Chapter 4: The Embrace

The corridors of the Luo estate were long, and walking through them wore down shoes quickly.

Luo Jiutian was dragged along by Luo Yunlan for nearly half a street.

He couldn’t help but feel like a child being hauled out of kindergarten by his elder sister.

“Yunlan, if you grip any tighter, your fingers are going to dig into my flesh.” Luo Jiutian’s voice carried a trace of helplessness.

Luo Yunlan didn’t look at him. Her grip loosened slightly, but she still didn’t let go.

They crossed the long corridor, turned into a secluded path, and soon arrived at a small courtyard—Luo Jiutian’s residence within the Luo estate.

The place wasn’t large, but it was neat and orderly, everything spotless and precise, with not a single unnecessary ornament.

Finally, Luo Yunlan released his hand.

She reached up, smoothing the corner of his robe, then brushed aside the strands of hair falling across his forehead.

Her movements were practiced—clearly, she had done this many times before.

Luo Jiutian lowered his head to look at her.

For some reason, he felt a little awkward, yet he didn’t dodge.

“Yunlan, what’s wrong?” His tone carried a hint of doubt, his brows drawing together.

Her expression was complicated, her gaze flickering as if caught between nerves and hesitation.

She stared at him for a long moment before whispering:

“Xiaotian… are you… unhappy?”

At those words, Luo Jiutian barely kept his expression steady.

He wasn’t unhappy.

On the contrary, he was relieved.

Being the young master was nothing but trouble—thankless, distracting, and a hindrance to cultivation. Whoever wanted that seat could have it.

But outwardly, he let a faint confusion and grievance touch his face.

“How could I be? With you here, what could I possibly be upset about?”

Luo Yunlan fell silent.

Her eyes reddened slightly, but she forced the emotion down, afraid it might slip out of control.

The air hung heavy for several seconds.

Luo Jiutian casually pulled out a chair and sat down, then gestured to the seat beside him.

“Yunlan, if you’re really that worried about me, why not sit and chat? After all, I’m nothing but an idle man now.”

Luo Yunlan couldn’t help but laugh softly, then sat beside him—less than half an arm’s span away.

For some conversations, that little distance was already far too close.

Luo Jiutian poured her a cup of tea and handed it over.

“Don’t overthink it. It’s not like I’ve nowhere to go. In a few days, won’t the Tianheng Sect be recruiting? Worst case, I can always join as an outer disciple. The sky won’t fall.”

But Luo Yunlan blocked his hand, her voice low yet forcefully steady:

“Don’t say nonsense. As long as you want to stay, there will always be a place for you here.”

Seeing her so serious, Luo Jiutian teased lightly:

“Yunlan, aren’t you being too hasty? I’m not even dead yet, and you’re already arranging my fallback plans.”

The moment the words left his mouth, her eyes changed.

Her pupils shrank slightly, her breath catching for a beat.

But she quickly lowered her head, lips pressed tight.

“Don’t say such unlucky things again.”

The courtyard fell silent.

The breeze stirred the bamboo, scattering shifting shadows between them.

Steam rose softly from the teacup.

Luo Yunlan stared at the rim in a daze before finally speaking, her tone calm yet tinged with unease:

“Today, you were too calm.”

Luo Jiutian lowered his gaze, feigning ignorance.

“What do you mean?”

“When Luo Chen returned, and Father announced his succession… you didn’t utter a single objection.”
Her eyes locked on him, steady and intent.
“I’m not trying to sow discord. I just feel… you shouldn’t let go so quickly.”

Luo Jiutian’s lips curved slightly, his voice light:

“Isn’t this what you always wanted? I’ve always been obedient.”

A single casual remark—half jest, half hidden weight.

Luo Yunlan froze, then gave a bitter smile, leaving the words unanswered.

Back then, it was this very indifference that made her heart ache.

But now, when even that last bit of stubbornness was gone, her unease only grew.

“If one day you want to leave…” she hesitated, then added softly, “just remember to tell me.”

Luo Jiutian raised a brow.

“Why bring that up again?”

She only glanced at him. Her lips moved, but she swallowed the words back down.

Suddenly, she stood, her back to him.

“Xiaotian.”

“Mm?”

“Could you… hug me again? Just once, of your own accord?”

Luo Jiutian froze.

He looked at her back, a faint stir rippling through his chest.

So that’s why she lingered—she had been waiting for this.

Such a request… light, yet heavy.

To outsiders, it was nothing more than a sibling’s embrace.

But for Luo Yunlan, she would never say such words lightly.

She was always restrained—never the type to ask for affection outright.

A flurry of thoughts crossed Luo Jiutian’s mind.

Did she truly want a hug?

Or… was she testing him?

If it was the former, refusing would wound her.

If the latter, even hesitation would expose too much.

Reason told him the best choice was to agree.

Yet he still paused.

Even if only for a heartbeat, in that instant he was… at a loss.

He had always thought himself a skilled actor. But when faced with this bare, unguarded longing, he realized—even lifting his hand wasn’t easy.

At last, his fingers twitched.

He stood.

Step by step, he walked to her back and slowly wrapped his arms around her.

The motion was unhurried, the strength light.

When that familiar warmth pressed close, Luo Yunlan trembled.

She had felt his moment of hesitation.

But she said nothing.

Instead, she turned in his embrace, leaned against his chest, and gently wrapped her arms around him.

Eyes shut, she refused to think about what his pause might mean.

All she wanted was to hold onto this warmth.

Even if it lasted only a moment, she would not let go.

Time slipped by.

Neither spoke.

In the end, it was Luo Jiutian who released her first.

“Alright, it’s getting late. You should go rest. Tonight’s family banquet still needs you there.”

Luo Yunlan lowered her gaze, murmuring, “Mm.”

Her eyes remained unfocused, as if still lost in the embrace.

She lingered a few breaths longer before finally turning away, stepping out of the courtyard.

The light outside was dimmer than when they had come.

The setting sun hung low on the horizon, its afterglow slanting through the stone pillars of the corridor.

Her shadow stretched long, trailing silently behind her steps.

At the end of the corridor, beyond all other eyes, her footsteps halted.

She stared at her hands—the very ones that had just held him.

Her fingers trembled slightly, the warmth still clinging.

Yet her chest ached.

She had gotten the embrace she wanted.

So why was her heart even more unsettled?

She lifted her gaze toward the horizon.

The dusk deepened, lanterns already lit across the estate, dividing light and shadow into sharp contrast.

Her eyes shifted.

The gentle clarity in them slowly bled into scarlet.

Faint, yet glaring beneath the dying light.

“Xiaotian… why did you hesitate? Was it fear?” she murmured.

The tenderness on her face ebbed away.

In its place rose a stubborn gleam, her expression utterly transformed.

After a long silence, her lips curved faintly.

“No matter.”

She stepped forward into the boundary between light and shadow.

“This time, I’ll find every single one who wronged you…” her voice dropped low, “and make them pay.”

As the words fell, the spiritual pressure she had been concealing seeped from her body, faint yet overwhelming.

Even standing still, she radiated a sharp, commanding force—

The aura of a Nascent Soul cultivator.

“When it’s all over, then we will—”

She stopped herself.

Her smile deepened, excitement impossible to hide.

“—you’ll agree, won’t you, Xiaotian?”

***

Elsewhere, Luo Jiutian remained unaware he had already become her obsession.

He sat cross-legged upon his bed, eyes closed in thought.

After a while, he spoke slowly:

“System, inherit everything I had before.”

[ Request confirmed. Beginning transfer… ]

As the system’s voice fell, motes of light appeared from the void, one after another landing before Luo Jiutian.

[Ding! Congratulations, host has obtained the movement technique manual—Night Burial Steps.]

He stared at the thin booklet forming in his hand, stunned.

Night Burial Steps…

He had once witnessed this technique personally—one of the top-tier movement skills of Central State’s Night Burial Pavilion.

And that very Pavilion… belonged to one of the heroines.

Thinking of her, memories of past “strategies” surfaced, and he sighed inwardly.

Among the ten heroines, she was likely the most tragic.

A sudden vigilance stirred in his chest.

If she too had returned with her memories, like Luo Yunlan… that would be troublesome.

With her nature, if she knew he still lived, she would scour the Five Regions and shake heaven and earth itself to reach him—without hesitation.

He gave a wry smile, shaking his head, whispering to himself:

“Trouble, one after another.”

Fortunately, Central State remained closed for now.

These thoughts could wait.

What mattered now was growing stronger.

He flipped open the manual, sweeping it with his divine sense, etching every formula into memory.

In moments, countless images of practice unfolded in his mind.

Even without training, the steps had already taken form within him.

The system’s chimes rang ceaselessly in his ear.

[Ding! Congratulations, host has obtained the growth-type spirit sword—Crimson Dust’s Lament.]
[Ding! Congratulations, host has obtained the unique treasure—Crimson Dust’s Play.]
[Ding! Congratulations, host has obtained…]

The flood of rewards did not slow.
At last—

[Ding! Congratulations, host has obtained the formless special constitution—Chaosflower Eyes.]

At that instant, a searing force surged into his eyes.

Luo Jiutian grunted, feeling them torn open, then rapidly mended.

When the pain faded, an unprecedented clarity blanketed his senses.

[Chaosflower Eyes: Reveals flaws in formations and techniques. Grants spiritual interference ability—able to briefly disturb others’ minds. Evolves continuously with the host’s cultivation.]

As the eyes fully fused, spiritual power roared through him, his cultivation soaring in an instant—

Late Foundation Establishment.

When his strength finally stabilized, Luo Jiutian opened his eyes.

Sharp, clear.

Yet his heart barely rippled.

These eyes—he knew them far too well.

Not bad.

Tonight was the recognition banquet.

And this trump card had arrived at just the right time.

Jie jie jie…

Luo Chen, your good days… are coming to an end.