Shu Qingyi could not explain why, but he, who had always been vigilant and guarded against others, inexplicably craved the gaze Mu Ran rested upon him.
Under her gaze, he would develop the illusion that he was a unique and unparalleled treasure in this world.
Yet, as Mu Ran would embrace him and kiss him, this feeling seemed to become a tangible reality rather than just his imagination.
"Jinzhi." Standing in the hazy light, Mu Ran turned around and reached out her hand to him. As she looked at the young man, her beautiful eyes curved slightly with a faint smile. "I'm tired of walking. Can you hold my hand?"
Before Shu Qingyi's brain could process it, his body had already responded.
He took a step forward and firmly grasped her hand. The warmth from their touching fingertips climbed all the way up his skin, once again scalding his silent, cold heart until it trembled slightly.
All around them was a dim, freezing, and dense forest. The wind swept the chill through the branches, letting out soft, whimpering sounds.
He walked with her in silence for a long time before he finally could no longer hold back and asked, "Why me?"
Mu Ran raised her eyes. "What?"
"Why did you choose me?"
There were still many cultivators lurking in this secret realm, and there was no shortage of people with higher cultivation levels than him. If it was for profit, she clearly could have chosen a better target.
If she wanted to, even the most hard-hearted person would inevitably soften toward her.
At the thought of this, Shu Qingyi involuntarily tightened his grip on her hand.
Mu Ran looked at him and didn't answer right away.
The young man was suspicious and sensitive, yet he also possessed his own arrogant pride. But at this moment, avoiding her gaze, he revealed a sense of inferiority that felt familiar to Mu Ran.
Mu Ran slowly intertwined her fingers with his and laughed softly. "Because you are you, my choice could only ever be you."
Shu Qingyi's eyelashes trembled slightly, his gaze shifting as he found the courage to look back at her face.
He didn't know her origins, nor did he know her past.
Her appearance was like a mystery, as if she might disappear at any moment.
Mu Ran was clearly right beside him, holding his hand, yet he had the feeling that she was like the ungraspable wind.
As if sensing his unease, Mu Ran stopped walking, hugged him, and gently patted his back. She tilted her face up, a brilliant smile returning to her features.
"Alright, Jinzhi, you need to have more confidence in yourself," she blinked, speaking in a joking tone. "Perhaps to me, I've known you since hundreds of years ago."
Shu Qingyi's gaze flickered. In an almost subconscious reaction, he gently placed a hand on her swollen lower abdomen. The faint movements of the little life inside transmitted to him again, and his fingertips inexplicably curled.
Then, an inexplicable realization welled up in his heart.
The woman before him was meant to be his.
The child in her belly was also meant to be his.
Shu Qingyi leaned down, looking closely into her eyes, and murmured softly, "Neither of you will leave me, right?"
Mu Ran smiled and nodded. "Right, neither of us will leave you."
The corners of Shu Qingyi's lips lifted slightly, finally showing a faint smile.
The wind brought a different kind of noise.
He stroked her face and said softly, "There is someone ahead. Let's be careful."
The young man had completely forgotten that her cultivation level was no lower than his; it was simply ingrained in his bones to subconsciously place her behind him, needing to protect her well.
Mu Ran's eyes grew hot. She smiled sweetly and said, "Mm, okay."
Through the gaps in the trees ahead, a black-clad figure was engaged in a fierce fight with a white-bearded old man.
Shu Qingyi had seen that old man before. Not long ago, this old man had been standing with a woman in red, and Shu Qingyi had backstabbed them, snatching away the item they wanted.
The longsword in the black-clad man's hand gleamed with a dark light. His moves were ruthless and decisive, every strike a desperate bid for life. His body was already splattered with spots of dark red.
Old Man Longsword drew the sword from his umbrella. The sword qi sliced through the air, emitting a harsh, piercing screech.
The surrounding vegetation was cleanly severed by the fierce energy. Broken leaves and dust swirled madly in the center of the fray, and the ground had long been plowed with several deep grooves by the sword qi.
Mu Ran and Shu Qingyi hid behind a tree, concealing their auras. Seeing Shu Qingyi's thoughtful gaze, she asked softly, "Jinzhi, do you know them?"
Shu Qingyi replied, "The one using the umbrella sword is Old Man Longsword of Chiyan Peak. As for that man in black, I've never seen him before, but judging by his moves, he should be from Chongyang Mountain."
Suspended in mid-air was a golden hairpin radiating pure spiritual energy, clearly a high-grade magical artifact. These two were fighting fiercely precisely to seize this treasure.
As Mu Ran stood on her tiptoes, the young man had already proactively bent down. She whispered in his ear, "Should we sneakily snatch that treasure?"
Shu Qingyi was slightly taken aback.
She let out a teasing laugh. "I occasionally want to try my hand at pulling off a little thievery too."
For some reason, although Shu Qingyi was young, he was quite thick-skinned. He had done plenty of wicked things without ever blushing or turning red.
However, right at this moment, hearing Mu Ran say this, he felt a bit embarrassed for the first time, and his expression grew somewhat awkward.
Mu Ran looked like an honest girl, but now she resembled a good student who had been led astray. She grabbed his hand and gently shook it. "Jinzhi, let's go snatch that thing."
In the past, Shu Qingyi didn't care about things like saving face, but now he actually cared about his dignity.
"If I want something, I will take it fair and square. I won't use such petty tricks."
Mu Ran let out a meaningful "Oh."
Shu Qingyi felt even more bashful. He took Mu Ran's hand. "Let's leave here."
At the same time, he couldn't help but take another glance at her belly.
He was going to be a father. What if he exposed his despicable side in front of the child and caused the child to learn bad habits?
If Mu Ran knew that this young man, who looked no more than seventeen, had so quickly accepted the fact that he was going to "be a father to someone else's child," and even possessed the self-awareness to set a good example for the child, she would definitely not be able to stop herself from laughing until her whole body shook.
The fight over there was still continuing.
Old Man Longsword said angrily, "Doesn't your Chongyang Mountain claim that your sect's motto is a single word, 'Righteousness'? You've always put on an aloof, uncontentious front, so why are you now fighting an old man like me over this plain silver vine-patterned hairpin!?"
The man dressed entirely in black said dismissively, "Normally, your Chiyan Peak doesn't have a bad reputation either, yet haven't you killed quite a few people in this secret realm? We are two of a kind, so why bother bringing up hypocritical morality?"
Old Man Longsword was so furious that his eyes widened in a glare, his beard practically standing on end. "If you have the guts, leave your name!"
The black-clad man casually replied, "Black-clad Venerable."
One could tell just by hearing it that this title was a spur-of-the-moment invention, thought up on the spot.
However, not far away, the young man who was just about to lead Mu Ran away stopped in his tracks upon hearing these words.
