Chapter 37: The Enigmatic Man

The visitor saw her withdraw her spiritual energy, stretched out his arm, and swept her up in an embrace. With a leap, he landed atop a tree. Su Yunmo's cheeks flushed at his action, unsure how to position her hands and feet.

In her previous life, she had fallen in love with the Lord of Yuheng at first sight, but being young at the time, had never crossed any boundaries. Later, as the sacrificial vessel for an evil cultivator, she suffered greatly, yet never felt the warmth of love. So, when she was first startled by the deep affection in this man's eyes, she surrendered herself to it.

Yet, between her and him stood countless obstacles. Their identities, the difference in age—these were trivial. The gravest were the wounds within her heart.

"Have you finished the task Father assigned to you?"

"Yes."

"When is your next mission?"

"The He Xi Secret Realm."

"Right. Will you escort us then?"

"Yes."

"Every time I mention these missions, you brush me off like this!" Su Yunmo, irritated by his perfunctory replies, finally lost her temper and prepared to leap down from the tree.

"Don't go! You know me, I... When you ask about these things, it only reminds me of the distance between us. Mo'er, you don't know how much it pains me."

His broad hand gently smoothed Su Yunmo’s hair and, tender yet unyielding, pressed her head to his shoulder, wrapping his arms tightly around her. Caught in the swell of emotion, Su Yunmo could no longer hold back and buried her face in his shoulder, sobbing softly. Hearing her cry, the man panicked, holding her waist with one hand and lifting her delicate face with the other, hastily wishing to wipe away her tears. Unable to free either hand, he acted on instinct, trembling lips gently kissing away her tears.

The moment his burning lips touched her fair face, both of them froze. Realizing his impropriety, the man hurriedly withdrew, his hands hesitantly releasing her.

His cautious actions pierced Su Yunmo's heart. Suddenly she saw how her own petulance, pride, and hesitation might have wounded this man who loved her so deeply. In a moment of confusion, she took the initiative, embracing him, her vibrant lips reaching up to kiss him. The man's suppressed feelings finally burst forth like molten lava; he held her tighter, and unlike Su Yunmo’s tentative kiss, his was fierce, like a storm.

Han Su, just emerging from the ground, witnessed this astonishing scene and had no idea how to react; her first instinct was to run away. How could the two of them end up together? This... it made no sense.

After that day, Han Su no longer dared to wander about aimlessly. Fortunately, she had almost finished adapting to the Immortal Palace. As long as she could enter it instantly, her life would be safe. She obediently let her senior brother arrange for her to study basic formation arts with Ling Mei, awaiting the opening of the He Xi Secret Realm. During this time, she exchanged much information with the gossip queen Tu Qiqi from Yaohua, and discovered that no one knew of Su Yunmo’s romance. Instead, many stories circulated about Lu Tanxian and Ning Xin of Jade Box Mountain.

In the blink of an eye, the opening of the He Xi Secret Realm was imminent. Han Su's parents came out of seclusion especially to advise her, and even her bodyguard Lin Xiu was gifted all sorts of magical items, talismans, and pills. This time, however, Han Su’s father sought an opportunity to break through to the mid Yuan Ying stage, and would travel with Lord Hengbo to the Stone Imperial Realm to explore an ancient cultivator’s cave. By the time Han Su emerged from the secret realm a month later, she might not see them again. Thus, her parents instructed her repeatedly before letting her board the cloud vessel that transported disciples for the sect.