Just as Wu Yan was preparing to take Yu Qingyao out of Jinxiu Pavilion, Yu Qingyao frowned and pulled her back.
“Wait, Senior Sister.”
“What is it, Qingyao?”
Yu Qingyao looked at Wu Yan’s faded plain white Daoist robe.
“Senior Sister, you made me buy a set; shouldn’t you buy one for yourself too? After all, you’re not the only one from the Piaomiao Sect going to receive an award tomorrow.”
Under Yu Qingyao’s strong insistence, Wu Yan also bought an ink-black long dress with gold trim.
The ink-black dress was woven from Floating Light Brocade, faintly shimmering with an eerie light. The clouds intricately embroidered with dark gold thread at the collar and cuffs seemed to flow under the indoor light. A black-gold belt with a winding branch pattern was tied around her waist, outlining the girl’s originally slender figure into a tall and proud one.
Seeing Yu Qingyao’s sparkling eyes, the shop assistant knew she had made the right choice.
Wu Yan looked at herself in the mirror and had to admit that this appearance was indeed much more pleasing to the eye than her usual clothes.
When the two left Jinxiu Pavilion, the evening glow had already dyed the marble bricks of the market into a warm orange.
Wu Yan and Yu Qingyao came to a quiet path along the river. The weeping willows on both banks swayed gently in the evening breeze, their tips touching the water and creating ripples.
Yu Qingyao’s steps were very light, and her mood seemed quite good. From time to time, she turned sideways, admiring her slender reflection in the river water.
The black and white reflections intertwined in the shimmering light, looking exceptionally well-matched.
The afterglow of the setting sun fell on Yu Qingyao. The frost-white robe paired with her chestnut-colored long hair was indeed beautifully elegant and refined.
However, something was missing.
—
Night fell.
Wu Yan took Yu Qingyao to Jincheng Mountain. From here, one could see the entire city at a glance.
Wu Yan’s voice was particularly clear on the mountain peak, where only the mountain wind whistled.
“Qingyao, what day is it today?”
“Day? What day?” Yu Qingyao blinked, somewhat puzzled. “Today is May 11. Could it be some auspicious day for mountain climbing?”
Indeed, Wu Yan’s behavior today was very strange. Not only did she uncharacteristically invite her out shopping, but she also brought her to the mountaintop to see the scenery.
However, in her memory, today should have been an ordinary day, just like the thousands of days in her previous life, without any special meaning.
Wu Yan looked at her and did not answer.
“For you.”
She took a long brocade box from her Storage Bag and handed it to Yu Qingyao.
“What’s going on today? First buying clothes, and now giving gifts…”
“Open it,” Wu Yan said, brief as always.
With a *click*, a crisp chill filled the air.
The inside of the brocade box was lined with red velvet. On the red velvet mat lay a translucent and exquisitely crafted hairpin.
The hairpin was approximately five inches long and made of Ice Marrow. The body was slender and polished to a round, flawless finish. With each change in angle, the halo within the hairpin shifted. The head of the hairpin was carved into a hollow, half-bloomed snow lotus, with layers of petals that looked lifelike.
At the same time, Wu Yan’s usually cold voice was now as gentle as water, flowing into Yu Qingyao’s heart:
“Qingyao, today is your birthdate.”
Birthdate?
Those two words smashed through her memory like a giant hammer.
In her previous life, ever since the Piaomiao Sect was exterminated, she had spent her life fleeing and seeking revenge. Every day was spent calculating how to survive, how to roll in the mud, and how to get revenge.
A birthdate? That was a privilege for children who were loved, something a lonely orphan burdened with a blood feud could hardly hope for.
She actually had a birthdate.
She had forgotten it herself.
But Wu Yan remembered, and she remembered it much more deeply than she did.
“I checked the registry of the sect’s disciples, and it says your birthdate is today.”
Seeing Yu Qingyao remain silent for a long time, Wu Yan thought she didn’t like it, so she tried to explain the hairpin’s effects. “You have a Fire Spirit Root, and your daily cultivation can easily cause fire energy to accumulate in your body. This hairpin is made of Ice Marrow. Wearing it on your head can help you clear your mind, calm your spirit, and nourish your Sea of Consciousness. Additionally, there is a Defense Array carved inside.”
Tears fell without warning, hitting the hairpin with a faint sound.
“Senior Sister…”
Yu Qingyao’s hands trembled as she held the box, and her voice choked.
It turned out there was someone willing to stand in front of her when danger came; someone willing to remember a birthdate she couldn’t even remember herself; someone willing to take her out, give her gifts, and even consider her safety with just a hairpin.
So this was what it felt like to be kept in someone’s heart.
She hadn’t felt this way for a long, long time.
Yu Qingyao looked up, and in her tearful eyes, Wu Yan’s flustered expression was reflected.
Yu Qingyao sniffled and handed the box to Wu Yan. She stared at her with burning eyes, her voice carrying an expectation that Wu Yan could not understand:
“I wonder if Senior Sister would be willing to put it on for me?”
Delicate stars worked their craft as the Silver River crossed in secret.
Whether in the mortal world or the cultivation world, there was a saying: giving a woman a hairpin and doing her hair meant a lifelong promise.
Unfortunately, Wu Yan didn’t understand this.
In her view, this was just a way to stop Yu Qingyao from crying.
“Alright, don’t move.”
Wu Yan breathed a sigh of relief. As long as she didn’t dislike it, it was fine.
Yu Qingyao’s chestnut hair fell smoothly.
Just as her fingertips touched the strands of hair—
With a *shing*, a hand blocked her.
“YOU DARE!”
A sharp cry of anger erupted, causing Wu Yan to stop her movements.
“If you really put it on her, THIS SEAT WILL SKIN HER ALIVE!”
The inner Wu Yan’s dissatisfaction was palpable. But when Wu Yan asked why she wouldn’t let her put the hairpin on Yu Qingyao, she stammered and refused to speak.
In the end, she only left behind nonsensical words like ‘unfaithful man’ and ‘dead wood’ before disappearing.
Wu Yan herself did not like wearing hairpins, so she was not skilled at this. Several times, she almost pulled Yu Qingyao’s hair.
When her fingertips occasionally touched Yu Qingyao’s warm earlobes, the girl’s body would tremble slightly, and even her originally fair neck was stained with a layer of crimson.
Finally, the hairpin was firmly inserted into the bun.
An ice-blue shimmer flickered amidst the chestnut hair. The ice lotus landed just right by her temple, making the girl’s profile appear even more elegant and refined.
Now it felt like nothing was missing.
Wu Yan took a step back and nodded with satisfaction. “It suits you well.”
—
The road down the mountain seemed much shorter than the one up.
When the two returned to the courtyard under the moonlight, the entire place was quiet. Even the lanterns that usually hung under the corridor were extinguished, giving off an eerie silence.
“What’s happening? Is everyone asleep?” Yu Qingyao pushed open the gate with some confusion.
Several salutes powered by Spiritual Power suddenly exploded, and the dark courtyard hall was instantly brightly lit.
“Happy birthday!”
Xia Lingshuang, Zhao Wuji, Su Qianqian, Gu Jian, Lin Xiao, Elder Sun, and even Bai Zhiqiu were there.
In the center of the crowd, everyone gathered around Yu Qingyao to offer their blessings.
When Bai Zhiqiu gave her gift, she leaned in close to Yu Qingyao and stared at the hairpin for a long time.
“Fellow Daoist Yu, I wonder where this hairpin came from?”
Yu Qingyao subconsciously raised her hand to touch the hairpin.
A cold sensation came from the half-bloomed lotus carving.
“It’s a secret.”
Even so, Yu Qingyao’s gaze involuntarily drifted toward someone.
Bai Zhiqiu gave a meaningful “Oh” and said, “Then you must guard this secret well. Don’t let anyone else find out~”