Those peach blossom eyes, devoid of warmth, fixed on her blood-stained lips, his sword-like brows knitting in a cold frown.
“Why have you come?” Ye Ziling asked, her voice trembling slightly, as she watched Jun Lan stand to the side, hands behind his back, still recovering from the shock.
Jun Lan’s gaze was deep as he stared at her, his tone ice-cold. “Are you injured?”
Ye Ziling replied nonchalantly, “Just a minor injury.”
A flicker of coldness crossed Jun Lan’s eyes, quickly hidden. His voice remained chilling as he glanced away, “It seems this general’s body has endured much hardship in your care.”
Ye Ziling heard the accusation in his words but could only remain silent. After all, using someone else’s possession naturally put her in the wrong.
“The General speaks the truth. Give me some time, once I…” Ye Ziling stopped speaking abruptly.
Once she had avenged herself and settled her clansmen, she would return this body to him, perfectly intact.
A hint of something unusual flashed in Jun Lan’s eyes. His stern gaze landed on Ye Ziling’s face. “Tu Yao, this general has said that this body is yours to keep…”
“How you use it is no concern of this general, but it must be returned unharmed.”
Ye Ziling faltered. Looking at his resolute gaze, she felt a pang in her heart and remained silent.
As early spring arrived, ripples spread across the water, and a red lotus bloomed.
After a long silence, Jun Lan finally spoke, “Come with me.”
Ye Ziling looked at him in confusion, “Go where?”
“To heal.”
Jun Lan’s gaze was deep, his tone leaving no room for argument, making it impossible for Ye Ziling to refuse.
Ye Ziling pursed her lips. As she came back to her senses, a cloak was draped over her shoulders. It still held a trace of warmth and the faint scent of cold plum blossoms, reminding her of Ling Xi’s unique aura.
She lowered her gaze to the cloak, her heart a mix of emotions.
Though the face was the same, the disposition was vastly different. If not for that familiar scent, she might have thought she was mistaken.
She could handle Ling Xi, but this was the genuine Jun Lan before her, the former God of War who had guarded the Heavenly Realm.
Even if she had known him before, interacting with him still carried an unspoken pressure.
A large hand reached out towards Ye Ziling, the approaching presence catching her off guard. She quickly turned her body to evade it.
Seeing her evasive posture, Jun Lan’s expression darkened.
He abruptly grabbed her wrist and pulled her into his embrace, meticulously fastening the cloak’s ties. His movements were gentle, yet undeniably forceful.
Unable to break free, Ye Ziling finally ceased her struggles. Soon, she heard his steady breathing.
She lowered her head, observing his handsome, furrowed brows, his long, thick, curled eyelashes partially obscuring his eyes, and his thin lips slightly parted. “Why are you dodging? My general’s belongings, what does it matter if they are touched?”
Ye Ziling lowered her gaze, her eyes complex as they rested on his face.
She raised her head, meeting his dark, night-like eyes. Within them seemed to be a vortex, making him unfathomable and elusive.
His eyes were too dark and ambiguous for her to decipher. Ye Ziling felt a slight panic but feigned composure, saying, “Thank you, General.”
He offered no reply, merely watching her quietly.
“…Let’s go.”
Unknowingly, they had reached the door. Ye Ziling exited the hall first, with Jun Lan following close behind.
They arrived at an ice bed, where a chilling mist swirled, hazy and dreamlike.
“Sit down.” He gestured to the spot beside him, his tone calm, indicating for her to sit there.
Ye Ziling hesitated for a moment before finally complying and sitting beside him.
Jun Lan reached out and placed his hand on her back, his boundless spiritual energy surging into her body, helping to mend her damaged meridians.
Ye Ziling felt a warmth spread through her. Her sluggish blood began to circulate, but a faint pain still emanated from the wound.
Soon, a heat rose in her throat, and a bitter sweetness surged up.
She couldn’t help but cough.
Jun Lan immediately withdrew his hand, noticing the faint bloodstains seeping through her sleeve. He reached out and unfastened her cloak.
Ye Ziling felt a sudden chill and instinctively shivered, “Wait… I’ll do it myself.”
Ignoring her protests, Jun Lan directly unbuttoned her clothes and set them aside.
A slender, snow-white arm was revealed, bearing a hideous knife scar that was still faintly bleeding.
Earlier, when Ye Ziling had hastily fled the ice cave, she had been cut by sharp ice shards.
Jun Lan’s expression turned grim, his gaze turning as cold as if poisoned.
“Who was it?” he asked, his voice piercingly cold, a flame seeming to dance deep within his eyes.
Ye Ziling lowered her gaze and whispered, “…It’s nothing, just some medicine will do.”
Jun Lan’s gaze was sharp as he stared at the scar on her body. His eyes darkened further. He seized her wrist and flipped her over, pinning her against the ice bed, then bit down on the hideous wound on her wrist.
Ye Ziling’s body suddenly stiffened, a strange stirring washing over her.
His lips pressed against her wound. The coolness followed the wound, seeping into her body, making her profoundly uncomfortable. She wanted to push him away but found herself without strength.
His lips were warm and soft, carrying a faint coolness, yet also a slight heat, like an electric shock.
“Jun Lan… let go.” Ye Ziling’s cheeks flushed, her voice laced with a tremor.
This fellow, when he lost control, was even harder to manage than Ling Xi!
She could refuse Ling Xi, but this body belonged to him… she couldn’t find a suitable reason to refuse.
The surrounding air was filled with a chilling mist, yet her body grew warmer and warmer, as if she were in a furnace. Her entire head felt dizzy and muddled.
She wanted to push him away, but her hand was held firmly in his palm, rendering her immobile. “Don’t move.”
He picked up a white cloth, gently pressed it against her wound, and bandaged it to stop the bleeding.
Jun Lan did not look at her. His fingertips suddenly wove through her hair, coiling around her ear, bringing with it a faint, ethereal fragrance.
As the fragrance entered her nostrils, Ye Ziling felt her mind explode. A tingly sensation surged from her toes, spreading throughout her entire body.
Her body suddenly stiffened.
Sensing her abnormality, Jun Lan paused his actions, turned his head, and looked at her flushed cheeks and hazy expression, a slight curve gracing his lips. “There.”
Ye Ziling returned to her senses, looking up to meet his gaze. Her heart pounded like a drum.
She lowered her eyes, concealing the panic in her eyes.
She couldn’t quite explain this peculiar feeling.
She felt more at ease when she was with Ling Xi. Now, being alone with Jun Lan always made her feel uneasy and restrained.
“You… why are you helping me?”
Ye Ziling asked softly, her voice gentle, like a gentle breeze rippling across Jun Lan’s heart.
Her former confidence seemed to have vanished.
“This is what rightfully belongs to you,” Jun Lan replied, his tone as calm as still water, his gaze placid as he looked at her.
When Qing Bai brought Ye Ziling to the Heavenly Realm, she was no more than fourteen years old.
He, an immortal who had lived for tens of thousands of years, saw everything she had experienced in her eyes at a single glance.
Including the massacre of her clansmen.
“I don’t understand,” Ye Ziling murmured softly, “…Why did you create this mortal body for me?”
Her connection with the God of War Jun Lan was as fleeting as clouds and smoke. How could it be worth such elaborate efforts to save her?
Even risking defying the heavens and enduring punishment for her.
“Do you truly not know?” Upon hearing this, his gaze quickly focused on her face, his scorching stare like a beacon.
Rumors of an illicit affair between him and her circulated throughout the Heavenly Realm; were they all fabrications?
Those who stood outside the situation understood everything clearly, their hearts as clear as mirrors, yet only she was unaware?
How could one be beside a bonfire and not know its warmth?
Ye Ziling sensed his emotions were slightly off and quickly interrupted, “I have matters to attend to. Thank you, General…”
With that, she had already walked out the door.
Jun Lan watched her retreating back, his brows furrowed.