Ye Qingxian, Whose Talent Was Lacking

"Do not bring this matter up again."

Ye Qingxian rarely used such a stern tone.

I secretly stole two more glances at her.

"You're talking all fancy. Did you eat an oil pancake?"

Ye Qingxian: .

"I didn't eat an oil pancake."

"You ate my sesame bun."

"Cough—"

As if performing a magic trick, I pulled a large flatbread directly from my stash.

"...Were you talking about this?"

Nothing was more terrifying than the air suddenly falling silent.

The wind blew bleakly, like a reed flute spiraling through the air.

Just then, flakes of snow drifted down.

"It's snowing!" Ignoring Ye Qingxian's thoughts, I suddenly cried out in surprise.

Before long, a thin layer of snow had gathered on the ground.

I stepped forward barefoot, leaving a tiny footprint in the snow at once.

Before I could properly savor the romance of standing amid wind and snow—

The ground suddenly vanished beneath me.

Ye Qingxian had grabbed me beneath the arms and lifted me up like a child.

"Be careful."

"This snowfall is not simple."

Ye Qingxian narrowed her eyes.

"This should be the sixth trial."

There had been no prompt, nor any prelude.

The two of us had abruptly entered a new trial.

It was different from the previous trials.

This time, even Ye Qingxian sensed a faint trace of danger.

Suddenly, clamor and the lively cries of a marketplace rang clearly through the wind and snow.

Without any warning, the two of us appeared on a small town's street.

A timely snowfall promised a bountiful year. That saying had become reality before us: lively hawkers called from all around, stalls selling firecrackers and spring couplets stood everywhere, and an endless stream of plain, ordinary people from ancient times passed by, every face brimming with festive smiles.

Most pedestrians