The white-robed cultivator turned to look at the girl in the jade-green gown and stretched out a hand to her.
“Give it to me!”
“Give what?”
The girl blinked her eyes.
In the next instant, she smiled playfully.
With a light twist of her slender waist, her gown fluttered like a jade-green butterfly dancing in the wind.
Her fair feet kicked up slightly on the sandy beach, carrying a few specks of fine sand.
Her soft, sweet laughter drifted on the wind as she ran away, leaving a trail of lively footprints on the riverbank under the setting sun.
The white-robed cultivator watched her, instantly growing annoyed.
Clenching his fists, he shouted toward the girl in the jade-green gown, “Bai Lumian! You're going back on your word!”
From the distant beach, the girl's playful voice echoed back, “Catch me if you can! If you catch me, I'll give it to you—”
The white-robed cultivator was furious!
This damn Lumian, at a time like this, actually dared to provoke him?!
He immediately pulled out his fly-whisk and swept it in the direction of the girl in the jade-green gown. “Spatial Lock!”
The girl in the jade-green gown was instantly frozen in place on the distant shore.
The light of the setting sun shone upon her, outlining her fair feet in a warm orange glow, with a bit of fine sand still clinging to her soles.
In an instant, the white-robed cultivator appeared beside the girl in the jade-green gown. Grabbing a handful of bristles from his fly-whisk, he pointed them at the soles of her feet.
“I've caught you! If you don't give it to me, I'll tickle the soles of your feet with this until you die of laughter!”
The girl in the jade-green gown instantly puffed up with anger. She shattered the white-robed cultivator's “Spatial Lock” with a single punch, plopped down onto the sandy beach, and began to pout:
“You blockhead! All you care about is your stupid tea leaves and playing with that dumb fly-whisk. You're so old-fashioned, just like an old man!”
With that, she pulled out a jade-green tea jar that glowed with spiritual light and tossed it to the white-robed cultivator.
The white-robed cultivator scrambled to catch it, cradling it in his palms, terrified of dropping it.
Having obtained what he wanted, the white-robed cultivator beamed with joy.
Seeing the girl in the jade-green gown sitting on the sand in a huff, he tried to placate her:
“Lumian, the sand is dirty. Don't sit there.”
The girl in the jade-green gown grew even angrier. She scooped up a handful of sand and threw it at the white-robed cultivator's feet. “None of your business!”
The white-robed cultivator was taken aback and said angrily, “I was just trying to be nice!”
“Pah, pah—”
“Holy crap, did you just throw sand in my mouth?!”
“Hey, hey, hey, you're still throwing?!”
“This Seat can't take this anymore!”
The white-robed cultivator rushed forward and grabbed both of the girl's hands.
The girl in the jade-green gown struggled desperately, and the white-robed cultivator pulled harder, until he accidentally lost his footing.
The white-robed cultivator pinned the girl beneath him—
Against the fine golden sand, her jade-green skirt spread out. The two were inches apart, their noses almost touching.
Their eyes met, their warm breaths intertwining, as the fading glow of the setting sun quietly enveloped them.
In an instant, both of their faces flushed red, outshining the colors of the sunset.
The white-robed cultivator, in particular, had no idea why his heart was suddenly beating ten or even a hundred times faster than usual!
Why was this?!
He was completely bewildered. Reasonably speaking, he was at the peak of the Mahayana Stage. Even if he did intense exercise—like carrying the entire Spring-Return Valley and running a lap with it—his heart wouldn't beat this fast!
What was going on?
He couldn't wrap his head around it at all.
Could it be that he liked the girl in the jade-green gown? No, that couldn't be right.
The books never mentioned that when you liked someone, your heart would beat this fast, did they?
Wasn't it usually just one to two times faster?
Just then, a soft, sweet voice gently interrupted him: “Li... Little Ling... how much longer are you planning to pin me down?”
The white-robed cultivator instantly sprang off her like a startled cat.
He turned his back, keeping his hands busy, his toes digging deep into the sand in sheer embarrassment.
Only then did the girl in the jade-green gown sit up. She pressed her fists against her incredibly flushed cheeks and rubbed them, finding them burning hot.
“That, that, that... Lumian... I, I, I, I didn't do it on purpose!”
“Hmph... You're just Little Ling. Of course this Valley Master knows you didn't do it on purpose.”
The girl in the jade-green gown stared at the sand beside her, her voice so soft it was barely audible.
“Uh... if there's nothing else, I'll be going now, Lumian. I'm really sorry!”
As he spoke, the white-robed cultivator, still keeping his back turned to her, tore open a rift in space.
“Little Ling!”
A soft clap of thunder suddenly exploded behind him!
It was the sound of the girl being utterly, furiously angry.
His body stiffened. Though he had already stepped halfway into the spatial rift, he obediently pulled his foot back.
“Get back here right now!”
The white-robed cultivator obediently returned to her side, but his eyes were fixed on the sand nearby, where a few smooth pebbles washed by the river lay.
“You think you can just run away after bullying this Valley Master? Are you even a man?”
“No, no, no, that's absolutely not what I meant!”
The white-robed cultivator waved his hands in a panic, finally gathering the courage to look into her eyes.
They were amber, like clear, warm jade, reflecting the twilight glow and his own silhouette.
For the first time, he realized how bright and beautiful Lumian's eyes were.
The only fly in the ointment was that her face was currently as red as a sweet potato; she looked much better when she was pale.
“Then what do you mean?”
“I... I...”
The white-robed cultivator didn't know how to answer, for his mind was in utter chaos.
He couldn't understand why, but he had a very strange feeling. He wanted to sit beside the girl in front of him, even if they didn't do anything world-shaking—just to simply watch the sunset with her and chat about daily life.
“Hmph, 'I' what? I'll give you a chance. Sit down beside this Valley Master and explain properly what you meant by your actions just now!”
“Oh... okay...”
Hearing this, the white-robed cultivator moved mechanically like a puppet. He walked over to her, lifted the hem of his robe, and sat down.
The two sat very close, barely a foot apart.
She smelled wonderful, a sweet fragrance of orchids mingled with a faint scent of medicinal herbs.
Just breathing it in made him feel as if his heart were being gently caressed, bringing a comfortable warmth to his chest.
At this moment, he didn't dare look at her face. If asked why, there was no reason—he just didn't dare to.
The temperature of her cheeks had cooled down quite a bit in the evening breeze. Seeing his extremely awkward state, she couldn't help but chuckle.
What a big idiot, a real blockhead...
She didn't press him further on the previous question.
Her slender, delicate fingers poked at the sand and pebbles on the ground. She spoke softly, as if she was hesitant to say it but was pretending to be brave:
“Hey, Little Ling, what do you think of this Valley Master?”
The moment those words left her mouth, her cheeks, which had just cooled down, instantly burned hot again.
She buried her head between her knees, leaving only her shining amber eyes visible.
The white-robed cultivator froze upon hearing this. He stared at her eyes peeking over her knees, his brow furrowed and his eyes wide.
Seeing him like this, the girl buried her head even deeper. Those lively eyes slowly vanished behind her knees, leaving only her soft, black hair, with a few strands swirling gently in the wind...
“To be honest...”
The white-robed cultivator's voice sounded beside her. Her hands wrapping around her knees tightened involuntarily...
She eagerly anticipated his answer, yet at the same time, she didn't want him to say it so directly.
But... she had already asked...
What kind of answer would he give?
Rate on N.U.
