Chapter 139: Confession, Demanding a Title
Watching the vines drag Yun Sheng farther away, Bai Ye’s aura turned cold and vicious as his spiritual power erupted.
A moment later, the black barrier that had held him back for so long finally buckled under the onslaught, shattering with a deafening crash.
He resumed the chase.
But after just a few steps, the forest suddenly changed.
As if commanded, vines swarmed toward him from all directions, coiling around his limbs layer by layer.
Bai Ye’s eyes narrowed. A blade of spiritual power swept out, instantly pulverizing the approaching vines.
A single vine couldn’t hold him for even a second.
But they seemed endless. He would slice through one wave, only for another to surge forward.
Though they couldn’t harm him, they ensnared his every step like a spiderweb.
Yun Sheng heard the commotion behind her grow louder and instinctively tried to look back, but the vine around her waist first tightened slightly, then nuzzled against her.
It was as if it sensed her hesitation and was trying to soothe her.
Before she could dwell on it, the vine began pulling her along even faster.
The wind howled past her ears as the trees blurred into a retreating streak.
Yun Sheng’s heart began to race. Suddenly, she sensed a familiar aura.
Faint, yet unmistakable.
She snapped her head up. A slender figure was gradually emerging from the shadows ahead.
The man stood on a thick branch of an ancient tree. Sunlight filtered through the leaves, illuminating the side of his face.
Yun Sheng’s throat tightened. "Si Jin..." she murmured reflexively.
The vine around her waist gave a gentle tug, lifting her smoothly onto the branch to land right beside Si Jin.
A moment later, the cool vine coiled around her waist silently retreated, replaced by a warm palm that settled gently on her waist.
The warmth seeped through the fabric of her clothes. Yun Sheng stiffened slightly but didn’t pull away.
Si Jin looked down at her, his gaze so deep it felt as if it could see right through her.
"Yun Sheng." He spoke, his voice a little hoarser than she remembered. "The person from my dreams... it was you."
It wasn’t a question; it was a statement.
Yun Sheng’s heart gave a violent lurch.
She opened her mouth to speak, but her words caught in her throat when she met his sapphire-blue eyes.
Within them swirled suppressed longing, a cautious search for confirmation, and a hint of vulnerability she couldn’t quite decipher.
All her words died in her throat.
After a long moment, she gave a small nod.
"Yes," she said, her voice trembling but remarkably clear. "It was me."
Si Jin’s hand on her waist tightened for a split second, as if confirming her presence, as if terrified she might vanish.
Then he slowly loosened his grip, though his fingertips still lingered on her side, reluctant to let go.
"I knew it was you," he murmured, the corners of his lips curling into the faintest of smiles. "From the very beginning, it has always been you."
A pang of emotion hit Yun Sheng, and her eyes began to sting.
Si Jin watched her, his gaze heavy, as if a great many words he had kept locked away could finally be spoken.
"The riot at the research institute, the time I took you away..." He paused, his Adam’s apple bobbing. "I had lost control then, and I didn’t remember anything from the dream. But my Dark Power was inexplicably suppressed, and it seemed to have something to do with you. So I came to you, wanting to understand why."
Yun Sheng listened in silence, her eyes growing redder and redder.
"Then, the more time we spent together... Yun Sheng, I found myself caring about you more and more, and I wanted to leave your side less and less." Si Jin’s voice was hoarse, but he spoke every word with grave sincerity. "I... I didn’t want to go. But I couldn’t control my rampaging spiritual power anymore. I was afraid I would hurt you, so I had to force myself to leave..."
His voice grew huskier, and the look in his eyes darkened, as if emotions suppressed for too long were finally about to break free.
Yun Sheng suddenly reached out and covered his mouth with her hand.
Beneath her palm, his lips were warm and soft.
"I know. I know all of it," she said, her voice trembling as tears finally streamed down her cheeks. "Thank goodness... Si Jin, thank goodness you’re yourself again..."
Si Jin captured her hand, brought it to his lips, and placed a gentle kiss on it.
The kiss was feather-light, then another, like a devout pilgrim kissing his creed.
"Without you, I’m afraid I would have become a mindless, walking corpse." He lifted his head, his sapphire eyes staring straight into hers. "Yun Sheng, you gave me a new lease on life."
Yun Sheng’s tears flowed even faster, but a smile touched her lips.
"Then from now on..." She sniffled, her voice thick with tears. "You’re not allowed to leave again."
Si Jin pulled her into his arms, resting his chin on the crown of her head. His voice was deep and solemn.
"I’m not leaving. Never again."
Yun Sheng buried her face in his chest, listening to the steady beat of his heart. She suddenly felt that all the fear, worry, and heartache she had endured these past days had been soothed away in this single moment.
After a long while, she finally composed herself and looked up from his embrace.
"Oh, right," she said, remembering something as she reached to lift his shirt. "Was the collapse of the abandoned mine pit your doing? And when you fought those contaminated things... were you hurt? Let me see..."
Si Jin was taken aback by her sudden move. He then let out a laugh and caught her roving hand.
"Easy now," he said with a laugh, his eyes full of affection. "In the dream, you helped me repair the cracks in my spiritual landscape. Any physical wounds healed on their own long ago."
Unconvinced, Yun Sheng tried to check again, but he gently caught her chin.
His touch was light, his thumb stroking her small, delicate chin as his gaze fixed on her face.
"As for what happened at the abandoned mine..." he began slowly, his voice as gentle as if he were soothing a child, "I’ll explain everything later."
Yun Sheng stared at him, mesmerized.
"Right now," he said, leaning in closer, "there’s something more important."
His warm, familiar breath brushed against her cheek.
Yun Sheng’s heart skipped a beat. She instinctively tried to pull back, only to realize his arm was still around her waist, leaving her no room to retreat.
"Wh-what important thing?"
Her voice was unsteady.
Si Jin watched her attempt at feigning composure, the amusement in his eyes deepening.
"Making our relationship official, of course."
He said it softly, but with utter seriousness.
His sapphire eyes never left hers, holding a mix of tenderness, amusement, and a heart-pounding gravity.
"Wh-what official relationship?" she asked, playing dumb.
Si Jin raised an eyebrow. With one hand still on her waist, he raised the other and gave her cheek a gentle squeeze.
"Playing dumb? It’s time to make good on the promise you made in the dream."
Yun Sheng’s face flushed. "I... I was just..."
"Just what? Yun Sheng, do you have any idea how hard it was for me to hold back in the dream? I only managed it because we hadn’t made things official, and I refused to treat you casually. Now that I’m finally here in front of you, you’re not going to go back on your word, are you?"
By the end, his tone even held a hint of grievance.
Yun Sheng’s eyes widened. "Are... are you pouting?"
Si Jin’s expression didn’t falter. "I’m collecting a debt."
Yun Sheng laughed in exasperation and gave his chest a light shove, but he didn’t budge.
"Then what is it you want?" she asked, her face flushed.
Si Jin gazed at her intently, his eyes tracing a path from her brow, to the tip of her nose, and finally lingering on her lips.
"I want to continue what we left unfinished in the dream. But only after you make our relationship official, of course."