Cultivation Simulator: Starting From The Empress' Palace

Zuoqiu Yiren crouched down, her jade-like feet stepping onto the plains as she gathered Chen Mo into her arms. Feeling the chill seeping from his body, her face instantly turned deathly pale, her voice began to tremble, and her eyes were filled with helpless panic.

”No... Xiao Mo, wake up, Xiao Mo...”

She gently patted Chen Mo’s face, but no matter how she called, Chen Mo didn’t respond to her at all. His current appearance tugged unbearably at the heartstrings.

”No, you can’t be hurt, you absolutely can’t be hurt...”

Chen Mo’s condition at this moment made Zuoqiu Yiren almost lose her reason; she couldn’t think clearly at all. She took out a Healing Elixir from the Soul-Calming Bell—one that could even make a Void Realm expert burn with desire—and stuffed it into Chen Mo’s mouth as if it were worthless, then desperately poured True Qi into his body.

Having already lost her rationality, she completely failed to notice that although Chen Mo was covered in blood, there wasn’t a single fatal wound on him.

On the contrary, his heart was still thumping vigorously, brimming with vibrant life.

She merely saw the way he looked and assumed he was already hanging by a thread, about to leave her forever.

After all, he had taken head-on the full-force strike of a Unity Realm expert.

He was only Half-Step Divinity Transformation.

No matter how tough his body was, he still couldn’t contend against a Unity Realm Cultivator.

Yet no matter how many Healing Elixirs Zuoqiu Yiren fed Chen Mo, no matter how much True Qi she poured into him.

He still showed no sign of waking.

Seeing this, a deep sense of self-blame surged up from the bottom of her heart.

As his Guardian, she had actually failed to protect him.

”Why... why did you take that blow for me...”

Zuoqiu Yiren’s eyes were already moist, and large teardrops kept slipping down from the corners of her eyes, falling onto Chen Mo’s face.

Zuoqiu Yiren recalled every little moment she had spent with Chen Mo.

She even thought of that scene where Chen Mo had stolen a kiss from her.

However, right now she didn’t have the slightest mood for such thoughts.

Her heart was filled with deep regret.

She simply shouldn’t have agreed to come with him to the East Sea Shore.

Looking at Chen Mo’s pale, blood-streaked face, she couldn’t hold back the sorrow in her heart and muttered softly, ”Xiao Mo, as long as you wake up, I... I’ll agree to anything, I beg you, I beg you to wake up...”

Zuoqiu Yiren just held Chen Mo like that, sitting stiffly on the plains, her beautiful eyes already somewhat swollen and red.

She didn’t know how much time had passed.

Zuoqiu Yiren raised a hand to wipe away the tears at the corner of her eyes. ”Come on, I’ll take you back to the Daoist Alliance. The Sect Leader and the others will definitely have a way to wake you.”

As she spoke, Zuoqiu Yiren looked at Chen Mo’s tightly shut eyes, and as if driven by some unseen force, she lowered her head and pressed her lips to his.

Zuoqiu Yiren’s intention was to just give him a light peck, then take him away.

But at this moment, Chen Mo’s fingers twitched, and he slowly opened his eyes.

Their gazes met.

Zuoqiu Yiren’s pupils suddenly widened. She couldn’t quite comprehend how Chen Mo had chosen this exact moment to wake up.

Could it be that her kiss was even more effective than a Miracle Elixir?

No, this wasn’t the time to be thinking about that.

Just as Zuoqiu Yiren was about to lift her head and pull away.

Chen Mo suddenly raised his hand and cupped the back of her head. A faint metallic tang of blood mixed with a man’s vigorous aura invaded her mouth, chasing after her tongue.

”Mmm...”

Zuoqiu Yiren’s delicate body trembled slightly, a wave of tingling numbness rippling through her heart.

For a moment, she actually didn’t struggle.

This kiss lasted for roughly a quarter of an hour.

Only when both of them felt nearly suffocated did Chen Mo finally let her go.

Chen Mo gulped down mouthfuls of air.

Zuoqiu Yiren, finally coming back to her senses, lifted her hand and slapped toward Chen Mo’s face.

Yet just before her palm landed on his cheek, it halted abruptly in midair.

”Why didn’t you dodge?” Zuoqiu Yiren said angrily.

”Yiren-jie, seeing how I am right now, do you think I can still... dodge... cough, cough...”

He hadn’t said more than a few words when Chen Mo began coughing violently.

Seeing him like this, Zuoqiu Yiren’s pent-up fury had nowhere to go for the moment. ”Who told you to k-kiss me? And also, why were you pretending to be unconscious...”

Zuoqiu Yiren’s eyes were practically spitting fire.

”Yiren-jie, weren’t you the one who kissed me first?” Seeing her trying to turn things around on him, Chen Mo retaliated:

”And I wasn’t pretending to be unconscious; I just happened to wake up right then.”

Chen Mo was telling the truth.

Zuoqiu Yiren’s face flushed red, an indescribable sense of shame making her bite her rosy lips. Then she suddenly thought of an excuse and said, ”I... I only saw that you wouldn’t wake up, so I was passing True Qi to you.”

”You pass it like that?” Chen Mo never would have thought Zuoqiu Yiren would come up with such a reason.

”Of course, don’t overthink it.”

”I thought that since I took that blow for Yiren-jie, this kiss was Yiren-jie’s reward to me.” Chen Mo said.

”In your dreams.” Zuoqiu Yiren snapped shyly.

And so, the matter of the kiss was simply glossed over.

Since it had been her kissing Chen Mo and he had caught her in the act, Zuoqiu Yiren couldn’t bear to tangle over this any further; doing so would only make things more awkward for both of them.

She glared at Chen Mo once, then still asked softly, ”Are you alright?”

”All thanks to the Purple Qi Glazed Armor Real Person Zixuan gave me. Otherwise, this little life of mine would have been forfeit.” As Chen Mo willed it, a piece of purple Inner Armor surfaced on his body, though now there was an extra crack marring it.

The Purple Qi Glazed Armor could block the full-force strike of a Unity Realm expert.

It could withstand three such blows.

Although the Purple Qi Glazed Armor had blocked that fatal strike for him, the power transmitted through it still left him grievously injured.

In other words, this Purple Qi Glazed Armor only preserved his life.

Internal injuries, missing arms and legs—those it didn’t care about at all.

It was only because Chen Mo’s body was so tough that it didn’t shatter into pieces.

And with the Qilin Heart, it wouldn’t allow him to become a vegetable.

Hearing this, Zuoqiu Yiren’s mind buzzed blankly for a moment.

She had actually forgotten about that.

With the Purple Qi Glazed Armor there, Chen Mo’s life had never truly been in danger.

But even so, it still couldn’t have been easy on him.

”You... why did you block that strike for me?” Zuoqiu Yiren asked.

”I blocked it, so what? Do I need a reason?” Chen Mo said with a smile.

Zuoqiu Yiren was slightly stunned.

”If I really have to give a reason...” Chen Mo looked straight into Zuoqiu Yiren’s eyes. That burning gaze made her want to shy away, and he continued, ”Yiren-jie, I like you.”

”Boom!”

Those words were like a sudden thunderclap out of a clear sky.

Zuoqiu Yiren was dumbstruck for quite a while, then her face instantly flushed crimson. She loosened her hold on Chen Mo at once, stood up, and paced in place in a panic, her voice trembling slightly. ”You... what nonsense are you talking about?”

”I’m not talking nonsense. I’m serious. Can’t Yiren-jie feel it?” Chen Mo said.

”You must have had your brain bashed... broken. You’ve even learned to spout nonsense.” Zuoqiu Yiren said.

”Yiren-jie, my mind is perfectly clear. I’ve wanted to say this for a long time, I just never knew how to begin. Just now, when I saw you in danger, I don’t know why, but my heart jolted. I didn’t want anything to happen to you, and I’d rather be the one struck in your place.

When I was hit, Yiren-jie, you felt the same way, didn’t you?” Chen Mo no longer wanted to hide anything and spoke his thoughts plainly.

”N-no, you’re overthinking it.” Zuoqiu Yiren said.

”Then why were you crying just now, with your eyes so red?”

”Which eye of yours saw me cry? I just got sand in my eyes.” Zuoqiu Yiren was so flustered she couldn’t even speak clearly.

”Sand in your eyes?”

Chen Mo let out a low chuckle, then said, ”Whether you admit it or not, anyway, Yiren-jie, the fact that I like you is absolutely real.”

”Shut up.”

”Yiren-jie, my mind is perfectly clear. I’ve wanted to say this for a long time, I just never knew how to begin. Just now, when I saw you in danger, I don’t know why, but my heart jolted. I didn’t want anything to happen to you, and I’d rather be the one struck in your place.

When I was hit, Yiren-jie, you felt the same way, didn’t you?” Chen Mo no longer wanted to hide anything and spoke his thoughts plainly.

”N-no, you’re overthinking it.” Zuoqiu Yiren said.

”Then why were you crying just now, with your eyes so red?”