The Saintess I Flirted With Seems a Little Off

Yan Huanchao had never made such a comfortable gamble in her life.

As a notorious enchantress from the Acacia Sect, she was used to being hunted.

This time, the spirit herb she had her eye on was hidden in a secret realm that only Wen Xuemian could enter.

No problem.

If she couldn't get in, she'd just follow along and steal it at the end.

They said Wen Xuemian was a saintess of the Medicine King Valley, a well-known living Bodhisattva who rescued anyone in need.

Yan Huanchao followed her for a while and discovered the rumors were true.

She said someone was hunting her, and Wen Xuemian believed her and bandaged her wounds.

She said she had nowhere to go, and Wen Xuemian told her to follow along for now. Her tone was so casual, as if she'd picked up a stray cat by the road.

When Yan Huanchao snuck through her bag in the middle of the night looking for the spirit herb and got caught, Wen Xuemian merely glanced at her. "Are you short on money? You could have just asked me."

Yan Huanchao thought there was something wrong with this woman's head.

"Wen Xuemian, do you know who I am? I'm an enchantress from the Acacia Sect."

"I know."

"Do you know what I'm following you for?"

"I don't."

"I want to steal your things."

"Oh."

Yan Huanchao laughed in exasperation. Did this woman really think she was a living Bodhisattva? Was she having a divine revelation?

The next day, as they traveled, Yan Huanchao deliberately leaned close behind Wen Xuemian's ear, her breath brushing the back of her neck. "Sister Wen, you smell so lovely..."

Wen Xuemian stopped walking.

After a moment, she continued forward. Her voice remained even. "I haven't used any perfume."

But Yan Huanchao saw it. The tips of her ears went from white to red, then from red to white again.

She immediately burst out laughing. Oh, so she does react.

So Yan Huanchao started pushing her luck. When she was tired, she'd lean on Wen Xuemian's shoulder. At night, she'd say she was scared and insist on sharing a bed. Seeing Wen Xuemian stiffen and the tips of her ears burn, Yan Huanchao was delighted.

And so the days went by. Teasing, blushing, then more teasing and more blushing. Yan Huanchao almost forgot that she'd been following Wen Xuemian for the spirit herb.

Until one day, the people hunting her finally came.

Wen Xuemian stepped in front of her. The hands that had saved countless lives drew blood for the first time.

Yan Huanchao froze. "You... don't you refuse to kill?"

Wen Xuemian didn't turn around. Her voice was soft.

"They said you're an enchantress."

"I thought about it, and I suppose I am."

Yan Huanchao looked at her. Blood stained her white clothes, but her shoulders were still tense, just as they were whenever Yan Huanchao leaned against her.

Oh no.

It seemed she couldn't bring herself to steal that spirit herb anymore.

*

Theme: A mutual salvation between the light and the sea.