The other party’s grip was strong, and Yun Miao had not anticipated such a reaction from him.She didn’t even have time to ponder the meaning of the word “A-Jie” that the man had called out before she lost her balance and tumbled toward him.Yun Miao quickly and deftly found a small empty spot on the cramped couch, slipping her hand into the gap just in time to brace herself before she collided with the man.But before Yun Miao could steady her racing heart, the man who had remained unresponsive despite her repeated calls chose that very moment to stir. Beneath his tightly closed eyelids, his slightly protruding eyeballs shifted, and his eyes slowly opened.Xie Jue’s light amber eyes rested quietly on Yun Miao’s face, which was now uncomfortably close. His gaze was somewhat stiff at first, then drifted downward to take in their current position before returning to meet Yun Miao’s eyes directly.It seemed as though he was trying to discern or confirm something, or perhaps he was simply still disoriented from being awakened to such a scene.Meeting Xie Jue’s still somewhat dazed light-colored eyes, Yun Miao quickly pushed herself up and turned to retrieve the bowl of medicinal soup she had just set aside.Thus, she inadvertently missed the sight of the young man, having reached out only to grasp empty air, withdrawing his hand with a hint of disappointment, fingers curling and rubbing together subtly.“I came to bring you medicine,” Yun Miao said, using her purpose as an explanation to cover up the earlier mishap. She deftly placed the medicine bowl into the hands of Xie Jue, who had just sat up and still seemed somewhat disoriented. “Drink it quickly. The medicine is about to cool.”Xie Jue took the still-warm bowl without exposing her feigned composure, offering Yun Miao a gentle smile instead. “Thank you.”Seeing that Xie Jue had also moved past the incident, Yun Miao secretly breathed a sigh of relief and managed a smile tinged with an awkwardness she herself hadn’t fully noticed. “It’s nothing.”And with that, the conversation naturally came to an end.Xie Jue picked up the porcelain spoon from the bowl, scooped up a spoonful of the medicinal soup, blew on it lightly a few times, and brought it to his lips.For a moment, the room was silent except for the sound of their breathing and the gentle clinking of porcelain as the spoon touched the bowl.Yun Miao stood in the narrow space between the small couch and the table, just a step away from the person on the couch.She felt neither comfortable staying nor leaving. Watching him drink the medicine seemed inappropriate, yet deliberately averting her gaze felt equally awkward.Caught in this dilemma, the faint, lingering bitterness of the medicine wafted into Yun Miao’s nostrils. She reached up and touched her nose.She thought that perhaps when two strangers were forced together, it would inevitably lead to the kind of awkwardness they were experiencing now.Yet, from now on—for an uncertain length of time—the two of them would be bound by the same relationship they found themselves in at this moment.Perhaps she should try to adapt, or perhaps try to change this situation.She lowered her gaze, watching Xie Jue drink the medicine quietly. Only when her eyes fell upon the nearly empty porcelain bowl did she speak again. “Why didn’t you go to sleep on the bed earlier?”It was a somewhat mundane topic, but it was just right—neither too deep nor too shallow, suitable for their current relationship.Xie Jue placed the porcelain spoon back into the empty bowl, resting his hands loosely on his legs. His gaze swept past Yun Miao to the still-neatly-made bed behind her before returning to meet her eyes.“There’s only one bed in this room.”He stated a fact that was all too obvious.Yun Miao, however, didn’t quite grasp the other’s meaning and paused for a moment. “What?”Whether it was her imagination or not, she felt Xie Jue’s brows and eyes lifted a little higher.But before she could dwell on it, he spoke again.“There’s only one bed in this room. If I take it, you’ll have nowhere to sleep.”The young man’s tone was perfectly ordinary, as if stating something entirely natural.Yet his response was beyond Yun Miao’s expectations.“But you’re ill,” Yun Miao said almost instinctively. Perhaps feeling her reply came too naturally, she added, “You should sleep on the bed. Wrap yourself in the blanket later and get a good rest.”After speaking, Yun Miao hesitated.An unnamed sense of familiarity struck her, only to vanish like a passing breeze, leaving no trace to be found.“And what about you? What will you do?”The young man’s gaze remained fixed on Yun Miao’s eyes.Suppressing the urge to look away, Yun Miao forced herself to meet Xie Jue’s eyes with feigned ease. “I… I’ll just meditate on this small couch for a while. There are important matters to attend to tonight, so I likely won’t be sleeping anyway. It’s fine.”Xie Jue seemed unconvinced by her answer. A faint crease appeared between his brows, his light amber eyes still quietly watching Yun Miao, his thin lips slightly pursed.Feeling uneasy under his gaze, Yun Miao steeled herself and took the empty bowl from his hands, placing it back on the tray.“Go to bed now, or the medicine might be wasted.”With that, she picked up the wooden tray, turned sideways, brushed past Xie Jue, and headed for the door. But the young man’s voice sounded once more behind her.“You’re so kind to me.”Yun Miao paused mid-step, glanced back, and tossed out a hurried “Go to sleep now” before leaving the room.Only after cleaning the used medicine jar and bowl did Yun Miao return to the bedroom.Perhaps because she had deliberately delayed, by the time she returned, quite some time had passed since she left. As expected, Xie Jue had fallen asleep on the bed.The young man on the bed was now wrapped up so tightly that only his head remained visible. He still seemed restless in his sleep, his brows slightly furrowed. Lying on his side, he rested his cheek on the back of his hand, which was hidden beneath the blanket. A few strands of his usually high-tied ponytail had fallen loose beside his cheek, softening his sharp demeanor and lending him a somewhat gentle appearance.Yun Miao glanced toward the figure on the bed, then walked straight to the small couch where Xie Jue had previously rested.She sat cross-legged on the couch, closed her eyes, took a few steady breaths until her breathing grew calm, and then placed her hands on her knees in the posture of Embracing the Origin and Maintaining Unity.The room fell into silence. Sunlight streamed through the wooden lattice of the window, casting long, rectangular beams across the air and onto the floor, illuminating the drifting dust particles with clarity.On the bed, the man who should have long been asleep suddenly opened his eyes, his gaze shifting toward the small couch not far beyond the drawn bed curtains…Xie Jue watched the figure on the couch, feeling as though an eternity had passed, yet also as if only a fleeting moment had gone by.The sunlight filtering into the room shifted from pale yellow to golden orange, then gradually faded away.The last ray of light vanished beyond Yun Miao’s eyelids, and the dim twilight settled over the room.Yet Yun Miao remained as she was, making no move.The gentle night breeze of summer rustled the leaves of the peach trees outside the post station—the most common trees in the village—creating a soft, whispering sound.The moonlight cast a faint glow, making the already eerily silent Peach Blossom Village appear even more lifeless.Thud—A plump, ripe peach fell from a branch, landing on the muddy ground beneath the tree with a dull thump.As if disturbed by the sound, Yun Miao abruptly opened her eyes.She reached out, and a sharp longsword appeared in her hand. Then, she swiftly rose from the bed, her hair swaying with her movements, a small portion falling in front of her.Just as Yun Miao was about to leave with her sword, she suddenly seemed to remember something and turned to glance at the bed behind her. Unexpectedly, she met the gaze of Xie Jue, who had sat up with the quilt wrapped around him.Seeing that he seemed about to get up as well, Yun Miao spoke to stop him.“No need to follow.”With that, she did not wait for a response but pushed the door open and silently melted into the night.Because of this, she failed to notice the man who still followed her.Thick, heavy clouds drifted over, obscuring the only source of light that night.In that brief moment, Yun Miao nimbly made her way to a high point in the village, using a hand seal to conceal her presence. Just as the thick clouds passed over the moon, moonlight once again spilled down, allowing Yun Miao to take in the entire Peach Blossom Village from her vantage point.Before long, a faint grinding sound came from one corner of the village, and Yun Miao quickly turned her gaze toward it.Bathed in moonlight, a beast with a green face and sharp tusks dragged its massive body forward slowly.As it moved, small fragments fell from its mouth along with dripping saliva.The air was instantly filled with a foul odor—a mix of blood, flesh, and decaying matter.The scent silently seeped into Yun Miao’s nostrils, causing her to frown slightly.Yet her eyes remained fixed on the massive figure’s every move. Soon, it approached a house, reaching out as if to break through the window, while screams erupted from inside.Yun Miao hesitated no longer. With a light step, she raised her sword and thrust it toward the creature’s short, thick arm.Perhaps the sword’s aura was too sharp, for the Azure-Tusked Beast slowly turned its head.But instead of dodging the incoming blade, it grinned slowly at Yun Miao, making its already hideous face even more unbearable to behold.Yun Miao paid little attention to the grotesque visage before her, but she was puzzled as to why the Azure-Tusked Beast made no attempt to evade.However, when her sword, Unbound Boat, struck the creature’s arm, she received her answer—the sword’s aura could not harm it.The Azure-Tusked Beast withdrew its arm from the window, its interest now completely shifted to Yun Miao. With a foolish grin, it began lumbering toward her.“Cultivator… hehe… tasty… like…”Incoherent, fragmented words, like those of an idiot, reached Yun Miao’s ears, yet she understood their meaning.This Azure-Tusked Beast wanted to eat her, and it had likely consumed cultivators before.What about her senior brother?An unsettling thought surfaced in Yun Miao’s mind.But now was clearly not the time to dwell on such thoughts, for the Azure-Tusked Beast was already charging toward her, the ground trembling with each of its movements.At the same time, Yun Miao’s ears were filled with the restrained sobs of villagers hiding in their houses, trembling with fear. Watching the buildings on either side, nearly crushed by the beast’s massive frame and shedding dust and debris from their walls in the quakes, she quickly tapped her toes lightly, flipping over the Azure-Tusked Beast’s head and landing on the open ground behind it.Seeing this, the Azure-Tusked Beast charged toward Yun Miao again without hesitation. Yun Miao, keeping a measured distance, observed the beast closely, trying to find its weakness.The Azure-Tusked Beast seemed entirely indifferent to Yun Miao’s scrutinizing gaze, opening its massive jaws wide as it rushed forward, intent on swallowing her whole.But just as it reached within two steps of Yun Miao, jaws agape, she shifted her stance lightly and landed once more a short distance away.This repeated back and forth seemed almost like toying with the Azure-Tusked Beast.Holding Unbound Boat, Yun Miao continued to observe the beast before her. After several such exchanges, she finally began to piece together a plan.Upon closer inspection, she noticed that the Azure-Tusked Beast’s entire body was covered in a layer of fine, dense scales—likely the reason for its near-impenetrable defense.However, just below its neck, there was a small patch left uncovered by scales. Perhaps this was the key to breaking through its defenses.With this in mind, Yun Miao tapped the ground and leaped once more. But this time, instead of landing at a distance as before, she gripped Unbound Boat firmly and, without hesitation, thrust it toward the unprotected spot beneath the Azure-Tusked Beast’s neck.
Chapter 6
Mistakenly Believing I Was Given the Substitute Lover Script