Feng Chengyuan averted his gaze. He recited the Heart - Clearing Mantra twice in his mind before forcing himself to calm down.
Then he stepped forward without hesitation and tightly grasped Yu Nian's wrist.
The gorgeous ghost attached to Yu Nian was stunned for a moment. Thinking that Feng Chengyuan was attracted to it, it winked at him vigorously.
[Dear elder brother, please show some mercy to me...]
Feng Chengyuan looked directly into Yu Nian's eyes and whispered, "Niannian, don't be afraid."
In an instant, powerful and abundant spiritual energy continuously flowed into Yu Nian's body. The warmth spread from her wrist to all parts of her body. Yu Nian's soul was instantly filled with strength. She suddenly opened her eyes and whispered a spell.
"Break!"
Dazzling golden light burst out from Yu Nian's body. With irresistible power, it dispelled all the resentment within a radius of ten miles and suppressed all the wandering souls back to their places!
After all this, Yu Nian completely lost her strength and fell heavily into Feng Chengyuan's arms.
At the same time, the weasel that was controlling the fierce ghost in the distance didn't get off easily either. The yellow flag in its hand instantly fell to the ground. The weasel was hit by the after - wave of the golden light and suddenly vomited a mouthful of stinky blood.
It looked in Yu Nian's direction reluctantly and disappeared into the forest in the blink of an eye.
The air in the forest at night was extremely cold. The warmth on Yu Nian's body had long since dissipated.
Feng Chengyuan tucked Yu Nian's clothes in and fastened the unbuttoned buttons one by one.
Although Feng Chengyuan's movements were very careful, his palm still inevitably touched Yu Nian's exposed skin. The warmth unique to Feng Chengyuan made Yu Nian shiver involuntarily.
Feng Chengyuan's hand paused in mid - air. He calmly finished dressing Yu Nian, looking extremely composed.
It was only when Feng Chengyuan turned around that Yu Nian noticed his blushing ears.
As a celestial master, Yu Nian's current state was very dangerous. But with Feng Chengyuan by her side at this moment, she felt surprisingly at ease.
Yu Nian gently tugged at Feng Chengyuan's sleeve, and their fingers touched faintly.
When Feng Chengyuan looked down at Yu Nian, he only saw her pale little face. With a gust of wind, it seemed as if she would disappear.
Due to Yu Nian's shouting and singing just now, her voice was a bit hoarse. When it drifted into Feng Chengyuan's ears along with the gentle night wind, her sugary voice sounded like she was coquettishly complaining.
"My legs are numb. I can't walk."
Feng Chengyuan was stunned for a moment, and his heart instantly melted. All he wanted to do was to hug Yu Nian tightly.
Feng Chengyuan bent down. His strong arms gently passed through Yu Nian's armpits and firmly encircled her in his arms.
His broad body blocked the cold air invading from all around. Step by step, he carried Yu Nian steadily down the mountain.
...
The moment Yu Nian broke the illusion, the others also woke up.
Ming Mingzhong couldn't believe his eyes when he saw Feng Chengyuan and Yu Nian. He rubbed his eyes vigorously.
"What's wrong with the master?"
As soon as he said this, Jiao Cheng and the others also curiously looked at Yu Nian in Feng Chengyuan's arms.
Feng Chengyuan stepped sideways to block the inquisitive gazes of the crowd and replied calmly, "She's tired."
Jiao Cheng scratched his head and wondered, "Can celestial masters get tired too?"
Feng Chengyuan lowered his head and wrapped Yu Nian's coat more tightly around her. He only replied with one sentence, "Everyone gets tired."
Jiao Cheng immediately felt a bit embarrassed when he heard this.
Yes, everyone was a mortal being, not an immortal. How could they not get tired?
Yu Nian had saved Jiao Cheng's father, Jiao Qi, many times and was injured because of the Jiao family's affairs. Jiao Cheng felt uncomfortable and guilty.
While helping Liu Xiu up, Jiao Cheng said to Feng Chengyuan, "That weasel is very cunning. It must have hidden on some mountain again. Everyone, please go to my house to rest for a while."
It was already two o'clock in the morning when everyone returned to Jiao Cheng's house. The sky was still dim.
Feng Chengyuan gently laid Yu Nian on the bed. He took off her shoes and socks, placed them neatly beside the bed, then fetched a quilt and tucked it in for her. Then he quietly sat beside Yu Nian and didn't leave her side even after she fell asleep soundly.
Xiao Lin brought hot water, hoping that Yu Nian could dispel some of the cold. But her gaze shifted between Feng Chengyuan and Yu Nian, and she suddenly sensed something was amiss.
Mr. Feng, who usually kept people at a distance, now had a gentle look in his eyes. He stared at Yu Nian's smooth hair for a while, then his gaze shifted along her smooth facial contour, her eyebrows, eyelashes, nose bridge, and finally landed on her delicate and small lips.
Xiao Lin sighed and murmured involuntarily, "He must like her so much. He can hardly take his eyes off her..."
Seeing Feng Chengyuan shift his gaze, Xiao Lin quickly covered her mouth: Oh no! Is there anything more embarrassing than being caught whispering by the person involved??
Xiao Lin forced a smile and said, "Mr. Feng, I didn't mean that..."
Feng Chengyuan shifted his gaze back to Yu Nian's face. Since he was afraid of waking her up, his voice was very soft, but every word was extremely solemn and clear.
"You're right. I like Yu Nian. I like her very much."
Xiao Lin didn't expect Feng Chengyuan to admit it directly. She was stunned for a while before asking, "W - Why?"
As soon as she said this, Xiao Lin wanted to give herself a flick on the head: What reason could there be for liking someone? A beautiful and powerful person like Yu Nian could even make a girl like her feel attracted, not to mention Feng Chengyuan!
Unexpectedly, Feng Chengyuan only paused for a few seconds and really answered.
"Because Niannian is a wonderful person. She is the kindest and bravest person I've ever met. Most things in this world are dead - ends, leaving people feeling helpless. Most people would be timid and choose to back down. But Yu Nian has the courage to do what seems impossible. She always moves forward bravely, as dazzling as the sun. So in my heart, there is no one better than her in this world. It's only natural that I like her."
He and Yu Nian had fought side by side many times. Their relationship was no longer as dull and one - dimensional as that between a contractee and a contract master. The bond and fate between them had long been deeply intertwined.
Xiao Lin was stunned for a long time after hearing this. She was actually a bit shocked and touched.
She tactfully walked outside and said, "I'll go prepare some food first. You can eat it after the celestial master wakes up."
Feng Chengyuan looked at Yu Nian for a while longer, and finally planted a gentle kiss on her forehead.
I don't know how much time had passed. Feng Chengyuan's breathing gradually became steady. Leaning against Yu Nian's bedside, he fell asleep.
At the same time, Yu Nian, who was supposed to be sleeping soundly, slowly opened her eyes. She had already woken up and heard every word of the conversation between Feng Chengyuan and Xiao Lin.
Yu Nian seemed to be lost in thought. Her calm eyes stared at Feng Chengyuan for a while, and finally landed on the hideous wound on his arm.
Feng Chengyuan's arm was injured by the illusion barrier. Although the wound no longer bled, the criss - cross scars were still terrifying.
Yu Nian frowned. She originally wanted to cast a spell to heal the wound, but suddenly withdrew her hand just as she was about to touch Feng Chengyuan.
Yu Nian tucked her loose green hair behind her ears, then leaned over and planted a light kiss on the wound on Feng Chengyuan's arm. A faint golden light flashed, dispelling the remaining evil qi on the wound.
The wound on Feng Chengyuan's arm began to heal at a visible speed.
Only then did Yu Nian feel relieved. She shifted the quilt a bit in Feng Chengyuan's direction until both of them were covered by the warmth.
Yu Nian then pulled Feng Chengyuan's hand to her cheek and rested her head on it like a pillow, allowing the unique minty fragrance on Feng Chengyuan's body to envelop her.
After all this, Yu Nian's heart finally settled down completely, and she fell asleep again.