Chapter 77: Surviving in the Wild (3)

For the first time, Yun Zui felt her luck had reached rock bottom—so much so she could hardly stand it. Her expression was one of utter discomfort, and to her surprise, Chi Nie removed his own coat and shielded her from the torrential rain. Startled, Yun Zui looked up, meeting Chi Nie’s deep, phoenix-like eyes.

“I—I don’t need this…” It was the first time a man had ever cared for her in such a way. The sensation was strange, but she didn’t want to accept it. She was a wandering soul from the modern world, merely borrowing this body for a time. She could leave this ancient era at any moment and did not wish to become entangled with its people—least of all to leave behind a romance. If one day she were to depart, what would Chi Nie do? If she fell in love with him, unwilling to leave, but fate forced her away, what then? Would she be left yearning across two worlds?

That would be more torturous than being separated by life and death.

Besides, ancient men were notorious philanderers, with their three wives and four concubines. She would never fall for any man from this era.

“As a woman, you shouldn’t be so stubborn,” Chi Nie’s magnetic voice sounded above her.

Yet Yun Zui’s heart grew conflicted. Don’t be stubborn as a woman?

She was not stubborn—she was strong, unwilling to yield to a man’s bravado.

“You speak as if you’re some saint. My body isn’t weak. What’s a bit of rain? Even in winter, if I spent a whole day freezing in the snow, I’d be fine!” What she said was true—at least for her healthy, robust body from modern times. But now, she feared she no longer possessed such strength.

Yun Zui tried to push Chi Nie away, but his body was like an immovable wall of iron—she couldn’t budge him.

His jet-black hair was drenched by rain, and water trickled down his resolute features. His phoenix eyes were deep, and the way he looked at Yun Zui was inscrutable, yet she sensed a domineering, cold light that brooked no refusal.

“Can’t you act a little more like a woman?” The pounding rain was deafening, but Chi Nie’s voice still reached Yun Zui’s ears.

He said she wasn’t acting like a woman?

How was she not a woman? She was simply a strong woman!

“No matter what you say, I’m still a woman,” she replied, and since she couldn’t push him away, she decided to walk off.

The rain intensified, the temperature plummeting instantly, cold air swirling all around them.

Rain stung their eyes, making them ache.

Yun Zui was stubborn, especially unwilling to show weakness in front of a man.

She didn’t need protection—she was a strong woman, she didn’t need any man’s care.

Holding her head high, Yun Zui strode forward.

The waterfall continued to thunder down, the rain mingling with its flow, and the water rushed ever more fiercely.

But soaking in this relentless downpour was no solution.

Yun Zui felt her body begin to shiver uncontrollably—she was so cold.

Chi Nie no longer tried to shield her, but instead stood behind her.

He wondered if Yun Zui’s femininity had somehow ended up in Su Rantong. After all, Yun Zui was part of Su Rantong’s soul. But Yun Zui was so strong, cunning, cold-blooded, sharp-tongued, and utterly lacking in feminine charm, so he could only suspect as much.

His speculation was not far off—Su Rantong’s excessive gentleness, weakness, and softness was because a piece of her soul, the strong side, resided in Yun Zui, leaving her bereft of that toughness.

As he pondered this, Chi Nie suddenly saw Yun Zui walking toward the surging waterfall.