Have You Missed Me

Only in this way, would he...

Lin Qingyan's thoughts drifted away again.

She shook her head once more, suppressing these thoughts.

Then she quickened her pace, crossing the corridor, passing through the moon gate, and traversing the small garden.

Finally, she arrived in front of the cultivation room.

Faint candlelight seeped from within, flickering through the crack of the door.

Lin Qingyan could feel Gu Chengyin's aura inside.

She reached out and gently pushed the door open.

The candlelight washed over her face.

She saw him.

Sitting cross-legged on a futon was Gu Chengyin.

As if sensing something, he was slowly opening his eyes.

Their eyes met, but only for an instant.

Lin Qingyan moved.

She didn't know how she moved.

Reason told her to be aloof, to be reserved, to walk in slowly, and to give a casual greeting.

But her body was faster than her reason.

By the time Lin Qingyan came back to her senses, she had already thrown herself at him.

Gu Chengyin had just opened his eyes when he saw a figure lunging toward him.

He subconsciously wanted to dodge, but a familiar cold fragrance rushed into his nose first.

It was Lin Qingyan.

A warm and soft body fell into his arms.

The cold fragrance filled his sleeves.

Lin Qingyan hugged him tightly, her arms locked firmly around him. Her face was buried in his shoulder, her breath warm and rapid, carrying the faint scent of the night breeze.

Gu Chengyin froze for a moment, then raised his hands and hugged Lin Qingyan back.

"Little Aunt? Have you fully recovered?"

Lin Qingyan did not answer.

She just held him.

The flickering candlelight cast their shadows on the wall, overlapping and melting into one.

The night was deep outside the window. Moonlight spilled in through the lattice, adding a touch of cold, soft light to this heartwarming scene.

After a long while, Lin Qingyan finally let go.

She lifted her head from Gu Chengyin's shoulder and looked at him.

The candlelight fell on his face, outlining his features clearly and profoundly.

His aura was much steadier than before, and the spiritual energy fluctuations lingering around him were stronger.

Lin Qingyan's gaze suddenly froze.

"You..."

Her voice carried a trace of surprise.

"You've reached the peak of Foundation Establishment?"

Gu Chengyin looked at her, the corners of his mouth turning up slightly.

"You can tell?"

Lin Qingyan suddenly felt a bit dazed.

How many days has it been?

From the late stage of Foundation Establishment to the peak of Foundation Establishment, a normal person would need years of bitter cultivation.

Even with talent and lucky encounters, it should take at least half a year to a year, right?

However, Lin Qingyan didn't dwell on this too much.

Instead, she nestled back into Gu Chengyin's arms, rubbing her head against his chest. Her hair brushed against his robes, making a very soft rustling sound.

That face, usually as cold as frost, was now full of attachment and contentment, with a faint look of satisfaction rippling across her features.

She was very happy.

After a few days of secluded cultivation, the moment she came out, she could see Gu Chengyin and see that he was safe and sound.

She could see his cultivation advancing, she could throw herself into his arms, and she could smell his familiar scent.

This feeling was more comforting than any miraculous pill or wondrous medicine.

As for why Gu Chengyin cultivated so fast?

It didn't matter.

To her, the stronger Gu Chengyin was, the better; the more powerful, the better.

It would be best if he broke through to the Golden Core stage tomorrow, reached the early Golden Core stage the day after, and could fight side by side with her the day after that.

If that happened.

She wouldn't have to worry about him getting into trouble anymore, nor would she have to worry about him getting hurt.

Pressed against Gu Chengyin's chest, Lin Qingyan's muffled voice came out:

"Did you miss me?"

This was what she cared about the most.

Although Lin Qingyan knew that Gu Chengyin had been cultivating these past few days, knew that he had no time to think about anything else, and knew that he had poured his whole heart into his cultivation.

But she just wanted to ask, just wanted to know.

She wanted to know if Gu Chengyin had thought of her during his breaks from cultivation.

She wanted to know if he had missed her in the dead of night.

She wanted to know if he had...

missed her as much as she missed him.

Gu Chengyin looked down at Lin Qingyan.

The candlelight fell on her face, reflecting in her bright, sparkling eyes that were full of anticipation.

Her lips were slightly pursed, carrying a trace of nervousness, a trace of shyness, and a trace of expectation.

She didn't look like a Golden Core fairy.

She looked more like a little girlfriend deeply in love.

Gu Chengyin's gaze flickered slightly. He didn't answer immediately.

Instead, he remembered his worries from a few days ago.

Was Lin Qingyan becoming hopelessly love-struck?

This thought surfaced in his mind once again.

Previously in the Meditation Tower, Lin Qingyan had overdrawn her spiritual energy and was bombarded by the memories of her inner demons, making her as fragile as a fallen leaf.

At that time, Lin Qingyan needed him, relied on him, and treated him as her only pillar of support.

So Gu Chengyin didn't keep his distance.

He held Lin Qingyan, comforted her, let her cry, let her vent, and let her pour out all her emotions.

But now it was different.

Lin Qingyan's spiritual energy had fully recovered.

Her mood had stabilized.

Her inner demons had been weakened significantly.

She was no longer the Lin Qingyan who was as fragile as a fallen leaf.

She was Jingzhe of the Celestial Master Mansion, a Golden Core fairy, a powerhouse who could fight three enemies at once.

Then...

It was time to keep a distance.

It was time to make her sober up a bit.

Gu Chengyin took a deep breath and spoke:

"Lord Jingzhe..."

He had barely started when Lin Qingyan's body stiffened.

In an instant, Gu Chengyin could clearly feel the warm softness in his arms turn rigid.

Like a cat enjoying being petted that suddenly had its tail stepped on.

Then, Lin Qingyan abruptly lifted her head from his arms.

She stared straight at Gu Chengyin, her eyes full of disbelief.

Gu Chengyin felt his scalp tingle under her stare.

Lin Qingyan's eyes were too close, so close that he could see every ripple of emotion in their depths.

Shock, astonishment, hurt, and a trace of...

Danger.

Gu Chengyin subconsciously stopped talking.

Just as he was pondering whether to change the subject or say something to ease the tension.

Lin Qingyan suddenly moved.

She didn't retreat; instead, she sat up straight and closed the distance.

Very close.

The voice she spoke with was very calm, even dangerously so:

"What did you call me?"

Gu Chengyin suddenly felt a chill down his spine.

He could clearly feel that Lin Qingyan was angry.

Very angry.

"Gu Chengyin."

Lin Qingyan spoke again, this time addressing him by his full name.

"What did you call me?"

Gu Chengyin opened his mouth to say something, but the words were swallowed back down.

What could he say? Say that Lord Jingzhe was a title of respect?

Would Lin Qingyan believe it?

No.

She wouldn't.

Because she wasn't a fool.

When she came through the door, he was still calling her Little Aunt.

In the blink of an eye, she became Lord Jingzhe.

Lin Qingyan's gaze grew even more dangerous.

She remembered how he cared for her when she was weak in the carriage.

She remembered how he comforted her when she cried in the Meditation Tower.

She remembered those nights when she nestled in his arms and how he held her.

But no matter when, Gu Chengyin had never called her Lord Jingzhe.

Never.

But now?

Lin Qingyan suddenly understood something.

She stared at Gu Chengyin, asking and pausing after every word:

"Do you think..."

"...that as long as you keep your distance, I will sober up a bit?"

Gu Chengyin's eyes shifted, and he nodded gently.

Seeing his response, Lin Qingyan suddenly smiled, but there was no mirth in her eyes.

"Gu Chengyin, who do you think you are?"

Looking at Lin Qingyan and the increasingly thick aura of danger in her eyes, Gu Chengyin suddenly realized.

He might have made a massive mistake. Lin Qingyan had been completely lucid all along.

She knew exactly what she was doing, and she knew exactly why she was doing it.

But just as Gu Chengyin opened his mouth to explain, Lin Qingyan suddenly leaned a fraction closer.

"I will ask you one last time."

"Did you miss me?"