Hope

"Do you want to break free of your shackles?"

Sunlight poured down, and a cool breeze brushed gently across his face, bringing a touch of comfort.

Xiao Qian slowly raised his head. His gaze passed through the gaps between the branches toward the sunlight blazing like fire beyond the tree, a complicated light flickering in his eyes.

"Of course I do. How could I not?"

He murmured to himself. Deep in his heart, a flame of longing burned fiercely.

A man in his prime, he had been bound by that invisible suppression for far, far too long. Like a captive eagle, he had spent all those years unable to control his own fate.

Ten years. Ten whole years!

Those had been long, agonizing years, every minute and every second a torment to his soul.

Xiao Xun'er stood quietly beneath the tree, watching the boy's back as he tilted his head toward the sky. For some reason, she suddenly felt as though he were very, very far away from her.

That retreating back seemed to be carrying his soul farther and farther away, and an inexplicable panic spread through her heart.

"What are you thinking about?" Unable to suppress the flutter in her heart any longer, she stepped forward and gently tugged at his hem, an almost imperceptible tremor in her voice.

Xiao Qian neither turned around nor looked back. He simply remained silent, and that silence seemed to stretch on for a century.

"I'm going out today. Stay home and cultivate on your own."

At last, he spoke indifferently. The instant his words fell, a bang erupted beneath his feet. In the next moment, he shot toward the gates like an arrow loosed from a bow, leaving only the whistle of wind behind him.

Xiao Xun'er's hand was suddenly empty. Instinctively, she looked down. The hand that had just been clutching his hem now held nothing, as though her heart had lost something incomparably precious in that instant. A sharp pain struck her, stealing her breath.

"Elder Ling!" she called softly.

A dark figure appeared instantly at her call and knelt on one knee behind her, waiting silently for orders like a faithful shadow.

"Follow him discreetly and see what he and Nalan Yanran are up to..." She stopped halfway through. Her hands unconsciously clenched and relaxed, as though a fierce struggle were taking place within her.

Only after a long while did she sigh softly and say, "Forget it. He wouldn't be happy."

"Miss, I won't let him discover me." Ling Ying's voice was low and steady, filled with confidence.

Xiao Xun'er slowly closed her eyes, a trace of helplessness in her voice. "But I would know."

Ling Ying remained silent. He truly could not understand the girl's tangled thoughts, so he merely lowered his head and continued waiting for orders.

Yet despite waiting a long time, he heard no further instructions from Xiao Xun'er. He could only remain kneeling on one knee, his posture unchanged.

"Xiao Qian?" Ge Ye had only just returned to the inn when Xiao Qian came looking for him, leaving him visibly astonished.

What exactly was written in that letter? It actually brought this boy here in person.

"Yanran is staying in the first-class room, number one," he said, pointing upstairs.

Without another word, Xiao Qian headed straight upstairs, his footsteps thudding against the wooden stairs.

When he reached the room, he raised his hand and knocked.

"Stop bothering me! I'm not eating today!" Nalan Yanran's impatient voice came from inside.

"It's me," Xiao Qian said, as indifferent as ever.

The room went quiet for a moment, then a chaotic clatter sounded within, presumably from the girl hurriedly getting up, tidying her things, and changing clothes.

Xiao Qian grew a little impatient. "Are you ready yet?"

"What's the rush?"

With a crash, the door was yanked open, and Nalan Yanran appeared in the doorway, her face mottled with bruises and horribly swollen.

She was expressionless-or perhaps her face was simply too swollen for any expression to show.

"Come in," she said coldly.

The corners of Xiao Qian's mouth involuntarily curled upward, but he quickly realized how inappropriate that was and hastily suppressed his smile. He kept warning himself, Don't laugh. Don't laugh. Don't laugh...

"Is it that funny?" The girl glared at him through gritted teeth, her eyes seemingly ready to spit fire. "Are you pleased with your handiwork? Proud of yourself?"

"Ahem, not that proud..." Xiao Qian walked into the room as he spoke, ignoring the scattered fragments littering it as though none of this had anything to do with him.

He went straight to the table and sat down, then looked at Nalan Yanran, trying to change the subject. "What did that sentence you gave me mean?"

Nalan Yanran plopped down opposite him and glared fiercely through eyes that could barely open to slits. "Hah. I'm not telling you."

Xiao Qian's expression immediately darkened. "You're playing games with me?"

Nalan Yanran folded her arms and raised her chin slightly, her tone as cold as winter frost. "After what you did to me, isn't any revenge I take only natural?"

"Watch what you say. We fought a fair duel, with life and death left to fate. I already showed you mercy," Xiao Qian said impassively, without the slightest ripple in his voice.

"You might as well have killed me on the spot!" Nalan Yanran slammed both hands onto the table and rose to her feet, staring into his eyes as though hers might spew flames.

Xiao Qian merely looked at her coldly, showing no intention of backing down.

Nalan Yanran's chest heaved violently. Only after a long while did she gradually calm down.

Then an inscrutable curve suddenly appeared at the corners of her mouth. She sat back down, poured herself a cup of water, and drained it before saying leisurely, "Want to know what that sentence meant? That depends on your sincerity."

"What kind of sincerity do you want?" Xiao Qian asked expressionlessly.

Nalan Yanran's gaze turned cold, her tone resolute. "Kneel! Apologize to me!"

"I must have lost my mind to come see a crazy woman like you." With that, Xiao Qian stood and headed straight for the door.

"Stop!" Nalan Yanran flashed forward, blocking the doorway like a phantom. A longsword appeared in her hand and left its sheath with a metallic ring, its gleaming blade coming to rest across Xiao Qian's neck.

"After you humiliated me like that, I was already generous enough not to demand you kneel and apologize in public. And you dare insult me!" she roared.

Clang! Bang!

Xiao Qian struck like lightning, moving so fast that the eye could barely follow.

He seized her sword hand and slammed it against the wall. In that same blink, his other hand closed around her throat, tightening slightly as he pinned her firmly against the door.

"I'm warning you. Point a sword at my neck again, and I'll kill you." Terrifying killing intent erupted from the boy's eyes, bearing down on Nalan Yanran as though it had taken physical form and frightening her into utter stillness.

Ever since childhood, she had lived under everyone's protection, showered with admiration. Never had anyone shown her such horrifying murderous intent.

"Now you can talk." Xiao Qian slowly brought his face closer to hers, keeping her pinned securely against the door, his gaze like that of a predator watching its prey.

"T-talk about what..." Nalan Yanran had to admit that she was frightened. Her voice trembled.

A favored daughter of heaven, she had always been cradled in everyone's palms, like a flower grown in a greenhouse that had never weathered the slightest wind or rain. When had she ever faced anything so terrifying?

"That letter," Xiao Qian said coldly.

Nalan Yanran froze briefly, then managed to say with some difficulty, "Y-you let me down first, and I'll tell you."

Xiao Qian released her throat. Nalan Yanran immediately slid down the door onto her knees as though her support had vanished. Bracing both hands against the floor, she coughed incessantly, as if she might cough out her heart and lungs.

Xiao Qian returned to the table, poured himself a cup of tea, and crossed his legs. "Go on," he said leisurely.

Nalan Yanran climbed to her feet in resentment. She wanted to say something to bolster her courage, but for a moment, she did not dare speak. The suffocating humiliation nearly made her spit blood.

"I've never met anyone like you!" she finally blurted out.

"Oh, but I've met plenty of self-important, flat-chested, brainless women like you." Xiao Qian's words nearly sent Nalan Yanran into another chest-heaving, foot-stamping rage.

"I'm only fifteen!" she roared, her eyes brimming with anger and indignation.

"What? Thirty years east of the river, thirty years west-don't you dare mock a young girl's flat chest?" Xiao Qian teased.

Nalan Yanran clenched her slender hands and took deep breaths, struggling to calm herself. "Are you close to that Xiao Yan? Is that why you're targeting me like this?"

Xiao Qian glanced at her stubborn face and said indifferently, "Could you cut down on the nonsense?"

"I-" Nalan Yanran trembled with anger. She truly wanted to pick up her longsword and stab Xiao Qian a hundred times. A hundred times!

"I don't know what that sentence means," she suddenly said.

Xiao Qian's grip tightened around his cup, his gaze sharpening. "You'd better think carefully before you speak."

Without the slightest pause, Nalan Yanran looked into his eyes and said quietly, "Although I don't know what it means, our Great Elder, Yun Leng, was the one who told me to invite you to join the Misty Cloud Sect. He told me that if you refused, I should say those words to you in private."

"Believe me. I haven't told a single lie." Seeing the boy's gaze grow increasingly unsettling, Nalan Yanran hurriedly waved her hands.

"The Misty Cloud Sect's Great Elder, Yun Leng..."

Xiao Qian stood, a thoughtful look in his eyes.

It seemed this matter really was not as simple as Xun'er had said.

"A mere Great Elder of the Misty Cloud Sect isn't qualified to get involved in this..."

A retort reached Nalan Yanran's lips, but she forcibly swallowed it back down.

This fellow's arrogance truly knew no bounds!