Affection

Time passed without anyone knowing how long.

Gu Chang'an rose from the medicinal tub. Amid the billowing steam, the contours of his muscles seemed to swell faintly, and his skin glimmered with a soft sheen.

He put on his clothes and let out a long breath. His qi and blood felt abundant, his tendons and bones as though they had been reforged from scratch, and his whole body felt considerably lighter, as if even breathing had become smoother.

[Name: Gu Chang'an]

[Lifespan: 30 years 3 months]

[Identity: Martial Artist (Minor Official)]

[Realm: Ninth Grade]

[Constitution: 352 (+4/day)]

[Techniques: Mountain Shattering Saber Technique (Yellow Grade Middle Rank, Mastery/+), Green Lotus Poison Scripture (Yellow Grade, Mastery/+), Iron Cutting Saber Technique (Yellow Grade Low Rank, Perfected), Complete Iron Cloth Shirt (Yellow Grade High Rank, Perfected/+), Flowing Wind Steps (Yellow Grade Low Rank, Mastery/+), Mountain Shattering Fist (Yellow Grade Low Rank, Mastery/+), Archery (Mortal Grade, Mastery/+)]

Seeing that his constitution had actually risen to 352—an increase of nearly thirty points—Gu Chang'an couldn't help smiling.

It seemed this was the effect of the Body Tempering Pill.

He usually came to Sky Wind Martial Hall for medicinal baths as well, at least three times a week.

One bath per week was free, while he had to pay for the rest.

Each one cost twenty taels of silver.

That was already the discounted price Li Tianfeng had given him. Otherwise, it would have been even more expensive.

The saying that scholars needed wealth and martial artists needed riches was truly not wrong in the slightest.

Fortunately, Lu Tong had given him two hundred taels in aid, saving him from bankruptcy.

Each medicinal bath increased his constitution by four or five points, nowhere near as violently as this time.

It was clear that this was the effect of the Body Tempering Pill.

"This Body Tempering Pill was truly worth every penny... With the medicinal bath's assistance, it actually pushed my cultivation forward by such a great margin."

"At this rate, given a little more time, I might be able to break through to the Eighth Grade!"

Just as he was immersed in the joy of his improvement, a voice reached him:

"Kid, are you done with the medicinal bath? Come over and eat!"

It was Li Tianfeng's voice.

Gu Chang'an came back to himself. As he walked toward the Front Hall, he saw that Li Tianfeng and Xie Lanzhi had already sat down to eat. There was even an empty seat beside them, seemingly reserved especially for him.

"Thank you, Master and Mistress." Gu Chang'an saluted.

Xie Lanzhi smiled. "You've just gone through a bitter battle and then taken a medicinal bath. This is exactly when you need to replenish your qi and nourish your blood. Stay for dinner."

Gu Chang'an had intended to decline, but Xie Lanzhi's gaze was gentle yet left no room for refusal. He could only nod.

"Then this disciple will respectfully accept your invitation."

Just then, light footsteps sounded outside the door, accompanied by a faint floral fragrance.

Gu Chang'an instinctively looked up—

He saw that Li Hongye had changed her clothes. She wore a light-purple dress, her long hair loosely pinned with a hairpin, and her slightly damp sideburns clung to her cheeks. Her skin was fairer than snow, and her languid expression held a delicate beauty born of recent recovery from battle. She looked worlds apart from her usual self in constable's uniform, fierce and swift in action.

Gu Chang'an froze.

Li Hongye was even more beautiful at this moment.

Li Hongye noticed his gaze. The corner of her eye lifted, and the corners of her lips curled up. She suddenly walked over, seized his ear, and grinned fiercely.

"Junior Brother, what are you looking at? So absorbed, too?"

Gu Chang'an's ears heated up, and he hurriedly said, "N-nothing! I just... thought Senior Sister looked quite well today."

Li Hongye snorted. "You little rascal. You're quite the smooth talker."

Seeing this, Xie Lanzhi shook her head with a smile. "All right, all right, stop fooling around. Hurry up and eat."

Only then did Li Hongye reluctantly let go of Gu Chang'an's ear and take her seat.

The dishes on the table were sumptuous. Li Tianfeng and Xie Lanzhi chatted casually as they ate, and the atmosphere was relaxed and harmonious. Li Hongye occasionally teased Gu Chang'an, while Gu Chang'an was rarely able to relax like this. He picked up a piece of fish, and it tasted exceptionally fresh.

After dinner, Gu Chang'an rose to leave.

"Master, Mistress, this disciple will be heading back first."

Li Tianfeng nodded. "Go on. Get a good rest. We'll talk about cultivation tomorrow."

Li Hongye leaned against the back of her chair and waved lightly, teasing him with a smile. "Go back early. Don't let me beat you up in your dreams, Junior Brother."

Gu Chang'an smiled bitterly. "Then I'll have to practice my saber in my dreams, too."

Li Hongye giggled and watched him leave.

The moonlight was cool, and the night breeze was faintly chilly. As Gu Chang'an walked along, he felt an indescribable ease in both body and mind.

Meanwhile, Li Hongye quietly returned to her room. She looked up at the moonlight, touched her cheeks, which had grown slightly warm when Gu Chang'an had "stolen a glance" at her, and chuckled softly.

"That guy... He isn't completely dense after all."

The night was gentle. A breeze stirred the curtains, while swaying lamplight cast a water-soft glow across the wooden walls. The faint clink of bowls and chopsticks rang out, and the room was filled with the lingering fragrance of food and a light herbal scent.

Xie Lanzhi sat by the table, gently placing the last pair of chopsticks into the wooden basket. She turned toward the doorway, but the departing figures of Gu Chang'an and Li Hongye had long since vanished into the night.

She smiled softly, her tone warm and teasing.

"Just look at those two children. Aren't they a perfect match?"

Li Tianfeng leaned back in his chair, still holding a wine cup as he gazed at the moonlight silently falling beyond the window. After a moment of silence, he shook his head and sighed quietly.

"—No."

Xie Lanzhi paused and turned around. "Why? Are you dissatisfied with your precious disciple?"

Li Tianfeng chuckled softly. He raised his hand and drained the wine in his cup, a hint of complicated emotion shimmering in his eyes.

"How could I be? I've taught quite a few disciples in my life and seen countless geniuses. Gu Chang'an is the one who gives me the greatest peace of mind."

"Not only is he talented, he's also upright, neither servile nor overbearing, sensible, and grateful. He never grows arrogant or conceited. He isn't the sort of ungrateful wolf who chases fame and profit."

He paused, then added softly, "If I could entrust Hongye to him, I'd naturally be more than happy."

Xie Lanzhi frowned. "Then why did you say no?"

Li Tianfeng was silent for a moment before speaking in a low voice.

"It's not because I look down on him. Rather—I'm worried that Hongye won't be able to keep him."

Xie Lanzhi was stunned.

Li Tianfeng raised his head and looked out at the sky beyond the window. It was the broadest stretch of night sky above Nanning County, the river of stars flowing across it, yet still bounded.

"Chang'an's talent is simply too great. Do you know? From the very first day I took him as my disciple, I knew he didn't belong to this land."

"Nanning County is only the starting point of his life. In a few years—or perhaps he won't even need to wait that long—he'll definitely leave."

"The three provinces of Northern Liang, the Taiyuan battlefield, the great sects and schools... Where is there no contest between outstanding talents? When the time comes, if he steps into a higher world, if he stands atop a loftier peak—what will become of Hongye?"

"A golden-scaled fish is no creature of a shallow pond; once it encounters wind and clouds, it transforms into a dragon."

"Hongye is our child. I don't want her to... get hurt."

Li Tianfeng spoke word by word. His tone was not impassioned, but so steady that it seemed he had already seen the diverging paths and endings of the future with perfect clarity.

Xie Lanzhi's expression gradually dimmed. "I understand now..."

She sighed quietly, picked up the cloth beside her, and wiped away the water stains remaining on the tabletop. "But don't you think... they've already developed feelings for each other?"

"I've rarely seen Hongye wear a dress, and certainly never in front of outsiders."

Li Tianfeng fell silent for a long while.

Outside, the wind swept through the bamboo grove, and the leaves whispered. He slowly nodded, his voice slightly hoarse.

"That's right. As her father, how could I fail to see it?"

"Hongye has changed. When she looks at Gu Chang'an, there's light in her eyes."

Xie Lanzhi gazed at him quietly and asked in a low voice, "Then what do you intend to do?"

Li Tianfeng rolled the wine cup between his fingers, then set it down and said softly:

"—I can only say... let fate take its course."

"If they are fated, they will naturally stay together for life;

if they are not..., then it cannot be forced."

The room fell silent. Only the lamplight swayed gently, unable to illuminate the diverging fates of the future, but turning this moment of tenderness into a warm yellow glow.

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