Are you getting too caught up in the role?

The sudden turn of events startled Ning Xiaoxiao, who had been watching from the sidelines.

She had been thoroughly enjoying their spar. Who could have imagined things would take such a drastic turn?

Lou Yunxiao looked exactly like the man-eating monster her brother had described!

"Senior Brother! It's only a spar!" The girl rushed over and stood in front of Ning Ke.

Her shout snapped Lou Yunxiao out of it, and he realized what he had done.

He lowered his sword tip and pressed his lips together before telling Ning Ke, "I'm sorry, Junior Brother. I... didn't mean to."

That ribbon was something his big sister had given him. The instant it was snatched away, his fear had overwhelmed him, and he had lost control.

"It wasn't your fault, Senior Brother!" Ning Ke came back to his senses, belatedly realizing that he had gone a little too far.

After all, from his perspective, he had given Lou Yunxiao the ribbon. Taking it back to tease the kid seemed harmless.

But to Lou Yunxiao, it was a gift from the woman he cherished. It was only natural for him to get angry when it was suddenly snatched away.

"I was out of line! Here, take it back." He held out the ribbon to Lou Yunxiao.

Ning Xiaoxiao gave a puzzled little hum. "Brother, why did the ribbon light up in your hand?"

Ning Ke hastily covered the little girl's mouth.

Good grief. He was the one who had engraved the array on it. Naturally, the ribbon reacted a little when it picked up his aura.

Thank goodness Lou Yunxiao couldn't see, or his cover would have been blown in an instant!

"Mmph mmph mmph?"

Lou Yunxiao was too caught up in his tangled emotions to notice what Ning Xiaoxiao had said. He simply took the ribbon and clutched it tightly.

After nodding to Ning Ke, he left the sparring grounds.

Once he was gone, the disciples began murmuring among themselves, saying he had shown no restraint and the like.

Ning Ke quickly explained that he had been at fault first.

When he looked over again, Lou Yunxiao had already disappeared through the gate.

Ning Xiaoxiao tugged at Ning Ke's clothes and said, "He actually hurt you over a ribbon. Brother, you should spend less time with that senior brother from now on."

Before, Ning Xiaoxiao had watched Ning Ke and Lou Yunxiao interact with delight.

But now that she had truly seen Lou Yunxiao's cold expression, not to mention how he had hurt Ning Ke,

she firmly took Ning Ke's side and wanted nothing to do with Lou Yunxiao.

Amused, Ning Ke ruffled the little girl's hair.

That evening, the two returned to their courtyard residence.

Ning Xiaoxiao still hovered protectively around Ning Ke, glaring at Lou Yunxiao.

Ning Ke coaxed her for a long time before finally getting her to go to bed.

When he turned around, he saw Lou Yunxiao standing a short distance behind him, seemingly waiting for him to have a moment free.

"Senior Brother, what is it?"

Lou Yunxiao stepped forward and handed Ning Ke the wound medicine he had been clutching.

"Apply this to your wound. It will heal quickly."

"Thanks, Senior Brother." Ning Ke accepted it, only to hear Lou Yunxiao continue.

"The ribbon was given to me by someone very important to me."

"But even so, I shouldn't have hurt you."

"I won't do that again. I hope you can forgive me."

He had turned a friend's joke into something so serious. Lou Yunxiao was sincerely apologizing for his actions.

What he didn't know was that his frankness actually caught Ning Ke off guard.

Then came the guilt.

He could tell that Lou Yunxiao genuinely considered him a friend, whereas he... was doing this for the mission.

To get home.

That was why he had approached Lou Yunxiao and treated him well.

[Host, what's wrong?] Seeing that he had been silent for quite some time, Xiao Yuan reminded him, [The male lead is waiting for your answer.]

Ning Ke: Nothing. I just suddenly realized that my runaway conscience seems to have come back and knocked on the door.

[...Did you let it in?]

Ning Ke: No.

[...]

Ning Ke put on a smile and laughed it off. "Oh, it's no big deal! I was the one at fault in the first place. I'll be more careful from now on. I definitely won't touch your ribbon again!"

Lou Yunxiao, who had been anxiously waiting for his answer, breathed a sigh of relief. The corners of his lips lifted slightly.

Ning Ke looked up at the bright moon overhead and exhaled.

Then he took a flask of fine osmanthus wine from his Storage Ring and said to Lou Yunxiao, "Senior Brother, back where I'm from, there's nothing a cup of wine can't fix."

"Come on, let's have a drink under that tree and put this whole thing behind us. How about it?"

"All right."

The osmanthus tree in the courtyard was a rare purple variety. When Ning Ke had renovated the courtyard, he had transplanted it from the foot of the mountain to make Ning Xiaoxiao happy.

Now it was in full bloom.

Dressed in plain robes, Lou Yunxiao sat quietly beneath that sea of purple, as though he had stepped into a dream.

He turned his face toward Ning Ke and said somewhat shyly, "I've never had wine before, though. If I make a fool of myself, I hope you won't mind, Junior Brother."

"Don't worry! There's a first time for everything!"

Ning Ke filled both their cups, clinked them together, and drained his in one go.

He felt unsettled, and only after several cups did some of that stifling feeling ease.

After a few rounds of drinks, he propped his head on one hand and watched a pale purple osmanthus blossom spiral down, finally coming to rest on the young man's shoulder.

He asked Lou Yunxiao, "Senior Brother, what's that person who means so much to you like? Can you tell me about her?"

"She..." Lou Yunxiao truly had never drunk before. After just a few cups, a faint flush had spread over his cool, pale skin, and he had become a little more talkative.

"She's an amazing big sister. It feels like there's nothing she can't do. She saved me and treated me very, very well..."

"It's just that sometimes she has a bit of a temper, and she's always saying I'm little..."

Whenever he spoke of his big sister, Lou Yunxiao couldn't help smiling.

"I know I'm only a child in her eyes, but I'll work hard to become a man strong enough to repay her kindness..."

"Then you like her?"

Ning Ke expected an affirmative answer.

Instead, Lou Yunxiao shook his head and said, "I don't know."

The young man seemed drunk. He lay against the stone table and murmured, "But I have to repay her kindness within my lifetime, because that's... what I owe her."

At those words, Ning Ke lowered his eyes.

His fingers tightened around his wine cup.

He didn't dare imagine how Lou Yunxiao would feel if he learned that his benefactor was also his enemy.

Yes, this secret was best kept until death.

He drained his cup, then looked over to find that Lou Yunxiao had already fallen asleep.

Ning Ke stood, carried him to his own room, laid him on the bed, and tucked him in.

He stood beside the bed for a while longer before leaving.

Xiao Yuan asked him, [Host, are you getting too caught up in the role?]

Ning Ke patted his face and said, If I can get into character, I can get out of it. Don't worry. I still have that much professional discipline.

After that night, Ning Ke soon returned to his usual cheerful, joking self.

From time to time, he sparred with Lou Yunxiao, letting the disciples see Lou Yunxiao's strength. He also dragged the rather taciturn Lou Yunxiao along to give the disciples some pointers.

Over time, everyone came to know Lou Yunxiao's gentle, modest side, and their prejudices against him naturally faded.

They were no longer as wary of him as before.

They would even greet him of their own accord when they saw him.

Lou Yunxiao found it unfamiliar at first, but gradually grew accustomed to it.

Autumn gave way to winter, and the Sword Sect welcomed its first snowfall of the year.

Every year, this was also when the Sword Sect's Sword Tomb opened.

The disciples would choose the sword best suited to them from within the Sword Tomb.

The male lead was no exception.