14: Chapter 14 Xun'er's Confession

The third day at Bright Tribe, and everything was accelerating.

During the day, Wang Sheng took Shi Gen and Rune Forgemaster Xu Mohan to reinforce the irrigation canals around the perimeter of the spiritual fields.

Rune Forgemaster Xu Mohan embedded spiritual stone fragments into the canal walls, and spiritual power flowed through the runes like veins, allowing the canal water to automatically irrigate the entire spiritual field.

Su Mengyao was at the edge of the spiritual field, using the Power of Nature to accelerate the growth of the second batch of spiritual potato seed tubers.

As the emerald light surged, the speed at which the tender shoots broke through the soil was visible to the naked eye.

Hua Jieyu was in the herb garden organizing the jade heart herb collected yesterday, her slender, fair fingers carefully slicing the leaves of the jade heart herb.

Every cut was precise to the millimeter, her almond-shaped eyes curving into a smile; the raw materials for thirty portions of advanced antidote would be enough for the tribe to use for quite a while.

Zheng Liuli and Nalan Ruo continued to coordinate in the alchemy room, alternating between emerald fire and spiritual fire to refine the Purple Continuation Herb Paste.

The third batch was finally a success, and Zheng Liuli was so happy she nearly knocked over the medicine cauldron.

Xiao Yuqing led the combat team in archery training at the valley entrance, the sound of arrows piercing the air rising one after another.

Pei Yanzhi's production of spiritual cloth had doubled, and twenty sets of change-of-clothes were already being cut.

Everything was getting better.

But Wang Sheng noticed that Shen Xun'er had been somewhat distracted all day.

In the morning, while distributing the spiritual cloth clothing, she had twice given Su Mengyao's size to Zhao Linger.

At noon, when arranging the patrol shifts, she stared at the list for a long time before putting pen to paper.

In the afternoon, she stood alone by the Lingxi River, her long, raven-black hair lifted by the river breeze, her almond eyes gazing into the distance, lost in thought, not even noticing when Wang Sheng walked up to her.

"What are you thinking about?"

Shen Xun'er snapped back to reality, her earlobes turning slightly red, quickly regaining the composure of a High Priestess:

"I'm thinking about the beast path. Liu Ruyan said people pass by regularly, and I'm worried they have already discovered the location of Mist Valley."

Wang Sheng looked into her eyes; there was indeed worry in those almond eyes, but that wasn't all.

There was some other emotion hidden in those moist depths, like an undercurrent beneath the surface of the Lingxi River—invisible power surging beneath the calm water.

He did not press her.

Some people need time to gather courage, just as a Moonlight Priestess needs a full moon to release the strongest moonlight.

Night fell.

The nights at Bright Tribe were much quieter than the days. The Lingxi River murmured, and the embers of the bonfire flickered in the wind.

Murong Xue, on night watch, patrolled the perimeter of the camp, her silver armor gleaming with a cold light under the moonlight.

Wang Sheng returned from inspecting the spiritual fields, walking along the path by the Lingxi River toward the Chiefs Tent.

The moonlight was superb; the moon in the Central Wasteland Region was three times larger than the one on Earth, and silver-white moonlight poured down, shrouding the entire Mist Valley in a dreamlike veil of light.

Broken silver leaped across the surface of the Lingxi River, and the spiritual plants on both banks glowed with a faint fluorescence under the nourishment of the moonlight, the air filled with the distinct, sweet fragrance of spiritual flowers.

The passive skill of the Moonlight Priestess, Blessing of the Moon God, increased combat power by fifty percent at night.

But tonight, what the moonlight bestowed upon Shen Xun'er was not combat power, but something far more precious.

She stood outside the Chiefs Tent.

Wang Sheng stopped ten paces away.

Moonlight poured down from the firmament, spilling onto her without reservation, as if the Moon God had personally draped a silver-white gauze garment over her.

Her long, raven-black hair cascaded to her waist like a waterfall, shimmering with a deep blue luster under the reflection of the moonlight, every strand like black satin strung with silver thread, swaying gently when the night breeze brushed past, carrying the faint, fragrant scent from her body.

She was wearing the new spiritual cloth dress tailored by Pei Yanzhi, the moon-white fabric nearly transparent under the moonlight, outlining her slender yet curvaceous figure:

her slender waist could be encircled by a hand, the curves of her chest rising and falling distinctly in the moonlight,

the hem of her skirt was lifted slightly by the night breeze, revealing her long, fair calves and delicate ankles.

Skin like congealed fat, face like peach blossoms.

These words became so tangible in the moonlight; her skin was almost transparent, like fine mutton-fat jade soaked in milk, glowing with a warm, smooth luster.

A pair of moist, almond-shaped eyes reflected the moonlight filling the sky—three parts gentle, seven parts intelligent, and at this moment, an additional three parts of nervousness she had never shown before others.

She was waiting for him.

Wang Sheng suddenly felt his breathing grow heavy.

It wasn't the combat intuition of a Holy Light Warrior, nor the sense of crisis of the savage world, but a more primitive, more instinctive acceleration of his heartbeat.

Over the past four years, he had seen Shen Xun'er in countless ways: her capability when giving class monitor speeches, her focus in the exam room, her excitement when cheering at ball games, her gentleness by the campfire during camping trips,

but he had never seen her like this.

Under the moonlight, Shen Xun'er was so beautiful she didn't seem real.

It was more like the Moon God had descended to the human world, stopping only for him.

"Shen Xun'er?" He walked over, his voice a few degrees lower than usual.

Shen Xun'er did not speak.

She looked up at him, her almond eyes swirling with too many complex emotions—anticipation, nervousness, shyness, determination—like a glass of wine that had been shaken for too long, ready to spill over at any moment.

Her fingers twisted the hem of her skirt, her knuckles turning slightly white from the effort.

Wang Sheng stood still in front of her, the moonlight blending their shadows together.

He could see her slightly trembling eyelashes, see her tightly pursed lips, and see her chest rising and falling gently from her nervous breathing; the curve was exceptionally moving in the moonlight.

"What's wrong?" he asked softly.

Shen Xun'er took a deep breath.

Then another.

The lung capacity of a Moonlight Priestess far exceeded that of an ordinary person, but she couldn't seem to get enough air.

Four years of words—words pressed into the depths of her heart for four years—were now like a giant boulder blocking her chest, and she needed more courage than ever to push it aside.

She remembered the day of the freshman military training.

The scorching sun of September, the muggy playground, a twenty-kilogram suitcase. She dragged her luggage to the dormitory building, her arms so sore she could barely lift them.

Back then, she didn't know him yet, only seeing a boy walk over from the side, pick up her suitcase without a word, and carry it up to the sixth floor in two or three strides.

"You…" she chased after him, breathless.

"I'm the only boy in the liberal arts class, after all; I have to do some manual labor." He turned back and smiled at her, sweat beads hanging on his forehead, a large patch of his white T-shirt soaked through with sweat.

It was that smile.

That sweat-soaked white T-shirt and that backward glance, that smile, were like a seed that took root in her heart, sprouted, and grew for four years, becoming a towering tree that could no longer be ignored.

For four years, she had stayed by his side in the role of class monitor, stood shoulder-to-shoulder with him with the tacit understanding of a confidant, and used a proper smile to conceal the deepening feelings in her heart.

She thought time would dilute everything, but after crossing over to the savage wilderness, in the days of life-and-death interdependence, that tree had instead grown even more lush and leafy.

When he blocked her from the Beast Tide, when she bandaged his wounds by the campfire,

when he held her hand in the Chiefs Tent and said "I promise you," she had silently repeated the same sentence in her heart.

She had said that sentence countless times, but only ever to herself.

Tonight, the moonlight gave her the final courage.

"Wang Sheng."

Her voice was very soft, yet exceptionally clear, ringing like silver bells in the moonlight.

"I have something that I've hidden for four years."

Wang Sheng looked into her eyes. Moonlight flowed in her almond eyes like broken silver, and those eyes, which were always bright and intelligent, were now covered with a thin layer of mist,

causing all wisdom and composure to fade away, leaving only the purest, most unadorned affection.

Shen Xun'er's hands loosened from the hem of her skirt and hung at her sides, trembling slightly.

She bit her lower lip, those two lips, tinted slightly red by the moonlight, quivered, but no sound came out.

Four years' worth of courage surged like a tide at this moment, but hesitated for an instant before the final dam.

What if he said no? What if this four-year secret crush was just a one-woman show?

But her eyes had already made the decision for her.

Those moist, almond-shaped eyes looked straight at him, without dodging, without retreating, as if she were holding her entire heart in her palms and offering it to him.

A Moonlight Priestess is strongest on a moonlit night, and tonight she was truly the bravest—so brave that even she herself felt like a stranger.

"Wang Sheng, I want to marry you."