The Two of Them, From Now On

The next morning.

Sunlight spilled across the shimmering surface of Sea God Lake.

Yun Jingheng was eating breakfast by the lake—steaming buns made by Ya Li herself. One bite, and his mouth filled with rich juices.

Then, from the corner of his eye, he spotted someone.

Golden hair, blue eyes, a delicate face, and an icy expression.

Ye Xinglan.

She stood ten meters away, gripping the Stargod Sword as she stared at him.

Her gaze was complicated.

There was unwillingness, stubbornness, and... a trace of indescribable anticipation.

Yun Jingheng swallowed the bun in his mouth.

"Have you... eaten?"

he asked.

Ye Xinglan's expression stiffened for a moment.

"You—"

She took a deep breath and calmed herself.

"I want to fight you again."

Yun Jingheng looked at the bun in his hand, then at her.

"Can you wait until I finish eating?"

Ye Xinglan gritted her teeth.

"Fine. I'll wait."

Yun Jingheng nodded and continued eating.

One bite, two bites, three bites.

He was unhurried. His table manners were refined, but he was not slow.

Ye Xinglan stood beside him, staring as though she were looking at an enemy.

Yet her gaze kept unconsciously falling on the crescent mark between his brows.

She had spent a long time thinking about that sword strike after returning.

Not about how she had lost.

But about how that strike had reached her.

Flash step? No, it was not a flash step. It was teleportation.

It had crossed space directly.

She had never seen that kind of movement technique or that kind of attack.

So she had gone back and trained extra for a long time.

She trained until dawn, until she was utterly exhausted. After sleeping for two hours, she woke up and trained again.

When she truly could not move anymore, she came here.

Not because she thought she could win.

She wanted to experience it once more.

To feel the gap between herself and him.

Yun Jingheng finished the last bun, wiped his hands, and stood.

"Come on."

he said.

The Moonlight Sword condensed in his hand, its blade a faint, indistinct silver.

Ye Xinglan took a deep breath and tightened her grip on the Stargod Sword.

She did not attack rashly. Instead, she looked at him with unprecedented seriousness.

"I thought about it for a long time after going back," she said.

Yun Jingheng said nothing.

"I figured something out."

She continued, "I didn't lose in Soul Power, nor did I lose in martial soul. I lost because of... my mindset."

She paused.

"I thought I was strong, so I looked down on you. But in truth, I couldn't even block a casual sword strike from you."

Yun Jingheng looked at her without speaking.

"I didn't come again today to defeat you."

Ye Xinglan gripped her sword tightly. "I came to show you what I look like when I'm serious."

As soon as her words fell, she moved.

Faster than before.

Sword light flashed sharply, sword energy crisscrossed the air, and every strike carried a resolute intent.

A trace of surprise flashed through Yun Jingheng's eyes.

She truly had grown stronger than before.

It was not her Soul Power. It was... her focus.

She was no longer thinking, I have to win.

She was thinking, I have to draw my sword.

That was why every strike was purer and sharper than last time.

Yun Jingheng swung his sword to parry and shifted to evade, not rushing to counterattack.

He felt Ye Xinglan's swordsmanship.

This girl truly was a genius.

After losing once, she had been able to understand so much.

Given time, she would become very strong.

Thirty seconds later, a thought crossed his mind.

His second soul ring lit up.

Silver-white light spread from beneath his feet, instantly enveloping the surrounding ten meters.

Ye Xinglan only felt her body grow light, then she involuntarily slid toward Yun Jingheng.

She instinctively tried to break free, but that force was supple yet firm, completely impossible to resist.

Three meters.

Two meters.

One meter.

She arrived before Yun Jingheng, raising the Stargod Sword, yet she could not thrust it down.

Because Yun Jingheng's sword was already pressed before her throat.

But this time, she did not freeze.

She looked at the sword tip before her throat, fell silent for a second, then smiled.

It was not a bitter smile. It was a genuine one.

"I still lost."

she said, her tone free of unwillingness, containing only relief.

Yun Jingheng withdrew his sword.

"You're stronger than before," he said.

Ye Xinglan looked at him. "Really?"

Yun Jingheng nodded.

Ye Xinglan smiled again.

This time, she smiled even more happily.

"Then I'll come again next time."

She turned and walked away, but after taking two steps, she looked back.

"What's the name of that soul skill of yours?"

Yun Jingheng thought for a moment. "Moonlight Protection."

Ye Xinglan nodded, silently repeated the name once, then strode away.

In the distance, Lan Muzi stood beneath a tree, watching the scene.

Yun Ming stood beside him.

"This child," Lan Muzi said, "lost once, yet she was able to adjust herself like this the second time. She's promising."

Yun Ming nodded.

Lan Muzi looked toward Yun Jingheng. "He knows his limits, and he doesn't hurt people with his words. He's promising too."

Yun Ming nodded again.

Lan Muzi turned to look at him.

"Pavilion Master, don't you have anything to say?"

Yun Ming thought for a moment.

"The buns smelled good."

Lan Muzi: "..."

Sunlight fell along the shore of Sea God Lake.

Yun Jingheng remained where he was, watching Ye Xinglan's receding figure.

Within the Sea of Spirit, Xiao Jiu rolled over.

"That girl is kind of interesting," it said.

Yun Jingheng nodded.

"When she comes next time, how do you plan to fight her?"

Yun Jingheng thought for a moment.

"I don't know."

he said. "We'll see when the time comes."

Xiao Jiu clicked its tongue and went back to sleep.

From then on, Ye Xinglan came often.

She came every few days, sometimes every day.

When she came, she did not say much. She would stand there and point her sword at him, making her meaning obvious—fight.

Yun Jingheng was not bothered either. If she came, they fought. Once it was over, they parted. Occasionally, he would say a few more words.

"Your strike was slower today."

"Mm."

"Your opening motion was too large. It makes you easy to predict."

"Mm?"

"Why are you saying 'mm'? Did you take that in or not?"

"I took it in."

Then the next day, that strike would become faster.

Sometimes, Yun Jingheng felt that this girl had not come to practice swordsmanship. She had come for advanced study.

She learned faster than anyone and corrected herself more ruthlessly than anyone.

After a month, her improvement was obvious to the naked eye.

Her sword strikes were faster, her movements more agile, and her understanding of battle rhythm had deepened as well.

But every time they finished fighting, she still lost.

After losing, she would leave. Then she would return again.

She never complained, never made excuses, and never asked, "How can I defeat you?"

She simply came, fought, lost, and left.

Then she came again the next day.

Once, Yun Jingheng could not help asking, "You come every day. Don't you get tired of it?"

Ye Xinglan froze for a moment, as though she had never considered that question.

"Tired of what?"

Yun Jingheng thought for a moment. "Losing all the time."

Ye Xinglan fell silent for several seconds.

"So what if I lose?"

she said. "One day, I'll win eventually."

Her tone was very calm when she said that.

Yun Jingheng looked at her and suddenly understood what kind of person this girl was.

She was not the kind of genius who could not accept defeat.

She was the kind of genius who could accept defeat—and grow stronger with every loss.

"Fine."

he said. "Then keep coming."

Ye Xinglan nodded and turned to leave.

After taking two steps, she looked back.

"That bun of yours smelled really good."

Yun Jingheng: "..."

"Could you bring me one next time?"

Yun Jingheng thought for a moment. "Sure."

The next day, Ye Xinglan got to eat buns Ya Li had made herself.

She took a bite, and her eyes lit up.

"Delicious."

Then she sat by the lake beside Yun Jingheng and ate all three buns, one bite at a time.

Afterward, she wiped her hands, stood up, and said,

"Let's fight."

Yun Jingheng nodded.

After their fight that day, Ye Xinglan did not hurry off.

She sat by the lake, watching the water, then suddenly asked, "What do you usually do?"

Yun Jingheng thought for a moment. "Cultivate, read, dismantle Soul Tools."

"Dismantle Soul Tools?"

"Yeah."

"Why dismantle those things?"

"To see what they look like inside."

Ye Xinglan fell silent for a moment.

"You're pretty strange."

Yun Jingheng did not argue.

"But," she paused, "I'm not normal either."

Yun Jingheng looked at her.

Ye Xinglan stared at the lake, her tone calm. "My mother doesn't like me practicing swordsmanship."

"Why?"

"Because my grandfather was still practicing swordsmanship before he died."

Yun Jingheng said nothing.

Ye Xinglan continued, "But I insist on practicing swordsmanship."

She turned to look at him.

"So I can understand you."

Yun Jingheng froze for a moment. "Understand what about me?"

"Why you're always alone."

She said, "If you do things differently from everyone else, you have to be alone."

Yun Jingheng looked at her in silence for several seconds.

Then he smiled.

"Alright."

He said, "Then from now on, there'll be two of us."

Ye Xinglan froze for a moment, then smiled as well.

"Mm-hmm."

The days passed one by one.

Ye Xinglan still came often. Whenever she came, they fought. After fighting, they ate buns, and after eating, they sat and chatted.

They talked about more and more things.

They talked about swords, soul skills, the troubles at home, and what they wanted to do in the future.

Yun Jingheng listened more and spoke less, but occasionally, he would say a few things.

And whenever he spoke, it was the kind of thing that left people stunned.

Once, Ye Xinglan asked him, "How far do you think I can go in the future?"

Yun Jingheng thought for a moment. "At least a Title Douluo."

Ye Xinglan's eyes lit up. "Really?"

"Yeah."

Yun Jingheng said, "With your personality, defeat won't break you, and fighting won't kill you. Sooner or later, you'll make it."

Ye Xinglan stared at him for a long time.

"Can't you compliment someone properly?"

Yun Jingheng: "...I did compliment you, didn't I?"

Ye Xinglan gave a dismissive "Tsk," but the corners of her lips were curved upward.