eccentric
Lin Huaiyu's expression subtly softened. He slightly increased the distance between himself and Yun Qian, a faint smile curving his lips as he spoke in a deliberately relaxed tone: "Actually, it doesn't hurt that much."
"Besides, so much time has passed, I've almost forgotten how I felt back then."
forget?
How could I forget?
The sensation of being struck by eighty-one bolts of heavenly lightning was etched into his very bones and imprinted deep within his soul; Lin Huaiyu could never forget it.
But at this moment, facing the undisguised concern in Yun Qian's clear eyes, those surging painful memories seemed to be swept away by a gentle breeze, suddenly subsiding. Or perhaps, the pain still remained, but suddenly became bearable.
Lin Huaiyu had been without relatives since birth, and no one had ever looked at him with such pure warmth in their eyes as Yun Qian was now. This warmth inexplicably stirred a feeling of fear in his heart, and he subconsciously covered it up with a light "It doesn't hurt that much."
The two stared at each other silently, speechless for a moment.
Their gazes were so direct, as if they could see through appearances and glimpse the secrets buried deep in each other's hearts.
Time seemed to stand still at that moment, but of course, that was just an illusion.
"Stop pretending!" Zhihua leaped up and landed precisely on Lin Huaiyu's shoulder, mercilessly exposing him. "You were clearly in excruciating pain back then! Now you're acting like a hero?"
"They genuinely care about you, and you're just putting on an act. How hypocritical!"
The subtle atmosphere that had just begun to spread was instantly shattered by Zhihua.
Lin Huaiyu took a deep breath, feeling her hands itching again; it was another day she wanted to kill the cat.
He had just raised his hand to lift the obstruction off his shoulder when a very light and quick hug interrupted his movement.
Yun Qian reached out and gently hugged him, patting his back reassuringly before letting go, leaving only a soft whisper: "Thank you."
In her past world, she had seen too many people suffer immense trauma, leaving them with indelible fear. She herself had only endured a few bolts of heavenly lightning, yet she already felt a deep dread of that destructive power. Lin Huaiyu, on the other hand, had withstood eighty-one bolts. His awe of that power and his memory of the excruciating pain of pushing his body to its limits were undoubtedly even deeper than hers. Yet, even so, on the Wuji Platform, he still stood before her without hesitation.
Therefore, regardless of Lin Huaiyu's initial purpose in approaching her, at least at this moment, Yun Qian genuinely felt that he was a very good person.
Of course, Lin Huaiyu didn't have Yun Qian's delicate thoughts. He did indeed suffer eighty-one bolts of heavenly lightning, and he was indeed in so much pain that he almost died.
But what he feared more was the feeling of powerlessness when his spiritual energy was completely depleted and he was at the mercy of others during the long recovery period, rather than the heavenly lightning itself.
Moreover, on the Wuji Platform, Lin Huaiyu felt that he had already been tempered by the Heavenly Tribulation, and that he was thick-skinned and could withstand a few tribulations without any problem; it would just hurt a little.
The sudden embrace made Lin Huaiyu's thoughts freeze for a moment. Before he could react, Zhihua on his shoulder bristled.
"Why are you hugging him?!" Zhihua's eyes widened. She looked at Yun Qian, who remained calm, then turned to glare at Lin Huaiyu. She then nimbly jumped back onto Yun Qian's lap and tugged at her sleeve with her paws. "You can't hug him!"
"You." Lin Huaiyu once again precisely lifted Zhihua by the back of the neck, pulling it up to her eyes, meeting those eyes filled with dissatisfaction, her tone dangerous, "You're really in the way, might as well stew you."
"You think you're not in the way?" Zhihua kicked her limbs wildly in the air, her voice rising, "I hate you the most!"
"Hate me?" Lin Huaiyu raised an eyebrow. "Then who was it that eagerly wanted to be my guardian beast in the first place?"
"You think I want this?!" Zhihua was so angry that his tail bristled. "If I had a choice, who would choose you, you jerk!"
As Yun Qian watched the two, one human and one cat, bickering like children, she couldn't help but recall how Qin Wu and Bai Ji often made such a noisy scene a hundred years ago.
She smiled helplessly and gently patted Lin Huaiyu's wrist: "Alright, let go of it."
As soon as Zhihua was put down, it arched its back and used all four claws to retaliate by leaving several clear claw marks on Lin Huaiyu's blue outer shirt. Then it quickly darted to the side, not forgetting to turn back and bare its teeth at him.
"Look at this." Lin Huaiyu looked down at the tear on her robe, then looked up at Yun Qian with obvious grievance in her eyes. "Aren't you going to do anything about this?"
Yun Qian raised her hand, a shimmering light flowing from her fingertips. A simple restoration talisman appeared, instantly restoring the damage to her robes to their original state. "Is this alright now?"
“Favoritism.” Lin Huaiyu sighed softly, but there was little real resentment in her tone.
"Really?" Yun Qian's lips curved slightly, a faint smile in her eyes. "Didn't I fix it for you?"
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