Supreme Alchemist-Chapter 2399 - 2389: Lakeside

But Long Yan, of course, still maintained his composure, simply replying with two simple words.

Without paying the slightest attention to Long Yan’s pretense, Lingxi clasped her hands behind her back and stood quietly by the lake. The scene of beautiful scenery and a lovely figure resembled a painting, yet the only one appreciating it was Long Yan, chewing on a blade of grass.

"I thought Big Brother Yan would be so moved that he’d cry."

Lingxi playfully stuck out her tongue. Her mischievous demeanor made Long Yan smile knowingly. He couldn’t resist reaching out to tap her small head lightly.

"What is it that little head of yours is thinking about every day?"

Clutching her lightly knocked head, Lingxi rolled her eyes at Long Yan with a hint of grievance, as if silently accusing him of being unromantic.

Long Yan simply smiled at the scene. Despite spending so much time together, it felt like it had passed in an instant. He and Lingxi had known each other for a long time—traveling from the Star Domain to the Holy Domain—like a fleeting dream.

"Big Brother Yan, Xia (Lingxi’s pet name) wonders if, just if."

Lingxi lay sideways on the lawn, blinking her large eyes, staring unblinkingly at Long Yan.

Cradling Lingxi’s soft, boneless body in his arms, Long Yan gazed at the starry sky, waiting for her to finish.

Her face already glowing red, Lingxi blushed even deeper as she buried herself into Long Yan’s chest before continuing.

"If one day Xia is no longer by your side, or if we can’t marry, would you still come here with Xia?"

Her trembling voice betrayed her nervousness, making it all the more evident how anxious Lingxi felt at this moment.

Hearing her words, Long Yan fell into silence. He found himself grappling with the thought of Lingxi one day becoming another man’s wife—a thought he dared not even entertain.

"Stop letting your thoughts run wild. I won’t let you go."

Bending a finger slightly, he gently tapped her forehead. As he admired the beautiful night sky, Long Yan’s thoughts seemed to drift far beyond the Nine Heavens.

"Hmph."

Rubbing her slightly reddened forehead in frustration, Lingxi suddenly bit down on Long Yan’s shoulder in a fit of pique. Since it was summer and the clothing was light, her small, pearly white teeth sank directly through the fabric and into Long Yan’s skin.

"Ow..."

"You little rascal, you did that on purpose, didn’t you?"

Long Yan flipped over, pinning Lingxi beneath him.

"What are you doing?"

"You’re such a little troublemaker—looks like I shouldn’t have left you unchecked for three days."

Turning over in mock fury, Long Yan contemplated giving this mischievous girl some form of punishment. After all, how could he, as a future husband, ever command respect at home if she kept behaving this way without consequences?

Lingxi stared back at him with a defiant expression, as though scheming something.

Long Yan’s lips curled into a wicked smirk, and then...

Quite some time passed afterward. freeweɓnøvel~com

Long Yan grinned mischievously at Lingxi, who now lay blushing furiously, nestled in his arms.

"If only we could always stay here like this."

Nuzzling her head against Long Yan’s chest without hesitation, Lingxi unknowingly tugged at his heartstrings. Long Yan sighed inwardly, acknowledging that this must be what both of them longed for but could never truly have—a mundane intimacy that ordinary couples took for granted but had always eluded them.

Running his hand gently along Lingxi’s back, Long Yan secretly made a decision. Once this ordeal was over, no matter the Emperor Clan or the Eastern Ancient Clan, he would take Lingxi and go live freely, away from it all.

Watching as Lingxi fell soundly asleep in his arms, Long Yan’s face bore an expression of contentment. Wrapping her waist with his arms, he lifted her up, draping his outer garment lightly over her as he stood, intending to find shelter for the night.

Of course, not for that kind of "rest." To Long Yan’s knowledge, this place was entirely unfamiliar. For tonight, his only option was to find an inn where they could rest and then send Lingxi home tomorrow.

But just as Long Yan was about to carry Lingxi away, two black-clothed men appeared before him. They said nothing, but a chill emanated from their gaze.

Thanks to his countless battle experiences, Long Yan instinctively prepared for confrontation. Yet now, without any True Qi in his body, even cradling Lingxi in his arms already strained his ordinary strength. How could he hope to resist?

"Young Master Long, please don’t make this difficult for us. The master has explicitly forbidden you from having contact with the young lady. For these few time units tonight, we can pretend this encounter never happened. Young Master Long, we humbly ask for your cooperation and for you to let go of our young lady."

One of the black-clothed men stepped forward and spoke politely to Long Yan. However, Long Yan’s sharp eyes keenly noticed the man’s hand subtly moving behind his back toward his waist, which bulged slightly—clearly concealing a weapon.

"And if I refuse?"

Despite being bereft of True Qi, Long Yan still carried the pride of a strong one. What he couldn’t ascertain, though, was whether these two individuals possessed True Qi. If they did, he wasn’t foolish enough to clash with cultivators head-on.

"Sigh, so Young Master Long still intends to challenge us. Zhang Liang, retrieve the young lady."

Evidently, the slightly plump fellow beside him found such tasks far from new. He offered Long Yan a polite bow.

"Apologies in advance."

A fist came toward Long Yan. The plump man didn’t even use his full strength for this strike. In the entirety of Chang’an City, who didn’t know that Long Yan was a useless scholar, inept in both literary pursuits and martial arts? With only thirty percent of his strength, the plump man was confident he wouldn’t hurt Long Yan accidentally.

Overconfident, indeed.

A faint smile curled at the corners of Long Yan’s lips. To the eyes of an ordinary person, that punch might have seemed impossible to follow. But to Long Yan, conditioned by countless battles, the fist appeared as slow as a snail’s crawl.

Still holding Lingxi, Long Yan shifted his right foot ever so slightly, turning his body just enough to evade.

So effortlessly, Long Yan sidestepped the black-clothed man’s punch. Even more impressively, Lingxi, nestled in his embrace, remained sound asleep, undisturbed.

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