The artificial lake shimmered under the sunlight, its rippling surface reflecting the surrounding beauty. Willows lined the banks, their branches swaying gently with the passing breeze — elegant and natural.
A lone man and woman stood there by the lakeside, neither speaking first.
Dugu Yan quietly gazed at the figure before her, unable to resist taking a closer look.
The white uniform of Heaven Dou Academy marked him clearly as one of its students.
His long, black hair cascaded down like a waterfall, reaching his waist. As the wind brushed past, the strands flowed freely, adding a touch of grace and freedom to his appearance.
That hair — enough to make countless girls envious — did not make the man appear feminine in the slightest. Instead, with his broad back and composed posture, he radiated an effortless, unrestrained charm.
No one would ever mistake him for a woman.
Even without seeing his face, just from his back alone, Dugu Yan was sure — this man must be extraordinarily handsome, the kind that could make thousands of women lose their hearts.
"...Do you need something?"
A calm, pleasant voice echoed beside her.
Dugu Yan snapped out of her daze, suddenly realizing that she had been staring at his back far too long. A blush rose on her fair cheeks. Clearly, he had noticed her gaze lingering on him.
Soul Masters had sharp senses — some could even feel when others were watching them. In such a world, it was hard for a secret admirer to go unnoticed.
Usually, it was those shameless men who ogled her like this. But today, the roles were reversed — she was the one caught staring. The realization made her want to bury herself in the ground out of embarrassment.
"...N-no, nothing."
Her usual haughty demeanor vanished completely. At this moment, Dugu Yan was like a shy little girl, her voice soft and delicate.
"You're a new student?"
As he spoke with mild curiosity, the figure finally turned around — revealing his face.
"As I thought..."
Dugu Yan murmured inwardly the moment she saw him.
Before her stood a man whose looks could only be described as breathtaking — even more handsome than she had imagined.
Dugu Yan had never thought of herself as someone obsessed with appearances. Growing up among noble families, she had met countless young masters — all of them well-bred and handsome thanks to good lineage. She believed she was long past the shallow phase of judging people by looks, thinking herself above such vanity.
But today, she realized how wrong she'd been.
It wasn't that she didn't like handsome men — it was simply that she'd never met one handsome enough.
Now, looking at the man before her, her heart raced uncontrollably, her body grew warm, and a strange, fluttering sensation filled her chest.
Was this... love at first sight?
She suddenly felt guilty toward all the girls she used to mock for swooning over men — she owed them an apology!
In truth, though, while Li Chang'an was indeed strikingly handsome, his appearance wasn't so impossibly perfect as to defy reason.
The reason Dugu Yan found him overwhelmingly attractive was because of their Martial Souls.
Dugu Yan's Martial Soul was the Jade Phosphor Serpent.
Li Chang'an's was the Jade Scale Sword — half sword, half serpent. It possessed both the traits of a Tool Soul and a Beast Soul. As a result, it naturally exerted influence over lower-ranked Beast Souls.
Especially since Dugu Yan's Jade Phosphor Serpent was a lesser version of the Jade Scale Serpent Emperor — the very lineage to which Li Chang'an's Martial Soul belonged. Their souls stood in a hierarchy: his was dominant, hers subordinate.
Thus, she instinctively felt drawn to him, even developing a subconscious sense of reverence and submission.
This was perfectly natural — but she had mistaken it for "love at first sight."
A wonderful misunderstanding, to say the least.
Had Li Chang'an been older, or less handsome, or even female — anyone who didn't fit her idea of an ideal partner — this misunderstanding would never have occurred.
Li Chang'an, meanwhile, hadn't expected Dugu Yan to come find him first. But that was just as well — there was a big difference between approaching someone and being approached.
As an old saying goes: In love, whoever acts first loses. Once you take the initiative, you give up the upper hand.
So, since Dugu Yan had "delivered herself to his door," Li Chang'an immediately adjusted his plan. Instead of taking the initiative to pursue her, he'd use an alternate strategy — one that took advantage of her forwardness.
"...Do you need something?" he asked again, noticing that Dugu Yan remained silent, her gaze still lingering on him. He frowned slightly, pretending mild confusion.
"Ah— no, I— yes, I do!" Dugu Yan snapped out of her daze, almost blurting out that it was nothing, but quickly corrected herself.
"Hello, senior!"
Assuming that he was older than her, she politely addressed him as senior and smiled sweetly — a perfect picture of a cute, bashful junior girl.
"I'm actually a new student myself," Li Chang'an said, his lips curving slightly in amusement.
He couldn't help but wonder — when this girl eventually discovered that he was seven years younger than her, would she want to dig a hole to hide in from embarrassment?
"So you're a new junior student," he continued, smoothly adopting the role of an experienced upperclassman. "Well then, junior, what brings you here?"
"I..."
Dugu Yan's emerald-green eyes darted nervously before she came up with an excuse.
"I just arrived and I'm not familiar with the campus. Could I trouble you, senior, to show me around?" she asked sweetly, blinking her bright green eyes and putting on a charmingly helpless expression.
"I see…"
Li Chang'an fell silent for a moment, as if considering her request.
Seeing this, Dugu Yan's expression dimmed instantly — like a wilting flower losing its color. Her disappointment was written all over her face.
"I'm sorry, if it's inconvenient for you—"
Before she could finish, Li Chang'an smiled faintly. "Not at all. As a senior, it's my duty — and my pleasure — to guide such a lovely junior around the campus."
He spoke with gentle kindness, the picture of a considerate upperclassman.
"Then thank you, senior."
Dugu Yan's face brightened into a radiant smile, while deep inside, a tiny version of her cheered triumphantly — Plan successful!
Her earlier "sad and pitiful" act had worked perfectly.
After all, few people could resist helping a cute girl who looked at them like that. Unless someone had an urgent reason, ninety-nine out of a hundred would agree.
Because really — who could say no to such an adorable junior?
(End of Chapter)
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