At that moment, a subtle ripple stirred within the tranquil waters of Shao Lan's heart…
He had always lived in solitude, his reclusive nature forged by the silver eyes that set him apart from the world. He loathed the disdain in others' gazes and rarely left his room. If not for his master's persistent persuasion, he never would have agreed to apply to the Windcloud Sacred Academy.
A hushed stillness lingered in the room.
The boy sat upon the bed, the girl stood quietly at his side. They gazed at each other in silence, not a single word spoken between them.
It wasn't until a long while had passed that Gu Qingli realized—she had been utterly entranced, staring at a boy.
She couldn't help but recall Sikong Ran. Both youths possessed extraordinary beauty, yet while Sikong Ran exuded an arrogant and flamboyant allure, Shao Lan seemed more like an ethereal spirit fallen to earth—his silver eyes as luminous and distant as starlight, touched with a quiet sorrow.
Gu Qingli felt a twinge of envy. If someone like Shao Lan had been born in the modern world, he would have stolen the hearts of countless young women without even trying.
"Who are you?"
Shao Lan was the first to speak. He knew that no one would have entered this room without his master's approval, but the girl's identity remained a mystery to him.
He wasn't sure what compelled him to ask. For as long as he could remember, he had spoken to no one besides his master.
"Ah, hehe… I'm Gu Qingli. I'm twelve this year, probably younger than you," she said with a sunny smile.
The boy's expression remained unreadable, his silver eyes void of emotion. He responded with no more than a faint movement of his lips.
"Um, well… your master told me you were also admitted to Windcloud Sacred Academy, so he wanted us to get acquainted. That way, we can look out for each other."
At this, Shao Lan gave her a glance of surprise. This girl was only twelve, yet she had already been accepted into the academy—her abilities must rival his, perhaps even surpass them, given her youth and apparent talent.
He didn't know how to speak to her. He had always believed himself a forsaken outcast, a monster abandoned by his own blood. The instinct to withdraw was all he had ever known.
But there was nothing false in the warmth of the girl before him. He couldn't forget the way her eyes had lit up with astonishment, not revulsion, when she first saw him.
Gu Qingli wasn't discouraged by his silence. Instead, she strolled leisurely to the edge of the bed, her gaze more focused than ever.
The more she looked, the more she felt those eyes were simply too beautiful—stunning beyond words.
Unable to hold back her admiration, she said softly, almost with a sigh, "Your eyes… are breathtakingly beautiful."
Her words made Shao Lan clench his fists. A long pause passed before he replied, voice cold and trembling, "Don't you think I look like a monster?"
Gu Qingli, recalling everything she had heard of the boy's past, felt a pang of sympathy. Such dazzling eyes—in the modern world, they would have belonged to a character from a fantasy comic, the kind to inspire endless adoration.
Yet here, on the divine and ancient continent, they had brought him only pain and isolation.
Without hesitation, she reached out and took his cool fingers in her own, meeting his jewel-like gaze without flinching.
"If you are a monster," she said with unwavering sincerity, "then you are the most beautiful monster in the entire world."
Her clear, earnest voice echoed in Shao Lan's mind, and the warmth of her delicate hand in his slowly began to melt the ice that had long encased his heart.