"Mistress..."
A whisper so soft it was almost inaudible instantly brought some light back to He Shutong's somewhat dim eyes.
He Shutong didn't understand the change in her own State of Mind, so she could only continue to wipe You Su's sweat to hide her slight joy and relief.
You Su wasn't completely disappointed in her, and that was enough.
In You Su's dream, there was a chaotic world.
The sky and the earth were upside down, and fire and water collided violently across the world.
These scenes, whether from ancient times or the future, confused You Su. In the overwhelming darkness, he walked alone toward his throne, his path strewn with broken walls, ruins, and mangled flesh.
Just then, a hand suddenly grabbed him from behind. He turned around and looked, but the hand had no owner; it seemed to have reached out from the end of his line of sight.
He grasped the hand without hesitation, for the throne only brought him coldness and emptiness...
He Shutong's slender hand trembled slightly. Just now, she had only tried to stop his hand from flailing around, but she hadn't expected that You Su, who was unconscious, would suddenly grasp her hand. Thinking about it carefully, this was the first time in her two hundred years of life that she had been in direct physical contact with a man.
The strange feeling made her subconsciously want to pull her hand back, but You Su held on tightly, as if grasping at a lifeline. He Shutong was reluctant to use her Mystic Qi to shake You Su's hand away, but seeing You Su shaking his head in pain, her heart softened, and she let You Su hold her hand.
She carefully examined You Su's face, and it seemed as if she could hear the boy restrainingly calling "Mistress, Mistress" again. She didn't know how long she had been holding You Su's hand like that.
You Su's eyelashes fluttered; he had finally woken up.
More than the excruciating pain in her body, what concerned You Su was the familiar yet unfamiliar fog before her.
The fog had changed from a state where no light could penetrate at all, to a state where extremely bright light could be seen, and now it was possible to vaguely perceive large areas of light.
For example, he could already vaguely see the outline of the ceiling above him. With such vision, even if he walked outside without relying on his senses, You Su believed he wouldn't stumble or fall.
Suddenly, a delicate fragrance wafted into his nostrils. You Su remembered this scent; it was the unforgettable fragrance of his Mistress.
He then realized he was holding something, cool and delicate to the touch. If it were a human hand, it would be described as having "ice-like skin and jade-like bones, and being completely sweat-free."
Realizing what he was holding, You Su quickly let go. He had never made such an inappropriate move towards his Mistress before. He immediately tried to get up and apologize, but the movement was too big, aggravating his injuries and causing him to cry out in pain.
He Shutong frowned slightly, and with a gentle lift of her jade-like hand, a soft stream of profound Mystic Qi supported You Su and gently brought him back.
"I am your Mistress, not an enemy. You are out of danger, so lie down and rest." He Shutong said softly. She thought that You Su was still in a state of alert after the battle, which was why she wanted to get up as soon as she woke up.
He Shutong felt even more guilty. She was the one who wasn't by You Su's side when he was in danger, and she was the one who rushed over all the way saying she would save him, but in the end she still couldn't do anything.
Hearing that somewhat familiar, cool voice, You Su recalled the time when his Mistress saved him from City Lord Liu.
The moment the Dream-Eating Ghost appeared, he understood everything. His Mistress had never been possessed by any evil spirit; it was all a lie told by the monster junior sister and Mistress in his mind.
Now, are we truly out of danger...?
"Mistress..."
You Su's voice trailed off, as if she was about to burst into tears.
He Shutong was slightly taken aback. The meaning behind You Su's call was too complex; she couldn't quite figure it out for a moment. There was dependence, inquiry, emotion, and even reproach in it...
A strong impulse welled up within her, He Shutong desperately wanted to respond to You Su's call. However, she didn't know how to express herself verbally, so the most direct way was through action. Therefore, she took You Su's hand, wanting him to know that she was there.
"Um."
This action, which outsiders would never believe the Lotus Sword Venerable would make, did not make He Shutong uncomfortable. On the contrary, she felt happy for her own initiative. The iceberg had begun to melt, and she would do everything she could to win back the boy who needed her.
"Mistress, I'm so tired..."
Feeling the care conveyed by the other party, You Su felt a lump in his throat. All the past events finally broke down You Su's defenses. No matter how resolute he was, he was still just an eighteen-year-old boy. He had almost relied on overdrawing himself to get to where he was now.
Now that he had found a safe haven, he finally let down his guard, and tears streamed down his face.
He Shutong was somewhat at a loss. In her eyes, You Su was just a pitiful blind child who was nearly two hundred years younger than her. He had been orphaned since childhood and was taken care of by that unreliable master, who then entrusted him to the even more unreliable her.
She should have been the one to alleviate the suffering he had endured, but she failed to do so and even considered handing him over to someone else. It was all her fault, and she was overwhelmed with guilt, but she had no way to express it. She didn't know how to comfort the boy who was crying so bitterly.
Almost instinctively, as if awakened by maternal love, she gently bent down and embraced You Su, who was crying her eyes out.
He Shutong's demeanor was icy, yet her body remained warm. You Su's tears only paused for a moment; the exquisite fragrance lingering at his nose and the soft warmth against his cheeks plunged him into a beautiful dream he didn't want to wake from. He lingered in this dream, and even more wantonly vented all the emotions he had suppressed during this period.
"Are you really... my Mistress...?" You Su's hesitant voice came through.
"Of course I am," He Shutong replied decisively.
The boy rarely showed his vulnerable side, especially in front of her. This made her secretly happy but also heartbroken. She gently put her arms around his neck and hugged him tighter.
"Mistress, I have so many questions I want to ask you, may I...?"
These words stung He Shutong's heart. Even now, the young man still politely asked for her permission before speaking to her.
"Um."
"Mistress, haven't you been away from the sect for a long time?"
"Um..."
"So, have you been communicating with me using the sound transmission stone the whole time?"
"Not always..."
"So you really have no cultivation?"
"Before... it really didn't exist."
"Mistress, why did you lie to me... I almost never saw you again that day..."
"I... I didn't mean to lie to you, it's just that you never asked me, so I didn't tell you..."
"Mistress... who exactly are you?"
"I..."
Just then, a sweet, charming voice suddenly rang out, interrupting He Shutong before she could finish speaking:
"What... are you doing?!"
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