487: Chapter 487 The moonlight is just right, and the bed warmer is really pretty.

The sky gradually darkened, the last trace of afterglow disappeared behind the ridge, and the moon rose from the east, casting a cold, clear radiance.

Xu Ruyu and Xiao Nianyin found a secluded valley.

This valley was hidden deep within a dense forest, surrounded on all sides by lush ancient trees, their branches and leaves layered thick, blocking the sky completely.

If one were not looking down from the air, it would be impossible to discover this clearing.

In the valley, there was a small patch of flat grassland, the grass already withered and yellow, feeling soft and cushiony underfoot.

Beside it was a small stream, the water seeping out from between the rocks to form a thin trickle, making a tinkling sound that was exceptionally clear in the silent night.

Xiao Nianyin helped Xu Ruyu sit down under a large tree.

Xu Ruyu leaned against the trunk and exhaled a long breath.

After twenty-eight days of being chased, his body had nearly reached its limit. Now that he relaxed, every muscle was crying out in pain, and every bone was protesting.

Xiao Nianyin crouched beside him, hesitated for a moment, then reached out and placed her hand gently on his shoulder, beginning to massage it.

Her movements were very light and clumsy, but they had improved a lot since before.

Her finger technique was precise, and the strength was just right; clearly, she had practiced quite a bit on the way here.

Xu Ruyu closed his eyes, leaning against the tree trunk, feeling so comfortable that he almost groaned aloud.

He felt the warmth from Xiao Nianyin's fingertips and her steady, moderate pressure, as if his exhaustion was being kneaded away bit by bit.

"Not bad, not bad," he opened his eyes, turned his head to look at her with a smile on his lips, "Your technique has improved a lot compared to before."

"Compared to those methods you use to kill enemies, I actually prefer this technique of yours for massaging shoulders and pounding legs."

Xiao Nianyin did not speak, only kept her head lowered, continuing to massage.

The moonlight filtered through the treetops, casting a soft halo of light upon her face.

Between her brows, the usual coldness and arrogance had diminished, replaced by an indescribable, gentle beauty.

It was a tenderness that seeped from the marrow of her bones—not deliberate, not feigned, but a natural expression.

The once high-and-mighty, cold-as-ice Sect Master of Hehuan Sect was now just like an ordinary woman, massaging the shoulders of the man she loved.

Xu Ruyu stared fixedly at her.

Xiao Nianyin felt a bit embarrassed by his gaze and said in a low voice, "What are you looking at?"

Xu Ruyu laughed, his smile full of teasing, "Of course I am looking at my Bed-warming maid."

"I must say, you as you are now are the Xiao Nianyin I am willing to see."

"The previous you was too cold, too hard, like a block of thousand-year ice; one touch would freeze your hand."

"You are much better now, you have warmth, you are like a living person."

Xiao Nianyin raised her head and glared at him, but there was no anger in her eyes, only an indescribable, shy annoyance.

Her cheeks were slightly flushed, appearing especially beautiful and charming in the moonlight.

"Who is your Bed-warming maid?" she chided, "If you keep talking nonsense, I won't massage you anymore."

Xu Ruyu laughed heartily, "Alright, alright, I won't say it, I won't say it."

"You continue, you continue."

Xiao Nianyin hummed, lowered her head, and continued to massage his shoulders.

But the corners of her mouth curled up slightly, revealing a subtle, barely noticeable smile.

That smile was very faint, so faint it was almost imperceptible, but Xu Ruyu saw it.

He did not point it out, but simply closed his eyes, enjoying the tranquility of this moment.

Having been chased for twenty-eight days, he had hardly had a chance to rest properly.

At this moment, Xiao Nianyin's fingers gently pressed on his shoulders, the warm sensation making his whole body relax, and exhaustion surged over him like a tide.

He wanted to sleep, but he did not want to sleep.

He wanted to enjoy it a little longer, to feel this rare warmth for a little while more.

Xiao Nianyin's hands moved from his shoulders to his back, gently pounding.

Her movements were very light and slow, as if she were afraid of hurting him.

Her fingertips grazed across his back, bringing with them a hint of coolness and a touch of tenderness.

"Xiao Nianyin," Xu Ruyu suddenly spoke, his voice very soft, "These past few days of being chased by that old rascal Tian Jianzi, I have gained a new understanding of the Saint Realm."

"I feel like I am about to have a Breakthrough."

Xiao Nianyin's fingers paused slightly, and she looked up at him.

Her brows furrowed slightly, and a trace of worry flashed in her eyes.

"A Breakthrough?" she asked, "What is your current Realm?"

Xu Ruyu thought for a moment and said, "Early Saint Realm."

"I was previously at the Half-step Saint Realm, but later, while being chased and forced to run by that Tian Jianzi, I was comprehending things as I ran, and I made a Breakthrough without realizing it."

"Now I am at the Early Saint Realm."

"But I feel that I can go even further."

Xiao Nianyin's expression changed slightly.

The Early Saint Realm was a Realm that many Cultivators could not reach even in a lifetime of trying.

Yet Xu Ruyu, a young man in his early twenties, had already reached the Early Saint Realm, and was planning to continue with a Breakthrough.

She had spent hundreds of years Cultivating just to reach the Saint Realm Peak.

And he had only used a few months.

"Are you sure?" she asked, her voice carrying a trace of worry, "Your body hasn't recovered yet, and your spiritual power hasn't fully recovered either. Isn't it too risky to have a Breakthrough now? What if something goes wrong..."