Zhu Zhuqing's Meticulous Microscopic Perception

Zhu Zhuqing did not answer right away.

"Your breathing is very steady," she said after a long while, her voice as calm and unruffled as ever, though on closer listening, it seemed a little softer than usual.

"Your eyes are clear, and there's no sign of fatigue."

"Someone who had gone a whole night without sleep wouldn't be in this state."

Dai Chengfeng's brows lifted slightly, and his smile deepened. "You observe with Microscopic Perception."

"So because I'm in good spirits, you're unhappy instead?"

"I'm not unhappy."

Zhu Zhuqing turned her gaze aside, her eyes falling once more on the ironwood training dummy. "I'm only reminding you that cultivation values persistence. Don't let outside matters disturb your mind so easily."

"Outside matters?"

Dai Chengfeng chuckled, straightened up, and braced both hands on the edge of the stone table, half-caging her within his shadow. "Zhuqing, the way you say that makes it sound like I was doing something improper."

"A walk in the early morning to cultivate the temperament shouldn't count as an outside matter, should it?"

Zhu Zhuqing did not reply, only remaining silent.

But to Dai Chengfeng, that silence was an answer in itself.

She had never been one for many words, and her silence now seemed more like a wordless scrutiny tinged with a slight chill.

"All right," Dai Chengfeng said, raising both hands as if surrendering and taking half a step back to put a little distance between them. "I admit I ran into something... pleasant."

"But that shouldn't stop me from caring about your cultivation, should it?"

He pointed at the fresh marks on the ironwood dummy. "Judging by this, while I was gone, you've already been training for at least more than four hours."

"You started as soon as the sky grew light, didn't you?"