Chapter 97 A Year’s Time

Chapter 97: A Year's Time

"Brother Lin Xing, let's go see what's going on over there!" Caroline excitedly pulled Lin Xing's hand, pointing towards a nearby spot crowded with people. Cheers and applause erupted from within the crowd.

"Alright, let's go over." Lin Xing smiled and walked towards it.

Lin Xing, Caroline, and Xiao Cui were walking through the city streets. Early in the morning, Lin Xing and Caroline had come out to have fun.

Lin Xing held Caroline's hand, while Caroline held Xiao Cui's hand. The three of them squeezed their way into the crowd. Lin Xing gently applied some subtle leverage, easily clearing a path through the onlookers, with Caroline and Xiao Cui following closely behind.

Although Lin Xing's injuries were not yet fully healed and his Zhen Qi had not recovered, the bystanders here were all ordinary civilians who practiced no cultivation methods. Lin Xing only needed to exert a tiny bit of force to ease them aside.

The three pushed forward to see a group of people performing various acts. There were street performances like breaking stones on the chest, fire-breathing, and a 'human dissection' trick.

These were common acts for traveling entertainers. Lin Xing merely smiled at the sight. He neither praised nor criticized their performance. While he could easily do such things himself, these performers had their own way of making a living, putting on a show for the crowd. When the crowd was happy and laughed, they would toss them some coins.

Although Lin Xing wasn't particularly enthusiastic about these performances, Caroline and Xiao Cui were absolutely delighted. Watching the spectacular acts, they clapped excitedly, their little faces flushed with joy.

Lin Xing, though not very interested, stayed by their side, watching until the end. At the very end, Caroline generously gave them some gold coins, prompting lavish praise from the performers.

Although Caroline was a little embarrassed by their praise, she was still very happy.

After watching the performance, they went on to explore the city, hitting almost every popular spot.

And so it went. When Caroline was around, Lin Xing spent his days playing with her and Xiao Cui, sightseeing and visiting almost every fun place in the area. At night, Lin Xing would cultivate to heal his injured body.

Just like that, another three months passed.

During the three months when Caroline wasn't around, Lin Xing spent most of his time cultivating.

Half a year later, Lin Xing's body had gradually recovered, and his severely damaged meridians had mostly healed. However, his Zhen Qi had not fully returned to its peak state, not even reaching seventy percent of its usual level.

The vortex of Zhen Qi inside his body was still rotating, but its speed was nowhere near what it was before.

Although the vortex had grown slightly, it still hadn't reached its original size. If its original volume was the size of a fist, now it was barely the size of half a fist. Its rotation felt labored, as if bound by something, making it extremely difficult. No matter how hard Lin Xing tried to drive it, it was of no use!

After trying for a long time, Lin Xing gave up on the idea of making it rotate faster. Even so, its rotation speed was gradually increasing day by day. There was a possibility of recovery.

"Let it recover slowly," Lin Xing muttered with a bitter smile.

Half a year passed in the blink of an eye. Lin Xing had now been here for a full year. His injuries had long since healed. Although his strength had somewhat declined and wasn't at its former level, Lin Xing was happiest just to have recovered his body.

Over the past year, Lin Xing and Caroline's relationship had grown rapidly, and the two had become very close.

Even someone as oblivious as Lin Xing was starting to realize something: he was probably falling for Caroline. Perhaps it was the more than a year of companionship that had transformed his feelings for her into affection, or perhaps he had liked her from the very first moment he saw her.

But who knew? Lin Xing truly enjoyed being with Caroline. The feeling of being together was really wonderful.

Yet, all of this made Lin Xing hesitant. After all, he wasn't from this place. He still had to venture across the continent, and falling for Caroline might not necessarily be a good thing.

Lin Xing couldn't be sure about Caroline's feelings either. Although he was certain he liked her, what about her? Caroline was still a young girl, naive about such matters. Even though she enjoyed being with Lin Xing, that might just be sibling affection.

Lin Xing wasn't sure, and he didn't even dare to admit to himself that he had fallen for Caroline. This troubled him greatly. As time passed, Lin Xing grew increasingly anxious, thinking about his dreams and the purpose of his journey. But now, he didn't want to leave too soon, or even leave at all.

"Brother Gu Xing, what's wrong?" Caroline, who was beside him, noticed Lin Xing's absent-mindedness and heavy expression and couldn't help but ask with concern.

"It's nothing." Lin Xing shook his head.

"By the way, Sister Caroline, I've been here for about a year now, right?" Lin Xing suddenly asked.

"Yes, a year." Caroline nodded in reply.

"I told you before why I came out, didn't I?"

Caroline nodded and said, "Brother Gu Xing came out to gain experience and also to go to the Beast Forest. It's just that you stayed here because of your injuries..."

"Brother Gu Xing, you're not planning to leave, are you?" The clever Caroline immediately caught on and exclaimed in surprise.

Lin Xing shook his head. He hadn't expected Caroline to guess his thoughts from just a few words, especially since he himself hadn't decided whether to stay or leave.

The atmosphere suddenly turned cold and quiet.

After a long while, Caroline asked, "Brother Gu Xing, when are you leaving?" Her big eyes fixed on Lin Xing, her face showing worry and fear.

As if she had just realized that Lin Xing might leave, Caroline suddenly felt a surge of fear and panic. After spending a year with Lin Xing, Caroline had grown deeply fond of this brother. She enjoyed being with him, loved the feeling of being cared for by him... The innocent Caroline just loved being with Lin Xing. She only knew that everything became joyful when she was with him!

Lin Xing avoided Caroline's gaze, looking into the distance instead, and remained silent for a long time.