"Really... really?"
Tushan Jingci lifted her face slightly, blinking at Xiao Mo. Her gaze was somewhat dazed, yet filled with expectation.
"Xiao Mo, you really aren't lying to me?" the girl asked, seeking confirmation from the young man before her, afraid she might have been deceived.
"Really." Xiao Mo smiled gently, his tone warm and certain. "If the Divination Technique of Great Dream of Yellow Millet hasn't lied to me."
"Okay... then I'll wait for you. You're not allowed to break your promise!" Tushan Jingci held out her slender pinky to Xiao Mo, her eyes full of childlike earnestness. "Let's make a pinky promise."
"I wouldn't dare break it." Xiao Mo smiled and reached out his hand.
One thick, one slender, their little fingers hooked together gently.
A moment later, Xiao Mo released the girl's finger and stepped back. "Miss, it's getting late. I'll take my leave. Please take good care of yourself during this time."
"I... I'll wait for you..."
Tushan Jingci placed a small hand lightly over her chest, her lovely eyes fixed on Xiao Mo, as if she wanted to carve his image, bit by bit, into her heart.
Xiao Mo smiled and nodded. He straightened his sleeves, bowed deeply to Tushan Jingci, then turned and walked away at an unhurried pace.
Tushan Jingci remained where she was, her gaze following the retreating figure as it moved farther and farther away.
She instinctively took a step forward, as though she wanted to chase after him, but in the end, she stopped.
As Xiao Mo's figure dwindled into a tiny dot, the girl couldn't help rising onto her tiptoes. She tilted her chin up and strained to look into the distance.
Even after that tiny dot vanished completely beyond the horizon, the girl continued staring in that direction.