In the palm of his hand, Xiao Xie Linyuan seemed to be completely stunned by these two sudden words. He froze, even forgetting his feigned weak breathing. His eyes stared straight at Shen Zhaozhao, clearly reflecting her somewhat helpless expression.

The next moment—

"Click."

After a very faint, crisp sound, as if some boundary had been broken, the tiny, palm-sized object was suddenly enveloped in a warm shadow that carried a familiar, chilling aura.

Shen Zhaozhao looked up in alarm and saw that Xie Linyuan had already returned to his original physique. His dark brocade robe with dark patterns flowed like water, his figure was as upright as a pine tree, his black hair was adorned with a jade crown, and his handsome face showed no trace of his previous weakness and illness.

Only in those deep, cold peach blossom eyes, a trace of intense emotion, stirred by her word "worry," remained, not yet fully concealed.

Ignoring Shen Zhaozhao's ghost-like gaze, the man impatiently reached out and gently grasped her wrist. His fingertips were warm, but the strength was undeniable.

He lowered his head slightly, his voice returning to its usual cool and steady tone, yet each word was clear and resounding.

"It's alright."

“I will go with you.”

Shen Zhaozhao: "..."

Shen Zhaozhao was stunned for three full breaths before she managed to find her voice: "Um, weren't you just looking like your soul was damaged and you were about to meet the King of Hell?"

Xie Linyuan remained unfazed, meeting her probing gaze with a slight lift of his chin, exuding an air of serene elegance and otherworldly grace, as if the little creature that had been whimpering on her fingertips just moments before was not him at all.

He spoke calmly, spouting nonsense with a straight face.

"Um."

"I just suddenly remembered that I should be fine now."

Shen Zhaozhao: "..."

They're not even going to put on an act?!

A moment later.

A gentle breeze swept by the mountain gate, and the atmosphere became somewhat tense for a moment.

Xie Linyuan ultimately had to conceal his cultivation and avoid the Heavenly Dao, so at the moment, he was basically no different from a talking and moving mascot.

Shen Zhaozhao originally wanted to summon Zixiao to fly on the sword, which would save time and effort, but when she probed the sword sheath with her divine sense, she only sensed a continuously emanating aura of despair called "My wife's penis is bigger than mine".

Shen Zhaozhao: "..."

never mind.

She turned around expressionlessly, slipped into Xiao Jingrui's alchemy room with practiced ease, ignored her second senior brother's resentful expression that seemed to say "you're here to rob me again," and precisely snatched two Wind Control Pills from the shelf.

"I'll have Xie Linyuan settle the bill for you later."

After saying this, Shen Zhaozhao slipped away under Xiao Jingrui's indignant gaze, who thought, "He's a liar, he only knows how to exploit me." Then, she handed one of the Wind Control Pills to Xie Linyuan.

Xie Linyuan lowered his eyes, his gaze lingering on the pill for a moment, but he did not immediately take it.

He looked up at her, his eyes cold and unreadable. Then, as if in a dream, he began to speak whatever came to mind: "I just forcibly restored my original form and feel a little unwell. I'm afraid it will be inconvenient for me to circulate my spiritual power to catalyze the medicinal effects."

After speaking, he frowned slightly, as if he was really feeling some kind of subtle aftereffect. Then, his gaze fell on Shen Zhaozhao, and he continued naturally, "In order to avoid losing balance and falling along the way, we still need... something to rely on."

Shen Zhaozhao's hand, which was handing over the pill, froze in mid-air.

What does it mean to have something to rely on?

She was puzzled when she saw the other person raise their eyes, their gaze moist, carrying a perfectly balanced vulnerability that easily evoked a protective instinct: "So, Zhaozhao, on this trip... could you... carry me?"

The air was deathly silent.

Shen Zhaozhao was stunned for a full five breaths before slowly lowering her head, extending her fist, and presenting it to Xie Linyuan, her tone calm: "Xie Linyuan, can you see my fist?"

Xie Linyuan: "?"

Shen Zhaozhao: "Do you think it could kill a bastard who lies without batting an eye with one punch?"

yes.

She had told herself before that she should indulge Xie Linyuan and cooperate, since she had already slept with him, but indulging him did not mean that she could accept such an absurd statement that insulted her intelligence!

Shen Zhaozhao had expected that after she said those words, she would see Xie Linyuan hesitate even slightly, or feel embarrassed that her lie had been exposed.

No, it's not.

Xie Linyuan's gaze followed her fist, slowly moving upwards, and finally settling on her face.

Not only was there no fear on that incomparably handsome face, but a fleeting, extremely quick and subtle hint of...success flashed deep in his eyes.

Just as Shen Zhaozhao was stunned by the words "hold me" and lost her composure, he had already calmly and naturally uttered that tender "Zhaozhao" from his lips.

This is exactly the effect he wanted.

With this absurd and shocking request, he overshadowed the intimate term of endearment he had longed to use but never found the right moment to utter.

Smug about his little trick, Xie Linyuan's usually aloof peach blossom eyes were now filled with pleasure. His gaze seemed to say, "Go ahead and hit me. If you do, you'll have to coax me. If you coax me, you can hold me longer."

Shen Zhaozhao: "???"

Damn it!

Don't let this punch go to waste and give this lunatic a good beating!

Wait, how many versions of Xie Linyuan have he secretly evolved into?!

Before I slept with him, this guy wasn't exactly mentally sound, but he was still a pretty intimidating, aloof iceberg!

How come it's only been a few days since I slept with her?!

What exactly did he go through in private?!

Unbeknownst to Shen Zhaozhao, during the time she was observing from the sidelines, Xie Linyuan had already secretly staged a heart-wrenching love drama that lasted a full 180 episodes.

From the initial "she forcibly took me and I gradually succumbed," to the middle "she treated me like a substitute and I was heartbroken but couldn't let go," and finally "she started with me and then abandoned me, and I was heartbroken after failing to win her favor with the young canine."

The plot is so dramatic and the emotions so intense that even the most seasoned storyteller would be impressed.

Therefore, what Shen Zhaozhao considered a trivial, even somewhat reluctant, concession was seen by Xie Linyuan as nothing less than a long-awaited rain after a drought, a sweet end to suffering.

That was the precious response he finally received after 180 episodes of devoted waiting.

Seeing that Shen Zhaozhao was just staring at him without making a move, Xie Linyuan's eyes dimmed slightly.

He sighed very softly, his voice becoming low and weak again, with a heartbreakingly understanding tone: "If Zhaozhao finds it difficult... then forget it."

"I... I'll do as you say."

As he spoke, he slowly reached out his hand, seemingly to take the pill, but his movements were deliberately slow. Every detail silently conveyed, "I'm holding on," "I'm very fragile," and "But I won't cause you any trouble."

"At worst... I'll just suffer from sluggish spiritual energy circulation and fall from a great height..."

He lowered his eyes, his thick, long eyelashes concealing all emotions within them, leaving only a resigned calm. "I suppose... it won't hurt too much."

Shen Zhaozhao: "..."

Oh.

You're doomed!

It's top-grade green tea!