The lazy afternoon sun turned the lake water into a sheet of flowing, shattered gold.
Li Zhexian lay sprawled upon the grassy lawn by the lakeshore.
With a casual beckon of his hand—
A breeze stirred, lifting a lotus leaf, and slowly let it drift down onto his face.
He was to set off for the Blue Lightning family tomorrow. Yesterday, after telling Xue Qinghe, he had been instructed to wait by the Lotus Lake for Qian Renxue.
...
Time slipped by quietly.
Drowsiness tugged at Li Zhexian's mind.
Just as his consciousness was half-sinking into sleep—
Soft, cautious footsteps brushed through the grass at his side.
The footsteps pressed against the supple grass, carrying a note of hesitation, even restraint
Most of Li Zhexian's drowsiness vanished.
But he didn't immediately remove the lotus leaf from his face. Instead, he tilted his head slightly, ears pricked to listen.
The footsteps halted just beside him.
Only then did Li Zhexian reach up and remove the lotus leaf.
The sunlight was dazzling. He instinctively narrowed his eyes.
As his vision adjusted, a graceful figure came into clear view.
Today, Qian Renxue wore a plain white dress that perfectly traced her slender waist.
The sunlight seemed to favor her especially,
Dancing across her flawless features and her golden hair.
The instant her gaze fell upon Li Zhexian, a blush bloomed across her cheeks, and she looked away at once.
She raised a hand, smoothed a strand of hair that had fallen beside her ear, then quickly put her hand down.
Her slender hands were clasped in front of her, her fingertips slightly curled, betraying a flustered awkwardness.
"You..." Qian Renxue's voice was softer than the lake breeze. "You wanted to see me?"
The words slipped out—
Even she was startled by the shyness in her tone.
Though she had met Li Zhexian countless times, each encounter in her true form left her heart flustered.
She was like a sensitive plant, curling up in both nervousness and joy.
Li Zhexian sat up.
He brushed the bits of grass from his white robe.
"I'm setting off for the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon tomorrow."
"This trip may keep me away for quite some time."
"Before I left, I was thinking of seeing you."
Qian Renxue's slender hand smoothed her long skirt over her knees. She sat down beside Li Zhexian.
"Thank you for thinking of me."
Li Zhexian smiled faintly.
He casually plucked a long, slender blade of grass.
His fingers moved nimbly.
In just a few moments—
A little grasshopper woven of straw lay in his palm.
"Here, for you."
Qian Renxue looked at the grasshopper in Li Zhexian's hand with curiosity. A faint smile broke through her nervousness, like ripples spreading across an icy surface.
She reached out a fingertip and touched the grasshopper's slender "antennae." She giggled,
"It's a little ugly."
"Then I'll throw it away."
Li Zhexian pretended to pull it back.
"No!"
Her voice rose abruptly.
She snatched the grasshopper as though afraid he'd take it away, clutching it tightly in her palm.
—This was the very first gift Li Zhexian had ever given her.
Realizing her own urgency,
Qian Renxue quickly turned her face aside, pretending to watch the lotus blossoms on the lake.
Yet, her slender jade-like fingers kept tracing the small straw toy hidden in her hands.
The forced composure and the undeniable shyness in her eyes intertwined, creating a beauty that took one's breath away.
The warm afternoon sun made a person's bones feel soft. The lake breeze carried the fragrance of flowers, and the sweet scent of the young girl lingered beside him.
Li Zhexian, who had been mentally and physically exhausted for days trying to comprehend the fourth form of the Qinglian Sword Song, felt his eyelids grow heavy.
In a state of blurred consciousness, he felt a soft, warm support gently holding his head.
The sensation was soft and yielding, bringing with it a sense of peace that was difficult to describe.
Li Zhexian instinctively adjusted to a more comfortable position, burying his face deeper into that comforting softness.
Qian Renxue lowered her beautiful eyes, her eyelashes trembling lightly. She stared at the white-robed young man resting on her lap. Her chest was filled with an indescribable, burning emotion that almost scorched her from the inside out.
She froze for a moment before carefully reaching out a hand. She gently swept away a few strands of dark hair that were covering the young man's forehead.
"Li Zhexian… is truly handsome…"
Time itself seemed to stretch, suspended in that still afternoon—
Caught between the girl's downcast gaze and the young man's serene sleeping profile.
No one knew how much time had passed—
Until the head on her lap stirred.
Like touching fire, Qian Renxue snatched her hand back in a rush.
Li Zhexian's eyelids fluttered and slowly opened
His consciousness was still a little hazy. He only felt that he had slept more soundly and comfortably than ever before.
He blinked, adjusting to the light, and looked up into Qian Renxue's lowered gaze.
He froze for an instant,
Only then did he realize where his head had been resting.
Li Zhexian shot upright, a rare hint of embarrassment flashing across his handsome face.
"Ahem… I fell asleep? For how long?"
"Not long."
Qian Renxue smoothed the wrinkles from her dress, hiding the flutter in her heart.
"What time... are you leaving tomorrow?"
"First hour of the morning. We'll leave from the southern gate."
Qian Renxue was silent for a moment. "I... I'll come to see you off."
Li Zhexian was stunned. "See me off?"
He knew that Qian Renxue's identity was sensitive and that she should not expose herself to the forces of Heaven Dou City.
Qian Renxue's lips were pressed together. She wanted to see him off. As Qian Renxue.
"My situation is very complicated. But Li Zhexian, please believe me. I will never do anything to harm you."
"I can't reveal myself to the Heaven Dou City factions."
"But I really want to see you off."
After a long while, Li Zhexian looked at her lowered but stubborn profile and answered gently and with certainty, "All right."
With that promise made,
The two of them simply sat together by the lake.
Watching nightfall creep in, the sunset burn half the sky, and the stars pierce the indigo heavens.
...
The next day, early morning.
Heaven Dou City, beneath the southern gate.
Li Zhexian, Dugu Yan, Ye Lingling, Yu Tianheng, and the others stood ready to depart.
Crown Prince Xue Qinghe, dressed in plain attire, had come to see them off.
When Li Zhexian's gaze met his, confusion stirred in his heart.
Wasn't Qian Renxue supposed to be the one to send him?
Xue Qinghe's gaze lingered on Li Zhexian for a moment before he revealed a gentle smile.
"This journey will be long and arduous. I wish you all steady progress in strength and the fulfillment of your goals."
"Li Zhexian…"
His gaze fell upon Li Zhexian once more.
"Return soon. I truly do wish to go fishing with you."
Yu Tianheng and the others clasped their fists in salute.
Li Zhexian smiled and nodded in reply, but his gaze flicked discreetly over Xue Qinghe and the guards Snake Lance and Porcupinefish behind her.
His confusion only deepened.
In such a public place—
With Xue Qinghe present here—
How could Qian Renxue possibly appear?
The appointed hour arrived.
Li Zhexian and his companions mounted their horses.
Bowing to Xue Qinghe in farewell.
The horses' hooves struck the road, carrying them swiftly into the distance.
Li Zhexian couldn't help glancing back again at the city gate, even scanning the tall trees and rolling hills along the roadside.
But the breathtaking figure he sought never appeared.
The white-robed youth dwindled into a blur at the horizon.
And at last, vanished beyond the bend of the road.
Only then—
Did Xue Qinghe lift the hem of the prince's robe and step into the dense woods beside the road.
Once certain no one could see her—
Her aura shifted in an instant…