Ark Heroine Development Plan

"Sister..." Xingxiong tugged at Guan Yueli's sleeve.

"Alright, alright, I won't bully the wounded." Guan Yueli gave her sister some face and placed her hand on Chen's forehead. "Don't move... Oh, you don't have the strength to move. Anyway, just bear with it for now. It's normal to feel uncomfortable at first. You'll feel like, um... you're being filled up by me."

Chen closed his eyes tightly and had no time to deal with Guan Yueli's trash talk.

The tremendous vitality washed over her limbs and bones. Her originally weak heartbeat began to beat stronger and stronger, and her originally aged face regained its youthfulness at a speed visible to the naked eye.

"Hmm...it seems like if I just spend a little more time every day, it won't take long."

Guan Yueli withdrew his hand with great satisfaction: "Okay, take a nap first, and eat something when you wake up. I'm leaving first."

Chen subconsciously asked, "Leaving now?"

"Huh?" The bad woman turned around and asked with a smile, "Why, Xiao Chen, don't you want me to leave? In that case...it's not impossible for me to stay with you."

"...You're overthinking it." Although Chen answered directly, the stiffness in his tone was so obvious. "It's good to have Xingxiong accompany me. It won't bother you, will it, Xingxiong?"

"... Xingxiong, Xingxiong?"

"...Huh? Well, it's okay. I'll just stay with Xiao Chen."

Xingxiong smiled and said, "If you have something to do, go ahead, sister."

"Then I'm leaving."

Guan Yueli seemed to be completely unaware of the abnormality. She smiled, waved at the two of them, and left.

Inside the room, the two fell into silence again.

After an unknown amount of time, Chen said:

"Xingxiong, you..."

"fine."

Xingxiong smiled and interrupted Chen.

"Just distracted."

Just distracted.

"……Um."

Chen didn't ask any more questions.

Regarding a certain topic, the two of them tacitly agreed not to mention it again.

And in such an atmosphere, the conversation in the room was so harmonious.

Because they are close friends who share the same ideals and encourage each other, and are comrades-in-arms who can be entrusted with everything and even life and death.

Chapter 152 - The Best You

"Okay, have a good sleep."

Guan Yueli rubbed Chen's head before retracting his hand: "It's almost done, how do you feel?"

"Much better than before." Chen Laoshi replied from his bed. "My strength has basically recovered. There's no need to lie down anymore..."

The woman smiled and pinched her cheeks. "Rehabilitation is for later. You should trust the judgment of professionals. Go to sleep, go to sleep!"

"……Um."

Chen nodded gently and closed his eyes.

After feeling the bed board lighten, she slowly narrowed her eyes and watched Guan Yueli open the shoji door and leave the room.

"call……"

Chen propped up his upper body with his hands, leaned his back against the backrest of the bed, and stared at the moon through the window.

This seemed to be the most relaxing time she had had since she came to Longmen.

There were no wanted criminals, no piles of paperwork, no endless reports to write, no people waiting for her to rescue, and no mistakes that needed her to correct.

There was only the faint fragrance lingering in the room all day long, the delicious food and tonics delivered to the room on time, the books neatly arranged and within easy reach, and... her.

Chen sometimes wondered how much he owed Guan Yueli.

After thinking about it for a while, I didn’t want to think about it anymore. The more I thought about it, the more my head hurt - because there were just too many things.

Guan Yueli thought that every gift she gave was her due, but to Chen, in her eyes, it was completely unequal.

Whether it was guidance or power, Chen was already clear that Guan Yueli was leading him down a certain path. It was precisely because of this that she mercifully forgave him for his repeated offenses, and generously bestowed upon him power that could drive countless people mad, without asking for anything in return.

But Chen couldn't accept this favor openly.

She didn't care where Guan Yueli was leading her, because Chen could confirm that the path she was taking was correct, and this was probably what Guan Yueli expected. But if that was the case, had she paid anything?

Nothing. Chen felt that he had not paid anything and was just doing what he was supposed to do.

"If you want something, you have to pay for it. Even a child knows this."

Guan Yueli once said this to Chen.

But Chen got so much from that woman, but did he ever pay a price that matched it?

Chen, feeling somewhat distracted, lifted the quilt, stepped barefoot on the floor, and gently opened the shoji door.

This courtyard is seldom inhabited. Generally, only He Mao Jingyu and Qing Deng live here. Yaksha has his own organization, while Luosha appears and disappears mysteriously. There are also some other important subordinates of Guan Yueli that Chen has never seen, but he doesn't think they are residents here.

As for Guan Yueli, there is no need to mention him.

Qingdeng rarely comes out at night, and He Mao Jingyu should still be staying in his room studying Yin-Yang magic. In other words, Chen is the only one in this huge yard.

The girl wrapped her clothes around her. Although her vitality was basically replenished, Chen's body was still somewhat deficient, otherwise he would not need to take any tonic medicine.

Pulling aside the shoji screen and sitting down by the corridor, Chen withdrew his gaze and looked straight ahead silently, naturally noticing the cherry tree in the courtyard.

The branches and leaves of this cherry tree have never been trimmed. They grow naturally and comfortably, without any signs of wildness or disorder.

No matter what time it is, this cherry tree always seems to be in full bloom.

"She seems... to like Sakura very much?"

Chen recalled Guan Yueli's appearance. The color of her hair, nails, and kimono... were all very close to the color of cherry blossoms.

It seems that even the color of the lips...

Chen held his head and shook it twice.

"What am I thinking...but Guanyue does seem to like cherry blossoms."

It’s not surprising that people in the East like cherry blossoms, but Mr. Chen feels that cherry blossoms are not that simple for Guan Yueli.

Especially... that knife.

When Xingxiong was telling Chen the story about Guan Yueli, he did not mention the cherry-colored knife. It should be said that... he didn't want to mention it.

Even if Chen asked, Xingxiong would avoid the question.

The cherry-colored knife that had never been unsheathed in front of Chen seemed to have an extraordinary meaning to Guan Yueli.

Chen was thinking wildly, and an idea popped up without warning - she wanted to sit under the cherry tree.

Because Chen had seen Guan Yueli sitting under the cherry tree many times, mostly taking a nap. The woman whose appearance surpassed all the women he had ever seen had her eyes slightly closed, her expression peaceful and tranquil. She sat sideways, her long cherry-colored hair cascading like a waterfall, and her cherry-colored kimono blended perfectly with the cherry tree. When she sat there, it seemed as if the whole world was reflecting her presence.

That scene is so beautiful that it can make any photographer or painter's heart stop. It is beyond words to describe.

"What was she thinking about when she leaned there?"

Chen thought so and walked barefoot towards the center of the courtyard.

It was a little dirty... but at least it was more convenient to wash her feet. Chen didn't want Guan Yueli to know that she had secretly gotten up and acted like a hipster to sit under the cherry tree after she left, so dirty feet were definitely easier to deal with than dirty slippers.

Moreover, Xiao Xiao He's Shikigami cleans the courtyard at least six times a day, so it's actually not that dirty.

Chen slowly walked to the foot of the cherry tree, crossed the artificial stream surrounding the tree, and placed his hand on the rough trunk of the tree.

Solid, heavy, full of the weight of life, and reassuring.

Chen seemed to understand why Guan Yueli liked to take a nap against the cherry tree. On a sunny afternoon, under the shade of the cherry blossoms, the beauty of the warm sun and breeze accompanied by the heaviness of the tree could relax one's body and mind to the extreme.

Even at night, under the moon, Chen was already very relaxed.

She exhaled softly, letting out some of the depression and sadness in her heart over the past few days, and slowly sat down against the trunk of the cherry tree, not considering whether her clothes would get dirty.

The girl now just wants to empty herself and take a pure rest for a while, but——

"Although it's indeed comfortable to sleep here, Xiao Chen...it's best not to sleep here at night."

Accidents are always pleasant surprises.

The voice that he was already very familiar with sounded in his ears. Chen turned his head slowly, stiffly, like a stuck machine.

The woman held her chin with her hands, squatted on the side, and looked at herself with a smile.

The originally weak body seemed to be full of strength at this moment. Chen exerted force almost subconsciously and jumped up from the spot.

——Then he was pushed back by Guan Yueli.

"What's wrong? It's like seeing a ghost."

"You...why did you come back suddenly?"

"Of course I can come and go as I please." Guan Yueli raised an eyebrow, "This is the yard that Xiao Xiaohe prepared for me."

Chen, whose shoulders were being pressed, tried to explain: "I was just... relaxing."

"I know. If you don't want to relax, why are you sitting here?" Guan Yueli's expression looked a little strange.

"..."

Chen didn't know what was wrong with her that made her suddenly so sensitive. She pursed her lips and stopped talking.

"But... you have to put on your shoes when you go out."

Guan Yueli glanced at Chen Xuenen's bare feet, and amid the latter's exclamation, she picked her up like a baby.

"Guanyue, what are you doing?"

"You're so light, Xiao Chen..." Guan Yueli complained, "Are you really suitable for high-risk missions when you're this light?"

"This has nothing to do with weight...and what the hell are you doing!"

"Let me wash your feet."

Guan Yueli, holding Chen in a princess hug, knelt down in front of the artificial stream, let Chen sit on her thighs, and dipped her snow-white feet into the water.

The cold touch made Chen shudder. She didn't react for a moment to what Guan Yueli was going to do - even though she had already said what she was going to do.

"Xiao Chen's soles seem to be a little hard. Don't wear those weird hard shoes every day."

Guan Yueli gently rubbed Chen's feet and said with a tilt of her head, "Girls' feet are very precious treasures!"

"It's convenient during battle... No, why are you washing my feet?"

Chen began to struggle with all his might, his strength roughly equivalent to beating his chest with his small fists.

"There are so many reasons why."

Guan Yueli didn't care at all. Her fingers, which were softer than the soles of Chen's feet, stroked his skin, causing Chen to subconsciously straighten his body and put his legs together.

"Relax, relax."

The bad woman patted Chen's back with a smile: "I didn't do anything weird."

"...Isn't it weird to just touch someone else's feet?"

Chen took a breath and said, "That's enough!"

Only then did she realize that her hands had been pulling at Guan Yueli's clothes without her knowing it.

Guan Yueli was still not satisfied: "I haven't touched enough yet."

"You really want to touch it!"

"Hahahahaha-"

The hearty and clear laughter echoed in the courtyard. Looking at Guan Yueli's happy and joyful expression, Chen's embarrassment in his heart gradually disappeared.

"Really..."