Arrival

Midsummer. Rain. The mountain range rolled on in endless waves. The azure vault of heaven was shrouded in dark clouds, and pattering rain descended like a curtain of pearls, cloaking heaven and earth in a misty veil of water. This boundless expanse of mountains all lay within the territory of Zhujian Valley. Rain pattered noisily against broad leaves. Beneath the sprawling canopy of a dense, towering forest, a slant-eyed, black-furred giant tiger over four zhang long darted deftly between hundred-meter-tall trees. Though massive, it landed without a sound. The thick pads beneath its savage claws absorbed nearly all the noise of its sprint. Even so, its passage drew the watchful eyes of numerous demonic beasts. The ranked demonic beasts in the Wanxing Mountain Range all possessed strong territorial instincts. Yet wherever the tiger's gaze swept, regardless of whether a beast's aura was stronger than its own, all manner of beasts shrank back in terror and gave way. For atop the broad back of the black tiger lay a young nobleman in brocade robes, resting with his eyes closed. And even more so, because through the air ahead of the black tiger, a barefoot girl in a simple white dress was speeding across the sky. After an unknown length of time, "Tianyan, how long was I asleep?" A man's voice, smooth and gentle as jade, suddenly rang out through the rainy woods. Hearing this voice, the black tiger's massive frame shuddered instinctively, and it immediately lowered its head, hurrying on in silence. Yet the girl ahead seemed not to have heard, showing no intention of replying. Seeing this, Xu Yuan chuckled softly and shook his head. He propped himself up and stroked the smooth fur behind the neck of the black tiger beneath him. This tiger demon was merely a mount he had procured. Because of that Saintess named Tianye, he couldn't use his Source Qi for the time being, and traveling on foot took too much effort, so he had simply captured a demonic beast to serve as his mount. The method to tame this black tiger had naturally been learned back then from the big block of ice. The big block of ice... At the thought of that name, Xu Yuan's eyes flickered, an involuntary trace of nostalgia surfacing in his gaze. Watching the forest scenery rushing past, he remembered how it had been just like this between him and her. Two people and a tiger, racing through the woods. Only, back then it was a white tiger, now replaced by a black one; and back then it was she, now replaced by her. At this thought, Xu Yuan gave a gentle shake of his head and a wry smile. The rainy season truly brought wistful melancholy. She... was probably still waiting for him outside. He just didn't know how much time had passed out there, or whether by the time they met again, he would have forgotten her completely... Reining in his wandering thoughts, Xu Yuan turned his gaze toward Tianyan in the air. Over the past seven days, Tianyan's condition had grown even worse. Not the charm poison, but her tsundere nature. During the previous month, though Tianyan had been angry, she would still occasionally say a word or two to him. Ever since that conversation over hot pot that evening, the woman hadn't spoken a single word to him. No matter what he said, she ignored him. It was as though she had reverted to the little block of ice she was when they first met. Even yesterday, during their routine purging of the charm poison, Tianyan had merely kept a cold face, keeping her eyes shut and resigning herself to whatever he did. Even when he took advantage of the opportunity to tease her, upon noticing his improper actions, Tianyan had only opened her eyes and cast him a cold glare. Toward this shift in Tianyan, Xu Yuan had neither probed nor tried to coax her back. His actions remained entirely as before: Teasing, bantering, cooking, keeping each other company along the way. Staring at that slender, delicate figure swaying in the wind and rain, Xu Yuan's gaze was calm and tranquil. Though her cultivation was profound, when it came to matters of the heart, she was still an innocent fledgeling. Her desperate pretenses were, in his eyes, nothing more than flustered, endearing cover-ups. Xu Yuan had always been able to see Tianyan's feelings for him, and he understood why she had always avoided piercing that paper-thin layer between them. And that day, he had torn that paper right open. If it worked, they would be together. If not, he would cut his losses. This approach of retreating to advance was practically equivalent to taking everything Tianyan had evaded over the past several years and dumping it squarely onto her frail shoulders all at once. Tianyan was a very rational woman. Which left her not knowing what choice to make, much less how to face him. "..." Rain dripped and pattered, water trickling down the flanks of the rain-shield barrier formed from his intent-soul. Xu Yuan raised a hand to rub between his brows, feeling a faint ache in his heart. He suddenly felt this was rather cruel to Tianyan. Acting like this was essentially choosing to throw up his hands and pass all the pressure onto Tianyan. Her personal feelings versus the interests of her sect. An illusion as tangible as reality versus the reality they might one day return to. Amid these thoughts, Xu Yuan's emotions gradually leveled out. Though he felt pangs of pity, he felt neither regret nor guilt over what he had done. If anything, it was not doing so that he would have regretted. If feelings hadn't been stirred, letting nature take its course would have sufficed. Since feelings had been stirred, then any means was fair game. He had no desire to freeze in his tracks in the present just for the sake of an uncertain future he might return to someday. In a life of a mere hundred years, if one hesitated over every little thing and left behind nothing but regret, wouldn't one have walked this earth in vain? Even if it ended in failure, at least he would have tried. The next morning, the first light of dawn arrived, golden warm sunlight washing over the earth. Droplets of dew hung from the leaves, and the cicadas and birds that had fallen silent returned as the curtain of rain parted, suffusing the world with vibrant life. In this post-rain vitality, Xu Yuan abruptly opened his eyes on the black tiger's back. Before him, several sparrows were startled into flight, circling together among the branches before disappearing into the forest. Startled for a moment, Xu Yuan raised a hand and rubbed his faintly throbbing brow. As an Origin Realm powerhouse, he had actually fallen asleep last night while brooding over such things... With that thought, Xu Yuan raised his gaze to look around. As far as the eye could see, it appeared to be a cliff amidst the forested mountains. Ahead lay an open clearing, where Tianyan stood quietly at the edge of the precipice. Sunlight poured down. A breeze fluttered the simple robe she wore, her long black hair bathed in the sun, silky and lustrous like jade cream... "..." After gazing at her for several breaths, Xu Yuan stood up, leaped forward, and landed beside her from the black tiger's back in an instant. And the instant he drew near, his pupils contracted slightly. He hadn't noticed while still in the forest, but standing at the edge of the cliff, he finally realized just how imposing and terrifying Zhujian Valley was. Deathly silent, the abyss stretched out without an end in sight, and the white mist roiling within looked like an endless sea of clouds. After a few moments of silence, Xu Yuan hesitated slightly: "This... is Zhujian Valley?" Without turning her head, Tianyan stared down into the bottomless abyss. "Yes." Hearing her familiar voice after so long, Xu Yuan smiled softly. "Heh, and here I thought you'd gone mute." Tianyan didn't reply to that, merely murmuring a warning: "This ancient battlefield is somewhat beyond my expectations. There may be far more than one Saint-level demon-ghost down there. Don't get separated from me." An ancient battlefield... Saint-level demon-ghosts... Xu Yuan's expression grew slightly solemn. "Understood." Lowering her eyes, Tianyan murmured, "Let's go." "Wait," Xu Yuan called out to stop her. Tianyan halted, yet she still didn't turn to face him. Xu Yuan said softly, "Although I'm in the Origin Realm, without the Heaven-Deducing Art, I might not be able to keep up with you in the ghost mist." "The ghost mist isn't as terrifying as you think." "I mean just in case." "..." Tianyan remained silent for several breaths. With lowered eyes, she slowly raised the sleeve of her plain robe. "Hold on." "..." Xu Yuan stared for a moment, then reached directly into the wide sleeve and took hold of her soft, slender hand. Tianyan's body trembled slightly, and she tried to pull away, but his grip was firm. She looked back with a glare, only to meet his smiling gaze basking in the sunlight. Their eyes locked. Tianyan looked away, biting her lip, her voice as faint as a mosquito's hum: "Every single time... Bastard." "What?" "Nothing. Let's go." "Alright~ Remember to hold on tight to me."