Don't Worry, I Like You-It Has Nothing to Do with You

Liu Yiyi stared intently at Wang Mengde's face, her heart filled with waves of emotion.

Those bright black eyes, that sharply defined face, that calm and collected expression—they seemed etched deep into her mind, impossible to shake off.

Her fingers were still clutching his shirt, her knuckles turning white.

She could feel the warmth of his chest, seeping through his soaked robes, warm and solid, pulling her little by little out of the icy despair she had just felt.

His heartbeat was steady and strong, each beat traveling through her clothes to her palm like some ancient drumbeat, causing her heartbeat to become disordered as well.

She suddenly realized that Tie Li had never given her this feeling before.

After a long while, Liu Yiyi suddenly came to her senses and realized that she was still in Wang Mengde's arms.

Her face flushed instantly, burning from her cheeks all the way to her ears, and even her neck was tinged with a light pink.

She quickly lowered her head, not daring to look at his face again, and whispered, "You—you put me down."

Wang Mengde didn't say much, and gently loosened his grip on her waist.

He patted his Storage Bag, and Azure Radiance green light flew out, hovering at their feet. The silver lines on the sword shimmered softly in the sunlight.

He used his spiritual power to gently lift Liu Yiyi's body, as if holding a feather, and lightly placed her on the Flying Sword.

Immediately, he leaped onto his Flying Sword, stood behind her, and the two of them, one in front of the other, rode their swords out of the sea.

"Whoosh"

Seawater poured down on the two of them, turning into countless tiny droplets in the sunlight, refracting a rainbow of colors.

A sea breeze blew in their faces, carrying a salty, damp scent, causing their robes to flutter loudly.

Wang Mengde circulated his spiritual power, and a gentle heat emanated from his body, slowly evaporating the seawater from their bodies.

The heat was just right, neither too hot nor too cold, like the warm sun in winter, or like lukewarm water caressing the skin.

Liu Yiyi felt the warm current envelop her, and her soaked clothes gradually dried, no longer feeling cold against her body.

She kept her head down, not daring to look at him, the blush on her ears not yet completely faded.

Wang Mengde flew on his sword towards a reef protruding from the sea not far away.

The reef was about ten feet square, with a flat surface, smoothed by the waves to the point of being as smooth as a mirror, and gleaming with a black luster in the sunlight.

He landed steadily on the reef, turned around and used his spiritual power to gently lift Liu Yiyi up and slowly place her on the reef, his movements as gentle as if he were placing a fragile piece of porcelain.

Liu Yiyi's feet landed on the rocks, her body still a little weak, and she swayed before she could stand up.

She lowered her head, staring at the black rocks at her feet, and remained silent for a long while before raising her head.

A trace of paleness remained on her face, and her lips had not fully regained their color, but her eyes shone with an astonishing brightness, as clear as if they had been washed by seawater.

"Thank you so much just now." Her voice was soft, with a slight hoarseness. "Thank you."

Wang Mengde looked at her intently, as if a fire was burning in his eyes.

His gaze was focused and intense, yet also restrained, as if he were someone trying his best to suppress his emotions.

He was silent for a moment, then slowly said, "I've been watching you with my Spirit Eye Technique. Just now, I saw that Wave-Chasing Flying Fish rushing towards you. I was afraid something might happen to you, so I rushed over. Fortunately—you're alright."

Liu Yiyi paused slightly.

What does that mean?

She looked up and met his burning eyes, and her heart skipped a beat.

That gaze was so intense, it made her heart tremble.

Could it be...?

Does he like her?

Wang Mengde did not look away, his voice low and calm, as if he were recounting a long-buried secret. "I fell in love with you the first time I saw you. At that time, I was just a First Layer of Qi Refinement cultivator, while you were already Sixth Layer of Qi Refinement Island Patrol Guards and the daughter of Foundation Establishment True Person."

I know I'm not good enough for you, so I practice Law Technique like crazy every day, working day and night to improve my cultivation, just wanting—just wanting to be worthy of you one day.

But it was too late in the end.

These words sent a shiver down Liu Yiyi's spine.

Cultivating day and night?

Just to be worthy of her?

Wang Mengde took out a small porcelain bottle from his Storage Bag and handed it to her.

Wang Mengde, with a straight face, casually uttered witty remarks. "You don't need to worry, my liking for you has nothing to do with you."

I won't bother you.

Your spiritual energy is depleted; you need to recover first.

Upon hearing this, Liu Yiyi felt a surge of emotions.

What do you mean by "it has nothing to do with her"?

What do you mean by "won't bother her"?

This person saved her when she was at her most desperate, told her he had liked her for a long time, and then assured her he wouldn't bother her.

Her heart felt like a jumbled mess of emotions—sour, sweet, bitter, spicy, and salty—all mixed together, making it impossible to distinguish what flavor it was.

She reached out and took the porcelain bottle. Her fingertips touched his fingers, and she trembled slightly, as if she had been electrocuted.

She didn't shrink back; she just lowered her head, looked at the porcelain vase in her hand, and remained silent for a long time.

"You—protect me." Her voice was very soft, with a slight, almost imperceptible tremor.

Wang Mengde nodded. "Okay."

Liu Yiyi sat down cross-legged, uncorked the bottle, poured out a Qi-Replenishing Pill, and put it in her mouth.

The elixir entered her stomach, transforming into a warm current that slowly restored her depleted Dantian.

She closed her eyes, circulated her Cultivation Method, and gradually accumulated spiritual energy.

But she couldn't calm down.

Her mind was filled with the images from just moments ago: the despair of the water blade slashing towards her, the spiritual threads that pulled her back from the brink of death, the strong chest that held her in its arms, those dark, bright, burning eyes, and the words, "I like you, it has nothing to do with you."

Her heart was like a lake rippling in the wind, the waves spreading out in circles, never stopping.

Just then, Wang Mengde's voice rang in her ear, deep and solemn. "Yiyi, my Water Arrow Technique is my trump card, don't tell anyone."

Liu Yiyi didn't open her eyes, but simply nodded slightly.

Of course, she wouldn't tell anyone.

That was his trump card, his means of survival; how could she possibly tell anyone?

But a strange feeling welled up inside her.

She recalled the scene when she first met Wang Mengde eight years ago.

At that time, she was already a cultivator at the Sixth Layer of Qi Refinement, and was considered a notable figure on Rosy Cloud Island.

Wang Mengde stood at the back of the crowd, dressed in tattered clothes, head down, not daring to even glance at her.

At that time, she thought this person was just one of countless low-level Rogue Cultivator on Rosy Cloud Island, and that his life would be just like that.

Eight years have passed in the blink of an eye, and the other party has become so powerful.

That final Water Arrow Technique was terrifyingly powerful. It accurately struck the eye of the Wave-Chasing Flying Fish from such a great distance, killing it instantly. It was Water Arrow Technique of Peak Mastery.

On the entire Rosy Cloud Island, he is probably the only one who has cultivated the Water Arrow Technique to this level.

She recalled what he had just said.

I fell in love with you the first time I saw you.

I practice Law Technique like crazy every day, working day and night to improve my cultivation, hoping that one day I can be worthy of you.

Her heart was churning with turmoil, completely unable to find peace.

Was he really cultivating so desperately for her sake?

Over eight years, he mastered several magical Law Technique to the Peak Mastery level.

Furthermore, he advanced his cultivation level from the First Layer of Qi Refinement to the Seventh-Level Qi Refinement.

For someone with Five-Element Spirit Root, this is simply an incredible speed.

Her mind was in turmoil, like a tangled ball of hemp thread that she couldn't untangle or break.

She didn't know how she felt about Wang Mengde.

Gratitude?

Move?

Or was it—that unfamiliar, fluttering feeling she had never experienced before?

She dared not think about it.

She has dao companion partner.

Tie Li pursued her for several years, behaving respectfully in front of her father and being gentle and considerate in front of her.

Although she didn't have any romantic feelings for Tie Li, she had already agreed to the marriage, and the two had become dao companion.

But— Tie Li had never given her that feeling before.

That feeling of being protected by someone with all their might, that feeling of being pulled back from the brink of death.

That kind of thrill that made her heart tremble.