70: Chapter 70 The Second Twin Game, Ready to Begin

The afterglow of the setting sun dyed the stone house in a layer of warm golden-red.

Qi Yun and Chen Xiaolin had just reached the doorway when they were blocked by a tall figure.

Xia Jin stood there, her fiery red long hair swaying slightly in the evening breeze.

Her gaze first swept over Qi Yun, then immediately landed on Chen Xiaolin beside him.

Chen Xiaolin's chestnut short hair was a bit messy, and one button on her collar was undone.

Xia Jin looked at Qi Yun, her voice devoid of any emotion: "Any gains?"

"Hmm, a box." Qi Yun nodded.

Xia Jin's gaze turned back to Chen Xiaolin, her tone flat: "You two... you weren't 'doing it in the wild,' were you?"

Chen Xiaolin gave two dry laughs, her eyes beginning to drift uncontrollably.

"Well, you see... Qi Bao and I just went, went into the woods... uh... to train! Right, physical training! Running!"

"Running?" Xia Jin's gaze landed on Chen Xiaolin's slipped shoulder strap and the fresh marks on her collarbone.

"That was quite an intense run, your clothes are all disheveled."

"Ha, haha... ye-yeah, the path in the woods is hard to walk on, I, I tripped!"

Chen Xiaolin's face flushed red. While frantically pulling at her shoulder strap, she shuffled to the side. "Well, you guys talk! I'm going back to take a shower! I'm covered in sweat and it's killing me!"

After saying that, she zipped past Xia Jin and dashed into the stone house without looking back.

Only Qi Yun and Xia Jin remained in place.

The air suddenly went quiet.

Qi Yun looked at Chen Xiaolin's disappearing back with some helplessness, then turned to Xia Jin: "Is something the matter, Xia Jin?"

Xia Jin didn't answer immediately. She watched Qi Yun quietly for a few seconds.

She seemed to be doing some kind of psychological preparation, or rather, making a final decision.

After a long while, she finally spoke, her voice lower than usual: "Qi Yun, I have my own pride."

"It's been that way since I was a child. I'm used to relying on myself, used to using my fists and blade to fight for everything I want."

"After coming to this damn world, I became even more convinced that only one's own strength is the foundation of standing tall."

"I... don't want to rely on anyone, and I certainly don't want to rely on someone else's charity or some 'clan leader's blessing' to become stronger."

Her tone was calm, but her tightly pursed lips betrayed the turmoil in her heart.

"But," she paused, a flash of clear unwillingness and powerlessness appearing in her eyes. "I was wrong. At least in this world, I was terribly wrong."

"The gap between classes... isn't something that can be bridged by hard work, willpower, or that pathetic bit of combat experience alone."

"I swing my blade with all my might, but it might not even compare to someone casually summoning a bolt of lightning or raising a sheet of frost."

Qi Yun listened quietly to Xia Jin's monologue.

Xia Jin raised her head, her gaze looking straight at Qi Yun.

"I once swore that if I were to be with a man in this life, he must meet two conditions."

"First, I must truly fall in love with him."

"Second, he must be stronger than me. Strong enough to make me sincerely convinced, strong enough to make me feel... that following him is an honor."

The evening breeze blew, lifting a strand of her red hair.

She looked at Qi Yun, saying each word clearly: "So, Qi Yun."

"Tomorrow, fight me."

"Don't use those strange space abilities of yours; just use the purest physical attributes and the most basic combat techniques."

"Let me see, setting aside those external things, just how strong you are yourself."

Qi Yun listened quietly, looking at the young woman before him who had shed all her sharp outer shells and was showing a rare honesty.

Her pride had been shattered, only to re-coalesce from the ruins.

He suddenly smiled. There was no mockery or disdain in that smile, only a hint of understanding and a faint appreciation.

"So, I have long since met the first condition."

He took a step forward, closing the distance between them, his gaze landing on Xia Jin's stubborn red eyes, "You have already fallen in love with me, haven't you?"

This question was asked directly, even somewhat abruptly.

But there was no shyness or panic on Xia Jin's face.

She still looked straight into Qi Yun's eyes without the slightest evasion.

Her red lips parted slightly, spitting out two resolute words: "Yes."

There was no unnecessary explanation, no sentimental confession.

Just like her, it was crisp, clean, and openly admitted.

The smile on Qi Yun's face deepened a little. He nodded. "Fine, I agree. Tomorrow, at the training ground, only using physical body and basic techniques."

A trace of relief flashed in Xia Jin's eyes, immediately replaced by an even stronger fighting spirit.

But she wasn't finished yet. "And," she added, her voice dropping even lower, carrying a kind of desperate determination, "If you defeat me tomorrow."

"Then, please give me the 'clan leader's blessing'."

"I need strength, Qi Yun. I need the strength to protect this Tribe, the strength to be able to stand by your side."

This was a transaction, and also a request.

It was the most solemn promise a proud warrior could make after recognizing reality and her own feelings.

"If I win, I will never accept the blessing."

Qi Yun looked into her eyes, and in the depths of that burning red, he saw unprecedented determination, as well as a trace of imperceptible vulnerability and longing. "Fine." He answered with equal seriousness.

Xia Jin's tense shoulders relaxed for a moment. She said nothing more, nodded slightly at Qi Yun, turned, and strode toward the direction of the training ground.

Her back was straight, and her red hair was like a dancing flame in the setting sun.

She needed to calm down alone, and she also needed to make final preparations for tomorrow's battle.

Qi Yun watched her back disappear before turning and walking into the house.

...

Meanwhile, in the twin sisters' room, the atmosphere was completely different from the gravity outside.

"Le Le," Lin Wan put down the towel she was using to dry her hair and walked over to Lin Le, who was on the bed swinging her feet and humming a song, her voice soft.

"Tonight... can I play the 'twin role-playing game' one more time?"

Lin Le's eyes lit up instantly. She did a kip-up to sit up, grabbed her sister's hand, her little face full of excitement: "Really? Sister, you still want to play?"

Lin Wan felt a bit embarrassed by her gaze, slightly turned her face away, and gave a soft "Mm."

"Last night... it felt quite interesting. And, I want to try and see if I can fool the clan leader again this time."

"Hehe, of course you can!" Lin Le patted her chest to guarantee it, though a flash of cunning light passed through her eyes.

At this rate, it looks like it won't be long before Sister completely "falls."

However... Lin Le was secretly calculating in her heart.

This time, she wouldn't be like last night, foolishly waiting outside or finding an excuse to slip away.

Last night was Sister's "first experience," so as the younger sister, she naturally had to thoughtfully leave the space entirely to them.

But tonight... maybe something else, something more exciting, will happen?

As Lin Le thought about it, the corners of her mouth couldn't help but curl higher and higher.

"Don't worry, Sister!" She wrapped her arms around Lin Wan's neck and rubbed against her affectionately. "Tonight I will definitely cooperate with you well! I guarantee to make the game... even more exciting!"

Lin Wan didn't suspect anything, taking it as her sister supporting her, and smiled gently. "Mm, thank you, Le Le."

Outside the window, the night grew deeper. The third wave of the corpse tide was one day closer.