75: Love blossoms on a stormy night

The two of them chatted casually like this, with Situ Jun occasionally cracking witty jokes that made Chen Yufei cover her mouth and chuckle, her silver bell-like laughter echoing inside the carriage.

Outside the carriage, the afterglow of the setting sun spilled across the earth, dyeing the entire carriage in warm tones, as if adding a touch of romance to the ambiguous atmosphere.

A long time passed.

Chen Yufei was touched by his words, a flicker of emotion flashing in her eyes. After hesitating for a moment, she said:

"If the Immortal Master does not mind, you may follow us back to the manor to recuperate."

She lowered her head and twisted her handkerchief, her voice as faint as a mosquito's buzz:

"There is an old physician at my family's manor who will surely..."

"Then I shall trouble you, Madam."

Situ Jun quickly interjected, staring at her with burning eyes:

"But I wonder if Madam could... personally look after me?"

Chen Yufei suddenly looked up, her gaze crashing into the young man's deeply affectionate eyes.

Outside the carriage, the setting sun shone obliquely, plating Situ Jun's sharp-featured profile with a layer of warm light. His pale face actually revealed a hint of sickly beauty.

She hurriedly looked away, even the pearls on her hairpin trembling slightly:

"Immortal Master, you are heavily injured, to say such things..."

"This injury of mine, I fear only Madam can heal it."

Situ Jun ignored the stinging pain in his Meridians and forced himself to sit up, leaning a few inches closer.

Chen Yufei could clearly smell the faint scent of sandalwood on him, mixed with a light metallic tang of blood; it unexpectedly made her heart flutter.

The carriage suddenly jolted violently. Chen Yufei let out a cry of surprise, her body leaning forward uncontrollably.

Situ Jun was quick to react, wrapping his arm around her waist. The distance between them closed instantly.

As their breaths intertwined, Chen Yufei looked at the handsome face inches away. Her heart pounded like a drum, and even her earlobes burned hot.

"Be careful, Madam."

Situ Jun's voice was low and husky, his warm breath brushing against her ear.

Chen Yufei pushed him away in a panic, but she forgot that the other person was an injured patient who was deliberately showing weakness. Situ Jun took the opportunity to fall backward, letting out a muffled groan.

"Immortal Master!"

Seeing this, Chen Yufei ignored her shyness and hurriedly leaned over to check on him:

"Did I hurt your old wound?"

Situ Jun suppressed a smile and grabbed her wrist in return:

"It is no matter, it is just..."

He paused, his gaze so gentle it could practically turn into water:

"If Madam were willing to change my medicine every day, this injury would surely heal faster."

Chen Yufei's face turned completely red, like a ripe peach.

She tried to pull her hand back, only to find it held tightly. The young man's teasing whisper reached her ears:

"Madam's jade bracelet, paired with this jade-like skin, is truly beautiful..."

Before he finished speaking, Situ Jun leaned his head on her shoulder, his hot breath brushing past her ear:

"Leaning on this fragrant shoulder is much more comfortable than the carriage wall."

The afterglow filtered through the carriage curtain onto their overlapping shadows, plating them with a sweet beauty.

Chen Yufei looked at her sleeping daughter in her arms, then at Situ Jun who was resting his eyes on her shoulder; her heart hammered like a drum.

She never thought that after surviving a disaster, she would encounter such a bold man who made her heart so restless.

Situ Jun quietly opened his eyes. Looking at Chen Yufei's reddened earlobes, a successful smirk curled at the corner of his mouth.

He deliberately nudged closer to her, his arm inadvertently encircling her waist. Amidst her startled soft cry, he murmured in a low voice:

"Madam's heartbeat is even more unsettling than thunder."

The sky grew darker, and the group found a patch of open ground to begin setting up tents and cooking.

Soon, darkness fell. Except for a few people on night watch, everyone else entered their tents to sleep.

Because he was "injured," Situ Jun shamelessly stayed in the carriage and did not take the initiative to get down. Since the space inside the carriage was large, Chen Yufei was too embarrassed to drive him out to the tents, so she simply made a large space for him to sleep.

The night was as dark as ink, and the two of them chatted intermittently.

Suddenly, muffled thunder echoed outside, and raindrops as large as beans pelted the carriage roof, making a pitter-patter sound.

Situ Jun took the opportunity to grab Chen Yufei's wrist:

"Do not be afraid, Madam, I am here."

The warmth from his palm surged up Chen Yufei's cheek through her Bloodline. She wanted to pull her hand back but could not break free.

"Immortal Master, your injury..."

Before Chen Yufei could finish, Situ Jun suddenly pulled her into his arms.

The moment the carriage curtain was blown open by the gale, he used his own back to block the splashing muddy water, his hair brushing against her ear as he whispered:

"I will hold down the curtain."

The rain outside grew heavier, but the carriage was filled with a suffocatingly ambiguous atmosphere. Even the little girl, woken by the thunder, covered her eyes and giggled:

"So embarrassing, Big Brother and Mommy are hugging!"

Hearing this, Chen Yufei felt her cheeks burn, wishing she could find a crack in the floor to crawl into. Fortunately, it was dark inside the carriage, so her blushing face could not be seen clearly.

She gently broke free from Situ Jun's embrace and tucked the little girl in with the quilt.

Situ Jun pinched a hand seal to add a defensive spirit talisman to the carriage, and immediately the wind and rain no longer drifted inside.

He then took another quilt from his Storage Pouch to cover both himself and Chen Yufei. Chen Yufei's face instantly turned crimson; she wanted to refuse but did not know how.

After a short while, Situ Jun quietly shifted his body closer and embraced her from behind.

Chen Yufei was startled:

"Immortal Master, you..."

Situ Jun leaned into her ear and whispered:

"Keep it down, don't wake Tang Tang."

Hearing this, Chen Yufei struggled slightly, but seeing it was futile, she let Situ Jun have his way.

After a while, Tang Tang's even breathing sounded; she must have fallen fast asleep.

The night grew deeper. The sound of raindrops outside hitting leaves and the carriage roof continued to pitter-patter, yet it could not mask the hurried breathing inside the carriage.

Situ Jun's hand had reached into her clothes at some unknown point.

Chen Yufei was shocked and instinctively raised her hand to push Situ Jun away, but Situ Jun held her even tighter.

Gradually, Chen Yufei stopped struggling, but her body grew feverish.

"Immortal Master, you..."

Chen Yufei was both ashamed and angry.

Situ Jun acted as if he didn't hear her. He gently turned her body over from its back-facing position and stared straight into her eyes.

Chen Yufei's face was crimson, filled with bashfulness.

Seeing Situ Jun's face getting closer and closer, Chen Yufei did not dare to cry out, fearing she would wake her daughter.

When their lips touched, an intense emotion like a surging tide made their hearts tremble violently, and they could not help but embrace each other tightly.

Chen Yufei's gorgeous red lips exhaled a sweet breath, which, within this narrow carriage, intertwined into a moving musical movement of passion.

The vegetation outside was lashed by the wind and rain, drowning out the music inside the carriage. When the song ended and the two were in each other's arms, Situ Jun glanced at the System's prompt:

[Ding! Congratulations to the Host for obtaining a Dao Companion. Reward: 5 years of Cultivation. Host's Cultivation has advanced to the Peak Early Golden Core Stage.]

[Ding! Congratulations to the Host's Dao Companion for stepping onto the threshold of cultivation. Reward: 500 heavenly luck value.]

[Ding! Congratulations to the Host's Dao Companion, Chen Yufei, for her favorability rising to 80. Reward: 1,000 Low-grade Spirit Stones.]

[Ding! Because the 'Dragon-Phoenix Grand Derivation True Scripture' has been promoted to a Profound-grade Cultivation Technique, the Host's attraction to the opposite sex has increased. Similarly, high-beauty members of the opposite sex will also attract the Host. Please be advised.]

Situ Jun secretly breathed a sigh of relief, finally understanding why he had fallen for Chen Yufei so quickly.

He glanced at the beauty in his arms and silently thought to open the hundred flowers diagram:

[Name: Chen Yufei]

[Age: 32]

[Identity: Daughter of the Chen Family of East Lin City]

[Score: 89 (Note: Cultivation and Physique are also included in the score)]

[Cultivation: Third Layer of Body Refining]

[Physique: None]

[Favorability: 80]

[heavenly luck value: 2,000]

[Recent Evaluation: Seeking refuge with her maternal family in East Lin City; body and mind conquered by Situ Jun]

The rain gradually subsided, and moonlight leaked in through the gaps in the carriage curtain, plating a layer of silver gauze over Chen Yufei's crimson cheeks. The teardrops condensed on her eyelashes were like un-melted snow, making those shimmering almond eyes appear even more pitiable and moving.