"But with Fairy Hongxia, and Xue Xue..." Xiao Hua's gaze fell upon Xue Xue, who was like a mischievous child, his eyes brimming with tenderness. "I can be said to have found some footing here on the Xiaoyu Continent!"
Thus, Xiao Hua casually sat upon the soft, fine sea sand, one leg bent, one elbow braced on his knee, one hand propping up his chin, while his other hand scooped up a handful of fine sand from the ground. With a slight tilt, the sand slowly slipped through his fingers... Again and again, Xiao Hua had done it absentmindedly, but after watching for a long while, he suddenly seemed lost in thought. "Every grain of sand lies buried upon this beach, unknown to anyone. Perhaps it has been here since time immemorial, or perhaps it was washed up from the seabed. If I had not come here, this sand would have remained silent forever. Yet I came, I came because of Xue Xue. I lifted this sand up high, and it... fell again, falling like this..."
Xiao Hua's thoughts slowly drifted away. It seemed he had thought of a great deal, yet also very little; seemed to have gained profound insight, yet also very little.
Xue Xue had long since noticed Xiao Hua sitting there. She liked this free air, liked this fierce sea wind. Her nature had always been one of intense love and hate. Yet ever since she had joined the Thunder Control Sect, she had forced her feet into shoes that did not fit for the sake of cultivation. Later, for Xiao Hua's sake, she had desperately wanted—and had indeed always been trying—to change her temperament and become a gentle, virtuous little girl. Though she had changed greatly by now, there had always been shackles within her