Ever since their first meeting in the flower hall, Ye Zhilan would occasionally appear in Yu Yuanchen's regular yet monotonous cultivation life. At first, they were merely polite visits made in accordance with their elders' wishes, neither frequent nor long. But as they met more often, the initial unfamiliarity and awkwardness between them gradually gave way to a calm, natural sense of familiarity.
Seeing that the two youngsters got along well, Yu Mingfeng and Ye Zhilan's parents were naturally happy to encourage it and deliberately or casually created more opportunities for them. Sometimes, the Ye Family would send over rare spiritual plants and medicinal herbs, personally delivered by Ye Zhilan. Other times, the Yu Family would hold small tea gatherings or flower-viewing parties and invariably invite the Ye Family mother and daughter. Yu Mingfeng even used the excuse that "youngsters should exchange more cultivation insights" to have Yu Yuanchen show Ye Zhilan the non-core sections of the family Library Pavilion.
Over the course of this, Yu Yuanchen discovered that Ye Zhilan was not merely as gentle and shy as she had seemed when they first met. Once she grew familiar with him, she occasionally revealed the playfulness and liveliness unique to a young girl. For instance, when Yu Yuanchen introduced her to a Soul Beast with unusual traits, she would blink her clear eyes and ask imaginative yet adorable questions. "Brother Yuanchen, if a Wind Whisper Bird ate the pollen of a Phantom Light Orchid, would its song take on the color of a rainbow too?" Or, while sampling tea snacks, she would quietly move the flavors she disliked to the edge of her plate with deft little movements, then give Yu Yuanchen a slightly sly look that asked him to keep her secret.
That gradually revealed playfulness was like