Continue Heating Up

The next day, dawn had barely broken, and the morning dew had yet to dry.

Xiao Yixian rose while the sky was still dim and carefully cleaned the little wooden house inside and out. She then changed into a brand-new, pale purple dress and spent a long while smoothing her hair as she studied her blurry reflection in the basin. A flutter of excitement and anticipation stirred within her, though she couldn't have explained it herself.

She had just set out the rack for drying herbs when her gaze kept drifting toward the mouth of the valley.

When that familiar figure in blue appeared right on time through the thin morning mist, walking toward her at an unhurried pace, her heart skipped a beat for no reason, and the corners of her mouth lifted despite herself.

"Morning." Lin Hai's voice carried the coolness of dawn, but it was warmer and more familiar than yesterday.

He wasn't carrying anything today, yet when those deep eyes looked at her, it was as though he had brought the light of the entire morning with him.

"Morning," Xiao Yixian replied softly, her cheeks warming. She quickly lowered her head and pretended to sort through the herbs at her side. "You're here early."

"I've been thinking about those star spirit flowers, and I've also been thinking about..." Lin Hai paused, his gaze settling on her lashes, trembling slightly with nerves. He chuckled. "...not wanting to arrive too late and make you miss the best time to gather herbs."

The concern in his words was perfectly measured. It warmed Xiao Yixian's heart without making him seem frivolous.

She looked up and summoned the courage to meet his eyes. "Then let's go check on the star spirit flowers. They really haven't been doing well lately."

The two of them walked side by side toward a secluded patch of land.

Several strange little flowers stood there, their bodies a deep blue, their leaves speckled with silver points like stars. They drooped listlessly.

Lin Hai crouched down and gently brushed his fingers over the leaves and the soil around the roots of the star spirit flowers. His movements were practiced and gentle.

Xiao Yixian crouched beside him, watching his hands closely. As she breathed, she caught the clean, crisp scent of him, mingled with the fragrance of earth and herbs. Her thoughts began to wander.

"They're not suffering from pests or disease, and they aren't short on water." After examining them for a moment, Lin Hai reached his conclusion. "The celestial energy in this soil is too thin. Star spirit flowers need to absorb celestial energy at night to thrive. Qingshan Town sits at a low elevation, and the surrounding mountains block most of the starlight."

"Celestial energy?" Xiao Yixian blinked. She had only heard the term in certain ancient legends. "Then... there's nothing we can do?" Disappointment crept into her voice. She had worked hard to find and transplant these star spirit flowers.

"With ordinary methods, there really is nothing we can do." Lin Hai rose, his tone calm but imbued with unshakable confidence. "But it's not impossible. If we had an alchemy grandmaster skilled in soul power and sensing the stars, or some special means, we might be able to set up a small formation to draw in faint starlight. Or we could refine a special Star Glow Pill Liquid to water them with and make up for what they're lacking."

"An alchemy grandmaster?" Xiao Yixian's beautiful eyes widened, then she offered a bitter, wistful smile. "How could someone like that, a figure out of legend, possibly show up here for a few flowers? Alchemists—even the lowest-ranking, first-grade alchemist—is an extraordinary figure in Green Mountain Town." Her voice held a longing for that faraway world, along with a hint of deeply buried inferiority.

She had a love and talent for medicinal herbs, but her constitution and circumstances had kept her from truly crossing the threshold into alchemy.

Lin Hai took in her disappointment, his eyes flickering slightly. He continued as if in passing, "That's true. A good teacher is crucial. They can do more than explain medicinal properties; they can systematically teach you how to use soul power and control flames, and even help with many... difficult conditions caused by one's constitution." He lingered slightly over the words "difficult conditions."

Xiao Yixian's delicate body gave an almost imperceptible tremble. She abruptly looked up at Lin Hai.

My constitution? Could he have noticed something? Impossible! I've never told anyone about my Woeful Poison Body!

Yet Lin Hai's gaze was calm and deep, as if his words had been nothing more than a casual remark, without any hidden meaning.

He continued watching the star spirit flowers and murmured as though to himself, "Come to think of it, I do know an old man whose attainments in alchemy... well, they're passable. His temper's a little strange, but he's good at heart. He especially enjoys traveling from place to place, looking for promising young people with pure hearts and a unique talent for the path of medicine, so he can take them as disciples before their pearls are left to gather dust."

He turned to Xiao Yixian, his gaze warm and his tone lightly teasing, yet his words sounded like the most sincere reflection. "I think if he met you and saw how devoted you are to medicinal herbs, along with your natural gift for them, he'd surely be delighted to find such a promising student. He might even make an exception and take you on. After all, you managed to grow so many obscure medicinal herbs in conditions like these. It would be a real shame to waste that talent."

Boom!

His words exploded in Xiao Yixian's mind like a thunderclap!

A teacher whose alchemical skill was "passable"! A man who traveled far and wide! Someone who liked taking disciples! Someone who valued dedication to the path of medicine and natural talent! Someone who thought she was gifted, and that it would be a shame to waste her talent!

Every word struck the deepest, softest, most yearning place in her heart!

All her years of perseverance, all her dreams, all her grievances—it was as if, in that moment, they had found an outlet and a clearly visible path forward!

Overwhelming joy and hope swept away her defenses!

Her eyes reddened with excitement. She instinctively stepped forward and caught Lin Hai by the sleeve, her voice trembling. "R-really? That old gentleman you mentioned... would he really be willing to take someone like me—a simple herb gatherer—as his disciple?"

She tilted her face up to him, her eyes shining with boundless hope. She looked like a traveler who had wandered through the darkness for far too long and had finally glimpsed the light of a beacon ahead.

Lin Hai looked at her slender fingers clutching his sleeve, feeling both her excitement and her vulnerability. His gaze softened further.

He didn't pull away. Instead, he gently patted the back of her hand with his other hand. Her skin felt cool to the touch, yet a fierce desire to protect her rose within him.

"Of course." His voice was low and sure, carrying a power that inspired belief. "Your talent is far beyond what you imagine. You simply haven't had the right opportunity or someone to show you the way. And as for being ordinary..." He chuckled and shook his head. "In my eyes, all the alchemists in Green Mountain Town put together couldn't match your pure love for the path of medicine—not even if they had a hundred fingers."

His praise and affirmation, nearly unreserved, were like the sweetest honey, pouring straight into Xiao Yixian's heart.

An immense sense of happiness washed over her, leaving her almost dizzy.

She realized she was still clutching his sleeve and hurriedly let go. Her cheeks turned as red as the sunset, and her heart pounded as if it might leap out of her chest. She lowered her head shyly, her voice barely louder than a mosquito's hum. "Th-thank you... I, I..."

She didn't know how to express what she was feeling. Gratitude, joy, shyness, a little trepidation about the future, and enormous anticipation all tangled together inside her.

Seeing her like that, Lin Hai knew the moment was right. Too much would spoil it.

"You don't need to thank me. You deserve it. When the time is right, I'll introduce you. For now, let's find a way to save these star spirit flowers. We can't let your future teacher think you can't even look after a few little flowers, can we?"

He cleverly planted the idea of a "future teacher" in her mind again, then brought the conversation back to the matter at hand. He had given her tremendous hope without pressing her further and making her feel overwhelmed.

His words made Xiao Yixian laugh through her tears. She nodded firmly. When she looked at the drooping star spirit flowers again, her eyes had completely changed. They were full of energy and hope, as if the flowers were no longer just flowers, but the starting point on the road to her dream.

And the source of all that hope was the mysterious, gentle, and powerful man beside her.

She stole a glance at Lin Hai's focused profile. A feeling woven from profound gratitude, admiration, dependence, and a hazy trace of affection quietly wound around her heart like a vine, quickly taking root and sprouting.

Pushed forward by their shared "secret" and the enormous "hope" he had given her, their relationship had suddenly grown much closer.