Su Tiantian felt a bit disappointed and was about to withdraw her hand when suddenly the ground beneath her gave way!
“Ah—!”
She only had time for a short scream before she plunged downward!
The expected pain never came.
Almost the instant she fell, a white figure flashed past like flowing light.
The next second, she landed in a firm embrace, accompanied by a familiar cool scent.
Song Qingzhi!
He wrapped his arms around her waist, holding her steadily, his toes lightly touching the void as he descended gracefully to the ground.
Still in shock, Su Tiantian instinctively clutched at his chest.
Her cheek pressed against his cool clothing, and she could clearly feel the contours of his solid muscles beneath the fabric and the steady beat of his heart.
This time, it was a real, solid hug!
(System: Alert! Hidden mechanism triggered! Target character performing rescue! Current posture: close embrace! Host physiological indicators: rapid heartbeat, facial flushing!)
“Q-Qingzhi… brother…”
Her voice had changed tone from fright this time it was real!
How did he come so fast?!
Could it be…
Song Qingzhi looked down at the pale, frightened girl in his arms.
Her body trembled slightly, fingers gripping his clothes so hard the knuckles had whitened.
His arm around her waist did not immediately release.
“This is the entrance to an abandoned teleportation array, long neglected,” he explained, his voice overhead carrying a faint, almost imperceptible note of helplessness.
“How did you trigger it?”
“I… I just accidentally leaned on it…”
Su Tiantian buried her face in his chest, muttering, half frightened, half secretly delighted.
She had been scared to death but it had been worth it!
And… had he really been watching her?
Song Qingzhi’s gaze swept over the cloud-patterned protrusion on the side of the bookshelf, his eyes deepening slightly.
It was indeed an ancient trigger mechanism, extremely well hidden, requiring a specific spiritual fluctuation to activate.
And she, a person with “completely destroyed foundations” and no spiritual power, how could she…
Since that night, when her spiritual power fluctuated abnormally, he had left a barely perceptible trace of his divine sense on her as a precaution.
The moment he sensed her approaching this dangerous area, he rushed over.
He hadn’t expected to be slightly late and allow her to trigger the mechanism.
He did not reveal how he arrived just in time; he simply held her, lightly touching the ground with his toes, and returned her gently to solid ground.
Even after her feet touched the floor, Su Tiantian still clutched his clothing.
“Scared?” he asked.
She nodded vigorously, tilting her small face up, her eyes still slightly red.
“Y-yeah… I almost thought I was going to die…”
Speaking, she suddenly realized how intimate their posture had been, and hurriedly released his clothes.
She stepped back a little, her cheeks flushed, avoiding his gaze.
“Th-thank you, Brother Qingzhi…”
The warmth and faint sweet scent vanished as his embrace emptied.
Song Qingzhi looked at his now-empty arms and the folds of his clothing she had left behind, pausing briefly.
“Be careful in the future. Do not approach this area again.”
That was all he said.
“I… I’ll go back first!”
Su Tiantian didn’t dare linger, fearing he might notice a slip, and clutching Records of the Nine Provinces, practically fled.
Watching her hurried departure, Song Qingzhi once again glanced at the bookshelf and the hidden, abandoned teleportation array that led to secret areas of the sect.
His wife always seemed to stumble upon things she shouldn’t, whether by coincidence or… was it her faint, abnormal fluctuation guiding her?
Meanwhile, back at the Meditation Garden, Su Tiantian leaned against the door, holding her still-racing heart.
“System! Did you see that?! He hugged me! Really hugged me! And he must have been watching me all Along! Otherwise, how could he appear so perfectly on time?!”
(System: Data recorded. Residual divine sense detected on target, suggesting a period of secret observation of the host. Rescue behavior matches ‘responsible’ persona. But duration of hug exceeded normal rescue time by 0.7 seconds. Motivation under analysis.)
“Who cares about the motivation!”
Excited, Su Tiantian bounced on the spot twice.
“The important part is that he hugged me! And he looked at me he cares about me! And that mechanism…”
She calmed down, recalling the cloud-patterned protrusion.
Why did Song Qingzhi’s jade pendant have a similar pattern?
Where could that abandoned teleportation array lead?
Could it… be related to the core of the mountain-protecting formation?
She felt like she was starting to figure it out, despite the danger.
Excited, she pulled out her notebook and wrote: “Major progress on both relationship & mission lines! Achievement ‘Intimate Hug’ unlocked! Confirm target has activated ‘Secret Protection’ mode! Suspected hidden passage to core area discovered (to be verified)! Current strategy: maintain ‘adorable, startled little white flower’ persona, continue exploration!”
Since then, Su Tiantian felt like a GPS-tracked treasure.
Song Qingzhi’s divine sense followed her like a shadow.
It boosted her sense of safety but also made her small antics riskier.
But this was no challenge for dramatic Su Tiantian!
She updated her notebook:
“Relationship Cultivation Plan V2.1 Precise clinging to trigger possessiveness.”
Today, she decided to test just how far Song Qingzhi’s “secret protection” extended.
And, at the same time… tease the iceberg a little.
She carried a few beginner formation jade scrolls (borrowed from the library for show).
Purposely, she wandered near the Martial Practice Yard where disciples often sparred.
It was crowded with many young, handsome male disciples.
Sure enough, it didn’t take long before a bright, cheerful-looking disciple noticed her.
(System: Alert! Detected character ‘Zhou Chen,’ Yunmiao Peak inner disciple, late Foundation Establishment stage, outgoing and popular among peers.)
Su Tiantian knew what to do, instantly slipping into character.
She walked over holding the scrolls, slightly furrowing her brow, showing a troubled yet embarrassed smile.
Zhou Chen froze slightly at first, then quickly clasped his hands in greeting respectfully.
“Zhou Chen greets Madam.”
“What brings you to the Martial Practice Yard? The spiritual energy here is chaotic; I hope it hasn’t disturbed you.”
“It’s Master-Junior Zhou…”
Su Tiantian’s voice was soft and sweet, tinged with helplessness.
“I… I wanted to look at some basic formation jade scrolls to pass the time, but… I think I got a little lost.”
Zhou Chen understood immediately and said enthusiastically, “Madam wants to see formation scrolls? I know there are several bookshelves on the east side of the library for formation explanations, clear and easy to understand. Shall I take you there?”
“Really? That’s great, thank you, Junior Zhou.”
Su Tiantian’s eyes lit up, her smile growing a little more genuine.
As she followed Zhou Chen forward, she subtly sensed the familiar divine sense nearby.
Sure enough, it was still tracking her and… it seemed a bit more solid?
She chuckled internally, fully in drama mode.
Pretending to chat amiably with Zhou Chen, she asked one or two simple questions “curiously.”
Zhou Chen, respecting her status as “Madam,” explained carefully. They walked side by side, chatting pleasantly.
Just as Zhou Chen slightly turned to guide Su Tiantian, his sleeve nearly brushing her arm.
A cold, silent figure appeared at the corridor’s end, as if merely passing through.