"When am I going to die?" Yun Qian was momentarily stunned, staring blankly at Xu Changâan.
Xu Changâanâs gaze shifted at the girlâs adorable expression, then he coughed and explained, "I was just starting to learn medicine back then, remember?"
"I remember." Yun Qian nodded. At that time, Xu Changâan wanted to nurse her health, so he delved into the Library Pavilion daily to study medicine. Only... it wasnât of much use in the end.
"Itâs because the pulse I read scared me." Xu Changâan sighed.
He checked Yun Qianâs pulse, and... he truly thought she was dying.
The pulse was tight and hurried, short and firm â a sign of no stomach.
The pulse was superficial, like a shrimp swimming, ever-changing â a sign of no root.
The pulse was chaotic, disorganized, irregular â a sign of no spirit.
No stomach, no root, no spirit, all are signs of a death pulse, each one life-threatening.
Seeing all these signs appear in Yun Qianâs pulse, how could he not be worried?
According to medical books, it was questionable whether she could live past three days.
Later... year by year, Xu Changâan wasnât as fearful but still couldnât get used to it.
The pulse looked terrifying, with constant minor illnesses, yet she never had any major sickness. But to him, it was an immense fright.
"My health isnât good, but it wonât kill me," Yun Qian said, gently comforting Xu Changâan, who had a faint sense of unease on his face.
Just like how she couldnât have children.
"Not being able to heal... I canât feel at ease." Xu Changâan spoke, his fingers brushed below Yun Qianâs heart by an inch, feeling the subtle heartbeat, and sighed, "Yin Yang deficiency..."
These were the pulses he had once tried, now merely reminders to himself.
Xu Changâan murmured, "I hope the Yin Yang cultivation technique can fill Missâs deficiency."
Yin Yang deficiency filled by Yin Yang technique aligns with the Supreme Principle of Heaven and Earth, the rotation of Yin and Yang.
"What?" Yun Qian blinked.
"Nothing, look at this." Xu Changâan reached into the void, somehow grasping a handful of red petals and scattered them into the water, a red flower floated before Yun Qian, sticking to her shoulder.
Yun Qian pinched the petal, sniffing it at her nose, said, "It smells nice."
"Red flower, alleviates fatigue, soothes blood, suitable for a lady," Xu Changâan said.
"Where did you get it from?" Yun Qian asked.
"This is a dream, I want to take something out, do I need logic?" Xu Changâan said.
"Like this?" Yun Qian pondered, then with Xu Changâanâs astonished gaze, she lifted her arm from the water after a series of ripples.
"Come." She said.
At this moment, as if guided by something, a ripple suddenly appeared in the void, an entrance opened before Xu Changâan, and a plate of fruit flew out from the void.
Light colored, crystal clear, like an agate, the stone in the middle of the fruit visible, so transparent, like an artwork.
But in Yun Qianâs eyes, there was no concept of aesthetics, only deliciousness mattered.
Most importantly, it was a fruit planted by Xu Changâan himself.
"Miss... you..." Xu Changâanâs eyes widened.
He recognized the fruit; she had planted it on the island before, intended for Yun Qian, yet the girlâs method...
Xu Changâan vaguely felt that it was different from the method he used to produce the red flower, yet he couldnât pinpoint the difference.
Yun Qian ignored this, she took out a fruit, bit into it, leaving a small bite mark; instantly, the fragrance of the fruit burst forth, a sweet aroma permeated the air.
"Miss?" Xu Changâan sighed.
"Whatâs wrong?" Yun Qian showed a rare expression of satisfaction.
In the same hot spring, eating his fruits, what reason was there not to be happy?
"This is my dream, how come youâve taken over?" Xu Changâan said helplessly.
"Host and guest? Youâre saying Iâm a guest?" Yun Qian slowed her biting motion, looked over calmly.
They were together, inseparable.
"I said nothing, looking for logic in a dream was my mistake." Xu Changâan blinked, then took a bite of the fruit Yun Qian had called forth.
The sweet and tangy fruit truly was the best companion in the hot spring.
While thinking, Xu Changâan, like Yun Qian, retrieved a pot of spring tea from the void.
As if unwilling to lose to the girl.
This was his dream, how could he let the girl overshadow him; a place as good as the hot spring, of course, the girl should eat what he created, not him eating her summoned fruits.
Main and secondary didnât need to be clearly distinguished, but rarely in his dream, he wanted to take the upper hand.
Like a childâs mentality.
This damned desire to win.
Xu Changâan leisurely directed the tea tray to float on the water, sat upright, and slowly poured himself a cup of pale spring tea.
"Why not wine?" Yun Qian looked at the tea she had tasted, slightly bitter, and gently touched Xu Changâanâs waist.
"Wine fills with joy, Tea Clear Heart, Missâs heart should be cleared." Xu Changâan smirked, holding the tea cup, not in a hurry to drink.
Now the atmosphere was genuinely pleasant, only daily warmth... surely the girl should abandon "seducing" him, right?
"I donât like tea." Yun Qian lowered her eyes, took a bite of the fruit.
The action of biting the fruit was more forceful than usual.
Xu Changâan saw the notch left by Yun Qianâs bite, felt a sudden chill, and turned his face away.
"..." Yun Qian bit her lip.
She lost.
Because she felt Xu Changâan wanted to win in some inexplicable way, she didnât take out a pot of wine trying to suppress his tea.
This was Yun Qianâs tenderness.
Even though she wanted to drink wine, she still centered herself around Xu Changâanâs thoughts.
What Yun Qian didnât expect was.
"...Bang."
A crisp sound rang, reflecting Yun Qianâs surprise, she looked towards Xu Changâan.
Xu Changâan merely took a sip, then threw the entire tea tray along with the tea pot out of the spring, the tea pot rolled twice in the nearby thicket, only the handle faintly visible.
"Miss, I lost." Xu Changâan sighed, he looked at the fruit platter Yun Qian had brought forth, thinking that the fruit was too sweet for him to drink tea now.
It clashed in flavor.
Indeed, dreams also had logic.
He lost thoroughly, conjured up tea afterward, yet was brutally surpassed by the girl who summoned fruits earlier.
Could this be part of the girlâs calculations?
"Youâre not drinking tea?" Yun Qian asked.
"Not drinking." Xu Changâan replied, picking up a fruit from the side of the fruit platter: "Iâll eat fruit."
"...Okay." Yun Qian gazed at the side profile of Xu Changâan, lightly said, "I also want to eat fruit."
"Miss, are you saying Iâm the fruit?" Xu Changâan realized something.
Yun Qian didnât respond further, concentrating on enjoying the spring water, eating the fruit in small bites.
A slight breeze brushing by, mixed with steam, warmth intertwined with strands of coolness.
At this moment, due to the heat and little movements, Yun Qianâs dark hair started to sway.
"Lately Iâve felt my bones are about to fall apart from exhaustion... this hot spring is truly comfortable." Xu Changâan lazily sat in the water, occasionally taking a bite of fruit.
Yun Qian said nothing, merely walked over, gently leaned against him, and softly yawned.
Xu Changâan wasnât surprised, he had said before, the girl always became weary in comfortable environments, glancing at the mist-covered water surface reflecting their fuzzy silhouette, his heart strangely accelerating, yet he paid it little mind.
ââ
At this moment.
Xu Changâan seldom enjoyed a moment of tranquility, only Yun Qian relied on his shoulder, her squinted eyes slowly opening, her gaze brushed over the tea pot Xu Changâan had thrown aside on the shore, then lowered her head, with a barely discernible smile on her face.
Xu Changâan hadnât realized what throwing away the tea pot meant, but the girl understood well.
That was a pot of spring tea.
Outside the spring valley, a flower bloomed.
The sky was turning bright.
Tea Clear Heart.
He... didnât want a clear heart anymore.