Winter Sunlight and an "Unexpected" Gift

Nuoding Academy during winter break was like a tranquil castle wrapped in snow. Most of the students had gone home, leaving the vast campus empty and peaceful. But for Tang San, Xiao Wu, and Xiao Xiaoxiao, who had stayed behind, it was a rare time of leisure and closeness.

No classes, no work, and plenty of time to spend as they pleased every day.

Their morning training remained unwavering. The air after snowfall was crisp and refreshing, white mist escaping with every breath. Tang San was still the first to arrive, and during his Purple Demon Eye training, a thin layer of frost would form on his eyelashes.

Xiao Xiaoxiao insisted on following along. Though she stomped her feet from the cold, watching Tang San's focused profile made her feel she could hold on a little longer. Xiao Wu usually waited until the sun had risen higher before rubbing her eyes, yawning, and hopping over to join them.

Their training now included adapting to icy, snowy conditions. Tang San taught them how to make less noise in the snow, how to use the terrain to conceal their tracks, and even how to incorporate ice and snow into the simplest attacks and defenses.

Xiao Wu learned quickly but was playful by nature. She often packed snowballs and ambushed Tang San, only for him to evade easily with Ghost Shadow Perplexing Track before returning fire with a precise snowball that struck her squarely. She would squeal, then laugh and pounce at him again.

Xiao Xiaoxiao focused more on practicing her soul skill. She found that in the absolute stillness and cold of the snowfield, her mind seemed easier to concentrate. Her control over Mental Interference improved ever so slightly. She tried narrowing the interference's range and concentrating its force, just as Tang San had said, striving to precisely affect a specific movement.

Every now and then, she would also "slip up," and a ripple of interference would "accidentally" sweep over Tang San while he was having a snowball fight with Xiao Wu, slowing him by half a beat and allowing Xiao Wu's snowball to hit him dead on.

Whenever that happened, Tang San would stop and turn to look at her. Xiao Xiaoxiao would immediately put on an innocent, apologetic expression and blink her big eyes. "Sorry, Tang San. I didn't control it properly..."

Tang San would look at her, then at the smug Xiao Wu. In the end, he said nothing, merely brushing the snow off himself in silence before continuing to train. But Xiao Xiaoxiao noticed that the corners of his mouth did not seem quite so tense anymore.

In the afternoons, when the sun was bright, the three of them would wander to the back mountain behind the academy. The snow-covered forest was draped in silver, offering a scene of unique beauty. Xiao Wu was like a rabbit let loose, running all over the snow and leaving trails of footprints behind her.

Tang San, meanwhile, would find a spot to meditate quietly and consolidate his Soul Power. Xiao Xiaoxiao would sometimes sit not far from him and attempt to meditate as well. At other times, she would build snowmen with Xiao Wu or draw pictures in the snow with branches.

She had once drawn a little fox, then quietly added a stalk of Blue Silver Grass beside it. When Xiao Wu saw it, she burst into laughter and insisted on drawing a crooked rabbit nearby. She even trampled the Blue Silver Grass with her footprints, making Xiao Xiaoxiao chase after her in annoyance.

When Tang San opened his eyes after finishing his training, he saw the two girls laughing and chasing each other through the snow. Crystal snowflakes clung to their hair and eyelashes, their cheeks flushed red like two lively spirits of the forest. His gaze lingered for a moment on the remaining traces of Xiao Xiaoxiao's drawing before drifting away.

The days passed slowly, and the New Year drew closer.

The festive air in Nuoding City grew stronger. Even through the academy walls, they could hear faint firecrackers and occasionally see fireworks blooming in the night sky. The food in the dining hall improved as well, with a few more meat dishes.

But Xiao Xiaoxiao still had one thing on her mind—New Year's gifts.

Using the money she had saved from mending clothes, along with the Silver Soul Coins from her assessment reward, she secretly prepared two gifts.

For Xiao Wu, she bought a brand-new hair tie decorated with tiny carrots. It was bright and adorable, and Xiao Wu would definitely like it.

As for Tang San's... she hesitated for a long time. She could not afford anything too expensive, while something too ordinary would seem thoughtless. In the end, she made several trips to the city's general stores and blacksmith shops, buying a small whetstone with a fine texture, a small tin of metal-maintenance grease, and several steel wires of different thicknesses with exceptional flexibility—all things she thought he might use while making those "little things" after observing him carefully.

She wrapped them neatly in a clean piece of soft cloth and tied a thin blue ribbon around it.

The day before New Year's Eve, another light snow fell during the night. When morning came, the world was blanketed in white.

Xiao Xiaoxiao tucked the two gifts against her chest, her heart fluttering like it held a little rabbit. Giving Xiao Wu hers would be easy enough, but Tang San's... how was she supposed to give it to him? Hand it over directly? That seemed a little abrupt. Secretly leave it on his bed? What if someone else saw it?

She dawdled her way to the little forest where they usually trained, only to find that Tang San and Xiao Wu had already arrived. Xiao Wu was excitedly tugging at Tang San and telling him something.

The moment she saw Xiao Xiaoxiao, Xiao Wu bounced over with her hands behind her back, looking mysterious. "Xiaoxiao, Xiaoxiao! Close your eyes! Hold out your hand!"

Xiao Xiaoxiao froze for a moment, then did as she was told.

Something cold and hard was placed in her palm. She opened her eyes to find a simple hairpin polished from some sort of white stone. Its tip had been roughly carved into the shape of a little fox. Though crude, it was endearingly charming, and she could see the care the maker had put into it.

"Wow!" Xiao Xiaoxiao was both startled and delighted. "Sister Xiao Wu, did you make this?"

"Hehe, pretty, right?" Xiao Wu raised her head proudly. "I asked the logistics uncle for some scraps and spent ages polishing it! A New Year's gift!"

Warmth filled Xiao Xiaoxiao's heart as she tightly clutched the hairpin. "Thank you, Sister Xiao Wu! I love it!"

Then she looked toward Tang San beside her. Tang San seemed a little uncomfortable, his gaze shifting elsewhere. He was holding a small cloth bundle in his hand as well.

Xiao Wu gave him a push. "Hurry up, Little Sanzi! What are you dawdling for?"

Only then did Tang San turn around and hand the little cloth bundle to Xiao Xiaoxiao. His voice was as calm as ever, though it seemed a little lower than usual. "Happy New Year."

Xiao Xiaoxiao's heart immediately began racing. He... he had prepared a gift too?

She took the bundle and carefully opened it. Inside were several stones polished to an extremely smooth, rounded finish, even more exquisite than the ones he had given her before. They were a soft milky white, as though they had been carefully selected. Beside the stones was a tiny ring woven from Blue Silver Grass. The blades had been treated, giving them a flexible deep-blue color. A tiny transparent crystal of unknown origin had even been cleverly embedded into it, gleaming faintly in the reflected snowlight.

This gift was far more delicate than Xiao Wu's hairpin. He had clearly spent much more thought and time on it.

Xiao Xiaoxiao stared at the small Blue Silver Grass ring, and her cheeks instantly burned. Her heart pounded so fast she could barely breathe. He... he gave me this? What does it mean?

Xiao Wu leaned over to take a look and let out a wow. "Little Sanzi! You're playing favorites! Xiaoxiao's is so pretty! All I got was a lousy slingshot!" Though she complained with her mouth, she was still grinning brightly.

The tips of Tang San's ears reddened, but he tried to keep his tone steady. "...I made it for practice. If you don't like it, you can throw it away."

"I like it! I like it very much!" Xiao Xiaoxiao hurriedly clutched the cloth bundle tightly, as though afraid he would take it back. Her voice trembled slightly. "Thank you, Tang San! This is the best gift I've ever received!"

She lifted her head, her eyes shining startlingly bright as she looked at him bravely.

Meeting her undisguised gaze, full of joy and burning warmth, Tang San seemed as though he had been scalded. He quickly looked away toward the snow-covered pines in the distance, his Adam's apple bobbing almost imperceptibly.

Xiao Xiaoxiao took a deep breath and hurriedly pulled out the gifts she had prepared. She first handed the carrot hair tie to Xiao Wu. "Sister Xiao Wu, this is for you!"

"Ah! So cute!" Xiao Wu loved it just as expected. She immediately took off her old hair tie and replaced it, tossing her Scorpion Braid around in delight.

Then Xiao Xiaoxiao took out the cloth bundle tied with the blue ribbon and offered it to Tang San with both hands. Her cheeks were crimson, and her voice was soft. "Tang San... Happy New Year. I hope... I hope you can use these."

Tang San accepted the bundle, which felt slightly heavy in his hand. When he opened it and saw the whetstone, grease, and steel wires inside, his gaze visibly paused. He raised his head to look at Xiao Xiaoxiao, his eyes filled with clear surprise and scrutiny.

How did she know... that I needed these things?

Flustered under his gaze, Xiao Xiaoxiao hurriedly lowered her head and fiddled with the Blue Silver Grass ring in her hand. She explained in a small voice, "I—I saw you always working with those stones and pieces of iron... so I guessed you might need these... I bought them blindly. I don't know whether they're suitable..."

Tang San looked at the ordinary yet incredibly practical items in his hands, then at the girl before him with her lowered, reddened neck. After a moment of silence, he carefully put away the bundle and said softly, "They're very suitable. Thank you."

His voice seemed just a little gentler than before.

Xiao Xiaoxiao let out a breath of relief, sweetness bubbling in her heart. He likes them! He accepted them!

Xiao Wu looked from one to the other, her big eyes rolling thoughtfully. Then she suddenly gave a mischievous laugh, hopped over, and grabbed one of each of their hands. "Gift exchange complete! Now, I declare! The New Year snow battle begins! Take this!"

She swiftly packed a snowball and hurled it at Tang San, then immediately bent down to make another one and threw it at Xiao Xiaoxiao.

Caught off guard, both of them were hit by snowballs.

Tang San wiped the snow from his face. A trace of helplessness flashed through his eyes, but he bent down and packed a snowball as well.

Xiao Xiaoxiao laughed and squealed as she dodged, joining the battle too.

The quiet snowy forest was instantly filled with cheerful laughter and flying powdery snow.

Sunlight filtered through the branches and fell upon the three figures as they chased and played. It dyed the snowflakes gold and quietly illuminated the innocent, warm feelings budding in the hearts of the young boy and girls.

This winter seemed to have become especially warm because of that "unexpected" gift.

Xiao Xiaoxiao thought this was probably the happiest New Year she had ever had.

Though there still seemed to be some distance before she truly succeeded at Intercepting.

Still, the future was full of promise.

She quietly touched the Blue Silver Grass ring hidden inside her collar, and a wide smile curved across her lips.