Just over a day had passed as Aotian monitored Rihai’s condition. Ever since she took the pill, her features had gradually softened, and her body had stopped sweating as much.

This brought Aotian great relief, but he remained focused, watching her tirelessly, alert for any changes.

If not for his multiple minds, such concentration would have undoubtedly left him mentally exhausted.

Fortunately, something happened that made his eyes shine.

Rihai’s eyelids trembled slightly, and suddenly, they opened.

The first thing she saw was Aotian’s tired yet excited face.

“Hai’er, you’re awake!”

He hugged her tightly, catching her by surprise. Still dazed, it took her a few moments to understand what was happening.

Feeling warmth in her chest from Aotian’s genuine concern, she slowly stroked his back.

Whispering in his embrace, she tried to reassure him.

“I’m fine now, Aotian. You don’t have to worry anymore.”

Aotian continued holding her tightly, unwilling to let go.

She had become his safe harbor in this world, and last night, wild thoughts had haunted him.

The possibility of losing her, of living without her in this world, had nearly driven him insane.

If anything had happened to her, he didn’t even know what he would be willing to do to bring her back.

But one thing was certain—he would make all those who attacked them pay a heavy price… A bloody price.

Fortunately, that didn’t happen.

With her in his arms, he found his serenity once more.

So serene that he even felt a bit embarrassed for beating up the elderly disciple the day before. Of course, he had been helping him train, but who could guarantee that he wasn’t also venting his frustrations a little?

But those thoughts were quickly pushed aside as he refocused on the present and on the person who truly mattered.

After a long embrace, Aotian pulled back slightly and cupped her face gently with both hands, gazing into her eyes seriously.

“Hai’er, I know we promised not to pry into each other’s secrets, but this time, I can’t ignore it. I need you to tell me what happened to your body. I will never let this happen again, but I’m not omnipotent. Sometimes, things might not go as planned. I need to know how to act, how to help you!”

His serious gaze conveyed all of his determination.

Rihai slowly lowered her eyes, and Aotian waited.

“…Haah… alright.”

She sighed, lifted her eyes, and shook her head.

Still sitting in his lap and within his embrace, she adjusted herself slightly to feel more comfortable, then parted her beautiful lips.

“Well… do you remember when I told you that my veins are sparse now?”

She raised her eyes, waiting for his response.

“Hum! I also remember that you didn’t want to say anything else about it afterward.”

He nodded and then grumbled a little.

Rihai just rolled her eyes, amused, ignoring his complaint before continuing.

“My veins aren’t sparse like those of normal martial artists, whose veins are intermittent and scattered throughout the body. Mine are broken and fragmented. They’re still there, but… they’re a complete mess.”

Her voice carried a bitter tone.

Aotian’s eyes widened, surprised and alarmed.

He wondered what she had gone through for this to happen, but he remained focused on understanding the situation.

“Then… why did you pass out? What does that have to do with your veins?”

He still didn’t fully understand the situation.

“Aotian… my real cultivation isn’t in Qi Refinement, but in the Perfection Stage of Foundation Establishment.”

She suddenly revealed.

Aotian’s eyes widened, stunned, but he remained silent, signaling for her to continue.

Rihai was surprised that he didn’t react as intensely as she had expected.

A Foundation Establishment expert was no small matter in this region.

The fact that Aotian wasn’t shocked to discover that he had basically been flirting with someone at this level intrigued her.

In reality, Aotian was surprised, but not because he admired such power.

After all, his avatar had already reached the Golden Core Realm.

His surprise came from his girlfriend having a higher cultivation than he thought.

Seeing his lack of reaction, Rihai felt an itch…

An itch called “challenge.”

Raising an eyebrow, she said slowly:

“Yes… when I was 10 years old, my cultivation had already reached the Perfection Stage of Foundation Establishment. If I hadn’t spent so much time perfecting each realm and level to its absolute peak, I probably would have reached the Golden Core Realm a long time ago.”

She watched him closely, waiting for a reaction.

And this time, she got one.

Aotian’s eyes widened, and his mouth opened slightly, stunned.

But what Rihai didn’t know…

Was that his thoughts weren’t of shock or disbelief.

‘Wow! Golden Core at ten years old? She really is worthy of being my female protagonist!’

He thought, amused.

Aotian knew that her past was anything but ordinary, and as an avid Xianxia reader, a ten-year-old Foundation Establishment wouldn’t shock him. He had read about far stranger things.

“And then? What happened?”

He asked Rihai as he snapped out of his thoughts.

Seeing how quickly he recovered, Rihai felt satisfied with his mental resilience.

“Well… things happened, and my roots were almost completely shattered, turning into fragments within my body. They are still there, but they have lost all the strength I granted them by nurturing their affinity. Fortunately, my dantian was not damaged, preventing me from becoming crippled.”

She explained, shrugging helplessly before resting her head on his shoulder.

Aotian was surprised by what he heard and asked, intrigued:

“So… you basically have a Foundation Establishment dantian, but roots that don’t match that level?”

The entire situation felt chaotic to him.

“Well, yes… Despite being fragmented, my roots were once true spiritual roots, and they still belonged to the Perfection Stage of Foundation Establishment. Unlike the roots of martial artists, they won’t collapse so easily.”

She explained, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear before concluding:

“Since they were once roots of Foundation Establishment Perfection, even in their fragmented state, they should still allow me to reach that level again. But after that… that will be the end of my cultivation path.”

She spoke indifferently, but the sense of loss in her eyes was evident.

Knowing that her path had been cut short was not something easy for anyone to accept.

“But what about your dantian? Why can you only display the strength of a Qi Refinement cultivator?”

He asked, confused.

“It’s simple. Although my dantian can hold a large amount of high-quality energy, my roots cannot withstand the circulation of such a level of power. To be honest, since they have regressed, they can’t even condense energy of that quality to fill my dantian. I’m basically cultivating to strengthen my roots, not to improve my dantian. If it weren’t so difficult to nurture fragmented roots, I would have recovered my cultivation a long time ago.”

She explained and sighed.

That’s when Aotian realized something.

“Rihai! You passed out because you circulated more energy than your fragmented roots could handle, risking your life!”

He exclaimed, looking at Rihai with fear and disapproval.

Rihai hid her face in his chest and mumbled:

“We were about to fall to our deaths, I had no choice! Lifting both our weights together put an enormous strain on my roots, and the energy started running uncontrollably through my body. What else was I supposed to do?”

She complained, irritated by his scolding.

Aotian quickly realized he was wrong. He was just too worried about her.

“Sorry… I didn’t mean to reprimand you, it’s just that… Rihai, you’re all I have in this world. A-and I don’t know what I would do if something happened to you…”

He hesitated, but he spoke sincerely, looking deeply into her eyes with affection.

Rihai returned his gaze, and her annoyance faded, replaced by tenderness and sadness.

She had never known that Aotian felt so alone, just like she did.

She realized that it felt like they were all that was left for each other in this world.

Then, smiling gently, she spoke to him with warmth.

“You need to understand that I feel the same way, Aotian. So, if you are falling to your death a thousand times, then a thousand times I will do everything I can to save you, even at the cost of my life.”

She spoke softly, making Aotian’s love for her grow even more.

Leaning toward each other, they shared a gentle, affectionate kiss, filled with emotions.

“I love you, Hai’er…”

“I love you too, Tian’er!”

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep