Time Flies

"Ling Xi Sister, give me a smile."

In a remote little town, a young boy stood on the dock, making faces at the girl beside him.

The girl lifted her gaze from the Bamboo Slips in her hands and glanced at him with her beautiful eyes before looking away again, her expression unchanged.

The boy pursed his lips in defeat.

This was already the two hundred and thirty-seventh time. If he had not been strong-willed, he would have long since been crushed by repeated failure.

"Are you bored?"

The girl called Ling Xi Sister spoke in a pleasant voice, her tone calm.

"Of course."

The boy sat cross-legged on the dock's wooden planks, watching ships sail away in the distance as he answered.

"Not everyone can be like Ling Xi Sister and spend an entire day reading Explanation of Spirit Array Basics."

"You should study it too."

The girl rolled her slightly stiff neck and spoke to him.

When it came to memory and learning ability, the fellow beside her was even more gifted than she was.

"Don't joke around. You know I've never been interested in such troublesome things."

The boy stretched lazily and leaned against a nearby wooden post.

To him, being happy was what mattered most. Anything troublesome should be tossed aside.

"So unmotivated."

The girl softly imitated Aunt Jing in her still somewhat youthful voice.

Yet after saying that, all she saw was the teasing grin on the boy's face. He had apparently seen right through her imitation.

The girl's cheeks reddened ever so slightly, and she hurriedly looked away.

He caught her every single time. It was utterly embarrassing.

At that moment, a faint light flashed from the boy's chest. He reached inside his clothes, and a white jade token appeared in his hand.

The jade token continuously flickered with White Light, never once stopping.

"Let's go."

The boy rose from the wooden planks and brushed the dust from his clothes.

"Aunt Jing is calling us."

The girl put away the Bamboo Slips in her hand. Without greeting him, she turned and walked straight toward the area behind the dock.

Seeing this, the boy smiled and shrugged.

More than two years had passed, yet this girl had not changed at all.

He turned back to look at the calm sea. Sunlight fell upon the water, creating crystalline White Light that shimmered across the waves.

"Almost three years..."

"Hey, hurry up."

Hearing the girl's calm voice, Bai Ye turned around and saw her standing not far away, looking at him. She showed no sign of wanting to leave first anymore.

Bai Ye smiled.

As he walked toward her, he reflected that he had known for a long time that his older sister was a complete tsundere.

"Let's go."

"Do I have to call for you before you're willing to come back? Did you run into something interesting again?"

The moment they entered the house, a familiar voice reached Ling Xi and Bai Ye. Bai Ye raised his head and saw a gentle, beautiful woman with long green hair and flawless features standing before them, looking at them with a smile.

She was like a mother waiting for her children to return home.

"It was him. He kept sitting by the shore watching the sea and delayed us."

Ling Xi pointed at Bai Ye beside her and spoke calmly.

She was nowhere near as cute as when she ignored him.

"Like you weren't the one who wanted to go there and read."

Bai Ye muttered quietly.

"Enough. Wash your hands first, then come eat."

Seeing the two of them, Qing Yanjing smiled faintly, her smile filled with warmth.

Bai Ye and Ling Xi headed off to wash their hands, bickering from time to time along the way.

Watching this scene, Qing Yanjing quietly nodded to herself.

It was hard to believe that three years ago, these two little ones had both been so awkward. It seemed she had done a passable job as their "guardian" these past few years.

But...

"It's almost time."

Qing Yanjing looked out the window, her gaze turning toward the northwest of the house.

Though she had tried her best to delay their return to the clan, this day was ultimately unavoidable. She could not run from it.

They were not far from that place now. She did not know what awaited her upon her return, but it was unlikely to be anything good.

Still, to protect that Father and Son, she had no choice but to do it.

"Aunt Jing, let's eat."

Qing Yanjing came back to her senses and saw Bai Ye standing there calmly, looking at her.

As she looked at him, warmth involuntarily rose in Qing Yanjing's heart.

She was truly grateful to these two children for letting her experience what it felt like to be a mother during these past few years.

"Mm."

Qing Yanjing nodded and led him toward the dining table.

At night, moonlight gently poured down, illuminating every corner of this border town.

The lights on the dock shone especially brightly, reflecting White Light off the rippling water and illuminating the surrounding area.

Peaceful and secluded, it always lifted one's spirits.

Perhaps that was why Qing Yanjing had chosen to settle here with the two children for a while after arriving.

Bai Ye sat by the window, staring blankly out at the sea before him.

"What are you thinking about?"

Ling Xi, dressed in a nightgown, stood behind him. She had just put out the candle and was preparing to sleep when she saw him sitting alone by the window in a daze.

The slightly cool night breeze drifted in, bringing a touch of comfort to the hot summer night. Ling Xi walked up behind Bai Ye, wanting to see what exactly he was looking at.

"Take a guess. If you get it right, I'll give you a reward."

Bai Ye turned around and looked at Ling Xi's pretty face, revealing his signature smile.

"Boring."

Ling Xi turned and left at once, heading to her bed.

Perhaps to ease the relationship between the two children, Qing Yanjing had often assigned them to the same room ever since they were very young.

There were two beds in the room. The one on the left belonged to Ling Xi, the older sister, while the one on the right belonged to Bai Ye.

However, Bai Ye did not quite understand why Ling Xi had draped thin gauze around her bed about half a year ago. Ling Xi had said it was because it "looked nice," but Bai Ye always felt that something was off.

Still, after thinking about it for a long time without figuring out why, he gave up on the question.

Giving up was the first thing Qing Yanjing had taught Bai Ye.

Sometimes, giving up was more important than persevering.

"I've learned a lot these past three years."

Bai Ye gazed at the moon in the sky, a six-year-old child reminiscing about the years gone by.

It made for a rather incongruous sight.

"Bing Yu, it's today, right?"

The boy asked softly. He knew that no matter how quietly he spoke, there was someone who could always hear him.

"Yes."

A cold, clear female voice rang out in Bai Ye's heart.

"I see. Then it must hurt a lot."

Long ago, Bai Ye had learned from Bing Yu about the hidden danger within his body.

The Ancestral Vein was powerful, an unparalleled talent rarely seen even once in ten thousand years.

But power came at a price. Divine gifts were accompanied by Divine Punishment, and excessive benefits always carried excessive drawbacks.

The bloodline inheritance of the Emperor Crystal Ice Phoenix had recorded how the Ice Spirit Emperor of the Ancient Era had climbed step by step to the pinnacle. Thus, Bing Yu knew much about His story.

And Bai Ye's atavistic bloodline carried the same problem as His.

The Ice Spirit Clan was called the Ice Spirit Clan because the bloodlines of its members contained the Ice Spirit Vein.

This spiritual vein allowed them to cultivate ice-attributed spiritual energy with remarkable ease. The stronger the spiritual vein, the more extraordinary the effect.

The Ancestral Vein within Bai Ye was the same.

But when something became too full, it overflowed. Once such elemental talent surpassed a certain threshold, it would backlash against its owner. This backlash would spread from within, inflicting immense pain upon the body.

As he grew, the spiritual veins in his body would continuously develop, and this pain would accumulate bit by bit. One day, it would reach an unbearable degree.

The Ice Spirit Emperor had nearly died more than once because of this backlash. Bing Yu could feel that pain in full through the perspective of her ancestor.

Countless times, she had hoped Bai Ye's Ancestral Vein did not carry such a side effect. But now, it seemed that was merely wishful thinking.

"You can ask that woman for help."

Bing Yu spoke bluntly.

Though she did not particularly like Qing Yanjing.

Bai Ye shook his head.

"Why? Are you afraid of troubling her? With your relationship, she would definitely agree to such a request."

Where Bai Ye could not see, Bing Yu's beautiful brows furrowed as she spoke slowly.

Bai Ye still shook his head.

"Why exactly?"

There was confusion in Bing Yu's voice. The little fellow trusted Qing Yanjing deeply. It should not have been because he wanted to hide his secret, right?

"I don't want to say."

"You have to."

Bai Ye fell silent. Bing Yu waited for his answer, and the scene suddenly became quiet.

After a long while, the boy's voice softly sounded in Bing Yu's ears, breaking the silence.

"Because Bing Yu doesn't want Aunt Jing to know you exist."

Bing Yu froze upon hearing the boy's words.

This was the reason she had given him three years ago. Back then, the boy had been like a blank sheet of paper that understood nothing.

Yet after three years of traveling, he had still kept that reason in his heart. From the sound of it, he even seemed to understand what it meant now.

It was as though a warm current had flowed into Bing Yu's heart. The feeling was complicated, carrying both a special kind of emotion and the comfort of watching a child grow up.

"I'm fine. Go ask her."

Though it warmed her heart, Bing Yu still spoke coldly.

With her current abilities, she simply could not provide Bai Ye with much help. Choosing Qing Yanjing was the best option.

Bai Ye shook his head.

"Don't be so stubborn."

Bing Yu grew angry when Bai Ye refused again. If Bai Ye could keep his promise, could she not try taking a chance? Never underestimate the maternal love of a female bird who had been single for years.

"It's too late."

"What?"

Bing Yu was startled, but in the next moment, Bai Ye gave her the answer.

"It really is... unbelievably painful."

The boy forced a smile, then curled up his body.