CG - Chapter 33

Chapter 33

Wei Jinzhi was like candy, filling Wu Gu with a sweetness that was both comforting and relaxing. Though Wu Gu had claimed she wasn't sleepy from having slept too much, she drifted off not long after closing her eyes. This time, she still had many dreams, but she no longer mixed up her age in the different scenes. The chaotic timeline had finally returned to normal.

When she opened her eyes again, the sky outside was completely dark. Wei Jinzhi had wanted to wake her for dinner, but she had been sleeping so soundly that Wei Jinzhi couldn't bear to, letting her sleep until now. Back to being twenty years old, Wu Gu stared at the ceiling with a silly grin. The fear and anxiety from her amnesia were all thrown to the back of her mind. All she remembered were Wei Jinzhi's kisses and their embraces in bed.

After freshening up, Wei Jinzhi came in to find the blanket pulled up just below Wu Gu's nose, the visible tips of her ears still bright red. She reached out to check her forehead. No fever. Puzzled, she asked, "Are you feeling unwell anywhere?"

Wu Gu pulled the blanket up a little higher, revealing only a pair of moist eyes. She shook her head. Wei Jinzhi asked again, "Are you hungry? Want to get up and eat something?" Wu Gu still didn't answer, just stared at her, her gaze holding unspoken words.

At a loss, Wei Jinzhi lifted the blanket and lay down beside her. She propped her head up on her hand and used the other to pull down the blanket covering Wu Gu's mouth and nose. "Isn't that uncomfortable?" She reached out and drew Wu Gu closer into her arms, asking patiently, "Hmm? Why won't you talk to me anymore?"

That soft, light hum was right by Wu Gu's ear, the trailing sound seeming to curve, especially alluring. Half of Wu Gu's body trembled. Wei Jinzhi was clearly teasing her, and after teasing her, she didn't even have the sense to kiss her. Wu Gu reached out and tugged on the hem of Wei Jinzhi's pajamas, overcome with a bout of shyness, burying her head and refusing to speak.

From her angle, Wei Jinzhi couldn't see Wu Gu's expression clearly, but she could see the small patch of her back visible from her collar, red as blood. Combined with the tugging on her hem, Wu Gu's entire shy and timid appearance made her seem all the more delectable. Wei Jinzhi's brows furrowed for a moment, then relaxed. She raised a hand to Wu Gu's nape, her lips almost touching Wu Gu's ear as she tested, "Awake?"

Wu Gu snuggled deeper into Wei Jinzhi's embrace, answering with a low, small, single syllable, "Mhm."

Wei Jinzhi teased her, "So, what is it you want to do?" Wu Gu heard the laughter in her voice and, flustered, slapped her on the waist. She then heard Wei Jinzhi let out a laugh and continue to tempt her by her ear, "Why are you hiding your face?"

Wu Gu steeled herself and went for it. She lifted her head and swiftly kissed Wei Jinzhi on the chin, then quickly hid her face in Wei Jinzhi's embrace again. Wei Jinzhi was startled for a moment, then an irrepressible smile spread across her face. She gently squeezed the soft flesh on Wu Gu's nape, pulled her face out of her embrace, leaned in close, and kissed her on the lips—a very light and quick kiss.

Wu Gu blinked, looking at Wei Jinzhi who had pulled away. She was shy but also very unsatisfied. Wei Jinzhi had kissed her so quickly she couldn't even remember the feeling. She pouted and said, "Again."

Wei Jinzhi smiled and leaned down, holding Wu Gu's cheeks and pecking her on the lips. This time it lasted two seconds longer. As their lips parted, she lifted her head slightly to look into Wu Gu's eyes. Wu Gu's gaze was hazy and dazed, making Wei Jinzhi's heart tremble slightly, and she kissed her again. Just as she was about to pull away, Wu Gu suddenly wrapped her arms around her neck, not letting her go.

Wei Jinzhi rubbed the tip of her nose against Wu Gu's. This is nice, too, she thought. Just for a moment, forget the danger and fear, and simply hold the person you like. She confessed, "Wu Gu, I like you. I want to take care of you and be with you not just to repay you, but more because I want you to be mine."

Wu Gu felt as if her heart were a balloon filled with hydrogen, so light it was about to float away. She pressed a hand to her chest and said excitedly, "Sister Wei, I really, really, really like you too. I want you to be my girlfriend."

Normally, at a moment of mutual confession and baring of souls, they should be gazing deeply into each other's eyes, if not kissing their fill. But perhaps Wei Jinzhi had spent too much time with Wu Gu and was inevitably influenced by her. Her train of thought suddenly took a bizarre and unstoppable detour.

Wei Jinzhi suddenly burst out laughing, making Wu Gu look nervous. Amused, she asked, "Are you sure you want me to be your girlfriend and not your mom?"

Wu Gu's eyes darted around as she considered the possibility of Wei Jinzhi being her mom. With a serious expression, she said, "How about I call you 'Mom' once so you can see how it feels? Let's not get it wrong. Maybe it's not romantic love but familial love between us."

Wei Jinzhi froze for a second, then raised her hand and smacked Wu Gu on the butt. She threatened, "You dare try it."

"Ouch!" Wu Gu yelped, covering her butt with both hands and burying herself in Wei Jinzhi's embrace, shaking with laughter. Once she'd had her fill of laughing, she called out in a syrupy sweet voice, "Sister Wei." She looked up from Wei Jinzhi's arms and made an effort to kiss her on the forehead. Every time Wei Jinzhi kissed her forehead, she felt a sense of being given to and accepted. She wanted Wei Jinzhi to have that experience too. Wei Jinzhi closed her eyes and, as Wu Gu wished, felt that cherished affection.

---

Wu Gu usually woke up earlier than Wei Jinzhi. This morning, she woke up but didn't get out of bed, choosing to laze about in Wei Jinzhi's arms. One moment she was sniffing Wei Jinzhi's scent, the next she was kissing her cheek. No matter how light her movements were, Wei Jinzhi couldn't stand the incessant pestering. She tightened her arms around Wu Gu and said in a deep voice, "Don't mess around. Let me sleep a little longer."

A child with a new toy will be fascinated with it for a while, unable to put it down. What's more, Wu Gu's new "toy" was a beautiful lover, and her first love at that. She whined coquettishly, "What should I do? I don't want to get out of bed at all."

A thick layer of amusement could be heard in Wei Jinzhi's voice. "So clingy. How come I never noticed before?"

"I was too embarrassed before."

"It's so good to have you back." Wei Jinzhi put some distance between them and looked at her very seriously. "Don't do anything so dangerous again. We were lucky this time, but we won't be so fortunate every time. Life and death are decided by fate. If this is my fate, I can bear it."

"I won't have it." The moment Wu Gu thought of Wei Jinzhi on New Year's Eve, her eyes instantly reddened. She gritted her teeth and said, "I forbid you from saying such things. I don't want anything to happen to you."

Wei Jinzhi wiped her tears and explained patiently, "I don't mean I'm giving up and accepting my fate. Of course I want to live, otherwise I wouldn't have endured the Yin Qi for over a decade. It's just that if a situation arises that even you can't handle, you must protect yourself first. Don't risk your life for me. I only want you to always be well."

"I won't promise you that. My life is my own, and I'll do what I want with it. If you die, I'll kill Ji Yu and then die with you. I don't want to be 'well,' I want you." Wu Gu suddenly flipped over and straddled Wei Jinzhi's waist, pinning both of Wei Jinzhi's hands to the pillow. Her eyes were red with anger as she recklessly bit Wei Jinzhi's lips. Her heart ached with anger and fear. She liked Wei Jinzhi too much; how could she bear to watch something happen to her?

Wu Gu bit down fiercely, without restraint. At first, Wei Jinzhi could endure it, but by the third bite, she couldn't help but cry out in pain. Wu Gu immediately stopped and buried her head in Wei Jinzhi's neck. Wei Jinzhi heard her suppressed sobs, and her own heart ached. She held Wu Gu, gently soothing her by stroking her back.

The sun outside the window looked warm. She naturally knew it would be difficult to ask Wu Gu to stand by and do nothing if something happened to her. If their positions were reversed, she couldn't meet the demand she was making of Wu Gu. But there were so many sights in this world Wu Gu had yet to see. Her wish for Wu Gu to have a smooth life and live to a hundred without worries wasn't just a simple blessing; it was what she truly wanted. More than that, she wanted to achieve it together with Wu Gu. She wanted to protect her and dote on her, not bring her harm because of herself.

For the first time, Wei Jinzhi resented her accumulated good deeds from past lives. So what if she had done good for ten lifetimes? In this life, it was harming the person she cared about most. She said, "What if this were my dying wish? Would you still refuse to promise me?"

Wu Gu abruptly lifted her head from her embrace and said furiously, "Give up on that idea! I won't promise you anything." After speaking, she grabbed a jacket, jumped out of bed, opened the door, and ran out.

Wei Jinzhi froze, quickly threw on some clothes, and ran out after her. She saw Wu Gu rush into Wu Zhao's room, grab the Soul-Summoning Bell, and start shaking it wildly. She was making such a commotion that Granny She, Hou Jingxing, and Pang Diao all crowded at the doorway with questioning looks. Three pairs of eyes turned to Wei Jinzhi, waiting for an explanation. Wei Jinzhi shook her head, indicating she also had no idea what Wu Gu was doing.

After a bout of vigorous, chaotic shaking, Wu Gu stopped, exhausted. She yelled at the Soul-Summoning Bell, "Come out! Don't think I don't know it was you who brought me back that night. The pain in my ear was so real, do you think I'm an idiot? And you told me to find a hot spring in the mountains—do you really think I couldn't guess it was you who entered my dream? Master, I'm not afraid to tell you, if your disciple's wife dies, I'll follow her in death!"

After catching her breath, she started shaking the bell wildly again, not stopping her tirade. "Master, come out! Ji Yu not only knows the Supreme Qingyuan Mantra, he also recognizes my Bronze Sword. I heard him call it the Xuanqing Sword. Are we descendants of the Xuanqing Sect? He also said he wants my soul because the Xuanqing Sect harmed him. What is the history between the Xuanqing Sect and Ji Yu? Are the rumors I heard about the decline of the Xuanqing Sect related to him? Master, stop pretending! I know you're in the Soul-Summoning Bell."

Seeing that Wu Zhao still wouldn't come out, Wu Gu started tossing the Soul-Summoning Bell into the air, playing a game of catch with it. After a couple of tosses, she was smacked hard on the back of the head. "Ouch!" she cried, clutching her head as she turned around to see Wu Zhao glaring at her furiously.

At the door, everyone except Wei Jinzhi jumped in shock at the scene. Wei Jinzhi had noticed Pang Diao's wings fluttering more excitedly than before and guessed Wu Gu wasn't putting on a one-woman show. Hou Jingxing saw her bewildered gaze seeking help and handed her a paper talisman to open her Yin-Yang eyes. Only then did Wei Jinzhi see the tense master and disciple in the room.

Wu Zhao's voice was booming as he scolded, "Getting bold, are we? I thought you would have learned to be scared after last time. You've really forgotten the pain once the wound has healed." He asked, "Where's my disciple's wife?"

Wu Gu raised her hand and pointed at Wei Jinzhi in the doorway. As soon as Wu Zhao's gaze fell on her, Wei Jinzhi gave him a polite nod. Wu Zhao looked her up and down thoroughly, then chuckled. "You've got good taste, kid. At least you didn't make me worry about your choice of partner."

Wu Gu said urgently, "Is this really the time to talk about that? Ji Yu wants her Ten-Life Benevolent Soul! What do you think I should do? The Supreme Qingyuan Mantra was only able to force him back last time because his injuries hadn't healed and he was afraid of being struck by heavenly lightning. I bet he's eaten plenty of five, six, seven, eight, and nine-life benevolent souls by now. Once he's recovered, he'll be able to swat me dead before the heavens even notice."

Cultivators always emphasized timing. Wu Zhao had always felt the time wasn't right, which was why he had remained hidden. Their Xuanqing Sect's secret art of divination could deduce personal reincarnation cycles and calculate the unpredictable Heavenly Dao. He had calculated a thousand things, but he had never calculated that Wu Gu would fall in love. Seeing that Wu Gu was dead set on risking her life for his disciple's wife, he fell into deep thought. Having been single until his death, he truly regretted not having had a romance while he was alive.

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