With the Invisibility Cloak, Inori easily avoided the crowds, carrying Chu Lian back to their room.
Because they were covered in blood, she deliberately avoided Chu Chu and Li Xiu'er. Only Tina noticed their return. The little cat stirred from her nap, glanced at them, tilted her head, then promptly shifted position and went back to sleep.
Chu Chu was a little surprised by Tina's sudden awakening. Normally, unless greatly provoked—or woken directly by Chu Lian or herself—Tina would remain asleep until hungry or until her nocturnal hours. Otherwise, she rarely stirred.
"Why hasn't Big Sis come back yet? It's been almost forty minutes. At this rate, there won't be much time left to soak in the hot springs." Lying idly on the floor, Chu Chu pouted as she stared at the lantern-like crystal lamp on the ceiling.
"Maybe their opponent was too difficult, so it took longer. Didn't Chu Lian say herself she wasn't completely confident?" Li Xiu'er was anxious too, but she couldn't show it. She knew Chu Chu's worry was probably greater than her own, only hidden to keep from causing more concern.
After all, compared to her own helplessness, Chu Chu's strength was formidable for her age. But against Chu Lian and Inori, she still fell far short. Worse, Tina had to stay behind to protect them, costing another fighter.
It was no wonder Chu Chu felt conflicted and frustrated. After seeing Chu Lian's power that night, she had resolved to become her strongest ally. Yet in their very next mission, she had been sidelined. Even against Kurosaki Satsuki, she had been forced to guard Li Xiu'er, powerless to act. That helplessness weighed heavily on her.
The feeling was mutual. Li Xiu'er understood it too well. Not of the cultivation world, yet yearning for it. Grievances from afar, longing remembered deeply.
They both understood each other's hearts, yet unspoken agreement kept them silent. The atmosphere remained heavy until deliberate footsteps sounded outside the door. Their eyes lit up with relief—they were back!
"Big Sis, you're back?" Chu Chu rushed to greet her, only to find Chu Lian pale and leaning on Inori for support. She gasped in shock. "Big Sis, what happened? Are you hurt?"
She hurried forward, taking Chu Lian from Inori, draping her arm gently over her shoulder. "Does it still hurt?" she asked.
Chu Lian smiled faintly and shook her head. "The wounds aren't serious. I just pushed too hard in battle and ran out of strength. I'll recover soon."
"Really? Well, Big Sis does have a special body constitution. Ordinary injuries wouldn't matter…" Chu Chu's worry eased when she remembered her sister's unique physique, realizing she'd been overly anxious.
Only then did she notice their clothes had changed. "Big Sis, why did you and Inori change outfits?"
"The fight ruined them. We didn't want anyone to see us exposed, so we changed before coming back." Chu Lian chuckled softly, brushing the matter aside. Inwardly, she sighed in relief—thankfully, the door had been left unlocked. Otherwise, she would have had no idea where to change.
Cai Ya had been another possible option, but she was still with the other four. Even if they were close enough to know each other's secrets, some things simply couldn't be revealed—not yet.
If Ayase had walked out just then, she would surely have opened a crimson fan, hid her charming lips behind it, and teased: "At least wait until you've conquered them all and brought them into your harem before letting them know such things, no?"
Such thoughts were best kept unspoken…
"Big Sis, why do I feel like you were just thinking something very rude?" After setting Chu Lian down by the bed, Chu Chu stared at her for a moment before blurting out her suspicion.
To be honest, coming from Chu Chu—who was usually the one acting rudely, speaking rudely, and even behaving rudely toward Chu Lian—her saying someone else was thinking something rude just sounded wrong. Had their roles been reversed?
"You're overthinking it. I was just recalling the battle just now." Chu Lian almost choked on her own breath. She raised her hand and lightly tapped Chu Chu's head, as if to knock away her strange notions.
"Alright, alright, I just spoke without thinking. It's rare to see Big Sis so absent-minded, with a hint of daydreaming in your eyes. I couldn't help blurting it out. It was my fault."
Chu Chu herself didn't know why she had said something so out of place. In her heart, her big sister was sacred. If anything, she wanted nothing more than to worship her like that night again, kissing her like a lotus. How could she harbor such strange thoughts?
That self-admission alone showed who the truly rude one was. At most, Chu Lian only thought things; Chu Chu had already acted on them—and still wanted to.
"Mhm. I'll rest for a bit. Later we'll go soak in the hot springs." Chu Lian waved her hand, dismissing her.
Chu Chu glanced at Chu Lian, then at Inori, who stood quietly by her side without speaking. Pouting, she turned to leave. Just before stepping out, she pulled the door shut with a loud bang, clearly showing her displeasure.
With a faint, bitter smile, Chu Lian covered her lips and coughed once Chu Chu had left. Threads of blood seeped between her fingers, but before they could stain her robes, Inori gently wiped them away with a handkerchief. At last, she spoke: "Why didn't you tell her the truth, Lian?"
Inori knew Chu Lian's injuries weren't as light as they appeared. In her fight with the burly man, she had been overwhelmed again and again. His spear had struck her body multiple times, and his final kick had severely damaged her internal organs.
Even with layered protections and her special constitution, full recovery would take two or three days. Until then, her combat power would only be a quarter of normal—barely enough to handle a few ordinary men, useless in a clash between cultivators. If Chu Chu learned this, she would surely worry too much to devote herself wholly to protecting Li Xiu'er.
With Chu Lian incapacitated, only Tina and Inori remained able to fight. Knowing Chu Chu's attachment to her, even a moment of distraction could lead to disaster.
"I don't want her to worry. As her elder sister, I must always give her a sense of safety." Chu Lian shook her head. No matter what, she would never tell Chu Chu. She couldn't burden her with such fear.
"As a big sister, you're truly qualified, Lian." Inori had been alone since opening her eyes to this world. She had never understood such emotions. Yet every time Chu Lian spoke of Chu Chu, an unconscious warmth radiated from her—a tenderness like that of a mother for her child.
"I'm not qualified. If I were, I wouldn't have dragged her into danger, forced her into things she dislikes, or punished and scolded her so often." Chu Lian smiled bitterly. She had always tried hard to play the part of a good sister, but still felt unworthy. Such was life—never as one wished.
"Maybe it isn't your fault. Perhaps it's fate's design. If not for these enemies and coincidences, I think we'd be enjoying this trip peacefully right now." Inori sat beside her, drawing Chu Lian's head into her arms, inhaling the faint fragrance of her hair.
"Fate always differs from person to person. For me, it means dragging those around me into peril. I hate it, yet I can't escape it. Perhaps I'm fated for solitude, or cursed by the heavens." Chu Lian shook her head, her voice catching with sobs.
Since Dark Chu Lian had gone dormant, all the negative emotions left behind had been suppressed within her. Now, she could no longer hold them back. Tears finally spilled forth.
"I hate my own weakness. I hate fate's cruelty even more. And I hate that they won't even spare those by my side. This isn't over. I will personally shatter these shackles—no matter what…" Chu Lian's words ended with fresh blood trickling from the corner of her lips. This time, neither of them wiped it away. They let it fall, as though to let that blood serve as proof of her vow.
After quietly sobbing in Inori's arms for a while, Chu Lian pulled away, embarrassed. She glanced at the patch of Inori's pale pink dress at the collarbone, damp with her tears, and murmured: "I'm sorry… I lost control just now."
"It's fine. As long as you've let it out, that's what matters. Bottling it up is the hardest burden." Inori's words were meant for Chu Lian—but also for herself. Perhaps… she too needed to cry once?
"Mhm. Crying makes it all better." Chu Lian's tear-stained face looked so delicate and lovely that Inori's heart stirred uncontrollably. Gazing at her blood-tinted lips, she leaned down and kissed her…
Chu Lian's eyes widened slightly, then slowly closed. For that rare, quiet moment, she let herself savor the warmth.
Outside the door, Chu Chu—who had been secretly listening—slipped away in a daze. The words she overheard had shaken her to the core.
"Big Sis, soon I'll show you. I won't always be the one needing your protection. I can protect you too…" Within her body, the sealed lightning stirred restlessly, sensing its master's unwillingness, sparking in response.
"Xiu'er, don't tell them what Big Sis and Inori just talked about, alright?" Chu Chu whispered as she sat beside Li Xiu'er.
"Chu Chu, do you think they don't already know?" Li Xiu'er didn't answer directly—she asked a question instead. One that silenced Chu Chu at once.
How could they not know? Chu Lian's wounds might dull her perception, but Inori surely understood everything. After all, she had been the one to bring it up.
"Inori… I owe you a favor…" Chu Chu thought, turning her head, her gaze lingering…