test
"The water flow there remains unchanged to this day."
These words, like a curse, swirled in Qi Yuan's mind all night. She couldn't understand why someone who had cultivated the path of ruthlessness and severed all emotions and desires would retain traces of that past filled with "deception" and "betrayal."
Unless... his ruthless approach is not without flaws.
This thought grew wildly in her heart like a wildfire. She needed confirmation, she needed to tear off his cold mask and see what was hidden beneath!
So, when Jiu Che entered the room the next day as if it were a routine matter, Qi Yuan changed his strategy.
She didn't respond with cold indifference or sarcastic remarks as usual. Instead, she leaned lazily against the soft couch by the window, and gently called to him as he put down the food box and prepared to leave in silence as usual.
"Immortal Lord".
Jiu Che stopped in his tracks and turned to look at her.
Qi Yuan slowly sat up, her bare feet touching the cold floor, and walked towards him step by step. The simple fairy maiden dress she wore, due to her deliberate posture, exuded a breathtaking charm. She wore a nonchalant yet extremely aggressive smile, her gaze lingering on his icy face, finally settling on his tightly pursed pale lips.
"The Immortal Lord comes and goes in a hurry every day," she said, her voice husky with a hint of seductive charm, "Does he find this place...too boring?"
Jiu Che's icy eyes watched her approach without any expression, neither rejecting nor welcoming, as if watching something insignificant move.
This indifference only provoked Qi Yuan more. She walked up to him, so close that she could feel the cool, ethereal aura emanating from him. She reached out her hand, but did not touch him; she merely brushed lightly against the hem of his snow-white robe, her fingertips carrying a faint, cool fragrance.
"Or perhaps..." She tilted her head back, her gaze like hooks, looking straight into his eyes, "Immortal Lord, are you afraid... of being alone with me?"
Jiu Che remained silent, but in the depths of his icy eyes, there seemed to be extremely subtle vortexes gathering.
Qi Yuan steeled his heart and made an extremely bold move.
She suddenly took a step forward, and without Jiu Che's complete surprise, she turned sideways and sat directly on his lap!
A soft, warm body suddenly entered his arms, carrying her unique, cool yet alluring aura, instantly shattering the invisible barrier between them!
Jiu Che's body stiffened almost imperceptibly the moment she sat down. Those eyes, frozen for millennia, finally showed a noticeable fluctuation, though extremely brief, clearly reflecting a moment of astonishment and... a hint of offended sharpness.
But he didn't push her away immediately.
He simply lowered his eyes, looking at the face so close to his, the face that had once shattered his Dao heart, and his voice was colder than ever before, even carrying a hint of danger: "Get down."
Instead of going down, Qi Yuan stretched out her arms and wrapped them around his neck like vines, pressing her body even closer to him, her red lips almost touching his earlobe, her breath sweet as orchids:
"What if I... say no?"
She could feel the tension in his leg muscles and hear the steady yet slightly quickened beating of his heart. His body was warm, a stark contrast to the icy coldness she remembered. His arms hung at his sides, his knuckles slightly curled, and a faint flow of magical energy beneath his skin suggested he was trying to suppress something.
The room was deathly silent.
The air seemed to freeze, leaving only the sound of intertwined breaths.
Qi Yuan stared intently into his eyes, not missing a single subtle change. She was gambling, gambling that his ruthless path wasn't truly unyielding!
After a long while, Jiu Che slowly raised his hand.
Qi Yuan sneered inwardly, thinking that he was finally going to use his immortal power to shake her away.
However, the hand with its distinct knuckles and terrifying power did not land on her, but instead... gently pressed on her wrist wrapped around his neck.
The force was not strong, but it carried an undeniable sense of restraint.
His gaze was like the coldest icy blade, piercing through all her pretenses and straight to the depths of her soul:
"Qi Yuan," he called her by her real name, his voice low and slow, "what exactly are you trying to test?"
"Testing whether... I still have feelings for you?"
"Or am I testing whether your behavior can shake my resolve?"
His words were like a bucket of ice water, mixed with sharp shards of ice, instantly extinguishing the desperate flame in Qi Yuan's heart, sobering her from that tentative fervor, and making her feel a chilling cold.
Looking at his expressionless face so close to hers, at the unfathomable icy depths in his eyes, she suddenly felt that her actions were... utterly ridiculous.
She tried to pull her hand back and break free from his hold, but he held her down even tighter.
He leaned down, his icy breath brushing against her cheek. His eyes held no lust, only a cruel clarity:
Stop your tricks.
"No matter what you do,"
"It's all meaningless."
After saying that, he released her, even with a barely perceptible force, and pushed her off his lap.
Qi Yuan staggered and steadied himself, his face drained of all color.
Jiu Che stood up, straightened his perfectly straight robes, and gave her one last look, his gaze colder than the snow on the summit of Kunlun.
Then, he turned and left without a trace of regret.
Qi Yuan stood alone, watching his departing figure. The touch he had given her on her wrist, and the cold look in his eyes when he pushed her away, felt more painful than any torture…
Heartbreaking.
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