Chen Chuan strolled out of the small courtyard.
He had only taken a few steps out of the courtyard when an inexplicable chill washed over him, making him shiver involuntarily.
He stiffly turned his head.
Not far away, Ye Linger was holding a gleaming longsword. Her pretty face was covered in frost, and her beautiful eyes were spitting fire as she walked toward him step by step.
That gaze was sharp enough to scrape off a layer of skin.
What was especially terrifying was that Ye Linger’s gaze would occasionally sweep toward his lower body.
It locked precisely onto the space between Chen Chuan’s legs, as if measuring where it would be most convenient to strike.
Chen Chuan suddenly felt a chill down there, and cold sweat almost broke out.
He quickly forced a smile that looked worse than crying and waved his hands, saying:
"Senior Sister Ye! Calm down! Please, stay calm!"
"I did that to save a life. It was a last resort in a moment of crisis, with absolutely no intention of being disrespectful."
"Doing this would be repaying kindness with enmity."
"Repaying kindness with enmity?" Ye Linger gritted her silver teeth.
At the thought of her first kiss, which she had cherished for sixteen years, being stolen away, she was so ashamed and furious she felt like she was about to explode. "You bastard, I must teach you a lesson today."
The commotion on their side had already alerted the nearby Outer Sect Disciples.
Soon, a crowd of onlookers gathered, pointing and whispering.
"Eh? Isn’t that Elder Murong’s beloved Disciple, Senior Sister Ye Linger? Why is she holding a sword?"
"Yeah, look how red her face is. Something seems wrong. Who’s that kid opposite her? A newcomer?"
"Tsk tsk, something’s going on! Look at Senior Sister Ye’s eyes; she looks like she wants to skin that Junior Brother alive."
"I’m certain that kid must have done something outrageous to Senior Sister Ye!"
"Could he have peeked at Senior Sister Ye while she was bathing?"
"Unlikely. Senior Sister Ye’s cultivation is higher than his. Could he even manage to peek?"
"Then maybe he stole Senior Sister Ye’s undergarments?"
"Whoa, brother, your imagination... but looking at Senior Sister Ye’s ashamed and furious expression, it might actually be possible."
"It’s over, it’s over. This kid is dead meat. Senior Sister Ye is the dream girl of many Senior Brothers in our Outer Sect."
Hearing the increasingly ridiculous speculations around her, Ye Linger’s pretty face turned so red it looked like it could bleed.
These discussions were like pouring a bucket of oil onto her burning rage.
"All of you, shut up!"
She gave a delicate shout, unable to hold back any longer. With a flick of her longsword, she charged toward Chen Chuan.
Chen Chuan cried out: "Holy crap! You’re serious!"
He didn’t dare stay a moment longer, turning around and running for his life.
While running, he didn’t forget to shout his grievances loudly, making sure everyone could hear:
"Help! Ye Linger is repaying kindness with enmity!"
"I saved her life, and now she wants to kill me to silence me! Where is the justice!"
Thus, a highly comical chase unfolded in the Outer Sect area.
In front was Chen Chuan, scurrying away with his head in his hands, looking pathetic but moving quite fast.
Behind him was Ye Linger, sword in hand, chasing closely. Her skirts fluttered, but she was full of Killing Intent.
Along the way, more Disciples stopped to watch. Gasps, whistles, and discussions blended into a single noise.
Just as Chen Chuan felt he was about to be caught, and the wind from the sword behind him was already stinging his skin, a majestic figure suddenly appeared, blocking the path between the two.
It was Elder Murong Xuan, who had just arrived.
"Linger! Stop this instant! Cease this nonsense!"
Murong Xuan gave a low shout.
With a sweep of his sleeve, a gentle force parried Ye Linger’s sword momentum and stopped her.
With an Elder intervening, Chen Chuan could finally stop and catch his breath.
Patting his chest, he looked at Ye Linger with a face full of frustration:
"Senior Sister, is this really necessary? I did that to save you. I even risked my life to save you."
Being stopped by her Master, Ye Linger stomped her feet in frustration, tears welling up in her eyes:
"Master! That was my first kiss!"
As soon as the words left her mouth, she realized she had let it slip.
Her face instantly turned as red as sunset clouds, even her ears flushing.
"First kiss?"
"Whoa!"
The surrounding onlookers instantly erupted, their eyes widening like copper bells.
"Senior Sister Ye’s first kiss was taken by this kid?"
"Heavens! My goddess!"
"Who on earth is this kid? He’s only been here a few days and he’s already gotten Senior Sister Ye’s first kiss?"
"I’m dying of envy! No, I’m dying of hatred!"
"Senior Sister Ye, hack him! We support you!"
"Yes, castrate this bastard who defiled our goddess!"
Hearing the wave of envious and jealous condemnations around him, Chen Chuan felt his scalp tingle.
He emphasized again: "I said it was to save a life! It was an emergency! Was I supposed to just watch her die?"
Ye Linger didn’t care about any of that; she just glared at Chen Chuan angrily, her chest heaving.
Her gaze clearly said: No matter what, you’re the one who got a huge bargain.
Chen Chuan looked at Ye Linger’s aggrieved yet stubborn, ashamed yet helpless expression.
His heart stirred, and he said tentatively: "Then, how about I take responsibility? Would that work?"
As soon as he said this, Ye Linger was stunned for a moment, and then the blush on her face instantly spread to her neck.
She subconsciously fidgeted, twisting the corner of her clothes with her hands, her eyes darting away, unable to speak.
That look was infinitely bashful, with none of the aggressive Aura she had just shown.
Seeing this, a flash of understanding and a subtle smile appeared in Murong Xuan’s eyes.
He immediately chimed in:
"Ahem, Linger, what Chen Chuan said is indeed a possible solution."
"If you truly care that much, I think this matter could be settled this way?"
"Of course, if you are unwilling, I will certainly not force you."
Ye Linger was overwhelmed with embarrassment by her Master and Chen Chuan working together.
She suddenly looked up, glared fiercely at Chen Chuan with a red face, and stomped her foot, huffing:
"You... In your dreams!"
After saying that, she couldn’t stay any longer. She turned, pushed through the crowd, and ran away as fast as a startled deer.
The commotion temporarily ended with Ye Linger’s retreat.
However, the news about the new Outer Sect Disciple Chen Chuan snatching the first kiss of the Alchemy Genius Ye Linger spread through the entire Outer Sect like it had grown wings.
Hearing the news, Chen Ping frowned slightly: "Chen Chuan? He actually has the same name as my big brother..."
He muttered to himself, but then shook his head, laughing as he dismissed the ridiculous association.
His Elder brother, Chen Chuan, was a Mortal who couldn’t Cultivate. How could he possibly appear in the Primordial Holy Land?
And even become an Outer Sect Disciple?
Absolutely impossible.
At the same time, an exquisitely beautiful woman with a cold temperament also heard the news.
"Outer Sect Disciple, Chen Chuan?"
A cold light flashed in Feng Zhixian’s beautiful eyes.
The image of that bastard who had almost ruined her purity instantly appeared in her mind.
But soon, like Chen Ping, she dismissed the idea.
That trash from the Chen Family had blocked Meridians and had no possibility of Cultivating, let alone entering the Primordial Holy Land.
She felt it must be a coincidence of having the same name.
...
The next day, Chen Chuan, feeling apprehensive, still steeled himself and went to the Pill Hall.
As soon as he stepped into the entrance of the Pill Hall, he saw a familiar silhouette with her back to him, seemingly organizing medicinal herbs.
Who else could it be but Ye Linger?
Chen Chuan’s footsteps paused, alarm bells ringing in his heart. He instinctively wanted to turn and slip away.
"Stop right there!"
Ye Linger seemed to have eyes in the back of her head, calling out softly without even turning around.
Chen Chuan’s body stiffened. He slowly turned around and gave a forced laugh:
"Haha, Senior Sister, morning. You, you’re busy. I won’t disturb you."
Only then did Ye Linger turn around.
Today she had changed into a light green dress, with less of yesterday’s Killing Intent and more of a young girl’s freshness.
She looked at Chen Chuan’s wary expression and curled her lip:
"Fine, stop acting like I’m going to eat you."
"As for yesterday’s matter, I am generous enough not to hold it against you anymore."
"Huh?" Chen Chuan was stunned. This change was a bit fast?
He looked at Ye Linger suspiciously: "Senior Sister, you... you don’t have a fever, do you? Or is there some kind of plot?"
Ye Linger stomped her foot in anger, puffing out her cheeks:
"Hey! How can you be like this?"
"Do I look like the kind of petty person who goes back on her word?"
Chen Chuan didn’t speak, but his eyes clearly said "very much so."
Ye Linger was so angry her eyes rolled. She didn’t bother arguing with him anymore.
She directly said: "In ten days, accompany me somewhere."
"Where to?" Chen Chuan asked warily.
"I can’t tell you now. You’ll know when the time comes." Ye Linger’s eyes flickered slightly.
Chen Chuan became even more suspicious:
"Senior Sister, you wouldn’t be trying to trick me into going somewhere secluded and then—"
He made a throat-slitting gesture.
Ye Linger was so angry at his vivid imagination that she almost passed out. She scolded him crossly:
"If I wanted to kill you, would I need to go to all that trouble?"
Just then, Elder Murong Xuan walked over with a smile:
"Chen Chuan, regarding that matter ten days from now, I indeed need you to accompany Linger."
"Don’t worry, it’s not dangerous. It’s just simply accompanying her somewhere to help with a small favor."
Seeing that Elder Murong had spoken, Chen Chuan felt a little more at ease and nodded in agreement:
"Since the Elder has commanded it, this Disciple obeys."
But in his heart, he felt like a kitten was scratching him, extremely curious about what they were going to do in ten days.
He looked at Ye Linger, trying to find the answer on her face.
But the moment his gaze landed on her, a subtle blush appeared on Ye Linger’s face. She awkwardly turned her head away, refusing to meet his eyes.
Seeing this, Murong Xuan stroked his beard and laughed:
"As for what it is specifically, you will naturally know when the time comes."
"For now, it cannot be said, it cannot be said."
Since he put it that way, Chen Chuan couldn’t press further.
Whether it was a blessing or a curse, he would find out in ten days.
But looking at Ye Linger’s rare bashful demeanor, Chen Chuan inexplicably felt a bad premonition.
This simple trip probably wouldn’t be so simple.