"What did you do while I was away?" I took her hand.
Nan Jin's fingers were slender, no different from before. Even her appearance had not strayed from my memories.
She did not look childlike, either—she looked about fifteen or sixteen.
"I did all sorts of things, but most of the time I was either cultivating in seclusion or sleeping." Nan Jin smiled.
"Oh?"
"I did occasionally do some complicated things, though." She added that last part.
"Such as?" I asked, bewildered.
"What does the Holy Venerable think? Of course I played with Lingzhao and the others. We all lived in the same place, so naturally we talked the most. Communication is a very complicated thing for me." Nan Jin explained.
"I see. Now that you mention it, I rather miss them." I smiled.
"Don't you miss Jin'er?" Nan Jin asked, blushing.
I pulled her before me and said, "If I didn't, why would I be standing here?"
Nan Jin covered her mouth with the back of her hand and giggled, a hint of slyness entering her eyes. "Jin'er wants to know what the Holy Venerable is thinking."
This is an utterly blatant invitation.
"What do you think I'm thinking?" I drew her into my arms.
Nan Jin showed not the slightest intention of resisting. I could even feel her heart pounding like a startled deer, though her face still held an eager, expectant look.
When I lowered my head, she slowly closed her eyes.
Nan Jin had no idea how long it had been since she last felt warmth. She kept pressing herself against me, as though she wanted to melt into my body.
They had crossed countless obstacles before finally standing before me. All I could give them now was myself.
At a time like this, whether there