Chapter 370: Chapter 362: Tenderness
CLICK...
Mu Chen’s footsteps came to a soft stop at the door to Mu Bingling’s room. Their eyes met, and in each other’s gaze, they saw a mutual reluctance to part. Mu Chen caressed Mu Bingling’s exquisite cheek and gently kissed her on the forehead. He said softly, "Bing’Er, you should get some rest. For tomorrow’s competition, we might need to give it our all. I sensed a few powerful opponents among those so-called High-class Empires."
"Powerful opponents? But Little Tiger, he..."
Mu Bingling glanced toward the room where Little Tiger was, a hint of worry in her eyes. The injuries Little Tiger had sustained today were far too severe. On the Extreme Martial Continent of today, it was doubtful that even the most powerful Cauldron Master could fully heal him in such a short time. ’With Little Tiger in this state, can he really make a full recovery by tomorrow just by relying on the Spiritual Liquid that Chen’Er brought back?’
"Don’t worry." Mu Chen ruffled Mu Bingling’s hair and said with a smile, his eyes narrowed. "As long as I’m here, Little Tiger will be fine." As he spoke, Mu Chen reached out, gently opened Mu Bingling’s door, and with a flick of his wrist, swept her up into his arms. Mu Bingling was startled by Mu Chen’s sudden action but didn’t cry out. After all, it was nearly midnight, and any sound could easily attract unwanted attention.
Feeling Mu Chen’s strong arms around her, Mu Bingling’s face flushed red once more. She was completely unaware of how she ended up lying on her bed or when Mu Chen had left. All she knew was that the Chen’Er of today had completely left the past behind. He had fulfilled his promise and now possessed the power to protect her—his fiancée, or perhaps, his sister.
Mu Bingling raised her slender fingers and gently touched her forehead where the warmth of Mu Chen’s kiss still lingered. She smiled, pressing her lips together, as an image appeared in her mind: the Mu Chen from eleven years ago, who was always clinging to her, whether in her arms, on her back, or by her side. And now, it seemed everything had been reversed.
’He just touched my hair... When did Chen’Er get so much taller than me?’
She gently pulled the corner of the blanket up, hiding her small, rosy mouth and cheeks. Her ice-blue eyes twinkled with a hint of secret delight and amusement. ’Perhaps... this is the happiness of being loved...’
Closing her eyes, Mu Bingling’s thoughts drifted far away...
CLICK.
After leaving Mu Bingling, Mu Chen didn’t immediately go to Mo Qing’s room. He and Mo Qing had spent very little time together. In fact, before he left the Xuanling Empire, their relationship had been a blank slate. But after two years apart, this girl who loved him so deeply—even to the point of risking her life to protect him—was now engraved in his heart, her memory unfaded by the passage of time.
Mo Qing’s room was currently to his left, while Mu Bingling’s was to his right. Mu Chen truly didn’t know if this arrangement was a coincidence or intentional, but it was convenient for his plan.
He didn’t take long to wash up. A quick sense of the time told him it was already close to 3:30 in the morning. ’Mo Qing is probably asleep by now...’
"Xiaobai."
At the soft call, a small white ball of light distorted the air as it appeared out of nowhere, like a flickering flame. It revealed a drowsy, sleepy face—it was the Snow Qilin, Xiaobai.
"Father, you called... YAWN~"
With a yawn, Xiaobai floated onto Mu Chen’s shoulder. Its large eyes closed and then immediately snapped open as it looked at Mu Chen with a human-like expression.
Seeing Xiaobai’s state, Mu Chen gave an awkward smile. "I’m sorry to call you so late. I was hoping to borrow your Space Transfer to move into the room next door, but I don’t want the person inside to feel any spatial fluctuations. Can you do that?"
Xiaobai grunted in acknowledgment and nodded. "Yes. Since it’s so close, I can do it without causing any spatial fluctuations at all."
"That’s great!"
Mu Chen was pleasantly surprised. If Xiaobai could really do it, it would solve two problems: first, it would save him from the potential awkwardness and tongue-tied moments after entering the room, and second, he could confirm whether Mo Qing was asleep.
...
In Mo Qing’s room, she was indeed... in bed. But as she gazed at the full moon outside, she found it impossible to fall asleep. A hopeful light shimmered in her limpid eyes.
’...Tonight is a night for reunions. If... if he could just come see me, even for a moment, I would be so happy.’
At this thought, Mo Qing suddenly frowned and chided herself internally. ’Xuan Moqing, oh, Xuan Moqing, what are you even thinking? Mu Chen will definitely be with Sister Bingling tonight. He *has* to be with Sister Bingling. Why would he come to see you...?’
As she mulled over this, for some unknown reason, Mo Qing felt a coldness at the corner of her eye. A single, cool tear slid down her cheek and onto her pillow. Mo Qing glanced around, and only after confirming no one was there did she wipe the tear away. But she didn’t know that just as she was wiping her tears, a dark figure slipped into her blankets and pulled her directly into an embrace.
"Ah!"
It was a short, sharp gasp. The dark figure’s hand gently covered Mo Qing’s mouth as he whispered in her ear, "Silly girl. If you wake up the Dean, things will get really awkward for me, Qing’Er."
Hearing this, Mo Qing froze. Her tense body instantly relaxed, and she couldn’t hide the surprise in her eyes. Mo Qing turned her head slightly and saw a pair of clear, fantastical blue-violet eyes. Mu Chen blinked and smiled faintly. "Qing’Er, your pillow seems to be wet. Were you crying just now?"
Aided by the moonlight, Mu Chen had already seen the tear tracks at the corners of Mo Qing’s eyes, and his heart ached. ’Two world-toppling beauties are both suffering the agony of longing for my sake,’ he thought. ’A man like me... I’m really not a good person.’
Mo Qing smiled faintly. Looking at Mu Chen’s face, her heart, for some reason, suddenly grew much calmer. ’So, he’s always had a place for me in his heart,’ she thought. ’I’m not just some shameless, disposable woman clinging to him.’
"I wasn’t crying. Just being by your side, Mu Chen, makes me feel so, so happy..."
As she spoke, her traitorous tears began to stream from her eyes, running past the tip of her nose, down her cheeks, and dripping onto the bedsheets, spreading into a damp patch.
SOB, SOB...
In that moment, the strong Mo Qing, the gentle Mo Qing, the graceful Mo Qing—all of her—completely released the emotions she had buried deep in her heart. She wrapped her arms tightly around Mu Chen’s back, buried her face deep in his chest, and sobbed uncontrollably.
Mu Chen let Mo Qing sob in his arms. Right now, he couldn’t find the words to express his guilt. The only thing he could do was use his actions to show this woman that he had missed her, thought of her, cared for her... that he loved her.
Gently stroking Mo Qing’s back, Mu Chen slowly sent a stream of gentle Primordial Power into her body, warming her slightly cool Water Attribute constitution.
Feeling the warm current trickling into her body, Mo Qing’s mood also improved slightly. She looked up at Mu Chen’s gentle gaze, leaned her face forward, and pressed her soft, moist lips firmly against his.
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