(Lu Shen's POV)
It started, as all terrible ideas do, with the words:
"Senior, I'm joining the trial."
I almost dropped my breakfast bowl. "You're what?"
Yan Yezhen stood in the doorway of my courtyard, pale robes fluttering in the morning breeze, a quiet determination in his eyes that screamed trouble.
"The Trial of Endurance," he said simply. "It begins today."
I blinked. "You mean the one where disciples are dropped into a demon-infested forest for three days with nothing but their wits and a very questionable map?"
"Yes."
"And the same trial you nearly died in last month?"
"Yes."
I stared at him. "You have a death wish."
He just tilted his head. "I have something to prove."
Of course he did. Every protagonist in every cultivation novel I'd ever read had something to prove — a clan to avenge, a destiny to fulfill, or some mystical grandparent to impress. Unfortunately, I was now living inside one of those stories, which meant his bad decisions were now my problems.
> Ding! Plot Event Detected.
Main Directive: Assist the protagonist in achieving victory in the Trial of Endurance.
Failure Consequence: Storyline destabilization — Host existence at risk.
I groaned. "You can't be serious."
> Seriousness Level: 100%.
I pointed a finger at the empty air. "System, he's injured! He still coughs when he breathes too deeply!"
> Correction: Mild lung qi imbalance detected. Acceptable for protagonist plot advancement.
"So, if he dies, what then? You gonna recycle me as a cabbage vendor?"
> Reassignment possible. Success probability as cabbage vendor: 42%.
"I was joking!"
Yan Yezhen frowned. "Senior?"
I snapped back to reality and forced a smile. "Right. Sorry. Just... mentally preparing myself for the impending trauma."
---
By noon, we were at the Trial Grounds.
A massive stone gate loomed before us, inscribed with ancient runes that glowed faintly as disciples gathered in groups. The forest beyond was dark, mist curling like restless spirits.
Elder Mu stood on the platform, his beard swaying dramatically in the wind — because of course it did. "Disciples! The Trial of Endurance shall test your heart, strength, and trust in your companions. You will be assigned in pairs. Survive until the third sunrise, and return with a beast core as proof of your triumph."
I raised a hand lazily. "Can we opt out?"
Elder Mu glared at me. "No."
Figures.
Names were called, pairs were formed, and because the heavens clearly hated me, I heard:
"Lin Feng and Yan Yezhen."
The crowd buzzed.
"Wait, the Young Master and the crippled disciple?"
"He saved him before, didn't he?"
"Maybe they're friends now."
"Or maybe it's pity."
I could feel my reputation nosediving by the second.
Yan Yezhen didn't seem to care. He stepped beside me, calm as ice. "Let's go."
I sighed. "You're lucky you're pretty."
He blinked. "What?"
"Nothing."
> Reminder: Casual compliments increase affection by 2–4 points.
"Not now!" I hissed.
> Noted.
---
The forest swallowed us whole.
Mist hung heavy, muffling our footsteps. The air smelled of moss and something faintly metallic — blood, maybe.
We walked for hours, following the faint lines on the map. It didn't take long before the bickering began.
"Don't wander off," I said, pushing aside a low branch.
"I'm scouting ahead," Yan replied evenly.
"Scouting gets you eaten."
He glanced back, unimpressed. "You're slower than I thought, Young Master Lin."
"Excuse me?" I bristled. "I'm wearing silk boots. They're not exactly beast-hunting footwear."
"Perhaps you should've stayed in the sect, then."
I gasped. "Did the ice statue just sass me?"
He didn't answer — which was worse, because I could swear there was the faintest smirk on his lips.
> Host banter detected. Emotional resonance +5.
"Stop tracking my social life like it's an RPG stat sheet!" I whispered.
> Noted.
---
By dusk, we reached a small clearing near a stream. I was half-dead, half-mosquito bites. Yan, of course, looked like he'd just stepped out of a cultivation art manual — elegant, untouchable, slightly glowing.
I flopped down on a rock. "We should rest. My legs are rebelling."
He nodded, kneeling to fill a flask from the stream. The silence was peaceful — right up until the bushes behind us rustled.
We both froze.
I slowly reached for my sword. "Please tell me that's the wind."
Yan's expression darkened. "It's not."
A pair of glowing red eyes blinked from the darkness. Then another. And another.
Oh, perfect. A demonic beast pack.
The first lunged before I could even breathe.
"DOWN!" I yelled, shoving Yan aside as a massive black-furred beast burst from the shadows. Its claws slashed the air where his chest had been.
Pain exploded in my shoulder — it had caught me instead.
"Senior!"
I gritted my teeth, pushing him away. "Run!"
"I won't!"
Stubborn idiot. Of course he wouldn't.
The beast roared, charging again. I raised my sword — too slow. The impact sent me flying back, my ribs screaming.
Through the blur, I saw Yan standing frozen, horror in his eyes.
"Do something!" I shouted.
And he did.
---
It happened in an instant — the air around him dropped, the mist turning to frost. His qi flared, wild and brilliant, like a winter storm tearing through the forest.
Ice bloomed from his fingertips, racing across the ground in crystalline veins. The beast lunged— and froze mid-air, encased in glittering frost before it could even snarl.
For a heartbeat, everything was silent. The forest, the wind, even my breathing.
Then the ice shattered, the beast collapsing in a thousand frozen shards.
Yan Yezhen stood trembling, his hand still outstretched, eyes wide with disbelief.
He looked down at his palms, at the frost crawling across his skin. "I… I didn't mean to…"
His voice broke. "I just wanted to stop it…"
I staggered to my feet, clutching my shoulder. "Hey."
He didn't look up. "I couldn't control it. I—"
"Yan," I said more firmly, stepping closer. "Look at me."
He did — eyes haunted, breathing shallow.
"You're fine," I said, grabbing his hand despite the cold biting into my skin. "You're not a monster."
For a moment, he just stared at me — like no one had ever said that to him before. Then the frost around his fingers began to melt, dripping into tiny rivulets of water.
> Ding! Affection +40.
Bond Strength: 70%. Emotional resonance forming.
He whispered, "You're hurt."
"Barely," I lied, blood still dripping from my shoulder. "You saved me. Again. We're even now."
He looked away, voice trembling. "You shouldn't have protected me."
I smiled, trying to lighten the air. "If I didn't, who would feed me tea every morning?"
He blinked — and for the first time, a laugh slipped out, soft and fragile but real.
> Bonus: Emotional Recovery Detected. Host Integrity Stabilized.
---
We found shelter that night in a hollow tree, lit only by faint moonlight seeping through the bark. I sat propped against the wall, bandaging my shoulder with the world's most questionable first-aid skills.
Yan sat beside me, quiet, gaze distant.
After a while, he said softly, "You shouldn't have followed me here."
I glanced at him. "And let you run around in a death forest alone? Yeah, no thanks."
His lips twitched. "You're reckless."
"I prefer 'heroically adaptable.'"
Silence stretched again, but it wasn't heavy. Just… warm.
The wind outside howled faintly, carrying the scent of pine and cold earth. Inside, our breaths fell in quiet rhythm.
Finally, he whispered, "Thank you."
I looked at him — really looked. His eyes caught the moonlight, silver against the dark. For once, there was no wall between us.
"Anytime," I said quietly. "Just… don't scare me like that again."
He gave a faint nod, gaze dropping to where my hand still rested beside his.
When our fingers brushed — barely, accidentally — a pulse of warmth flickered between us, stronger than any qi I'd felt before.
> System Alert: Bond synchronization detected. Emotional resonance 71%. Potential for mutual cultivation link: High.
I swallowed. "System, now's not the time."
> Apologies. Auto-report cannot be disabled.
Yan frowned. "What?"
"Nothing. Meditation practice again."
He chuckled softly, leaning back against the wall. "You really are strange, Lin Feng."
"You keep saying that," I murmured. "Starting to think you mean it as a compliment."
"Maybe I do."
I turned to look at him — and realized, too late, that he was already watching me. The distance between us felt smaller than it should. The air heavier.
The moment stretched — and then he looked away, the faintest pink coloring his pale cheeks.
Somehow, despite the blood, the frost, and the chaos, I found myself smiling.
---
The first light of dawn broke through the mist hours later. We made it through the night — battered but alive.
As we stepped out of the hollow, Yan paused beside the frozen carcass of the beast. His expression was unreadable.
"What now?" he asked.
I grinned, despite everything. "Now we win this trial. Together."
He looked at me for a long moment — and then nodded.
> Ding! Sub-Mission Complete: Survive First Night.
Reward: +10 Affection, +5 Reputation.
Next Stage: Final Confrontation in the Heart of the Forest.
I exhaled. "Oh great. What's next? A dragon?"
> Unconfirmed. Probability: 64%.
"Fantastic."
Yan smiled faintly beside me. "You talk to yourself too much."
"You'll miss me when I stop."
He glanced sideways, eyes glinting like frost in sunlight. "I already might."
I froze.
He walked ahead, leaving me to stare after him — the words echoing like a spell I didn't know how to break.
> System Notice: Emotional resonance strengthening. Bond trajectory: irreversible.
I sighed. "I'm so doomed."