Chapter 132: So Much Like Love

After the black eel slipped away, Zhou Qing let out a faint, bitter smile, quietly sighing in relief. At the same time, he felt another surge of blood rise to his lips, but before he could spit it out, his vision went dark and he collapsed in a faint.

He had no idea how long he'd been unconscious. When Zhou Qing finally awoke, he found himself still lying upon the stone path. Beside him, the carp he had slain lay lifeless and motionless.

He gave a hoarse cough and tried moving his right arm. To his relief, the limb that had been rendered useless by the explosion of the blue water orb had regained some of its strength.

Using his right arm, he pushed himself up from the stone road. At his mental command, the Illusory Peerless in his hand shifted into the form of a long staff. Leaning on the glowing staff, Zhou Qing limped toward the grand hall beyond the stone path.

Within the hall stood several stone tables and chairs, along with some stone bowls filled with revolting food—varieties of small snakes, earthworms, and skinned toads, among other things.

Casting his gaze around the hall, Zhou Qing noticed two doors at the back. He made his way directly to the one on the left.

Beyond the door was a corridor with a room at its side and a staircase leading further on. The door to the side room stood open, revealing furnishings much like those found in an ordinary household.

After a brief glance, Zhou Qing continued up the stairs to the second floor, where he found a door barred from the outside.

He paused before the door, then drew the bolt and kicked it open. Within, he saw a woman in a pale purple gown standing with a small sword pressed to her throat.

“I—”

At the moment the door flew open, she uttered only a single word before stopping. Dropping the blade, she rose from a wooden chair, tears shimmering in her eyes.

“Yunxi, are you all right?” Zhou Qing recognized the woman as Lin Yunxi, and relief flooded his heart at the sight of her unharmed.

“I’m fine,” Lin Yunxi replied, shaking her head. Noticing how pale Zhou Qing looked, she quickly helped him to a chair and took his wrist to check his pulse.

Originally, Zhou Qing had believed Lin Yunxi was dead, so seeing her alive before him filled him with a joy he could scarcely describe.

He gazed in a daze at the beautiful woman so near to him, watching tears slip from her eyes, a smile unconsciously blooming on his face.

Lin Yunxi finished checking his pulse and, as she lifted her head, met Zhou Qing’s smiling gaze. That single glance sent a tremor through her heart, stirring a feeling she had never experienced before.

Their eyes met for a brief moment before Lin Yunxi, cheeks flushed, set Zhou Qing’s hand on the table and quickly looked away.

Seeing her reaction, Zhou Qing hurriedly averted his own gaze, fixing his eyes upon the doorway.

The two fell silent then, awkwardly sharing the quiet for a little while.

During that time, Zhou Qing noticed his heart pounding wildly in his chest. He reflected on the joy he had felt upon seeing Lin Yunxi unharmed, that inexplicable happiness and the emotions now welling up inside him.

She was a woman he had known for only a short time, yet upon seeing her safe, he had felt a joy beyond words. Now, too, his feelings were hard to explain.

It felt very much like love. Until now, he had thought his feelings for her were merely those of gratitude. But clearly, it was not so simple.

When exactly had this affection taken root? Zhou Qing himself could not say. But judging by his feelings now, it was undeniable—he truly cared for this woman.

There is a saying that affection grows over time, and another about love at first sight. Zhou Qing, who had always imagined a solitary path of cultivation, now found himself touched by love.

Staring at the open doorway, Zhou Qing felt his heart pounding furiously. Beside him, Lin Yunxi stood with her back turned, cheeks still tinged with pink, her head bowed.

In truth, they had only spent three days together. Yet when Zhou Qing burst through the door just now, Lin Yunxi had felt a sudden urge to rush forward and embrace him.

It was not an overwhelming feeling, so she suppressed it, but the strangeness of it made her pause to contemplate her relationship with Zhou Qing.

She had lived at White Cloud Sect for nearly twenty years, surrounded by many young men she’d known since childhood—Long Aotian, Wufeng, and others of her generation.

With them, Lin Yunxi felt nothing but the camaraderie shared between fellow disciples. But with Zhou Qing, whom she had only known for less than three days, she found herself with the inexplicable urge to embrace him.

The sensation was so strange—something she had never felt before—that Lin Yunxi did not know how to describe it.

After an awkward silence, Zhou Qing, seeing Lin Yunxi standing with her back to him and saying nothing, rose from his chair involuntarily.

Hearing the movement, Lin Yunxi drew a deep breath, gathering her scattered thoughts. She turned to him and managed a gentle smile.

When he had stood, Zhou Qing had managed to calm his nerves, but the sight of her smile sent his heart thundering again.

“Let’s… let’s leave this place,” he said.

“Yes,” she replied softly.

With that brief exchange, Zhou Qing leaned on his staff, formed from Illusory Peerless, and made his way toward the door.

They descended the stairs and left the grand hall, following the stone path that led out of the Water-Avoiding Palace.

By the roadside, the carcass of the great carp Zhou Qing had slain still lay where it fell. The two walked past it without a second glance, soon arriving at the edge of the watery barrier that marked the palace’s exit.

For Zhou Qing, passing through the barrier and returning to the surface of Small Realm Lake was no trouble. But for Lin Yunxi, it would not be so easy.

Pausing at the water’s edge, Zhou Qing glanced at the woman beside him and spoke with a hint of shyness. “Yunxi, shall I carry you out?”

As soon as the words left his mouth, he felt a bit embarrassed and coughed dryly, glancing at her.

Hearing his offer, Lin Yunxi’s cheeks flushed once more. She lowered her head in thought, then quietly nodded.

If she attempted to swim out on her own, she’d likely run out of breath halfway. But if Zhou Qing carried her, she could reach the surface without difficulty.