Beast or Worse Than a Beast?
Tang Wulin led Yun Jingheng and Ye Xinglan out of Zhen Hua's study and walked eastward along a corridor covered with a dark carpet.
The top floor has a more complex structure than the lower floors, resembling a small maze that interweaves forging workshops, private studies, and living areas.
Reaching the end of the corridor, Tang Wulin pushed open a door, revealing a spacious suite. The outer hall was furnished with several plain wooden chairs and a small round table, while the inner side was separated from the bedroom area by a screen.
The window faces east, and the moonlight of Heaven Dou City shines obliquely through it, falling on the light gray quilt and illuminating the entire room with a gentle and quiet glow.
"This room used to be used by the teachers to receive guests from afar."
Tang Wulin dimmed the lights to their lowest setting, leaving only a small Soul Guidance Lamp by the bedside, then retreated to the doorway. "Rest assured, it's safe here. There are only two entrances to the top floor: one is the elevator you came up in, and the other is the emergency exit outside."
"I won't bother you any longer, goodnight."
Okay, goodnight.
Yun Jingheng walked to the window and pushed it open halfway.
A night breeze swept in, carrying the unique aroma of Heaven Dou City and the fragrance of osmanthus blossoms wafting from some distant shop.
He took a deep breath, then turned to look at Ye Xinglan: "How is it?"
Ye Xinglan walked to the window and touched a potted plant on the windowsill with her finger.
The leaves are thick and dark green, with a faint waxy sheen under the moonlight.
She recognized it as a snake plant, a very common kind, but it was well cared for, with no trace of yellowing or withering on the leaf tips.
This indicates that someone regularly comes to this room to water the plants, wipe away dust, and maintain air circulation.
Zhen Hua's thoughtfulness towards them was hidden in the details, even the cleanliness of the corners.
"When does the God Trial begin?" she asked.
"Tomorrow."
Yun Jingheng looked at her, his voice a few decibels lower than usual, "Let's get ourselves in the right state of mind tonight."
However, Yun Jingheng glanced at the scene and was stunned.
Ye Xinglan looked in confusion, following his gaze, and saw a bed?
What's wrong with the bed?
Wait... one?
Ye Xinglan's ears turned red quickly. She didn't dare to turn around or even glance at the bed again. She just stood there stiffly, her fingers unconsciously twisting the fabric of her sleeves.
Yun Jingheng also stood there, stunned.
He looked at the sky, the ground, the moon outside the window, the innocent snake plant on the windowsill, and a speck of dust that had somehow gotten on the toe of his shoe, but he never looked at the bed again.
The air in the room suddenly felt very thin, so thin that he felt he would puncture it if he breathed even slightly harder.
"I..." Ye Xinglan opened her mouth, but only realized her voice was a little tight after uttering the first word. So she cleared her throat and tried to restore her voice to its usual cool and clear tone.
"I'll go find Tang Wulin and ask him if he has any other rooms."
She turned to leave, her steps quickening slightly compared to usual.
Yun Jingheng subconsciously reached out and grabbed her wrist, and both of them froze for a moment after he did.
His palm rested against her wrist, and through the thin sleeve, he could feel her pulse, which was much faster than usual, emanating from beneath her skin.
"Forget it... forget it. We're living under someone else's roof now; it's not good to ask for too much."
"What should we do then...?"
Yun Jingheng released her wrist and took half a step back, giving himself and her some room to maneuver.
He turned his head, his gaze falling on the moon that had risen halfway up the sky outside the window. His Adam's apple bobbed, and he spoke after a few seconds.
"How about... we don't sleep tonight? We can cultivate instead? Anyway, I have to start the God Trial tomorrow, so it's good to meditate and adjust my state in advance."
He felt guilty even as he said that.
That reason is too contrived.
Ye Xinglan stood at the door, still in the same position she had just been preparing to leave.
She lowered her head, staring at the tips of her shoes, her earlobes almost transparently red.
After a long while, she said in a soft yet firm tone, tinged with self-pity, "You need to rest now. You're injured."
"My injuries have long since healed..." Yun Jingheng still tried to struggle.
"You are wounded," Ye Xinglan repeated, her tone even more stern than before.
She finally raised her head, but still refused to look at him, her gaze shifting to the side. "Your mother said you're recovering well, but you can't do anything reckless. The God Trial starts tomorrow; if you don't sleep tonight, how will you have the energy tomorrow?"
As she spoke, her voice grew softer and softer, until it almost sounded like she was talking to herself.
Yun Jingheng looked at her, watching her blush from her ears to her cheeks, watching her hands twist and turn her cuffs, as if she were making an extremely difficult decision.
He suddenly felt a pang of reluctance, but as soon as he opened his mouth, Ye Xinglan took a deep breath, as if using all the courage she had accumulated over half her life to say this one sentence, and blurted it out in one breath:
"One bed is fine! We can sleep together! It's not like we haven't spent time together before. When we were little, we used to snuggle together all the time. And yet... and you're still holding my hand..."
Her voice trailed off, as if she had finally realized what terrible things she had said. She stood ramrod straight, as if someone had struck her pressure point, but her fingertips were twisted until they turned white.
Yun Jingheng opened his mouth, but for a moment he didn't know what to say.
He stared at her for a long while, then suddenly laughed.
"Xing Lan." He called her name, his voice lower than ever before, like the first drumbeat in the dead of night.
"Hmm," she responded without looking up.
"Do you know that you keep wringing your sleeves when you're nervous?" he said with a smile, his eyes crinkling like the moon outside the window.
Ye Xinglan subconsciously looked down at her hands and, sure enough, was still twisting her sleeves.
She released her grip as if burned and turned her face away.
Yun Jingheng had already walked up to her and gently took her hand, which had just loosened its grip on her sleeve.
Fingertips touching fingertips, without any force, yet both were burning hot.
"Then let's sleep together."
He whispered, this time without flinching, his gaze fixed on her face, "Do you want me to hug you?"
Ye Xinglan neither nodded nor shook her head, only feeling that her hand was in his palm.
After a few breaths, she gave a soft "hmm," almost inaudible.
Yun Jingheng then led her to the bedside. Moonlight streamed from the window all the way to the bed, like a silver path.
The two walked side by side to the bedside, neither of them speaking.
Ye Xinglan sat down first, took off her shoes, her movements were a little slow and stiff.
Yun Jingheng also sat down on the other side of the bed, with a gap of about half a foot between them.
The two lay down side by side, each occupying one side, both facing upwards, with their hands folded in front of them, as orderly as two saplings planted side by side.
The blanket was small, only covering half of each of their bodies.
Ye Xinglan gently pulled the blanket closer to him, but he pushed it away and whispered, "You cover yourself, I'm not cold."
Ye Xinglan stopped talking, but stretched one hand out from under the blanket, hesitated for a moment in the moonlight, and then very lightly hooked it with the little finger that was placed at his side.
That touch was so light, as light as a osmanthus petal falling onto the lake.
Yun Jingheng was taken aback at first, then smiled, gently broke free, and then put his hands around her waist, pulling her into his arms.
Goodnight, Xing Lan.
Ye Xinglan kept her eyes closed, not daring to open them.
Goodnight, Jing Heng.