Their Feelings Were Brewing, While Others Moved Forward

Let's get started.

Qin Wangchuan composed himself, shut down the system, and quickly sent a telepathic message to Yun Zexuan, pointing out the key points.

Just as all this was done, the entrance to the Secret Realm shone brightly with starlight and slowly opened.

Qin Wangchuan's gaze swept over the entrance, then he turned his head, intending to wake Li Qingluan, who was leaning on his shoulder.

However, as soon as he turned his head, he was caught off guard and bumped into a pair of eyes that were inches away from his.

Those eyes were as clear as a cold pool, yet they clearly reflected his face; his eyelashes were slightly lowered, and he was focused almost devoutly.

"You're awake?" He was slightly taken aback.

Li Qingluan responded with a soft "hmm" through her nose, but said nothing, simply continuing to gaze at him quietly. Her eyes were clear and bright, without any trace of the haze of waking up, but rather clear and focused, as if she had been staring at him for a long time.

"How long have you been spying on me?" Qin Wangchuan asked with a hint of teasing, but the response he received was unexpected.

"From the very beginning."

When did it begin?

"That's when you start spacing out." Her voice was very low, only the two of them could hear it. Instead of moving away, she used her leaning position to gently rub her chin against his shoulder, her breath brushing against his ear.

"What, you think I can't even look at my dao companion?"

Her question, both intimate and domineering, bluntly pierced the veil of unspoken understanding between them—some things, once revealed, can never be returned to their original state.

It was both unexpected and perfectly in line with Li Qingluan's personality.

Domineering, fierce, and never roundabout.

Qin Wangchuan looked at her confident expression, and after a moment, finally chuckled softly, replying as if admitting defeat:

"I can see."

With those two words spoken, the unspoken tension that had been lingering between them seemed to have settled, with no turning back.

Chu Wujiu looked at the two people in the distance who seemed to have created their own world with just a glance at each other, and belatedly slapped his thigh:

"Hmm! It does seem... different now!"

Ye Lingchuan remained silent.

Zhao Lingyun shook his head helplessly, rubbing his forehead, and sighed softly, "Your reaction... is too slow. If you ask me, you should have just kept that engagement in the first place."

Upon hearing the word "engagement, "Chu Wujiu seemed to have been struck a nerve, scratching the back of his head and chuckling sheepishly, his voice lowering several decibels:

"Speaking of that matter... to be honest, I'm not entirely sure whether the refund actually went through or not..."

"Hmm?" Ye Lingchuan, who had been silent until now, raised an eyebrow and looked over, clearly intrigued.

Zhao Lingyun asked in confusion, "What do you mean?"

"It's just that when I went to annul the engagement, she didn't agree and even beat me up." Chu Wujiu's eyes darted around. "She said the engagement could be put on hold for now, and I could go see her again after I've thought things through."

"She hit you?" Zhao Lingyun was taken aback; this scenario sounded vaguely familiar.

His expression then turned strange. "So you didn't... retreat at all?"

"I didn't fight back." Chu Wujiu thought for a moment and then added, "Shouldn't that count as retreating?"

"Refund my foot! They never even agreed to it!"

"What did you tell them before?" Zhao Lingyun pressed.

Chu Wujiu thought for a moment and said, "I said: I encountered a monster, and witnessed the true heights of mountains. The road is treacherous, and I only want to pursue him single-mindedly, without wanting to delay anyone else, so... let's call off the engagement?"

"They said to think things through before going to see her, but I've thought it through very clearly!"

Zhao Lingyun shook his head, feeling utterly helpless at Chu Wujiu's stubbornness. "Are you stupid?!"

"What the girl meant was that she was willing to wait for you, but she didn't want to say it outright, so she left you an out and something to look forward to."

"What's so hard about being straightforward?" Chu Wujiu asked, puzzled. "I've told her everything directly."

"You're a man!" Zhao Lingyun sighed, rubbing his forehead. "Is she a man too?"

Ye Lingchuan, who had been silent all along, nodded slightly, looked at Chu Wujiu, and unusually asked a question:

"So, putting all that aside, what do you think?"

Chu Wujiu was taken aback by the question. He stroked his chin and pondered for a moment before replying frankly, "I don't really have any particular thoughts on it."

"Well... I used to feel quite comfortable around her. There weren't many hidden agendas; we said what we meant, and there was no need to hide anything. It felt... not bad."

His belated frankness left Zhao Lingyun and Ye Lingchuan speechless for a moment.

After Chu Wujiu speaking, he suddenly realized something was wrong, and his thick eyebrows furrowed:

"That's not right! She's always been straightforward and says what she thinks. How could she be as cunning and calculating as you're saying?"

"You really are..." Zhao Lingyun almost laughed out of anger, but patiently retorted, "Fine, then I'll ask you."

"What if one day, Qin Wangchuan suddenly comes to you and says, 'I've met a stronger opponent than you, so don't look for me anymore,' what would you do?"

Ye Lingchuan, listening from the side, stared wide-eyed. What kind of absurd analogy was that?

But Chu Wujiu actually fell for it.

His eyes widened almost instinctively, and he blurted out, "How can that be?!"

But as soon as he said it, he froze.

Yes, what should he do if Qin Wangchuan really said that?

Rushing in to fight and leaving them behind? That doesn't seem right.

Don't go!

It seems... even stranger now.

He opened his mouth, but the words stuck in his throat, and he couldn't say them.

Seeing his expression, Zhao Lingyun nodded knowingly. "Right? You actually don't want him to leave, but you just can't bring yourself to say it."

"Relationships become complicated and never simple again."

"Your words, 'Let's call it quits,' probably hurt her more than any elaborate scheme."

Chu Wujiu gave a muffled "hmm".

Zhao Lingyun really explained it clearly. Does this count as teaching according to aptitude?

Ye Lingchuan thought for a moment, then suddenly looked at Zhao Lingyun and asked:

"Zhao Lingyun, you understand emotions so well, you must have many dao companion, right?"

What was meant to be a simple question left Zhao Lingyun frozen in place.

His composure and the air of knowing advice he held suddenly froze. His eyes darted around for a moment, and then he cleared his throat somewhat awkwardly.

"Ahem... that's incorrect."

"The Great Dao come first; romantic ties are but fleeting clouds!"

"We cultivators should observe the world with a detached perspective; this is the wisdom of the bystander!"

Just then, the starlight at the entrance to the Secret Realm suddenly stabilized, and a majestic voice resounded throughout the entrance area. "The Zhuixing Abyss has opened!"

Everyone's attention was immediately drawn to it.

Zhao Lingyun breathed a sigh of relief and quickly changed the subject, "It's open! Let's get ready to go in!" With that, he took the lead and squeezed towards the entrance, as if trying to escape the awkward discussion from just now.

Ye Lingchuan shook his head, realizing that he did not have dao companion.

It seems that not only emotions, but also saving face can complicate simple words.

After thinking it over, he went with Chu Wujiu.

Qin Wangchuan also withdrew his gaze and whispered to Li Qingluan beside him, "It's time to go in."

Li Qingluan gave a soft "hmm," finally removing herself from his shoulder and standing up.

However, after getting up, she did not rush to take a step, but naturally raised her hand, her fingertips gently brushing against the fabric on Qin Wangchuan's shoulder, which had been pressed into slight wrinkles.

The morning light outlined the girl's slightly lowered eyebrows and eyes; her movements were practiced and serene, as if she had done them a thousand times.

Only after she had finished doing all this did Li Qingluan raise her eyes to look at him, her gaze clear and bright:

Let's go.

The two then walked side by side, under the watchful eyes of many, both overt and covert, calmly making their way to the entrance to the starlit Secret Realm.

Just before entering, Qin Wangchuan glanced discreetly at a certain spot behind him.

That's the route Tan Lingfei took in the simulation.