Jiang Zhu stood quietly atop the mountain, the evening breeze lifting the hem of his black cloak. Yan Ruyu leaned beside him, the jade hairpin in her hair giving off a soft, lustrous glow.
The mountain wind swept over the summit, stirring Yan Ruyu's blue-green hair. She stood in the moonlight, her snow-white skirts swirling in the breeze.
"Leaving again?" Yan Ruyu's voice was as light as a leaf falling onto water.
"We can go together." He moved two steps closer, his fingertips brushing the loose strands at her temple. "The Minor World is safe enough..."
"And then?" Yan Ruyu suddenly smiled. "I stay under your protection until I die of old age in that tiny patch of land?"
She raised a hand to catch a falling maple leaf, its veins winding across her palm like the paths of fate.
"I have the Imperial Ancestor's legacy." Yan Ruyu took out the Azure Emperor's Manuscript and handed it to Jiang Zhu. "With the nourishment of the Supreme Evolution Liquid as well, it won't be long before I can enter the Saint realm."
"Ruyu..."
"Don't worry." She gently pressed her fingers against Jiang Zhu's lips, her touch cold but firm. "I'm not a little girl who needs to shelter beneath your wings."
Moonlight plated her pale face with silver, yet could not conceal the starlight sparkling in her eyes.
"I'll return to Big Dipper." Yan Ruyu gazed into the depths of the starry sky. "Once I enter the Saint realm, I'll follow in your footsteps."
The mountain wind suddenly softened, entwining their strands of hair.
Jiang Zhu said nothing. He slipped an arm around Yan Ruyu's slender waist and held her tightly against him.
When the first ray of dawn pierced the clouds, Jiang Zhu stood on the summit, gazing in the