Where Are You

..........

When Gu Chengyin woke up, the first thing he felt was a soft and warm sensation at the back of his head.

It was not a brocade mattress, nor a soft pillow, but some kind of supple support that carried body heat.

His vision was blurry at first, as if veiled by a thin mist.

As it gradually cleared, a small patch of the carriage's wooden roof came into view.

As for why it was only a small patch.

That was because most of his field of vision was blocked.

Gu Chengyin blinked. After adapting to the light, he realized that he was resting his head on Lin Qingyan's lap.

Looking up from this angle, he could only see the obscured roof of the carriage, and the obstruction itself.

And Lin Qingyan's slightly lowered face, gazing down at him.

That face was breathtakingly beautiful in the light.

Her usually cold and aloof features were now rippling with a tenderness Gu Chengyin had never seen before.

Her eyes, usually as indifferent as a freezing pool, had lost their former distance, replaced instead by a sense of satisfaction.

Yes, satisfaction.

Like a cat that had successfully stolen a treat, lazily basking in the sun, in an incredibly good mood.

Gu Chengyin's heart skipped a beat.

He subconsciously raised a hand to rub his forehead, his tone carrying obvious confusion:

Aunt, what just happened?

Gu Chengyin remembered... he seemed to be talking with Lin Qingyan in the carriage. She said she wanted to try weakening her inner demon, he said it wasn't a suitable time, and then...

And then what?

His memory broke off right there.

It was as if a segment had been forcibly cut out by someone. One second he was talking, and the next he was waking up on her lap.

What happened in between?

A complete blank.

Seeing Gu Chengyin wake up, the gentle smile on Lin Qingyan's face deepened.

She leaned in close, her arms naturally wrapping around him, and gently rested her chin against his forehead.

Her voice was lazy, carrying a satiated softness:

Sorry.

Didn't I say earlier that I wanted to try weakening the inner demon? But later...

Lin Qingyan pulled back slightly, putting a little distance between them. Her eyes darted away guiltily for a moment, but quickly returned to a gentle smile:

Because I was too nervous, I accidentally knocked you out with electricity.

Gu Chengyin: ...

He opened his mouth to say something, but swallowed the words back down.

He did indeed have an impression of Lin Qingyan saying she wanted to try.

But as for what happened after...

He truly couldn't remember a single thing.

Could it really be as Lin Qingyan said, that she was too nervous and accidentally shocked him unconscious?

This sounded...

It actually fit Lin Qingyan's style.

After all, this wasn't the first time such a thing had happened.

Moreover, the sore and numb sensation at the back of his neck right now really did feel like the residual paralysis of being struck by a lightning technique.

Therefore, even though Gu Chengyin felt something wasn't quite right.

He still reluctantly accepted this explanation.

He rubbed the back of his neck, trying to recall the details before being knocked out, but his mind remained completely blank.

Right at this moment, Lin Qingyan pressed close again.

This time, she practically curled her entire body into Gu Chengyin's embrace.

With her arms around his neck and her cheek pressed against the side of his neck, her voice was so soft it could drip water:

Sorry, it was my fault this time. I promise there won't be a next time.

Lin Qingyan paused, tilting her face up to look at Gu Chengyin.

Those usually cold eyes rippled with a pleading, soft light:

Will you forgive me?

Gu Chengyin froze.

Not because of this embrace, nor because of this apology.

But because of Lin Qingyan's state.

It was too abnormal.

Was the woman before him still the cold and aloof Jingzhe of the Heavenly Master Mansion?

This gaze so gentle it could almost drown someone, this tone as lazy as a cat that just woke up, this clingy posture wrapping around him like a vine.

Which part of this resembled Lin Qingyan herself?

Alarm bells rang wildly in Gu Chengyin's mind.

He instinctively wanted to push Lin Qingyan away, to confirm if she was being controlled by her inner demon.

But just as he raised his arm, it stopped in mid-air.

No.

When in her inner demon state, Lin Qingyan's eyes would be an eerie blood-red, her voice sweet and husky, and her actions driven by lust.

But the Lin Qingyan in front of him had clear black eyes. Although her voice was soft, it still carried her unique cold texture, and though her actions were intimate, they did not cross the line.

She seemed more like a Lin Qingyan who had dropped all her defenses and relaxed.

But this was actually even more terrifying.

Because Gu Chengyin had never seen Lin Qingyan like this.

In his impression, Lin Qingyan was always high and mighty, cold and self-possessed.

A Golden Core Fairy who, even when occasionally showing warmth, still maintained a degree of distance.

She would not press close and act spoiled like this, nor would she speak in such a borderline pleading tone.

And she certainly wouldn't... reveal this kind of laziness and satiation after being satisfied.

This was too bizarre.

So bizarre that cold sweat began to form on Gu Chengyin's back.

He carefully sat up, his voice carrying an obvious probing tone:

Aunt? Did something happen?

Gu Chengyin's gaze was sharp, trying to find even the slightest flaw in Lin Qingyan's eyes.

But Lin Qingyan's eyes were as clean as a clear spring.

No guilt, no evasion, only... shyness?

Her cheeks were slightly flushed, and the tips of her ears were dyed a faint pink.

Her long eyelashes drooped, the shadows trembling slightly with her blinking, the frequency a bit faster than usual.

Was she embarrassed?

Gu Chengyin felt even more that something was wrong.

Lin Qingyan felt a bit uncomfortable being stared at. She turned her face away and coughed lightly.

In that split second, the gentle expression on her face rapidly receded like the tide.

Replacing it was the indifference that Gu Chengyin was familiar with, the kind that kept people thousands of miles away.

Lin Qingyan sat up straight again, adjusted her slightly messy collar, and raised a hand to tuck the stray hairs scattered by her cheeks behind her ear.

Then she raised her eyes, glanced at Gu Chengyin, and her voice returned to a tone devoid of emotion:

Nothing happened.

You were just knocked out by my electricity, that's all.

After saying that, Lin Qingyan even frowned slightly.

As if she felt this matter was a bit troublesome, but not worth explaining too much:

I will pay attention to controlling my power next time.

Gu Chengyin: ...

He looked at Lin Qingyan, who had instantly changed her face right before his eyes, and for a moment didn't know what to say.

The gentle and clingy one just now was her, and the cold and aloof one now was also her.

Which one was the real her?

Or could it be... both were?

Gu Chengyin couldn't figure it out.

But he knew that pressing the issue wouldn't yield any results.

Because Lin Qingyan clearly didn't want to say.

So Gu Chengyin could only suppress the doubts in his heart and nod:

That's good then.

During that period of time just now, something he didn't know about had definitely happened.

But as for what exactly happened, I'm afraid only Lin Qingyan knows.

By the way, Aunt, where are we now?

Lin Qingyan fell silent for a moment, seemingly identifying their location, before speaking lightly:

We are almost at Luodu.

Luodu?

Gu Chengyin was stunned.

Didn't he remember that the convoy had just left Dawn City?

And they were already arriving at Luodu?

Just how long had he been unconscious?