As soon as Yun Miao spoke these words, the few people present couldn't help but turn their gaze toward her.However, unlike the others whose eyes quickly shifted from Yun Miao to the black-clad youth standing beside her who appeared difficult to get along with, Xie Jue's gaze paused briefly, settling directly on Yun Miao.Even his amber pupils trembled almost imperceptibly, and his hand hanging at his side twitched slightly in the unnoticed space before curling up as if restraining something.Yun Miao had originally intended to gloss over the messy account that had arisen unexpectedly between them, finding a brief and reasonable way to address the person accompanying her.But clearly, the moment the term left her lips, Yun Miao somewhat regretted it.The current situation didn't seem any less awkward.Unskilled at handling such scenes, her eyes darted among those present, deliberately avoiding the only gaze fixed upon her.Fortunately, the awkwardness didn't last long.The youth's noticeably hoarse voice took over the conversation."Mhm." Xie Jue lowered his gaze slightly, still lingering deeply on the features Yun Miao had deliberately averted, before turning to meet the other concerned and probing looks directed at him. "I'm feeling slightly unwell, causing trouble for everyone."Upon hearing this, the village chief turned to the middle-aged man supporting him, patted the hand holding him up, and instructed, "Xiao He, take these two Immortal Cultivators to the post station to rest first, then have Doctor Xiao Lin come check on them.""Leave it to me, Village Chief. I'll head to Doctor Xiao Lin's house shortly."The middle-aged man called "Xiao He" nodded in agreement.Suddenly remembering something, Yun Miao hurriedly interrupted their conversation, declining the offer: "No need to trouble yourselves. I'll go with Uncle He to fetch some fever-reducing medicine.""Very well, then you two Immortal Cultivators should go rest quickly. The sun will soon set…"The village chief glanced outside at the sun already beginning its descent, fell silent, and ultimately left the rest unsaid.Only his eyes, already clouded with age, visibly darkened further at a rapid pace. The two villagers supporting him silently offered comfort.But clearly, beneath this silent consolation lay an overflowing, unspoken fear.The atmosphere in the room continued to chill in the silence.Finally, Yun Miao broke the quiet."I will do my utmost to resolve this matter and restore your lives to normal."Yun Miao looked at the three silently sighing individuals, offering somewhat clumsy comfort, yet her gaze never wavered.Meeting the youth's resolute eyes, the village chief ultimately held back certain words, only sighing and urging them to rest first.Soon after, Yun Miao and Xie Jue were led by the middle-aged man to the village post station.Perhaps due to Yun Miao's earlier use of "husband," the middle-aged man quite naturally arranged for them to share the same room.Yun Miao looked at the single bed in the inner chamber, then at the youth beside her, feeling as if she had lifted a stone only to drop it on her own foot.Closing her eyes, Yun Miao chose temporary escape over acceptance or finding an excuse.She turned to look at the middle-aged man beside her: "Uncle He, would it be convenient for you to take me to the doctor now?"Hearing her voice, the middle-aged man looked at Yun Miao: "What's convenient or not? Just follow me, girl.""Thank you, Uncle He." Hearing the middle-aged man's reply, Yun Miao inexplicably breathed a sigh of relief, then turned to look at Xie Jue. "Xie… husband, you should rest here for a while. I'll go get medicine for you."The name "Xie Jue" that had been on the tip of Yun Miao's tongue was forcibly changed to "husband" because of the middle-aged man beside her."What a loving couple," the middle-aged man said, glancing at Yun Miao before turning to Xie Jue. "Boy, your wife treats you really well. Cherish her."Hearing this, the man who had been silent all along, like a large canine, moved his brows slightly, his gaze falling on the middle-aged man. He nodded and responded, "Uncle, I will."Yun Miao also shifted her gaze to the young man beside her—someone she wasn't very familiar with but who had already become closely associated with her in the eyes of others—due to the middle-aged man's half-serious, half-teasing words.She opened her mouth, thinking about how to help him out of this awkward situation and end the conversation.But before Yun Miao could speak, the response from the person beside her reached her ears first.The young man's voice was dry and hoarse from the heat of his body, and his tone was low.Yet his somewhat weak words carried an inexplicable sincerity and solemnity.The man called "Uncle He" smiled even more warmly upon hearing this and patted the young man's shoulder."Good lad, you."The invisible distance between them seemed to shrink at that moment.Yun Miao's gaze lingered on Xie Jue's face in a daze, seemingly startled by the solemnity she had heard in his words.However, this state didn't last long.First, Yun Miao quickly realized that he was likely just putting on an act. Second, Uncle He turned his gaze to her."Girl, come with me. I'll take you to Doctor Xiao Lin to get the medicine. When you come back, you'll still have time to rest and recover."Yun Miao quickly nodded. "Alright."With that, she hurriedly followed the middle-aged man out.However, her unconsciously averted gaze and deliberately quickened pace silently betrayed her inner turmoil.After the sound of footsteps faded, only Xie Jue remained in the room.It wasn't until Yun Miao's figure completely disappeared from his sight that he reluctantly withdrew his gaze—now stripped of restraint, tender and direct.At the same time, the restraint he had imposed on his body was also shed.The muscles on the young man's straight back, which had been silently tensed, relaxed slightly.Immediately after, a more intense flush spread from beneath his collar, climbing swiftly to his face.The hidden and embarrassing things he had been suppressing all along surfaced together.Last night, he had used his Spiritual Power to transfer the Spring Gu from Yun Miao's body and gradually dissolved it with his Spiritual Power.Yet the boundary Yun Miao mistakenly believed they had crossed was actually the line he had restrained himself from overstepping last night…However, his animalistic mating season had unexpectedly arrived much earlier.Yes.His current condition was not a fever, but rather a fiercely surging heat cycle that he had tried to suppress but had clearly failed to some extent.Xie Jue remained standing in place.After a long while, he slowly raised his gaze, narrowed his eyes, and silently observed his blurred reflection in the bronze mirror not far away.A silent clamor and desire surged uncontrollably through the blood and veins beneath his skin. The ears he had once despised—even feared—and the tail behind him faintly yearned to emerge.Undoubtedly, the current situation was utterly dreadful for him.Yet, correspondingly, a greater, immense happiness and joy, as if floating above the clouds and hidden within dreams, enveloped him, making him feel weightless and euphoric.Caught between these two forces, his divine soul trembled involuntarily.Xie Jue gently closed his eyes, suppressing the faintly stirring ears and tail back into place.When he opened his eyes again, the youth in the bronze mirror remained composed and gentle.Just as before.Apart from the flush that resembled an illness, there was nothing unusual./After obtaining the medicine from Doctor Xiao Lin, Yun Miao went straight to the inn’s kitchen to boil the herbs with water.Wispy white steam drifted from the earthenware pot as the medicine simmered. Before long, Yun Miao poured the dark, bitter-smelling decoction into a porcelain bowl placed on a wooden tray.She set the pot back on the stove, turned around, picked up the tray, and headed toward the room she had left earlier.Walking at a steady pace, her gaze fixed absently on the medicine in her hands.While brewing the medicine, she had been lost in thought for a long time, nearly letting the water in the pot boil dry.Yet, she still hadn’t fully sorted out her feelings, nor did she know how to interact with that unfamiliar youth.At the very least, for now, everything was far less calm than the composure she displayed on the surface…The distance from the kitchen to their room wasn’t far, so Yun Miao soon arrived outside the door.The closed wooden door came into view, and Yun Miao snapped out of her reverie. Hesitating for a moment, she freed a hand and lightly knocked on the door.But there was no response from inside.Unpleasant guesses flashed through Yun Miao’s mind, and she hurriedly pushed the door open to enter.As soon as the door opened, a tall, dark-clad figure came into view.The youth was curled up on the small couch in the room. The already narrow couch seemed even more cramped under his tall frame.His brows were tightly furrowed, and the flush on his face had deepened compared to when Yun Miao had left. Even his lips were dry and slightly cracked.He looked as though he were burning up with fever.But…Yun Miao glanced at the neatly folded bedding on the bed not far away.She was puzzled.If he was so uncomfortable, why hadn’t he gone to sleep on the bed, choosing instead to curl up on this small couch that even she found barely adequate?She walked over, placed the tray with the medicine on the table, then turned and leaned down to gently pat the man sleeping on the couch. “Xie Jue, wake up and drink your medicine.”The heat from the man’s body seeped through his clothes into Yun Miao’s palm, feeling even hotter than the current weather.Indeed, he was burning up fiercely.Seeing that the man still showed no signs of waking, Yun Miao grew worried. She increased the force of her pats and called out again to the man with his eyes tightly shut.“Xie Jue, wake up.”But before the man could open his eyes, his large hand unexpectedly and forcefully seized Yun Miao's wrist, scorching the skin over her wrist bone."Sister."
Chapter 5
Mistakenly Believing I Was Given the Substitute Lover Script