Time seemed to freeze the moment the small table flipped over.
The overturned porcelain cup lay quietly on the grass like leftover winter snow.
The fragrant aroma of fresh green tea still wafted through the air.
Ye Chen had never experienced such a heavy atmosphere.
He looked at the tall figure in front of him.
Her slightly trembling shoulders suggested she was suppressing a volcano on the verge of eruption.
‘This is bad,’ he thought.
He had never told Xiao Xiao about An Yao.
More importantly, he hadn’t expected An Yao to be that mysterious girl.
However, it shouldn’t be a big deal.
He and she were just fellow Daoists who practiced swordsmanship together. Yet, Xiao Xiao’s sudden reaction deeply worried him.
This wasn’t the Xiao Xiao he knew—the one who would throw a small tantrum over trifles but could be easily coaxed.
This was a stance that left no room for compromise.
He wanted to speak, to ask “What’s wrong?”, but An Yao spoke first.
No anger or offense showed on her face; she didn’t even reveal a hint of surprise.
Her gaze bypassed Xiao Xiao and landed on Ye Chen’s face.
“It seems my appearance has… interrupted you?”
Her voice was gentle and clear.
By speaking first, she attributed any “impropriety” to her own poor timing.
“And this is…?”
Seeing that Ye Chen did not answer, her gaze shifted to Xiao Xiao.
Xiao Xiao completely ignored her.
She kept her back to An Yao as if no one were standing there.
Her entire world was concentrated on Ye Chen’s face.
In her clear eyes, a storm was brewing as she stubbornly awaited an answer.
“Your Highness! Please forgive us!”
Lin Yueqi finally snapped out of her shock.
She rushed forward and bowed deeply to An Yao.
“Xiao Xiao… she’s just momentarily confused! She meant no disrespect to the Holy Maiden! Please, do not blame her!”
Lin Yueqi had a massive headache.
Acting out in front of the sect’s Holy Maiden was the height of disrespect.
If the Holy Maiden pursued the matter, Xiao Xiao would be in serious trouble.
An Yao shifted her gaze from Xiao Xiao to Lin Yueqi, her expression mild.
“You are… Lin Yueqi of Heaven Sword Peak?”
“Yes! This disciple is Lin Yueqi!”
“No need to panic,” An Yao said, her voice carrying a soothing power.
“I am not angry. I am simply curious… who is this young sister?”
Her question pointed toward Xiao Xiao once more.
Lin Yueqi glanced at Xiao Xiao, who remained as motionless as a statue.
Frustrated and anxious, she could only bite the bullet and introduce her.
“Reporting to the Holy Maiden, this is… my junior sister. She is also the personal disciple of my master, Elder Qingyu… Xiao Xiao.”
‘A personal disciple of Elder Qingyu?’ A flash of understanding crossed An Yao’s eyes.
It was clear Ye Chen indulged her.
Someone who could act so rudely by his side was surely no ordinary person.
However, the girl’s possessiveness over Ye Chen was far too strong.
It wasn’t the playfulness of ordinary friends, but rather a primal, beast-like reaction to a territorial intrusion.
Her relationship with Ye Chen was anything but ordinary.
For the first time, An Yao felt a hint of curiosity toward someone other than Ye Chen.
But since she wasn’t clear on their relationship, she didn’t act rashly.
She chose the most peaceful way to state the facts, both to explain things to the hostile girl and to reassure Ye Chen.
She looked at Ye Chen again and said softly, “Ye Chen, it seems I should explain.
We met two years ago and have discussed the sword at the Star Observation Platform every month.
We are… fellow Daoists.”
She emphasized the words “fellow Daoists” lightly.
In her view, this wasn’t the mundane love of the secular world, but something higher—a resonance of soul and a clash of ideas on the path to the Great Dao.
It was a noble relationship that surpassed all common bonds.
Seeing the right moment, Ye Chen prepared to speak.
An Yao’s explanation gave him a graceful way out.
He took a deep breath, trying to untangle this mess.
He first nodded to An Yao.
“I understand.”
Then, he took a small step to the side, bypassing Xiao Xiao who stood in his way, so that he could face both of them.
He looked into Xiao Xiao’s red eyes, which were filled with grievance and accusation.
His heart softened, and his tone unintentionally slowed.
“Xiao Xiao, this is An Yao, the Holy Maiden of the sect. As she said, we have been friends who discussed the Way of the Sword for the past two years.”
He paused and turned back to An Yao, introducing the other girl solemnly.
“An Yao, this is Xiao Xiao. She is also… my friend.”
Friend.
He used the same word to define both of them.
In his logic, this was the fairest explanation to settle the matter.
An Yao was a friend for discussing the Dao, and Xiao Xiao was a friend in daily life.
One did not conflict with the other.
However, his “perfect” explanation struck the girls like two different storms.
An Yao’s eyes flickered almost imperceptibly.
‘Friend?’
Between her and him was the resonance of the Dao and the exchange of souls.
They were the only companions who could walk side-by-side after severing worldly ties.
How could the word “friend” summarize such a thing?
‘If our relationship is just that of “friends,” then this rude, childish girl… is also worthy of being called a “friend”?’
She did not show her thoughts, but a hint of disappointment touched her gaze as she watched Ye Chen.
To Xiao Xiao, the word “friend” was like a sharp blade piercing her heart.
‘Friend?’
She washed his clothes, cooked his meals, made his bed, and worried for him.
She was willing to face the world for him… and in the end, she was the same as a woman he had known for only two years?
‘We are both just… “friends”?’
A sense of betrayal instantly drowned her anger.
Was everything she had done—everything she thought was unique—just her own wishful thinking?
The fire in her eyes slowly died out, replaced by a bottomless pool of ice.
She stopped looking at Ye Chen and turned to the peerless Holy Maiden for the first time.
Their eyes met.
Invisible lightning seemed to clash in the air.
An Yao’s gaze was calm and gentle, yet scrutinizing.
She looked at Xiao Xiao like a piece of art throwing a tantrum, her eyes holding a faint pity.
Xiao Xiao’s gaze was undisguised hostility.
It was a declaration.
No words were spoken, yet it said more than a thousand.
‘I don’t care if you’re the Holy Maiden or what your past was. This man is mine. No one can take him.’
An Yao understood the meaning behind that look.
She smiled—a smile that was beautiful, yet it did not reach her eyes.
She knew that speaking further would only make things harder for Ye Chen.
That wasn’t what she wanted.
Her goal today was to confirm Ye Chen’s location and let him know her identity.
That goal had been achieved.
As for this little interlude… there was plenty of time.
“It seems today is not a good time to discuss the Dao.”
An Yao took a graceful step back, proactively creating distance.
She gave Ye Chen one last look, her eyes filled with complexity, and said softly, “Ye Chen, I will return to the Star Observation Platform first. Once you have handled… your matters, we shall speak again.”
She placed a heavy emphasis on those last words.
Without staying any longer, she turned and vanished down the mountain path like a drifting cloud, her robes fluttering elegantly.
The Holy Maiden had made her exit.
Silence returned to the Spirit Gathering Terrace once more.
Only Ye Chen remained, along with Xiao Xiao—who stood with her head lowered, radiating a cold aura—and the helpless Lin Yueqi.
The wind blew, swirling fallen leaves with a rustle that sounded like a sigh.