As he breathed in the rich fragrance of lotus blossoms and gazed at Xiao Jinyi's back, a mischievous idea suddenly sprang into Shen Shixu's mind.
Bracing one hand against the boat, he leaned out and plucked a lotus blossom from the lake with the other.
He had carefully chosen a blossom in full bloom. He dipped his hand into the lake for a moment, then lifted it out and flicked a few droplets onto the flower.
Then he stood, walked behind Xiao Jinyi, and, catching him completely off guard, tucked the delicate pink lotus beside his ear.
"Why didn't you pick one for yourself? I think you'd look even better wearing one than I do. Would you like me to choose one for you?"
"Sure!"
With his agreement, Xiao Jinyi stopped what he was doing and began searching the lotus-covered lake.
At last, he spotted a flower he thought particularly lovely, a lotus just about to bloom, though it was some distance away.
But that was no obstacle. Xiao Jinyi touched his toes to the water and sprang away in an instant.
Soon, he returned with a lotus in hand, skimming across the water.
Listening to the splashes of his footsteps, Shen Shixu felt wonderfully exhilarated. Now he rather regretted refusing to learn lightness skills from his martial arts instructor because he had thought it too exhausting.
Otherwise, he could have shown everyone what it meant to skim across water with lightness skills, just like Xiao Jinyi.
Xiao Jinyi tucked the lotus he had picked beside Shen Shixu's ear. Looking at him wearing the flower, he found himself at a loss for words.
Surely this was what it meant to be lovelier than a flower. Shen Shixu's fair skin glowed like jade, his long black hair fell over his shoulders,