Fate Trading System – Chapter 272

Plan A

Furnace 23

Pouting¹

[Refresher: Qi Refining stage → Foundation Establishment stage → Golden Core stage → Nascent Soul stage → Divine Transformation stage → Void Refining stage → Body Integration stage → Great Accomplishment stage]

Those patterns were so vivid red they looked as if they were about to bleed.

“What should I do?”

Jing Yueru had already flown her swiftly into a new cave abode, shed her robes, and her body was covered in the same red, thread-like marks as her face.

Su Xin felt a sense of terror, as if Jing Yueru would shatter into pieces before her very eyes in the next moment.

This heart-palpitating feeling made Su Xin incredibly distressed.

Hey, this person, she absolutely cannot have anything happen to her!

“Use your cultivation method to draw mine over.”

“Okay.”

This wasn’t a process born from sentiment; Su Xin could tell Jing Yueru was in immense pain.

Her body was scorching hot, like an unstable bomb.

Jing Yueru gritted her teeth, striving to control her spiritual energy to prevent it from rampaging, lest Su Xin suffer a backlash² during the absorption process.

Sounds of pain escaped intermittently from Jing Yueru’s lips. Su Xin quickened the speed of her absorption and circulation, using her own body as a converter for the spiritual energy.

Jing Yueru opened her eyes, the cinnabar mark between her brows an intense red, as if about to drip blood.

I must hold on.

The first time she hadn’t wanted to die, it was out of unwillingness—unwillingness to have her fate controlled by the Heavenly Dao.

If you insist on my destruction, then I will fight to the very end!

Now, she didn’t want to die not just because of power, but because of another, deeper obsession.

I haven’t even heard her say she likes me with her own lips yet. I still want to be with her for a long, long time. How can I just die like this!

Nothing will happen.

Those were two voices resounding in her heart simultaneously.

Su Xin eventually fainted. There was a whole cultivation realm separating her and Jing Yueru; it was a miracle she hadn’t exploded from such a violent absorption.

The web-like patterns slowly receded from Jing Yueru’s body.

She opened her eyes, carefully wiped the sweat from Su Xin’s forehead, carried her to bathe, and then helped her sort out the spiritual energy in her body.

Ever since Su Xin started cultivating, she had been supplemented by Jing Yueru’s spiritual energy. After so long, their spiritual energies could completely intermingle without any major rejection or devouring.

Su Xin’s eyes were closed, the corners tinged red.

“So cute.”

Jing Yueru kissed the corner of her eye and lifted her out of the water.

Meanwhile, on the other side.

Second Senior Brother was somewhat bewildered; things seemed to have changed too quickly.

Junior Sister hadn’t come out of seclusion. Junior Sister suddenly came out during her tribulation. Junior Sister finished her tribulation, rushed before them, and carried Su Xin away. Junior Sister seemed to be in great danger.

“Master, ah, let’s go check on them. Junior Sister didn’t look like she was in a good state. What if she loses control and hurts herself, and hurts Junior Sister Wei too?”

“Mm.”

As soon as Xuan Yi approached the cave abode, he noticed there was no restriction in place. His excellent hearing picked up certain sounds. His eye twitched, and he helped Jing Yueru set up a restriction.

“Your Junior Sister should be fine. There’s no need to go in.”

Xuan Yi stopped his second disciple, who was about to rush in.

Disciple, listen to your Master’s advice. If you go in now, your Junior Sister will chase you down and beat you to death.

“Really? But…”

Second Senior Brother couldn’t possibly distrust his Master, but he was still a little worried about his Junior Sister’s condition.

“No buts.”

Xuan Yi interrupted him curtly.

“But why did Junior Sister pull Junior Sister Wei in…”

Second Senior Brother still managed to ask his question.

“You’ll know in the future.”

Xuan Yi had initially wanted to say “Dao companions,” but those two hadn’t admitted it in front of him, and Jing Yueru’s identity was truly special.

“Oh.”

Second Senior Brother nodded, seemingly understanding yet not quite.

Su Xin woke up in Jing Yueru’s arms, her body brimming with power. She lazily nuzzled Jing Yueru’s chest.

Jing Yueru lowered her head, their foreheads touching, and placed a light, butterfly kiss, like a dragonfly skimming water.

“Shuang Ling³… you’re so good to me.”

This voice was clingy and honey-sweet; one could tell at a listen it belonged to the little fool.

“How is this considered good?”

Su Xin rolled her eyes, feeling a bit weary.

“It was clearly so dangerous…”

“Otherwise, I should have just watched you die?”

Su Xin shot her a look. Did she think I would run?

Jing Yueru didn’t speak, merely nuzzling her affectionately and dependently.

Su Xin was rendered helpless by this clinginess, yet a smile couldn’t help but touch her lips.

“I haven’t forgotten how good you’ve been to me. Those several accidents, weren’t they all because of me?”

“You, ah…”

Jing Yueru sighed softly. This person always felt that Jing Yueru was incredibly good to her, while thinking that what she herself did for Jing Yueru was insignificant.

If the transfer just now had failed, not only would Jing Yueru have exploded and died, but Su Xin would have too.

It was truly a matter of life and death.

Initially, Jing Yueru had been conscious. If Su Xin had shown even a sliver of unwillingness at that time, she would have rather gone far away and endured the pain herself, pushing Su Xin away.

Fortunately… this person not only showed no unwillingness but actively embraced her.

At that moment, the psychological bliss even surpassed the physical pain; it was an uncontrollable surge of emotion.

Intimate kisses; Jing Yueru’s demeanor was almost fervent.

Su Xin’s eyes were closed, and precisely because of this, she didn’t see Jing Yueru’s transformation.

The infatuation in those eyes receded slightly, replaced by an unreadable mist in their depths.

When Jing Yueru realized what was happening, her body couldn’t help but stiffen slightly.

What she knew from memories and what she experienced personally were still different.

So warm, so intimate.

“Hm?”

Su Xin let out a questioning nasal sound. Jing Yueru blinked, her eyelashes fluttering, brushing against Su Xin’s.

When Su Xin realized which personality this was, she instantly sprang out of Jing Yueru’s embrace.

The scene became a bit awkward.

“Do you hate me?”

Seeing Su Xin’s action, Jing Yueru found it somewhat hard to breathe. Su Xin’s avoidant gesture, as if treating a stranger, felt like her heart was being fiercely squeezed—it hurt, truly hurt.

How could she hate her?

Doesn’t she like her?

That other self… knows nothing, but her true self is like this.

Sooner or later, she will have to face the real me. When that time comes, will she also treat me like a stranger?

A painful sensation emanated from her heart. Jing Yueru found it strange; her brain was doing the thinking, so why did her heart ache so much?

“No… Ah… Sorry, my reaction was a bit much.”

Su Xin apologized, her expression somewhat conflicted as she looked at the familiar face.

She didn’t dislike this Jing Yueru, but there was still an uneliminated sense of unfamiliarity and distance.

To like someone, one must accept all of them. Su Xin knew this, which was why she hadn’t said “I like you” out loud.

She treated that other Jing Yueru like a child—that person was direct and frank, wholly dependent on her, unmarred by tribulations, pure and adorable. But this true Jing Yueru made her clearly aware that this was an equal, someone with whom she had to deliberate and think before speaking.

She was used to the former, not yet accustomed to the latter.

These were two personalities in one body. Su Xin also wanted to try, but they had too little time together. She had initially wondered if Jing Yueru liked being like that with her; now it seemed, it wasn’t too bad?

Jing Yueru sat there, still maintaining her previous posture. Her ink-black hair was loosely tied, slightly veiling her fair profile.

She looked very sad. Su Xin began to reflect on whether her actions had been too hurtful.

“I didn’t do it on purpose. I don’t hate you, it’s just… I’m not used to it yet.”

A familiar cold fragrance wafted past her nose. Su Xin looked up and was enveloped in an embrace.

“I am her, and she is me.”

“Mm, I understand.”

Su Xin leaned into the embrace. She would get used to it.

Ultimately, Su Xin had a proactive and dominant personality. She liked others to cater to her, depend on her, to entwine around her like water, revealing their softness, touching each other.

If it were an equally flamboyant and dazzling existence, she might appreciate them, but they would probably end up fighting.

One mountain cannot accommodate two tigers; it was likely so.

Jing Yueru’s love: one was like sunlight, scorching and warm, proclaiming to everyone, I love this person, I like her, I can’t leave her; the other was like moonlight, light and faint, carrying a cool fragrance, yet gentle and cloying, capable of making one slowly forget everything, lost only in this pool of moonlight.

Xilou slowly climbed up Su Xin’s leg. It had been flung aside earlier and, sensing something was amiss, had stayed in a corner. Seeing that things had mostly settled, it crawled out again.

The sensation made Su Xin’s scalp tingle. She almost reflexively grabbed Xilou and threw it out. Only when she had it in her hand did she see it was her Eggy and relaxed.

“Don’t you know this is very dangerous? Next time, I’ll throw you out.”

Xilou licked Su Xin’s fingers, expressing its apology.

“So good.”

Su Xin kissed Xilou’s silver scales. Xilou seemed to shy away, immediately coiling around Su Xin’s wrist and playing dead.

“Shy, are we?”

“I want one too,” Jing Yueru said faintly.

“Hm?”

“A kiss.”

???

Is the little fool back?

“Still me.”

Jing Yueru noticed Su Xin’s confusion and spoke, her tone cool and detached. Indeed, it wasn’t the little fool.

“You don’t like it this way?”

Jing Yueru frowned. In her memories, Su Xin did like it when her other self acted cute with her. Could it be that her imitation wasn’t good enough?

Jing Yueru thought for a moment; that other self would also look aggrieved and pitiful.

She tried to change her expression, striving to look aggrieved and pitiful. But to Su Xin, the woman just seemed to have a gloomy face, looking thoroughly unhappy.

“Are you… trying to act cute?”

Su Xin seemed to understand and burst out laughing with a “pfft.”

Hahahahaha, pouting, hahahahaha, looking aggrieved and pitiful. What in the Nine Hells was that supposed to be? Pouting? Hahahaha!

Anyone who didn’t know better would think she was about to draw her sword and kill someone. That expression was a far cry from pouting.

The little fool from before just made people want to kiss and hug her. This one… pfft… if you didn’t know, you’d think she was looking for a fight. If you did know, it was even funnier.

Seeing Su Xin’s reaction, Jing Yueru’s face darkened a little. But seeing Su Xin so happy, it seemed that failing to act cute wasn’t such a big deal.

Jing Yueru proactively pulled Su Xin over and took what she wanted. Su Xin’s laughter abruptly stopped.

This suited her much better.

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