After I Got Pregnant With The Hero’S Baby, I Ran Away With The Ball. Chapter 9

Wei Lin’s physical condition was too poor. Even if they gathered all the spiritual herbs needed to refine the spiritual pill, his body would not be able to withstand the medicinal properties of the elixir.

From that day onward, the medicinal meals meant to nourish his meridians increased from once a day to three times, and he also had to take medicinal baths every evening.

Because he had been caught pouring out the medicine last time, Wei Lin never saw the medicine-delivering servant boy again. Instead, Duan Xi’s trusted aide delivered the medicine and would only leave after watching him drink it all.

Occasionally, when Duan Xi had free time, he would deliver it personally. He had been doing so for two consecutive days, and today was no exception.

Wei Lin had just put on his outer robe when the corner of his eye caught sight of a fine drizzle falling in the courtyard outside the window. The handsome, red-haired man, holding a light blue oiled paper umbrella and carrying a bowl of steaming hot medicinal soup, slowly walked in along the bluestone path.

The hands fastening the buttons of his jacket paused. Wei Lin subtly frowned.

The door to the reception hall was soon pushed open from the outside. He straightened his sleeves and walked out. The moment he opened the door, he came face to face with Duan Xi, who was about to knock.

“You’re already awake?”

Duan Xi withdrew his hand, showing no sign of awkwardness. Wei Lin nodded and hummed in response, his attitude as indifferent as ever.

He walked straight out of the reception hall. The medicinal soup placed on the table was no longer very hot. Without a moment’s hesitation, he picked it up and drank it down in one go.

Having consumed the medicinal soup like a meal for half a month straight, he was already accustomed to the bitterness of the liquid, but when the bitter taste filled his taste buds, he still couldn’t help but frown.

Duan Xi stood not far behind him. Seeing this, he somehow produced a jar of preserved fruit, handing it to Wei Lin and saying, “I bought this preserved fruit casually when passing through a mortal market. It should help wash down the bitterness of the medicinal soup.”

The preserved fruit was sealed in a small ceramic jar, only palm-sized, with the opening wrapped in three layers of thick oiled paper. A sweet fragrance wafted out through the paper.

Wei Lin looked down at the small ceramic jar, momentarily unsure whether to accept it.

He pursed his lips and said, “I don’t eat sweets.”

Duan Xi raised an eyebrow at this, his expression unchanged, but he forcefully shoved the jar into Wei Lin’s hand, saying, “This preserved fruit won’t keep for long. If you don’t want to eat it, just throw it away. It’s just some small snacks from mortals, nothing to regret.”

Wei Lin: “…”

Since the words had been spoken this way, refusing now would seem ungrateful.

Although their relationship was poor, Duan Xi thinking to bring back a jar of preserved fruit for him counted as a kind gesture.

He silently placed the jar of preserved fruit on the table, indicating, “I’ll try to eat some.”

Duan Xi’s gloomy gaze softened slightly. He then changed the subject, saying, “I’ve already asked Chang Lan. Your body is recovering well, and you can take a trip outside. You’ve been confined to this courtyard for half a month. Do you want to go out and walk around?”

Wei Lin looked up, slightly surprised: “Where to?”

Duan Xi smiled mysteriously: “Just come with me.”

Duan Xi acted swiftly. He stuffed a day’s worth of medicine into his storage ring and took Wei Lin out of the Heaven Gate.

The Heaven Gate was located at the boundary between the Human Realm and the Demon Realm. To the north lay the Extreme North, and to the south was the Central Province. Their destination this time was the West Sea, in the west.

Fearing that Wei Lin might catch a cold again, Duan Xi did not choose the most convenient and fastest method of sword flight. Instead, he took a small flying boat from the Ingenuity Pavilion.

Wei Lin was brought into the cabin of the flying boat. It was his first time riding in such a mode of transport, something only found in fantasy novels, and he couldn’t help but feel curious.

Through the window, he could vaguely glimpse the rolling and unfurling clouds outside. The halo of light from the scorching sun shimmered with a seven-colored ring. Streaks of light, like fine threads, rose out of thin air and then vanished in an instant.

Such a beautiful sight was like a dreamlike immortal realm. He was originally just an ordinary mortal. Which mortal hasn’t dreamed of flying through the air, freely traversing the Nine Provinces and Eight Directions, turning hands to form clouds and covering hands to create rain?

He felt tempted, but to leave the cabin and go onto the deck of the flying boat, he needed Duan Xi’s permission.

He hesitated, but curiosity eventually overcame reason. When he met those black eyes, like obsidian, he didn’t know how to speak.

Duan Xi saw through his request but didn’t expose him. He simply folded his arms, smiling leisurely as he asked, “What is it?”

Wei Lin lowered his eyes, rubbing his fingertips, and finally spoke after a moment: “I want to go outside and look.”

Duan Xi had thought it was something that made him so conflicted, only to find he merely wanted to look outside.

A strange feeling welled up in his heart. Why would Wei Lin be curious about the scenery in the sky? The former him should have long grown tired of it.

Flying through the air was commonplace for cultivators. Even if he had amnesia, it didn’t make sense that he would forget such things. Wei Lin clearly still remembered who he was; even if he had forgotten many things, he couldn’t have forgotten something like this.

Knowing he wouldn’t get an answer from Wei Lin, he suppressed his doubts, saying calmly, “Alright, come with me.”

Wei Lin thought he was going to take him out onto the deck, but instead, Duan Xi led him to the center of the cabin.

In the center was a winding, spiraling staircase that seemed endless at first glance. He looked sideways at Duan Xi: “Where are we going?”

Duan Xi replied, “Didn’t you want to see the scenery outside? The view from the top floor of the cabin is the best.”

The flying boat itself had a defensive array to isolate the cold, damp gale winds of the sky. Duan Xi wasn’t worried about him catching a chill, so he led him up the spiral staircase in the center of the cabin.

The cabin wasn’t very tall, only eight stories. Wei Lin started leaning against the railing and panting after climbing only halfway. He was expending a lot of energy, his face looked paler, and fine beads of sweat on his forehead soaked his temples, sticking to his cheeks with a slight itch.

The desire to see the sea of clouds had been mostly worn away by fatigue. When he looked up at the remaining half of the stairs, the last bit of curiosity was completely exhausted.

Duan Xi was walking ahead of him. Seeing that he hadn’t moved for a long time, he turned around to look at him: “What’s wrong?”

He took a breath and said, “I can’t walk anymore. Let’s just go to the deck outside.”

Duan Xi didn’t comment but stepped down the stairs.

Duan Xi was half a head taller than him, especially when he stood on the steps. Wei Lin had to look up to meet his gaze.

The handsome, red-haired man walked toward him against the light. For some reason, Wei Lin felt a little nervous and flustered.

It wasn’t until Duan Xi stood in front of him, looking down from above, that his shifting gaze seemed to be considering where to start.

“W-what are you doing?”

Wei Lin stammered nervously. Duan Xi suddenly curled his lips and chuckled, “Nothing. Seeing that you can’t walk, I’m thinking whether to carry you up or piggyback you.”

Just imagining the scene made Wei Lin’s ear tips flush with shame. He frowned and righteously refused, “Neither. I can walk myself.”

If it meant being carried or piggybacked by Duan Xi, he would rather climb up himself.

His peripheral vision glanced at the still-long staircase, and Wei Lin deeply regretted his decision to want to see the sea of clouds.

They say curiosity killed the cat, and he was experiencing that profoundly now.

Duan Xi shrugged and didn’t insist, but his tone was extremely distrustful as he asked, “Are you sure you can go up yourself?”

Wei Lin wanted to say he wasn’t sure, but he couldn’t. He bit his back molars and said reluctantly, “I’m sure.”

“Alright then.” A hint of disappointment flashed in Duan Xi’s eyes.

This time, he didn’t walk ahead but stepped aside to clear the path, telling Wei Lin, “You go first.”

Black eyes flickered with calculating light. Wei Lin didn’t know what he was planning, but judging by his demeanor, if he didn’t go first, Duan Xi would definitely carry him up.

He gritted his teeth and continued to climb with his aching legs, Duan Xi following closely behind.

The cabin had only eight floors, and each flight of stairs had twenty-eight steps. From the bottom to the top, there were two hundred and twenty-eight steps in total. For a normal person, this might be easy, requiring only a couple of breaths, but for Wei Lin’s sickly body, it was undoubtedly torture.

Since transmigrating to this world, the farthest he had walked was from the bedroom to the courtyard, a distance of only a few dozen steps, which left him breathless. Not to mention these two hundred-plus steps.

Wei Lin gripped the railing and climbed up, gritting his teeth. Every step felt like slow torture. He was now green with regret, but his pride wouldn’t allow him to surrender, especially not in front of Duan Xi.

He slowly and painstakingly climbed past the seventh floor. With the top floor in sight, Wei Lin felt no excitement whatsoever. At this point, even breathing felt like torment. His legs felt heavy as lead weights, and lifting them required extreme effort.

When he was about to finish the stairs, Wei Lin missed a step and stumbled, falling backward. He reacted quickly, grabbing the railing, but lacking strength, he couldn’t hold on and fell backward.

As he fell, his only thought was that the stairs were so high, he would surely break a few ribs rolling down, and he would definitely look pathetic and be laughed at by Duan Xi.

He closed his eyes, ready to accept his fate, but the next second, he landed in a warm embrace. He heard Duan Xi sigh helplessly, “Why be so stubborn? It wouldn’t kill you to yield to me.”

Wei Lin pursed his lips. Yielding to Duan Xi wouldn’t cost him a piece of flesh, but his dignity would be thrown at the other party’s feet, to be trampled upon at will.

Wei Lin was so weak he couldn’t move at all; even wiggling a finger felt incredibly difficult. This time, Duan Xi didn’t respect his opinion. He simply picked him up without question, carrying him in his arms and striding up the last flight of stairs.

Wei Lin leaned weakly against Duan Xi’s shoulder, panting. Large beads of sweat rolled down his thin cheeks. His usually sickly complexion was flushed red from exhaustion, and his golden eyes stared blankly ahead, the shallow mist making them look like a pool of autumn water.

Duan Xi’s peripheral vision inadvertently caught this sight, and the calm lake of his heart instantly churned with huge waves.

Wei Lin’s current appearance was strikingly similar to how he looked before, when Duan Xi had tormented him severely, yet he still bit his lip, refusing to utter a single moan.

Duan Xi’s gaze quickly shifted away as if burned. But the restless turmoil in his heart refused to subside. The rising desire was like a prairie fire, burning his throat dry and making him irritable.

The hand wrapped around Wei Lin’s slender waist tightened slightly. His gaze was deep, and the shadows cast by his eyelashes were like dark ink.

The top floor of the cabin was a spacious observation deck. Below the railing was a circle of wooden benches.

Wei Lin was placed on one of these benches by Duan Xi, leaning against a red pillar to rest. Wisps of ethereal cloud mist brushed past his cheek, bringing a moment of clarity before quickly slipping away between his temples. The fierce gale winds were blocked by ninety-nine percent by the flying boat’s protective array, allowing only a few gentle, cool breezes to penetrate.

The temperature of this breeze didn’t make him feel cold. Instead, it cleared his mind, and all his fatigue seemed to be carried away with it.

Duan Xi draped a thick fox fur coat over his shoulders. Leaning in to tie the garment’s sash, he said, “Don’t indulge in temporary comfort. Although the wind doesn’t feel strong, your constitution is so poor, you still won’t be able to withstand it.”

Because of Duan Xi’s movement, the two were very close, only half an arm’s length apart. Wei Lin looked up at him, his golden eyes reflecting only the handsome man before him.

Wei Lin knew he meant well, so he didn’t object.

He pulled the coat around himself, thinking that Duan Xi had indeed done a lot for him these past few days. Even if there might be ulterior motives, he should still show some appreciation.

Setting aside the original host’s hatred and entanglement with Duan Xi, if he had simply met Duan Xi as himself, he might have been happy to be friends with him. However, they were destined to be adversaries. While he couldn’t do anything else, he should at least say thank you.

Duan Xi had already straightened up. Wei Lin nervously gripped the hem of the fox fur coat, rubbing it with his fingers. After stammering for a long time, he finally spoke.

“That… thank you.”

Wei Lin spoke very softly. Duan Xi thought he was hallucinating and couldn’t help but say, “What did you just say? Say it again.”

His gathered courage was like a balloon filled with air and then pricked by a needle. Wei Lin bit his lower lip and said with some embarrassment, “Nothing. You misheard.”

Duan Xi was a Tribulation Stage mighty figure; no matter how quiet the voice was, it couldn’t escape his divine sense. He simply couldn’t believe that the usually arrogant Wei Lin would ever thank him.

Duan Xi stared intently at Wei Lin. Those beautiful, clear eyes, like the most magnificent gemstones, no longer held their former coldness and sharpness. Although still aloof, they were much softer.

Unbeknownst to him, Wei Lin had shed his sharp defenses, and his demeanor had slowly become gentler. If not for his mannerisms and the undisguised disgust he still showed toward Duan Xi, he would almost be unable to reconcile the Wei Lin before him with the Wei Lin of the past.

Having said the thank you, only for the other party not to hear clearly, Wei Lin didn’t have the courage to say it again. Not wanting to communicate or make eye contact with Duan Xi, he looked away, leaning against the railing and gazing into the churning sea of clouds.

He had thought the high altitude of this world would be similar to the real world, but he was stunned by the magnificent scenery before his eyes.

The pure white clouds swirled in myriad forms. Seven-colored auroras wound irregularly across the azure sky, emitting a faint, cold light even in the daytime. Countless golden specks and white threads of light rose out of thin air, falling like fine rain, only to burst and disappear before descending too far.

He couldn’t help but wonder what this aurora would look like in the night sky.

“Is it beautiful?”

Duan Xi sat down beside him. Knowing that Wei Lin disliked physical contact, he deliberately maintained a fist’s distance between them.

This distance was neither too far nor too close, just right.

Wei Lin felt awkward but also relieved. He responded rarely, “Yes, it’s very beautiful.”

It was even more spectacular than he had imagined. Standing in this immortal realm, he suddenly realized how insignificant he had been before, like a frog in a well.

The hardships and betrayals that had once weighed on his heart, making it difficult to breathe, seemed less important amidst this sea of clouds.

His state of mind broadened considerably. He vaguely felt that something had loosened, but he couldn’t pinpoint the change, only assuming it was his own illusion.

Duan Xi’s senses were sharp, and he perceived that Wei Lin’s state of mind seemed to have broken through a bottleneck. If not for the Cultivation Deviation restricting him, the Heavenly Dao might have already sent down a Heavenly Tribulation.

He followed Wei Lin’s gaze toward the vast, boundless expanse, and a fire gradually ignited in his eyes.

Wei Lin had always been a favored son of heaven. Even now, having fallen into the mortal dust and been crushed into the mud, Duan Xi still believed that he would one day return to the divine altar.

When that time came, what would their situation be like?

Duan Xi felt lost; he couldn’t guess the ending. Or perhaps he had guessed it but refused to admit it.

He and Wei Lin were ultimately destined for a reckoning. Without a major turning point, they would inevitably face a conclusion of mutual destruction.