Before long, he arrived in the courtyard as well.
"Senior, is there something special about this flower?"
Zane sat down beside Qingyi, his gaze landing on the white flower in the pot before her. He asked, curious.
"Why do you ask?"
Qingyi turned to look at him and blinked.
"Well, there are plenty of flowers in this courtyard, but you only planted this one in a pot. It feels... really important."
Zane furrowed his brow and looked at the white flower again, but he couldn't figure out what made it special.
It looked wilted and dull, like it would crumble with a touch. He didn't see what was so great about it. Was it some rare species?
Knowing Qingyi, collecting unusual flowers wouldn't be out of character...
"It's very precious."
Qingyi's voice was soft. Zane nodded in understanding, but he didn't realize that what Qingyi meant by "precious" was something entirely different from his own understanding.
"Can I take a look?"
Zane's curiosity was piqued. Valuable things usually had some kind of value—maybe in how they looked, how rare they were, or something else entirely.
But this white flower didn't seem to have any of that.
"Go ahead. It's always been in the room you sleep in. You never examined it before?"
Qingyi didn't object and instead asked him back.
"Nope. I'm a principled guy, Senior—I don't go around touching other people's stuff without permission."
Zane shook his head. Qingyi's eyes flickered for a moment, then she replied softly,
"You can treat this place like your own home."
"I want to... but it's not quite the same."
Zane gave a slight shake of his head, then reached out toward the white flower. In truth, he didn't care much about principles. He had just never paid attention to it before.
But as his hand moved closer, the white flower swayed in the opposite direction, as if resisting his touch.
Both of them froze.
Not just Zane—even Qingyi was caught off guard. She hadn't expected this to happen.
"How... could this be..."
She pulled the white flower back and stared at it, emotions surging inside her.
In this world, the white flower's meaning was beyond obvious...
It was the key to awakening Zane.
So why was this happening?
Was the white flower rejecting him...
Or was he rejecting the white flower?
Qingyi set it aside in silence. Her hand trembled slightly under the moonlight, which cast a silvery veil over the entire courtyard.
She turned to look at Zane. He was still puzzling over the flower's reaction. Did plants really have spirits?
Still, he leaned more toward it being the wind. Even if flowers had spirits, why would it resist him? Was it because he'd mentally complained about it earlier?
That couldn't be it... could it?
Just then, a figure leaned in from the side. Startled, Zane instinctively opened his arms, only to find Qingyi hugging him tightly. He blinked, confused.
"Senior, what are you..."
"Don't talk."
"Just stay like this."
Qingyi whispered, keeping her head down. She held him tightly, soaking in the illusion of reality—the fleeting warmth of the moment.
One problem hadn't even been solved, and now a new one had emerged. She felt completely... helpless.
If hope became too faint, even the strongest will could falter.
She didn't want to face that kind of ending...
If all of it had been for nothing—then what was the point?
Just one person's effort...
The pressure weighing on Qingyi now was immense.
Zane didn't know the details, but he could sense the weight in her heart. His expression softened.
"Master, you can tell me anything..."
"You're not alone."
The warmth of the small figure in his arms made Zane ache. He could guess what she was trying to do, but he couldn't interfere.
What could possibly be happening that he wasn't allowed to know?
"Don't worry. Master's fine."
Qingyi let go of him and, seeing the concern in Zane's eyes, quickly calmed her thoughts. Then, something caught her attention—a soft light slowly forming by her hand.
She glanced at Zane. It seemed he couldn't see it. Only she could.
Qingyi picked up the orb of light and placed it gently onto the white flower.
Watching it absorb the glow, she understood something.
Looks like she still had to work through him. After all, she was the one who could best stir Zane's emotions...
A thought struck her. She took out the Book of Trajectories she always carried.
As expected, fresh black patterns appeared.
Seeing the newly formed lines—solid and black, like congealed blood—her expression froze.
Her hands trembled slightly.
She hadn't expected that the very mystery that had left her feeling so powerless would unravel itself so soon.
She had finally caught a glimpse... of the final answer.
It came so suddenly, yet it felt perfectly natural.
Just as she had said before—everything would follow its course.
She turned to the softly swaying white flower, and suddenly understood why it had appeared to her the way it did back then.
As expected... if it was a reflection of the soul, then every surface had a deeper meaning.
In the still of night, Qingyi closed the Book of Trajectories.
She hadn't read much. The new lines remained unfinished. She'd come back to study them later.
For now...
She turned her head to Zane and gave a soft smile, though it was clearly a little forced.
"Zane, you're curious about the white flower, aren't you? Let me tell you how it came to be."
At her words, Zane—who'd been wondering what she was doing—calmed down and looked at her.
Qingyi looked him in the eye for a moment, then turned her gaze to the starry night sky.
Her voice came gently.
"When a ray of light fell to the earth through endless darkness, it gained life upon touching the ground."
This wasn't some story she made up.
She had seen it with her own eyes.
"Wait—Senior, are you saying that light... turned into this white flower?"
Zane raised a brow at her fairy-tale-like explanation, his gaze shifting to the flower.
Qingyi gave a faint nod. She wasn't concerned with his skepticism and continued softly,
"When everything began to take form, this white flower rooted and grew. And as the dark world faded away, it blossomed with the birth of a beautiful one."
"And I was the one who picked it."
Her gaze dropped.
Before Zane could ask, she spoke again.
"Zane... you know, the place where a sea of flowers blooms—that's where all the beauty of the world gathers."
"I've seen it."
She lifted her eyes to him, her expression solemn.
"Zane, deep down, every soul is cloaked in darkness... but within that darkness, each person leaves behind one final ray of light."
"Zane, your last ray of light..."
"What is it?"