339: Chapter 339

On the night Qing Yue decided to accept the task, The Ark was passing through a thin nebula.

Pale purple gas drifted slowly past the window, like a thin veil obscuring the distant stars.

She stood by the window, watching the nebula, holding a cup of milk that had already gone cold.

Hong Yao sat on the bed behind her, hugging a pillow with her chin resting on it.

Qing He leaned against the corner, holding a copy of "Fundamentals of the Common Language of the Cultivation World" bought from the System Store. She flipped through a few pages and put it down; she recognized the characters, but when put together, she had no idea what they meant.

"Qing Yue, what are you thinking about?" Hong Yao's voice was very soft.

Qing Yue did not turn back: "Thinking about the future."

"What about the future?"

Qing Yue turned around to look at Hong Yao, then looked at Qing He.

Hong Yao's eyes were bright under the lights, carrying a sense of uneasy anticipation.

Qing He leaned against the wall, expressionless, but her fingers gently stroked the pages of the book.

"Have you thought about the task?"

Hong Yao hugged her pillow tighter: "If you have decided, then I have decided."

Qing He did not speak, she only nodded.

Qing Yue was silent for a moment, then placed the cup on the table and walked over to sit on the edge of the bed.

The three of them sat side by side, and no one spoke.

The nebula drifted slowly outside the window, its pale purple light shining on their faces, softening the outlines of all three.

"What do you think of Qin Lin?" Qing Yue asked.

Hong Yao thought for a moment: "He saved us, gave us food, clothing, and shelter. Anyway, I don't think he's a bad person."

She paused: "But he's not a Saint either."

Qing He spoke up, her voice low: "The way he looks at us is different from other men. Other men look at us with desire to possess. He looks at us as if he's weighing us... like looking at a Spiritual Plant to see how many batches of pills it can refine."

Qing Yue looked at her, surprised that Qing He would say such a thing.

Qing He was usually the quietest, but she was the most accurate at reading people.

"You're right. He saved us not because he's kind, but because we need him, and he needs us. This is a transaction, a fair transaction."

Hong Yao bit her lip: "Then... are we doing it?"

Qing Yue stood up, walked to the window, and looked at the nebula.

The nebula was beautiful; purple, blue, and pink mixed together like spilled paint.

She watched for a long time, then turned to look at Hong Yao and Qing He.

"We'll do it."

Qing Yue found Qin Lin on the Bridge.

He was looking at a star map, and the holographic screen displayed detailed data on the outer regions of the Tianxuan Galaxy.

When Qing Yue walked in, he did not turn around, but his hand moved away from the star map, and the light points danced at his fingertips a few times before extinguishing.

"Qin Lin." Qing Yue called him.

Qin Lin turned around. Qing Yue stood at the entrance of the Bridge, wearing a white short-sleeved shirt and dark blue shorts, her hair loose and unpinned.

Her legs shimmered with a faint luster under the blue light of the Bridge, white to the point of being almost translucent.

She walked over and sat in the chair opposite Qin Lin, keeping her legs together, her hands on her knees, her back straight.

"I've decided, all three of us are ready to participate in the task."

Qin Lin looked at her. Qing Yue's expression was calm, her gaze steady without flinching.

Having lived on The Ark for so many days, she had learned to treat his gaze as if it were air.

"You've thought it through?"

"I have. What is the first step?"

Qin Lin was stunned for a moment.

He hadn't expected Qing Yue to ask so directly.

On Earth, after every woman boarded the vehicle, the progression of the "Many Children, Many Blessings" task always involved a process: testing, hesitation, and a mix of reluctance and compliance.

Qing Yue had none of that; she treated the task like a procedure: what to do in the first step, what to do in the second step, and what could be gained after completion.

It was like a Cultivator completing a Sect task—clear goals, clear steps, with no superfluous emotions.

Qin Lin took a deep breath, shifted his gaze away from her legs, and looked into her eyes.

"The first step is to establish a bond; simply put, it means becoming my person."

Qing Yue's expression did not change.

She had known about this step for a long time, having seen it in the manual and guessed it from the relationships between the women on The Ark.

"Fine. When?"

Qin Lin looked at her, not knowing what to say.

Qing Yue stood up, walked in front of him, and looked down at him.

She was a bit shorter than him, but her presence was not, standing there like a straight bamboo stalk.

"Tonight, in my room. Don't be late."

She finished speaking and turned to leave.

Qin Lin sat in the chair watching her back disappear around the corner of the corridor, reaching out to touch the white crystal stone in his pocket—warm, and not glowing.

At night, in Qing Yue's room.

When Qin Lin pushed the door open and entered, Qing Yue was sitting on the edge of the bed.

She had already showered; her hair was still wet and draped over her shoulders.

She was wearing a white nightgown, not the kind provided on The Ark, but one she had bought herself from the System Store. The style was simple, with long sleeves and a long skirt, featuring only a small frill around the collar.

She covered her skin tightly, looking like a completely different person from the one who wore shorts and a short-sleeved shirt during the day.

Qin Lin walked in, closed the door, and sat down beside her.

"Are you nervous?" Qin Lin asked her.

Qing Yue shook her head: "Not nervous."

"Then why are you wearing so much?"

Qing Yue looked down at her nightgown, was silent for a moment, then stood up and took it off.

She didn't take it off piece by piece, but pulled it off over her head in one go, with a clean and decisive motion, like shedding a cumbersome cloak on the battlefield.

The nightgown fell to the floor, and she stood in the light, wearing only thin undergarments.

Qin Lin watched her without moving.

Qing Yue's body looked even thinner than when she was clothed; her collarbones were prominent, her ribs faintly visible, but her skin remained that cold, pale color nourished by Spiritual Qi.

There were a few faint scars on her arms—old wounds that had healed long ago.

"How did you get these scars?"

Qing Yue looked down at the scars on her arm: "Fought with Yao Beasts, and also fought with people."

Qin Lin reached out, his fingertips gently touching the longest scar on her arm.

Qing Yue did not flinch, just watched him.

His fingers traced slowly along the line of the scar, from her wrist to her elbow.

The scar no longer hurt, but she could still feel the warmth of his fingertips.

"Does it still hurt?"

"It doesn't hurt anymore."

Qin Lin withdrew his hand and stood up.

Qing Yue watched his movements, thinking he was about to leave, and her fingers unconsciously gripped the bedsheet.

But Qin Lin did not leave. He cupped her face and lowered his head to kiss her.

Qing Yue's lips were cool and soft, carrying a hint of mint toothpaste.

She closed her eyes, her eyelashes trembling slightly, but her body did not move, and she did not raise her hands.

Qin Lin kissed her for a while, then pulled back slightly to look at her.

"Qing Yue."

"Hmm."

"You can relax a bit; this isn't a battle."

Qing Yue opened her eyes and looked at him.

She did not speak, but her hands slowly rose and rested on his waist.

Her fingers curled, without applying any force.