Chapter 63: The Aftermath of a Forbidden Kiss

Shen Yan’s consciousness felt as if it had fallen into a deep well—surrounded by darkness on all sides, unable even to sense his own breathing. Yet in that deathly stillness, a faint current of warmth suddenly slid down his throat, like a red-hot needle, searing inch by inch through his frozen Meridians.

He did not wake, but his body remembered this warmth.

On the cold jade bed, Pei Yue’s fingers twitched slightly, her nails tinged with a bluish-white, her lips almost as cold as the surface of the bed. She did not know how she had endured it, only remembering the final scene in the poison-testing chamber—the blood-written “Trust Authentication,” and the weight of him collapsing onto her shoulder.

Now they had been carried to the innermost meditation chamber of Medicine Valley, placed side by side on two cold jade beds, so close that their fingertips nearly touched.

She could not open her eyes; her Spiritual Consciousness was shattered like glass shards, but her ears could still hear. His heartbeat was slower than hers, faint as a lampwick about to be extinguished in the wind.

She could wait no longer.

With a flick of her tongue, she retrieved the Crimson Sun Life-Sustaining Pill she had hidden for years. This medicine was originally a life-saving treasure given to her by her master, requiring pure yang energy to activate before it could be transferred into another’s body—ordinary Energy Transfer would be useless. But now, who cared about rules?

She tilted her head, her movements so light as if afraid of startling the person trapped in a nightmare.

The moment their lips touched, her mind went blank for an instant.

It was not a kiss, yet it felt heavier than one. Their dry, cracked lips met, and she slowly transferred the dissolved medicinal liquid to him, each mouthful like lighting a fire in an ice cave—and their breaths began to intertwine in the subtlest of ways, warmth and coldness weaving together, as if fate were forcibly stitching them together at this very moment.

The System convulsed violently deep within Shen Yan’s consciousness.

The previously black-screened Terminal suddenly flashed a line of green text:

【Detected high-concentration life-binding Signal】

【Emotional Interaction Protocol Initiate: Accept “Shared-Fate Link”?】

No one responded.

Yet the option automatically switched to “Confirmed.”

At the same time, the Star-Shattering Token Imitation behind Pei Yue’s right ear suddenly lit up, its faint blue glow like a star awakening, spreading along their touching lips and teeth, tracing the trajectory of an ancient Rune in the air before vanishing in an instant—the light pattern wrapped around their faces, as if crowning this forbidden kiss.

Shen Yan’s throat twitched slightly.

That mouthful of medicinal liquid was finally swallowed.

In his chest, the nearly extinguished Source Code Spiritual Root trembled faintly, like an old tree root struck by lightning, sprouting a tender shoot.

The Data Stream Restarted deep within, slowly, intermittently, yet undeniably present.

“Cough…”

He did not wake, but his lungs began to work, his chest rising and falling faintly.

Pei Yue, however, could hold on no longer. She turned her head away, her cheeks burning fiercely, unsure whether from illness or something else. A trace of medicinal residue still clung to the corner of her mouth, yellowish-brown, looking both disheveled and somewhat endearing.

She wanted to laugh, but her eyelids were too heavy to lift, and her entire body went limp, sinking back into unconsciousness.

This time, however, her hand moved half an inch unconsciously, her fingertips lightly resting on his wrist.

His pulse was still there, and… it seemed steadier.

—

Outside, the sky had just brightened. Medicine Valley Disciples patrolled in shifts, pausing briefly as they passed the meditation chamber.

“Senior Brother, there’s an unusual phenomenon in the cold jade chamber.”

“What phenomenon?”

“The mist inside… is swirling.”

The person pushed the door open to find the chamber filled with swirling cold mist, two bodies lying quietly within, their breaths faint yet synchronized, as if connected by a single thread.

The strangest thing was a faint trace of blue light lingering in the air, slowly revolving above their heads like the lingering resonance of some ancient formation, dissipating completely after a few breaths.

He frowned and glanced at it, not dwelling on it, simply assuming it was a natural phenomenon of the cold jade resonating with spiritual energy.

When closing the door, he didn’t notice Shen Yan’s phone lying in the bedside storage compartment, its screen still dark, but a droplet seeping from the charging port—not condensation, but a liquid with faint golden light, dripping down and evaporating instantly upon hitting the ground.

—

After an unknown amount of time, Shen Yan’s eyelashes trembled slightly.

He still hadn’t awakened, but in some corner of his mind, a program automatically began to run.

An unseen submodule quietly loaded:

【Shared-Fate Link · Primary Synchronization】

Current Status: Activated

Life Sharing Ratio: Fifteen Percent

Warning: Emotional Variable Interfering with Core Protocol, System Stability Unknown

He couldn’t hear these notices, but his body sensed them.

Within his originally depleted meridians, a gentle flow of energy slowly infused, not like something external, but rather as if “borrowed” from her side.

He dreamed of fire.

Not the fireballs of spells, but the small flames of the coal stove in the orphanage during winter when he was young, flickering unsteadily yet captivatingly.

He also dreamed of someone humming a tune.

The melody was familiar, but he couldn’t grasp it.

Until a very soft “mm” came from beside him.

Pei Yue moved again.

This time she didn’t open her eyes, only unconsciously leaning closer toward him, her forehead almost touching his shoulder. The distance between them had become as close as possible—as if the lingering warmth of last night’s kiss still flowed between their lips, drawing their souls instinctively nearer.

And her Star-Shattering Token once again emitted an imperceptible blue glow, flickering once before fading.

As if responding to some distant summons.

—

Elsewhere, in the Medicine Valley elders’ courtyard.

Xie Wujiu stood beneath the corridor, holding a newly delivered jade slip in his hand, his expression grim.

“What are you saying? They’re still alive?”

The messenger disciple bowed his head: “Reporting to the elder, monitoring of the cold jade chamber shows that although their vital signs are weak, they are stabilizing. Last night, even a phenomenon of spiritual energy resonance occurred.”

“Absurd!” Xie Wujiu sneered, “With that degree of spiritual consciousness collapse, even with the cold jade’s protection, their souls should have scattered within seven days! Unless…”

He narrowed his eyes, “Someone violated the rules to rescue them?”

“According to the guards, no one entered or exited; it was sealed throughout.”

Xie Wujiu remained silent for a moment, then suddenly laughed: “Then it wasn’t a person who rescued them… it was ‘love’ that rescued them.”

“A programmer and a saintess, able to ignite a life-and-death shared-fate covenant with a kiss as the catalyst—truly laughable, and hateful.”

With a squeeze of his fingertip, the jade slip shattered into powder.

“Well, a programmer and a saintess, indeed performing a drama of life-and-death interdependence.”

“Unfortunately, the Cultivation Realm doesn’t care for sentimentality, only results.”

He turned to gaze toward the direction of the quiet chamber, secretly forming a seal within his sleeve.

An invisible ripple quietly shot forth, heading straight toward the cold jade chamber.

—

And at this moment, within the quiet chamber.

Shen Yan’s fingertip suddenly twitched.

As if sensing something.

He remained unconscious, but the strand of Source Code Spiritual Root that had just revived within him autonomously generated a defensive command—

【External Spiritual Power Invasion Detected】

【Automatically Utilizing Residual ‘Trust Authentication’ Permission】

【Constructing Basic Firewall】

A flash of blue light, and a half-formed, incomplete rune materialized in the air, positioned perfectly above the two of them—at the center of the rune, the faint imprint of overlapping lips was visible, the very mark left by the forbidden kiss of the previous night, a contract seal.

Xie Wujiu’s hidden strike collided with the barrier, silently dissipating.

The quiet room returned to calm.

Shen Yan’s breathing remained steady.

Pei Yue’s lips, at some unknown moment, had curved into a slight smile.

As if in her sleep, she had heard an unspoken “thank you,” or as if in response to that kiss that broke the rules and awakened life.

(End of Chapter)