Drip, Drop

*Drip, drop.* Water dripped from a stalactite, splashing in the dim underground. It felt slightly cool, carrying a gloomy chill. The alternating bouts of hot and cold brought by the brink of death made Xu Yuan want to grasp onto anything he could, yet everything around him felt so far out of reach. The familiar darkness and familiar chill made him feel as though he had returned to that very first cave. Yet perhaps thanks to that earlier experience, even as confusion and dizziness constantly eroded his consciousness, Xu Yuan felt he still retained some capacity to think and could hear the dripping of water by his ear. As everyone knew, someone reduced to an idiot would not be this lucid, and after dying, one would not hear the *drip, drop* of falling water. In other words, Tianyan had already helped him win the gamble against Tianye. The Lock of Shared Life was a secret art that traded a minor injury on the foe for massive self-harm. Unless he killed himself outright, tearing his own core intent-soul apart would not inflict an equal backlash on Tianye. Tianyan truly lived up to her status as his chosen god-tier teammate, managing to react in such a short window of time. And fortunately, she had. His sprawling, cluttered thoughts kept spreading, and his consciousness gradually cleared from its initial haze. Yet Xu Yuan soon realized that remaining lucid in this boundless darkness was not a good thing. Staying awake in a darkness that seemed devoid of time was an absolute torture. He had no way to move, no way to speak, and could not even twitch a muscle. He had no idea how much time had passed in the outside world, how long he would remain in this darkness, or what he would face upon waking again. If possible, he would rather lose consciousness, only to open his eyes and find the washboard Saintess offering him a lap pillow while looking down at him with disdain. Fortunately, the constant dripping in the empty void offered a small solace. Unfortunately, as an unknown amount of time slipped by, that sole sound gradually turned into another part of the torture. *Drip, drop.* *Drip, drop.* *Drip, drop.* After who knew how long, just as Xu Yuan had grown numb, another droplet fell from a stalactite. As it splashed with a faint spray, other voices reached his ears. "...Could you finally not hold back from asking?" *Drip, drop.* "...Since you betrayed me, you should have prepared for death." *Drip, drop.* "...Overestimating yourself, defying Heaven." *Drip, drop.* "...I am Heaven itself. If he does not die, who will?" "..." "..." The faint voice drew from far to near, shifting from intermittent murmurs until he could finally identify its owner. Tianye. It was not Tianyan, but Tianye. Realizing this, Xu Yuan's numbed consciousness snapped wide awake. Why Tianye? Under normal circumstances, Tianye was no match for Tianyan in the first place, let alone after having her heart pierced by him and then being severely injured by his self-inflicted backlash via the Lock of Shared Life. Under such conditions, even if Tianyan was also not at her peak, there should not have been any reversal. No way... He wouldn't open his eyes only to find that Tianye had hacked the game, comprehended some new skill, and cut Tianyan in half, would he...? *Drip, drop.* Yet another stalactite drop fell, interrupting Xu Yuan's chaotic thoughts. And with the fall of that very droplet, Xu Yuan felt his senses flow back into his physical vessel like water through a channel. The moment his five senses fully returned, Xu Yuan went completely numb from agony. The tearing pain radiating from the depths of his intent-soul nearly knocked him unconscious all over again. However ruthlessly he had struck himself then was how excruciatingly it hurt now. Struggling to adjust for several breaths, Xu Yuan forced his heavy eyelids open. The sight before him made him breathe a sigh of relief. Though he did not get to enjoy the Saintess's soft, warm lap pillow, she was at least in one piece, not mysteriously cleaved in two as he had feared. Tianyan sat cross-legged quietly beside him, eyes closed as she rested her mind, seemingly cultivating. In front of her rested a sealed brazier, from which wisps of fragrance wafted out. Pulling his gaze back, he surveyed his surroundings. It was a dark karst cavern filled with dense mist. The ground was wet, covered in a thin layer of an unknown liquid. It was viscous, yet cool and refreshing to the touch. Lying flat on this pool of liquid even caused the tearing pain in his sea of consciousness to fade considerably. *Drip, drop.* As he pondered, another drop from a stalactite pierced the mist and landed right between his brows. With a soft *pat*, it dispersed into a patch of mist, its cooling sensation seeping straight into his sea of consciousness. "You're awake?" A crisp voice suddenly drifted over. Xu Yuan looked back and saw that she had already opened her eyes, her deep golden pupils shining with a dazzling light in the dark. "Yeah, I'm awake..." As soon as the words left his mouth, Xu Yuan realized his voice was as hoarse as a saw rasping against dry tree bark. "How do you feel?" Tianyan slowly rose from the ground. With each step, her bare feet trod through the water, stirring ripples. A trace of heartache tinged her voice. "Your intent-soul was torn. Does it hurt?" Looking at the girl walking toward him, Xu Yuan grinned from where he lay on the ground and gave a soft chuckle. "It does hurt a bit... What are you doing?!" Before he finished, Xu Yuan's pupils shrank. He saw the girl raise her foot. Then— *Thud!* A kick landed right on the dantian of Xu Yuan's lower abdomen. Even though she wore no shoes, it hurt more than if she had. The tearing pain in his intent-soul, which had just begun to ease, instantly washed over his entire body again. "How about now?" Tianyan's words were icy, her gaze completely devoid of emotion as she looked down at him. "Still hurt?" "..." After a long silence, Xu Yuan's cheek twitched. Gritting his teeth, he forced a sentence through the gaps: "Are you... out of your fucking mind?!" *Thud!* The girl pressed the tip of her foot slightly harder against his abdomen, making him grimace in pain. Kicking him wasn't enough for this washboard—she was actually using Source Qi! After enduring the pain for several breaths, Xu Yuan stopped speaking. He simply ground his teeth and locked eyes with her without yielding an inch, though he held back from swearing again. Since he couldn't beat her right now, he had to know when to back down. They stared at each other for a few breaths. Tianyan continued to look down on him, but she unconsciously bit her lip. *Drip, drop.* Another drop fell from the ceiling. Under the man's blazing glare, the girl was the first to avert her eyes. She drew back her foot, but her voice remained as cold as snow. "Since you knew it would hurt, why did you do it?" "What business is it of yours?" Xu Yuan said sarcastically. "Go on, keep going, you lunatic." "..." Silent for a moment, Tianyan took a deep breath. "Xu Yuan, I don't want to argue with you right now." "Argue? You already used your feet, and you call this an argument?" The corner of Xu Yuan's mouth curled up as he continued his biting sarcasm. "I finally wake up, and you nearly send me straight back to the grave with one kick. I got hurt this badly just to save someone... Oh, pardon me, an ungrateful wretch who repays kindness with enmity." He knew, of course, that the washboard Saintess was angry. She was angry because of his reckless gamble. But was this a matter of taking risks? If he hadn't taken the risk, everyone would have been finished together. He had staked his very life on this gamble. Even if she was mad, couldn't she speak like a civilized human being?! Seven years, and she still couldn't be tamed, could she? "Tianyan, don't throw your foul temper around in front of me. If you've got the guts, wait until I'm back in peak condition, and we'll have it out!" Xu Yuan said with a frown, suddenly noticing that the slender body before him was trembling slightly. *Tsk... did I come on too strong?* Tianyan glared at him, a cold sneer likewise curling her lips as she said chillily, "Wait until you're back in peak condition? You're just an Iron Body Realm practitioner riding on Jinghe's cultivation. What makes you think you're so capable?!" Xu Yuan's eye twitched, and he chuckled softly. "Whether I'm capable or not, I don't know, but at least I can handle you, Lady Saintess." The look in Tianyan's golden eyes turned dangerous. "Fine. Why don't you try? I definitely won't hold back this time." "Suit yourself. The half-month mark is almost up, isn't it? I'd love to see how you plan to cure that charm poison of yours." "Ha." Tianyan laughed out of sheer anger. "Xu Yuan, you really have nothing except these underhanded, despicable tricks." "Calling it despicable is just the powerless bark of the mediocre." "Me, mediocre? I reached the Origin Realm at twenty-one, and I'm mediocre? Then what does that make you, Xu Yuan?!" "You don't seriously think cultivation realm is everything, do you?" Though lying flat on the ground, Xu Yuan looked at Tianyan with the disdain one reserved for an idiot. "If it weren't for me, with Lady Saintess's intellect, surviving a single year in this illusion would already be a miracle blessed by your ancestral graves. "Ah, I almost forgot—in this illusion, it seems your ancestral grave is the very thing trying to kill you. Tsk, tsk." "Xu Yuan! Have you said enough?!" "What, getting desperate already?" "..." Silence fell for several breaths. Tianyan clenched her fists tightly, turned her gaze aside, and spoke in a considerably softer voice: "Xu Yuan, can't you... just speak nicely?" "Me speak nicely?" Xu Yuan found that hilarious. "Come on, Tianyan, tell me: who the hell started kicking people the moment they opened their eyes?" Tianyan's slender frame trembled as if pushed to her absolute limit. Biting her lip, her voice quivered. "Isn't... isn't this all because of what you did?" "What did I do? "Ah, so you were worried about me? Well, our Lady Saintess certainly has a unique way of showing concern. In my current state, I can hardly survive it." Xu Yuan raised an eyebrow, teasing with a smirk, "Tianyan, our parents gave us mouths so we could communicate, not—" *Boom!!!* His voice cut off abruptly, silenced by a violent tremor through the cave. The source of the tremor was the girl's fist hovering right in front of Xu Yuan's forehead. A web of cracks spread across the stone slab beneath him, extending all the way to the end of the cavern. Staring at the fist for a moment, Xu Yuan shut his mouth and looked away. Tianyan stared at the side of his face for several breaths, slowly withdrew her fist, sniffled, and quietly turned around. Barefoot, she stepped through the pool of liquid on the ground and walked back to sit where she had been earlier without a word. Xu Yuan stayed quiet where he lay, using the unknown spiritual liquid to mend his torn intent-soul. For a time, stillness settled between the two once more, broken only by the seemingly eternal sound of drops falling from the stalactites. *Drip, drop.* *Drip, drop.* After who knew how long... "Um..." Her voice suddenly sounded, still crisp. Xu Yuan opened his eyes and glanced sideways. In the darkness, Tianyan tightly gripped the hem of her robe, her voice as faint as a mosquito's hum: "I was wrong about this... Please don't be mad, okay?"