Red River City was named after a river that flowed through it.
The riverbed was covered in red stones. When light fell on them, they turned the water red, making a beautiful sight.
Night had fallen now, obscuring the color, but plenty of townspeople still gathered there to float river lanterns and take boat rides.
Ning Ke stood by the river, gazing into the distance, somewhat lost in thought.
He remembered how he, Lou Yunxiao, Zhuang Yusheng, and Xiao Xiao had enjoyed themselves like this in Nantong City.
Back then, the Great Demon had yet to appear, and they had not entered the Secret Realm.
Looking back now, those had been rare moments of leisure.
At that thought, Ning Ke folded the Bone Fan and tucked it into his waistband. Then he took the Flute from his storage space, twirled it in front of Lou Yunxiao, and asked:
"Lou Yunxiao, do you like listening to music? How about I play 'Spring Breeze' for you?"
The young man wore red. Though his smile was radiant, a faint sadness lingered between his brows, capturing all of Lou Yunxiao's attention in an instant.
"I do."
The answer slipped out almost instinctively.
Whether he meant he liked listening to music or liked the person playing it, only he knew.
The flute's melody drifted through the air. Lou Yunxiao let the crowds pass him by, his eyes seeing only Ning Ke.
A long while passed before the tune came to an end.
Ning Ke turned back and asked him, "Did you like it?"
Lou Yunxiao came back to himself, an unfamiliar feeling spreading through his heart.
He murmured that he did.
Yet his lips remained parted, as though he wanted to say something but hesitated.
Ning Ke looked puzzled. "What is it?"
"..." Lou Yunxiao