The two chased and teased each other along the way, laughing and chatting as the lively atmosphere gradually settled down.
Their pace slowed as well, and at last they stopped together beneath the Outer Court dormitory building.
The evening breeze brushed gently past, dispelling the day's heat. The plants in the courtyard swayed softly, and fewer students passed by as the evening went on. A peaceful ease seemed to settle over everything.
They found a clean stone bench nearby and sat side by side, enjoying the evening breeze in a quiet, cozy atmosphere.
Su Ming glanced sideways at Zhang Lexuan, whose eyes and brows were gentle. His heart stirred, and with a casual wave of his hand, a faint glimmer flashed from his storage space. A delicately crafted crystal necklace appeared in his palm.
He leaned forward slightly and naturally offered it to Zhang Lexuan.
Curiosity immediately flickered in Zhang Lexuan's eyes, and she took it without thinking. Most women in the world were drawn to such lustrous, eye-catching, beautifully crafted jewelry.
She was no exception. The instant her fingertips touched the chain, she felt a fondness for it.
The necklace had slender, flowing lines, and a gentle silver-white sheen seemed to surround it. Its chain was made from clear, flawless crystal,
combined with fine Spirit-Forged Metal that had been repeatedly hammered and forged. Tiny starlike glimmers drifted and shimmered along the chain.
It felt smooth and warm to the touch, not the least bit cold or hard, and carried a steady, mellow aura of Soul Power.
Watching her examine the necklace closely, Su Ming spoke in a gentle voice:
"Sister Lexuan, I prepared this gift especially for you. I crafted it myself—it's a level-five Defensive Soul Tool. I named it the Eternal Chain."
He paused, his voice carrying a trace of sincerity and hope, then continued:
"My cultivation isn't very high yet, so this is about the highest level I can make for now. Once my strength improves steadily and my Soul Power grows stronger,
I'll personally make Sister Lexuan another Eternal Chain, one of a higher level with stronger defensive capabilities."
Zhang Lexuan held the necklace, with its special meaning, between her fingers, tracing its delicate patterns again and again.
Her thoughts churned, and a thousand words caught in her throat. For a moment, she didn't know how to respond to the young man's ardent feelings.
She understood better than anyone that Su Ming had never tried to hide how much he liked her. Whenever they met, the joy and fondness in the young man's eyes were impossible to miss.
She had clearly felt the considerate care he showed her in every little thing. When she was with Su Ming, she genuinely felt relaxed and happy, too.
But a knot she could never untangle still lay across her heart. Since childhood, she had been promised as Bei Bei's child bride. That bond had been arranged long ago.
Even though Bei Bei had now met someone he truly loved and didn't know about what had happened back then, Mu En had once saved her when she was in grave danger.
That life-saving kindness weighed as heavily as a mountain. Together with the promise she had made with her own lips long ago, it kept her from setting everything aside and freely accepting this sudden affection.
After wrestling with her feelings for a while, Zhang Lexuan gently quelled the turmoil in her eyes and lifted her gaze to Su Ming's earnest face.
Her voice carried a faint, hard-to-detect sorrow and uncertainty as she asked softly:
"Little Su Ming, you should know about the history between Bei Bei and me. With that kind of connection between us, would you... truly not mind at all?"
Hearing the sadness in her question, Su Ming showed not the slightest hesitation. His eyes were clear and resolute, and he answered without a second thought:
"Of course I don't mind at all. Bei Bei already has someone he loves, and he's long since put the past behind him.
"Who Sister Lexuan likes in the future, and whom she chooses, is entirely up to her. All I have to do is keep liking Sister Lexuan with all my heart."
He gazed intently at Zhang Lexuan, his voice utterly serious. Every word came from the bottom of his heart:
"No matter what anyone else says, my feelings won't change. I'll work hard at cultivation, and one day I'll marry Sister Lexuan properly and bring you home as my wife."
The young man's gaze was pure and fervent. Such an earnest, straightforward confession struck Zhang Lexuan right in the heart.
She couldn't help but lose herself for a moment, waves of flustered emotion rippling through her chest.
Su Ming had often been direct about his feelings before, but never like this.
He had never so openly and frankly spoken of marrying her. His candid, burning affection instantly threw her into disarray.
A faint blush quickly crept across her delicate cheeks, and even the tips of her ears quietly turned red. She was utterly flustered and embarrassed.
Ashamed and annoyed, she raised a hand and gave Su Ming's arm a light, coquettish punch. Quickly gathering herself, she hurriedly chided him:
"You brat, you're getting more and more shameless. How can you just say things like that? It's getting late. Hurry back to your dorm."
As soon as she finished speaking, she feared that if she stayed any longer, she would only lose her composure even more.
She immediately set the rich, gentle Soul Power within her in motion. Her figure flashed lightly, and she turned and hurried away.
Before leaving, she tossed an ancient-looking, understated storage ring lightly toward Su Ming.
Her gentle, lilting voice drifted over on the evening breeze:
"I found a few rare, unusual metals by chance while carrying out a mission a while back. You can keep them and use them when you craft Soul Tools."
In only a few moments, Zhang Lexuan's figure had vanished completely into the night.
Su Ming raised his hand and caught the incoming storage ring securely. Looking in the direction the girl had gone, he shook his head helplessly with an amused smile,
and sighed softly, "Sigh, Sister Lexuan gets embarrassed so easily. We'd barely had a proper conversation before she hurried off to hide."
He carefully put the storage ring away. After all, Sister Lexuan had gathered it for him. He tucked his precious feelings away in his heart as well,
then brushed the dust from his trouser legs. His heart was full of joy and warmth, and even his steps felt light as he strolled toward the dormitory.
Still brimming with delight, he raised a hand and pushed open the dorm-room door. The moment he stepped inside,
he saw Bei Bei and Xu Sanshi huddled together, their heads close as they whispered about something.
Both looked thoroughly intrigued. At a glance, they were clearly plotting some kind of mischief in secret.
The moment they saw Su Ming walk in, the two immediately stopped talking and hurried over together, their eyes brimming with curiosity.
Xu Sanshi, who was always forthright and outgoing, was the first to give in. With a teasing grin, he pressed him for an answer:
"Su Ming, hurry up and come clean. You were alone with Senior Sister Lexuan downstairs at the Outer Court for ages.
"Have you already fallen for Senior Sister Zhang Lexuan of the Inner Court? Do you really like her?"
Bei Bei hurried forward too, his face full of earnest urgency, and quickly chimed in:
"Su Ming, if you really have feelings for Sister Lexuan, just say so openly. I'll do everything I can to help bring you together. I won't stand in your way at all."
Before he could remember anything, Bei Bei had no idea he was betrothed to Senior Sister. He only learned about it after falling in love with Tang Ya.
Now Bei Bei only hoped to resolve the awkwardness between them once and for all and let everyone put their worries to rest.
He was more eager than ever to hear Su Ming's honest answer, and waited quietly for him to speak.
On one side, Xu Sanshi kept up his relentless teasing and questions. On the other, Bei Bei waited anxiously, eyes full of hope, for an answer.
Looking at the two of them, Su Ming could only feel both helpless and amused.