Chapter 3: Two for the Price of One!

“Y-yes, I’m s-sorry!”  

Li Fuguang snapped back to reality after a moment and immediately averted his gaze, turning away.  

But his body had already reached its limit just by forcing itself this far. When he tried to run, his hand slipped from the wall, and he collapsed to the ground. A metallic taste rose in his throat as blood gushed from his nose and mouth.  

His condition was dire—his meridians were sluggish and blocked, some even severed from the Demon Vine’s attack. Not a shred of Spirit Power could be mustered.  

Propping himself up with trembling arms, the blood he vomited left his head spinning, his vision flickering in and out of darkness.  

Qin Miaoyan, however, seemed to have anticipated his state. She hooked her bare foot around Qin He’s long tail, exerting a warning pressure that carried both threat and dismissal.  

Qin He sank completely into the pool’s depths, focusing on digesting the Transformation Pill Qin Miaoyan had given him.  

Meanwhile, Qin Miaoyan rose leisurely from the water, gathering the scattered robes floating in the pool and draping the damp fabric loosely over her bare body.  

With a flick of her arms, droplets cascaded back into the pool, leaving her half-dry.  

Her gaze fell on the new little plaything struggling pitifully on the ground, still trying in vain to crawl along the wall. She couldn’t help but smirk silently.  

What a proper young gentleman—even after stumbling upon a woman bathing, he hadn’t dared steal a glance. Wounded this gravely, yet he still fought to escape.  

Barefoot, she sauntered toward him. When she reached his side, she bent down, grasped his arm, and effortlessly hauled him upright.  

Li Fuguang’s eyes were already glazed over. Were it not for the Healing Pill Qin Miaoyan had given him earlier, his Spirit Repository would have ruptured by now, leaving him on death’s doorstep.  

Of course, Qin Miaoyan had no intention of letting him die. She simply hadn’t expected him to wake up so soon.  

Thanks to her “special care,” his Illusion Shattering Realm cultivation had been crippled—his meridians and acupoints ravaged. Even with life-sustaining medicine, he should have remained unconscious for at least two days.  

Channeling Spirit Power into his meridians, she probed deeper—and her eyebrows lifted in surprise.  

A Wood Spirit Root of such purity was practically heaven-sent. Even in today’s Cultivation World, it was virtually unparalleled.  

Wood Spirit Roots naturally excelled in healing. No wonder… no wonder he recovered so swiftly.  

Despite his grievous injuries, that single life-prolonging pill had been enough to jolt him awake and drag him this far.  

Qin Miaoyan guided his internal Spirit Power flow, mending some of the more severely damaged meridians.  

The improvement was immediate—his deathly pallor faded, his unfocused eyes gradually regaining clarity.  

And then, once again, he found himself staring directly into Qin Miaoyan’s face at close range.  

Their bodies were pressed tightly together now, with one of Li Fuguang’s arms slung over her shoulder.  

He watched as a single droplet trailed from her temple, sliding down her breathtakingly beautiful face—still dewy, like a crimson lotus emerging from water—until it gathered at her chin and finally dripped into the loose, plunging neckline of her robe, disappearing between the lush curves beneath.  

Half-damp, her inky hair coiled around her neck and shoulders like countless water serpents, slithering down the elegant slope of her spine before coming to rest at the full, tempting swell of her tailbone.

The dampness and moisture transmitted through their pressed bodies instantly reminded Li Fuguang of his earlier panicked flight—how he had stumbled blindly along the wall and ended up here, only to collide with this woman bathing!

When he realized he was actually holding the woman in his arms, it felt as though he had been thrown into a vat of boiling oil, his skin flayed open. His face flushed crimson in an instant.

He abruptly released Qin Miaoyan and stumbled back several steps in alarm.

Unfortunately, Qin Miaoyan had no intention of fully healing his injuries—she had only infused him with enough spirit power to regain consciousness before stopping.

Which meant Li Fuguang couldn’t even stand on his own.

Thus, as expected, the moment he let go of Qin Miaoyan, he collapsed onto the ground.

At least this time he didn’t feel like he was about to pass out. After falling, he simply closed his eyes.

Qin Miaoyan: “…” What kind of reaction was this? Had he seen a ghost?

She even glanced down at herself.

Half-exposed curves, damp robes clinging to her skin—a natural beauty fresh from the water, untouched by artifice. Wasn’t this the very image men adored?

She had always been supremely confident in her appearance, but judging by how this little thing was scrambling backward as if to flee… Had he discovered that when the parasitic vines in the Secret Realm had attacked, she had already parasitized him?

Qin Miaoyan’s expression darkened, her beautiful features twisting into something sinister and predatory in an instant.

What a pity.

She had originally planned to play a little game of seduction, but if he wasn’t going to cooperate… then she’d just have to turn him into a puppet for her collection.

That face of his was certainly worth preserving.

She took a step forward, about to bluntly ask if he was willing to play along.

But Li Fuguang had already gathered his thoughts and spoke first: “Miss, I… I didn’t mean to intrude earlier. Nor was I… peeping at you.”

His voice was deep but unsteady from his injuries.

“I simply didn’t know where I was. When I woke, my mind was still hazy, and I wanted to ask someone for directions. That’s why I stumbled into your bathing area by mistake.”

Sitting on the ground with his eyes closed, despite his severe injuries, he spoke with remarkable clarity.

“I’ve offended you, Miss, and I’ll accept whatever punishment you deem fit. But might I ask… where exactly is this place?”

Qin Miaoyan paused mid-step when he spoke. Hearing him address her as “Miss,” she nearly laughed aloud.

How many years had it been?

How many years since anyone had called her that?

For a moment, she found it refreshingly novel—it reminded her of her old lover, Li Xi, who had always addressed her so properly as “Miss Qin.”

Even after accepting her affections, he had remained so stiffly formal.

This little thing’s proper demeanor made Qin Miaoyan realize he not only resembled her old lover in appearance but perhaps in temperament as well?

How amusing.

“Miss?” Qin Miaoyan echoed playfully. “You’ll accept whatever punishment I deem fit?”

Beneath his eyelids, Li Fuguang’s eyes shifted, but he still didn’t open them. He merely nodded slowly.

“If you could kindly tell me where this is, I’d like to send word to my parents to reassure them of my safety. After that… I’ll submit to your judgment.”

“This is Avici Valley,” Qin Miaoyan said. “Yesterday, you were mortally wounded by parasitic vines. I asked my eldest disciple, Qin Hongfei, but he didn’t recognize you—had no idea which sect you belonged to. So I brought you back to Avici Land for treatment.”

Qin Miaoyan had no intention of beating around the bush.

Such an exquisite design for a life-saving grace—how could she keep it hidden? Of course, she was also testing this little thing to see if he already knew the truth and was pretending ignorance, perhaps planning to send word to his parents for help.  

If he dared play mind games with her, she’d simply make sure he lost his mind.  

Qin Miaoyan had never liked her playthings disobeying her.  

Yet, after she finished speaking, the little thing froze momentarily before his face—even with his eyes closed—betrayed sheer shock.  

A moment later, he couldn’t help but open his eyes and look at Qin Miaoyan.  

“You… are Valley Master Qin?” The supreme ruler of Avici Land?  

“Yesterday… was it you who descended from the heavens, vanquished the Demon creature, and caught me in the abyss?”  

Qin Miaoyan: “…” So all her efforts yesterday were wasted, huh?  

Was this little thing blind? Hadn’t they locked eyes back then? Was that awestruck look in his gaze fake?  

Qin Miaoyan was speechless. Unable to suppress her true nature, she scoffed, “Who else?”  

Li Fuguang’s lips parted slightly, his strikingly handsome face now wearing a dazed, almost foolish expression.  

It wasn’t entirely his fault for failing to recognize her. Yesterday, he had only glimpsed his savior in the moment before losing consciousness—under the crushing weight of overwhelming pressure, severely injured, with the figure backlit like a deity descending from the heavens.  

Even if he’d gone mad, he could never have connected the vivid, bare-skinned woman he’d just seen to the divine savior from before.  

But once he realized, he immediately pushed himself up on his arms, kneeling properly in front of her. Under Qin Miaoyan’s incredulous gaze, he kowtowed three times—loud, resounding thuds that left no room for doubt. Even her disciples hadn’t been this reverent when pledging themselves to her.  

Then, in that deep voice of his—one that would surely sound delightful in bed—he trembled as he exclaimed, “Thank you, Valley Master Qin, for saving my life!”  

Qin Miaoyan’s expression twitched slightly: “…” This wasn’t what she’d expected.  

Shouldn’t he have been flustered, avoiding her gaze, his cheeks burning red like some virtuous gentleman when she helped him up—only to stumble weakly into her arms?  

But when Li Fuguang raised his head after kowtowing, his face was indeed red—though only on his forehead, from the force of his bows. Now that he knew Qin Miaoyan’s identity, even his earlier embarrassment at seeing her bathe vanished.  

No longer shying away from her half-drenched, alluring state, he stared at her with blazing eyes, filled with nothing but reverence and admiration for a senior. His gaze was so intense that Qin Miaoyan almost wanted to step back.  

Then, just before collapsing from dizziness, Li Fuguang curled his lips into a radiant smile directed at her.  

Qin Miaoyan took one look and immediately covered her face.  

Ruined.  

This face was ruined!  

This little brat had Cheek Dimples—two of them!—something her former lover had never possessed.  

And they were perfectly symmetrical, one on each side.  

When he smiled, his lips red and teeth white, he looked adorably naive—but it had nothing to do with her usual tastes. She didn’t like stupid puppies!  

A fine face paired with those foolishly clear eyes was bad enough, but with those dimples popping out when he grinned, Qin Miaoyan’s desire evaporated entirely.  

For a moment, even her deliberately seductive posture stiffened awkwardly.

When Li Fuguang collapsed again from exhaustion, Qin Miaoyan didn’t lift a finger to help him, watching coldly as he fell face-first onto the ground with a loud “thud.”

She pressed her fingers against the vertical mark between her brows, rubbing it hard several times.

Circling around this little brat she’d personally brought back to the valley, she found herself at a loss for what to do with him.

Maybe she should just throw him out.

But when he lay there unconscious, that handsome face looked exactly like her long-lost lover’s from years past.

Or perhaps… find a way to make sure he could never smile again?

Qin Miaoyan crouched down and poked the unconscious man’s cheek with her finger. Without that foolish grin of his, one couldn’t tell he had those two cheek dimples.

Come to think of it, could puppet silk be used to fill in dimples?

In the end, Qin Miaoyan still dragged him back.

Literally dragged—she had no intention of carrying him, especially after recalling that idiotic expression he’d worn earlier.

But since she was the one who brought him here, she couldn’t very well abandon him. Moreover, after much deliberation, she concluded that such a face shouldn’t go to waste.

No one could make her spit out meat that was already in her mouth!

Fortunately, the boy was undoubtedly a bit simple-minded. And simpletons were easier to manipulate.

Qin Miaoyan decided to change tactics—wasn’t coaxing a fool even simpler?