"And then?"
"Then we went our separate ways. She wanted to go back and visit her master, and I'd been away for so long that I needed to go home and take a look too."
"That makes sense."
"But we left each other a way to stay in touch. A lot happened after that. One day, Qing Yuan said she wanted to establish a faction, so she called me over as well."
The girl hugged her knees and gazed at the river in the distance, which seemed to stretch between heaven and earth, recounting events from long ago.
Luo Chuan sat beside her, still holding his fishing rod as he waited for those willing to take the bait. After thinking for a moment, he said, "So you and Qing Yuan have known each other for a very long time?"
Yao Ziyan turned to glance at Luo Chuan, a faint smile on her face. "Luo Chuan, I'm only seventeen."
Luo Chuan: "..."
No, how could she say that with a smile on her face?
Forget it. No point dwelling on it.
Luo Chuan casually rubbed the girl's head. "All right, all right, I know you're seventeen. No need to keep stressing it. You've said it so many times already."
"How many times have I told you? Stop touching my head all the time." Yao Ziyan shook her head, trying to fling off Luo Chuan's restless paw as she protested his behavior.
"But speaking of which, I never expected Qing Yuan to have a past like that. She always seems so happy normally." Luo Chuan suddenly felt rather sentimental.
"There's no inevitable connection between one's attitude toward life and one's past, is there?" Yao Ziyan asked with a smile.
"Mm... I suppose so."
All one could say was that everyone had their