Unknowingly, the sun had risen directly overhead, and more cicadas chirped in the quiet courtyard.
Chirp, chirp---
Li Longling was lying on the couch, her rosy skin covered with beads of crystal sweat. Her hair and white dress were completely soaked with sweat, like a ripe autumn peach exuding a refreshing fragrance.
She did not know how long it had been and vaguely remembered that she seemed to have fainted several times and that Young Master Ye forced her to wake up by stimulating her acupoints.
A confusing sensation spread throughout her body. She felt weak all over and couldn't even lift her hand. However, for some reason, she also felt unusually comfortable, as if immersed in cotton.
Master Ye's treatment seemed to have taken very long, but at the same time, it seemed very short.
Li Longling recalled her previous feelings. At first, she was nervous and afraid, but under Master Ye's reassurance, these emotions gradually dissipated.
What followed was a progressive pain, so intense that it made her scream in agony.
At that time, she could feel Master Ye's spiritual sense wandering inside her body, which gave her a strong sense of a foreign body.
In this pain, the concept of time within her consciousness seemed to stretch infinitely.
However, just as she was about to collapse and couldn't hold on any longer, a sudden turning point occurred. It was as if her body had adapted to this intense pain and gradually transformed it into a gentle and comfortable sensation like flowing water.
Too bad this last moment of comfort did not last long before she passed out.
Now that she had regained consciousness, she inexplicably felt somewhat addicted and even wanted to experience that final feeling again.
To sum it up in three words, "she wanted more".
Compared with the relief at the end of the treatment process, the previous pain seemed insignificant.
Suddenly, a gentle voice sounded in her ears. "Are you awake? Come, take the pill."
Ye Anping saw her move and came over with a pill bottle. He took out a Spirit Gathering pill and squeezed it into her mouth. Startled, she couldn't help but shrink back, but she came to her senses, relaxed, and swallowed the pill.
"Gulp--"
Then, Ye Anping helped her sit on the couch and sat beside her. He held her left wrist to check her pulse, and after confirming there was no problem, he explained how to activate the Shifting Eye talisman in her body.
"Turn your spiritual sense inside and gather spiritual energy in your eyes. Infuse it into Jingming , Tianyin , Taibai acupoints respectively..."
Ye Anping pointed out the location of the acupoints to her with his finger.
Li Longling listened carefully, but at the same time, she felt a little strange.
This strangeness was not about her eyes, but she felt that the arm that was now supporting her to sit up was very familiar.
The arm was strong but the skin was very smooth.
Like... just like Sister Xiao's.
When she and Xiao Yunluo were bathing in the spiritual pool a few days ago, the arm she was leaning on felt exactly the same.
Could it be that, at that time, she wasn't leaning on Sister Xiao's shoulder but on Master Ye's shoulder? It's just that Master Ye didn't say anything, so she didn't recognize him?
If that was the case, didn't she and Master Ye bathe naked together and actually lean on each other?
This...
Why didn't Sister Xiao tell her at that time?
Or was it that Sister Xiao's figure resembled Master Ye's, and she made a mistake?
"Miss Li?"
"Ah..." Ye Anping's voice brought Li Longling back to reality. "What's wrong?"
"Did you retain what I said?"
"Uhm..."
"Then, try it."
Li Longling cleared her mind of distractions, thinking that she must have made a mistake. She calmed her heart and infused spiritual energy into the acupuncture points around her eyes as instructed by Ye Anping.
In a few moments, a faint light suddenly appeared in the boundless darkness that enveloped her.
Although faint, it was somewhat dazzling.
"Alright, slowly open your eyes and get used to it."
The rough but warm touch on the back of her hand and the simple and warm words encouraged her to open her eyelids.
Two symmetrical Shifting Eye talismans adorned her cloudy gray eyes with two faint glimmers.
The doors and windows in the room were closed, and there was no candlelight. It was very dark, but she could see.
She could see the silk-embroidered screen in front of her that was engraved with dragon patterns, she could see the beams supporting the palace ceiling, she could see her own hands, and the big hand holding her left hand...
It turns out that the screen was so exquisite...
It turns out that the palace dome was so wide...
It turns out that the emblems of the Dragon House were so majestic...
...
The things her father and maids had described to her since she was a child were so different from her impression...
Li Longling felt a lump in her throat, and her lips parted slightly. Suddenly, a wave of sourness surged up to her heart, causing her nose to twitch.
"Sniff--"
Next to her, Ye Anping also breathed a sigh of relief.
He placed his right index finger in front of his shoulder, indicating the young phoenix standing there to jump onto his finger and then transferred it onto Li Lingling's shoulder. He then said, "Miss Li, this young phoenix on your shoulder is your eyes. You are looking from its eyes, and in the future, you can also find more spirit pets to be used as your distance eyes as long as they are fixed with the Shifting Eye talismans."
"..."
"There are many sects in the Western Region that specialize in taming beasts. From now on, you can practice the Way of Beast Taming as your cultivation method. Although it is different from your father's sword cultivation, it is the most suitable for you."
"..."
"Also, this Shifting Eye talisman method is not a complete cure but just a compromise I thought of, and in my estimation, it should be able to last for thirty years. In other words, every thirty years, you'll have to come to me so I can re-carve the talisman for you."
...
Ye Anping took care of her like a doctor after her recovery. He told Li Longling what precautions to take in the future, as well as ways to take care of her eyes, and offered solutions to some problems that might arise.
Li Longling was not in the mood to listen at the moment, as she was looking at the handsome young man next to her through the eyes of the young phoenix on her shoulder.
This was the first person she saw in her life.
Even though he wasn't related to her by blood and they only met a few times, he treated her so gently.
Previously, she had said she wanted to marry Ye Anping, but that was just a thought because she felt he was a decent and kind person.
But now, it wasn't just a feeling or speculation anymore; it was a fact.
"Whew--" Li Longling covered her chest and lowered her eyes in silence. While Ye Anping was still talking about the precautions, she took a deep breath and interrupted, "Young Master Ye..."
"...What's the matter?"
"I want a home."
"..."
She gently grabbed Ye Anping's hand, turned her head toward him, squinted, and smiled. "You have me, and I have a home."