The more anxious Yan Chun became, the less her body seemed to cooperate, and the less it cooperated, the more anxious she felt.

The person beneath her didn't know whether he was in pain or afraid, or if he was simply embarrassed by her light-hearted advances, trembling more and more violently, and his breathing was clearly becoming increasingly hurried. Yan Chun found it hard to steady her own breath under his influence as well...

In just a few breaths, both of them were drenched in sweat.

The scene was indeed somewhat unbearable to look at.

After an unknown period passed—long enough for the person beneath her to stop trembling, perhaps resigning himself to his fate—Yan Chun was already panting like a wild donkey that had been grinding a millstone for three days straight. Finally, she managed to regain control of her body.

However, Yan Chun still dared not make any large movements, fearing that if she stepped outside the boundaries shrouded by the return to truth, the concealment would falter, and in the next moment, her senior brother would appear out of thin air to drag her back to the Pure Spirit Pool.

Yan Chun was finally able to pull her lips away from the face of the person she had pressed against, and with a small movement, she propped her arm against his cheek, slowly taking a breath, pulling reason from the boiling body temperature and brain haze.

Gathering her thoughts, she cleared her throat and looked at the person beneath her, saying, "Ahem... um, would you believe me if I said my body was out of control just now?"

The four-symbol mask of the thief was already gone, and after the chaotic situation, Yan Chun only had the chance to take a quick look at the person beneath her, who she had pinned for a while.

His long hair was disheveled among the dead leaves, with a few bloodstains on his neck, and even the corners of his mouth had traces of dried blood.

But perhaps because he had been wearing the four-symbol mask earlier, that outer sect disciple hadn't struck his face, so there was only a slight bruise on it, likely from when he fell into the deep pit and scratched himself.

Thus, at this close distance, Yan Chun could truly see how good-looking this thief was, clear and ethereal amidst the many beautiful men and women of the cultivation world, even amongst ageless old demons.

Yan Chun nearly sighed out loud, "You were originally a beautiful person, yet how could you become a thief?" This thief's appearance could definitely be described as clear and otherworldly amidst the many stunning figures in this cultivation realm.

Yan Chun sighed inwardly but did not speak it out loud, after all, if she voiced her thoughts, it would make her sound more like a lecher.

Noticing that the person beneath her had his eyes tightly shut, with lashes like wings fluttering sharply, refusing to open them and look at her, Yan Chun thought for a moment and dryly explained, "I really lost control of my body just now; I’m sick."

That line was rather abrupt and seemed to come from a questionable state of mind.

Yan Chun forced a smile, just as she was about to explain why she couldn't get up immediately, she saw the person beneath her's lashes tremble again, and he slowly nodded his head.

"Mm?" Yan Chun was somewhat surprised: "Do you believe that I really couldn't move just now?"

This time the thief nodded his head slowly again.

Yan Chun pursed her lips, a smile appearing in her eyes; this thief was quite amusing.

Having been asleep for many years, although she had been nurtured in the Pure Spirit Pool, her energy pool had cracked, which affected her lifespan. Now, her body was in tatters, and her originally delicate beauty had become shrouded in a lingering sickly aura after years of torment.

Even her lips had taken on an unhealthy pale hue, but her eyes still shone bright—radiant as spring blossoms, and when she slightly bent, they resembled a crescent moon falling gracefully, with autumn water carrying ripples.

It was a pity that this fair appearance was wasted on someone who couldn't see; the thief remained tightly shut like a clam, still refusing to open his eyes.

Yan Chun didn't mind that he wasn't looking at her; she explained again, "I truly couldn't move just now, and I didn't want you to either. It's not about taking advantage of you; it's just that the size of my protective artifact was too small, and if it accidentally exceeded its range, we would be discovered... After all, we both need to escape, right?"

Yan Chun looked at the thief, who was once again closing his eyes and lightly nodded in response, his body slowly relaxing due to her soft-spoken explanation, appearing as if he were a soft, mushy thing willing to believe whatever was said, making her laugh again.

"Why don't you open your eyes? Not saying a word either; could it be you were injured internally by those big monkeys earlier?"

As she spoke, she reached out to check his pulse, but grasped the thief's wrist, only then realizing her energy pool had cracked, causing a severe decline in her cultivation. From all the earlier commotion, she also had knocked into a tree, exacerbating the cracks, leaving her unable to gather any energy.

Now she felt like a leaking bamboo basket, even in these spirit-rich mountains, it was difficult to condense any energy for her use. Let alone probe with energy like she used to, she was currently not much better off than the thief beneath her after having received a beating.

Grasping his wrist, she paused and sighed, saying, "Ah, I forgot I’m also a useless person."

Yan Chun's words were filled with self-deprecation, but she was not saddened.

These years spent at the bottom of the Pure Spirit Pool, from initially being frightened, to unbearable sorrow, to madness and delusion, and finally coming to terms with herself, now she could regard everything with indifference, feelings were hard to express to outsiders.

Yan Chun could only feel, had her energy pool not collapsed, and she could still cultivate, perhaps in these eleven years she could have cultivated a mental shield.

"But even though I'm a useless person, I have plenty of medicine." Yan Chun immediately released the thief's wrist and shifted to rummage in the storage pouch at her waist.

She didn’t mind that the thief was just nodding and not speaking, nor did she find him uninteresting or unappreciative. After all, she had gotten used to talking to stones all those years at the Pure Spirit Pool.

She took out a bottle of medicine for injuries, pinched out a pill, and was about to explain what it was when the previously silent thief moved his throat and unexpectedly spoke.

He said, "You are not a useless person..."

His voice was low, not showing the stubbornness he had earlier when he asserted that consuming spiritual beings was a violation of the heavenly path; it was not the sharp craziness after the four-symbol mask fell off, but rang softly beside Yan Chun like the echo of a qin playing in a silent valley.

"I'm fine." The thief still kept his eyes closed, stating calmly, "These injuries are nothing to me; you do not need to worry about me."

Yan Chun, tilting her head slightly to feel his voice curling around the evening spring breeze, felt a tickling sensation in her ear, then supported herself with her arms and inexplicably blurted out, "Where did you hide those yin-yang fish?"

Yan Chun was genuinely curious.

She hadn’t had this kind of free conversation for many years; even when she woke up in the Pure Spirit Pool, her parents and senior brother spoke to her carefully, mainly to soothe her, and they rarely mentioned what her future might look like, all frowned and deep in thought, nothing like this thief who seemed so at ease.

Although he wasn’t looking at her, which felt a bit odd, Yan Chun felt even stranger about herself.

She had appeared out of nowhere and had done so many things that could easily lead to misunderstandings, yet this brother, who was still pinned beneath her, had not asked her a single question; he believed whatever she said without a hint of perfunctoriness; Yan Chun could feel that he genuinely believed her.

This made her more curious about him, prompting her to ask about the yin-yang fish.

Once she asked that question, it represented her continuous observation of him getting beaten without caring much about it.

After asking, Yan Chun stared at the thief, curious about his response. Then she saw his long lashes quiver slightly as he kept his eyes closed, not asking how she knew, but directly answering: "The fish... is at the bottom of a spring in the back mountain."

Yan Chun's eyes brightened as she realized how long it had been since she had shown such a lively smile. With a curious expression, she pressed further: "You... just told me that? You didn’t say anything when those people beat you up, and now you tell me, aren’t you afraid I’ll inform them to seek revenge and have you punished in the punishment hall?"

A few half-yellow leaves had gotten tangled in the thief's hair; when the wind blew, it resembled a butterfly stirring its wings. His throat moved slowly again, as he calmed his breath, seemingly fearing to scare away the "butterfly" perched on him, as if each word was painstakingly crafted.

Finally, he slowly uttered, "I’m telling you because I’m not afraid."

"Oh? Why?" Yan Chun's interest began to wane as she asked, "Do you know me?"

If this thief knew her, then his actions wouldn't be surprising.

After all, Yan Chun was the only daughter of the two elders of the Heng Jue sect, a second-generation immortal that those cultivators who put their lives on the line for cultivation both detested and envied. Born on the immortal mountain, she had directly opened her path to enlightenment thanks to years of nourishment by spirit energy.

Though her cultivation was indeed pathetic, considering her identity, as long as her parents did not meet with misfortune, she was in this sect as esteemed as a princess born in a mundane imperial city.

However, the thief soon continued, "…I do not know you."

Yan Chun felt somewhat unconvinced.

The thief added, "My cultivation level is low; I’ve barely been part of the outer sect for two years. Though I can recognize the inner sect disciple robes you’re wearing, I do not know which senior sister you are among them."

He spoke slowly but firmly. After two years of joining the sect—having not even entered the inner sect—how could he possibly know someone who had been asleep for eleven years? He shouldn't know her.

Once Yan Chun heard that, her expression indeed brightened.

"Only two years? You can’t even maintain your appearance at the level of the delusion realm…" Yan Chun's gaze lingered on his face and seeing his youthful complexion, she smiled, "Then you must be quite young; you really ought to call me senior sister."

Yan Chun said, "I have quality medicines for treating injuries that can only be used by inner sect disciples. Since you trust me so much, we're both 'in trouble' today, then we can be considered fated."

Looking at the serious thief, Yan Chun felt playful and began to treat him like a child. She squinted her eyes and coaxed, "If you call me senior sister, I’ll let you have some."

She had been so bored these years, and no one knew she hadn't really been asleep at the bottom of the Pure Spirit Pool, her consciousness drifting like spirit mist through the forbidden areas of the Ling Mountain, feeling lost and lonely like snow.

She had always been the youngest among the disciples of the inner sect’s leader, everyone above her being senior sisters and brothers, and the disciples of other elders were also older than her, so truly no one had ever called her senior sister!

Yet Yan Chun didn't realize that her behavior of teasing like a child was quite awkward, especially since she was still pressing the person down.

The thief’s previously relaxed body suddenly stiffened, and Yan Chun felt she might have overstepped; they were strangers, and her loneliness had made her act so frivolously with someone.

Thus, she laughed lightly, saying, "I was just joking, this medicine..." giving it to you.

"Senior sister." The thief's voice was even lower than before, resonating like the faded echo of a qin, carrying a slight tremble that the mountain wind seemed to have whisked away.

Yan Chun couldn't help but chuckle softly.

This little junior brother was just too easy to bully, she thought.

However, she brought the pill she had been twirling between her fingers to the thief's lips, gently touching them. Before she could even get out a full explanation of its effects, that beautifully shaped pair of lips parted slightly and accepted the pill, swallowing it down.

Yan Chun was stunned.

He just ate it?!

"Hey, I hadn’t said what it does, and you ate it?"

Yan Chun was at a loss whether to laugh or cry: "Little junior brother, your guard is way too low; what if it's poisonous? What if I'm deceiving you? Just because I’m in inner sect disciple robes, you call me senior sister, are you really not worried that I’m some unknown person who infiltrated the outer sect just to cause trouble?"

"I'll tell you the truth; what I gave you is not some immortal pill, but a puppet gu," Yan Chun stated seriously, "I am a spy from the devil clan, here to manipulate you into doing bad things."

As she spoke, the person beneath her began to feel the effects of the high-grade medicine, his body exuding a warmth akin to being bathed in a warm spring.

He let out a slow breath; all the pain from being beaten and the fractures caused by crashing down the mountain began to rapidly heal, and the wounds on his flesh soon disappeared.

At this moment, upon hearing Yan Chun’s words, he nearly blurted out, "So what?"

What would it matter if she were a spy from the outer sect, or from the devil clan? As long as it was her, he would welcome being manipulated.

He wished fervently for that pill to be a puppet gu, and even if it were the devil clan's vicious body-refining elixir, he would gladly swallow it.

However, he couldn't say such things, nor dared to. He was afraid that if he said too much or made a single mistake, it would lead to his doom before her.

Therefore, he only suppressed the boiling emotions, softly saying, "How could my senior sister be from the devil clan? I’m already much better."

Calling her senior sister felt quite natural, huh?

"Tsk, you’re so young, yet your tongue is so sweet, you’ve entered the delusion realm, yet why are you still sneaking around to please others with that yin-yang fish?" Yan Chun couldn't move in either direction, and since this little junior brother was so understanding, she began to dig deeper.

"To be beaten for no reason, it seems hard to fit in the outer sect in the future," Yan Chun said, "If you can't make use of that fish yourself, and aren’t planning to give it away, then why hide it in the back mountain instead of returning it?"

Yan Chun wasn’t too supportive of stealing; seeing her little junior brother interesting, she thought to persuade him not to be stubborn and just return the item. It wasn’t a big deal, lest he anger the outer sect disciples and face the consequences later.

"The fish has already developed spiritual intelligence, pleading for me to save them; I had no intention of using it," he spoke in a soft voice, trying to please her, "Why not... give them to senior sister?"

Yan Chun raised an eyebrow, "So it really has developed spiritual intelligence?"

Yin-yang fish were extremely difficult to awaken spiritual intelligence. After all, fish were usually quite dull and had poor memories; even raised in spirit pools, they wouldn’t remember their cultivation, hence the limited spirit energy contained within. Most cultivators wouldn't deign to consume higher-level ones, as they were typically eaten by lower-ranking disciples.

Even if this little junior brother hadn't stolen it, if it were really sent to the inner sect elders, it wouldn’t have gone well. Yan Chun naturally wouldn’t look highly upon this item; she could bathe in the Pure Spirit Pool, taking a sip of her own bathwater would be equivalent to revitalizing thousands of yin-yang fish.

Previously, when the thief was beaten, when he claimed those yin-yang fish had developed intelligence, not only did those outer sect disciples not believe, but even Yan Chun had not.

She felt that at that time he was trying to keep it for himself, yet he easily told her where the fish was located and even mentioned giving it to her... It seemed he didn’t want to keep it; he truly felt pity.

Yan Chun gazed at this little junior brother, her feelings somewhat complex.

Consuming sentient beings indeed violates the heavenly path. However, compared to the intelligence of a generic spiritual beast that was merely at the level of a two or three-year-old child, they could even be more nourishing.

Therefore many cultivators would secretly consume them; even if they all claimed it violated the heavenly path, did they not strive against fate for their cultivation? Yan Chun wouldn’t eat them; the inner sect rules explicitly forbade it, but those who were less concerned with heavenly punishment were numerous.

This little junior brother was an exception, with his pure and good heart.

Yan Chun developed more good feelings toward him, teasing, "Giving it to me? For me to eat? Hmm, I actually love eating fish."

She said this deliberately because she wanted to see what this junior brother truly thought—whether he wanted to please her to exchange for another elixir or if he genuinely cared about that pair of Yin-Yang fish that brought enlightenment.

As expected, when Yan Chun’s words fell, she noticed his eyelashes quiver, and his brow subtly furrowed.

He said softly, “Senior Sister... that fish lacks spiritual energy.” Eating it would instead be harmful to her.

He was about to say he would find other advanced spiritual items to supplement her.

But he heard Yan Chun say with a smile, “Just kidding, I don’t eat enlightened beings. Besides, that thing truly has low spiritual power and is unfit for consumption. Don't worry, I won't touch your precious fish.”

Yan Chun felt that meeting this junior brother today was not only interesting but that he was also sweet-tongued and rare in his pure-heartedness. Regarding the Yin-Yang fish... if she were to be captured and taken back, she would find a way to help him.

Ah, Yan Chun scolded herself inwardly; she had fallen into the same old habit of wanting to save everyone.

不过，他们两人已经交织了一段时间了，她猜想，师兄的意识肯定已经拉开了。

燕纯对身下的人说：“我数到三，我们一起坐起来。只要我们靠近，这件神奇的神器就会保护我们不被发现。

“一、二、三。”随着燕纯站起身来，她下面的人也跟了上去。

由于他们的位置，颜纯坐起来的时候，恰好正好坐在师兄的大腿上。

那个姿势已经足够了，但她却出乎意料地动作太突然，导致精神核心剧痛，身体功能不再正常。

她痛苦地倒吸了一口凉气，身体软了下来，无力地靠在刚刚站起来的师兄的怀里。

师兄一只手撑起自己，另一只手本能地支撑着她的细腰。阎纯的头靠在他的肩膀上，他们的姿势就像一对鸳鸯缠绕在他们的脖子上。

两人瞬间停止了呼吸，燕纯敏锐的感觉到，这个师兄又开始颤抖了。