Chapter 12: That Night

After finishing the roast chicken, Lin Lingshu wiped the oil from the corner of her mouth. She glanced at the starry sky above, then turned toward the group around the bonfire and said, “Sleep. I’ll keep watch tonight. We’ll continue the trial tomorrow.”

Some of the group lay directly on the ground, using it as their bed, the sky as their blanket. A few female disciples took out bed sheets from their storage bags, spreading them on the ground. Although meditation could substitute for sleep, they had joined the Spirit Sword Pavilion not long ago, still clinging to the habit of sleeping.

Lin Lingshu carefully observed her surroundings. She stood on a gentle slope, using the bonfire’s light to monitor the area around them.

The morning star in the starry sky emitted a cold, distant light, wrapping the forest in a silvery-gray shroud, making the night seem even more desolate.

Lin Lingshu simply gazed at the sky. Unlike the world she came from before transmigrating, this one had no environmental pollution. Every night, the sky displayed its true colors, without a trace of human interference.

Lin Lingshu was somewhat mesmerized, unaware that someone was gradually approaching from behind.

“Senior Sister Lin,” a voice called out, pulling her back.

She turned around and saw Wang Shuheng standing there.

“What is it?”

Her current impression of Wang Shuheng was: troublemaker, disaster aura… and good culinary skills.

“Senior Sister Lin, I can’t sleep. Let me keep watch instead.”

“No need. If you can’t sleep, go meditate,” Lin Lingshu said firmly. She didn’t dare entrust the task to him—if a fifth-layer Foundation Establishment demon beast appeared while she slept, the whole team would probably be wiped out, leaving only him alive.

“Hmm.”

Wang Shuheng didn’t meditate as instructed. Instead, he looked up at the starry sky.

They stared at the sky in silence for a while.

“Senior Sister Lin, do you like roast chicken?” Wang Shuheng broke the silence first.

“It’s alright,” Lin Lingshu replied indifferently.

“Thank you again for your help last time.”

“As long as Water Moon Peak gets a good ranking next time, that’s enough.”

“Do you like stars?”

“It’s fine.”

“Which star in the sky do you like the most?”

“They’re all nice.”

“Senior Sister Lin, I also liked stars when I was little, back when my father and mother were still alive. At that time, I…”

So the conversation went on. Or more accurately, Wang Shuheng talked. Lin Lingshu was already heavily overwhelmed by sleepiness, occasionally responding with a mere “Hm.”

Wang Shuheng saw that Lin Lingshu was struggling to stay awake. A faint smile appeared in his eyes as he said, “Senior Sister Lin, why don’t you sleep for a bit?”

Lin Lingshu was already completely under the spell of sleep. Although her rational mind wanted to refuse, her body replied, “Junior Brother Wang, I’ll just sleep for the time it takes one incense stick to burn. Wake me up afterward.”

Saying that, she leaned against the tree and fell soundly asleep.

Wang Shuheng looked at Lin Lingshu, already fast asleep, then took a thin blanket from his storage bag and carefully covered her. He also took out a long blade, sat down beside her, and began keeping watch.

Zzz…

Lin Lingshu snored softly, but her head tilted to the side, her center of gravity slowly shifting further off balance.

Wang Shuheng propped her head back up with his hand, only for it to tilt again shortly after. He adjusted her several times, then gave up and continued keeping watch.

But Lin Lingshu was restless. Leaning further, her upper body finally collapsed into Wang Shuheng’s embrace.

Wang Shuheng froze instantly.

Lin Lingshu, however, found a comfortable sleeping posture, resting her head on Wang Shuheng’s thigh, lying on her side. She was completely unaware that this position was highly suggestive, and if Wang Shuheng had any ill intentions, she would… well.

Wang Shuheng could feel her soft body in his arms, her faint floral fragrance lingering in the air, her gentle breath fanning a subtle spark of mischief.

He sighed deeply, then used his blade to pick up the blanket that had fallen to the ground, and meticulously covered Lin Lingshu again. He simply continued watching over her.

Later in the night, a cold wind swept in, making some of the novice disciples shiver. One disciple woke up from the chill, rubbed his eyes, and prepared to walk over to the bonfire to warm himself.

But just as he looked up, he saw Senior Sister Lin lying soundly in Wang Shuheng’s embrace. The disciple quickly covered his mouth, afraid to make any sound.

…

As the sky began to lighten with dawn, Wang Shuheng patted Lin Lingshu’s back, intending to wake her.

Lin Lingshu dreamt she was holding a Keqing body pillow, rubbing it vigorously. She buried her face into it and thought, Why is this pillow so hard?

“Senior Sister Lin, Senior Sister Lin,” voices called repeatedly, bringing her back to consciousness.

She opened her eyes, only to see Wang Shuheng before her.

Their situation was quite intimate—Lin Lingshu was lying on his thigh, her hands clasped around his waist, with traces of her drool still visible on Wang Shuheng’s robe.

Lin Lingshu sprang up in shock, her eyes flashing in panic.

Wang Shuheng, smiling faintly, pointed to the group behind them, “Senior Sister Lin, rest assured. No one saw. They’re all still asleep.”

Lin Lingshu took a deep breath to calm herself. Wait… why was she so flustered? What was this, some illicit affair?

She collected herself and asked Wang Shuheng, “How long have I been asleep?”

“Two and a half incense sticks. Last night, seeing how exhausted you were, I took the liberty…”

Five hours wasn’t too long, Lin Lingshu thought, but lightly remarked, “Let this not happen again.”

“Hmm.”

Lin Lingshu took a few steps up the hill, turning her back to Wang Shuheng, checking her clothes. Thankfully, there were no signs of being undressed. Fortunately, fortunately, she silently sighed in relief.

The male lead hadn’t made any advances.

Only the heavens knew how bewildered she felt when she woke up realizing she had been lying in Wang Shuheng’s lap. She had assumed… though she fell asleep, who knew what special predilections he might have? Perhaps he was into weird stuff.

Damn it! Next time, she’d definitely keep her distance from the male lead.

“Senior Sister Lin, everyone’s awake,” Wang Shuheng called from behind.

Lin Lingshu quickly tidied her clothes, turned around, and said to the group, “Junior brothers and sisters, rest here a while longer. We’ll resume the trial soon.”

A few steps away, Wang Shuheng approached the bonfire, picked up some firewood, ignited the flames using his Fire Spiritual Energy, letting the fire burn anew.

At the same time, he took another chicken from his storage bag, his hands moving skillfully.

Standing on the slope, Lin Lingshu admired this behavior in secret, thinking, “This male lead really knows how to act sensible.”