Sizzle!
The striking of flint ignited the dry firewood on the ground. The fire emitted a warm glow, illuminating the surroundings of the cave.
Long Yunhui used fatigue as an excuse to rest in the cave, and after a moment of thought, Yuan Shu agreed.
Outside the cave, the sky had turned completely pitch-black. A few scattered stars hung in the horizon, twinkling with a faint, quiet light.
"Junior Sister Yuan, have you been doing well at Yaoyun Peak? Has anyone been bullying you?"
Long Yunhui asked aloud while adding the firewood at hand into the fire.
From an angle Yuan Shu couldn't see, he sprinkled a handful of Moon Glow Powder he had just taken out into the flames.
Soon, a few transparent specks of light drifted silently into the air along with the smoke.
"I'm doing fine. Don't worry, Senior Brother, no one can bully me."
Yuan Shu replied casually and took out a glowing stone lamp from her Divine Tree Space. "Senior Brother Long, use this. It's better than the fire."
"Cough, there's no need. We can roast things over the fire, and I remember you love eating the most."
Long Yunhui let out a cough, not stopping his movements of poking the fire, and looked up at Yuan Shu.
The firelight reflected on Yuan Shu's pretty little face, making it look rosy and red.
"That's true. Then I'll trouble Senior Brother Long to roast this chicken." Hearing this, Yuan Shu's eyes lit up.
She took out the fresh Five-Spirit Chicken meat stored in her Divine Tree Space and handed it to Long Yunhui.
The cave soon quieted down. Only the roasting chicken, slowly turning a crispy golden-brown over the fire, emitted a savory meat aroma.
One by one, transparent specks of light invisible to the naked eye drifted slowly toward Yuan Shu, guided by the scent.
In Long Yunhui's perception, they landed on Yuan Shu's hands, her clothes, and even her waist!
Long Yunhui's hand holding the roast chicken tightened slightly.
Moon Glow Powder was a spiritual substance used on land to track the scent of Mermaid's Tears.
Anyone who had touched a Mermaid's Tear would bear its unique residual energy.
By using fire to ignite the power of the Moon Glow Powder, the powder would be drawn to this residual energy.
Without the target noticing at all, it would cling to the places with the most residual energy!
For example, the hands that had held the Mermaid's Tear, or the storage bag where it had been kept.
At this point, one only needed a special incantation to sense the attached Moon Glow Powder!
He didn't deny that when he initially gave the Mermaid's Tears to the manager of the Wanbao Pavilion, he harbored the intention of using this method to find someone.
Even so, he had always thought that finding the woman who had shared that encounter with him wouldn't be easy.
At the very least, he would have to stake out the Wanbao Pavilion for several days.
He never expected to run into her so easily!
In Long Yunhui's consciousness, driven by his incantation, the Moon Glow Powder on Yuan Shu's body was incredibly dazzling.
In the dim cave, it was like a radiant full moon!
This proved that Yuan Shu had come into contact with the Mermaid's Tears, and at a very close range.
If the previous bracelet had only aroused his suspicion, then now... the evidence was right in front of him.
Yuan Shu was the master of the Wanbao Pavilion, and the very person who had intimately lingered with him for days, giving him his most unforgettable memories!
Long Yunhui recovered from his shock and suddenly felt a strong urge to laugh.
The person he had yearned for day and night was none other than his junior sister, Yuan Shu, who was right beside him?
To think he had gone through so much trouble searching for her at the Wanbao Pavilion.
It turned out the person he was looking for had been by his side all along!
Yet Yuan Shu pretended to be so proper. She was ambiguous with Shen Qi, entangled with Shu Linyuan, but with him alone... she maintained the strict boundaries of a senior brother and junior sister.
She hadn't crossed the line even a little bit!
Long Yunhui closed his eyes for a moment.
He recalled when he was poisoned in the Death Demon Forest and accidentally met "her."
He was poisoned, and she just "happened" to come across him, even using her own body to cure his poison?
What accidental passing by?
It was clearly because she was Yuan Shu. They were in the same squad, and she had no choice but to use another identity to detoxify him, right?
And he had actually believed it at the time!
No wonder Yuan Shu always blindfolded him every time they were together.
It turned out they were acquaintances all along!
Looking at the blinding brightness of the Moon Glow Powder, the Mermaid's Tears must be right on Yuan Shu's person.
He didn't believe in such coincidences in this world. He had just given away three Mermaid's Tears, and Yuan Shu just happened to acquire Mermaid's Tears too?
After his silent laugh, Long Yunhui's heart began to beat wildly—thrilled and excited, yet anxious and fearful.
The reason Yuan Shu hid her identity was that she didn't want him to know, didn't want him to pester her.
If he simply pierced through this thin veil of secrecy, would Yuan Shu get angry?
But if he didn't expose it, Yuan Shu would definitely never admit it!
Long Yunhui took a deep breath, suppressing his restless heart.
He cut the roasted Five-Spirit Chicken into small pieces, placed them on a plate, and handed chopsticks to Yuan Shu.
"It's done roasting. Junior Sister Yuan, have a taste."
Suspecting nothing, Yuan Shu picked up the chopsticks, took a bite, and nodded with a smile. "Senior Brother Long, your cooking skills are quite good. It's delicious."
"If you like it, eat more."
After eating half the chicken, Yuan Shu felt drowsy. She lifted her heavy eyelids to look at the cave, inexplicably feeling that something was wrong.
Why was her head so heavy?
Thinking groggily, Yuan Shu's head tilted, and she completely collapsed to the side.
Fortunately, a hand caught her just in time, preventing her from hitting the ground.
In the cave, the firewood made a crisp crackling sound, and the firelight cast the silhouettes of the two embracing figures onto the stone wall.
Long Yunhui carefully gathered Yuan Shu into his arms. Closing his eyes, he lowered his head and sniffed the side of her face.
The familiar scent of pear blossoms drifted into his nose, faint and seductive, exactly the same as in his memory.
He reached out and gently traced Yuan Shu's eyebrows and eyes, remembering the feeling of kissing down along her features bit by bit within the red bed curtains.
His Adam's apple bobbed uncontrollably.
This heartless woman. She provoked him, yet pulled away so ruthlessly without a hint of attachment.
Did she care about his life or death at all?
Thinking further, Shen Qi, the eldest senior brother of Qingyun Peak, and Shu Linyuan, the sixth junior brother, were both involved with her.
She lacked no excellent men around her.
No wonder she had no lingering feelings for him!
No, he wasn't bad either!
Compared to the eldest senior brother and the sixth junior brother, he was not lacking in anything!
His strength, looks, and assets were all enough to make the hearts of thousands of young girls flutter.
He wasn't bad at all, okay?
Shen Qi and Shu Linyuan had only relied on Shushu's soft heart to beg for the right to stay by her side!
If they could, why couldn't he?
He could clearly make Shushu happy too, make her cry out in passion for him!
Long Yunhui's heart began to beat wildly out of control again.
He didn't want to be her dark little puppy to be called and dismissed at will; he wanted to be with her openly and proudly!
As these thoughts bred in his mind, Long Yunhui's gaze fell upon Yuan Shu.
Those exquisite curves that he had ravaged countless times; that slender waist, so smooth and tender to the touch.
And those long, fair, straight legs hidden beneath her dress—he knew the feel and taste of every part of her intimately!
His mind couldn't help but recall everything they had shared together.
Long Yunhui's eyes trembled slightly, a desperate, point-of-no-return desire surging in his heart.
He leaned close to the slumbering Yuan Shu and spoke in a hoarse voice.
"Shushu, I want you to fulfill the promise of the second Mermaid's Tear. Is that okay?"
