The early morning air was crisp and quiet, heavy with dew. Sunlight filtered through the canopy in soft shafts, glinting on the forest floor where two figures sat beside each other—silent, yet deeply connected.
Li Chen sat with his arms around Su Lingxue, holding her gently, almost reverently, as if afraid she might disappear.
For a long moment, neither of them spoke. Only the wind and birds filled the space between heartbeats.
Then she broke the silence.
"My name is Su Lingxue," she said quietly, looking down at her hands. "I'm twenty-five, a core disciple of the Frost Cloud Pavilion, a major sect located five thousand miles to the north of Liang Village."
Li Chen listened silently.
"My cultivation before I was ambushed... was Peak Spirit Sea Realm. I was close to forming my Golden Core."
He blinked. Peak Spirit Sea... that's only two levels above me now.
"I was sent to this region to investigate rumors of a rare herb known as the Thousand Year Ice Orchid. Something that could potentially help me step into the Golden Core stage in one leap."
Her voice turned bitter.
"Instead, I was ambushed. Not by beasts or spirit demons... but by people. Two rogue cultivators, probably waiting for wandering female disciples like me to stray too far."
She also mentioned. "how they first lured her to be with them for preventing wild beast horde's cumulative assualt and during that situation, one of them threw an Aphrodisiac Ball to loose my internal energy and be their prey".
She turned away slightly, her shoulders trembling. "They sealed my cultivation, poisoned me with Spring Heart Incense ( Aphrodisiac Ball ), and tried to drag me off to gods know where."
Li Chen felt her pain ripple into him like waves. She had been proud, independent—and in one night, violated by fate and pushed into something she couldn't control.
"You saved me," she said, voice soft. "But I still hate you for what came after."
"I understand," Li Chen replied. "And I won't ask you to forgive me. But I'll stand by you, no matter how this turns out."
Su Lingxue glanced at him.
"You're strange," she murmured.
"How so?"
"You're too calm. Too... responsible." She narrowed her eyes. "You're not some hidden prince from the Upper Realm, are you?"
Li Chen smiled awkwardly. "Not quite. Just a village boy... with a complicated family history."
He didn't speak of the system, nor of his father's bloodline, nor the pendant that now pulsed faintly beneath his robe.
Some truths weren't meant to be shared—yet.
"Will your sect come looking for you?" he asked.
"They will," she admitted. "I left a jade slip before departing for the mission. If I'm gone too long, they'll send someone."
"Will they accept... us?"
Su Lingxue didn't answer for a long time.
"No. They won't. Frost Cloud Pavilion is a female-only sect. Our cultivation method requires us to stay pure until core formation… Once they find out I lost my purity, I'll be expelled. Maybe hunted, depending on the elder who finds out."
Li Chen clenched his fist.
"You can stay with me," he said. "I may be weak now, but I'll protect you. You, and the child."
She turned to him slowly. Her eyes were no longer cold—they shimmered with a conflicted, hidden warmth.
"You're really not like the other men I've met... I should hate you for what happened." She paused. "But... you gave me something else, too. A child. A new path."
Then, suddenly, she leaned forward.
Her soft lips brushed against his.
It was a short kiss—hesitant, uncertain—but full of emotion. Not desire. Not lust. Something warmer. Acknowledgment. Trust.
Li Chen felt his heart tighten. He returned the kiss, gently, one hand holding hers.
"I'll cherish you," he whispered. "Even if you hate me sometimes. Even if I fall behind. I'll catch up."
She smiled faintly. "You'd better. Otherwise, I'll freeze you solid."
---
They dressed slowly under the forest sunlight, wrapping their robes and gathering what few items they had.
As they walked back toward Liang Village, Su Lingxue asked, "What's your cultivation level now?"
Li Chen looked at her sideways and chuckled. "Just stepped into Peak of Foundation Building Level."
She stopped mid-step, staring.
"You were at Foundation Establishment 1st layer... two days ago. That's not natural."
Li Chen shrugged. "Let's just say... my family bloodline has strange quirks."
She narrowed her eyes again but let it go for now.
"I'll trust you—for now."
"And I'll earn that trust," he replied.
As the forest path opened toward distant rooftops and smoke trails of Liang Village, the two walked together, side by side.
Behind them, the leaves rustled softly in the wind, as if the forest itself had witnessed the beginning of something great.
Amongst all their conversations, they both hid their connection of upper realm from each other. Just to avoid future troubles.But they were unaware for what future awaits for them.
A legacy had been born.
And it had just begun.
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End of chapter 5.
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