Chapter 27: What Bad Intentions Could the Cub have?

At night, the moonlight outside was enchanting, and an oil lamp flickered inside the room.

Jiang Niannian had just finished bathing and was about to go to bed when someone knocked on the door.

“Who is it?”

“Niannian, it’s me.”

Jiang Niannian walked over to open the door.

Under the moonlight, Yin Buqi’s face looked smooth and fair, so strikingly handsome that she was momentarily dazed.

“Niannian,” Yin Buqi smiled faintly, with a hint of shyness in his expression.

“We’ve been traveling all day, and I’m feeling a bit uncomfortable from sweating. Could you help me take a bath?”

“Your wounds have mostly healed; you can wash yourself,” Jiang Niannian replied, declining his request.

Yin Buqi’s back injury couldn’t get wet, so Jiang Niannian had been helping him bathe for the past few days.

But yesterday, she noticed that the wounds had scabbed over, with some of the shallower areas already showing soft pink flesh.

It wasn’t that she was being lazy.

It’s just that every time she helped him bathe, there was an indescribable feeling in her heart that made her uncomfortable…

But the next second, Yin Buqi covered his mouth and coughed, with crimson blood seeping through his fingers, the sight of it shocking.

Jiang Niannian was startled.

“Buqi, what’s wrong?!”

Yin Buqi lowered his gaze and wiped the corners of his mouth with his sleeve.

The cold moonlight couldn’t penetrate his eyes, casting a shadow over them.

“It’s nothing; maybe I overexerted myself while flying today, and the wound on my back reopened… Niannian, you should rest early; I can manage on my own.”

He turned to leave, and a bloodstain appeared on the back of his clothes, making his figure seem lonely.

Jiang Niannian chased after him, full of regret.

“Buqi, wait. I… I’ll help you bathe.”

Her well-behaved boy was always so considerate, never troubling her unless he was seriously hurt.

She had been too petty.

Yin Buqi paused, a deep smile hidden in his eyes, but when he turned back, his expression was one of grievance.

“Thank you, Niannian.”

Jiang Niannian filled a wooden tub with water, and Yin Buqi had already stripped off his clothes, wearing only a cloth around his waist, but it couldn’t hide his impressive physique.

“What happened? How did the wound reopen so badly?!”

Jiang Niannian couldn’t believe her eyes.

He had only flown a short distance with his sword!

She hadn’t asked him to perform acrobatics or anything—how did it get this bad?

Yin Buqi stepped into the wooden tub without a word.

He recalled how, half an hour ago, he had dug his fingers into the wound, slowly tearing apart the area that was nearly healed, letting blood seep out, staining his pale finger bones…

A childlike, gleeful smile appeared on his lips.

This way, he could spend a few more days being close to Niannian…

Jiang Niannian gently poured water over him, while Yin Buqi watched her intently.

The sound of water splashing echoed as it flowed over his body, and he instinctively closed his eyes, feeling her soft fingers caress his skin.

He was already strikingly handsome, and with his hair and eyebrows dampened by the water, he looked even more enchanting.

Water droplets slid down his fair face, trickling down his spine and into the small of his back.

She couldn’t look any lower—it was too tempting!

Jiang Niannian felt herself getting warm again and tried to distract herself by asking, “Where’s Coal Ball?”

“It ran off to play.”

Jiang Niannian frowned.

“Really? It’s getting more and more unruly, running around so late.”

At that moment, Coal Ball, whom Yin Buqi had sent outside, sat alone by the door, forlorn.

Snowflakes fluttered, the north wind wailed, and the world seemed vast and desolate…

Inside the room, Jiang Niannian had her back to the bathtub, waiting for Yin Buqi to finish dressing.

But then she heard his next request, pushing his luck even further: “Niannian, can I sleep with you tonight?”

“No—”

Before she could finish, he hugged her tightly from behind.

She could feel the warmth radiating from his body, his fresh, masculine scent enveloping her in the dark, intimate space.

Yin Buqi continued, “I don’t want to sleep alone; it’s too cold.”

His tone carried a mix of pleading and a touch of grievance.

Jiang Niannian hesitated for a moment, then agreed, “…Alright.”

Her mind was blank; her thoughts completely scrambled.

She wasn’t even sure why she agreed, only aware of something pressing against her stomach just now.

Knowing his physical condition made it impossible to ignore, and her face flushed even hotter.

Later that night, Jiang Niannian must have felt cold because she unconsciously rolled over into Yin Buqi’s arms in her sleep.

Yin Buqi froze, his breathing stopping for a moment.

But Jiang Niannian didn’t wake up, continuing to sleep soundly.

After a long time, Yin Buqi finally relaxed, holding her like a precious treasure as he slowly drifted off to sleep.

Soon, the day of the Immortal Alliance Conference arrived.

Jiang Niannian had just gotten familiar with the surroundings and didn’t even have time to rest before she had to take the stage for combat.

However, she remained completely unfazed.

The Immortal Alliance Conference, held every ten years, was hosted by one of the four great sects, with this year’s turn falling to the Rimuli sect.

The participants weren’t renowned experts but rather unknown or novice cultivators.

Through various tests, they would rank their abilities, and the top 100 would be selected to enter the Secret Realm for training.

Only after emerging from this realm would they be considered true cultivators.

There were countless skilled individuals in the human realm, and those who made it into the top 100 were among the elite.

Thus, the Immortal Alliance Conference provided an opportunity for all ambitious and talented cultivators to prove themselves.

The great sects would also select and compete for disciples from among the top 100.

In modern terms, the competition was as intense as a national college entrance exam.

The first round of the tournament was a spirit root test.

This alone eliminated more than half of the participants.

Gold, wood, water, fire, and earth were the five primary spirit roots, with the purest being the most valuable.

A single spirit root was considered the highest quality.

Ice, thunder, and wind were the rare elemental spirit roots, highly regarded by ordinary cultivators.

Those with three or more spirit roots were deemed of poor quality, sometimes even unable to cultivate.

However, the all-spirit root, despite being complex, was the highest quality of all.

Jiang Niannian, with her wood spirit root, and Yin Buqi, with his rare all-spirit root, passed the test with ease.

Yin Buqi, in particular, drew envious gazes from many.

A rare all-spirit root! The last person with such a root was the cultivation prodigy Yin Li, who, unfortunately, was fated to die young due to a tragic destiny.

The second round was a chaotic melee in the Boundless Arena, where all disciples would fight barehanded on stage.

Before entering the fray, Jiang Niannian took a moment to observe her surroundings.

In the stands, besides the heads of the four great sects and the esteemed cultivators within them, there were also influential figures from all over the world.

Among them, Jiang Niannian immediately recognized two familiar faces—Tang Xuanye and Zhao Anming.

Zhao Anming seemed to notice her as well, his eyes brightening with recognition.

He had become much more composed compared to sixteen years ago.

She wondered if his father had survived in the end.

She’d have to greet him after the competition.

The Immortal Alliance Conference was bustling with noise.

The large central platform was intricately carved, and everywhere she looked, people were packed tightly together, fighting and flying through the air, making Jiang Niannian feel a bit overwhelmed.