Liyin's Inner Turmoil
"Mm. Tell me if you need something," Quhiyn said. He was gazing at the fire with a mellow gaze, far from the cautious eyes a few hours ago.
After stepping into the cover, Liyin pulled a cloth to cover the entrance. She let out a deep breath and sat down on the wood trunk. She felt nervous, her breath was quick. It was dry.
'My heart won't relax. I am alone in an enclosed cave with a male disciple! How am I suppose to relax...' Liyin rubbed her shoulders, 'I am even going to be naked for few minutes! What if he tries something?!" Her heart started beating even faster.
'No! It's not uncommon for disciples to go out on adventures together and stay in caves. Staying in a cave isn't nerve-wracking as much as him. I thought I would be keeping a distance from whoever my companion was but...why did he have to be so friendly and clean!' Liyin covered her face with her palms.
'He even gave me that precious herb, who does that? Does he have any ulterior motives? No, he doesn't have a need for that when we are this isolated and I want to trust him." She let out deep breaths and calmed herself down.
She made a tight fist and stood up. Liyin washed her hands first with the herb diluted water then face and mouth. She moved onto removing her dark-brown shoes to reveal her pale feet with light-pink edges.
'This is relaxing,' Liyin sighed with satisfaction as she moved her toes back and forth. She stretched her long and slim legs before washing them.
She looked to her left and somewhat could see his seated figure on the cloth wall. She let out a nervous breath and undressed. She had a slim figure with well-endowed twin mountains.
'The female disciples did say they were big.' Liyin thought, caressing her breasts over the thin cover. She shook her head to get rid of the embarrassing thoughts and wiped her body.
Meanwhile, Quhiyn arranged the large chunks of cooked meat on a leaf and read her notes about herbs. It even had clean art with colors. He liked it and learned about all sorts of common herbs. He was familiar with some and now, he could help out with the unfamiliar ones too.
"I can hear you, Liyin." Quhiyn turned his head back. Liyin halted a meter away with her eyebrows raised.
"How! I wasn't even making any noise. Your senses are too sharp." She said and sat beside him.
A fragrant scent flew from her. With all the sweat and dust gone from her face and neck, there was a fresh glow. Her face looked more lively.
"Don't worry, you will get better with more tries. Let's start eating now, I have already waited enough," Quhiyn hurried with a smile, taking her by surprise.
"What were you waiting for?" Liyin asked. Quhiyn looked a little puzzled and flatly stared at her. What kind of question was that? Isn't it obvious?
"Was the water too cold for your head? I was obviously waiting for you, Miss Liyin." Quhiyn lightly chuckled and handed her a leaf with big pieces of meat on it.
"Maybe it was," Liyin said and took the leaf plate. She had a lively smile and gently gazed at his face. The delicious smell attracted her eyes while her hunger rose to the top.
"This looks really good."
"It will be delicious too." Quhiyn said and took a bite from the juicy meat. Flavors burst in his mouth. He hummed with satisfaction. It was delicious, more so from the work all day and the freshness of the meat. Liyin too relished as she chewed on the tender meat. The effect of the herbs was tremendous.
They ate in silence for the next few minutes. Both had a huge appetite and ate till their stomachs were more than full.
"Shall we discuss the plans for tomorrow?" Liyin said, sipping on her blue-herb tea.
"Mm. Didn't you want to hunt? We can do that while also gathering herbs and exploring the place. We also have to find a way to return but since the Elder said there are areas with stronger beasts, we need to strengthen ourselves first." Quhiyn said his thoughts and sighed with satisfaction from the relaxing drink.
"Yes, we need to get stronger," Liyin nodded. Her eyes sparkled, she remembered an important event.
"Uh, I have a Pill Refiner Examination in four months." She informed in a slightly tense voice.
"Don't worry, we will be outside way before that," Quhiyn reassured with a gentle smile. His smile seems to have a relaxing effect on her and she nodded with a faint smile.
They talked for a while longer about other matters and went to sleep. By then, coldness had taken over the cave other than the area light flame and charred wood's warmth covered. Their beds were close to it and just a meter apart.
'I really am sleeping this close to a male disciple I met today,' Liyin cried in her mind, pressed her eyes and her lips together. She had concealed her whole body with her blanket. Her heart ran fast and her breaths were a little shaky, the tense feelings kept her body warm. She fell asleep an hour later.
'What was she thinking so much about?' Quhiyn wondered, looking at the plain blanket. He had been waiting for her to fall asleep. He waited for one more minute before looking at the roof of the cave.
He was expressionless and his eyes had a piercing glint like the tip of a sword. He let out a deep breath, almost closing his eyes.
In a minute, he was out of the cave without making the slightest noise. It was pitch black outside, not even the moon was there or any other source of light but there were a lot of eerie noises. The rustling of the leaves, growls of all sorts of beasts, and the slithering of poisons. It would make any normal disciple's skin crawl. Most would run away from fear.
Meanwhile, Quhiyn felt alive, his eyes were bright. His breath was calm but he was fuming with excitement. He didn't fear what was there neither did he fear the risks. Since he made sure Liyin was safe, he had nothing to even worry about. He could push himself to the extreme edge, explore and conquer this chilly night.
'Even though I am so weak, I feel no fear. No matter what comes, I can and will crush them.' Quhiyn let out a deep breath. He had an overwhelming arrogance in his survival skills that had been honed from many dangers. He could finally unleash more of his true strength.