Chapter 445 : How Long Will It Take
445: How Long Will It Take
Jiang Mo's face was burning crimson, though not because she felt uncomfortable letting her Senior Sister examine her back. She was simply overthinking things—Yun Qingyue only wanted to check if she was injured, yet those few words had sent her imagination running wild...
Yun Qingyue watched as the little tiger blushed from head to toe. Though she hadn't spoken a word, somehow her own face began to feel warm as well.
An ambiguous atmosphere silently began to spread. Yun Qingyue tried to say something, finally managing: "Don't just stand at the doorway. Come, let me look at your back."
Her voice was cool and clear, like ice and jade, seemingly able to shatter that hint of ambiguity with ease. Yet as she casually closed the door behind her, that broken ambiguity seemed to return... At least when Jiang Mo saw her closing the door, her gaze couldn't help but follow, and in the moment when the light was blocked by the door, her heart began to pound like a drum.
Yun Qingyue might have heard her suddenly quickened heartbeat, or perhaps not. But Jiang Mo thought she probably hadn't heard, otherwise how could she so naturally say to her: "Take off the cloak, let me have a look."
The doors and windows were tightly shut, making the room somewhat dim, though this posed no obstacle for cultivators.
Jiang Mo could see only calm in Yun Qingyue's crystal-like phoenix eyes, so she sighed inwardly, unsure whether to be annoyed at her own wishful thinking or frustrated by her Senior Sister's obliviousness. However, under the gaze of those clear eyes, the fire in her heart did indeed subside. Feeling somewhat resigned, she turned around and removed the cloak without hesitation, revealing her torn robe beneath.
With the cloak removed, the tattered robe underneath was exposed. Earlier in the chaos, Yun Qingyue had only managed a hasty glance. Now seeing the extent of the damage, she couldn't help but be shocked.
As a Fusion stage cultivator, Jiang Mo naturally wore robes appropriate to her cultivation level, with built-in defensive formations of considerable strength. Yet even so, the self-detonation of a Void Crossing cultivator was not to be underestimated. Having faced it at close range, Jiang Mo's robe had been blasted to tatters. Beneath the robe, apart from an equally destroyed undergarment, Jiang Mo wore nothing else, nor did she have any passive defensive treasures on her person.
Looking at the fair, flawless skin before her, Yun Qingyue carefully examined it for wounds, then tentatively pressed down on it. She felt the skin beneath her fingertips contract and tremble slightly, and saw the pressed area quickly flush pink.
She frowned and suddenly said: "Were you deceiving me earlier?"
Jiang Mo, facing away from Yun Qingyue and lost in her own thoughts, was completely bewildered by this abrupt question. She turned her head in confusion and asked: "What did I deceive you about?"
Seeing her reaction, Yun Qingyue hesitated, then pointed at her back: "I just touched your back, and it turned red. The force of that person's self-detonation was considerable, but after you used the cleaning spell, your back was completely white. Thinking back, there wasn't even a mark, let alone a wound. Were you concealing your injuries to reassure me?"
Cultivators had so many methods—a simple illusion spell could achieve such an effect. As for why the wounds were gone now, that was also easily explained, given the White Tiger divine beast's powerful regenerative abilities.
Hearing this, Jiang Mo was momentarily confused, then couldn't help but smile ruefully as she explained: "I truly wasn't injured, and I wasn't deceiving you." After a pause, she softened her tone, suddenly speaking with deeper meaning: "My defense is very strong—even a knife might not leave a mark. As for why it turns red at your touch, can't Senior Sister think about that herself?"
She had reverted to calling her "Senior Sister," her tone and gaze full of implication.
When Yun Qingyue met her gaze, she suddenly felt as if she'd been scalded—perhaps more than just a feeling. In truth, Jiang Mo's gaze was now intensely hot, as if expressing boundless affection. Anyone meeting her eyes would inevitably be burned by that fervor.
Yun Qingyue, typically so cool in temperament, suddenly felt embarrassed. When touching Jiang Mo's back earlier, she hadn't thought much of it, but now her face began to feel warm. She discreetly clenched her fingertips and avoided Jiang Mo's gaze, saying lightly: "I see. Then I misunderstood. I'm glad you're alright..."
Jiang Mo had always been somewhat timid around Yun Qingyue, stemming from their first meeting. Back then, Yun Qingyue had been a lofty cultivator, while Jiang Mo was just a weak little tiger cub lying at her feet, pretending to be hurt, needing to be adopted to survive. Later, she was brought back to the sect, eventually working hard to reach the same cultivation level. They had finally reached the same height. But by then, she had developed feelings she shouldn't have, and fearing the other's disgust or rejection, she continued to place herself in a position of weakness.
But at this moment, she suddenly discovered that her Senior Sister could also become nervous, could also be embarrassed by her words. So the restlessness that had been suppressed for so long suddenly overcame all her restraint and weakness.
She suddenly reached out and caught her Senior Sister's hand, precisely grasping those clenched fingertips: "Hmm, actually, Qingyue, your concern isn't entirely misplaced. I'm not completely uninjured. That person's self-detonation was so close, my back feels burned and painful. I might have internal injuries. Perhaps Qingyue should still check more carefully?"
Yun Qingyue suspected she was being unreasonable, but the little tiger never joked about such things, always fearing to worry her. So she stopped trying to withdraw her hand and asked half-believingly: "Really?"
Jiang Mo nodded eagerly, her golden eyes hiding a smile: "Really, really. Please help me check more thoroughly."
Yun Qingyue had no choice but to agree: "Alright then."
Jiang Mo turned around and, without another word, directly removed her tattered robe, revealing her entire smooth back. At the same time, perhaps due to accidentally touching her hair while undressing, her loosely pinned hair bun suddenly half-collapsed. Strands of black hair immediately fell down, hanging straight to her slender waist with its beautiful curves...
The white back, the black hair—distinctly contrasting yet perfectly complementary, impacting the heart of the observer.
· · ─────── ·𖥸· ─────── · · · · ─────── ·𖥸· ─────── · ·
When Yun Qingyue emerged from Jiang Mo's room, her expression was as cool as ever, but anyone seeing her couldn't ignore her crimson complexion. Looking carefully, one might even glimpse a trace of bewilderment in her eyes as she struggled to maintain composure.
Leaving Jiang Mo's room, she turned and entered her own quarters, closing the door with a "creak."
Jiang Mo didn't follow her, merely raising an eyebrow slightly at the sound of the closing door next door, then naturally took out a new robe from her storage space and put it on. As she tied her sash, she could still smell the faint medicinal fragrance—the ointment she had tricked her Senior Sister into applying. Though she truly hadn't been injured, to keep her there, she had whimpered and pretended to be in pain for quite some time.
She didn't know if her Senior Sister had seen through her act, but the woman had indeed stayed and seriously applied medicine where indicated. Those soft fingertips had almost covered half her back...
Jiang Mo raised her hand to touch her earlobe, still able to recall the sensation. She wondered who had found it harder to endure, her Senior Sister or herself. Looking back now, she somewhat regretted not taking advantage of the ambiguous atmosphere to test the waters further. But today hadn't been fruitless—at least she could confirm that her Senior Sister wasn't entirely indifferent toward her.
This was good enough. She had a long lifespan and plenty of patience to gradually win her over.
"But the way I acted before clearly wasn't right, was it? Always saying I'm fine, what's the use of appearing so strong? It's better to occasionally pretend to have minor injuries, so Senior Sister will worry and help apply medicine..." Jiang Mo murmured, touching her warm earlobe.
As soon as the words left her mouth, she realized what she'd said and quickly looked around, confirming that her Senior Sister had indeed returned to her room and closed the door, unable to hear. Only then did she secretly breathe a sigh of relief, unable to suppress a smile that made her look less like a tiger and more like a little fox about to steal a chicken.
Such little schemes were best kept to herself—she certainly couldn't let her Senior Sister hear them!
...
Meanwhile, Yun Qingyue, now back in her room, indeed hadn't heard Jiang Mo's murmurings. In fact, the spirit boat itself was a magical artifact covered with countless formation inscriptions. With the door closed, the room became completely sealed, making it impossible to hear any sound from outside.
Of course, even without these barriers, Yun Qingyue had no mind to listen; her thoughts were in disarray.
She had always known of Jiang Mo's feelings for her. Not only had Jiang Mo once openly expressed her affection, but even before that, Yun Qingyue had vaguely sensed it—she wasn't foolish, and though she had never considered matters of the heart before, she wasn't insensitive either. Living in the cultivation world, she had seen all kinds of relationships, so even something like her adopted little tiger falling in love with her wasn't entirely unacceptable.
Of course, what she accepted was the fact itself, not the relationship. Over the years, she had focused solely on pursuing the Great Dao, never considering romance. But it must be said that with daily interaction, a person's feelings can change.
From having no thoughts at all, to letting things take their course—perhaps it took three years, or perhaps longer.
From letting things take their course, to feeling her heart flutter—how long would that take?
At this moment, her confused heart may already have found its answer.