"All right, Sister Erlong. With your strength, you should be able to open all eight meridians very soon."
Mo Li pressed a hand to his forehead, looking slightly exhausted.
As Soul Power circulated through Liu Erlong's body, he had kept Peering at Heaven and Earth active the entire time, not daring to be careless for even a moment.
Even with his spiritual power now comparable to that of a Soul King, he was struggling to bear it. But the greatest toll had been on his energy.
Mo Li's head felt heavy and foggy. All he wanted was a good, long sleep.
"I remember. What about you? How many have you opened so far?"
Liu Erlong suppressed the strange feeling in her heart and casually asked, partly to change the subject.
"I've opened four."
Mo Li answered without hesitation, though his vision was already beginning to blur.
"Four? When did you start?"
Hearing his answer, Liu Erlong turned around in surprise, only to see Mo Li swaying unsteadily. She hurriedly caught him by the shoulders, her expression flustered. "Li'er, what's wrong?"
Mo Li shook his head. Those thirty minutes had taken a serious toll on his energy.
After all, the person in front of him was Liu Erlong. He had been extraordinarily careful, so the process had taken much longer. Now Mo Li felt utterly drained, as if his eyelids weighed a thousand pounds.
Summoning the last of his strength, he managed to say, "I'm fine. I've just used up too much energy."
Then he forced a smile and said softly, "Sister Erlong, now you can finally stop worrying, right?"
"But I'm so sleepy. Let me go back and get some sleep."
As he spoke, he struggled to get out of bed, but Liu Erlong held him firmly by the hand, keeping him from moving. Mo Li was puzzled, but he was too weak to resist.
Before his eyes closed, he saw Liu Erlong's expression soften with tenderness. Tiny sparks of light glimmered in her eyes. In that instant, she was breathtakingly beautiful.
On the bed, Liu Erlong gently supported Mo Li's limp body. Her gaze seemed to hold endless tenderness, and her voice was just as soft.
"Stay here tonight. Sleep right beside me..."
The last thing he heard was that gentle voice, and Mo Li felt utterly at ease.
Wrapped in an embrace that carried a faint, delicate fragrance, his consciousness faded completely. He relaxed every part of his body and fell asleep.
After gently laying Mo Li down beside her, Liu Erlong did not get out of bed. A trace of hesitation flickered in her eyes, but in the end, she lay down beside him with careful movements.
She propped herself up on one arm and, in the faint moonlight, leaned over to quietly gaze at Mo Li—at the child she had found outside Heaven Dou City and brought up by her side.
Mo Li's peaceful sleeping face was reflected in Liu Erlong's eyes. An unfamiliar emotion welled up inside her. She simply stared at him, lost in thought for a long time.
She didn't know how long she had been watching when Mo Li mumbled something in his sleep. Liu Erlong was so absorbed that she couldn't make out what he'd said.
She blinked in confusion, then gently rested her cheek beside Mo Li's lips. But after waiting a long while, she still heard nothing more.
Just as she was about to lie down, Mo Li softly called out again, "Sister Erlong."
Liu Erlong blinked nervously, a puzzled look on her face. Her heart suddenly beat faster. She had no idea what Mo Li was dreaming about, but even in his sleep, he was calling her name.
Mo Li's breathing was uneven, and his brows were faintly furrowed. It troubled her, but she couldn't wake him. She reached out to smooth his brow, but try as she might, she couldn't quite manage it.
Just as Liu Erlong was fretting over this, Mo Li suddenly rolled over to face her. She froze in alarm, but didn't dare make any sudden movements, so she could only let him draw his face a little closer.
Facing Mo Li and listening to his steady breathing, Liu Erlong froze for a moment.
When she came to her senses, she found that her forehead had, without her realizing it, come to rest against his. They were so close that their noses nearly touched. Their breaths seemed to intertwine, and every movement stirred her heart. Liu Erlong fought hard to suppress the turmoil within and tried her best to calm herself.
As she waged an inner battle, Mo Li's sleep-talking came again.
"I... did it."
Hearing him, Liu Erlong couldn't help laughing helplessly. So the little fellow was still thinking about the gift he'd wanted to give her, even in his dreams.
She gently drew their foreheads apart. At some point, Mo Li's brow had relaxed, and his handsome face was serene.
She reached out and lightly pinched Mo Li's cheek. The warmth beneath her fingers made her own cheeks grow hot. After a brief pause, she gently rested her palm against his face.
Feeling that warmth so close, Liu Erlong finally murmured softly, "You're the best gift I could ever have..."
After that, Liu Erlong relaxed completely, just like Mo Li, and drifted into a deep sleep.
The next day.
By the time Mo Li woke, the sun was already high in the sky.
"Am I in Sister Erlong's room?"
As soon as he recognized the furnishings, Mo Li came fully awake. He turned to look beside him, but the person he expected to see wasn't there.
Mo Li scratched his head awkwardly. He hadn't meant to take over Sister Erlong's bed. He wondered where she had slept last night.
After getting out of bed, Mo Li noticed a faint, lingering fragrance on himself. He lowered his head, furrowed his brow, and sniffed a few times.
He was rather baffled.
"Why does this smell so much like Sister Erlong? Did I pick up her scent just by lying here all night?"
As Mo Li wondered about it, a clear, melodious voice came from outside the door. "If you're awake, why aren't you coming out? What are you doing, lazing around in my room?"
Hearing this, Mo Li smiled awkwardly, straightened his clothes, and went outside.
"Sister Erlong, aren't you busy today?"
Liu Erlong sat cross-legged by the pool, her figure graceful and her long hair streaming like a waterfall in the breeze. Hearing Mo Li's voice, she turned her face toward him and said, "I'll go this afternoon."
"Oh. Then where did you sleep last night? I took over your bed." Mo Li scratched his head, feeling a little embarrassed.
"Don't you remember what you did last night?" Liu Erlong shot him a look.
Mo Li was astonished. "Sister Erlong, what did I do? Other than giving you a big gift, I didn't do anything!"
Seeing Mo Li's awkward expression, Liu Erlong's red lips curled up. "You really don't want to sleep with me?"
Mo Li stared at her in shock. Liu Erlong pursed her lips and went on, "When you were little, you were always clinging to me so you could sleep beside me. Now that you've grown up, you're acting like you don't want to anymore."
"Ahem, no, no. I was just wondering why I slept so well." Mo Li blushed and hurried to explain himself.
Liu Erlong merely gave him another look and didn't continue the subject.
"These Eight Meridians really are something. I've been cultivating here all morning, and I can tell that I'm progressing a little faster than before."
"But it'll still take me more than half a month to open the first meridian."
"Taking a little longer doesn't matter."
After hearing Liu Erlong, Mo Li nodded.
It was true that meridians became more blocked with age, but Liu Erlong was a Soul Saint, and a relatively young one at that. Her progress was not slow.
Liu Erlong smiled faintly and was about to continue cultivating when footsteps sounded from the forest outside.