Shui Bing'er Blushes

At this moment, far away at Tianshui Academy, Shui Bing'er sat on an ice rock by the Cold Ice Lake, watching the blue sky and white clouds reflected on the water's surface, lost in thought.

"Achoo!"

She suddenly let out a small sneeze, rubbed her nose, and frowned slightly. Strange; with her current cultivation, she had long been immune to heat and cold, so how could she sneeze for no reason? Could someone be bad-mouthing her behind her back?

"Sister! Sister!" Shui Yue'er came bounding over, sat down beside her, and tilted her head to look at her. "What's wrong with you these past few days? You've been restless, and you keep spacing out during cultivation. Are you still thinking about that little brat from the Seven Treasures Glazed Sect?"

"Don't talk nonsense." Shui Bing'er denied it instinctively, but the tips of her ears turned quietly red.

Shui Yue'er giggled but didn't press the matter. She simply counted on her fingers, "Sister, it's been... twenty-seven days since you came back! There are only three days left until that 'once a month' meeting you talked about!"

Hearing this, Shui Bing'er's heart skipped a beat. Twenty-seven days? Time... really passed quickly.

She subconsciously touched the bracelet on her wrist, a piece woven from Ice Silkworm Silk and imbued with a trace of cool soul power, a gift from Ning Xiaochun. The inexplicable restlessness and sense of emptiness in her heart seemed to sharpen.

She opened her mouth, wanting to ask something, but felt too embarrassed to speak. Just then, a Tianshui Academy student hurried over and shouted from a distance:

"Senior Sister Bing'er! Someone is looking for you at the school gate!"

Shui Bing'er frowned. She was in no mood for visitors and instinctively wanted to refuse: "I'm not seeing them. Tell them I'm in closed-door cultivation."

The student quickly added, "But Senior Sister... that person said his name is Ning Xiaochun, and he's a... well, a little brat?"

The body that had been lazily leaning against the ice rock instantly sat bolt upright! It was as if starlight had ignited within her ice-blue eyes!

She stood up from the ice rock almost instantly, her movement so swift that it startled Shui Yue'er beside her.

"I understand." Shui Bing'er's voice remained cold, but her pace was much faster than usual, carrying an urgency she hadn't even noticed herself as she headed toward the academy gate.

Watching her sister's back as she practically "flew" away, Shui Yue'er opened her mouth wide, then covered it with her hand and giggled: "And she said she wasn't thinking about him... Oh, sister, you finally have your day!"

At the gate of Tianshui Academy, Ning Xiaochun stood with his hands behind his back in front of the elegant blue-and-white gate, looking up at the four large characters "Tianshui Academy" on the lintel, a smile of anticipation and nervousness on his small face.

He had specially changed into a brand-new moon-white silk robe today, and his hair was combed meticulously. He looked spirited, possessing quite the air of a dashing young sect master.

He was accompanied by an elder from the Seven Treasures Glazed Sect and a carriage loaded with various exquisite gift boxes, drawing glances and whispers from the passing Tianshui Academy students.

"Young Master Xiaochun, are you sure you want to wait here? Should I go and announce your arrival so Miss Bing'er can meet us directly at our villa in Heaven Dou City?"

The elder asked in a low voice. In his view, it was beneath the dignity of the Seven Treasures Glazed Sect's young master to wait at the gate of Tianshui Academy.

"No need, no need, Elder Liu, just waiting here is fine," Ning Xiaochun waved his hand and said with a smile, "When Sister Bing'er comes out, we'll go back to the villa together. I brought her lots of delicious food and fun things!"

No sooner had he finished speaking than he saw a water-blue silhouette sweep out from the academy like a gust of wind, appearing at the gate in the blink of an eye.

It was Shui Bing'er.

She was as cold and beautiful as ever, her long water-blue hair shimmering with a soft luster in the sunlight. The moment her ice-blue eyes caught sight of the small figure at the gate, a faint ripple seemed to spread across them. She was slightly out of breath, clearly having hurried all the way.

"Sister Bing'er!" Seeing her, Ning Xiaochun's eyes lit up instantly. A wide smile bloomed on his face as he stepped forward to meet her. "Long time no see! I missed you so much!"

Looking at his small face, overflowing with joy and intimacy, and hearing his undisguised "longing," the inexplicable restlessness and emptiness that had been building for twenty-seven days seemed to be filled in an instant.

She felt her heart skip a beat, and her cheeks grew slightly warm.

Struggling to maintain her outward coldness, she nodded gently, her voice carrying a trace of imperceptible softness: "Mm. Why are you here?"

"To see you, of course!" Ning Xiaochun said as if it were the most natural thing in the world, then pointed to the carriage behind him like he was showing off a treasure.

"I brought you lots of gifts! There are medicinal herbs from the Seven Treasures Glazed Sect suitable for ice-attribute soul masters, and snacks from the best pastry shop in Heaven Dou City. Oh, and I specially had someone make you a cloak woven from Ice Silkworm Silk—it's warm and looks great!"

He spoke incessantly, as if he wanted to say everything he had saved up over the last twenty-seven days all at once.

Shui Bing'er listened quietly, watching his animated expression, and the corners of her mouth curled upward into an extremely subtle, yet genuine, arc.

"Mm." She responded softly again, her voice still cold, but her ice-blue eyes held the warmth of melting snow.

She stepped forward and stood naturally by Ning Xiaochun's side, blocking the curious and probing gazes of those around them, then tilted her head slightly to look at him: "Let's go. Let's head back to where you're staying first."

Ning Xiaochun was stunned for a moment, then overjoyed: "Sister Bing'er, are you not cultivating today?"

Shui Bing'er didn't answer directly, only saying faintly: "Today... I have time."

She paused, then added another sentence, her voice even softer, as if speaking to herself: "To accompany you."

The smile on Ning Xiaochun's face became even more radiant. He felt as if he were wrapped in a warm ray of sunshine, his whole body feeling light as air.

"Mm! Then let's go! Elder Liu, please lead the way!"

He happily took Shui Bing'er's hand—though he could only hold her fingers—and headed toward the carriage.

Shui Bing'er didn't pull away, simply letting him lead her as she followed his pace.

The sunlight spilled over them, casting two shadows of different lengths on the ground, yet they were leaning against each other.

The one-month promise had arrived as scheduled.

And that frozen maiden's heart seemed to have quietly cracked open a seam, without her even realizing it.

At the gate of Tianshui Academy, the sun was just right.

Ning Xiaochun held Shui Bing'er's hand, his small face beaming with an incredibly bright smile as he chattered about the interesting things that had happened over the past twenty-seven days:

"Sister Bing'er, did you know? I had someone rearrange the poison formation on the outskirts of the Ice and Fire Yin-Yang Well and added a few warning soul devices. Now, even if Grandpa isn't around, we don't have to worry about anyone wandering in by mistake! And also, also, I had the sect craftsmen forge a set of ultra-precise engraving knives; I'm planning to see if I can engrave soul-guiding arrays onto metal..."