Outside the Nine Yang Pavilion, the mountain wind howled, bending the green bamboo on either side with a rustling hiss.
Lin Shisan stood below the stone steps, looking at the young woman in green leaning against a corridor pillar. His brows creased slightly.
A ripple still stirred involuntarily in his sea of consciousness. After all, she was the first woman to enter it.
Though he knew full well that nothing was possible between them, he still could not completely let go.
Every word and gesture they had shared seemed to unfold before his eyes. The scene of them fighting for their lives at the Tai Chi Hall's Servant Hall was especially unforgettable.
After a short while, Lin Shisan steadied himself and firmly pressed down those memories deep in his heart.
"Senior Sister Mu, did you need something?"
Mu Ling'er smiled, her little dimples showing. With her hands on her slender waist and her head tilted, she studied Lin Shisan for a good while.
"Can't I catch up with you without needing something? Don't forget, back in Tianshui Village, I was the one who went through the wedding ceremony with you in the end. Strictly speaking, I'm your wedded wife too. I was your first properly married bride. If we're counting, I'm the principal wife."
Lin Shisan offered nothing else, only two words. "Business first."
Mu Ling'er showed no sign of anger. She was still wearing that same playful smile as before. "Our mighty Saint Child of the Danyang Sect is putting on greater airs by the day. Even when an old flame comes calling, you won't spare her so much as half a glance. Aren't you afraid of chilling my heart?"
Lin Shisan remained expressionless.
He had long since grown accustomed to Mu Ling'er's way of speaking: three parts truth,