The Ethereal Domains

Chapter 1151: A Careless Mistake

A Careless Mistake . . .

"In my heart, you are the most beautiful woman!" Cha Eun Xiao panicked. "Stop talking. Just take some rest. Gather your strength. We have plenty of time to be together..."

"No," Jun Yinglian weakly insisted, "I have so many words. I have to ask you... If I don\'t... I... Cough... Cough... I don\'t want to die with all these questions in my heart..."

"Alright... Alright," Cha Eun Xiao was sweating. "Go ahead. Just skip the unimportant ones. Let me guide your energy flow first... Your condition..."

"Am I... really... beautiful?" Jun Yinglian looked increasingly frail.

"Yes!"

"Why... Why do you like me?"

"I... You... It\'s..." Cha Eun Xiao stuttered, "Do... Do I need a reason to like you?"

"Do you love me?" Jun Yinglian pressed, looking into his eyes.

"Well..." Cha Eun Xiao found it difficult to utter the word. For a man, saying "love" was often a challenge.

"Don\'t force yourself. You don\'t love me..." Jun Yinglian sadly stated, "You just pity me... Cough, cough, cough... Cough, cough..."

She suffered another bout of powerless coughing.

"I love you! I love you so much!" Cha Eun Xiao quickly corrected, "I love you so so so so so much..."

"Then you..."

...

Jun Yinglian had been on the brink of death for hours, but she continued to hang on, weakly asking questions for three long hours.

During this time, Cha Eun Xiao had poured out all the sweet words in the world—more than once. He had made numerous promises, whether he could fulfill them or not, in an effort to bring her satisfaction. He had abandoned his male pride and dignity in the face of her persistent coughing, and he didn\'t mind doing so.

In the end, Jun Yinglian seemed to pass out once more, bringing the questioning marathon to a close.

Cha Eun Xiao finally breathed a sigh of relief. As he moved to check on Jun Yinglian, attempting to see if there was a way to cure her, he suddenly lost consciousness.

Cha Eun Xiao, a relatively inexperienced cultivator at the first level of the Dao Origin Stage, had been expending an enormous amount of energy, continuously channeling the East-rising Purple Qi. The extended output of his energy had drained him significantly. He had answered countless questions about love, and it had taken a toll on his heart, body, cultivation, patience, and endurance. When he finally ceased, he naturally fainted, a result of the severe exhaustion he had endured. Fortunately, he was still alive.

Upon regaining consciousness, Jun Yinglian was overcome by fear. She hurriedly assessed Cha Eun Xiao\'s condition by checking his pulse and wrist. In her thoughts, she berated herself for forgetting that he was no longer Xiao Monarch and had only reached the first level of the Dao Origin Stage. Pouring out his energy for her had left him depleted. She assumed his exhaustion had led to his loss of consciousness, and she was relieved it wasn\'t a severe issue. With some rest, he would recover.

Having confirmed that Cha Eun Xiao was alright, Jun Yinglian found herself at a loss as to what to do next.

She had enacted a fabricated scenario solely to elicit Cha Eun Xiao\'s heartfelt confession, yet it had drained him to an extent that left her deeply concerned. She was relieved that he was unharmed, but the mere thought of him perishing due to her actions filled her with dread and embarrassment.

Quickly, she resumed her efforts to treat Cha Eun Xiao...

...

After a considerable duration, Cha Eun Xiao gradually regained consciousness.

Upon awakening, he discovered that he was holding nothing.

A surge of panic coursed through him as he called out, "Lian Lian!"

But there was no response, just eerie silence. Jun Yinglian had vanished without a trace.

Where was Lian Lian?

Contemplating how feeble and vulnerable Jun Yinglian had been, he was overwhelmed with sorrow. He berated himself for his inability to remain conscious longer and for not ensuring her well-being first. His mind raced with concerns about her safety.

He clambered up a tree and bellowed, "Lian Lian... Lian Lian..."

Still, there was no reply—only the sound of the wind rustling the leaves. Jun Yinglian was nowhere to be found.

Anxiety clawed at him, but he knew that dwelling on it wouldn\'t help. He forced himself to calm down.

While he was only at the first level of the Dao Origin Stage, deep within him, he was still Xiao Monarch. With a composed mind, he began to scrutinize the situation, reflecting on every detail. After a while, he discerned what was amiss.

If Jun Yinglian\'s energy flows were genuinely disrupted, she should have succumbed within one or two hours. Yet, she had endured her precarious state for over four hours. During the love-related questioning marathon, she had seemed feeble, but her breathing had been steady and consistent. Ordinarily, a person with disrupted energy flows wouldn\'t have been able to maintain such controlled breathing.

Additionally, he had administered supreme dan beads and the East-rising Purple Qi to her simultaneously. While these treatments may not have provided a complete cure, they should have alleviated her suffering. How could she have shown no sign of improvement?

The only plausible explanation was that Jun Yinglian had cunningly simulated her deteriorating condition to deceive him. In hindsight, he acknowledged that only someone as powerful as Jun Yinglian could convincingly stage such an act. Even Cha Eun Xiao, a skilled deceiver, had been taken in by her performance, despite his earlier panic.

Having unraveled the truth, Cha Eun Xiao was no longer distressed about Jun Yinglian\'s well-being. His main concern now was her whereabouts. Scanning his surroundings, he spotted a message on the ground, right where he had held Jun Yinglian.

Cha Eun Xiao was touched as he approached and read the message. A wry smile formed on his lips, and he heaved a deep sigh. "Oh, women... Such typical women!"

Shaking his head, he couldn\'t help but sigh. He had nearly met his demise due to regret and self-reproach.

"That was a careless blunder," he thought.