Chapter 79: A Past Dream in the Mortal World
“Waiting for you to kiss me.”
Although it was a false alarm, Yin Buran still sealed the wine bottle and put it far away, and tried to sober Ning Ruoque up.
It was actually not the first time she had seen Ning Ruoque drunk, but it was the first time she had used a spell to sober her up.
Perhaps because she was not very skilled, the effect was very slow.
Fortunately, the drunk Ning Ruoque was neither noisy nor violent.
She knelt obediently on the couch. Apart from her gaze being occasionally vacant, she was no different from her normal self.
Yin Buran held Ning Ruoque’s shoulder with one hand and held up her storage bag with the other, asking with a blank expression, “Why did you throw this thing to me again?”
Ning Ruoque’s face was serious. “When I die, all of this will be yours.”
Yin Buran was so annoyed that she turned around and pinched Ning Ruoque’s face, not letting her speak.
However, a certain person insisted on finishing her words, even if her pronunciation was not accurate. “If I’m alive, you can also use it.”
She stared at the person without blinking, her eyes like a pool of moonlight, radiant and bright.
Yin Buran: “…”
“Tsk.” Yin Buran let go of her hand and continued to treat Ning Ruoque.
She was a little tired from sitting, so she simply pushed Ning Ruoque aside, sat down herself, and used the other as a cushion.
Of course, her hand was still tightly holding Ning Ruoque’s arm, not letting go.
Ning Ruoque very naturally wrapped her arms around Yin Buran’s waist.
“Ranran.”
Yin Buran closed her eyes to rest. “Hmm?”
She heard Ning Ruoque say slowly, “I have no money. Only by selling my swords can I build you a house and get you a big bed and a velvet quilt.”
She sounded pitiful, not to mention that she was drunk, and her tone was even more sticky, like a piece of half-melted maltose.
The dog Ah Wang from the next mountain was also like this when he was sad. His ears would droop, and he would let out a small whimper from his throat.
Yin Buran sighed softly. “What do I need a house for? You should keep those swords.”
“But… I want to take better care of you.”
Ning Ruoque frowned and muttered in a small voice, “You’ve lost weight. You have no flesh.”
After she finished speaking, she even seriously compared, her fingers sliding down from the groove of her back, and her hands pinching the sides of Yin Buran’s waist and rubbing.
A tingling numbness, like an electric shock, ran down her spine. Caught off guard, Yin Buran let out a soft moan, “Mmm…”
Her whole body went limp, and she quickly pressed down on Ning Ruoque’s hand.
The latter did not understand and observed her expression in the moonlight.
Seeing that Yin Buran was frowning slightly, she apologized with a guilty expression, “Did I hurt you? I’m sorry.”
Ning Ruoque put her hands behind her back.
While Yin Buran was regulating her breathing, she did not speak. When Yin Buran glanced at her, she found that a certain person was also tilting her head to peek at her.
When she was discovered, she immediately lowered her eyelids and pressed her lips together pitifully.
This operation was very crude, but it was effective.
Yin Buran couldn’t stand to see her like this. She rubbed her head in frustration and got off the couch.
Ning Ruoque followed without any hesitation, half a step away from Yin Buran.
However, just as she pushed open the door, she took out a shawl from somewhere and, without a word, put it on Yin Buran’s shoulders.
Yin Buran turned her head, and this person took half a step back, her eyes lowered to the floor.
The originally tall and slender sword cultivator was now shrinking her shoulders timidly, looking extremely awkward.
Yin Buran tried to pull her sleeve.
She only tugged a little, and a warm hand followed and held hers. The thin calluses on her palm were very obvious, and Yin Buran couldn’t help but touch them a few times.
The two of them walked hand in hand in the moonlit courtyard.
The drunk Ning Ruoque, to Yin Buran, felt both smart and stupid.
To say she was stupid, but this person had actually learned to play the victim and act pitiful. To say she was smart, she would say things that would make people angry.
For example, now, Ning Ruoque asked in a muffled voice, “Do you hate me?”
“No,” Yin Buran hesitated for a while, then added, “It didn’t hurt just now either.”
It was that she was too sensitive. This was also not Ning Ruoque’s fault.
Ning Ruoque slanted her eyes and peeked at her again. “Then… Ranran doesn’t like to be touched on the waist?”
Yin Buran instantly bristled a little, but blurted out, “No!”
She glared at Ning Ruoque and her walking speed became much faster.
Fortunately, it was dark. No matter how hot her face was, Ning Ruoque probably couldn’t see it clearly.
The spell didn’t seem to be very effective, so Yin Buran had no choice but to take some medicinal herbs and go to the kitchen to brew a bowl of kudzu flower soup for her.
The moment she stepped into the kitchen, Ning Ruoque thought she was craving food, so she consciously rolled up her sleeves. “Ranran, what do you want to eat?”
Yin Buran pressed the person down on a chair. “Sit properly!”
Ning Ruoque quickly sat properly.
She was still drunk, her cheeks flushed, and she felt as if she had been placed in a steamer, her breath filled with a warm, sweet fragrance.
And her mind was a blank. She only saw Yin Buran holding a wooden hairpin between her lips, her hands tying up her white hair.
The lamplight in the kitchen was dim, and the water boiling on the small clay stove was bubbling.
She lowered her eyes to sort the medicinal herbs and carefully brewed the soup. Time fell on her brows, as if it had been slowed down countless times.
In a daze, the steam seemed to have filled the entire room, and even Yin Buran’s figure was not very clear.
Ning Ruoque closed her eyes, and when she opened them again, the dark-haired Yin Buran was treating the wound on her arm.
Her eyes were full of heartache. “Can’t you be more careful?”
Although her mouth was chiding, the movements of her hands were very gentle.
Ning Ruoque’s reaction was slow. She didn’t realize that something was wrong and answered on instinct, “It’s fine. It doesn’t hurt.”
After a while, the moonlight slipped away from the window, and Yin Buran’s face was hidden in the dim shadows. She spoke in a hoarse voice.
“I… have someone I like.”
She gently touched Ning Ruoque’s palm with her fingertip. It was cool and slightly itchy, like a small fish in the water.
Before Ning Ruoque could notice, she quickly pulled it back.
“Hmm?” Ning Ruoque was stunned for a moment.
Her chest felt tight, and for some reason, even the wound that had been bandaged was faintly aching.
After a long consideration, she asked the blurry shadow, “Yin Buran, do you like that music cultivator?”
She remembered that when they were still on the ancient battlefield, a music cultivator would often come to find Yin Buran.
He would give her flowers today and jewelry tomorrow, showing great concern and consideration. His mouth was so sweet, something that Ning Ruoque could never learn in her life.
Just as Yin Buran had brought the medicinal soup, she heard Ning Ruoque muttering to herself in a daze.
She was so angry that she punched her. “What nonsense are you talking about again?”
Pushed into a daze, Ning Ruoque looked up and explained foolishly, “What I mean is, you deserve someone better.”
The flowers that the music cultivator had given were very ordinary, and he was not as good at fighting as her.
His skin was delicate. A scratch from a monster was as if he were about to die, and he would even cry. Although he was handsome, he couldn’t protect Yin Buran at all.
However, Yin Buran was even more angry. She thought that Ning Ruoque was belittling herself again. So she didn’t even feed her the medicine and directly sat on Ning Ruoque’s lap.
Then she gritted her teeth and pulled her face. “Where’s that food-protective energy of yours?”
Ning Ruoque was puzzled. “Wh-what do you mean?”
Yin Buran spoke quickly, “How can you push the person you like away? Unless… you don’t like me enough.”
Ning Ruoque was stunned again.
Her eyes moved slowly, as if she were mobilizing the remnants of her brain that had not yet been evaporated by the alcohol to think.
“But—”
Yin Buran instantly bristled and interrupted her, “No buts!”
How can there be such a shy sword cultivator!
She was so angry that she spoke without thinking. “If you like something, you want to possess it. What are you struggling with? The dignified Sword Venerable is not even as good as me.”
“I want to kiss you now, so I will kiss you in a moment. Do you understand?”
Only after the last word fell did Yin Buran realize what she had said.
It was so quiet that a pin drop could be heard, and Ning Ruoque was quietly looking at her, not even blinking.
Her hand had at some point been placed on Yin Buran’s waist, holding her steadily.
Yin Buran was so embarrassed that her claws rested on Ning Ruoque’s shoulder. “What… why are you not talking? Are you sober again?”
Ning Ruoque was serious and earnest. “I’m waiting for you to kiss me.”
“…”
If it weren’t for the sweet smell of wine, Yin Buran would have even suspected that all of this was a trap set by Ning Ruoque. Just to trick her into kissing her.
But since she had already said it, and she was not like a certain liar, she naturally had to do what she said.
Just let Ning Ruoque have it this once, and she’ll get it back double next time.
Yin Buran bit her lip, and suddenly reached out, covering Ning Ruoque’s eyes.
The dense eyelashes tickled her palm, very itchy.
She leaned down, and as she got closer and closer to that familiar face, Yin Buran also closed her eyes.
She seemed to have also been affected by the smell of wine. Her head was dizzy. She held her breath, and then heard her own too-fast heartbeat.
She gently pressed her lips against Ning Ruoque’s.
It seemed to taste a mouthful of sweet fragrance, and she couldn’t help but lick it like a little cat.
It seemed to be really sweet, and also very soft.
A familiar itching came from her palm again, and Ning Ruoque blinked.
This really frightened Yin Buran.
As if she had suddenly woken up, she struggled out of Ning Ruoque’s arms and pulled away.
Yin Buran turned her head and propped herself up on the table, so as not to fall because of her weak legs.
Compared to her, Ning Ruoque was unusually calm and even sat up straight.
“I know now. Protecting my food is a bad habit.” Ning Ruoque pressed her lips together, and the candlelight reflected the water stains on her lips.
Finally, she concluded with a straight face, “But as Ranran said, because I also like you, wanting to possess you is not a bad habit, but the right thought.”
Yin Buran’s whole body stiffened.
Her heart was lifted high by that “like,” and then gently put down.
She picked up the bowl and pushed it in front of Ning Ruoque in a fit of anger. “I didn’t say such a thing. Go and drink your sobering medicine!”
Staring at Ning Ruoque as she finished the kudzu flower soup, Yin Buran looked at the time. It was almost time to set off.
They would set off at the Chou hour, so that the flying boat could be hidden by the night and spells, so as to avoid revealing their identity as much as possible.
Even though the cultivation world did not yet know about Ning Ruoque’s rebirth, it did not mean that those monsters did not know either.
For this, they had to be extremely cautious.
She had originally planned to take a short nap, but because of Ning Ruoque, Yin Buran had not been able to sleep.
The more she thought about it, the angrier she got, and she childishly slapped away the empty bowl in front of Ning Ruoque.
The empty bowl rolled on the table. She looked up and happened to meet a pair of dark but clear eyes.
Ning Ruoque did not speak, and her lips seemed to be a little redder than before, looking very moist.
The two of them looked at each other for a moment, and Yin Buran was the first to look away.
Ning Ruoque chose her words and spoke, her voice low and hoarse. “I remember just now—”
Before her voice could fall, she was interrupted by a certain person. “You were drunk and insisted that I kiss you.”
“…”
Ning Ruoque did not struggle at all and obediently agreed, “Mm, that’s right. I’m very sorry.”
She tucked her stray hair behind her red ears and also turned her head away.
Seeing this, Yin Buran snorted lightly.
After a long while, the more she thought about it, the more she felt that something was not right.
“Wait, when did you sober up?”
