Journey Through Realms: Fulfilling Last Wishes

Chapter 13: The Innocent Little Lotus of the Demon Sect

“Ah, so comfortable! Nothing beats a hot bath after a long day,” An Ran sighed contentedly, soaking in the hot water.

Her mind wandered to 225 and whether it had managed to find anything about Shen Yu. She found it strange that the system had agreed so quickly to investigate, without even demanding any conditions. Normally, it wasn’t so accommodating.

Well, it doesn’t matter. My task is to protect Shen Yu. Whether he’s strange or not doesn’t really affect my mission. As long as he’s healthy, I’ll succeed, she reasoned.

She let the warm water wash away her worries for the moment. The bath was luxurious, much larger than anything she’d used before.

This tavern really knows how to treat its guests, she thought, sinking deeper into the tub.

“Ran Ran, are you done? Don’t soak too long, or the water will get cold, and you’ll catch a cold,” Shen Yu’s voice called from outside.

Shen Yu had finished his tasks and had gone to look for An Ran, only to hear from the attendant that she was still in the bath. He had waited for a while, but when the food was ready, and she still hadn’t come out, he decided to check on her.

“It’s still warm! I can stay a little longer!” An Ran called back, reluctant to leave the comforting heat of the bath.

“Alright, but I wanted to have dinner with you. If you’re not hungry, I guess I’ll eat alone,” Shen Yu replied, sounding a bit disappointed.

Hearing that, An Ran suddenly remembered how hungry she was.

“Wait! The water’s cooling down. I’ll get out now, Shen Yu!”

She quickly changed her mind, scrambling out of the tub. She had almost forgotten she hadn’t eaten yet.

As she hurried to get dressed, a misstep occurred—her foot was still in the tub when she lost her balance, slipping and falling hard on the ground. Worse, she landed on her injured arm, sending a sharp wave of pain through her body.

“Ow! It hurts so much…” An Ran winced, trying to move but feeling the excruciating pain in her arm. Just then, Shen Yu, hearing the commotion inside, grew worried.

“Ran Ran! What happened? If you don’t answer, I’m coming in!” Shen Yu called urgently, ready to burst in.

“Shen Yu… it hurts…” An Ran managed to gasp through the pain, trying not to cry.

Shen Yu didn’t hesitate any longer. He kicked the door open and rushed behind the screen, only to find An Ran kneeling on the floor, clutching her arm and wrapped loosely in her clothing.

An Ran panicked when she saw Shen Yu entering. In her rush to get dressed, she had only managed to wrap herself in a robe. Now, with him standing right there, she felt completely vulnerable.

“Shen Yu… it hurts so much… Am I going to die?”

An Ran’s tears flowed freely as she looked at him, unable to hold back her fear and pain.

“Don’t worry. Let me take a look. It’s just the wound on your arm reopening. Some medicine will fix it right up. Don’t cry, Ran Ran. You’ll be fine,” Shen Yu reassured her, wiping her tears as he examined the wound. It wasn’t as bad as she feared, but seeing her in so much pain was enough to make his heart ache.

Why is this happening to me? I feel like my arm is completely useless now! And why isn’t Shen Yu helping me off the floor? It’s cold down here, but I can’t ask for help… I’m too embarrassed, An Ran thought to herself, trying to contain her discomfort.

“Shen Yu… slow down. I think I twisted my ankle too,” An Ran added awkwardly as Shen Yu finally lifted her off the ground. She had just been thinking how clueless he was, and now she felt even more embarrassed.

“Ran Ran, you mustn’t leave my side anymore. Every time I leave you, something happens. Last time, you got whipped, and now you’ve hurt yourself again,” Shen Yu scolded her gently as he carried her towards the room, exasperated by her recklessness.

“But it was you who left me behind this time! I waited for you, and when you didn’t come back, I thought taking a bath would be fine. How was I supposed to know I’d end up like this?”

An Ran weakly defended herself.

It’s not fair! He tempted me with food, and that’s why I rushed. Now he’s blaming me for everything, she thought, feeling wronged.

“I’m sorry, Ran Ran. It’s my fault. I won’t leave you alone again. Please forgive me this time,” Shen Yu said, his voice trembling slightly as he carried her back to the room. He genuinely felt guilty for leaving her alone, even if it was for a short time.

“Do you really mean it? You won’t leave me behind again? You’ll take me with you everywhere?”

An Ran quickly seized the opportunity, demanding a promise.

“Yes, I’ll take you with me wherever I go. As long as you don’t mind staying by my side, I’ll always bring you along,” Shen Yu said and promised with sincerity.

He couldn’t bear to be apart from her, anyway. Back in the room, Shen Yu gently laid An Ran on the bed and fetched the bandages and ointment.

“Give me your arm. It might sting a little, but I’ll try to be quick,” Shen Yu said softly as he started treating her wound. He dabbed ointment on her reopened cut, careful not to hurt her more.

“Don’t worry, Shen Yu. I’m not afraid of—ow!” An Ran yelped as the medicine stung her arm, immediately proving herself wrong.

An Ran had been trying to act tough, but the sudden sting from the medicine nearly broke her composure.

“Did I hurt you? I’m sorry, Ran Ran. I didn’t mean to,” Shen Yu immediately apologized, his face full of concern.

“It’s fine, Shen Yu. It was bound to hurt. Please don’t keep apologizing—it’s not your fault. Just finish quickly,” An Ran reassured him, trying to comfort Shen Yu instead.

What’s going on? Why is he always apologizing? This doesn’t seem like the cold, distant Shen Yu from before. It’s so out of character!

Shen Yu nodded and continued bandaging her arm.

“Alright, I’ve finished wrapping your arm. Now, let me take a look at your ankle,” he said, moving on to check her foot.

“My ankle? Oh… it’s the left one, but it’s not that painful anymore,” An Ran replied, a bit surprised by how quickly he had finished bandaging her arm. She hadn’t expected him to be so efficient.

“Let’s make sure,” Shen Yu insisted as he gently lifted her left foot and began examining it.

As he worked, An Ran couldn’t help but stare at Shen Yu’s focused face.

He’s so handsome, even more so than that Qin Yuan! Why didn’t I notice how charming he is before? Look at that perfect profile, so striking… And he walked so far carrying me without a single complaint. He even prepared food for me… He’s such a strong, reliable man, she thought, falling deeper into admiration.

But just as she was getting lost in her thoughts, a sudden, loud crack broke her reverie.

“AHHHHHH! What did you do, Shen Yu? That hurt so much!” An Ran screamed in agony.

Shen Yu looked genuinely confused and wronged.

“Ran Ran, you’re being unfair! I was just resetting your ankle. I even told you it would hurt, and you smiled at me, reassuring me. Now you’re acting like I did something terrible,” he explained, clearly feeling misunderstood.

What? Smiled at you? When did I smile? An Ran’s mind raced. Oh no… I was staring at him when he was looking all handsome and serious. Was I so distracted that I missed what he was saying?

“Shen Yu, I’m sorry! I wasn’t paying attention earlier. I didn’t mean to accuse you,” An Ran said apologetically, feeling guilty for her outburst.

“Ran Ran, you smiled so beautifully at me earlier. If you smile like that again, I won’t be upset anymore,” Shen Yu teased, lightening the mood.

Smile again? I thought he just wanted me not to be mad at him, but now he’s making demands… An Ran sighed inwardly. I was right about him—he’s still the same cheeky Shen Yu, not the serious, responsible man I thought for a moment.

“Are you really upset because I didn’t smile at you? Fine, Shen Yu, I’ll smile for you—no problem!” An Ran said, forcing a grin and laughing awkwardly.

Seeing her trying so hard to make him happy, Shen Yu’s previous annoyance melted away. “Alright, Ran Ran, stop smiling like that. I’m not angry anymore. I’ll go get your food now.”

What? He called it a ‘silly smile’? I was trying so hard to be nice to him, and this is how he repays me? An Ran thought, fuming. He doesn’t deserve my sympathy anymore.

Once Shen Yu left the room, An Ran immediately called out to her system, “225, did you find anything out? Is there something off about Shen Yu?”

“Nope, nothing’s wrong. He’s the real deal. As for his strange behavior, it’s all your doing,” 225 responded, sounding almost bored.

“What do you mean my doing? I didn’t do anything strange! And what about that suspicious glider he used earlier?” An Ran argued, feeling defensive.

225 sighed.

“Who was it that sweetly said, ‘Shen Yu, wherever you go, I’ll go too. I’ll even die with you’? You practically threw yourself at him. Of course, he’s going to respond to that! Now you’re acting surprised when he shows a little affection?”

“Wait! How did you know about that? You weren’t even there!” An Ran stammered, feeling cornered.

“There’s no hiding anything from me. As they say, ‘What’s done in the dark always comes to light.’ But seriously, there’s nothing wrong with Shen Yu. You can rest easy. Now that I’ve done my job, don’t call me again over minor issues. You need to learn to handle things on your own,” 225 replied, sounding more than a little exasperated as it prepared to vanish.

“Fine, leave then! You’re a terrible system anyway. You didn’t even help much!” An Ran muttered, feeling both relieved and annoyed.

What a useless system, always criticizing me. And now it says everything’s my fault? Unbelievable!