As dusk settled, a faint golden glow blanketed the courtyard of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect. Wang Chuan had barely appeared at the moon gate when his travel-weary voice carried ahead of him. "Rong Rong, I'm back."
Before his words had even drifted away on the wind, a goose-yellow figure came rushing from beneath the corridor. Like a bird returning to its nest, Ning Rongrong threw herself into Wang Chuan's arms, wrapping her arms tightly around his waist and rubbing her cheek against his dust-stained lapel. "Brother is finally back! Rong Rong was telling the maids at noon that I thought you might stay outside and cultivate for a while longer." She tilted up her little face, her eyes brimming with delight, her voice soft and spoiled.
Wang Chuan looked down at the girl in his arms, and more than half his exhaustion vanished at once. Smiling, he raised the food box in his hand. A faint sweetness still wafted from the woven bamboo container. "How could I? I was thinking about Rong Rong's sweet tooth, so I made a special detour to an old shop in Heaven Dou City and bought your favorite Osmanthus Cake and mung bean pastries." As he spoke, he opened the box. The golden Osmanthus Cake was dusted with fine sugar, while the flaky layers of the mung bean pastries were clearly defined, their sweet fragrance instantly spreading through the air.
"I knew Brother Chuan was the best!" Ning Rongrong's eyes lit up. Carefully cradling the food box, she skipped toward her bedroom, not forgetting to turn back and remind him, "Brother, wait for me! I'll come keep you company after I put the snacks away!"
But she had barely set the food box on her dressing table when a maid's voice came from