Deep within the Origin Pool, at Crescent Bay.
By the time Mo Lin and Zuoqiu Qingyu returned hand in hand, the sun was already slanting westward, and the sea was strewn with shattered gold.
Their figures descended before the temporary camp, their robes fluttering. They seemed no different from when they had left, but upon closer inspection, subtle changes could be seen.
Zuoqiu Qingyu's originally seductive, lovely face now carried a touch of languid, radiant beauty after being thoroughly cherished. Her eyes brimmed with spring, and the corners of her brows and eyes bore an unmistakable satisfaction and charm.
Her steps seemed lighter, yet carried an imperceptible softness from having just received the rain and dew. She pressed close to Mo Lin, naturally looping her jade-like hand around his arm and leaning faintly against him, looking like a little bird nestled against its mate.
Mo Lin, meanwhile, looked utterly refreshed, a lazy and satisfied smile on his lips. His eyes were bright, as though he had just feasted on the finest delicacies in the world.
In the camp, Yao Yao still sat atop that bluish rock with a book in hand, as if she had never moved. Zi Yan and Little Lingxi were building a massive sandcastle on the beach, having the time of their lives.
When the two approached, Yao Yao lifted her cool eyes from her book and gave them a faint glance, her gaze lingering for a moment on Zuoqiu Qingyu's radiant face, so full of spring. A rare flush crossed her cool, jade-like features, like rouge staining white jade, but it quickly faded.
She set down her book, the corner of her lips lifting into an almost imperceptible curve. She nodded lightly to Zuoqiu Qingyu and said calmly, with sincere congratulations, "Congratulations, Qingyu."
There was no