Just Give Me a Hug

The sky lit up.

As Lin Qingyan's voice of judgment fell, the entire night sky over Luodu suddenly exploded into broad daylight.

Gu Chengyin tilted his head up. The blinding light stung his pupils, yet he did not blink.

He watched Lin Qingyan hovering at the highest point of the firmament, countless golden lightning swords materializing around her all at once.

Like a thousand-petaled golden lotus unfurling simultaneously, each petal was a lightning sword tempered by heavenly tribulation.

The blades were transparent as glazed glass, their spines branded with ancient lightning runes, and their tips flickered with blazing white arcs of electricity.

Lin Qingyan stood at the center of this cluster of a thousand swords. Her long hair cascaded like a waterfall, and her robes fluttered wildly in the wind.

Her eye sockets were entirely filled with incandescent lightning. Irises, pupils, and sclerae were all erased, leaving only two pools of molten suns.

Her lips parted slightly.

There was no sound.

Yet it felt like the final ultimatum before a heavenly tribulation descended upon the world.

A thousand swords shot forth in unison.

Every lightning sword vanished abruptly three feet away from Lin Qingyan, only to reappear in the next instant three feet behind the three fleeing dark figures.

It forced the three Golden Core cultivators to burn their spiritual energy with reckless abandon, dragging blinding trails of light behind them.

In a mere fraction of a second, only a blur of afterimages remained.

The light dissipated.

The night sky plunged back into darkness.

A darkness far denser than ordinary night.

For the judgment just now had been too intense, so intense that the entirety of Luodu had lost its color in that brief moment.

No one knew the final outcome.

Whether the three dark figures died or escaped, whether they perished or were heavily injured, everything was swallowed entirely by this returning darkness.

But the top floor of Fanlou knew.

Because the spiritual energy barrier shattered.

Like an ice mirror struck by a giant hammer, cracks radiated outward from a central point, covering the entire barrier in a single breath.

And then, it crumbled.

Countless shards of spiritual energy plummeted, transforming into specks of light in midair.

Those specks of light landed on his shoulders, warm and slightly tickling, before fleetingly vanishing.

Gu Chengyin raised his hand and caught a shard.

It rested in his palm for half a breath before turning into a wisp of white smoke and dispersing.

He looked up toward the direction where the three dark figures had fled.

Peace had returned there; even the last trace of electrical arcing had faded away completely.

Only the occasional flicker of a golden light trail proved that the judgment just now had truly existed.

Gu Chengyin withdrew his gaze and looked across the space of the top floor.

The men in black who had been stubbornly resisting suddenly looked like pardoned death row inmates the moment the barrier shattered.

The veils on their faces had been scorched black in the blazing light just now, revealing their panicked eyes.

Without any communication, they all made the same decision.

Flee.

In all directions.

Toward every possible crevice they could escape through.

And how could the patrolling experts miss such a perfect opportunity to earn merit?

Chen Busha did not move. Pointing the tip of his halberd at the fleeing men in black, he shouted sternly, Chase them!

As his voice fell, the experts of the patrol squad leaped out of Fanlou in unison.

Like a pack of cheetahs catching the scent of blood, they lunged toward the scattering men in black.

The garrison of Luodu was also on the move.

From below Fanlou came the dense thudding of footsteps, the friction of armor, and the stern commands issued by officers.

Those sounds layered upon one another, spreading from Fanlou to the main streets, and then from the streets to the entirety of Luodu.

Tonight, this sleepless city was destined for true wakefulness.

But Gu Chengyin did not care, nor did he mind these men in black.

He gazed distantly at the sky above.

Lin Qingyan was still hovering there.

Like a divine maiden from the Ninth Heaven.

There were no more fierce lightning swords around her, only fragmented golden arcs of electricity slowly drifting away.

Those arcs were like the final circling of weary birds before returning to their nest.

One circle, two circles, three circles, before dissolving into specks of light and merging into the night sky.

Her long hair swayed gently in the night breeze, cascading like a black waterfall.

Those eyes, which had turned entirely blazing white during the judgment, were now slowly regaining their clarity.

Layer by layer, like receding tides, revealing their original ink-black hue.

Yet Lin Qingyan continued to stare in the direction the three dark figures had fled.

Motionless.

She was confirming.

Confirming whether those three Golden Core cultivators were dead or had escaped, and whether they would return to strike again.

Finally, Lin Qingyan slightly lowered her eyes, looking down at the top floor of Fanlou.

Then, she stepped down through the air.

With every step she took, her toes tapped against the void, her spiritual energy condensing into invisible stairs.

She did not walk fast; in fact, she was somewhat slow, but every step was incredibly steady.

Upon taking the third step, the golden electrical arcs around her dissipated completely.

Upon taking the fifth step, her silk shawl slipped from her shoulders, drifting toward the unknown darkness.

Upon taking the seventh step, Gu Chengyin saw Lin Qingyan's face clearly.

Pale.

When Lin Qingyan took the ninth step.

Her toes landed on the shattered wooden planks and blue bricks.

The top floor of Fanlou still bore all the traces of the slaughter that had just occurred.

Shattered planks and bricks, splattered bloodstains, swords snapped in two, and dozens of corpses that had not yet been dragged away.

But everyone still standing bowed their heads at this exact moment.

No one dared to look up at the figure descending from the sky.

Including Chen Busha.

His head was lowered, his expression unseen, but his shoulder line was taut, his spine straight, and every inch of his muscles conveyed the exact same meaning:

Absolute submission and awe.

Jiang Jianli stood three paces away, similarly lowering her eyelashes.

She bowed slightly, her hands folded in front of her, palms facing inward, fingertips pointing downward.

Because Lin Qingyan was no ordinary cultivator.

She was Jingzhe of the Heavenly Master Mansion, the one who had forced back three Golden Core cultivators.

Except for Gu Chengyin.

He alone took the initiative to step forward and greet her.

Aunt, are you alright?

Gu Chengyin stood before Lin Qingyan, not getting too close.

He clearly saw her pale face, her chapped lips, and the exhaustion she was trying so desperately to hide deep in her eyes.

Lin Qingyan nodded slightly and said:

I am fine.

Gu Chengyin did not hesitate in the slightest. He immediately looked at Chen Busha and ordered:

General Chen, I will leave this place to you.

Chen Busha raised his head. In those eyes where the bloodlust had yet to fully fade, there was now only absolute obedience.

He dropped to one knee, cupped his hands, and said in a deep voice:

Please rest assured, Lord Jingzhe, Junior Preceptor Gu.

Every word was sonorous, and the seething bloodlust around his body was completely restrained at this moment.

Gu Chengyin nodded and extended his hand to Lin Qingyan.

Let's go.

Lin Qingyan looked at that hand.

Ultimately, she placed her hand into Gu Chengyin's palm.

Then, the two of them calmly walked through the mountain of corpses and sea of blood on the top floor.

Step by step, crossing the top floor and walking down the stairs.

The first floor of Fanlou.

The Luodu garrison had surrounded the place layer upon layer, guarding every entrance and exit so tightly that not even a drop of water could leak through.

Seeing Gu Chengyin and Lin Qingyan coming downstairs, they all bowed in unison.

No one looked up.

No one made a sound.

There was only absolute reverence.

Outside the door, the carriage of the Heavenly Master Mansion was already waiting respectfully.

The driver was a man from the Heavenly Master Mansion, an old man with completely white hair and a white beard.

Seeing Lin Qingyan emerge, he bowed and lifted the carriage curtain.

Lin Qingyan held onto the carriage shaft and stepped aboard.

Her movements were very slow, so slow they seemed somewhat sluggish.

Gu Chengyin followed behind, getting into the carriage after she had settled her seat.

The carriage door closed, cutting off everything from the outside.

Before Gu Chengyin could sit firmly, Lin Qingyan went limp and collapsed into his arms.

Her voice was very weak, like a wisp of smoke about to disperse.

I have overdrawn my spiritual energy.

Gu Chengyin quickly supported Lin Qingyan and asked with concern:

Is there anything you need me to do?

Lin Qingyan shook her head gently and nuzzled into the crook of Gu Chengyin's shoulder.

Just hold me.