A Fluttering Heart

The night wind brushed through the tree tops, bringing soft rustling sounds and the faint chirping of insects in the distance.

Held tightly in Zhang Bufan's arms with absolute dominance, Huo Wu's mind went blank for a moment. After her initial shame, anger, and struggle passed, an unprecedented and strange feeling quietly began to spread within her.

Forced to press tightly against his chest, she could clearly feel the contours of the firm muscles beneath his clothes, as well as his steady, powerful heartbeat. Thump... thump... thump... The rhythm seemed to carry a kind of magic, piercing her ears and striking the tip of her heart, gradually and strangely calming the restless heart that had been unsettled by defeat and training.

His embrace was steady and warm. Unlike the scorching, overbearing heat of flame, it was a gentle warmth like sun-warmed jade, driving away the coldness and weakness left by her exhaustion.

She turned her head slightly and quietly, unconsciously lowered her burning cheek a little closer toward his chest. That tiny movement carried a dependence even she herself had never clearly recognized.

Moonlight flowed like water over his sharply defined profile, outlining his straight nose and slightly lean jaw. Without the infuriating grin he wore during the day, his face was calm now, his gaze focused on the road ahead. Unexpectedly, he gave off an indescribable sense of reliability.

Huo Wu's heart skipped a beat for no reason.

She could not help recalling everything that had happened since she met him.

During the Preliminary Match, he had defeated Feng Xiaotian in a single move, then sent her in the Audience Seats that frivolous yet domineering Flying Kiss from afar. It had made her grit her teeth in anger, yet she could not ignore his flamboyance in treating the Rules and powerful opponents as though they were nothing.

At the Training Ground that day, he had easily broken through every one of her attacks like a Ghostly figure. The hand gripping her wrist carried irresistible strength, but also a composure that seemed capable of controlling everything. His so-called "guidance" had infuriated her at the time, but upon careful reflection now, it seemed... to have truly pointed directly at certain flaws in her cultivation?

And there was Drunken Immortal Tower... those bizarre stories of an "otherworld" he told, his contradictory air of seeming indifferent to everything while occasionally revealing insights and abilities unlike those of ordinary people...

Powerful, mysterious, arrogant, yet sometimes revealing a strange gentleness—for example, right now.

All those complicated traits intertwined to form a Zhang Bufan unlike anyone she had ever encountered, someone she had no idea how to deal with.

Did she hate him?

Yes. He was so detestable, so conceited, so... fond of teasing her!

But...

Why, when he held her like this, did she feel far less resistant deep down than she had imagined, aside from her initial embarrassment and anger?

Why, when she heard him say, "I'll teach you tomorrow," did the lake of despair and coldness in her heart ripple ever so slightly?

An unfamiliar, tingling emotion sprouted and wound itself silently through her heart like Vines in Early Spring. She could not say what it was. She only knew that it left her flustered, her cheeks growing hotter and hotter.

She could even smell a faint, fresh scent on him. It was neither Sweat Scent nor fragrance, more like... the mixed scent of sunlight and Green Grass. It smelled very nice.

"Have you stared enough?" a teasing voice suddenly sounded above her head.

Huo Wu abruptly came back to herself, only to realize that she had been staring blankly at his profile the entire time! Like a startled rabbit, she instantly buried her entire face in his chest and denied it in a muffled voice, "W-Who was looking at you?! Narcissist!"

Ahhh! This is so embarrassing! What was I even thinking just now?!

Feeling the ostrich-like behavior of the girl in his arms, Zhang Bufan's chest trembled as he let out a low, delighted chuckle. The laughter traveled through his chest, making Huo Wu's ears tingle.

"If you want to look, then look. It's not like I charge you."

"Shut up!" Huo Wu was so embarrassed she wished she could find a crack in the ground to crawl into, or simply set this bastard on fire! Unfortunately, her Soul Power was completely drained, so she could only think about it.

Though her words remained fierce, she did not struggle again. Perhaps she truly had no strength left, or perhaps... deep down, she did not want to leave this embrace that temporarily let her forget her worries and feel a trace of peace.

She curled up quietly in his arms, listening to his heartbeat and feeling his warmth, allowing him to carry her through the silent streets toward the Barracks.

Moonlight stretched their shadows long, intertwining them together. He carried her with steady steps; she nestled against his chest, temporarily drawing in all her sharp edges.

A subtle, harmonious atmosphere flowed silently between them.

For Huo Wu, this night was destined to be chaotic and unforgettable. The pain of defeat, the madness of cultivation, the despair of collapsing to her knees in helplessness, and now... this man who had forcefully entered her world and pulled her back from the edge of self-exile in a way she could not resist, along with this Princess Carry that carried both dominance and a hint of gentleness.

Perhaps beneath this moonlight, at a moment even she had failed to notice, a seed called "heart fluttering" had quietly been planted.