long San leaned closer, ignoring her words, and instead cupped her face in his hands, gently continuing to kiss her. He whispered against her lips, "I told myself, if I count to one hundred and you don't come over, then I won't do it."

Before Feng Ning could even ask "What are you doing?", Long San grabbed her waist, lifted her up, and pulled her into the water. Feng Ning was terrified and screamed, clinging tightly to Long San: "No, don't put me in the water, I don't want to go into the water!"

"Don't be afraid, Feng'er, don't be afraid..." Long San coaxed, holding her waist without moving. "Look, I'm here, I won't let you choke on the water."

Feng Ning screamed and struggled for a while. After a while, she saw Long San holding her up like that, with her legs submerged in the water and her upper body above the surface. She stopped, grabbed his shoulder, breathed heavily, and looked down at him.

Long San coaxed, "Look, the water's not deep, only up to my chest." As he spoke, he slowly lowered her down. The water reached Feng Ning's waist, and she screamed again, her limbs moving uncontrollably as she clung to him, trying to climb out. Long San released her, instead supporting her hips and back, and kissed her lips, asking, "Feng'er, you're so afraid of water, why did you come here?"

Feng Ning was stunned for a moment, looking into his eyes. His gaze was deep and unfathomable, as if under a spell, making it impossible for her to look away.

"I..." She didn't know what to say. More than being afraid of water, she was afraid of not having him.

Long San stared into her eyes, a smile slowly spreading across them, a gentle smile that captivated her. He tilted his head back and kissed her lips, pressing her down to kiss her deeply. His large hands slipped inside her clothes, caressing her skin, warmed by the pool water.

His kiss was gentle, making Feng Ning dizzy. His fingers were long and slender, and wherever his fingertips brushed against her, a tingling sensation spread through her. Feng Ning trembled slightly, feeling both weak and nervous. She leaned on Long San's shoulder, feeling his lips gently sucking and nibbling at her neck, a little painful and itchy. She tried to shrink back, but he held her even tighter.