"Sorry." Yang Ning pulled his hand back as if he'd been burned, his voice hurried.
"It's... it's all right..." Xu Yinyin instinctively clutched the wrist he'd just touched and lowered her head, staring at the tips of her shoes. Her voice was as faint as a mosquito's buzz.
Yang Ning raised a hand awkwardly and rubbed the bridge of his nose. After steadying his breathing, he finally spoke. "This wind chime... is pretty nice. It has a clear, crisp sound. Leave it hanging; there's no need to take it down."
Xu Yinyin was still holding her wrist, her eyes fixed on the floor. At his words, she silently nodded.
Yang Ning unconsciously raised a hand to his chest—a habitual, unthinking gesture ever since the Demon Cult had planted that deadly Heart Meridian talisman curse in him.
He gave a bitter laugh inwardly, tinged with self-mockery. Yang Ning, Yang Ning... Your own life is already hanging by a thread. What right do you have to hope for anything else... or let yourself get involved in it?
"I'm... a little tired today." He awkwardly reached up to scratch his temple, trying to break the strange tension. "Uh... so..."
Xu Yinyin immediately lifted her head and nodded several times, ever so considerate. "You've been running around all day, Boss. You must be exhausted! Please go get some rest. I can meditate and cultivate in the main room, and... keep watch for you tonight."
As she spoke, she even waved her little fist, doing her best to look fierce. But with her still-youthful face, she looked especially adorable—and somehow, it made one's heart ache. "First thing tomorrow morning, we'll go back to the Law Enforcement Hall and ask Senior Disciple Brother and the others to investigate! I want to see which blind bastard dared to assassinate our Law Enforcement Hall's Lord Advisor! We'll drag him out and skin him alive!"
Yang Ning looked at her and felt a little warmth stir in his heart. He nodded. "All right. Then... sorry for the trouble."
He said nothing more. After handing Xu Yinyin the thread he'd found in the nest of straw, he turned and headed for the door to the inner room. Under Xu Yinyin's silent gaze, the door slowly closed.
The instant it shut with a soft click, Xu Yinyin's determined, sunny smile faded like the tide going out. She slowly, wearily sank back into the chair behind the counter, wrapped her arms around her knees, and buried her face in them. Her small body curled inward, like an abandoned little beast, surrounded by an indescribable loneliness.
Meanwhile, Yang Ning lay flat on the soft Simmons mattress in the inner room, hands folded beneath his head, eyes fixed on the ceiling like a statue. Moonlight streamed through the window lattice, casting shifting patches of light and shadow across his face.
[[The tide of memories surged uncontrollably through his mind once more:
"Hey! Are we... really going to walk along this path? There's an ancient restriction on Black Wind Ridge, so we can't use Sword Riding at all! If we fall..."
An Han stood before the Chang Kong Plank Road, a narrow path barely wide enough for one person, carved into the sheer face of a cliff that plunged ten thousand feet. She stared at the cloud-filled abyss below, her voice trembling, her legs unsteady.
Yang Ning shrugged. "There's no choice. This is the only way to the top of Black Wind Cliff. The Star Sea Flower you're looking for grows beside the Starlight River at the bottom of the cliff. They say its waters can eat through bone."
An Han cautiously glanced down, then immediately stumbled several steps backward, pressing her back tight against the cold rock wall.
"Afraid of heights?" Yang Ning turned to look at her. Even frightened, her red eyes were stunningly beautiful. His question carried a hint of teasing.
Like a cat whose tail had been stepped on, An Han stiffened her neck at once, baring two little pointed canine teeth. "W-who's afraid? I'm not scared!"
Yang Ning's gaze fell on her hand, clenched tight with nerves around the hem of his clothes. He raised an eyebrow. "Oh? You're not afraid of heights? Then why are you holding on to my clothes?"
An Han swallowed and tried to sound convincing. "I... I was just..."
"Don't worry." His teasing expression faded, his voice steady and reassuring. "Don't look back, and don't look down. Keep your eyes on the rock wall in front of you. Follow my footsteps, one step at a time. I'll get you across."
"Th-then... what if... what if we fall?" An Han's voice held a dependence she didn't even realize was there.
At that, Yang Ning actually laughed, the carefree smile seeming almost out of place against the perilous backdrop. "Then... we'll go together and return together!"
Seeing An Han lower her head at once, he teased her even as he tried to comfort her. "Don't worry. I have no intention of dying alongside a troublemaker like you."
An Han immediately raised her head and pouted, giving an unhappy "hmph." "Hmph! As if I'd want to die with you! And just think about it—all the 'trouble' with red armbands along the way was caused by you. It's so annoying!"
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