Chapter 143: Provocation: She’s Tired, She’s Resting
The sound of slashing outside grew closer, accompanied by faint ripples of spiritual power that revealed the desperation of the person approaching.
Si Jin’s eyes chilled, but he made no move.
’I’ll just wait and see how far the Star Alliance War God is willing to go.’
"Yun Sheng..."
A low call came from outside the cave, tinged with a barely restrained urgency and... a hint of imperceptible panic.
Si Jin raised an eyebrow.
’He’s certainly shouting loud enough.’
He looked down at the person in his arms. Yun Sheng’s brow furrowed, seemingly disturbed by the sound, and she snuggled deeper into his embrace.
Si Jin gently patted her back, his spiritual power tenderly enveloping her and cutting off all sound from the outside.
Yun Sheng’s frown smoothed over, and her breathing steadied once more.
Outside the cave, Bai Ye’s attacks grew increasingly ferocious.
Si Jin could feel him closing in, inch by inch. The waves of his nearly frenzied spiritual power felt as if they could tear the entire mountain apart.
’But so what?’
’Even if he storms in right now, all he’ll see is...’
Si Jin’s lips curled into a smirk as he placed a kiss on the crown of Yun Sheng’s head.
’Yun Sheng is mine.’
’From head to toe, body and soul, she is completely, utterly mine!’
’Even if Bai Ye forces his way in, he can’t change a thing.’
At this thought, Si Jin’s mood brightened considerably. He even found himself looking forward to the look on Bai Ye’s face when he finally burst in.
However... he glanced at the person sleeping soundly in his arms and dismissed the thought.
’Forget it. Yun Sheng needs her rest.’
’As for that guy outside...’
Si Jin looked up, his gaze sweeping indifferently toward the cave entrance.
’Let him shout all he wants.’
’After all, Yun Sheng is in my arms.’
The commotion outside the cave continued for a long time.
The sound of vines being slashed, of barriers shattering, and those cries of "Yun Sheng," each more urgent than the last, sounded as if he were trying to shout his throat raw, to tear the entire forest apart.
Si Jin simply listened in silence, one arm holding the person in his embrace while the other idly patted her back, as if soothing a child.
Soon, the ripples of Bai Ye’s spiritual power grew closer to the cave entrance.
His spiritual power spread out like a vast net, sweeping across the cliff face inch by inch.
As that powerful wave of spiritual power swept past the cave entrance, the person in his arms seemed to sense something. She stirred slightly and groggily opened her eyes.
"Ngh... Outside..."
Yun Sheng instinctively tried to lift her head.
Si Jin raised a hand to cover her eyes. "It’s nothing," he said, his voice deep and gentle. "Go back to sleep."
Yun Sheng blinked, her eyelashes brushing ticklishly against Si Jin’s palm.
"Is... Is White Tiger catching up to us again?"
Her voice, still raspy with sleep, was as soft as cotton.
Si Jin fell silent for a moment.
"Yes."
Yun Sheng’s body stiffened slightly, and she instinctively tried to look toward the cave entrance.
But Si Jin pulled her closer into his embrace, resting his chin on the crown of her head. His voice was soft.
"Don’t look."
Yun Sheng opened her mouth to say something, but he silenced her with a kiss.
This kiss wasn’t lingering and tender like the ones before. It was domineering and possessive, a clear declaration of ownership.
Only when he’d had his fill did Si Jin pull back slightly.
"Yun Sheng, don’t worry about other men. I want you to look only at me, to care only for me."
Yun Sheng stared at him, dazed. Seeing the earnest, almost stubborn light in his eyes, she suddenly laughed.
She reached up and gently pinched his cheek.
"Jealous?"
Si Jin raised an eyebrow, unabashed. "And shouldn’t I be? To save you, that guy outside is giving it his all, shouting loud enough for the entire mountain to hear."
Yun Sheng explained helplessly, "He... He just has a strong sense of duty. He’s the Sentinel assigned to protect our team. He..."
Before she could finish, he covered her mouth.
Si Jin looked annoyed. The hand over her mouth was gentle, merely stopping her from speaking further as he began to grumble himself.
"Some Sentinel. ’Strong sense of duty.’ I say he has ulterior motives."
He paused, leaning closer, his gaze locked on hers.
"Anyway, you’re not allowed to look at him. From now on, you look only at me!"
Even though Yun Sheng didn’t know the Sentinel outside was Bai Ye, Si Jin was going to be jealous regardless.
And not just jealous—he was righteously, shamelessly jealous.
Seeing him act like this, Yun Sheng suddenly laughed even harder.
But as she laughed, her eyes began to sting.
She wrapped her arms around his neck and buried her face in the crook of it. Her voice was muffled but exceptionally tender.
"You fool. I’ve already given myself to you. What’s there to be jealous of?"
Si Jin’s body stiffened slightly.
The next moment, he held her even tighter.
Perhaps because she was truly exhausted, Yun Sheng fell asleep again in his arms before long.
Si Jin gazed down at her peaceful sleeping face, the tenderness in his eyes so profound it was almost palpable.
He gently brushed a stray lock of hair from her forehead and placed a kiss between her brows.
Just then, however, a faint noise came from outside the entrance to the cave.
Si Jin’s gaze sharpened instantly.
It seemed Bai Ye had finally pinpointed their location.
The sound of a blade slicing through vines was clearly audible, strike after strike, drawing closer and closer.
Following that, a tendril of spiritual power slowly probed inward, like an invisible feeler searching the inside of the cave.
Si Jin’s expression changed.
He scooped up the clothes scattered on the ground, first wrapping Yun Sheng tightly within them. Then he laid his own outer robe and some vines over a flat rock before gently placing her on top.
A spiritual power barrier silently enveloped her, blocking her scent, blocking all sound, blocking anything that might disturb her sleep.
Once all this was done, Si Jin slowly rose to his feet. His gaze was as still as a deep pool of water as he stared toward the cave entrance.
Then, he reached over, picked up the black shirt he had taken off, and casually slipped it on.
His slender fingers fastened a few buttons from the bottom up, but he left the top three undone, letting the collar hang open.
The suggestive bite marks on the side of his neck were faintly visible, and he made no effort to conceal them.
A faint smirk touched Si Jin’s lips as he took a step, slowly walking toward the cave entrance.
He gently parted the vines at the cave mouth, creating a gap. Sunlight poured in, illuminating the figure standing just outside.
Bai Ye stood just three paces away.
His combat uniform was caked with mud and grime, and he looked utterly wretched.
A mask concealed most of his face, revealing only a pair of sharp, icy eyes that stared daggers at Si Jin.
It was a rare sight to see Bai Ye in such a state. Si Jin’s lips curled slightly as he met that intense gaze with nonchalance.
But when Bai Ye got a clear look at Si Jin’s current state, his pupils contracted sharply.
Si Jin’s hair was messy, a few strands falling across his forehead, giving him an air of languid satisfaction.
The collar of his black shirt hung half-open. In the light, two distinct bite marks on the side of his neck were brazenly exposed. Further down, faint scratches seemed to be hidden on his back.
And what’s more...
He clearly still carried the residual traces of spiritual power from the woman in his dream.
Those wisps of her spiritual power were now entwined with Si Jin’s own, a silent declaration of what had transpired.
"You..." Bai Ye’s voice was so hoarse he could barely get the word out. His Adam’s apple bobbed convulsively, and the veins on the hand gripping his blade bulged. "What did you do to Yun Sheng! Where is she?"
Si Jin tilted his head slightly, allowing the sunlight to fall more clearly on the side of his neck, illuminating the two bite marks and making them all the more distinct.
"She’s tired. She’s resting."
The casual words were like a dagger, plunging deep into Bai Ye’s heart.