CSMCDB - Chapter 107
Chapter 107
["But all you do is hold hands and hug..."] 1947 had been subjected to a month of their public displays of affection, but it was starting to feel unsatisfied.
Wen Yuncheng's hand, which was assembling a Star Cannon, trembled. She said shyly, "It's just- it's just that there hasn't been a good opportunity..."
["Bullshit. Why didn't you kiss her when you were watching the sunrise together last weekend and looking into each other's eyes?"]
"Lin Jinyu was just too beautiful, it didn't even cross my mind." Wen Yuncheng's face flushed red. She lowered her head to distract herself, continuing to assemble the Star Cannon in her hands.
["Are you a Long Aotian or not? Are you?!"]
"I'm not, I'm not, I'm not!" Wen Yuncheng replied with righteous conviction.
1947 cursed, "Damn it," feeling exasperated with its cub.
Although Wen Yuncheng had verbally rejected 1947's suggestion, it would be a lie to say her heart wasn't moved. As she assembled the Star Cannon, her thoughts drifted to her birthday in December... What would Lin Jinyu give her? And for Lin Jinyu's birthday in January, what should she give in return?
In early December, the Empire publicly announced that an outstanding student from Star Academy had been kidnapped by "Fu" during the Beast Tide. The student was held by "Fu" for one night before being rescued by a Protector of the Nation the next day. The Empire didn't publicize the matter extensively, offering only a brief account and instead emphasizing the Protector's capabilities. Following that, they heavily promoted the good news of the Dragon Tiger Guard wiping out one of "Fu's" hidden bases!
The hidden base was not supposed to be easily exposed, but the Empire had noticed that the itinerary of a merchant in the Imperial Capital was suspicious and seemed to have connections to "Fu." The Empire dispatched secret guards to conduct a deep investigation, secretly monitoring the merchant for two full years. They recorded every expenditure on the Star Stone card registered under the merchant's identity and discovered that he was in contact with a member of "Fu." The Empire didn't alert the enemy. They waited until this November to strike decisively, taking out the entire hidden base without any warning.
As for the merchant who colluded with "Fu"... the Empire issued a harsh decree: extermination of his three familial clans and confiscation of his property! The traitor's deeds were also posted on the public notice as a warning.
Wen Yuncheng naturally saw this announcement as well. When it was released, she knew she would have to be more careful. Although the Empire hadn't named her, the news that she was the one who had been kidnapped would likely get out, as it wasn't a secret. As she pondered this, Wen Yuncheng suddenly realized that the Empire might have already located some of "Fu's" other hidden bases but had chosen not to act on them yet. After all, it was better to keep them under surveillance than to startle them and lose their trail.
The day after the announcement was made, Wen Yuncheng received many messages of concern and support. The graduated Yao Mu and the others all reached out to her. Zhou Xuan, his eyes red, even confronted her accusingly, "How could you not tell me about something so huge?"
Of course, she could explain it away with "The Empire had its arrangements, and I couldn't disclose anything." Wen Yuncheng repeatedly emphasized that she was truly fine and praised the Empire's swift action, which finally put her friends at ease.
However, Wen Yuncheng still remembered how Zhou Xuan had tilted his head after hearing her reassurances, looking at her with a complicated expression as he said, "I'll probably never be able to surpass you in this lifetime. But mediocrity has its advantages. I'll likely never experience the things you've gone through, but... I was really jealous of you. When I heard you'd won the Youth Tournament, even though I celebrated for you, I still felt unwilling to accept it."
"But not anymore. Wen Yuncheng, I hope you can live on safely." Zhou Xuan gave a self-deprecating smile. "Maybe it's because our backgrounds are similar; I don't have a powerful backer either. I always felt that if you could do it, so could I. But I've discovered that no matter how hard I try, the most I can do is move from G-Class to B-Class... I've accepted it. Wen Yuncheng, you're the most badass person my age I know. Try to keep a low profile."
"'Fu' is terrifying... They kidnapped you once, so they're definitely interested in you. They're all madmen. With the Empire publicizing this, even if they weren't interested in you before, they'd probably try to assassinate you just to slap the Empire in the face!"
"I know, but for something like this... the Empire couldn't just hide it and not make an announcement. It's not a secret, and it would have been exposed sooner or later." It was better for the Empire to take control of the narrative than to let it be passively exposed and cause panic across the continent. The Empire already did its best to downplay Wen Yuncheng's presence in the incident. They might have even ordered the Dragon Tiger Guard to annihilate that hidden base specifically for her sake.
Danger? Of course there was danger. Even without this incident, judging by the tone of that old man from Fu, the organization was already very interested in her—they'd even put a bounty on her head. There was no hiding from it. But receiving Zhou Xuan's goodwill was enough for Wen Yuncheng.
On the morning of her birthday, Wen Yuncheng received a bouquet of flowers from Lin Jinyu.
She heard a knock on the door while still a bit groggy, and then her communication stone rang with a call from Lin Jinyu. After Wen Yuncheng answered, Lin Jinyu's voice came through with just two words: "Open the door." The moment she opened the door, she saw Lin Jinyu standing outside, holding a large bouquet of the Starry Sky Continent's Blazing Sun Flowers.
"Happy birthday," the Little Ice Mountain said.
From the moment Wen Yuncheng opened her eyes on her birthday, her entire schedule had been arranged by Lin Jinyu. She followed Lin Jinyu out of the academy, had breakfast on the Imperial Capital's food street, then rode a Gugu Bird to the outskirts of a nearby town to see a waterfall, where they had a picnic beside it. Finally, they took another Gugu Bird to the famous White Head Mountain in the north to see the snow, where they lay in a snowdrift on the summit and talked.
"Happy birthday." The stars twinkled in the sky. On the snowy mountain, Lin Jinyu exhaled a puff of cold air. "I like you."
Wen Yuncheng didn't say a word, simply hugging Lin Jinyu tighter. Her physical constitution was countless times better than it had been four years ago. If this had been four years ago, she probably would have frozen to death on a winter date at the summit of a northern mountain. Whether it was giving flowers or planning an itinerary, none of it seemed like something Lin Jinyu would do. This earnest yet clumsy Lin Jinyu was utterly adorable.
The Little Ice Mountain's eyes curved into crescents. Without another word, she pressed a scroll into the hands of the deeply moved Wen Yuncheng. "Birthday present."
"This scroll can block a full-power strike from a Star Venerate, and it can even nullify a significant portion of an attack from a Star Emperor."
Wen Yuncheng was stunned by Lin Jinyu's extravagance. What sect wouldn't keep this kind of scroll as a last resort, or give it to their chosen junior for self-defense? Most sects didn't even possess scrolls capable of withstanding a Star Venerate's attack. Even at auctions... something like this would rarely appear, unless someone had killed another's junior, stolen the scroll, and was trying to sell it off through an anonymous auction.
"This must be what Sect Master Lin gave you for your own protection, right? Why are you giving it to me?" Wen Yuncheng didn't want to accept it, but Lin Jinyu took two steps back and stared at her with a deadpan expression, refusing to take the scroll back. "I'm really fine. I'm not leaving the Imperial Capital, I..."
"It's a birthday present."
"..." Wen Yuncheng began to consider the possibility of returning the gift in January.
"Don't make me worry about you, okay?" Lin Jinyu bit her lip and said in a low voice, "You won't come to the Flowing Cloud Sect, you won't enter the secret realms, and now you won't even accept my gift?"
It was too valuable, too rare. Lin Jinyu could give her such a life-saving item without hesitation, but Wen Yuncheng couldn't just accept it so calmly. "Then what will you use for protection?"
"I'm inside the Flowing Cloud Sect. Nothing will happen to me."
Wen Yuncheng's brow furrowed even deeper. They remained at a stalemate for a long time until Wen Yuncheng finally yielded under Lin Jinyu's gaze. Clutching the scroll, she felt like the damned winter was about to freeze the tears right out of her eyes. She muttered, "Who celebrates a birthday like you do...?" then sniffled and stored the scroll in her ring.
Only after seeing her accept it did Lin Jinyu draw near and take Wen Yuncheng's hand.
Lin Jinyu made a gesture for Wen Yuncheng to be quiet, then closed her eyes, earnestly concentrating on something. Wen Yuncheng was a little bewildered, thinking, The birthday surprise isn't over yet? Then she saw an aura begin to bloom around Lin Jinyu, and a faint white light—a very pale layer of starlight—showered down upon her.
Wen Yuncheng froze for a moment, then quickly looked up. Among the countless brilliant stars in the sky, she saw a smaller, dimmer one that was now surrounded by a faint white halo. A beam of light shone down from it, landing on Lin Jinyu.
Connection and comprehension. That... was Lin Jinyu's star.
Wen Yuncheng stared blankly up at the star, which was neither particularly bright nor brilliant at this moment. The tears she had just suppressed finally welled up.
On the Starry Sky Continent, every cultivator had their own star. Everyone could sense their star, but to create a phenomenon that would let others see which one belonged to you required constant comprehension and practice.
That fool, Lin Jinyu. She could have just pointed... but she had to make it so complicated...
Lin Jinyu opened her eyes. The pale starlight showering her was exquisitely beautiful. Wen Yuncheng didn't dare to speak, as if a single sound from her would startle Lin Jinyu and cause her to ascend and vanish. A galaxy seemed to bloom in Lin Jinyu's eyes. She looked at Wen Yuncheng and said with a smile, "I wanted you to see my star."
"I see it. It's a beautiful star. More beautiful than all the others," Wen Yuncheng said firmly. Then her spirits fell, and she said regretfully, "I... I'm sorry. Because of my Star Power Mutation... I don't have a star to show you."
Lin Jinyu froze. The smile on her face stiffened instantly, and she became visibly flustered. "I'm sorry, I-I didn't know..."
In the past, people with Star Power Mutations still had stars. Wen Yuncheng had never mentioned it, so Lin Jinyu had no way of knowing. Lin Jinyu felt she had completely messed up. Showing your partner your star was supposed to be a romantic gesture on the Starry Sky Continent. Lin Jinyu had even done her research—it was ranked third on the list of most romantic things to do!
But Wen Yuncheng smiled and moved closer to Lin Jinyu, saying earnestly, "I've actually liked you for a very, very long time. Maybe I was drawn to you from the first time we met... I knew long ago that I could never have a star. I was sad about it, and I probably felt insecure."
"But what you don't know is, after meeting you, I stopped worrying about it."
"Lin Jinyu, you are my star."
Wen Yuncheng's nose brushed against Lin Jinyu's. Pious and earnest, she moved even closer and held her tight.
A snowflake-flavored kiss descended.
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