Wen Yuncheng carefully placed Lin Jinyu on the bed, then stayed by her side without moving an inch. The three apostles were crowded together on the floor, assembling parts. Wen Yuncheng was supposed to be assembling them too; after all, she had lost too many Star Cannons and needed to replenish her firepower.

Hmm, but Wen Yuncheng planned to make only C-03 Air Wings, since they were highly mobile. She’d start with a small goal of making 500 of them!

That was the plan, but unfortunately, while assembling, Wen Yuncheng couldn’t help but keep looking at Lin Jinyu. With her mind preoccupied, her assembly efficiency dropped. So, Wen Yuncheng decided to stop multitasking and just obediently rested her head on the side of the bed, staring blankly at Lin Jinyu’s sleeping face.

Little Ice Mountain… her sudden breakthrough was probably because she was provoked.

Even if she didn’t want to be flashy, she was now a public target. It would be hard to keep a low profile and fight people of the same rank. As long as she did anything on a large scale, she would definitely be ganged up on. To stay safe, she could only resort to sneak attacks, raids, and assassinations. Large-scale mechanical warfare would be very difficult.

She could clearly hold off an entire army by herself, but people wouldn’t use an army against her. After all, no one was stupid enough to make pointless sacrifices.

Lin Jinyu’s path and combat style were different from hers. Lin Jinyu was a native of the Starry Sky Continent; her techniques and Star Power all followed its traditions. When Wen Yuncheng used mechanical warfare, it was hard for Lin Jinyu to coordinate with her. On top of that, she was now being targeted by someone who was a half-step Phantom Saint (peak of the third layer of Phantom Emperor, one step away from a Phantom Saint), making it very difficult for Lin Jinyu to protect her.

“I’m sorry…” Wen Yuncheng raised a hand to touch Lin Jinyu’s face, the pad of her finger brushing against Lin Jinyu’s slightly furrowed brow. Wen Yuncheng’s nose began to sting.

She thought of the old Lin Jinyu, who did nothing but cultivate. No matter when or where, Lin Jinyu was always calm and powerful. She had once thought Lin Jinyu would become a great big iceberg, but she was still a little ice mountain—the tip of an iceberg showing above the sea, while hidden beneath the waves was a soft and adorable ice-colored cotton candy.

Lin Jinyu followed her everywhere, indulging her and going along with her wishes. Even though she would worry and feel sad, she never tried to restrain her. Looking at Lin Jinyu’s sleeping face, Wen Yuncheng thought with growing sadness: Haven’t I ignored Lin Jinyu’s feelings most of the time?

Wen Yuncheng suddenly recalled the first time she and Lin Jinyu had cooperated during the Beast Tide. They had worked together to kill a tiger. Wen Yuncheng still remembered how she had been reluctant to leave the tiger’s corpse and her C-01 Guardian. After Lin Jinyu urged her to leave, she had lingered for a moment, and then they encountered a third-layer Star Master Winged Tiger.

At that time, Lin Jinyu had clearly already left. Wen Yuncheng couldn’t even see her back, yet Lin Jinyu had actually come back in the end.

Back then, Lin Jinyu was just a young girl and couldn’t possibly have been a match for a third-layer Star Master Winged Tiger. What was she thinking when she returned? Wen Yuncheng didn’t know. She still remembered how she had felt at that moment—her heart was pounding so hard from the crisis it felt like it would leap out of her chest. Lin Jinyu’s hand, though cool when it grabbed hers, was firm and reassuring.

Wen Yuncheng didn’t know why she was remembering all this, but as she looked at Lin Jinyu, unconscious from exhaustion, these memories just kept bubbling up. She liked Lin Jinyu’s face, but it wasn’t just that. Lin Jinyu had always been… helping her, indulging her, protecting her.

Wen Yuncheng sobbed quietly, her vision blurring with tears. She lifted her head, but tears still rolled from the corners of her eyes. She had always laughed, joked, and acted cute to brush past Lin Jinyu’s worries and fears. Whether they were apart or together, Lin Jinyu’s concern was always there. Wen Yuncheng reached for Lin Jinyu’s hand, only to see the bloody imprints on her palm. The wounds from her nails had already scabbed over; they weren’t deep, just broken skin. But this made Wen Yuncheng feel even worse.

She was only a first-layer Star Venerate, and Lin Jinyu was now just a third-layer Star King. Yet she had provoked five enemies at the peak Emperor level, half-step Saints, who wanted to kill her. Wen Yuncheng knew she had an escape route, and Lin Jinyu also knew she wouldn’t die, but… that was all it was—not dying. What was Little Ice Mountain thinking when she broke through? Wen Yuncheng rested her head on the bed and rubbed her cheek against Lin Jinyu’s hand. The moment she tried to see things from Lin Jinyu’s perspective, to imagine that feeling of powerlessness, her chest ached so much that even taking a deep breath was painful.

[But… with the Huanling invasion, these things are unavoidable.]

And to prevent this, she had to get stronger. Getting stronger meant taking risks. And she was too conspicuous, drawing the unwavering hatred of Huanling, Dragon Island, and the Fu organization…

Just as 1947 said, it was unavoidable. To get stronger and resist foreign enemies, she had to fight. Opportunity and danger coexisted; she couldn’t level up in a safe and comfortable environment.

Lin Jinyu obviously knew this too. That was why she chose to accompany her. But when danger truly drew near and she was utterly helpless, Lin Jinyu would still feel anguish.

Wen Yuncheng sighed. She got up, boiled some water, mixed it to a warm temperature, and gently wiped Lin Jinyu’s hands clean with a towel. Then she wiped her face.

After doing all this, she kissed Lin Jinyu’s forehead, took a clean change of clothes from her storage ring, and walked into the bathroom. She needed a bath, too.

When Lin Jinyu woke up, her body still felt a little weak. She opened her eyes to an unfamiliar ceiling. However, when she turned her head slightly, she saw Wen Yuncheng fast asleep next to her, her forehead resting against her shoulder. She closed her eyes, recalling what had happened before she passed out.

As long as Wen Yuncheng is okay. This was… Wen Yuncheng’s house in the Imperial Capital? Lin Jinyu carefully sat up. Perhaps afraid of putting weight on her, Wen Yuncheng was only sleeping beside her and hadn’t draped an arm or leg over her. She was sleeping very properly.

Wen Yuncheng… as long as she’s okay, Lin Jinyu thought again. She saw the three apostles on the floor, gathered around a pile of parts they were assembling, and finally relaxed. The wounds on her palm had already scabbed over. Lin Jinyu could smell a cool, medicinal scent; she didn’t know where Wen Yuncheng had found the ointment to apply for her. For such a minor injury… if the medicine had been applied any later, it probably would have healed on its own.

Lin Jinyu didn’t move around much. She glanced around the room before her gaze returned to Wen Yuncheng. Wen Yuncheng was asleep, but she seemed a little restless, curled up in her sleep. Lin Jinyu leaned closer and noticed that Wen Yuncheng’s eyes looked a bit swollen.

She didn’t cry, did she?

Lin Jinyu raised her hand, wanting to touch Wen Yuncheng’s eyes, but ultimately didn’t move. She sighed. It was better to let Wen Yuncheng rest.

It was the middle of the night when Wen Yuncheng woke up. She groggily came to and reached out, but the space beside her was empty. She shot up with a start, then heard the sound of water coming from the bathroom.

Wen Yuncheng breathed a sigh of relief. She had thought Little Ice Mountain had disappeared.

[Lin Jinyu woke up in the afternoon. She stared at you blankly for a good while.]

“Hmm, staring blankly?” Wen Yuncheng scratched her head. She didn’t know what Lin Jinyu was thinking. Before, she might have been in the mood to joke that Little Ice Mountain was captivated by her good looks, but now she wasn’t in such a playful mood.

Wen Yuncheng said, “I should give Lin Jinyu a greater sense of security.”

But she didn’t know how.

Make promises? But Wen Yuncheng didn’t even know if some accident might happen.

“Master.” Seeing Wen Yuncheng was awake, Number One handed her a storage ring. Inside were the machines they had assembled during this time.

Wen Yuncheng took the ring. Watching Number One return to its spot on the floor and diligently resume assembling parts, she couldn’t help but sigh. “Being an apostle is quite happy, too.” No worries, no sorrows—how nice.

Number One froze for a moment. Number Two and Number Three also looked at Wen Yuncheng, seemingly trying to understand the meaning of her words.

Then, Wen Yuncheng heard Number One’s mechanical voice: “Yes. It is a great happiness to have met you.”

Wen Yuncheng didn’t know how to respond, but Number One and the others didn’t wait for a reply and went back to their assembly. A warmth spread through Wen Yuncheng’s heart. She was actually lucky enough already.

The sound from the bathroom stopped.

Wen Yuncheng’s train of thought was instantly derailed. She sat on the bed and watched as the bathroom door opened and Lin Jinyu walked out in a clean nightgown.

“You’re awake?”

“…Yeah.” Wen Yuncheng raised a hand to touch the tip of her nose. Good, no nosebleed. To be honest, she had almost fainted again. The nightgown was long and wide, but not exceptionally so. Wen Yuncheng suspected Lin Jinyu might not be wearing any pants, and the sight of those two long legs made her mouth go a little dry. “Let me dry your hair for you.”

“Okay.” Lin Jinyu sat on the edge of the bed, and Wen Yuncheng took out a clean towel to dry her hair.

Water droplets rolled down the tips of her hair. Wen Yuncheng watched one drop fall onto Lin Jinyu’s collarbone. She turned her head to the side, feeling her ears and face burning up.

Having just emerged from her bath, Lin Jinyu looked very gentle. Was it because of the steam? Wen Yuncheng didn’t know.

“I was thinking… am I holding you back?” Lin Jinyu’s voice was as cool and clear as ever. Wen Yuncheng loved the sound of her voice, but her words instantly swept away all the romantic feelings in Wen Yuncheng’s heart.

“No, how could that be possible?” Wen Yuncheng frowned. “If anyone’s a burden, it should be me. I’m always making you indulge me, stay with me…”

Lin Jinyu looked at Wen Yuncheng, but only for a glance before averting her gaze and lowering her head.

Wen Yuncheng continued to dry Lin Jinyu’s hair with the towel. Little Ice Mountain’s glance just now had also been misty, but it probably had nothing to do with the bath. “I’m sorry. I’m always making you worry.”

“It’s because I’m too weak.”

“No, you’re already strong enough, and you’re still young. You’re only twenty-four.” Wen Yuncheng’s brows furrowed. “You know my situation. I’m different from the cultivators of the Starry Sky Continent. You’re the youngest Star King, and you’ll be the youngest Star Venerate, too.”

“But I’m still very weak.”

“…You can’t rush time.” Wen Yuncheng sighed. She put the towel back in her ring, then hugged Lin Jinyu, who was sitting on the edge of the bed, pressing her whole body against her. “I’m so sorry.”

“Jinyu, you’re the most outstanding person I know,” Wen Yuncheng murmured in a low voice. “I like you so much. It’s my fault for always making you worry, making you suffer, making you… feel insecure.”