The Yinglong’s Gift and a Subtle Shift

Where… where was this?

Chi Qiu felt as though her eyelids weighed a thousand pounds, rendering her unable to open them even a fraction, despite exerting all her strength. She attempted to wiggle her fingers, yet they remained stubbornly still.

Resigned, Chi Qiu gathered every ounce of strength, her lips barely moving as she tried to speak. This time, she finally succeeded, uttering a few indistinct, nonsensical syllables that successfully drew the attention of Su Hanxing, who was by her side.

“Little Chi, are you awake?”

Chi Qiu felt a warm, broad hand cup the back of her head, followed by a similar touch at her lower back. The hands then gently lifted her upper body, settling her onto a warm surface. Unable to move or open her eyes, Chi Qiu could only hum a few syllables, expressing her confusion.

“Little Chi, you were struck by the Yinglong Divine Power and gravely wounded. Your external injuries have now been healed, but the divine power that infiltrated your body will be difficult to dispel quickly; it will require time for you to recover gradually.” Su Hanxing’s voice reached Chi Qiu from directly in front of her, and she could almost feel the gentle breeze from his words brushing against her face.

“Mmm—”

Chi Qiu made an effort to hum, signaling her understanding, and purposely elongated the sound, fearing Su Hanxing might not grasp her meaning.

“There’s no need to worry about safety; we are in a very secure location right now.” Su Hanxing gently reassured Chi Qiu, settling her small head onto his lap, and then used his free hand to tenderly smooth her disheveled blue hair.

Chi Qiu softly hummed in acknowledgment. She then calmed her mind, observing a tranquil mass of golden divine power suspended within her heart aperture. A faint layer of starlight enveloped the edges of this golden energy, preventing it from wildly surging through her core.

At this point, Chi Qiu’s consciousness had largely recovered. She understood that the starlight, which had previously restrained the divine power, must have been conjured by Su Hanxing. Grateful but unable to express it, she resolved to first refine the divine power and regain her mobility.

This mass of divine power occupied the entrance to her heart aperture, obstructing Chi Qiu’s attempts to control her limbs, which was precisely why she found herself unable to move.

“This divine power is incredibly destructive, yet if you can refine it, it will also be an immense stroke of luck for you.” Su Hanxing, noticing Chi Qiu had entered a meditative state, chuckled softly as he explained.

“This divine power can bind the soul. Once you refine it, you can integrate this power into your own soul, which will both protect it and help it merge with your physical body. In this way, advancing to the God Concealing stage will simply be a matter of time.”

Upon hearing this, Chi Qiu’s earlier frustration at her immobility instantly vanished. Her gaze, directed at the golden divine power within her heart aperture, softened considerably.

Without further hesitation, Chi Qiu manipulated the true qi within her heart aperture, slowly guiding it towards the golden divine power, preparing to begin refining the modest cluster of Yinglong Divine Power.

Chi Qiu first directed her true qi to drill a small opening in the starlight, cautiously drawing out a wisp of Yinglong Divine Power and enveloping it in her true qi. She then mobilized all the true qi within her heart aperture, beginning to meticulously refine this single wisp of Yinglong Divine Power, bit by bit.

Although the Yinglong Divine Power was scarce, its quality was exceptionally high. Chi Qiu spent a considerable amount of time simply refining this first wisp of divine power. Fortunately, Su Hanxing continuously supplied starlight to help her suppress the Yinglong Divine Power; otherwise, it would have been far more troublesome.

With the first wisp of divine power successfully refined, Chi Qiu felt her soul grow significantly stronger. Even the Lunar true qi within her heart aperture was subtly tinged with golden light. By Chi Qiu’s own estimation, refining this single wisp of divine power was equivalent to several months of arduous cultivation.

Witnessing such astonishing results, Chi Qiu immediately, without delay, drew out a second wisp of Yinglong Divine Power and began its refinement. All beginnings are difficult, but now that Chi Qiu had successfully refined the first wisp of divine power, with both her soul and true qi having made significant progress, refining the second wisp naturally proved to be twice as effective.

Before long, the second wisp of divine power was also refined by Chi Qiu. Feeling a touch of weariness, she desired to retrieve a spirit pill to consume. She attempted to move her arm, only to discover she could still only wiggle her fingers.

Immediately, Chi Qiu exited her meditative state. This time, her eyelids no longer felt as heavy as before, and with a concerted effort, she successfully opened her eyes. The first thing that met her gaze was Su Hanxing’s slightly worried expression.

It had to be said, Su Hanxing possessed a truly handsome face. Although the two had lived and eaten together for some time, this was Chi Qiu’s first time seeing his face at such close proximity.

Meanwhile, seeing Chi Qiu open her eyes, Su Hanxing’s heart swelled with joy, and the corners of his lips curved into an unconscious smile.

“Little Chi, how is your refinement progressing? Why did you exit your meditative state?” Su Hanxing asked, concerned.

“Mmm— cough, cough… The progress is quite good, but my true qi is almost depleted. Do you have any spirit pills you could lend me?” Chi Qiu opened her mouth, still unaccustomed to the effort of speaking. She choked immediately, and only after a few coughs did she manage to get the words out.

“Speak slowly, speak slowly. I have plenty of spirit pills; there’s no need to talk about lending.” Su Hanxing gently propped Chi Qiu up slightly, then softly patted her back.

“Are you treating me like a child? I’m fine now; you don’t need to do this.” Feeling the gentle pats on her back and realizing, as she shifted her eyes, that she seemed to be in Su Hanxing’s embrace, Chi Qiu’s usually calm and unruffled demeanor wavered. Her face flushed slightly as she advised him, a hint of dissatisfaction in her tone.

“Hehehe…” Su Hanxing let out a simple, honest laugh that completely belied his handsome appearance. He then produced a jade bottle, flicked open its stopper, and poured out several spirit pills.

“Can you eat these yourself?” Su Hanxing asked, holding the spirit pills with a peculiar expression.

Chi Qiu tried to shake her head but found she couldn’t move her neck. Helplessly, she replied, “My arms still can’t move. Just put the spirit pills in my mouth, please.”

With that, Chi Qiu’s face flushed slightly as she parted her lips, waiting for Su Hanxing to feed her the spirit pills.

Su Hanxing stared blankly at the blue-haired maiden before him, her bright, clear eyes wide open. She was looking at him pitifully (or so Su Hanxing believed), her small mouth slightly agape, awaiting his feeding. What was more, this lovely girl was currently lying on his lap, and even through two layers of clothing, Su Hanxing seemed to still feel the sensation of her smooth skin. All of this was simply too much for Su Hanxing, who had never experienced anything between a man and a woman, to handle.

Su Hanxing clumsily delivered the spirit pills into Chi Qiu’s mouth, his finger inadvertently brushing against the maiden’s lips. That soft, tender touch sent a ripple through his heart.

Chi Qiu enveloped the spirit pills in her mouth, chewed them haphazardly a few times, then swallowed them. Afterwards, she closed her eyes as if fleeing, and entered a meditative state.

Seeing Chi Qiu enter a meditative state with such a flustered expression, Su Hanxing naturally understood that she was not as calm as she appeared. For some unknown reason, a flicker of joy stirred within him. Noticing his unusual mood, Su Hanxing closed his eyes, though not for cultivation. He wanted to calm himself and carefully ponder what his feelings for Chi Qiu truly were.

To truly understand his own heart, this task was both simple and incredibly difficult; at least for now, Su Hanxing still found it challenging to discern his true feelings.

With both of them having closed their eyes, the surroundings fell into a profound silence. During this period, Chi Qiu suppressed the turmoil in her heart, focusing her mind entirely on refining the Yinglong Divine Power.

After about half an hour of such refinement, just as Chi Qiu’s true qi was depleted for the second time, the mass of Yinglong Divine Power floating within her heart aperture was finally completely refined by her.

Chi Qiu inwardly observed her body, seeing only a golden radiance within her heart aperture, while her soul, also gleaming with golden light, showed a strong tendency to merge with her physical form. Such progress was truly exhilarating.

Chi Qiu opened her eyes and slowly twisted her body. Su Hanxing, who hadn’t been cultivating, instantly opened his eyes upon feeling the stirrings of the beauty in his arms, lowering his gaze to Chi Qiu.

“Thank you.”

Chi Qiu had turned misfortune into a blessing, her strength having significantly improved. Filled with joy, she disregarded the fact that she had just been in Su Hanxing’s embrace. Bracing herself with her right hand, she “climbed” out of his arms after a struggle, then turned to thank Su Hanxing, who was still seated cross-legged on the ground.

Su Hanxing smiled as he rose, though it was unclear what he had contemplated during his period of closed-eyed reflection. His current smile differed subtly from the warm, amiable one he usually wore; it held a complex emotion that even Chi Qiu, who had spent days with him, failed to notice.

“There’s no need to be so polite.” Su Hanxing approached Chi Qiu, naturally tidying her somewhat disheveled long hair after she had risen.

Chi Qiu tilted her head, looking at Su Hanxing’s outstretched hand, feeling a strange sensation she couldn’t quite articulate at the moment. After a moment of thought, she suddenly jolted awake, looking at Su Hanxing and asking, “Where are we? And where are Qi Feng and the others?”

According to Chi Qiu’s last memory, all five of them should have been at the bottom of the pit. She vaguely recalled three cave entrances, each tens of zhang wide, at the bottom, but now not a single one was visible.

“At that time, a divine artifact descended from the heavens, disturbing the divine power vortex. The few of us were scrambling for our lives. I saw you were about to be swept into the vortex, so I used my divine ability to rescue you. After I saved you, the other three had already disappeared; they must have entered one of the smaller caves. Therefore, I took you and jumped into the nearest entrance. This place is inside that small cave.”

“You saved me from the vortex, but are you yourself unharmed?” Chi Qiu’s memory after being swept into the vortex was hazy, yet she distinctly recalled being rescued by Su Hanxing. The thought of the vortex’s terrifying tearing force and the domineering Yinglong Divine Power made Chi Qiu involuntarily worry about Su Hanxing’s well-being.

“Hahahaha, thank you for your concern, Little Chi. I wasn’t injured.” Hearing Chi Qiu’s words of concern, Su Hanxing felt a surge of comfort throughout his body; any minor injuries he might have sustained suddenly seemed insignificant.

“It’s good that you weren’t hurt. I’m not sure how long I spent recuperating, but there’s no time to lose. Let’s quickly explore this Yinglong Tomb before others claim its treasures.” Although Chi Qiu didn’t understand why Su Hanxing was so pleased, she breathed a sigh of relief upon hearing he was unharmed.

“It was about two hours, not too long. Little Chi, you don’t need to worry; after the vortex was agitated by the artifact, it covered most of the pit, and very few people could pass through.” Su Hanxing reassured her.

“That’s excellent. Let’s set off quickly then.” Chi Qiu’s eyes brightened, and she promptly ventured deeper into the Yinglong Tomb with Su Hanxing.