You Su retreated numbly, his eyes turned pitch black. He had a brief acquaintance with the holy maiden, yet had never seen the true face of this mortal woman.

She really is beautiful...

You Su gazed at the girl whose face was streaked with tears like a pear blossom in the rain. The giant claw paused just behind her, and Shenxi, the Venerable, looked down at them from high above, his expression finally devoid of its usual calm composure.

Time seemed to freeze at this moment, as the water beast with a maw like white, luminescent seaweed suddenly burst from the water’s surface, its gaping, four-lobed mouth engulfing both You Su and Ji Xueruo.

In a flash, it retreated back underwater, the towering waves crashing down like a sudden downpour.

The rain soaked Yudie’s garments, sliding down her cheeks along with her tears. She watched the two who had vanished into the water, a slight smile curling at her lips.

...

The cavity within the water beast was not spacious, filled with thick liquid.

Ji Xueruo and You Su were forced together, as if to merge them into an inseparable whole. With the beast’s movements, their blazing bodies were like two burning coals, continuously rubbing against each other.

The peculiar fragrance made them drowsy, yet the damnable shame kept Ji Xueruo’s eyes open. She even felt that this intimate touch was more intoxicating than yesterday’s entanglements, causing her to involuntarily let out soft moans.

Not knowing how long they had been inside the creature, Ji Xueruo kept a sliver of clarity, but You Su seemed to have fallen unconscious, showing no response.

Even when they were spat out by the beast, You Su did not wake up. Ji Xueruo still hadn’t understood what had happened when the beast disappeared into the rock layers.

Ji Xueruo looked around, finding the same familiar darkness and stalactites covered in dark green moss. After many twists and turns, they had actually returned to the underwater world.

Struggling to stand, Ji Xueruo felt as if the warmth from You Su’s body still lingered on her chest. The sticky liquid on her made her feel like they had just undergone a life-and-death rendezvous.

Especially after they had gone through life and death together, that sense of shared hardship made Ji Xueruo’s blood run even hotter.

She took a few deep breaths, dispelling the romantic thoughts from her mind, and began to attempt to awaken You Su.

But You Su seemed to be too exhausted, unwilling to wake, his lips pallid and the lotus between his brows dull.

Enduring two attacks from the Venerable of the Void Realm had drained You Su of all his strength.

Ji Xueruo placed the Exorcism Order and the bag of lotus seeds aside, searching through her storage magical treasure for viable pills, feeding the remaining Spirit Pills into You Su’s mouth all at once.

But You Su’s body seemed to have stopped functioning, and the pills just sat in his mouth, refusing to be swallowed.

Ji Xueruo felt anxious, hesitated for a moment, then laid You Su’s head on her full lap, giving him a bit more water, only for him to choke and spit out the pills.

She quickly caught the pills, not minding that they were what You Su had spit out. Both had sustained losses, and even with her rich reserves, Ji Xueruo now found herself in a bind; these pills were now an invaluable resource not to be wasted.

You Su’s brow furrowed in pain, his body shivering—a sign of extreme emptiness.

Ji Xueruo sighed deeply, looking at the saliva-covered pills in her hand without further hesitation. She took one, swallowing it into her mouth.

Her teeth gently bit down, grinding the pill into powder, then lifted You Su’s head, pressing her lips against his pale ones. Her fragrant tongue pried open his teeth, mingling the bitter medicinal powder with her sweet saliva, sending it down his throat.

After a long while, their lips parted.

Blushing, Ji Xueruo wiped away the strands connecting their lips and swallowed the second pill.

She had heard the rumor that a first kiss was also extremely precious for a woman.

Even those forced into brothels could offer their bodies but were unwilling to accept a customer’s kiss, as if doing so would preserve their last shred of purity. But now, her first time had already been given to this young man.

Could they really ’never see each other again’ in the future...

Ji Xueruo was unwilling to think about this question. With a nod and a tremble of lips and tongue, she delivered each pill into You Su’s mouth.

And in a corner she couldn’t see, a small, entirely white fish had already finished devouring an entire bag of lotus seeds.

Its wide, fish-like eyes staring, a massive rainbow bubble had already formed, slowly drifting toward the two absorbed in administering the medicine...