A Myriad of Different Charms (1)

"What mischief are you holding back?" Zhou Wan softly asked the Reflection Pearl, which had been silent for a long while. The smile at her lips had yet to fade.

The other end of the Reflection Pearl was quiet for a moment before Lin Huaixu's voice came through. "Nothing. I just suddenly remembered how, back then, I always felt that I had to protect Senior Sister." He gave a soft laugh, but there was a trace of bitterness in it. "Thinking about it now, I was far too self-righteous."

His voice gradually sank, deep desolation showing through his self-mockery. "All these years, my mind was filled with those tangled grudges and entanglements. I never noticed that Senior Sister had long ceased to be someone who needed my protection behind her. The one who had truly fallen behind, unable to see the road ahead, was me."

Zhou Wan listened quietly, watching the clouds unfurl and gather in the distance. At his words, she laughed softly. "Now that you know, how do you feel?"

"Very good." Lin Huaixu's voice abruptly brightened, returning to its usual flippant tone. "It means I should hurry and nurse my body back to health, then start cultivating again. Otherwise, one day, I really might not even have the chance to protect Senior Sister anymore."

"Good." Genuine warmth rippled through Zhou Wan's eyes, the smile spreading from her lips all the way to them. "I'll wait for that day."

Lin Huaixu suddenly recalled something. With a childish insistence in his voice, he deliberately lowered it, giving the illusion that he was whispering in her ear. "Oh, right, Senior Sister. That princess isn't nearly as pretty as you."

Zhou Wan lightly raised a brow, the end of her tone lifting faintly. "Oh?"

"Her noble bearing is all piled up