Moonlight poured down from the heavens, bathing the small courtyard of Ye Chen’s residence in silver.
The ancient tree in the yard swayed gently with the night breeze.
Inside the quiet room, Ye Chen sat cross-legged.
His eyes were gently closed, his breath long and steady, blending into the surrounding silence.
Spiritual energy gathered around him, then, like a gentle stream, slowly flowed into his limbs and bones.
To him, cultivation was not a bitter journey, but a return to the origin of breathing—a most ordinary conversation with the ultimate principles of heaven and earth.
Suddenly, amidst the tranquility, a faint noise crept in.
It was neither the sound of wind nor the chirping of insects.
It was the sound of deliberately suppressed footsteps, accompanied by a faintly sweet scent of orchid and musk, made more prominent by the night wind.
Ye Chen’s eyelashes did not move, nor did the rhythm of his breathing falter.
Within his spiritual perception, the sneaky figure approaching was as clear as a painting—every tiny movement traced with precision.
The door was quietly pushed open a crack.
A slender shadow was cast onto the ground, stretched long by the moonlight.
The newcomer was Xiao Xiao.
She was obviously well-dressed today.
A light purple gauze dress, embroidered with a few elegant flowers at the hem, swayed slightly with her light steps.
Her long hair, usually tied up carelessly, was now loosely secured with a jade hairpin, with a few playful strands hanging by her ear, making her fair face appear even more delicate.
The faint fragrance lingering in the air emanated from her.
Seeing that Ye Chen was still sitting with his eyes closed, seemingly unaware, a trace of mischief flashed in her eyes.
Step by step, she quietly moved behind Ye Chen, unable to hold back a soft hum in her heart, ready to pounce like a kitten and startle him.
However, just as she held her breath and leaned forward—
Ye Chen opened his eyes.
Those eyes were as calm as ever, undisturbed, reflecting her slightly frozen figure.
“……”
Xiao Xiao’s movement froze in mid-air, the smug smile she’d rehearsed on her face unable to fully bloom before it dissolved into surprise.
Ye Chen did not rise, merely turned his head slightly, breaking the silence.
“Xiao Xiao, why are you here?”
Caught in the act, a faint blush crept onto Xiao Xiao’s cheeks.
She awkwardly withdrew her hand, no longer playing tricks, and stood in place, a bit shy and at a loss for words.
Ye Chen’s gaze lingered on her briefly.
From the style of her hairpin, to the color of her dress, to the fragrance that was different from her usual scent.
These details could not escape his perception.
He did not probe into her motives, but simply offered an objective assessment based on the facts.
“You look nice today.”
A calm statement, yet it instantly loosened Xiao Xiao’s tense nerves.
She quietly breathed a sigh of relief, reciting in her heart:
Effective, Yue Qi Senior Sister’s method really works.
The first step is to make him notice something different.
Suppressing the joy in her heart, she sat down beside Ye Chen, so close she could feel the warmth of his arm.
“I… I originally wanted to startle you, Young Master.”
She found an excuse for her earlier actions, her voice tinged with a youthful bashfulness.
The corner of Ye Chen’s lips curved ever so slightly—so faint it was almost invisible.
“Mm, then next time I’ll pretend to be scared to cooperate with you.”
“Pfft.”
Xiao Xiao was amused by his overly serious reply, covering her mouth as her eyes curved into crescents.
The previous tension vanished without a trace.
She shifted slightly, naturally extending her right hand to gently grasp Ye Chen’s arm resting on his knee.
His arm was well-shaped, cool to the touch, and conveyed a sense of steady strength even through the fabric.
Xiao Xiao leaned a little, nearly half resting against him, her delicately shod feet tapping softly on the floor, the tips of her shoes making faint sounds as they touched.
“Young Master, are you going to participate in the inner sect strength assessment today?”
She looked at Ye Chen’s profile, asking softly.
“Mm.”
Ye Chen nodded.
“It’s the Steward Hall’s arrangement. Has the test for your Heavenly Sword Peak ended?”
“Mn.”
Xiao Xiao replied, her voice soft and sweet.
“The test for the seventy-two main peaks ended long ago, even before I came, so I didn’t participate.”
She paused, unconsciously tightening her grip on his arm.
“I… I came specifically to watch you take the test, Young Master. You must do your best today.”
Ye Chen’s gaze flickered slightly.
He could sense the deliberation in Xiao Xiao’s words, and the hidden motive behind her excessive closeness—one that had little to do with “watching the test.”
But he did not expose her, simply following her words.
“Just to watch me take the test?”
“……”
Xiao Xiao’s smile stiffened.
She did not answer, only pressed her cheek closer, her nose nearly touching his shoulder.
She blinked, using an almost coquettish tone to change the subject.
“Young Master, there’s still plenty of time before your test. Should we… do something else?”
Do something else?
Ye Chen’s thoughts lingered briefly on the phrase “something else.”
He looked into Xiao Xiao’s eyes, filled with expectation, his own reflection mirrored in their clear depths.
In his understanding, “doing something else” was nothing more than a way to pass the time.
After a moment of thought, he offered a logical suggestion.
“Very well. Then let’s go for a walk.”
“Ah?”
Xiao Xiao puffed her cheeks, stunned.
No.
This wasn’t how Yue Qi Senior Sister’s script went at all!
According to her analysis, when a girl, in the quiet of the night, alone with a man, says “do something else” with such suggestiveness, the response shouldn’t be… shouldn’t be like this!
In her mind, she had rehearsed countless possibilities: a gentle gaze, ambiguous silence, or even something more—but never “go for a walk.”
What was this? A post-meal stroll?
Before she could recover from the cognitive dissonance, Ye Chen had already stood up, his robes fluttering as he walked straight to the door.
“Let’s go.”
“……”
Xiao Xiao stared at his back, now at the doorway, and stomped her foot in frustration, her mind in turmoil.
It’s ruined… but… but why did it turn out like this?
She didn’t have time to think, only able to follow, full of unwillingness.
The moonlight was like water, spilling over the stone paths of the sect.
The two walked, one ahead and one behind, without a word.