Chapter 726: She wants to be like him, much stronger (1/2)

The Abstinence Hall in the Abstinence Courtyard consists of 49 rooms, each equipped with its own garden. There were both “light” and “dark” rooms, with the former resembling normal residences while the latter were stone-lined secret chambers. Those with light crimes stayed in the “light” rooms, where they were confined to meditate and practice their sword arts. Those with serious crimes were locked in the “dark” rooms until they finished serving their sentences. No one was to disturb them during their imprisonment.

Long Feiye was sentenced to think over his mistakes, so he qualified for a dark room. Granny You had a good view of the situation once the sword sect master arrived in secret to give his disciple some words. She arranged for Long Feiye to stay in the most hidden–and by extension, safest–of the rooms here. Before the sword sect master, Long Feiye simply hugged Han Yunxi as if nobody else was present. He spoke plenty during their trip, the most that Han Yunxi had ever heard him talk. He reminded her of everything she had to know and even superfluous information she didn’t need. Now he was simply holding her quietly.

Han Yunxi didn’t get any chance to speak the whole way here. She was about to open her mouth when Long Feiye suddenly released her and said, “Wait for me.”

“I will.” Han Yunxi promised. When she saw that he was about to let go of her hand, she quickly added, “Wait, I still have something to say.”

“Mm,” Long Feiye waited.

Han Yunxi scooted to his ear and whispered the secret of the needle she’d given to Cang Qiuzi. Long Feiye nodded. “Excellent. Is there anything else?”

Han Yunxi shook her head. But when Long Feiye prepared to release her hand again, she stopped him. “There’s another thing!”

Once again, he patiently offered her his ear and waited. But this time there was nothing for her to say–nothing major at least, just…she wanted him to hold her a bit longer. Both the sword sect master and Granny You watched them from the side. She was smiling soundlessly at the old man, who only pretended he saw nothing as he stared sternly out the door. Naturally, Long Feiye understood the little knots in Han Yunxi’s heart. But in the end, he still let her go. “Be good, it’s only for a month.”

Han Yunxi had always been free and easy in her speech and manners, but she was reluctant to part this time. Despite that, she still relented in the end.

Abruptly, Long Feiye lowered his head and kissed her deeply. He didn’t linger, but pulled back as soon as he finished and left without a second glance for the secret chambers. Han Yunxi wanted to follow, but Granny You held her back. Meanwhile, the sword sect master followed after his disciple and shut the door behind him. Looking at the sturdy stone door, Han Yunxi suddenly felt a little lost. It felt as if the world had turned empty and desolate except for her herself.

I prepared myself for this. Why do I still feel surprised by it all?

The two of them had hardly parted ways since he took her out of the Tianning capital on the night of the great unrest. Actually, she didn’t know he had been following her carriage in secret during the entire trip to South Ning. Perhaps it was more accurate to say that the two of them had rarely been apart since the wedding night, when she treated his poison. But now they were separated by one wall, one month.

So near, yet so far. For the first time in her life, Han Yunxi felt it hard to bear. He had just left, but she was already pining. I must love this man more than I thought.

The sword sect master said he only had to exchange a few words, but he didn’t still emerge after a full two hours. Granny You didn’t urge Han Yunxi, but only left her with a sentence. “You’re here to accompany him during his punishment. Don’t be rowdy, and don’t run about if you have nothing else to do.”

“Understood. Many thanks to Granny You,” Han Yunxi replied sincerely.

Granny You didn’t wait for the sword sect master to emerge, but turned to leave. Han Yunxi only knew that the old man was there to assist Long Feiye in his cultivation, but nothing else. She leaned against the stone door, trying to listen for the sounds within, but she didn’t hear a thing. Then she tried to calm her heart by seizing the time to cultivate herself. She was still stuck in the first stage for her poison storage space without breaking through. Despite being on Celestial Mountain, various forces were moving beneath the mountain, especially that mysterious high level poisons expert. Concealed within the shadows, he or she was simply waiting for the perfect moment to strike. If she was hopeless at martial arts, then she had to strengthen her poison skills. I have to grow stronger!

Time always passed quickly in the midst of cultivation. Han Yunxi sat down with crossed legs on a bamboo mat and did her best to still her heart. But instead of meditating, she accidentally summoned Lil Thing into the world instead. Lil Thing was still nurturing its poison blood by staying in the poison pond, so it’d hardly had time to react when it was summoned out of the blue. Like a ball, it rolled on the ground before crashing against the door with a whump. Crawling to its feet, it rubbed its butt and looked with confusion at the sturdy door.

I crashed into it so hard but it still doesn’t hurt? I must have gotten fatter.

It looked back at Mama Yunxi, then towards the outside. Before it could run away, Han Yunxi shouted, “Come over here, don’t run about!”

Lil Thing immediately scrambled up Han Yunxi and started cheeping nonstop. Han Yunxi couldn’t understand it, so it nuzzled the white jade crystal bracelet at her wrist as if to ask, ‘Where’s Papa Long, why isn’t he here?’

“He has to stay in closed door cultivation for a month. That’s why we need to depend on each other for survival, understand? You’re not allowed to run about or cause trouble. There are plenty of eyes on us.” Han Yunxi explain as she pointd at the stone door. Lil Thing couldn’t understand her, but it knew that Papa Long was inside the room.