Come In
Yingshi rubbed her eyes and stood up.
She couldn't allow herself to remain immersed in a faint sorrow just because of a sudden wave of sentimentality.
She carefully folded the painting that Changyi had altered, pulled out another sheet of paper to wrap it, and tucked it into her robes. Then, with a solemn expression, she stared at the wine and the book on the table.
In the remaining time, Changyi's remnant soul hadn't chosen to meet Shuangjian, but instead invited her to drink wine and read a book. There must be a purpose to this, but what was it?
...Ah, why did her head feel dizzy the moment she started thinking?
Yingshi poked her temples and took a deep breath. With a resolute face, she reached for the upside-down book. After a moment of hesitation, she flipped it over.
What caught her eye were two pages of neat, small characters. The layout was no different from ordinary ancient texts in the cultivation world, except that it recorded four or five obscure secret techniques. Their names and functions were rather bizarre, like the Hair Regeneration Secret, the Hundred Flavors Delicacy Incantation, and so on.
And the one that seemed the most normal among them...
"Taiyu... Traversing Technique?"
Yingshi's pupils shrank, and she unconsciously read it out loud. The moment the words left her lips, her breathing abruptly stopped.
What Taiyu Traversing? Didn't that just mean traveling through time and space?!
Her heart beat like a drum, and the hand holding the page suddenly began to tremble. Her gaze hurriedly moved down, repeatedly reading the few lines of small characters explaining the technique: "At a specific time, in a specific place, a rift opens in the cosmos, allowing a specific person to shuttle between two realms. Note: This technique cannot be cast actively."
Beneath the "Note," an even smaller line of text was added: "Unexpectedly breaking the wall of time and space, the wind sends a soul from another world, wandering into a body in this realm."
Yingshi's head buzzed. She managed to grab the edge of the stone table, barely preventing herself from falling flat on the ground!
Don't think she couldn't tell, that was an acrostic poem!
Jing Fengliu, how could it be Jing Fengliu?!
Moreover, this sentence clearly described her exact situation!
Was this an Easter egg originally written in the book, or was it something that appeared after she transmigrated into the book?
But regardless, this meant that traveling back to the modern world was not just a fantasy... it was a future that could perhaps truly be realized!
Even though she had always viewed it as a goal to achieve after working hard to reach the end of the plot, that was just an illusory hope. Now that this hope could be grounded in reality, even if the method wasn't clear yet, it was thrilling enough!
Yingshi's breathing grew rapid, and her brain felt a bit deprived of oxygen. One moment she frowned, the next she laughed, and then she felt like crying her eyes out.
She read those few lines over and over again, wanting nothing more than to grab the book, rush out, and quickly find Shuangjian to discuss it for a hundred rounds.
Then why not? This was such an important matter! Why stay in the Rest Gate? How could the Tiangang Martial Gathering be more important than going home?
However, when she rushed to the stone door hugging the book, she was bounced back by a faint golden light.
The flower branches that had silently withered after Changyi's soul dispersed suddenly began to move again. They extended and entrenched themselves on the door, intertwining with each other to form the shape of chains.
And those previously meaningless scratches on the door panel now became vivid. They quickly rearranged and combined, ultimately forming the names of several secret incantations.
"...What the hell?"
Yingshi stared dumbfounded. She tentatively recited the only incantation she knew among them, and saw that line of text cooperatively dissipate, while one of the blocking flower branches also vanished.
This was actually an escape room where you couldn't leave unless you answered the questions!
Help, why is it that the more urgent things are, the more obstacles there are?
Why didn't the original male lead in the book encounter this kind of forced learning play back then?
Oh, because at that time he was a ruthless person who had absorbed the knowledge of six entire walls, so naturally he wouldn't be stopped...
Yingshi wanted to cry but had no tears. She looked at the remaining incantations that she had never even heard of, then scanned the walls and the collection of books in the room. Her scalp went numb, and she clutched her head, squatting on the ground.
...
Even though it was an open-book exam, it was still like finding a needle in a haystack.
By the time only one flower branch was left blocking the door, Yingshi herself didn't know how much time had passed.
At first, she was impatient. For one, she had important news she wanted to share immediately, and for another, she worried that delaying too long would overlap with the flaring period of Shuangjian's demon core.
Unfortunately, the more anxious she was, the less she could find the specific ones needed to open the door among the vast, dense sea of secret incantations.
At this time, she felt Changyi's thoughtfulness even more.
Changyi had not only helped her highlight the key points by folding the page and leaving the book upside down, but also prepared delicious wine for her to drown her sorrows.
Now the wine had bottomed out, and the empty jug spun leisurely on the stone table.
Yingshi's cheeks were flushed, and her eyes were glazed over. She propped herself up, staggered to the stone door, and glared at the last two small characters pieced together by the scratches. She blinked sluggishly... Hmm, why was there still double vision?
But it didn't matter. Even though her brain was already completely blank, she still had residual muscle memory. When she still had a shred of sanity left, she had worked hard to memorize the answer to this final exam question.
How coincidental, the last question was an old acquaintance of hers, the Blood Pact.
However, although the Blood Pact acted upon her body, the matters related to casting the spell had always been handled by Shuangjian. It was also her first time knowing that this technique was of such high difficulty; she almost twisted her tongue while reciting it.
Now, to get out of the Rest Gate, she not only had to recite the incantation to form the pact, but also the incantation to command the other party after the Blood Pact took effect, a complete full set.
Yingshi unbearably tugged at her collar, feeling her bangs get a bit damp. Facing the closed stone door, she slowly mumbled the incantation.
...So hot.
If she couldn't get out soon, she was going to be roasted alive in here.
Alcohol... alcohol is a bad thing.
Why was her head getting dizzier and dizzier?
She couldn't think about anything anymore, she only knew that she really wanted to see Shuangjian...
Her heart felt a little uncomfortable...
Amidst her chaotic and drifting thoughts, when the last syllable Yingshi mechanically spat out fell, the blocking flower branch finally slowly retracted.
The stone door slowly opened before Yingshi's eyes, sending in the flowing, slightly cool air from the secret passage, which made her squint slightly.
At this moment, she didn't even have the consciousness to be excited about escaping.
She had a vague concept in her mind, understanding that she seemed to be drunk, and quite possibly heavily drunk.
Therefore, when the door opened and the figure belonging to Shuangjian appeared before her eyes, was it a hallucination produced by her drunkenness, or a real, living person?
"..."
Meeting those hazy eyes, Shuangjian's heart tightened slightly.
He subconsciously took a half-step forward, just in time to catch her soft body as she plunged straight toward him.
The soft body crashed into his arms, and her warm breath, carrying a rich scent of wine, hit his body. Shuangjian's body, which already had a faint tendency to run hot, couldn't help but stiffen.
In the moment the door opened, he had confirmed it: Yingshi was not injured.
This is the Rest Gate, which only benefits cultivators and causes no harm... Is she drunk?
Shuangjian's heartbeat quickened slightly.
He furrowed his brows, realizing he might have made another terrible decision.
He shouldn't have appeared here and approached Yingshi, knowing full well that the demon core was about to act up.
But if he hadn't come, he wouldn't be able to personally ensure Yingshi's safety. Once the demon core flared up, if Yingshi encountered any danger, he wouldn't even have the chance to save her.
But undoubtedly, this would bring about some tricky consequences.
However, there was still time. Everything could still be remedied as long as he quickly sent Yingshi into a Peaceful Gate or any of the safe gates, waited quietly for the demon core's flare-up period to pass smoothly, and then went to find her.
The Rest Gate behind him had completely closed, turning into a flat stone wall, leaving no possibility of retreating.
"Yingshi, can you still hear me clearly?"
Shuangjian tried his best to remain calm, asking in a low voice.
Listening to the vibration of the speaker's voice while pressed against his chest made it all the more intriguing. Yingshi subconsciously buried her face deeper, giving a vague "Mhm," and her arms spontaneously wrapped around Shuangjian's waist.
This embrace gave her such a sense of security. Though not cool, it still managed to alleviate the inexplicable, burning heat all over her body.
"Are you feeling unwell anywhere?"
"Hot... so dizzy..."
Yingshi mumbled as she rubbed her head against him.
When Shuangjian spoke to her, it caused a crisp, tickling sensation by her ear, making her feel incredibly comfortable inside. She unconsciously murmured, urging him, "... I want to hear more... say something else..."
"..."
Shuangjian's entire body tensed even further. He opened his mouth and said hoarsely, "I'll take you to rest."
He could clearly feel the strength of her arms wrapped around him, the curves of her body pressed tightly against his, and every breath of hot air she exhaled.
But he couldn't continue feeling this—he had to stop.
Things were different now. The demon core was like a sword hanging over his head, and he couldn't gamble on having the same self-control he had during his first flare-up in front of Yingshi.
Shuangjian's brows were tightly knitted, and a touch of gloom was added to his expression, attempting to suppress all the shyness and helplessness in his heart.
He gently picked Yingshi up and moved rapidly through the secret passage, wanting only to immediately find the next gate they could enter.
But the young girl in his arms showed not a sliver of consideration for his difficult predicament.
She only focused on commanding him with that soft, clinging voice that made his heart race: "Keep talking..."
"... What do you want me to say?"
Shuangjian even felt as if his soul had been drawn out of him. His act of responding to her was undoubtedly pushing himself closer to a more dangerous edge.
"... Talk." Yingshi murmured. "I want to hear your voice..."
Shuangjian's Adam's apple bobbed. Just as he was struggling to reply, Yingshi's mouth produced another incredibly disjointed sentence: "I missed you so much, Shuangjian..."
As she spoke, she slowly rubbed her head against him, sometimes pressing her forehead against his chest, sometimes pressing her face close. As she spoke, her parting and closing lips almost brushed against his clothes, leaving behind one scorching source of heat after another.
"I memorized so many words... my head hurts so much... I just wanted to see you..."
She spoke words that were impossible to resist, yet she thought it was just normal confiding.
The most excessive part was her behavior. She seemed dissatisfied with this embrace, reaching her hands around to press against his arms, whining, "Tighter... hold me a little tighter..."
"..."
Shuangjian's breathing grew heavier. He couldn't help but stop abruptly, holding Yingshi as he stood silently in the secret passage.
Long eyelashes concealed all the turbulent currents churning in his eyes. The arm he used to hold Yingshi, which had been clenched into a fist, unfurled into a palm that tightly gripped her waist.
His other hand, however, violently struck the stone wall of the secret passage.
With a loud crack, the struck wall began to show cracking patterns, and then unexpectedly became blurry and ethereal.
He couldn't go on like this anymore.
Shuangjian could hear the dam of his reason breaking in his mind. The pain had already manifested, and his body temperature was gradually rising—it was still too late. Was he still going to miserably... show his ugly struggling state in front of Yingshi?
The familiar splitting headache was somewhat different this time, suppressed and diverted by the presence of the girl in his arms, but Shuangjian didn't feel any better because of it.
Fortunately, his physical pain wouldn't be transmitted to Yingshi through the blood pact, but what about those chaotic emotions?
End all of this.
End it...
Through his attacks, he was forcibly interfering with the inherent spatial arrangement of the altar maze, attempting to "summon" a gate that could separate the two of them. As long as it wasn't the Gate of Death, Fear, or Injury, he would immediately send Yingshi inside and hide far away himself.
Shuangjian's faintly reddened eyes stared intently at a gate that was forcibly appearing on the wall, gradually stabilizing amidst the distortion. Seeing the dense iron mesh covering its surface, his increasingly heavy breathing could finally pause for a second—it was the Gate of Hiding.
The moment the large gate opened, he resolutely sent the young girl in his arms into that dim stone chamber glowing with a warm yellow halo. Meeting her blurry, unfocused gaze, his heart instantly swelled with countless feelings of melancholy loss and urgently clamoring impulses.
He knew that if he delayed any longer, he would no longer be a match for those thoughts. Gritting his teeth to resist the pain and dizziness brought about by fighting his instincts, he tried to exert force from outside the door to speed up its closing, but...
Yingshi, who was slumped against the stone wall, suddenly smiled.
She blinked very slowly, and looking at Shuangjian's face, her dizzy vision suddenly focused for a moment.
Shuangjian refused to hold her, refused to speak in her ear anymore, and even wanted to leave her here alone to sober up. This would not do.
Yingshi's lips parted slightly, and she smiled with a bit of infatuation: "Shuangjian... I've learned... the heart mantra of the blood pact..."
"..."
Shuangjian's heart trembled violently, and for an instant, his entire body was enveloped in intense panic. Yet, that panic was not pure; faintly mixed within it was some indescribable anticipation and desire...
His Adam's apple bobbed.
In a daze, he heard Yingshi say to him in her soft and light voice—
"Shuangjian... come in."
