"Senior, your position is still very dangerous. Forgive me!" Yang Kai suddenly said in a low voice, then reached out without hesitation, wrapping an arm around Luo Lan's waist and pulling her into his embrace.
Caught completely off guard, Luo Lan had no time to resist. Her entire body tumbled into Yang Kai's arms.
"Ah!" She let out a startled cry, her delicate brows shooting upward instinctively as her Saint Yuan surged with force.
"Senior, sense what's behind you!" Yang Kai said at rapid speed before Luo Lan could strike out in anger.
Luo Lan froze, then hastily released her divine sense to scan the situation behind her.
At the sight, her fair complexion changed dramatically.
Barely an inch behind her back, the Seven Luminances Sacred Light flowed and swept past, leaving only the tiniest sliver of space. Had Yang Kai not pulled her away just now, half of her body would already be engulfed by the Seven Luminances Sacred Light. Given its terrifying power, her fate would have been too horrible to imagine.
Even now, her position was razor-edge precarious. The sacred light that had swept across the spatial rift seemed as though it could touch her body at any moment — the danger was extreme.
A full-body shudder ran through her, and only then did Luo Lan truly grasp the peril she had narrowly escaped.
She also realized Yang Kai had not been trying to take advantage of her — he had acted out of sheer necessity. She hastily dispersed her Saint Yuan and said with embarrassment, "I'm sorry. I overreacted."
"It's fine." Yang Kai shook his head, secretly frowning. He was in a bind himself. Though the hiding spot this spatial rift afforded was just barely large enough for the two of them, their current situation left both deeply uncomfortable. They were practically face-to-face, bodies pressed tightly together. Yang Kai could clearly feel the soft sensation of Luo Lan's chest pressing against his own — that remarkable elasticity and the two small peaks against him sent his heart racing with unwelcome thoughts.
Especially when Luo Lan spoke — her breath washed over him like a fragrant breeze…
If someone who didn't know the truth saw them, they would likely assume Yang Kai and Luo Lan were engaged in some illicit tryst. In reality, both of them were suffering.
Yang Kai had it somewhat easier, being a man. Though the closeness was uncomfortable, he could steady his mind and, after centering himself in stillness, endure it without too much trouble. He simply thought of Su Yan and Xia Ningshang, driving all stray thoughts away, and before long his expression returned to normal.
Luo Lan, on the other hand, was growing redder by the moment. A deep crimson glow spread across her fair, slender neck, stirring the imagination. The delicate body held in Yang Kai's arms was rigid with tension, yet trembling slightly from nervousness.
She had never imagined that this encounter would lead to such intimate contact with Yang Kai, a mere junior!
It was something that had never happened before.
The solid chest, the broad arms, the masculine scent so close it was maddening — all of it crashed against her composure like a flood or a wild beast, leaving her utterly unable to remain calm.
Her cheeks burned as if scorching. She was certain her face was flushed absolutely crimson!
Blushing like this in front of a junior… Luo Lan was so embarrassed she wished she could find a hole in the ground to crawl into. And never come out.
When she recalled that the Seven Luminances Sacred Light would take at least another half shichen to recede, meaning she would have to maintain this position with Yang Kai for that long, Luo Lan felt even more as though she were sitting on pins and needles, her entire body restless.
She couldn't help squirming slightly…
"Senior, please… don't move around." Yang Kai gave a bitter laugh. He had only just managed to banish his wandering thoughts and achieve a state of calm, and Luo Lan's movements had thrown all his effort to waste — especially when he felt the two small peaks pressing against his chest harden even further…
Hearing Yang Kai's words, Luo Lan was mortified beyond belief. She ducked her head, burying her face against her own chest.
"Let me turn around," Luo Lan said softly after a moment of silence.
Facing each other like this was simply too embarrassing. If she turned around, at least some of the awkwardness might ease.
"Sure." Yang Kai nodded and released the arm he had kept around Luo Lan's waist.
Luo Lan then carefully rotated her body, terrified of brushing against the Seven Luminances Sacred Light that hovered so perilously close. After a long moment, she completed the turn, her back now facing Yang Kai.
"Uh…" Yang Kai immediately discovered a new problem.
Face-to-face, he had only been aware of the considerable softness of Luo Lan's chest. Now that sensation was gone — but in its place, her round, firm backside was pressing squarely against his lower body. The taut, shapely curve of it offered a sensation that was absolutely first-rate.
Luo Lan clearly realized this as well. The moment she turned around, she went rigid as though struck by lightning, freezing completely in place and not daring to move an inch.
Time crawled by. Each moment felt like a year.
"Senior…" Yang Kai suddenly spoke.
"Hm?" Luo Lan jumped, her entire body flinching. In this suffocatingly awkward atmosphere, Yang Kai's sudden voice startled her considerably. And when he spoke, his breath swept right across her earlobe, as though someone were gently caressing her ear — the tingling sensation was almost unbearable.
"I've thought it over carefully. I think I should just leave," Yang Kai said.