"It's been two hours, and he still isn't back, still isn't back..."
Xiao Xun'er paced beneath the tree like an ant on a hot pan, her delicate hands unconsciously kneading the hem of her clothes. The once-smooth fabric was now crumpled and soaked with sweat.
Worry covered her beautiful face. All sorts of scenes kept surfacing in her mind, and the more she thought, the more agitated she became.
"What are they doing? What are they talking about? Could they have become friends after fighting..." Her thoughts were wild horses that had slipped their reins, impossible to control.
The thought of Xiao Qian being alone with Nalan Yanran made her feel as though a cat were clawing at her heart. All kinds of suspicions flooded her mind.
"Will he really go to the Imperial Capital and join the Misty Cloud Sect? Will he fall for Nalan Yanran..." Once that thought appeared, it clung to her like a demon, almost leaving her unable to breathe.
Ling Ying watched from the side, wanting to offer a few words of comfort. But he had never seen Xiao Xun'er like this before, and for a moment, he had no idea how to reassure her.
Of course, more importantly, he had already been kneeling on one knee for two hours, and his knee had long since gone completely numb.
"Young miss, why don't you rest for a while?" Unable to endure it any longer, he finally spoke.
Yet Xiao Xun'er seemed not to hear him. Still immersed in her own agitation, she kept pacing, unable to calm down.
Helplessly, Ling Ying discreetly switched knees. His leg was terribly numb now. Even a Dou Huang expert could not kneel for so long without losing feeling in his legs.
"No! Even if he gets angry, I have to see what those two are doing!" At last, Xiao Xun'er seemed to make up her mind. She abruptly lifted her slender leg and headed toward the courtyard gate.
Seeing this, Ling Ying let out a long breath of relief, almost moved to tears. He could finally stand up.
"No, forget it. That fellow has far too much pride. I'd better not test his limits." Unexpectedly, after taking only two steps, the girl seemed to remember something and backed up again.
Ling Ying: "..."
He lamented inwardly. It's over. The young miss has fallen completely, hopelessly. He could already see his bleak future ahead. Would the clan chief exile him thirty thousand li away when he returned to the clan? He wanted to cry, but no tears would come.
Just then, clearly rhythmic footsteps rang out. The interval between each step was precisely the same, as though a perfectly calibrated machine were walking.
Hearing those footsteps, Xiao Xun'er's little face immediately brightened. In that instant, all her agitation vanished, as though swept away by a gust of wind.
She released the sweat-soaked hem she had been clutching and hurried back to the table. She gracefully poured a cup of tea, her poise as lovely as a painting.
By the time Xiao Qian appeared at the courtyard gate, she was already approaching him with the tea, a gentle smile on her face. "You're back?"
Xiao Qian took the tea and drained it in one gulp, then wiped his mouth. "Yes. Nothing happened. Don't overthink it."
Xiao Xun'er's eyes flickered with a hint of grievance. "How do you know I'm overthinking?"
"Don't I know you well enough?" Xiao Qian lightly brushed the tip of her upturned nose and shook his head with a smile. "You've always thought too much, ever since you were little. Whenever something slips beyond your control, you get anxious and agitated, and you won't stop until you've figured everything out."
"That's not true." Xiao Xun'er pursed her lips slightly, took his empty cup, and set it down. Then she carefully straightened his rumpled collar and said softly, "I'm only like that when it concerns you."
Xiao Qian looked at her gently, but fell silent again without saying a word.
Xiao Xun'er quietly watched him, seemingly waiting for something. But she was destined never to hear the explanation she hoped for.
"Why is Elder Ling kneeling?" Xiao Qian suddenly changed the subject.
Ling Ying nearly wept with gratitude, inwardly shouting, Finally, finally someone noticed me...
"Oh, Elder Ling, you may withdraw. I'm sorry, I overlooked you," Xiao Xun'er said apologetically.
Ling Ying dissolved into shadow faster than he ever had in his life. In that instant, his speed almost broke through the barrier to Dou Zong.
"Come on, let's eat. That trip left me starving." Xiao Qian took Xiao Xun'er's little hand and headed inside.
Xiao Xun'er tilted her head to study him. "Nalan Yanran didn't even offer you a meal?"
"It was good enough that we didn't fight, and you expected a meal?" Xiao Qian shook his head with a smile.
Seeing that his expression did not seem feigned, Xiao Xun'er felt somewhat reassured. She slipped her hand around his arm and smiled elegantly. "The Misty Cloud Sect is only a minor sect on the Northwest Continent. From the looks of it, they don't even have a Dou Zong, yet they're so domineering in the Jia Ma Empire. It's just as well you're not going."
Xiao Qian's expression paused, and his steps slowed with it.
The girl seemed to sense something. She stopped too, raising her beautiful eyes to his profile. For some reason, her heart began beating faster, and a sense of unease rose within her.
"I might go take a look at the Misty Cloud Sect..." Xiao Qian said slowly. He seemed to be considering how to explain it to Xiao Xun'er. "They really have piqued my interest. It might be a trap, but I still have to go there once."
"What did they tell you?" Xiao Xun'er stared into his eyes, her gaze filled with urgency and confusion.
Xiao Qian averted his gaze, avoiding her eyes. His voice was somewhat low. "Sorry. This is the one thing I can't tell you."
"Do we still have secrets between us?"
"Don't we have secrets between us?"
Their eyes met. For a moment, even the air seemed to freeze. Wordless silence spread between them, and the atmosphere grew unbearably heavy.
"You go eat. I... I'm not hungry." Xiao Xun'er suddenly turned away and hurried toward her room, slamming the door shut with a bang.
The sound echoed through the quiet courtyard, as though striking Xiao Qian's heart with a heavy blow.
Anyone else might have chased after her at that moment.
But Xiao Qian merely stood there for a while before continuing toward the dining room.
He began eating as though nothing had happened.
But who could know the waves surging through his heart?
Inside Xiao Xun'er's room.
Unlike an ordinary girl, she did not angrily smash things or lie on her bed and weep in silence.
She simply stood quietly before the desk, motionless as a statue.
Time seemed to stop at that moment. She stood there for a long, long time.
Until the moon stood high in the sky.
Moonlight spilled through the window onto her, draping her in a silvery veil, yet it could not dispel the gloom in her heart.
No one knew what she was thinking. Her eyes were deep and complex, as though concealing endless worries.
Creak. She gently pushed open the door and slowly walked to the stone table in the courtyard.
The soft moonlight fell upon the stone table, casting a faint glow.
She reached out and gently stroked its surface. It was not rough. After years of wind, rain, and use, it had instead become very smooth.
Ten years have worn away even the edges of this stone table and its stools, but what about the bonds between people? Why does it feel as though an invisible barrier remains, no matter how hard I try, keeping us from reaching the deepest lakes of each other's hearts?
Just give up.
Focus on completing the clan's mission, return to that powerful clan, and go back to being the Gu Clan princess who stands at the center of everyone's attention.
I possess the purest imperial-grade Dou Di Bloodline in the Gu Clan's history. How can I let romantic attachments bind me here? How can I let these trivial matters sway me? How can I abandon that greater stage and wider world?
Just give up.
She kept telling herself this, but every word was a blade piercing her heart.
"Ugh."
She suddenly clutched her chest tightly, as though an invisible hand were squeezing her heart with all its strength.
She collapsed onto the stone stool, bracing one hand on the tabletop as she panted softly, her face growing somewhat pale.
My heart... it hurts so much.
At last, tears welled in the girl's bright eyes, glittering beneath the moonlight like shattered pearls.
He only wants to take a look at the Misty Cloud Sect. He has his own secrets too... Why am I so upset?
She drew deep, ragged breaths, trying to calm the pain surging through her heart like a tide.
In the end, he doesn't trust me completely. He isn't willing to bind his fate wholly to mine.
In his plans, I'm not that important.
"Those too wise do not live long. The ancients really did have a point."
The girl smiled bitterly and gently leaned over the table, burying her little face in the crook of her arms like an injured little beast licking her wounds alone.
The autumn wind whispered, mercilessly stirring her thin clothes. Its chill passed straight through the fabric and into the depths of her heart...
Inside the room.
Xiao Qian suddenly opened his eyes in the midst of cultivating, a flash of surprise crossing them.
A golden chain that only he could see emerged from the void. Like a spirit snake, it slipped deep into his body, unerringly found the ninth dantian that had yet to awaken, and wound tightly around it.
"How could this..."
In astonishment, he examined his body internally and discovered that every dantian within him had now awakened, without a single exception.
Even more shocking, cracks had appeared along all nine golden chains for some unknown reason.
And as those cracks appeared, he distinctly sensed an opportunity to break through!
That sudden premonition of advancing to Dou Zhe was like the first light of dawn appearing in the darkness.
Once the chains broke completely, he would smoothly enter the Dou Zhe realm.
Understanding dawned in Xiao Qian's heart.
"After ten years of investigation, I can be fairly certain that these nine chains symbolize Xun'er's feelings for me."
"The deeper her feelings, the more chains there are, and nine is the limit."
He clenched his fists, his body trembling slightly, his heart filled with a jumble of emotions.
"Then, once the nine chains tear apart, I can break through to the next realm..."
"What does that tearing mean?"
Before you continue