Chapter 92 Suspicion Arises

Yin Xiaozhu turned to look at her, but did not answer her question at first.

In an instant, a sense of unease welled up in Lu Yuanyuan's heart, and her palms, which were pressed against her knees, became quietly damp with sweat.

The words had already been spoken, and there was no going back. Besides, according to her plan before entering, there were still a lot of probing questions she hadn't asked, and she should take it a step further now. However, the moment their eyes met, she suddenly had a strange and strong intuition telling her that today should end here.

In a flash, Lu Yuanyuan decided to follow her intuition.

She stopped there, turning her head away quite naturally, as if she had never intended to delve deeper into the previous topic. Her gaze settled on a certain spot: "Hey, what's that book here? Yuanjun, it's so dark, and you're still reading? Be careful not to hurt your eyes. Let me take the book away for you, so you don't accidentally press down on the pages."

She leaned over, reached in, grabbed the book from the inside of the bed, and jumped off.

Yin Xiaozhu did not stop her.

Lu Yuanyuan could feel the other person's gaze fixed on her back. She maintained her unhurried pace, put the books back on the shelf, and then left, saying, "You should get some rest."

Back in my room, I closed the door, and my heart, which had surged to the top of my throat, fell heavily to the ground in that instant.

Lu Yuanyuan bent down and took a deep breath. Finally, she slowly leaned against the door, squatted down, and used deep breaths to calm the trembling in her body.

She orchestrated this to subtly demonstrate that she didn't know Yin Xiaozhu's gender, and also to make Yin Xiaozhu suspect that her feelings for Duan Lansheng were unusual, which was why she regarded him as a hypothetical "love rival."

However, it seems that we acted too hastily. Fortunately, it did not lead to any unforeseen consequences.

Being able to recognize her shortcomings early on and make timely adjustments is not necessarily a bad thing for her.

Lu Yuanyuan rubbed her cheeks vigorously with her sweaty fingers.

She needs to be calmer and more cautious. She must not let fear overwhelm her and disrupt her rhythm.

.

After that day, Lu Yuanyuan became more well-behaved and temporarily stopped probing Yin Xiaozhu about sensitive topics. It seemed she had returned to the rhythm of life she had before descending to the mortal realm, at Danqing Peak.

Duan Lansheng was a very efficient person, and he completed her request in just three days.

It's important to understand that he wasn't just a nobody in the Sword Sect. Although he was younger than many outer disciples, the cultivation world didn't prioritize seniority based on age, but solely on strength. On weekdays, unless he was on a mission, he was essentially a half-teaching assistant in the Sword Sect, with the responsibility of instructing the disciples.

If I had to say, he was actually much busier than Lu Yuanyuan.

Therefore, Lu Yuanyuan did not expect him to respond so quickly.

As agreed last time, Duan Lansheng waited for her at the usual place—the Sword Sect Medicine House.

But Lu Yuanyuan was late again.

To be precise, they broke their promise.

Almost an hour had passed since the agreed time, and at the end of the path leading to the medicine hut, a young female cultivator from Danqing Peak finally appeared.

"Senior Sister Lu asked me to pass on a message that she suddenly had something to do today and couldn't come, so the meeting time was postponed to tomorrow, with the time and place remaining the same. She also said that she would give her the things tomorrow."

The young nun blushed slightly, not daring to look directly at Duan Lansheng's face, but her posture and tone were very respectful. However, it was clear that she didn't know what the "thing" in his words meant, and she hesitated a bit when she said it.

A moment later, a calm voice came from above her head: "I understand."

It's not unusual for someone to have to change the appointment time due to unforeseen circumstances.

The next day, Duan Lansheng arrived at the medicine hut as usual, only to find that today was just like yesterday. An hour had passed since the appointed time, and Lu Yuanyuan still had not appeared.

This time, Duan Lansheng did not wait there any longer, but went straight up Danqing Peak.

Since joining the sect, Lu Yuanyuan has lived next to Yin Xiaozhu's bedroom and has never moved.

Duan Lansheng came to the outside of the courtyard and saw that both bedroom doors were closed.

Yin Xiaozhu has been recuperating from her injuries and rarely sees guests, but these past few days seem to be the death anniversary of her mother, the sect leader's wife, so she went to the Sword Sect.

Because it was still early, Lu Yuanyuan's room was not lit, so it was impossible to tell whether anyone was inside by the light and shadow.

Duan Lansheng walked straight to her door, raised his hand, and knocked twice: "Yuanyuan, are you in there?"

Suddenly, a series of clanging and clattering sounds came from inside, as if cups or other objects had fallen to the ground, which was quite unusual.

Duan Lansheng's expression changed slightly, and his fingertips touched the door: "Are you alright?"

"...I just accidentally dropped some things. Go to the medicine hut and wait for me, I'll be right there."

She answered him.

It is indeed Lu Yuanyuan's voice.

However, perhaps because they were speaking through a door, her pronunciation seemed to be accompanied by very shallow breathing.

Duan Lansheng frowned slightly and remained standing still: "I'll wait for you to come together."

"Go to the medicine hut and wait for me. Yuanjun will be back soon, and I don't want her to ask about the matter I asked you to handle."

Since she insisted, Duan Lansheng had no choice but to comply.

After waiting a while back at the medicine hut, Lu Yuanyuan arrived. She looked perfectly normal, from her complexion to her clothes. Only her eyelids were a little pinker than usual, and seemed slightly swollen. Her hair was simply tied up with a single silk ribbon, as if she had just gotten out of bed.

Duan Lansheng lowered his eyes and first placed a box of ointment in a jade-colored round box on the table: "This is what you wanted."

Lu Yuanyuan picked up the medicine box and said gratefully, "Thank you for making this trip for me! Also, I'm really sorry for breaking my promise yesterday."

Duan Lansheng shook his head, indicating it was nothing serious. He studied her face and suddenly asked, "Yuanyuan, are you feeling unwell?"

With a "bang," her hand slipped, and the round box fell to the ground.

Duan Lansheng frowned even more deeply. He bent down to pick up the box before her, handed it over, and stared at her intently.

Lu Yuanyuan tucked the box into her sleeve and chuckled, "Don't overthink it. I'm a Golden Core cultivator, how could I get sick so easily? I was just cultivating in my room yesterday morning, and I was a little tired and sleepy afterwards. I felt that I wasn't in the right state to keep the appointment. It's the same today, nothing serious."

This explanation was plausible. Duan Lansheng looked at her and asked, "Is that all?"

It's impossible to tell whether he believes it or not.

Lu Yuanyuan met his gaze and calmly nodded.

Duan Lansheng's expression softened slightly: "That's good. If you encounter any trouble, don't hide it from me. I'll help you with anything I can."

Lu Yuanyuan glanced at the sky, placed her hand on the table, and stood up: "Don't worry, definitely. By the way, Yuanjun should be going back soon, so I shouldn't stay outside too long. I'll be going now."

She was always a brisk and energetic person. But today, strangely enough, as soon as she stood up, her legs suddenly went weak, and her knees buckled abruptly. Her face turned pale, and caught off guard, she slumped violently to the floor in front of her.

Fortunately, Duan Lansheng reacted quickly, stood up abruptly, and reached out to grab her waist.

Because of the external force, her body tilted backward, taking a step back and bumping into Duan Lansheng's arms. But her legs still seemed weak; instead of falling forward, she continued to sit down.

Duan Lansheng's intention was simply to prevent her from falling; his arms hadn't gripped her body tightly enough, leaving a gap for her to slide down. Realizing she couldn't stand on her own and her knees were about to hit the floor, he quickly tightened his arms around her.

The tightness of the belt caught right on her ribs.

No, it's even higher than the ribs.

The soft clouds pressed against his wrist.

But that wasn't a cloud, he knew that.

Duan Lansheng's ears burned. But the next second, something unexpected happened—the person in his arms seemed to have been electrocuted, their body trembling, head tilting back, hands tightly gripping his wrist, and a hoarse, trembling nasal sound uncontrollably escaping their nose, like a sob: "Mmm—"

Duan Lansheng suddenly paused.

All the beautiful thoughts vanished.

The person in his arms froze. After realizing what had happened, she seemed extremely annoyed and embarrassed, biting her lower lip and lowering her head like an ostrich.

After a brief pause, Duan Lansheng finally broke the silence, his voice very low.

"Yuanyuan, what's wrong with you these past two days?"