Zhi Xia Lays It Bare: Eight Years of Friendship, Feelings Hidden in the Heart

The cheers in the bamboo grove gradually subsided, but everyone was still excitedly discussing the feeling of breaking through their Soul Power. Ma Hongjun could not resist summoning his evolved Golden Phoenix Spirit, drawing Dai Mubai over for a spar; Ning Rongrong cradled the Nine Treasures Glazed Tile Pagoda as she and Oscar studied its new enhancement effects. Lin Zhixia, however, did not join the commotion. Leaning against a bamboo stalk, she watched Tang San and Xiao Wu in the distance—Xiao Wu was holding the Lovesick Heartbreak Red, chattering away to Tang San about the sheen of its petals. Though Tang San answered with a smile, the trace of disappointment he could not hide did not escape Lin Zhixia's eyes.

She had known Tang San for eight years. Ever since she had escaped Spirit Hall's pursuit at the age of five, covered in wounds, and had been rescued by Tang Hao and the young Tang San before being brought back to Sacred Soul Village, the two had been nearly inseparable. Tang San had helped tend her wounds and shared half of Tang Hao's roasted meat with her; she had helped him gather the flying needles when he practiced hidden weapons and quietly stayed by his side whenever he missed his mother. Later, they awakened their spirits together, went to Nuoding Academy, and met Xiao Wu. Over those eight years, Lin Zhixia had understood Tang San's nature better than anyone—he seemed calm and steady, but when it came to feelings, he was more obtuse than anyone else. Especially when facing someone he cared about, he was prone to overthinking himself into a corner.

When Tang San once again avoided the flower Xiao Wu offered him and turned to help Zhu Zhuqing adjust her Soul Skill stance, Lin Zhixia finally stepped forward. She walked over and patted his shoulder. "Little San, come with me. I need to tell you something."

Tang San froze for a moment. Seeing the serious look on Lin Zhixia's face, he followed her deeper into the bamboo grove, away from everyone's sight. "Zhi Xia, what is it? Is there something wrong with the herbs?" Thinking she was worried about side effects from the Immortal Grade Herbs, he hurriedly asked.

Lin Zhixia leaned against a bamboo stalk and looked at the boy before her, now half a head taller than she was. Eight years had passed. The little Tang San who had once needed her protection was now capable of standing on his own, yet when it came to matters of the heart, he had made no progress at all. She could not help rolling her eyes. "What could possibly be wrong with the herbs? Didn't you see Hongjun and Rongrong practically floating into the sky? Tell me this—what were you thinking when you saw Xiao Wu holding the Lovesick Heartbreak Red just now?"

The tips of Tang San's ears reddened slightly, and his gaze darted away. "N-Nothing. I just thought that flower suited Xiao Wu quite well."

"Suited her?" Lin Zhixia raised an eyebrow, her tone teasing. "Suited her so well that you did not even dare look her in the eye while talking to her? Suited her so well that you clearly wanted to stay with her longer, yet insisted on finding an excuse to help Zhuqing instead? Tang San, who are you trying to fool?"

With his thoughts exposed, Tang San's face flushed even redder. He lowered his head and kicked at a pebble by his feet. "I just... I just thought that since Xiao Wu made the Lovesick Heartbreak Red acknowledge her as its master, it meant there was someone she liked in her heart." His voice grew quieter and quieter, and even he did not notice the grievance in his tone.

Seeing him like this, Lin Zhixia was both annoyed and amused. "Are you stupid? For the Lovesick Heartbreak Red to acknowledge someone as its master, they have to be thinking of their beloved. But have you never considered who Xiao Wu was thinking of?" She stepped closer and stared into Tang San's eyes. "It has been eight years, Little San. I have known you for eight years, and Xiao Wu has known you for seven. Who does not know that you are the first person she looks for every morning, that her eyes follow you around during training, that she is more anxious than anyone whenever you are hurt? Last time Dugu Bo took you away, she waited at the academy gates for three days and barely ate anything. Who do you think she was doing that for?"

Tang San suddenly lifted his head, his eyes filled with shock. "Y-You mean... the person Xiao Wu likes is me?"

"Who else would it be?" Lin Zhixia spread her hands. "Did you think she was thinking about Dai Mubai or Oscar? Only a blockhead like you would think Xiao Wu liked someone else. Back in the bamboo grove, she held the Lovesick Heartbreak Red and told you, 'This flower is so beautiful. I wish it could stay with Third Brother forever.' Didn't you hear her? Or did you hear it and deliberately pretend you had not?"

Tang San's heart immediately began pounding. The image of Xiao Wu saying those words flashed through his mind—her eyes had sparkled, and her smile had been even more radiant than the Lovesick Heartbreak Red. So that was what she had meant by "stay with." He had actually let such important words slip past him because of his own wild thoughts.

"But..." Tang San still hesitated. "I thought Xiao Wu had always treated me like a brother. Doesn't she always call me Third Brother?"

"Just because she calls you Third Brother means she sees you as her brother?" Lin Zhixia could not help knocking him lightly on the head. "Hongjun calls you Third Brother too. Why do you not think Hongjun sees you as his brother? Xiao Wu is just shy. Do you think everyone is like Rongrong, directly saying it whenever she likes someone?" She paused, and her tone softened. "Little San, I know that because of what happened to Auntie, you are sensitive about feelings. But Xiao Wu is different. She has been with you since Nuoding Academy, and she remembers everything you have done for her. If you truly like her, stop brooding over it by yourself. Be more proactive. Do not make the girl wait too long."

Tang San fell silent as the disappointment in his heart gradually gave way to joy. He remembered the first time Xiao Wu had slept in the same bed with him in Sacred Soul Village, telling him she would protect him. He remembered how, at the Soul Dueling Arena, Xiao Wu had been injured while shielding him from an attack. He remembered how she had gripped his arm when he returned this time, her eyes rimmed red... All these years, Xiao Wu's feelings had always been there. He had simply never dared to think in that direction.

"Thank you, Zhi Xia." Tang San raised his head. Light returned to his eyes, and a long-lost smile curled across his lips—not the gentle smile he gave his friends, but one carrying a young man's shyness and anticipation.

Lin Zhixia smiled at the sight. "What are you thanking me for? I just do not want to watch you keep acting like a blockhead and miss the person you like. Oh, right." Remembering something, she took a small sachet from her Soul Tool and handed it to Tang San. "I made this using the lingering warmth of the Star Guidance Bell. There are some calming herbs inside. If you get nervous again, take a sniff. Do not get so nervous when you confess to Xiao Wu that you cannot say a word and make me look bad."

Tang San accepted the sachet. It was warm in his palm and carried a faint starlit aura—the unique scent of the Star Guidance Bell, which held the Remnant Souls of Lin Zhixia's parents. Ever since Lin Zhixia had acknowledged Tang Hao as her godfather, she had become even more like Tang San's own little sister, always thinking of him in every way. He clenched the sachet and said earnestly, "I will not. I will not let you down."

As they spoke, Xiao Wu's voice came from afar. "Third Brother! Sister Zhixia! Where are you? Rongrong says she's treating everyone to something delicious!"

Lin Zhixia patted Tang San's shoulder and pushed him toward the voice. "Come on. Do not keep Xiao Wu waiting too long. Remember, opportunities are won for yourself. Do not miss this one again."

Tang San nodded and hurried toward Xiao Wu. Sunlight filtered through the bamboo leaves and fell over him, warm and bright, just like his mood at that moment. Looking at the pink figure bouncing about in the distance, he tightened his grip on the sachet and silently made up his mind—this time, he would not be slow to understand. He would not miss his chance again. He would personally tell Xiao Wu how he felt.

Lin Zhixia followed behind, watching the two figures gradually draw closer, a gratified smile appearing on her lips. She knew that the thin barrier between Tang San and Xiao Wu would soon be broken. Eight years of friendship, seven years of companionship—at last, this love was about to reach the ending it deserved.