Watching the masked man skillfully harvest the Moon-Essence Grass, Liang Yixue stood quietly not far away, observing him.
For some reason, she couldn’t pull her gaze away from that back—one that was unfamiliar yet carried a trace of haunting familiarity.
She clenched her hands so tightly her wrists trembled, and her eyes gradually lost focus.
Remaining silent, she walked to the side and plucked a flower at random, beginning to tear it apart petal by petal.
When she reached the last petal, Liang Yixue stopped for some unknown reason.
She paused for a moment before tossing the ruined flower onto the soil, plucking another one nearby, and starting the process all over again.
An indeterminate amount of time passed, and a pile of discarded petals had accumulated on the ground by the time Chu Fan finally walked over to her.
“I have finished the harvest and will be leaving now. My thanks, Valley Master Liang.”
Chu Fan kept his eyes lowered, his etiquette perfect and his tone as distant as if they were meeting for the first time.
Liang Yixue was still plucking petals, but this time, she finally tore off the very last one.
As if she had received some kind of answer, she gave a bitter smile and placed the bare stem on the soil.
Sitting on the edge of the flowerbed, she lowered her head with a pained laugh.
She opened her mouth, about to say something, when she saw the masked man standing before her.
Specifically, she saw the uniquely colored gemstone storage ring on the ring finger of his left hand.
Liang Yixue’s eyes widened slightly.
Suddenly, her throat tightened, and a wave of moisture blurred her vision.
She lifted her head, meeting Chu Fan’s downward gaze.
Looking at her face, Chu Fan’s pupils constricted uncontrollably.
Her eyelashes looked as if they were dusted with morning dew, shimmering with a trembling light that was pitifully beautiful.
Despite this, Chu Fan remained motionless.
Liang Yixue slowly stood up, her gaze locked onto the dark eyes hidden behind the mask.
She reached out, her hand moving toward his face, but he took half a step back.
“Valley… Valley Master, please show some restraint.”
Cold sweat broke out on Chu Fan’s back.
‘This is bad,’ he thought.
He wanted to leave immediately, but the only exit was behind Liang Yixue.
The more he retreated, the more he felt cornered, sinking deeper into a trap of his own making.
Liang Yixue did not seem intent on letting him go.
Instead, she walked toward him, one slow step at a time.
For every step she took forward, Chu Fan took one step back.
He didn’t understand where things had gone wrong.
He glanced left and right until his eyes fell upon the emerald-green storage ring on his hand.
His pupils dilated instantly, and he hurriedly hid his left hand behind his back.
That single movement, of course, was caught by Liang Yixue.
Her pace didn’t quicken, but it became heavier.
It gave Chu Fan the sensation that a mountain was slowly moving toward him—an indescribable pressure.
“Why…”
“Why do you have a storage ring made of Green Phoenix Heart Jade…?”
“It… it was obtained by chance at an auction… What does the Valley Master mean by this…?”
“Then why… did you hide it so nervously…?”
“Uh… because Green Phoenix Heart Jade is worth a fortune. I’m in the habit of not flaunting my wealth…”
“But I am merely a physician… What could I possibly do to you…?”
“What… what if the Valley Master is actually a hidden expert…? I am a very cautious person…”
Liang Yixue pressed closer with every step, and Chu Fan continued to retreat.
Suddenly, there was a soft thud.
Chu Fan’s back hit the wall.
A single tear slid gently down Liang Yixue’s cheek.
She raised her right hand, revealing an identical emerald-green ring on her own ring finger.
It was glowing with a soft, pulsing light.
“Then this… why is it glowing?”
Her voice was so thin it trembled, and she spoke one word at a time.
“Who… are you, really?”
Seeing that ring, Chu Fan let out a long sigh.
Liang Yixue stood half a meter away from him, and Chu Fan remained still.
She reached out and placed her hand on his mask, gently pulling it away.
Her movements were neither fast nor slow, yet her hand shook violently.
Slowly, the face she had longed for in her thoughts and pined for in her dreams was revealed from top to bottom.
To Chu Fan’s surprise, Liang Yixue’s tears and resentment did not come pouring out like a flood.
On the contrary, she gripped her right wrist tightly with her left hand, her right hand clutching the mask with white knuckles.
Her entire body was trembling.
She pressed her lips together firmly, her frame shaking as tears fell silently, one after another.
She simply stood there looking up at Chu Fan, saying nothing.
Seeing this, Chu Fan felt a sharp pang in his heart.
Frowning, he took out a handkerchief and began to wipe the corners of her eyes.
“Am I… dreaming again?” she asked, her voice quivering.
Chu Fan shook his head.
“No, Yixue. It’s me. I’m back.”
Liang Yixue still acted as if she didn’t believe it, maintaining a small distance between them.
She opened her mouth slightly and bit her lower lip, gradually increasing the pressure until it bled.
Feeling the metallic taste of blood and the sharp pain in her lip, Liang Yixue finally found the courage to look up.
She stared fixedly into those dark eyes that had been etched into her very marrow long ago.
With a muffled sob, she used every bit of strength she had to throw herself into his arms, burying her face in his chest.
Chu Fan gently smoothed her long hair, holding her and patting her back.
….
After a long time, the two separated.
Chu Fan, however, still didn’t dare to look Liang Yixue in the eye, his gaze darting back and forth.
At that moment, a person full of resentment walked out from the shadows, grumbling loudly.
“Fine, fine! I knew a guy like you couldn’t hide forever! Now move aside!”
Chu Fan was pulled to the side by Yu Mei.
Even though they had been separated, Liang Yixue’s gaze remained locked onto Chu Fan.
Seeing this, Yu Mei warned her, “Valley Master, this guy is nothing but an ungrateful wolf! Back then, he swept away the entire valley’s supply of medicinal herbs overnight and left without a single word! Why are you keeping a bastard like this around? Tell him to get lost already!”
Being “praised” by name made Chu Fan look mortified.
He kept his head down and scratched his temple, his eyes wandering awkwardly.
However, despite Yu Mei’s repeated warnings, Liang Yixue continued to stare at Chu Fan.
She even stood on her tiptoes, swaying her head left and right, trying to see more of him past Yu Mei’s obstruction.
“Was that… enough?”
“What!?”
Yu Mei felt as if her entire world was collapsing.
“Although the process was a bit difficult, you see, the valley is just as it was before. So… do you need anything else?”
“Valley Master, have you lost your mind!?”
Yu Mei let out a loud cry, stepped in front of Liang Yixue, and pointed a finger at Chu Fan, beginning a furious tirade.
“Was it just ‘a bit difficult’!? Wangyou Valley almost vanished because of that! If it weren’t for you cultivating everything day and night without food or sleep, where would this valley be today!? And you’re actually asking him if it was enough? What are you thinking!?”
But Liang Yixue acted as if she hadn’t heard a word.
She completely ignored Yu Mei at her side, her eyes and heart entirely focused on Chu Fan.
She even looked relieved—relieved that Yu Mei had finally moved out of the way.
“Hey! Valley Master, I’m talking to you!”
Yu Mei stood in the middle, looking at a panicked Chu Fan on her left and a lovestruck Liang Yixue on her right.
She stomped her foot in frustration at Liang Yixue’s lack of resolve.
“Hmph! Fine! Pay him whatever you want! Go bankrupt, throw away the whole valley, throw away your life—it would serve you right to die right next to him! I’m done! I’m not looking after anyone anymore!”
Grumbling with immense resentment, Yu Mei stormed out of the Moon-Essence Grass pavilion, leaving the two of them alone.