Luoyun Huan gripped the blanket tightly, but her gaze kept wandering toward Qin Yiqiu. The Eldest Senior Sister's collar was slightly parted, revealing fair skin flushed with a tinge of red, down which a droplet of water slipped and fell into the "crevice."
Luoyun Huan felt as though a nosebleed was about to gush out.
As a woman who had never been in a relationship, how could she withstand such a stunning visual crit?
Yet she mustn't make a fool of herself in front of the Eldest Senior Sister; doing so would surely make the other woman detest her.
Coming to her senses, Luoyun Huan nodded.
"Senior Sister, you look like you're injured..."
Worry laced Luoyun Huan's face. Even setting aside any schemes of conquest, she owed a deep debt of gratitude to the person who had saved her twice. After all, if it hadn't been for the Eldest Senior Sister, she might have landed straight in prison the moment she transmigrated here.
"Don't worry, my cultivation simply went awry. I can manage on my own."
Qin Yiqiu shook her head and started to stand, but the meridians in her calves flared as if pierced by thousands of red-hot needles at once.
"Ugh..."
Unable to sustain herself, Qin Yiqiu collapsed.
Forsaking the blanket entirely, Luoyun Huan reached out and caught the woman in her arms. Though the Senior Sister's body was ice-cold, the fervent heat of her chest was palpable.
"Eldest Senior Sister, stop trying to force it. I'll carry you back."
With that, Luoyun Huan wrapped her arms tightly around the other's waist and dragged her toward the bank.
"Let go..."
If Qin Yiqiu hadn't been injured at that moment—and reluctant to hurt Luoyun Huan—the other girl would long since have been slapped flat as a squashed mosquito, brains splattered and all.
"I won't."
Luoyun Huan's voice was soft and sweet, yet those few breezy words held infinite strength.
"Eldest Senior Sister has saved me so many times, how could I possibly let go?"
With resolute voice, Luoyun Huan hoisted the woman and carried her step by step toward the bank.
The distance from the Spirit Spring to the Eldest Senior Sister's courtyard was short, yet for some inexplicable reason, Luoyun Huan felt as though it stretched on forever.
Yet the journey wasn't agonizing. As Luoyun Huan carried the person on her back, she found it utterly surreal that she, a mere Qi Condensation cultivator, was actually carrying someone in the Golden Core stage.
And yet Qin Yiqiu was hardly heavy; she was as light as a wisp of cloud. As Luoyun Huan trudged slowly forward with her burden, she could feel damp hair brushing against her neck.
Chilly and cool, accompanied by Qin Yiqiu's breathing, it only made it harder to keep her thoughts in check.
Damn it!
She mustn't let her mind wander.
Luoyun Huan hadn't even gotten the chance to deploy her seduction tactics today before Qin Yiqiu went and suffered a cultivation backlash on her own; she could only lament this squandered golden opportunity.
Besides, she had actually bitten the Eldest Senior Sister's lips. She truly hoped the other woman wouldn't hold it against her—she had only resorted to such desperate measures out of fear that the other would accidentally fall into demonic deviation.
Carrying the Eldest Senior Sister back to the courtyard, Luoyun Huan stammered through a minor spell. Guided by her hand gestures, a gust of Spiritual Qi swept forth, completely banishing the dampness from Qin Yiqiu's clothes.
With trembling fingers, Luoyun Huan carefully smoothed the parted collar back together, ensuring not a shred of scenery—nor an inch of skin above the collarbone—was exposed.
Only then did Luoyun Huan let out a breath of relief.
Then, carrying a lantern, she headed all the way down the mountain. She made first for Spring Breeze Hall; the Immortal Cultivation World made no distinction between day and night, so Spring Breeze Hall remained brightly lit at this hour.
This place was staffed by medical cultivators. Unlike alchemy cultivators, medical cultivators focused primarily on directly applying healing arts.
"I need to see the Head of Spring Breeze Hall."
Luoyun Huan produced her token. The Eldest Senior Sister's cultivation had gone awry; consulting these rookie doctors, who were no better than small fry, would do bugger all.
She had to go straight to the hospital director.
Ah, the Hall Master, rather.
Initially, upon seeing Luoyun Huan's ordinary attire and outer disciple robes, the Spring Breeze Hall disciples intended to shoo her away like a nuisance.
But upon seeing the Main Peak token she produced, their attitudes instantly softened.
"This is a token from the Main Peak. Does the Eldest Senior Sister or the Sect Master have instructions for us?"
The outer corners of Luoyun Huan's eyes twitched slightly. These people really knew how to bully others on the strength of their masters—what difference was there between them and the eunuchs in an imperial palace?
Despite her internal mutterings, however, Luoyun Huan's expression appeared deeply anxious on the surface. Knowing full well that a supporting female character couldn't possibly kick the bucket so easily, she still worried the Eldest Senior Sister might suffer lasting hidden injuries.
"The Eldest Senior Sister's cultivation has gone awry. Quickly fetch the Hall Master to examine her."
Hearing this, the Spring Breeze Hall disciples panicked and rushed off to summon the Hall Master. Before long, Luoyun Huan saw a middle-aged man reeking of medicine emerge from the room.
He cast a glance at her, and without the slightest hesitation, summoned a cloud and flew straight toward the Main Peak. Luoyun Huan could only hurry back toward the Main Peak alongside several disciples.
By the time she scrambled back up to the Main Peak, Qin Yiqiu had already been propped up with a soft pillow behind her back, her complexion pale.
"Young Sect Master, how many times must the Sect Master tell you not to rush for quick success?"
The Head of Spring Breeze Hall wore a face as dark as the bottom of a scorched pot. As the younger brother of the Yunjian Mountain Sect Master and effectively Qin Yiqiu's martial uncle, he naturally possessed every qualification to lecture her.
Qin Yiqiu's face remained expressionless, seemingly indifferent to the Hall Master's reprimand as she maintained her icy stare.
It wasn't until she heard footsteps at the doorway that a pair of icy-blue eyes locked directly onto Luoyun Huan. Luoyun Huan lowered her head, looking rather embarrassed.
"Eldest Senior Sister, how are you feeling?"
Luoyun Huan ventured tentatively.
"Thank you."
Qin Yiqiu pressed her lips together, a faint curve touching their corners. It was subtle, yet the Hall Master caught it with acute sharpness, stirring a tempest within his heart.
Even the mustache on his lip trembled slightly.
"Junior Sister, thanks to your timely notice to Martial Uncle, my injuries have been stabilized. I am fine."
After the Hall Master offered a few more injunctions regarding what could and could not be done during her recovery, he finally took his leave.
As he departed, he shot Luoyun Huan a deep look.
There seemed to be hidden meaning in the depths of his eyes.
The practice of the Heartless Dao required severing all entanglements between oneself and heaven and earth. As the saying went, Supreme Forgetfulness of Emotions meant that even without any emotion in one's heart and remaining unruffled by waves, one could encompass all things in the universe—this was the orthodox path to enlightenment and ascension.
If one could master the Heartless Formula, ascending to the Upper Realm would allow one to trade blows with other immortals.
Yet precisely for this reason, one was bound to face countless trials. Just as monks seeking scriptures endured eighty-one tribulations, how much more so for those walking the path of the Dao?
His Senior Brother had once said that Qin Yiqiu was bound to encounter a Love Tribulation. Even without a Love Tribulation, she would face other trials in life; these were matters they could not interfere with and which she had to bear entirely on her own. To survive them was to achieve the Great Dao; to fail was to start all over again.
Yet how could he bear to watch the slightest mishap befall the future of the Yunjian Mountain Sect?
He still needed to inform his Senior Brother of this matter.
The Hall Master hurried away, leaving the two of them alone once more in the room.
"Eldest Senior Sister, then I'll be heading back."
Feeling somewhat awkward, Luoyun Huan readied herself to leave when she saw the person lying on the bed gesture to her.
"Come here. Let me look at you."
"Did you scrape your lips?"