Moonlit Confession: Lovesickness as Proof, Hearts in Harmony

Moonlit nights at the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect always carried the cool radiance unique to glazed tile. After dinner, Tang San used the excuse that he "wanted to take another look at the Sect's moonlight" and quietly tugged at Xiao Wu's sleeve. Xiao Wu froze for a moment, then her cheeks reddened. Clutching the Lovesick Heartbreak Red in her palm, she followed him out of the guest room.

The two slowly walked along the corridor. In the distance, Glazed Garden shimmered with a faint halo of light. The night breeze swept through the bamboo grove, making it rustle as though it were accompanying the feelings they were about to confess. Tang San held the Lovesick Bean Xiao Wu had given him between his fingers. Its warmth seeped into his fingertips, yet it could not suppress his racing heart—Lin Zhixia's revelation, Xiao Wu drawing close to him time and again, and the sight of her standing before him last night, worried about Ye Jin, all kept circling through his mind. At last, he made up his mind. He would hesitate no longer.

"Xiao Wu, let's sit in the Moon Gazing Pavilion ahead." Tang San stopped and pointed at the small pavilion in the distance, where lanterns hung beneath its eaves. His voice held a trace of barely perceptible tension. Xiao Wu nodded softly and followed him inside. She placed the Lovesick Heartbreak Red on the stone table, its petals glowing with a gentle red light beneath the lanterns, much like her feelings at that moment.

The pavilion fell silent, save for the crisp chime of wind bells as the night breeze passed through its corners. Tang San took a deep breath, then turned to face Xiao Wu. The seriousness in his gaze made her heart skip a beat. "Xiao Wu, there's something I've wanted to tell you for a long time."

Xiao Wu raised her head. Lantern light reflected in her eyes, making them sparkle as though stars were hidden within. "Third Brother, what do you want to say?"

"From the first time I met you at Nuoding Academy, I felt that you were different from everyone else." Tang San lowered his voice, as if afraid of disturbing the quiet night. "Back then, you snatched my bedding, slept in the same bed as me, and said you wanted to protect me—I thought then, how could there be such a lively and brave girl? Later, when we went to Shrek together, you trained hidden weapons with me, shielded me from spirit beast attacks, and when Dugu Bo kidnapped me last time, you stood guard at the Academy gates for three days... Xiao Wu, I remember all of it."

He raised his hand and gently brushed away a bamboo leaf caught in Xiao Wu's hair. His fingertips accidentally grazed the rim of her ear, and both of them shivered. "When I saw the Lovesick Heartbreak Red acknowledge you as its master, I foolishly wondered whether there was someone else in your heart. It wasn't until Zhi Xia set me straight that I understood—you said you wanted the flower to stay with you forever, but what you really meant was that you wanted me to stay with you forever, didn't you?"

Xiao Wu's cheeks instantly flushed crimson. Her hand, which had been clutching the flower, tightened slightly, and the petals trembled softly, as though answering for her. She lowered her head, her voice as faint as a mosquito's buzz, yet it reached Tang San's ears with perfect clarity. "Third Brother... I've liked you ever since Nuoding Academy. When I saw you training your hidden weapons until your fingers bled, I wanted to help you. When I saw you secretly staring into space because you missed your mother, I wanted to stay with you. Every time we cultivated together or went to the Soul Dueling Arena together, I felt that as long as I was with you, no hardship or exhaustion mattered."

As she spoke, she suddenly looked up. A thin sheen of tears filled her eyes, but her gaze was exceptionally firm. "I thought you only saw me as a little sister, so I never dared say it. When the Lovesick Heartbreak Red acknowledged me as its master, all I could think about was you—I wanted to stay at Shrek with you, take part in the Elite Competition with you, and spend every day from then on with you."

Tang San's heart felt as though it had been soaked in warm water, soft and warm all at once. He stepped forward and gently took Xiao Wu's hand. The warmth of his palm eased her tension. "Xiao Wu, I'm sorry. I was too slow to realize it and made you wait so long." He placed the Lovesick Bean in her palm beside the Lovesick Heartbreak Red. "When you gave me this bean, you said it could remind someone of the person they loved. But whenever I see it, whenever I see you, I don't need to think of anything, because my heart is filled only with you."

Xiao Wu looked at the Lovesick Bean and the red flower in her palm. At last, her tears fell, but she smiled and shook her head. "It's not too late, Third Brother. Not at all."

Tang San raised his hand and gently wiped away her tears. The warmth of his fingertips made her cheeks burn even hotter. Looking into her eyes, he said each word clearly, "Xiao Wu, from now on, I won't let you suffer any grievances or make you worry again. Whether it's the Elite Competition, or facing Ye Jin in the future, or people from Spirit Hall, I'll stand in front of you and protect you."

"I don't want Third Brother to stand in front alone." Xiao Wu suddenly reached out and wrapped her arms around Tang San's waist, burying her face against his chest. Her voice came out muffled. "I want to grow stronger too. I want to protect each other with Third Brother, and protect everyone."

Tang San's body stiffened for a moment before he gently embraced her in return. The scent of fresh grass lingered in her hair, mingling with the faint floral fragrance of the Lovesick Heartbreak Red. He lowered his head and whispered by her ear, "All right. We'll grow stronger together and never be apart."

Moonlight streamed through the lattice windows outside the pavilion, falling over their embracing figures and bathing their feelings in a warm glow. Behind the distant bamboo grove, Lin Zhixia held the Star Guidance Bell and watched the scene in the pavilion, a gratified smile appearing at the corner of her lips. She quietly stepped away without disturbing them, allowing the night breeze to gently carry this sweetness farther into the distance.

The lantern light gradually dimmed, but the two in the pavilion remained in each other's arms, as though they wished to slowly tell one another all the feelings they had hidden in their hearts over the years beneath the moonlight. They knew that from this moment onward, they were no longer the solitary "Third Brother" and "Xiao Wu," but lovers who would face every storm side by side and share every joy. And the promise they made beneath the moonlight would become the most precious protection in all the years to come.