Under the Peach Tree, the youth leaned back, lifting his eyes to gaze first at the tree, then at the moon.
Yun Mu was wondering if he should leave and return to his stable to sleep.
He reached out and caught a fallen petal, which had about five lobes.
“Don’t leave, leave, don’t leave, leave, don’t leave…”
Without carefully counting, he tore the petals off one by one, murmuring to himself until he caught the very last one.
His heart twitched slightly, and he hesitated to drop it.
“Don’t leave, leave…”
He gently tore the final petal into two pieces and counted again.
In his eyes, although he had artificially altered Fate, it was still Fate.
Because his master, Lin Xizhi, had once told him in a drunken moment:
“Fate is not unchangeable; following your True Heart is the right way. So, when what happens is against your will, and you have the ability to change it, you must always put ‘I’ first.”
At the time, Yun Mu was still young and did not understand this so-called Fate or True Heart.
He only nodded blankly.
In his heart, his master’s words were correct, and agreeing with her was naturally right.
But later on, he roughly understood the meaning behind those words.
After all, Lin Xizhi could have chosen not to send him away from the Shangguan family, or to let him fall into the Endless Abyss where bodies were untraceable.
Yet she did those things.
“For my master, everything she did was in accordance with her True Heart.”
The youth muttered softly to himself.
His right foot had already crossed the doorway when he caught sight of a cherry-blossom pink skirt hem like a peach blossom.
Before he could fully react, darkness enveloped him softly, the tight embrace making it hard to breathe.
“Xun Yi… Miss…”
Yun Mu tried to struggle a little, but the soft touch he inadvertently made caused the girl’s cheeks to flush, perfectly matching her dress.
With a gentle push, came a coquettish scolding.
“Yun Mu, why didn’t I realize before that you’re such a clumsy little rascal?”
He lifted his eyes to look at the girl standing above him, arms folded across her chest, unsure how to respond.
Though Shangguan Xun Yi had indeed been at fault for the surprise attack and the unintentional embrace—both causes of the accidental touch—it was only by reason.
In the youth’s mind, though rules, etiquette, and reason were on equal footing, he understood that when there was a vast gap in status and identity between two people, etiquette far outweighed ordinary reason. After all—
In such cases, the rules were set by those above, and the logic was spoken by those with power.
So, without hesitation, he slightly bowed and apologized, intending to make a big matter small and a small matter disappear.
“Sorry, I didn’t mean it.”
“Sorry? Tell me… is that really how you plan to keep things awkward between us?”
“Awkward…?”
“Yes, not accepting your elder sister’s affection, isn’t that awkward?”
The complaint came clearly from the girl’s lips, her pouty, sulking round face in full view.
The youth still wore a blank expression, not knowing how to reply, his heart even more confused.
Awkward…?
But shouldn’t the distance between us have started with avoiding suspicion?
“What’s wrong? Staring at my face?”
Seeing Yun Mu’s silence, the girl took a couple of quick steps closer and bent down slightly.
“Is it because you think your sister looks even prettier now? Or have you come to your senses and decided to be my Jin Tong Yu Nu?”
Their eyes met, apricot eyes shimmering like ripples in peach blossoms.
Beneath her smile lay the charm of an elder sister, and her slender jade hand teased his chin.
The fragrance from her sleeves wafted gently, intoxicating under the moonlight.
“If that’s the case, then come with Sister Xun Yi. I’ll take you away from this place, how about that?”
If this had been an ordinary young man, Shangguan Xun Yi’s seductive gestures and flirtatious words would have made him drop to his knees panting and calling for his mother.
Of course, she wouldn’t treat anyone else this way.
Unfortunately, Yun Mu had been accustomed to such scenes over the past three years.
Perhaps in the beginning, he had been shy and naive, but now, this routine no longer flustered or confused him.
“Miss Xun Yi, if there’s nothing else, I’ll take my leave. Tomorrow will be busy, and I need rest. After all… not everyone has the leisure time to engage in these strange antics like you do.”
“Yun Mu, I was just—”
The girl bit her trembling lip, unable to say the words
“save you.”
She didn’t want him to resent Shangguan Qiuyue because of what she said, nor did she want him to feel sad once he learned the truth.
After all, no matter what, he had lived in the Shangguan family for so long.
She didn’t dare imagine how hurt he would be if he knew she had saved him only to be used as a Yao Yin.
“Goodbye, Miss Xun Yi.”
Yun Mu pushed away the girl’s delicate hand, his eyes lowered, unwilling to meet her tear-filled gaze. After about five steps, his mouth parted slightly, silently whispering the words
“I’m sorry.”
That cutting remark, like a poison, was deliberately said by Yun Mu to make Shangguan Xun Yi hate him thoroughly.
The less attachment there was, the easier it would be for him to leave with peace of mind.
It was a selfish choice, but he had no regrets.
At least, this way, when he died, she wouldn’t be so heartbroken.
The two… gradually drifted apart.
The sound… grew quieter and quieter.
“Yun Mu!”
A shout made the youth, who was about to leave, suddenly turn around.
The girl hurriedly rushed toward him, and with a soft “plop,” Shangguan Xun Yi easily knocked him to the ground.
A hairpin fell, her hair spilled over his face, stirring his heart.
Looking at the face so close to his own, Yun Mu sighed helplessly.
He gently tried to break free but found himself pinned firmly to the ground.
He understood this was not just because of differences in height and weight, but the gap between a cultivator and a mortal.
“Miss Xun Yi, please stop this…”
“No, I finally caught you, why would I let go?”
The girl pressed her legs gently and tightened her hold on his waist, lowering her head to whisper,
“Or are you just shy?”
The tingling sensation spread from her breath along his ear to his entire body.
Closing his eyes tightly, the faint, lingering fragrance brushed his nose.
The normally calm youth was now a mess of emotions.
“Yun Mu, why aren’t you saying anything? When you held Qiuyue just now, you didn’t react like this. Why can’t you handle me?”
Her face so close, her warm breath caressed his cheek.
He was so confused he couldn’t tell if the girl’s actions were out of jealousy toward Shangguan Qiuyue, or if she was simply teasing him.
Seeing his face flush to the ears, Shangguan Xun Yi paused briefly before narrowing her eyes and unconsciously licking her lips.
A faint green spiritual energy rippled at her tongue tip.
She sat up, giggling.
“Yun Mu, Yun Mu, I thought I wasn’t charming,”
she said softly, pulling the youth up but still straddling him,
“Turns out it’s just because I didn’t do it right?”
Her hands already caressed his neck.
“Miss…”
Before he could speak, her lips pressed onto his.
“Mm…”
Though it was his first kiss, Shangguan Xun Yi sent her tongue out clumsily but like a fine rain—soft, gentle, and lingering.
Yun Mu instinctively wanted to break free but was held down by her soft, flowing touch.
His mind went blank.
Miss Xun Yi…
Their breaths intertwined, and then, drowsiness washed over him.
After a long while, the girl released her hands, her head lowered so her expression was hidden, but her rapid breathing and heaving chest betrayed her excitement.
She raised a hand to soothe her chest, inhaling and exhaling several times before calming.
Under the moonlight, that enchanting face now bore a shy blush.
Her lips trembled as she whispered,
“Yun Mu… you must take responsibility for me. This was my first kiss with anyone,”
she pinched his cheek and coquettishly said,
“I did it all to intoxicate you, my stubborn ghost, and take you away.”
She stood, effortlessly lifting the frail youth onto her back, and headed toward the moonlight.
“Yun Mu, you know? The first kiss I imagined should have been more romantic…”
“You’ll make it up to me later.”