Time seemed to freeze at that moment.
He turned his head slightly, somewhat dazed, his gaze catching Ning Tian as she hastily drew back.
Those aqua-blue eyes, usually so composed and wise, were now filled with unprecedented shyness and panic, her long lashes trembling violently like the wings of a startled butterfly.
She instinctively covered her lips, as though unable to believe what she had just done. Her retreating steps even faltered, and she only steadied herself because the Silver Moon Wolf King immediately moved up behind her and gently supported her with its enormous head.
The air seemed to congeal.
Every sound around them-the Golden Wolves' low whimpers, the mountain breeze's soft song, even Wu Feng's sharp intake of breath in the distance-seemed to have been shut beyond an invisible barrier.
All that remained in Chen Ping's world was the strange, vivid warmth lingering on his cheek, and the eyes of the girl before him, so full of embarrassment they seemed about to drip with water.
He could clearly hear his abruptly quickening heartbeat. Thud, thud, thud, pounding heavily against his eardrums.
That sound intertwined with the buzzing in his spiritual sea caused by overexertion, forming an unprecedented symphony of confusion and fluttering excitement.
Ning Tian seemed utterly frightened by her own boldness as well. She hung her head low, wishing she could bury her face in the Silver Moon Wolf King's fluffy fur, not daring to spare Chen Ping another glance.
In that moment, her surging emotions, her excitement over the miracle before her, and... certain quietly budding feelings that even she had been too embarrassed to truly face had blended into an irresistible impulse, making her do something entirely contrary to her usual upbringing and decorum.
Now, overwhelming shyness and bewilderment threatened to drown her.
Uncomprehending, the