“You are the very opportunity I have been searching for.”
“Me?”
Under Hua Yan’s stunned gaze, Yun Xuechang softly hummed an affirmation and continued:
“Yes, as I just said, it was you who gave me inspiration back then.”
“Remember? That year on the Hehuan Sect’s Yin-Yang Platform, you first used Painting Dao, Sound Cultivation’s soul attacks, and Illusion Techniques, catching me completely off guard. At that time, you reminded me like this—”
Her eyes bright, she mimicked the proud and flamboyant tone of Hua Yan from that year using her own airy, calm voice:
“Hah! So this is the level of the Righteous Path’s prodigies? No different from mere small fry!”
“Someone like you, who only knows how to swing a sword and use a single technique—it’ll be a long time before you can defeat me!”
“Yan’er, you were right back then. It took me a very long time to defeat you—much longer than any other opponent I’ve faced.”
“From then on, I truly understood your words. Over these ten years, I have been slowly integrating the insights from Dao Discussions and the ways of others into my own Sword Method, and as a result, I have developed several new Sword Techniques.”
Returning from her memories, Yun Xuechang gazed into Hua Yan’s eyes in the darkness and solemnly thanked her:
“Thank you for your guidance back then, Yan’er.”
???
‘Was I guiding you?! That was clearly a provocation!’
Hua Yan’s face instantly flushed bright red, torn between embarrassment and indignation.
If anyone else had said this, she would have taken it as sarcasm and snapped back on the spot…
But this was Yun Xuechang speaking—judging from Hua Yan’s understanding of this sword-obsessed fool, she most likely really hadn’t detected the provocation in her tone at all, instead taking those words as genuine guidance.
Thinking this, Hua Yan grew even more awkward, lowering her head unconsciously, her cheeks burning hot enough to catch fire.
After all, back then, after she had let out that arrogant provocation, she was defeated head-on by Yun Xuechang, losing fair and square…
“Honestly, Yan’er, you are the strongest opponent I have ever met.”
Yun Xuechang completely failed to notice Hua Yan’s current embarrassment, thinking she was just being shy as usual, and continued:
“Actually, back then, I wanted to have a good exchange with you after the match. But then you suddenly turned into a girl, and then you kissed me, the one who caught you.”
As she spoke, she smiled slightly, looking at the lowered head of Hua Yan with a hint of expectation:
“Yan’er, did you fall in love with me at first sight back then, so you took the initiative to kiss me?”
She paused, a hint of regret in her tone:
“Sorry, at that time I didn’t understand such feelings. And because of matters in the sect, I went back directly without waiting for you to wake up.”
If the sect hadn’t summoned her then, if she could have stayed in the Hehuan Sect and waited for Yan’er to wake up, could they have gotten together ten years earlier?
She gazed at the top of Hua Yan’s head, her heart filled with hopeful fantasies.
“I only kissed you back then because of the aphrodisiac effect of the Yin-Yang Platform! Not because I liked you!”
Hua Yan retorted loudly, shattering her fantasy.
“Oh…”
Yun Xuechang nodded, slightly aggrieved.
Seeing the unhappy expression on her cool face, Hua Yan’s heart softened. She cleared her throat and averted her gaze, saying:
“Ahem… Actually, maybe there was a little bit of liking! Just a little!”
‘I’ll tell a little lie to coax this girl. Anyway, she’s simple-minded and easy to fool.’
As for whether she really liked Yun Xuechang ten years ago… At that time, Hua Yan only saw her as a cold-faced jerk with a dark sense of humor, just like Su Feiyao—not a hint of affection, let alone love.
“Mm!”
The simple-minded Yun Xuechang naturally believed her easily. She hugged Hua Yan happily, buried her face in her soft, delicate shoulder, and rubbed against her affectionately.
“Oh, alright, alright. Stop nuzzling me like a puppy.”
Hua Yan said this while gently pushing Yun Xuechang’s head, but the corners of her mouth involuntarily rose, and a touch of sweetness spread in her heart from the other’s pure love.
‘This girl is way too easy to please. A few soft words and she’s this happy… She really is a fool to the bone.’
‘Good thing she met me, Hua Yan. If she ran into some bad woman out to swindle money, she’d probably even have her Autumn Water Sword tricked away.’
However, after a brief moment of sweetness, a new jealousy crept into Hua Yan’s heart:
“Then, Xue Shang, what if the one who gave you inspiration back in the Hehuan Sect wasn’t me, but someone else? Would you have fallen for her? Would you have let her kiss you?”
‘This sword fool—she wouldn’t be the type to fall for whoever gives her inspiration, would she?’
As she thought this, the corners of Hua Yan’s mouth, which had been lifted, flattened, and a sour feeling rose in her heart.
“I wouldn’t.”
To Hua Yan’s surprise, Yun Xuechang answered quickly and sincerely:
“Perhaps I didn’t explain clearly just now, which made you misunderstand. When I said ‘maybe I had a little crush on you ten years ago,’ that ‘little’ was truly only a tiny bit—no more than a little extra fondness. I don’t think that counts as real love.”
“For these ten years, I didn’t think of you much. And because of the Righteous-Demonic opposition, I never even had the thought of looking for you.”
She lifted her head from the crook of Hua Yan’s neck and looked her sincerely in the eyes again:
“If it were now, with how much I love you, I would definitely come looking for you in person.”
“It was only after we reunited that I truly fell in love with you. In these months of days and nights together, I have come to love your lively personality, your hidden gentleness, your cute stubbornness, your beautiful appearance, your smile, your red hair…”
“Perhaps none of these points alone is enough to be the reason I love you. But when they all come together to form the person named ‘Hua Yan,’ I love you.”
Yun Xuechang’s eyes curved gently, and she said softly:
“That’s why I said I can only love you, Hua Yan. The one I love is you, and only you.”
This series of straightforward and passionate “I love you”s made Hua Yan’s cheeks burn fiercely, and her heartbeat quickened.
She could only respond in a voice as faint as a mosquito’s buzz.
Although on New Year’s Eve, during Yue Jue’s questioning, she had heard similar words from Yun Xuechang—but back then, Yun Xuechang had only been listing her good points.
This was the first time she had poured out her love so unreservedly, sentence by sentence.
“Actually, the reason I let you kiss me back then without dodging was because when I saw your female appearance, I was captivated by your eyes.”
“I was a bit dazed at the time, and before I could react, you kissed me.”
“So, you were attracted to my looks at first sight after all?”
Hua Yan raised her eyes, her tone carrying a hint of playful reproach, but no real anger in her gaze.
“Mm… Even though it might sound frivolous, it was indeed your appearance that drew me in at first.”
Yun Xuechang thought seriously for a moment, then nodded honestly without concealment.
“Hmph, you…”
Hua Yan let out a tsundere snort and shot her a sideways glare, but she couldn’t hide the smile at the corners of her mouth.
‘A fair lady is a gentleman’s pursuit… Even if this fool was first enchanted by my female appearance, in any case, she’s set on no one but me…’
‘In any case, this answer isn’t bad in my opinion.’
“So, Yan’er, are we clear now?”
Yun Xuechang blinked, looking at Hua Yan with anticipation:
“Now, I want to kiss you again. May I?”
“It’s time to sleep, and you’re still thinking about kissing…”
Hua Yan frowned slightly, looking at her with a hint of dissatisfaction.
“Just… just one kiss, okay? No mo— Mmm!”
Before she could finish speaking, her face red and eyes closed, Yun Xuechang saw her tacit consent, her eyes instantly brightening.
She leaned down slightly and quickly kissed her soft lips, gently silencing her unfinished words.
In the night’s bedroom, the candle had been extinguished, leaving only the faint moonlight outside the window.
The two girls’ bodies pressed tightly together, red hair and white intertwining in the darkness, the kiss lingering, love fully displayed.
This kiss spanned a full ten years.
Ten years ago, they had performed an absurd play by chance, and because of a young girl’s innocence and infatuation with beauty, they left behind that light kiss.
Ten years later, their hearts were one, already lovers bound to each other, kissing with deep passion, burning fervor, and unyielding devotion.