154: accompany

Situ Jun boarded the carriage, swept his Divine Sense across the surroundings, and drove the horse toward a small path in the distant dense forest.

Inside the carriage, Jiang Yumei was looking out with a suspicious expression as she lifted the curtain.

"Hey, this isn't the way to East Lin City, is it? Where are you taking me?"

Situ Jun looked back and smiled.

"Naturally not. Didn't you say I was neglecting you? Today, I shall properly accompany you."

"Accompany me? Couldn't you accompany me on the way to East Lin City?" Jiang Yumei blinked, looking confused.

"That's different."

He smiled slightly and continued driving the carriage along the winding path. Before long, they arrived at a dried-up riverbed covered in a sea of flowers.

Flowers of various colors intertwined with lush green grass, winding through the dense forest like colorful ribbons.

Jiang Yumei blinked, lifted the curtain, and sat beside Situ Jun. Gazing at the beautiful scenery before her, she said softly:

"It's so beautiful... If only you could always accompany me to watch this."

Situ Jun pulled her soft waist into his arms, letting her lean against his shoulder as they gazed at the sea of flowers together.

"There will be opportunities."

In the dense forest, the morning mist gradually dissipated. Droplets of water condensed on the flower petals, shining like a vast sea of stars under the morning light, as if the stars from the sky had fallen into the sea of flowers.

After a long while.

Jiang Yumei hugged Situ Jun tightly and nuzzled into his chest, her voice as light as a sigh.

"I severed ties with the Qian Family long ago and have been living at the Hundred Herbs Hall, waiting for you to come. But you..."

Before she could finish, Situ Jun's heart trembled slightly. He looked down at her.

"Why didn't you send a voice transmission to me?"

Jiang Yumei looked up, her breath as fragrant as orchids, a sweet scent brushing against his face.

"You just became the City Lord and are busy with many affairs. I didn't want to disturb you, nor did I want to attract gossip to you. It wasn't until I heard you were leaving this morning that I couldn't hold back anymore..."

Before she could finish, Situ Jun lowered his head and silenced her words with a kiss.

A gentle breeze blew past, causing ripples in the sea of flowers. Bursts of floral fragrance, carrying a sweet scent, diffused through the air.

After a long while.

Situ Jun casually set up a concealment Formation and carried the limp Jiang Yumei into the carriage.

Jiang Yumei's eyes shimmered with a hint of bashfulness as she shot him a look, yet she submissively allowed him to proceed.

Before long, crisp birdsong echoed through the forest, and butterflies fluttered among the flowers, a scene full of vitality... As the sun reached its zenith, sunlight filtered through the gaps in the leaves, dyeing the area covered by the Formation in a warm gold.

A Cloud-Treading Colt lay at the edge of the Formation, flicking its tail and dozing off, completely unbothered by the restraint of its reins, as if it too were intoxicated by this rare moment of tranquility.

The light inside the carriage was filtered by the Formation into a soft glow like shimmering moonlight. The air was filled with the residual medicinal fragrance of a Clear Spirit Pill, mixed with the scent of cosmetics drifting from Jiang Yumei's hair, weaving together into a soft, warm net that made one's heart sway.

Jiang Yumei lay limp in Situ Jun's arms. The pearl tassels at her temples hung down, and as they brushed against his wrist, they brought a slight itch, like a feather lightly scratching the tip of his heart.

She had just been kissed until her breathing was ragged. Now, her long eyelashes trembled like butterfly wings, and her eyes still held a lingering bashfulness, yet she stubbornly tilted her chin up to glare at him.

"You... you're cheating. You promised to accompany me to see the sea of flowers."

Situ Jun's fingertips lightly brushed over her flushed cheeks, a hint of playfulness hidden in his smile.

"The sea of flowers is outside. I am looking at you."

These words were so blunt that Jiang Yumei's ears instantly burned. She turned her face away abruptly, only to have him gently pinch her chin and turn it back.

The moment their eyes met, her eyes—which usually held a bit of shrewdness and charm—were now covered in a layer of mist, filled with bashfulness and dependence.

She raised her hand to hook onto his lapel, her fingertips tightening unconsciously, as if afraid this moment of tenderness would dissipate like the morning mist.

"Situ..."

She murmured his name, her voice as soft as if it were soaked in honey, the end of her words trembling slightly, and her fingertips instinctively gripped the fabric over his chest.

Situ Jun lowered his head, his kiss first landing on the tip of her brow with a gentle cherish, then sliding down the bridge of her nose to linger and grind against the corner of her lips.

"Affairs in North Border City are complicated; I have neglected you."

His voice was low and raspy, carrying a trace of imperceptible apology.

"It won't happen again."

Jiang Yumei's eyelashes trembled. She suddenly raised her arms to hook around his neck, actively leaning in, her orchid-like breath brushing against his jaw.

"Then you must compensate me."

"Oh?"

Situ Jun raised an eyebrow, his fingertips slowly moving up her waistline with a burning temperature.

"I wonder what kind of compensation Great Alchemist Jiang wants?"

His touch made Jiang Yumei's whole body tremble, yet she stubbornly did not pull away. Instead, she puffed out her chest, a flash of craftiness in her eyes.

"I want you... to never forget me again."

Before she could finish, she suddenly let out a soft cry—Situ Jun had taken the opportunity to pick her up horizontally, letting her sit steadily on his lap.

The space in the carriage wasn't large to begin with. Being this close, their heartbeats were clearly audible, pounding in their ears like drums.

Jiang Yumei could feel the warmth coming from him, as well as that reassuring scent of light cedar. All her previous grievances and waiting now turned into a sweetness winding through her heart.

She raised her hand to stroke his cheek, her finger pads rubbing against the line of his jaw as she said softly:

"Do you know, that time we were refining pills at the Hundred Herbs Hall, my heart already belonged to you. I fell hopelessly in love with you."

Situ Jun's heart stirred slightly. He took her hand and pressed a light kiss to it.

"I know."

His kiss carried an irresistible tenderness, moving up from the back of her hand, passing her wrist, and stopping at her pulse.

It was beating fast and urgently, like a restless little rabbit hidden there.

Jiang Yumei was kissed until her whole body felt soft. She involuntarily shrank into his arms, her skirt sliding up a bit from the friction, revealing a section of her calf as white as jade, shimmering with a soft luster under the gentle light.

"Don't..."

She pushed him with unsteady breath, but her fingertips were too soft to have any strength.

Situ Jun let out a low laugh and suddenly picked her up horizontally, gently placing her on the cushioned carriage seat.

Sunlight shone through the gaps in the carriage curtains, casting mottled shadows on her face, making those shimmering eyes look even more moving, like they were filled with spring water.

He leaned in close, his nose almost touching hers.

"Yumei,"

He called her name, his voice carrying an unprecedented seriousness.

"Affairs in North Border City are complicated; I have neglected you. And East Lin City might not be safe, so I cannot take you there either. But when I return, we will never be apart again."

Jiang Yumei looked at his face so close at hand, suddenly reached out to encircle his neck, and actively leaned in to meet him.

This time, the kiss was no longer just a light taste; it carried the longing and affection accumulated over a long time, so fiery it felt as if it would melt them both within this small carriage.

The Formation outside the carriage fluctuated slightly, tightly concealing the activity inside and isolating everything from the outside world.

The Cloud-Treading Colt snorted, changed its posture, and continued its deep sleep, as if it had long since grown accustomed to its master's "mischief."

Inside the carriage, the rustling sound of clothes falling and suppressed soft moans intertwined, accompanied by the occasional birdsong from outside the window, composing a lingering melody amidst this deserted sea of flowers in the dense forest.