That Night, A Kiss [Seeking Collection]

The coma lasted for three days.

Murong Ci was awakened by water.

To be precise, he was awakened by salty tears.

It was already dark when Murong Ci woke up; the bright moonlight cast upon the floor only made the beauty before him look even more haggard.

The moment he opened his eyes, he saw Huo Wu with her tear-filled eyes.

There were faint dark circles under her eyes, clearly showing she had kept watch and wept for the entire night.

"What are you crying for? I'm not dead yet."

Murong Ci spoke, his voice hoarse and low from utter exhaustion.

"Crying for you, you fool. Look at how worn out you are!"

Huo Wu reached out and swatted him, but the force was light, feeling more like a coquettish gesture.

"The harvest was worth it. It's fine; the rougher the waves, the more valuable the fish. Help me up, let me sit for a while."

Murong Ci tensed his stiff body, attempting to sit up from the bed and lean against the pillows.

However, the pain made him hiss out loud.

"Don't move, I'll help you." Seeing this, Huo Wu disregarded her own fatigue and hurriedly helped Murong Ci sit up.

"Tell me, why must you be so reckless? You wouldn't even let the teacher follow you. If something had happened to you, what would happen to the academy... what would... what would happen to me..."

The last few words were clearly lacking in confidence, hiding a hint of a young girl's shy affection.

[Favorability 75/100. She has long been lovesick; today is a great opportunity to deepen your relationship, be sure to seize it!]

"Are you kidding me? You didn't tell me that using a substitute would be this agonizing!"

Murong Ci roared desperately in his sea of consciousness, venting his dissatisfaction.

[Then let me ask you, did you absorb a ten-thousand-year spirit ring? Did you manage to show off? Oh, I haven't given out the rewards yet, hold on~]

[Ding-- Congratulations to the host for completing the mission to kill the Demon Eye Magic Tree. Detected that the age of the beast killed by the host is double the mission requirement. Rewarding the host with an additional 50% increase on top of the 30% wood attribute affinity, meaning your wood attribute affinity has now increased by 45%.]

"I knew you were just tempering my will, Brother System. I knew you were good to me."

Murong Ci put on a silly grin in his sea of consciousness.

[Alright, enough with the lip service. But I must remind you, this attribute affinity only serves as an auxiliary, like icing on the cake; truly unleashing the ability depends on you.]

The system vanished after speaking.

Murong Ci was slightly dazed, pondering how to unleash the true power of the elements.

It wasn't until Huo Wu's soft, delicate hands touched his cheeks that he slowly snapped back to reality.

Huo Wu's fingers gently caressed his face, facing him directly, her hot breath hitting Murong Ci's face.

"Wu... Sister Wu, don't do this."

"Murong Ci, have you... become better looking?" Huo Wu asked tentatively, her fingers still tracing his features.

"You..."

"Don't speak... You were gone for four days and slept for three after coming back. I haven't seen you for seven days, Murong Ci..."

Huo Wu pressed her body closer, her legs hooking around Murong Ci's waist, teasing him.

"Huo Wu..." Murong Ci tried to break free, but his body had no strength left.

He could only watch helplessly as Huo Wu's face drew closer and closer, her lips nearing his...

Until... everything fell silent~

Exchanging breaths, lips overlapping, under the moonlight, they embraced and kissed...

Until their mouths grew sore and the distance between them became zero.

I don't know how much time passed...

Only then did both parties pull back to take a deep breath.

The moonlight reflected between their brows, mirroring the tension of a snapping lute string, shining right into that intimate space, radiating light.

"Murong Ci..." Huo Wu called out softly, her voice trembling from the kiss, carrying a hint of seduction.

"Huo Wu, you..."

Murong Ci didn't know what to say; everything had happened too suddenly.

"Your lips are so dry," Huo Wu answered preemptively, her voice gentle.

"Let me moisten them for you..."

Murong Ci widened his eyes, but could not make a sound.

Because his lips were once again captured by Huo Wu...

The night was half over, and the moonlight spilled onto the floor, as if setting the stage for this ambiguous scene.

"A-Ci..." Huo Wu called to him.

Murong Ci was slightly stunned, raising his eyes to look at Huo Wu.

Where was the slightest trace of her former arrogance? Now, only tenderness and consideration remained as she faced him.

"My legs are weak, I can't walk anymore. Let me rest here."

Huo Wu called out softly, her tone sweet and her voice alluring.

Murong Ci wanted to refuse; he truly wanted to refuse!

But his actual actions saw his arm wrap around Huo Wu's waist, pulling her close to his side.

"A beauty under the moon enters my embrace; I have no regrets in this life to share such joy with you."

Murong Ci gazed at Huo Wu affectionately, speaking every word with deliberate care.

Huo Wu panted slightly, her chest heaving violently.

Murong Ci reached out and placed his hand over her heart.

"Your heart is beating so fast. What are you thinking about?"

"Thinking about how you can recite poetry and compose couplets."

"Still being stubborn? Are you cold?"

Under the moonlight, the academy was silent, the shadows of the osmanthus trees mottled, the wind shifting the silhouettes as a gentle breeze brushed against their hair.

Huo Wu's pupils dilated slightly, a touch of bewilderment dotting her eyes, and she nodded.

At this moment, silence spoke louder than words.

Murong Ci held her slightly, pulled back the quilt, and gently laid Huo Wu onto the bed before lying down on his side to wrap his arms around her.

The two were not face-to-face, nor was it a bird's-eye view; it was difficult to capture the expressions in each other's eyes.

But both knew that some things were most wonderful when kept in the heart.

Huo Wu was the first to lose her composure; she turned over, buried her head in Murong Ci's chest, and rubbed against him gently.

It was as if she were acting spoiled, yet also complaining.

Acting spoiled with her love, complaining about his intentions.

"Hold me tighter," Huo Wu said, her hoarse voice carrying a hint of grievance.

It was as if she were accusing him of why he hadn't taken the initiative sooner, or perhaps accusing herself of why she hadn't accepted him earlier.

Under the moonlight, they slept in each other's arms, their bodies pressed close, as if trying to convey all the longing they had felt for each other over these past few days into this embrace.

Or perhaps, they were trying to carve the scent of the other into their own hearts.

In the dark of night, two pairs of large eyes blinked as they looked at each other.

Suddenly, a soft chuckle escaped; Huo Wu couldn't help but laugh, pointing to a piece of paper on the nightstand beside Murong Ci, signaling for him to bring it over.

By the moonlight, Murong Ci clearly saw the handwriting on the paper.

"Having seen my gentleman, how could I not be happy?"

"I tried to imitate your handwriting, but it doesn't look like yours. Of all the things you've written, this passage is my favorite, so I wrote it down to give to you."

Murong Ci choked up. During the seven days he hadn't seen her, she had actually used this method to soothe her longing for him.

"Stealing my handwriting?"

"Mm, what's yours is mine."

A tear seeped from the corner of Murong Ci's eye, dripping onto the back of Huo Wu's hand, crystal clear.

Huo Wu reached out to wipe away the tear, then gently stroked his eye with her thumb, softly dabbing it away.

"Close the window, A-Ci. I don't want anyone else to see us like this."

Perhaps the moment was too beautiful—so beautiful that Huo Wu was unwilling to leave, unwilling to think about the awkwardness of tomorrow.

Murong Ci raised his hand to pull the curtains shut, cutting off everything from the outside world to be alone with her.

The two lay face-to-face, embracing and recounting what they had gained over the past few days.

"I've grasped the Fusion Ring skill, but my father said I don't have a powerful soul skill to provide the matrix. I guess I'll be able to use it once I reach the Soul Ancestor level."

"My third ring is ten thousand years old. How about that? Is it cool?"

Murong Ci smirked, his hand gently stroking her cheek.

"Cool your head!" She hooked her finger lightly against the tip of his nose, finally unable to help but laugh.

Following that, whispers under the moon, intimate murmurs~

"Narcissist... you can only be a narcissist in front of me..."

"I prom—"

"You don't need to promise me. You aren't the type to be devoted to one person; I can tell."

"Then am I Zang Xin?"

"Who is Zang Xin?"

"You don't know him, and you don't need to. But regardless of who I am, I only know that you are mine."

"You're lying to me!"

"I am not lying to you. Heaven and Earth are my witnesses; you are in my heart!"

"I know I am in your heart, but I also know that I am not the only one there. Your heart holds the vast heavens and earth, and your eyes hold the stars and the sea..."

[Stars and sea...]

[Current Favorability: 89/100. The night is deep, goodnight.]