Night fell, the sky as dark as ink, dotted with stars like scattered diamonds, while a silver moon hung slanted in the heavens.
In a standalone courtyard in the western suburbs of Tian Dou City, purchased only that afternoon, the vines on the carved walls cast shadows on the slate pathway under the moonlight, resembling a flowing ink painting.
At the center of the courtyard, a stone table held a half-cooled jug of plum wine. The amber liquid shimmered softly in the moonlight, exuding a warm glow.
On an intricately carved wicker chair sat a golden-haired woman, her white dress adorned with intricate patterns embroidered in gold thread at the collar and cuffs. Her legs were crossed, the hem of her dress cascading down to her ankles, revealing her slender ankles.
"Compared to the agreed time, it's already been so long…"
At this moment, the woman lowered her gaze to the dewdrops condensing on the stone table, her eyelashes casting delicate shadows beneath her eyes.
Her red lips pressed together, and her fingertips unconsciously twirled the ends of her hair as she murmured softly:
"Why hasn't he come yet? Could it be… he doesn't want to come?"
As she spoke, the woman hugged her knees, resting her chin on them. Her hair slid down along her cheeks, concealing the sadness and uncertainty in her eyes.
"Could I have been wrong? Did he come to Tian Dou City not to see me after all?"
Just then, a faint "snap" echoed from the gravel path outside the courtyard—someone had stepped on a dry twig.
The woman's head shot up instantly, the night breeze lifting the strands of hair from her forehead, revealing her suddenly bright golden eyes.
By the moon gate…
A golden-haired youth stood, his mismatched blue-and-gold eyes gleaming beautifully in the moonlight as he stared down at the sheepskin map in his hands.
He walked hesitantly, the soles of his boots crunching through fallen leaves, muttering to himself:
"This time I must have gotten it right. This should be the place!"
The moment Dai Chengfeng arrived for their meeting, the tension and anxiety in Qian Renxue's eyes melted into joy, and all her worries vanished.
"Dai Chengfeng really did come specifically to see me!"
But soon, Qian Renxue composed herself, sitting upright and preparing to feign anger.
After all, the agreed time in her letter had been evening, but Dai Chengfeng had arrived more than two hours late.
However, when she saw him holding the map, walking toward her while muttering to himself, clearly lost, Qian Renxue couldn't maintain her stern expression.
In fact, she couldn't help but let out a soft laugh.
"Dai Chengfeng, are you actually lost?"
Pretending not to notice Qian Renxue, Dai Chengfeng heard her words and realized she wasn't truly angry. He instantly felt relieved.
"Thank goodness for this map—it saved me."
"The taste of mother-daughter rivalry might be tempting, but if discovered prematurely, it would definitely end in disaster!"
Dai Chengfeng thought to himself, shaking his head.
He knew he was late, but with Bibi Dong—a "big sister" who became incredibly passionate at night—waiting back at the hotel, he couldn't leave until he had properly attended to her. What if she got upset and refused to let him go?
Or worse—what if she secretly followed him?
Hmph.
Thus, Dai Chengfeng had no choice but to delay his arrival. On the way here, he conveniently bought a map of Tian Dou City and pretended to be lost.
By now, Dai Chengfeng had reached Qian Renxue. He put on an exhausted expression, lightly bumping her leg with his knee and deliberately squeezing closer to her.
"Let me rest for a bit. Your place is so remote—it wore me out just trying to find it."
"Little angel, I'm telling you, the western suburbs of Tian Dou City are huge. Couldn't you have given me clearer directions?"
Qian Renxue watched as Dai Chengfeng squeezed onto the same chair as her, finding his preemptive complaints somewhat amusing but still making space for him.
"There are other chairs, you know…"
She added with a hint of disdain: "And besides!"
"You're a Soul Ancestor. How could you possibly get tired just looking for an address?"
"And I gave you such a detailed location in the western suburbs. Couldn't you have used your soul power to sense it?"
Dai Chengfeng shrugged. "Do you think I even have any soul power left?"
"I've completely lost my soul power. How am I supposed to sense anything? I had to search bit by bit. That's why I'm late."
Qian Renxue was stunned, unsure what Dai Chengfeng meant.
After all, he was a soul master—and a prodigious one at that. How could he possibly have no soul power?
Thinking this, Qian Renxue instinctively activated her own soul power and examined Dai Chengfeng closely.
The next moment, her pupils contracted sharply, and her fingertips gripped Dai Chengfeng's wrist tightly.
To her shock, Dai Chengfeng's pulse was faint, almost imperceptible, and his body was completely empty—there wasn't even a trace of soul power fluctuation. His body felt utterly drained, as if it had been wrung dry.
"Dai Chengfeng, where has your soul power gone?"
Qian Renxue's voice trembled with concern.
After all, in this world where strength reigned supreme, the importance of soul power didn't need to be explained.
The fact that soul masters were revered above all else made this abundantly clear.
Thus, losing one's soul power was absolutely unacceptable for any soul master, let alone someone as promising as Dai Chengfeng.
Seeing the panic and worry in Qian Renxue's eyes, Dai Chengfeng felt a warm sensation in his heart. Without a word, he gently took her small hand in his, his thumb caressing the back of her skin.
Instantly, Qian Renxue stiffened, batting away his hand with a hint of irritation. Her ears turned slightly red.
"Stop fooling around! I'm asking you something serious. Can't you be serious for once?"
Dai Chengfeng chuckled. "Don't worry. It's just because I forcibly used a self-created soul skill, temporarily exhausting all my soul power."
"In about a month, I'll fully recover."
"And…"
As he spoke, Dai Chengfeng suddenly leaned closer to Qian Renxue. The warmth of his breath nearly brushed against her neck.
At the same time, he took her fair hand in his palm, playing with her slender fingers.
"Isn't this serious enough?"
"I traveled thousands of miles, persuading Bibi Dong to let me come from the Spirit Hall to Tian Dou City…"
"For whom did I do all this?"
Instantly, Qian Renxue trembled as if struck by lightning. Her fingertips instinctively curled inward, only to be enveloped by Dai Chengfeng's warm palm. Her ears flushed crimson.
Flustered, she turned her face away, her long hair falling to cover half her cheek, but she couldn't hide the blush spreading down her neck.
After all, as Dai Chengfeng said, the reason he had traveled such a great distance from the Spirit Hall to Tian Dou City was to see her.
For him…
Perhaps she was the most important thing?
Thinking this, Qian Renxue felt a wave of emotion.
When she was little, her father had already passed away, and her mother detested her. Aside from her grandfather, Qian Renxue had never encountered anyone who valued her as much as Dai Chengfeng did.
He had even come all the way to Tian Dou City just to see her.
"Dai Chengfeng…"
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