"Tell me, why do you keep chasing me down?"
Mu Chen crouched beside the silver-haired girl, speaking with easy familiarity.
Their unconventional pursuit over the past three months had forged a remarkably deep friendship between them.
"I don't want to fall for you."
"Feelings will only become an obstacle, slowing my progress toward becoming stronger."
"Only by keeping my heart free of distractions can I pursue the Great Dao and stand at the summit."
The silver-haired girl had been eating her fish in small, unhurried bites. At his words, a serious look appeared on her palm-sized, lovely face, and she answered one word at a time.
She was the sole designated heir of the Luo God Imperial Clan, and too much rested on her shoulders.
The rise and fall of the Ancient Clan, the safety of its countless people, the continuation of the imperial line—
The Luo God Clan was already weathering a storm, and love was too great a luxury for her.
She couldn't even decide her own marriage.
There were only three important things in her life:
Become stronger! Become stronger! And become stronger!
Only if she was strong enough could she take the burden from her aging grandfather, protect the boundless lands, watch over countless people, and restore the glory of her ancestors.
Mu Chen pondered for a moment, then said, "Have you ever considered that this pursuit might have made the bond between us even deeper?"
This past half year hadn't been a chase and a fight at all. It was clearly a way of growing closer!
The girl considered his words, then covered her heart with a slender hand, feeling its beat. She murmured, "I think you're right."
"So, Mu Chen, let's fight today."
The silver-haired girl named Luo Li wore an inscrutable expression. With a clear metallic ring, she slowly drew the black sword from her back and pointed it at the Hundred Spirits Youth.
It seemed the silver-haired girl had realized this long ago, too.
She knew all too well that if she let these feelings keep growing, she would only sink deeper and deeper, until she could never cut them off—and could never raise her sword against Mu Chen again.
Better to cut things off decisively.
"Bodhi is not a tree, nor is the bright mirror a stand."
"Originally, there was not a single thing. Where could dust alight?"
"Luo Li, your heart is in turmoil."
Mu Chen rose to his full height and leisurely recited a Buddhist verse.
He carefully took the roasted fish from where it had slipped from the lovely girl's hand, so it wouldn't fall into the dust, and placed it on a clean lotus leaf nearby. They'd have to finish the fight before eating.
"Sorry."
The silver-haired girl looked apologetic. She gave her slender waist a slight twist and swung the Luo God Sword, sending a rain of blades at the human youth before her, swift as lightning.
Mu Chen understood her feelings now, so he said no more. He silently summoned his Spirit Soldier.
Thud, thud, thud—the warmth on the battlefield was instantly replaced by layers of murderous intent.
Staff shadows and sword light intertwined, metal clashing against divine weapons. This was the romance of spiritual energy.
The two gathered their energy, stirred their blood, and brought their bodies and spirits to an unprecedented peak. They fought with everything they had, holding nothing back, offering up an extraordinary clash between two kings.
On the eighteenth exchange, Mu Chen used a move called Reverse Grip of Tai'e. He meant to knock the silver-haired girl's weapon away, but held back at the last moment, giving up the precious opportunity.
"Clang!"
The girl keenly noticed Mu Chen's brief hesitation. The countless sword shadows abruptly shifted, converging into a dazzling killing move that thrust forward and knocked the ancient battle staff away.
The Luo God Sword was incredibly fast, reaching Mu Chen's face in almost the blink of an eye.
Mu Chen let his arms hang at his sides, calmly looking at the silver-haired girl pointing her sword at him.
The sword tip was only inches from his throat.
With a light thrust, the princess of the Ancient Clan could easily end his life.
The Demon-Subduing Battle Staff landed beyond the battlefield. Mu Chen made no move to summon it again, giving up his resistance.
The Hundred Spirits Youth said softly, "Go ahead. Run it through."
"But I... I don't think I can."
Luo Li held the Luo God Sword and shook her head, her expression conflicted, her gaze bewildered.
She had thought that after chasing Mu Chen for nearly half a year, finally "defeating" him and having the chance to kill him at any moment would bring her satisfaction and relief.
Instead, she found herself overwhelmed by an utterly complicated emotion, something even harder to put into words.
That was right. She simply couldn't bring herself to swing that sword.
Perhaps the princess of the Luo God Clan had already fallen in love long ago.
"Mu Chen, I think I've fallen for you. What should I do?"
When Mu Chen heard that near-confession, his scalp tingled and his blood surged. He felt every pore on his body open at once, while a chill ran through him.
How lucky he was to win the favor of such a peerless beauty!
He had thought himself worldly, detached, seasoned by life, and well versed in matters of the heart, yet even he couldn't withstand that brief, powerful sentence.
Mu Chen, I think I've fallen for you.
What kind of strange feeling was this?
His heart clenched, his blood raced, and even his heavy body seemed to grow lighter.
The sword gradually lowered, and the silver-haired girl's emotions slowly settled.
With a ringing sound, Luo Li sheathed the Luo God Sword and turned to leave without a backward glance.
Mu Chen, whose health bar had nearly been emptied in one strike, opened his mouth. He wanted to call after her and make her stay, but couldn't think of how or why. In the end, he could only give up in frustration.
Once, a sincere love had been placed before me, but I didn't cherish it. By the time I lost it, regret came too late. The most painful thing in this world—
"Dummy, aren't you coming?"
Suddenly, the silver-haired girl stopped her slender figure and turned to look at Mu Chen.
Under the youth's gaze, a faint, unusual flush appeared on Luo Li's usually pale, cool, and breathtaking face, beneath her mysterious, brilliant silver hair.
It was subtle, yet it carried an unusual beauty.
But the silver-haired girl didn't retreat. She bravely held his gaze.
"Ah, oh, right. I'm coming."
Just as the girl felt she had nearly exhausted all the courage she had in her life, Mu Chen—still a little dazed—nodded hard and hurried after her with small steps.
The two stood shoulder to shoulder, their feet side by side, facing the sun.
"Mu Chen, let's do this together. Let's team up and explore the Spirit Road."
Back in the clearing, the silver-haired girl was eating roasted river fish again as she spoke.
"You said earlier that I'd become an obstacle to you, and that you didn't want to fall for me."
Having calmed down, Mu Chen had once again regained the elegant bearing of a noble gentleman.
"But when I pointed my sword at you, I realized that my feelings for you wouldn't slow down my cultivation. If anything, they made me want to become stronger."
"Only by growing stronger—by growing stronger faster—can I protect everything."
The silver-haired girl sat prettily on a dead tree, speaking with a calm gaze.
Mu Chen felt his heart give a slight squeeze, as though it had missed a beat.
An inexplicable emotion swept through him. He had been struck again.
Luo Li, do you know that the way you say things like this with such a serious expression is more moving than any love words in the world—hundreds, thousands of times more moving?
Beneath the setting sun, the two figures gradually leaned together, their silhouettes overlapping.
The feelings the young man and woman had kept buried deep in their hearts, suppressing them with all their might, could no longer be contained. They broke through layer upon layer of obstacles, took root, and began to sprout.
They were still tender, but in the days to come they would grow ever stronger, becoming towering trees that reached the heavens.
P.S. Brothers, I'm back.
It's just romance, right? I know this stuff. (′｀)
Before you continue