Chapter 20: Shameless Once

"I don't want a boyfriend," Li Youran said, her gaze dimming.

"Why not? Sis, don't tell me you like girls?" Ling Tian speculated, seeing Li Youran's gloom and deliberately teasing her with the latter remark.

"Of course not." Li Youran was indeed amused by him, but the smile faded quickly, replaced by worry as she continued, "My body is different from others. I won't live very long, so I don't want to fall in love—I'd rather spare someone the heartbreak when I'm gone."

"Who says you won't live long?" Ling Tian was instantly anxious. He knew that women with the Nine Yin Physique were often short-lived, but it wasn't absolute. Li Youran must have encountered charlatans.

"I've been frail since childhood. My body temperature is lower than most, my hands and feet are always cold, and there's..."

At this point, fear flickered in Li Youran's eyes, making Ling Tian ache for her. He hurried to her side, gently wrapping an arm around her trembling shoulders.

"Sis, what's wrong? If you don't want to talk, you don't have to. It's my fault—I shouldn't have asked." For the first time, Ling Tian felt genuine heartache for a girl. Li Youran's expression and fear tugged at his heart.

Ling Tian's closeness eased Li Youran's terror. Facing this brother who felt so different, she was filled with inexplicable trust, and so she confided her deepest fear.

"Xiao Tian, since I was little, I could see things that weren't clean. Other kids sometimes saw them, too, but I saw them much more often. I was frequently scared to tears, plagued by nightmares. Do you believe in such things? I told many people, but none believed me. Even now, I sometimes still see them."

Leaning her shoulder completely against Ling Tian, Li Youran seemed to lessen her fear. Unconsciously, her way of addressing him became Xiao Tian, a term that felt intimate. Ling Tian certainly had no objection.

"I believe you. Though I've never seen them myself, I believe they exist. But you don't need to fear them—such beings rarely harm people. Look, haven't you been fine all these years?"

Ling Tian had heard these stories before. He had never believed them because, as someone with the Nine Yang Physique, these entities avoided him like the plague—he could never see them. But after learning the Art of Yin and Yang, he understood they were real, and his Nine Yang Physique was their nemesis.

When cultivated to the utmost, the Art of Yin and Yang could commune with heaven and earth, command Yin and Yang. At that point, these entities would obey him—though, according to the records, no one had ever achieved such mastery.

He now understood: Li Youran possessed the Nine Yin Physique, which attracted these entities, making her vulnerable to possession and untimely death. No wonder she was so frightened; she must have endured terrifying experiences she hadn't shared.

"Xiao Tian, I know my own body. My family is wealthy, and since childhood, we've consulted countless renowned doctors, but none could diagnose my illness. Until one day, we met a Taoist priest—eccentric, perhaps mad—who, upon seeing me, immediately revealed my condition."

Li Youran felt awkward as she spoke.

"What did he say? Actually, I'm a miracle doctor myself—I want to see if his diagnosis matches mine. In fact, I've already noticed your body is different from others," Ling Tian said, suddenly interested, eager to gauge the Taoist's skill.

"You're a miracle doctor? You can tell my body is different?" Li Youran stared at Ling Tian in disbelief, suspecting he was boasting.

"Of course I can. But you tell me first—what did the Taoist say?" Ling Tian smiled at the beauty in his arms, intoxicated by her subtle fragrance, his fingers gently weaving through her ink-black hair, silky to the touch—a temptation he'd longed for since their classroom days.

Li Youran didn't stop Ling Tian's movements. She felt that their closeness went beyond the bounds of siblings, but being near him felt so good she couldn't bear to leave his embrace.

"Fine, I'll tell you, but you better answer me after. You first," Li Youran said, indulging in rare coyness. Her fears had faded, though she still doubted Ling Tian's claim to medical prowess.

"You have the Nine Yin Physique. If the Taoist said the same, he's got some skill; if not, he's a fraud."

Ling Tian spoke lightly, but Li Youran was stunned—he was right.

They had consulted every famous doctor, every major hospital, even those abroad, but no one could discern her condition until a trip with her parents to Mount Wudang. There, a Taoist adept in medicine finally revealed the truth: she had the Nine Yin Physique, precisely as Ling Tian said.

"So? What did the Taoist say?" Ling Tian could guess from her reaction that the Taoist had some real skill. Many Taoists had backgrounds in traditional medicine and understood Yin-Yang arts; it wasn't rare. But for him to claim Li Youran wouldn't live long—that showed limited ability.

Generally, a woman with the Nine Yin Physique would be short-lived unless she met a man with the Nine Yang Physique. Still, given Li Youran's age, she shouldn't be at death's door yet. Even without any man, she'd last till thirty; with a regular man, perhaps forty.

"You actually guessed it right? I never expected to have such a hidden gem for a brother. But since you know I'm Nine Yin, you should also know my time is limited—so why call me sister?"

Li Youran was delighted by Ling Tian's medical prowess, but her mood soured thinking of her condition.

"Did the Taoist say you wouldn't live long? What exactly did he say? Tell me," Ling Tian grew anxious seeing her forlorn, determined to dispel her worries today.

"The Taoist said girls with the Nine Yin Physique must find a man with the Nine Yang Physique to live a long life. But such men are rarer than one in millions. If I don't marry, I'll only live to about thirty; if I marry an ordinary man, I won't gain many years. If—if I find several men, I could live longer, but I don't want to do that. I'd rather die."

Li Youran hadn't intended to share the latter part, but in front of Ling Tian, she did. She didn't want to be promiscuous. In this life, all she wished for was one true heart, to grow old together—a single partner was enough.

"That Taoist had some skill, but you still have eight years till thirty. Why say your time is short?" Ling Tian noted the Taoist hadn't lied, but Li Youran's interpretation was somewhat misguided.

"I've been seeing more and more of those unclean things lately, and the nightmares are getting worse. Things improved after eighteen, but now it's bad again. So I think my time is running out."

Fear returned to Li Youran's eyes as she spoke, her body trembling, clinging tightly to Ling Tian's waist, her head pressed to his chest.

"Sis, you really don't need to worry, because I'm here. I have the Nine Yang Physique. With me, you can live a hundred years."

Ling Tian had been fretting over how to broach the subject, fearing she wouldn't believe in these two physiques. Unexpectedly, that Taoist had paved the way, so he seized the moment.

"Are you serious?"

Li Youran suddenly pulled away from his embrace, staring at him in shock, almost unable to believe it.

"As real as can be. Haven't you felt comfortable when you're with me? Men with the Nine Yang Physique are guardians for women with the Nine Yin Physique. I'll make you feel safe—and only by becoming my woman can you live a hundred years. Heh heh."

Ling Tian grinned mischievously, making Li Youran feel odd, especially at the suggestion of becoming his woman, which unsettled her deeply.

"You're my brother. We're not like that. I can't just throw myself at you to survive, can I? You don't need to pity me—even if I die, knowing you as my brother is already a joy in my life." Li Youran truly was oblivious to romance.

Ling Tian was thoroughly defeated by this girl. Pity her? He desired her! Which man wouldn't want such a beauty?

"Sis, this isn't throwing yourself at me. I like you, and you like me. It's mutual, a match made in heaven," Ling Tian patiently explained.

"You like me?"

Upon hearing these words, Li Youran's heart thudded wildly. Many men had professed their affection, but their words only annoyed her. Ling Tian's, however, stirred ripples in her heart—she was moved, even sweetly so.

"Yes. The first time I saw you, I felt something like fate—perhaps from a past life. When I learned you had the Nine Yin Physique, I was even more certain we were destined. After all, I'm Nine Yang. Men with the Nine Yang Physique are worse off than women with the Nine Yin Physique."

Ling Tian saw Li Youran's reaction and knew she was moved by him, quickly seizing the chance to confess. Of course, his claim that men with Nine Yang Physique had it worse was pure nonsense.

"Brother, how are you worse off?" Li Youran asked, deeply concerned.

"Women with Nine Yin only need to be with a few men to control their condition, and with a Nine Yang man, they're perfectly safe. But men with Nine Yang—no matter how many women they're with—can't control their condition unless they meet a Nine Yin woman, plus a few others, and then they can live a hundred years."

Ling Tian spoke with feigned difficulty, feeling both pleased and a bit ashamed. His theory gave him the perfect excuse for wooing women. Still, his favorite was this gentle, beautiful Youran—he couldn't let go of her, yet wanted other beauties too, so shamelessness it was.

"What?" Li Youran was thoroughly vexed by Ling Tian's argument. If she didn't accept him, he'd be as short-lived as she was; but if she did, he'd still need other women. That was too much for her—who doesn't wish to be their partner's only one? What was she to do?