Cause of his Warmth

Late last night Gu Yuena who had been cultivating was broken out of her meditation when space itself was torn nearby. It was so nearby that she didn't even have to guess who had done it. There was only one person in Eastsea Academy that could forcefully tear reality.

Using her affinity to the space element it wasn't difficult to track down the destination of his spatial tearing, the Dou Spirit Continent. To survive such a trip would be nothing for him so she was relaxed, merely training as a way to pass the time as she waited.

However, when he returned her other half had incurred the wrath of the universal order and not to a small degree. It was clear that he had used the power of a god in the mortal plane even if only for just a moment.

Clearly, her other half had not done anything too far outside the norm as he was able to function fairly well, the pain barely a nuisance to him, however, it did not change the fact that he for some reason or another felt compelled to use the power a god despite the costs.

As a result, her other half would be stricken with extreme pain at every living moment for quite some time. Even she struggled to know the exact length though she doubted it would last much longer a year or two. For dragons like them, that was nothing.

"You were right." Tang Wulin spoke, breaking the slightly tense atmosphere surrounding them. Both were filled with worries so it was only natural that their usual silence would be corrupted with tension.

Turning her head Gu Yuena tilted her head slightly, the only way to ensure Tang Wulin would understand that she was confused without actually saying it. She had actually learned the little trick from his own habits.

"Relaxing was helpful." Tang Wulin spoke further, his voice oddly soft as he looked into her purple eyes. When using his annihilation it was easier to control than usual, presumably because he relaxed.

"I told you so, didn't I?" Gu Yuena said proudly, a sincerely happy smile gracing her face. Not only did it mean that somehow her helping him relax made a difference during the night but it also meant that he was truly relaxing yesterday.

"You did." Tang Wulin agreed with a small nod, his focus completely stolen by her oddly radiant smile. It was so strangely captivating to him. Perhaps he was finally beginning to understand the emotions behind beauty?

'I wonder if there is a god present in the world.' Gu Yuena asked herself, worry seeping into her very being and her face morphing into a deep frown. She had powerful backing and subordinates but gods weren't something she could combat, not at the moment.

Gods weren't just powerful people titled divine, they were beings of a higher plane residing in their own. Gods weren't somebody a mortal like them could touch, literally. Somebody of a lower plane couldn't even hope to touch a god if they didn't consciously allow it.

If her other half was forced to temporarily increase his power to that level then there was most likely an issue that warranted such an issue. She was already looking into what had happened by tracing the spatial portal back to its destination but so far nothing had come back since it had only been an hour or so.

"Gu Yuena." Tang Wulin spoke once more, breaking her out of her mind's down spiraling abyss of paranoia while her body absentmindedly worked out since she wasn't anywhere near where she'd like to be.

"Yes?" Gu Yuena questioned lightly as she jogged in place to build up her endurance and leg muscles. At the moment her main flaw was that her body couldn't keep up with the speed of her mind, it's why she resorted to teleporting away rather than dodging normally.

Her main strength was her elemental control but having a surprise factor was never a bad thing. In the end, because her body wasn't as strong as she'd like, she was forced to reveal her strongest element of space, removing all chances of using it with the advantage of surprise in battles with high speed opponents.

"Why does my body feel warm near you?" Tang Wulin questioned her, somehow coming beside her and exercising next to her. On his wrists were two brackets that increased the weight of the person wearing them by a few tons. It was equipment mostly used by spirit sages.

"Warm?" Gu Yuena reiterated, slightly surprised by it. There were two possible options, he was more attached to her more than she thought or their bloodline connection was affecting him oddly. If she were to choose which seemed more likely, she would lean toward the former.

Their bloodline connection doesn't foster positive emotions, it encourages the dragons to eat one another and become whole once more. It was also unlikely it was affecting him at all due to his high spiritual power. Besides, he was fighting off something much more fierce.

"Mhm. My chest feels warm when I'm near you. I also struggle to look away from you. Do you know why?" Tang Wulin questioned while running, desperately trying to ignore the mesmerizing scent beside him. It was strange, he never found himself particularly interested in scents before right now.

"Hmm… is it just me you feel this for?" Gu Yuena questioned lightly, oddly aware of how large his body was in comparison to her own. They were roughly the same size yet his muscular body was much larger than her own slender frame.

"No, I've felt it toward my parents, my blacksmithing teacher before, and two of my comrades." Tang Wulin explained further, trying to figure out the answer himself but the woman at his side stealing his attention at every moment didn't help him by any means.

"Female friends?" Gu Yuena asked him lightly, a teasing grin on her face to hide the sudden pang of jealousy she felt for reasons unbeknownst to even her. Her body had been making her more… expressive to put it nicely so sudden emotional strikes weren't rare and she had learned to adapt.

"Male." Tang Wulin corrected her despite not knowing why it was important. Usually, he would press her for an answer but he felt like answering her was not only the smart decision but also the decision he wanted to make.

"I see. I think I know what's happening then." Gu Yuena spoke after a few moments of silence. She was strangely happy at being included in the extraordinary short list of people he felt warm around, even better that there weren't any girls. Perhaps he wasn't the only one who had gotten more attached than it seemed.

Suddenly her other half looked at her, his expression as empty as usual yet there was a small something in his eyes. Giggling softly at the adorable look in his crimson eyes, a soft and happy smile plastered on her face.

"It's affection. You feel warm whenever you're around them because you like them." Gu Yuena said softly.