Hidden God #2 (The Last Immortal)

22

~Chapter 22~

It was a young man's nature, after all, to fear falling behind. A Yin woke up early that day and watched over the mountain gate in the dark while holding the snacks that Qing Yi had brought. 

She was holding her chin and gazing off into the distance at the sea of clouds under the stone steps when Gu Jin arrived. The early light reflected off her delicate figure, making her appear a little frail and helpless. 

In a matter of years, the frail and small Water Condensation Beast had grown into a young girl. Gu Jin's pride in being the cub protector unexpectedly surfaced, and he secretly felt that he had a duty to protect her since he had led the cub on the journey to find Feng Yin's soul. 

It had been a long time ago when she had heard footsteps behind her. With a roll of her eyes, A Yin turned around and looked up to see Gu Jin standing behind her. Her mouth parted, and she was silent for a while. All she could do was enfold herself in her arms. With an awkward yet somewhat flattering expression, she opened the cloth bag she was carrying and held it out to him, saying, "Hey, do you want to eat it? The mung bean cake that Qing Yi gave me early in the morning is still hot." 

Seeing that he didn't move, A Yin's face showed frustration, her shoulders slumped, and she looked towards the bluestone floor. 

Gu Jin's eyes softened into warmth and a smile came to his lips. He sat on the stone steps and touched A Yin's head. He extended his hand, took a piece of mung bean cake out of her hand, and ate it. "Qing Yi feels sorry for you, how come I didn't see him sending me mung bean cake?" he asked, his laughter clear and warm. 

 A Yin quickly handed the cloth bag to Gu Jin and said hurriedly: "Oh, A Jin, it's the same as if he gave it to me, it's all yours, it's all yours." 

Gu Jin picked another piece and pushed it in A Yin's direction, "Eat it while it's hot. Let's go down the mountain after eating." 

A Yin's eyes lit up, "A Jin, are you willing to take me down the mountain?" 

Gu Jin raised his eyebrows, "When did I say I wouldn't take you with me?" 

"You haven't paid much attention to me these past few days." A Yin's voice lowered, "I thought you didn't want to take me with you." 

Gu Jin pinched her face and said, "You are the only girl who thinks too much. The road ahead is unknown and I don't know what I will encounter along the way. In the past few days, I have been learning the swordsmanship of the Immortal Formation from two senior brothers. I just went to your yard and saw no one, so I thought you must be guarding here." 

A Yin turned her head and whispered: "A Jin, I didn't mean to embarrass Princess Hua Shu that day. The Sky-Shieling Umbrella is a magic weapon left by Master for you. I'm afraid that if you give it to her, you will be in danger in the future."  

Gu Jin rubbed A Yin's head vigorously, "I know, I know, I don't blame you. Our A Yin is the most sensible and considerate." 

A Yin then laughed. She jumped up from the ground and walked towards the stone steps, "Okay, it's already dawn, let's set off." She took two steps and turned around and asked: "A Jin, the umbrella, you didn't forget to bring it, right? It's the one thing that will save our lives." 

Gu Jin paused for a moment before nodding to her, "Don't worry, I brought it with me. But we need to go somewhere first before we leave." 

"Where?" A Yin raised her head 

"The spring pool at the foot of the mountain, these few days happen to be the time when the Drunken Jade Dew is brewed, I'll give you a pot of it to quench your thirst on the way." Gu Jin turned to go back. Gu Jin has matured and is no longer as greedy as he was in his early years. However, he continues to collect this brew because A Yin enjoys Drunken Jade Dew.