Drip.
A drop of clear water seeped down from a ten-thousand-year-old stalactite on the cave ceiling and splashed against the stone floor, scattering a small spray.
Tianyan instinctively parted her red lips to scold him, but the moment she did, she swallowed the words back down.
Faint light filtered in from the mouth of the cave. The man's unbound hair fluttered gently in the stray breeze, his expression veiled in the shadows cast against the light.
For their level of cultivation, physical light could no longer obstruct their vision.
And so, Tianyan clearly saw the look in his eyes.
A dozen paces away, the man was as calm as a secluded pond, his gaze cool and distant as if looking upon a stranger. The complex emotion from moments ago seemed like nothing more than a fleeting mirage.
Silent in their locked gaze, Tianyan instinctively wanted to look away.
His gaze reminded her of things from the past.
Everything in this illusion was so real—so real that everyone seemed to possess a living, breathing soul.
Just like the brother and sister they had encountered in their first year...
A chance encounter in a secret realm, followed by a meticulously planned journey across the realm together.
Tianyan had quietly watched Xu Yuan's actions from the side.
She watched him deliberately approach that noble pair of siblings; watched him exploit their status to slip past layer after layer of inspections and dragnets; and watched his relationship with the young woman grow closer and closer.
Amid banter after banter, frolic after frolic, and blush after blush, the distance between him and her shrank steadily.
She remembered that journey lasting half a year, but all feasts under heaven must come to an end.
When they parted ways beneath the azure skies of Mount Mokong, unexpectedly, that woman, gentle and picturesque as mist and rain, actually asked her to convey her affection to him.
For on the surface, the relationship she and Xu Yuan had feigned was that of brother and sister.
That night,
watching the flush that crept across the woman's face as she poured out her girlish longing, Tianyan had simply listened in silence.
She did not understand. She could not comprehend how such a woman could fall for a rogue like Xu Yuan.
He was neither a refined gentleman, nor an honest and brave youth, nor a steady, profound soul. All he possessed was a glib tongue and wild, unruly flippancy.
Could someone like that truly be loved?
Still, it did not matter. All she needed to do was deliver the message.
She passed along the words verbatim to him.
And his response had been a single, flat...
"Oh."
Seeing the fellow's callous reaction, Tianyan had felt a strange urge to laugh.
Perhaps she felt pity for that woman, perhaps indignation, or perhaps some other emotions. After conveying the message, she had not left immediately. Instead, smoothing her skirts, she sat down beside him.
Late at night, the wind atop the mountain swept through the sea of trees with a biting chill, rustling like ocean tides.
He was visibly surprised by her sitting down, and asked with a chuckle:
"What, still have business?"
She looked at him and nodded seriously:
"Yes."
"Oh?"
Xu Yuan let out a soft exclamation of doubt. He stared at her for several seconds, stroked his chin, and asked with a rather strange expression:
"Looking so solemn...
"Tsk, don't tell me that woman's brother said he fancied me too?"
Tianyan froze for an instant, then glared at him once she realized what he meant:
"Disgusting."
"Just a joke."
Xu Yuan grinned, then looked out over the sea of trees beneath the peak, his long hair drifting in the wind. "So... what is it really?"
Tianyan also looked out at the darkening forest:
"Did you know all along that she had feelings for you?"
"I'm not an idiot. The way that woman looked at me was practically dripping with desire. Of course I knew."
"Ziqiu's feelings... could you not..."
"Wait."
He cut her off, turning his gaze back to her with a bizarre look:
"Are you trying to stand up for her?"
Tianyan met his gaze calmly, her eyes placid:
"Do you truly have no other reaction?"
Xu Yuan sat cross-legged, leaning back with his hands propped against the ground, cocking his head to look at her with a light chuckle:
"What kind of reaction do you think I should have?"
"At least not so cold."
"Why?"
"Because her feelings for you were genuine. Even if you don't accept them, you should take them seriously."
"So, you want me to reject her?"
"Accept or reject, at the very least you should give her an answer."
"Heh."
With a soft chuckle, Xu Yuan looked up at the vast sea of stars sprawling across the sky:
"I refuse."
"Why?" Tianyan's willow brows knitted slightly.
"Those siblings are the children of Saints. We might need them in the future," Xu Yuan replied as if it were only natural. "If I reject her now, cutting off all hope, it won't be easy to meet again."
"..."
Tianyan's brow furrowed even tighter. Just as she was about to speak, she was cut off by his cool, sharp voice:
"If you want to lecture me on moral high grounds, save your breath.
"You know full well what kind of situation we're in. This parting is precisely because those pursuers have caught onto our trail. My choice is the most advantageous one for us."
"..."
Starlight cascaded down like a waterfall, illuminating the deep gleam in his eyes.
After a long silence, Tianyan suddenly gave a soft scoff:
"I have no right to lecture you either. But acting like this, when women come knocking on your door to collect emotional debts in the future, don't expect me to stand up for you."
As she spoke, she slowly rose to her feet, looking down at the faint lights of human dwellings at the foot of the mountain, asking quietly:
"So on Ziqiu's side, should I say you want time to think it over?"
"No, tell her straight that I cannot reciprocate her feelings right now."
Pausing for a moment, Xu Yuan smiled faintly, looking toward the southern horizon: "The Overseeing Heaven Pavilion has already approached their Saint parents. News of our identities should reach them soon enough. When that time comes, it might prove useful."
Tianyan glanced at the man seated cross-legged by the cliff and scoffed:
"Callous and ungrateful."
Xu Yuan grinned, meeting her gaze half-jokingly:
"Didn't I do all this for you and me?"
Tianyan looked down at him sideways:
"Xu Changtian, don't pull that routine with me."
The corner of Xu Yuan's lips curved faintly as he lay back directly onto the grassy meadow of the peak, replying languidly:
"Fine, fine, fine, I won't play games with you."
"..."
Tianyan scoffed internally and said no more. She turned to leave, but after walking a dozen paces, she abruptly stopped.
"Something else?" Xu Yuan rested his hands behind his head, his tone lazy: "If you have something to say, could you say it all at once?"
Tianyan did not turn around:
"Living together day and night for half a year... did you truly feel not a shred of affection for her?"
"..."
Silence.
After several seconds,
"Affection? Of course there was."
His voice drifted quietly: "After all, Ziqiu is such a picturesque, gentle beauty. What man wouldn't be tempted? But at most, that was just coveting her body."
"..." Crude, Tianyan thought, watching as the man slowly propped himself up.
Xu Yuan looked at her back with a smile playing at his lips:
"The sort of love that arises without knowing why, running deeper and deeper—that's not likely to happen to me.
"I'm a very purpose-driven person. From the very beginning, those two siblings were nothing more than tools to help us escape.
"With that as the starting purpose, do you think I'd fall for a tool and get myself tangled up?"
Saying that, Xu Yuan spread his hands:
"Besides, this is an illusion. We'll leave sooner or later. Having a romance across time with a fair maiden whose grave has been overgrown for ten thousand years might sound romantic, but I don't want to make myself miserable.
"Longing for what cannot be had—I don't ever want to experience that again.
"So you see, one has to cut their losses in time."
As the words fell,
the mountain breeze gently brushed past, rustling their robes and sending ripples across the emerald grass like waves in a field of wheat.
She suddenly looked back, catching the faint smile at the corner of his lips and the calm, dark gaze in his narrow phoenix eyes—still and deep as a secluded pond...
Cut losses...
Cut losses...
Inside the cave, silence still reigned.
Gazes intertwined in the air.
Tianyan's expression was icy, her fair hands clenched tightly beneath her sleeves.
She wanted to say something to defuse the tension, but suppressed the urge.
Tianyan looked at him, her words sharp and uncompromising:
"What does that have to do with me? Xu Changtian, what if you go out recklessly and leave behind traces of your qi aura?"
She assumed the bastard would retort out of spite with something like, "Whether I live or die, what does it have to do with you?"
Yet a single airy remark from Xu Yuan completely derailed what she had prepared to say:
"Are you out of your mind, or do you think I am?"
Tianyan froze:
"What?"
Xu Yuan shook his head faintly and walked straight toward the cave entrance:
"After fleeing for so long, I can still remember such basic precautions. No need for you to worry yourself. I'm just going out to catch some game to satisfy my appetite."
"Halt!" Tianyan's voice rose slightly.
Xu Yuan let out a soft sigh and paused again, a hint of impatience in his tone:
"Tianyan, we're supposed to just be in a cooperative relationship. Well, after seven years together, we might count as friends, but even so, why on earth should I have to take orders from you?"
Tianyan took a deep breath and demanded:
"Are you angry? What kind of situation are we in, and you're throwing a tantrum now?!"
"Me, angry?"
Hearing this, Xu Yuan laughed, amused yet exasperated: "Why would I be angry? If anything, I should thank you for what you said earlier."
As he spoke,
Xu Yuan's voice leveled into a calm tone:
"Living together for seven years, I almost forgot this is merely an illusion. Thank you for reminding me.
"Heh... once we get out, I will still be the Third Young Master of the Prime Minister's Manor, and you will still be the Saintess of the Overseeing Heaven Pavilion.
"For someone like me, whose fate cannot be divined, whether out of our family factions or as individuals, there is an insurmountable chasm between us.
"So, it truly is better for us to keep it purely cooperative."
"..."
A complex, bitter pang spread through her chest, but Tianyan maintained her calm facade.
What he had just said was precisely what she had been contemplating.
Sitting back down on the prayer mat, Tianyan closed her eyes, her words cool, yet bearing an imperceptible tremor:
"Look after yourself then."
"..."
Without another word, Xu Yuan walked straight out of the cave. The smile on his face gradually faded, replaced by complexity.
Yet the moment he stepped beyond Tianyan's detection range, he instantly reverted to his usual lazy, nonchalant demeanor.
Was he angry?
Of course not.
Rather, how could he possibly get angry over something so trivial?
In seven years together, he had long understood Tianyan's character inside out.
She was soft all over, except for her stubborn mouth.
Toward him, her habit of being harsh in word but gentle in deed was practically an endearing trait.
Those parting words just now—he had spoken them deliberately.
Honesty only made one a simp.
Tactics won hearts.
Their relationship had developed to a bottleneck by now, because both knew this was merely an illusion, and the reality outside was where they truly lived.
This reservation applied not only to him, but to Tianyan as well.
If they allowed things to develop unchecked, it would eventually become a massive Source Crystal bomb buried between them.
Rather than waiting for that, it was better to detonate it ahead of time.
If the wound could heal, everything would fall into place naturally.
If it couldn't, then let things run their course.
The cicadas buzzed noisily in the forest, dappled light filtering through the dense canopy.
Xu Yuan looked up, and for a fleeting moment, a self-deprecating smile played at his lips.
He suddenly realized he was getting a bit too absorbed in the role.
Clearly, he had resolved at the beginning to treat this washboard Saintess as nothing more than a tool.
Yet no one had a heart of stone. Even a pet kept for seven years would evoke feelings, to say nothing of Tianyan, with whom he had shared life and death.
At that thought, Xu Yuan tugged at the hair behind his head in mild irritation, then let out an easygoing laugh.
In his past life, he had seen plenty of breakups and makeups, fast-food romances, and the fleeting thrill of one-night stands. In this life, accompanying Tianyan to experience a slow-burning pure romance was not unacceptable.
However...
That was strictly limited to within the illusion...
Today's meal at Xu Yuan's place was hot pot.
An exquisite porcelain pot sat atop the campfire inside the cave, the broth bubbling vigorously with a steady gurgle amidst the crackling of the fire. The fiery red broth, seasoned with various spices, diffused an aroma that permeated the entire cave.
Assorted meats from demonic beasts were laid out on either side of the pot, each cut representing the most prized essence of a Flesh Integration Realm beast.
Sliced, seasoned, plated, and arranged on both sides of the low table, Xu Yuan then retrieved several jade boxes from his Sumeru ring.
He opened the jade boxes.
Bursts of medicinal fragrance wafted out.
These were all fine treasures looted from killing enemies—some could nourish the sea of consciousness, others could boost cultivation prowess, all rare commodities scarcely seen on the open market.
Having finished this, Xu Yuan looked back at the motionless girl sitting over there.
He really found that this washboard Saintess loved getting angry.
He had already forgiven her on his end, yet she was still sitting there stewing in silence.
Shaking his head faintly, Xu Yuan sat down cross-legged on a prayer mat before the pot and took out two pairs of white jade ivory chopsticks.
One pair across from him, one pair for himself.
Having set them down, without calling out to Tianyan, Xu Yuan simply began to eat on his own.
Tianyan remained sitting rigidly where she was, utterly unmoved.
Xu Yuan ate while observing her.
When they had first entered the illusion, Tianyan had already long abandoned the habit of eating food, but over the course of seven years, Xu Yuan had successfully reconditioned her using all sorts of modern ways of dining.
Life needed a sense of ritual.
Now Tianyan had a sense of ritual as well.
Because he had added mountain sea peppers today, the soup base was still quite spicy for Xu Yuan in the Origin Realm.
Then again, hot pot was all about that spice.
"Munch, munch... hisss... hah..."
"Munch, munch... hisss..."
"Munch, mun—"
Swish!
Tianyan suddenly stood up.
She glanced at him.
He glanced at her.
Their eyes met for an instant.
"Want some?"
"Is it poisoned?"
"Yes, want some?"
"I'll eat."
"Heh."
Xu Yuan chuckled softly and pointed his chopsticks at the seat across from him.
Tianyan gave a cold huff, walked over in silence, and knelt down across from him.
Xu Yuan naturally added some sliced meat and medicinal greens into her bowl, saying softly:
"Eat more, it's all prepared for you. My cultivation won't rise from eating it anyway. Besides, after this meal, we have to enter Zhujian Valley tomorrow. It might be quite a long time before the two of us..."
"You..."
Her small hands resting on her knees, Tianyan raised her eyes and fixed her gaze on him: "...Why are you still treating me so well?"
"Huh?" Xu Yuan paused, his chopsticks freezing in midair as he looked at her breathtakingly exquisite face. "What?"
Tianyan's golden eyes were devoid of impurities, staring straight at him:
"Given your way of doing things, shouldn't you be cutting your losses right about now?"
Xu Yuan placed the medicinal greens from his chopsticks into her bowl and laughed softly:
"Cutting losses? Where did you hear that phrase?"
Tianyan sneered coldly:
"Young Master Xu truly has a short memory for someone so noble."
"Hoh, sounds like it was something I said in the past."
Xu Yuan shook his head lightly, pulled back his chopsticks, and said softly:
"Cutting losses is hardly an easy thing. The sort of love that arises without knowing why, running deeper and deeper... I truly do have feelings for you. Moving past them will probably take some time."
Tianyan pressed her lips together, picked up the white jade chopsticks, lifted a leafy green vegetable, and very gracefully and daintily placed it into her mouth, chewing twice:
"How long will it take?"
Xu Yuan ate his meat, replying at an unhurried pace:
"A month..."
Tianyan's heart tightened, and she instinctively gripped the jade chopsticks tighter:
"A month?"
"Yeah. At fastest, a month."
"Then... then at slowest?"
"At slowest, a lifetime."
Chapter 380