Quite Normal

The moonlight flowed like water, and the gentle night breeze caused the curtains to flutter slightly.

The scent of agarwood curled through the room. It should have been a scene of absolute tranquility and peace.

But at this moment, that tranquility was broken by a bizarre atmosphere.

Gu Chengyin looked at Lin Qingyan in his arms, at a loss for words.

After all, Lin Qingyan's inner thoughts had truly shocked him to his core.

How was he supposed to respond to that?

Tell her, Auntie, please don't be like this?

Tell her, I've known about your little thoughts for a long time?

Tell her, Actually, being locked up in a dark room isn't entirely out of the question?

Could he actually say any of that?

Gu Chengyin's Adam's apple bobbed.

He suddenly realized that even though he had faced countless difficult opponents and dealt with countless thorny situations.

There had never been a time quite like this, where he had absolutely no idea how to even begin speaking.

He didn't even know which direction to steer the conversation.

Meanwhile, Lin Qingyan kept her head buried stubbornly, lowered so far that her chin was nearly poking her chest.

Her usual cold and aloof demeanor was completely nowhere to be seen.

Her ears were so red they looked as if they might drip blood, flushing all the way from the tips to the roots.

The redness burned from the roots of her ears straight down into her collar, spreading into places unseen.

Even the small patch of her exposed nape was flushed with a faint pink.

Even the top of her head had started to smoke.

It was literally smoking.

The smoke was faint, rising in thin wisps from the crown of her head, faintly visible under the moonlight.

At first, Gu Chengyin thought his eyes were playing tricks on him, but upon closer inspection.

It was definitely smoke.

Smoke?

How could a person smoke?

The corners of Gu Chengyin's mouth twitched.

Before he could even wrap his head around this question, he noticed something even more amiss.

Because the surrounding air began to ripple.

Like summer heat waves, or ripples on a lake's surface, it radiated outward from Lin Qingyan in concentric circles.

Gu Chengyin could sense that this fluctuation contained something indescribable.

Danger?

No, not danger.

It was...

Lightning.

Golden arcs of electricity began to dance in the air.

They were as fine as strands of hair, yet densely packed, flashing intermittently in the space between them.

Every time they sparked, they let out a faint crackling sound that was exceptionally clear in the quiet night.

Gu Chengyin's pupils contracted.

He had seen Lin Qingyan when she was enraged, golden lightning dancing wildly, her eyes burning white and gold.

With her imposing aura fully unleashed, she could terrify three Golden Core stage enforcers into retreating again and again.

So, this wasn't anger.

Then what was it?

Embarrassment?

Social death?

So mortified that she was literally generating lightning?

Gu Chengyin looked at the smoking head in front of him, watching the increasingly dense golden arcs of electricity.

Looking at the surrounding air that was fluctuating more and more violently...

A word suddenly came to his mind.

Self-detonation.

There was a saying in the cultivation world: when a cultivator suffered qi deviation, their internal spiritual energy would spiral out of control and potentially trigger a self-detonation.

And the self-detonation of a Golden Core stage cultivator possessed enough power to level an entire city.

For a Golden Core cultivator like Lin Qingyan, wiping the entire city of Luodu off the map wouldn't be a problem at all.

So, looking at her current state, could it be that she was going to...

Self-detonate?

Gu Chengyin's spine stiffened.

He looked left and right.

To his left was the window, and outside was the night scenery of Luodu.

To his right was the room, the finest suite on the top floor of the Fan Tower.

In his arms was Lin Qingyan, currently hanging her head, smoke rising from her crown.

Electric arcs danced wildly, the ripples looking as though they might tear through space.

Gu Chengyin took a deep breath and slowly exhaled.

No.

This couldn't go on.

If this continued, Lin Qingyan might actually blow herself up.

And what would be the difference between that and him taking a nuclear blast straight to the face at point-blank range?

Gu Chengyin reached out and gently grasped Lin Qingyan's hand.

It was slightly cool, slender, with distinct, elegant joints.

Normally, this hand could summon golden lightning and strike terror into the hearts of countless cultivators.

It could knock him out with a single shock, tie him up securely, and string him up in the air.

But at this moment, this very hand was trembling slightly.

Gu Chengyin held it and gently squeezed.

Then he spoke, his tone like he was coaxing a child waking from a nightmare:

Auntie.

These two words seemed to possess some kind of magic.

The golden arcs jumping around them paused, and the smoke curling up from her head also faltered.

Lin Qingyan remained motionless with her head down, but her captured hand trembled slightly.

Feeling that tremor, Gu Chengyin breathed a sigh of relief.

A reaction was good.

What he feared was no reaction.

Because then she really would be on the verge of self-detonation.

Gu Chengyin gently squeezed Lin Qingyan's hand again, his voice softening even further:

Auntie, look up at me.

Lin Qingyan did not look up; she buried her head even lower.

Gu Chengyin could even see her exposed ear tips flush a few shades redder.

The smoke from the top of her head grew a bit thicker.

The surrounding electric arcs began to jump again.

Gu Chengyin: ...

No, this tactic wasn't working.

He thought for a moment and decided to change his strategy.

He didn't speak anymore. Instead, he took Lin Qingyan's slender little hand and gently stroked it.

Moonlight spilled in through the window, falling upon the two of them.

The night breeze gently rustled the curtains, stirring the scent of agarwood until it was barely perceptible.

Time ticked by, minute by minute, second by second.

He didn't know how long had passed.

Perhaps just the time it takes for an incense stick to burn.

Perhaps half an hour.

The smoke above Lin Qingyan's head gradually faded.

The golden arcs around them also slowly dissipated.

The ripples in the air calmly settled down.

But she still kept her head lowered.

However, Gu Chengyin could feel the temperature in his palm slowly returning to normal.

It was no longer the alarmingly scorching heat from earlier, gradually becoming cool again.

He secretly breathed a sigh of relief in his heart.

Then, he heard a muffled voice coming from his arms:

...Chengcheng.

The voice was as soft as the hum of a mosquito.

If it weren't for the absolute silence of this top-floor suite, Gu Chengyin almost wouldn't have heard it.

He lowered his head and leaned in closer:

Auntie.

Although Lin Qingyan still kept her head down.

Her voice continued, muffled and carrying a barely perceptible tremble:

Do... do you think my thoughts are... very abnormal?

Gu Chengyin froze for a moment.

Abnormal?

At a time like this, never mind whether it was abnormal or not, as long as she could calm her emotions down.

Even if Lin Qingyan wanted to blow up Luodu, he would have to clap his hands and praise it as a good explosion.

Gu Chengyin said in an incredibly serious tone:

I don't think so.

Lin Qingyan didn't speak, but her hand twitched slightly.

Feeling that subtle movement, Gu Chengyin suddenly felt a softness in his heart.

He sighed softly, let go of her hand, and instead rested his palm on top of Lin Qingyan's head.

It was like petting a frightened kitten.

With his hand resting on her hair, he could feel the temperature of her strands.

It was still a bit hot, but no longer terrifyingly scalding like before.

Auntie.

...

You want to lock me up because you like me, right?

Lin Qingyan's body stiffened once again in his arms.

Gu Chengyin could feel that the temperature, which had just cooled down, was threatening to rise again.

He quickly continued:

Liking someone and wanting to keep them by your side, that is a very normal thing.