113: Chapter 133 Xu Ruyu Takes the Initiative, Xiao Nianyin Accepts Shyly

The night was as deep as ink, and Ningyin Hall was shrouded in a blanket of silence. Only the faint, clear glow from the shadow-reflecting stones hanging at the eaves cast mottled shadows upon the bluestone floor.

Inside the Side Hall, Xu Ruyu sat on the edge of the bed, having sat there motionless for a full two hours.

In his mind, the last few words from Lady Qingli echoed repeatedly— "The initiative lies with you," "You must take the initiative to transfer it back to her," and "Do you dare to go tonight?"

Did he dare?

Xu Ruyu asked himself.

This was not a simple question of "to go or not to go."

This was about stepping into the most private Domain of a Saint Realm Power, about… actively doing the thing he had once passively endured, but now had to proactively perform.

But what if he didn't do it?

Xiao Nianyin's aged and haggard Face, those weary, almost desperate eyes, appeared before his eyes once more.

Thirty years of Lifespan were slipping away, second by second.

With every day of delay, her vitality weakened, bringing her one step closer to death.

Xu Ruyu took a deep breath and slowly stood up.

He walked to the window and pushed open the lattice. The night wind, carrying a chill, rushed against his Face, clearing his feverish mind slightly.

Outside the window, the bright moon hung high, and its cold, clear light spilled into the courtyard, plating everything in silver-white.

The silhouette of the Main Hall appeared even colder and more desolate in the moonlight, like a silent iceberg.

Xu Ruyu's gaze finally settled on the tightly closed door of the Main Hall.

He knew that behind this door tonight, there was also someone waiting—perhaps waiting for his arrival, perhaps waiting for a miracle, or perhaps… simply waiting for death to arrive.

"Revered Master…"

Xu Ruyu murmured in a low voice, and the last trace of hesitation in his eyes finally dissipated completely.

He turned, walked to the door, and gently pushed open the door of the Side Hall, his figure blending into the night like a ghost.

Inside the Main Hall, it was even darker than in the Side Hall.

All the shadow-reflecting stones had been deliberately extinguished, and only the faint moonlight seeping through the gaps in the high lattice cast a few weak bands of light on the floor.

Xiao Nianyin lay on the brocade quilt and jade bed, tossing and turning.

She had been in this position for a long time.

Her moon-white Sect Master robe had long been removed, replaced by a thin, plain undergarment. Yet even so, the body beneath the undergarment was visibly much thinner—the inevitable result of her vitality fading and her spiritual power dissipating.

She lay on her side, facing away from the direction of the hall door, her eyes wide open but devoid of any focus.

Lady Qingli's words echoed repeatedly in her mind as well.

"You cannot lower your Face."

"You are afraid."

"If he does not take the initiative, you can only wait for death."

Every word stung her heart like a needle.

Yes, she could not lower your Face.

She was Xiao Nianyin, the Hehuan Sect Revered Master, the "Ice Beauty" whom everyone in the Cultivation World revered. For thousands of years, when had she ever bowed her head to anyone? When had she ever proactively begged anyone?

Let alone…

But…

Xiao Nianyin's hand unconsciously tightened around the brocade quilt beneath her.

Did she want to restore her cultivation?

She dreamed of it.

These days, the pain of losing all her cultivation was like a maggot on the bone, gnawing away at her pride and dignity day and night.

She dared not leave Ningyin Hall, dared not see anyone, and even dared not let the outside world know her true condition.

She was like a prisoner, confined in this cold palace, watching helplessly as she fell from the clouds into the mud, descending from a peerless beauty to a frail old woman.

And Xu Ruyu…

That young man was her only hope now.

Those fragments of Saint Realm Power were inside him; that was the key to restoring her cultivation.

As long as she took them back, she could return to her Peak, and perhaps… even turn misfortune into a blessing, achieving a Breakthrough to a higher Realm.

But how could she take them?

Like before, sneaking in every night, attempting to forcibly extract them using dual cultivation methods?

She had already tried; it was useless. Not only was it useless, but it seemed to be accelerating the loss.

Lady Qingli was right—the initiative was no longer in her hands.

Unless… Xu Ruyu gave it to her voluntarily.

"Will he come?"

In the darkness, Xiao Nianyin asked herself softly.

The voice was very soft, so soft that only she could hear it.

She did not know.

She did not even know if she hoped he would come or hoped he would not.

If he came, it meant she had to put down all her pride and reserve…

If he did not come, it meant she could only continue to wait for death, exhausting her last trace of vitality in loneliness and despair.

Of these two outcomes, which was harder for her to accept?

Xiao Nianyin could not tell.

She only knew that her heart was beating very fast, very fast. That nervousness and anxiety were something she had never experienced in her hundreds of years of cultivation.

Time passed slowly in the darkness.

She did not know how long had passed—

"Creak."

An extremely faint, almost inaudible sound of a door being pushed open came from the direction of the hall door.

Xiao Nianyin stiffened!

She felt it.

Someone had come in.

The footsteps were very light, very slow, as if testing the waters, hesitating.

But that aura… she was very familiar with it.

It was Xu Ruyu.

He had really come.

Xiao Nianyin's heart felt as if it were about to jump out of her chest at this moment. She closed her eyes tightly, her body trembling uncontrollably.

He was here.

He had come.

The footsteps drew closer and closer.

Finally, they stopped before the bed.

Xiao Nianyin could feel a gaze falling upon her. That gaze was complex, filled with hesitation, nervousness, worry, and also… a kind of determination she could not decipher.

Then—

The bed sank slightly.

Someone had come up.

Xiao Nianyin still kept her eyes closed, her back to the person who had arrived.

She could feel a hand gently resting on her shoulder.

That hand was somewhat cold, somewhat trembling.

"Mas…ter?"

Xu Ruyu's voice rang out in the darkness, carrying obvious nervousness and hesitation.

Xiao Nianyin did not respond.

She did not know how to respond.

That hand paused, then slowly moved downward, brushing over her arm, and finally, landed on her waist.

Then—

A force came.

Xiao Nianyin was gently turned over, moving from lying on her side to lying flat on her back.

She still kept her eyes closed, not daring to open them.

She could feel Xu Ruyu's breath getting closer and closer… Finally, a warm body pressed down on top of her.

Heavy.

But it was not uncomfortable.

"Revered Master…"

Xu Ruyu's voice was right by her ear, his warm breath blowing against her earlobe, causing a fine layer of goosebumps to break out all over her body.

"This Disciple… is being offensive."

The moment his words fell, Xiao Nianyin felt her collar being gently pulled open.

A chill struck her skin.

But she did not stop him.

She was even… looking forward to it.

In the darkness, everything became exceptionally clear.

She could feel Xu Ruyu's hands trembling, could feel his heart beating like a drum, could feel the stiffness of his body.

But in the end, all that trembling and nervousness turned into actual action.

The moment Xu Ruyu entered, Xiao Nianyin finally could not help it, and a suppressed whimper escaped from deep within her throat.

It was not pain.

It was a kind of… surging feeling she had never experienced before.