006 Teasing

“Hey, why did you faint again?” Chen Yage nudged the man in black, but he didn’t react at all. At this moment, Chen Yage began to regret her actions, muttering to herself, “Why do I always meddle in other people’s business and make trouble for myself? Ah, never mind, meeting you was just my bad luck! I don’t have any special talents, just a kind heart. You’ve met your benefactor now, but after I save your life, you better not do anything evil or it’ll cost me my own lifespan. I snatched you back from the hands of the King of Hell. If you do evil, he surely won’t let me go—he might just send me down to the eighteenth level of hell to suffer for all eternity!”

After grumbling for a while, Chen Yage dragged the man in black into the bushes, working herself into a sweat. If not for worrying about him, she would have jumped back into the river to wash up again. She plopped down on the grass, wiping the sweat from her face, when suddenly the back of her neck was struck hard. She collapsed onto the ground.

When Chen Yage woke, her neck felt as though it had nearly snapped. She twisted it, then suddenly remembered the man in black and hurried to her feet. But where was he? There was no sign of him anywhere.

By now, night had fallen. Weary birds returned to their nests, and the river still glimmered with the last light of sunset, tinged with a faint red. Thinking back to the recent harrowing events, Chen Yage felt as if she’d just awoken from a dream—a dream in which she’d rescued a man in black. But was it really just a dream?

Uncertainty clouded her thoughts, but the bitter taste in her mouth confirmed that everything had truly happened—it was no dream. But who had attacked her from behind? And where had the man in black gone?

Just as Chen Yage was lost in thought, a sound came from the river. Curiosity drew her closer, when suddenly a head emerged from the water. She was so startled she fell backward, her expression frozen in shock. She had always been the one to scare others, but this time, she’d tasted her own medicine.

“Miss, are you alright?” A deep, magnetic voice rang out. The person in the river was none other than Li Bai. He swam slowly towards the bank, surprise flickering across his face as he recognized her. “It’s you!”

So it was Li Bai! Relief flooded Chen Yage, and she patted her chest, her fear dissipating instantly. She bit her lip and smiled sheepishly. “Yes, it’s me. You remember me?”

For all her self-proclaimed composure, Chen Yage found herself flustered in the presence of the man she had thought of day and night. Had her mischievous friend Li Xiaoke witnessed this scene, she would have teased Chen Yage for years to come.

She stood there, staring blankly at Li Bai, her eyes alight with an unusual glow, lips curved in a perpetual smile. After a moment, Li Bai coughed awkwardly, and Chen Yage, realizing her lapse, feigned shyness and asked, “Why are you here?”

It had to be said, Li Bai at that moment was thoroughly captivating. His hair was bound with a jade crown, his white chest exposed. The awkwardness of the situation made his chest rise and fall rapidly. Chen Yage felt her heart race with longing, wishing she could leap up and take a bite out of him, to satiate the yearning she’d harbored for so long. Thankfully, reason prevailed—she couldn’t lose the dignity a woman should possess, nor make a fool of herself before Li Bai.

Li Bai smiled, then swam back a few meters and, from the water’s edge, called, “Miss, would you mind turning around for a moment?” He pointed at his clothes lying on the bank.

Catching his meaning, Chen Yage turned away, but couldn’t help sneaking peeks over her shoulder, afraid he would notice, behaving like a thief.

“Miss, it’s so late. Why are you still here?” Li Bai, now dressed, walked up behind her and asked.

“Stop calling me ‘Miss’ all the time,” Chen Yage replied quickly. “Just call me Yage from now on. Also, from now on, can I… can I…” She took the initiative, knowing that when it came to matters of the heart, one must seize the moment or else live with regret.

Li Bai, noticing her hesitation, asked, “Miss, you…”

Before he could finish, Chen Yage shot him a look, prompting him to correct himself at once. “No, not ‘Miss’—Yage, just say whatever you want to say.”

That was more like it. Chen Yage smiled with satisfaction and edged closer to him. Li Bai, embarrassed, took a few steps back. She moved closer again; he stepped back once more—but Chen Yage’s skin was as thick as a city wall and her spirit was ironclad. Besides, if she didn’t seize the moment now, when would she?

Love in Tang Dynasty: Poet Immortal, Please Wait! Chapter 6—End of Teasing Update!