Chapter 18

“Xiao Rangchen...”

Lou Yue suddenly called out.

Xiao Rangchen’s heart sank, but the rejection he had expected never came. Instead, he heard a soft, slurred murmur:

“Hehe... I told you you couldn’t beat me... loser...”

Xiao Rangchen was speechless for a moment. He deliberately waited a while before slowly moving Lou Yue’s arms away from him, lifting his face from the warmth of her collarbone.

Morning light fell across her cheek, softening her delicate, exquisite features. The proud, disdainful lashes from the night before now hung low, dark as crow feathers over her eyelids.

Xiao Rangchen’s gaze drifted downward of its own accord, settling on those crimson, yielding lips.

His breathing slowed, and the air around him seemed to grow viscous.

—She was a man.

—So what?

—This went against propriety.

—Did he truly care about worldly morals and etiquette?

Chaotic thoughts surged like a tide...

Suddenly, a series of knocks broke the silence.

Xiao Rangchen came to his senses with a start, as though someone had poured a basin of cold water over his head.

Lou Yue’s brows drew together slightly, and she looked as though she was about to wake. He immediately withdrew from her embrace. His movements were unhurried, yet gentle.

“Young Master, it’s time to get up.”

By the time Lou Yue opened her eyes, Xiao Rangchen was already standing far away by the table.

Waking up under Long Aotian’s watchful gaze was hardly pleasant, especially since it meant she had lost the bet.

Lou Yue puffed out her cheeks.

“Young Master?” Little Qiu called again.

“I know. You can go for now.” She answered through the door.

Only after the footsteps had faded did Lou Yue cast a sidelong glance at the man by the table and say bluntly, “Stop staring. I keep my word.”

“I’m changing clothes. Go wait next door.”

Xiao Rangchen said nothing. He merely turned his back to her, making it clear that he did not trust her.

“...”

Forget it. She was only changing her outer clothes anyway.

Lou Yue turned around, too lazy to argue any further.

The rustling of fabric was magnified endlessly in the quiet room.

Xiao Rangchen lowered his gaze to the patterns in the bricks at his feet.

As Lou Yue undressed, her hair caught on something, and the hairpin slipped free, dropping into the back of her clothes. She reached in twice but failed to retrieve it, then clicked her tongue in irritation.

At the sound, Xiao Rangchen raised his eyes slightly. His gaze swept inadvertently toward the corner—and he froze.

A full-length mirror, nearly as tall as a person, stood in the corner, clearly reflecting Lou Yue’s back.

Her black, curling hair had been swept to the front. Her undergarment had slipped halfway off, hanging loosely from one shoulder.

Her slender, fair back curved faintly, while her delicate shoulder blades jutted out ever so slightly, like a butterfly about to take flight. It stirred an irresistible desire in him to imprison those wings.

The air seemed to boil in an instant. Before Xiao Rangchen could think, he hurriedly looked away.

“Clink.”

The jade hairpin struck the floor. After pulling her clothes back on, Lou Yue bent down to retrieve it and redid her hair.

She turned and walked a couple of steps toward the full-length mirror in the corner. After giving her appearance a cursory glance, she put away Xuanba, opened the door, and left without sparing Xiao Rangchen a glance.

It was not until she reached the first floor that Xiao Rangchen finally emerged from her room.

“Young Master~”

Everyone in the courtyard knew that Lou Yue was heading to Xuantian Capital today, so Xiao Aiai and Dou’er were no exception.

The moment Dou’er saw her, she rushed over and hugged her arm, whining sweetly, “Young Master, does this mean I won’t get to see you for several days again~?”

Lou Yue smiled. “Wouldn’t you be freer with me gone?”

“Oh, Young Master, how could you say that?” Dou’er’s cheeks flushed slightly. Knowing that Lou Yue was aware of all the things she had secretly bought these past two days, she hurriedly shook her arm coquettishly. “I even picked out clothes and hairpins for you! If you don’t believe me, ask Little Qiu!”

Little Qiu was staring at Xiao Rangchen as he came down the stairs, his mind full of questions. He did not hear Dou’er at all.

Xiao Aiai was in the same state.

“Brother?”

Lou Yue glanced at Xiao Rangchen’s cold expression, then turned to Xiao Aiai and said warmly, “His spiritual meridians have recovered, and he’s going to Xuantian Capital too. He’s perfectly fine, so stop worrying about him.”

Xiao Aiai’s face lit up, and she hurried over. “Brother, your spiritual meridians have recovered?!”

She had originally waited here to ask Lou Yue about the Bu Yan flower. She never expected to receive such wonderful news instead.

“Mm.”

Xiao Rangchen stopped and withdrew his dark gaze from Lou Yue and Dou’er, who were standing close together. He instructed Xiao Aiai indifferently, “Don’t run off anywhere. Wait until I return.”

“When have I ever run off? I’m not her.”

Xiao Aiai huffed, though she could not hide the joy on her face. She was genuinely happy for her brother. No one knew better than she did what he had endured since his spiritual meridians were damaged. At last, the heavens had recognized his resilience and effort.

At the thought, tears misted her eyes.

“Aiai?”

Xiao Aiai quickly wiped away the tears and looked up at Xiao Rangchen with a radiant smile. “It’s nothing. I-I’m just happy. Finally... finally...”

Xiao Rangchen fell silent. After a moment, he lifted his hand, intending to pat his sister’s head and comfort her.

At that moment, Lou Yue’s voice came from beside him, tinged with a hint of sourness.

“Aiai, your brother’s spiritual meridians recovered because of the Bu Yan flower I gave him. Aren’t you going to thank me?”

Xiao Rangchen looked over and saw Lou Yue arching her brows, mischief gleaming in her eyes as she stared intently at Xiao Aiai.

“Thank you.” Xiao Aiai was solemn. “I used to think you were nothing but a spoiled young heir, but now I know you’re a good person.”

Having been unexpectedly handed a very earnest “good person” card, Lou Yue instead felt a little embarrassed. She brushed back the hair by her ear and looked away as she replied casually, “Mm. It’s good that you know.”

Xiao Aiai seemed to discover something amusing. She leaned closer and teased with a sweet smile, “Could it be that you’re shy?”

Lou Yue immediately choked and began coughing. A faint blush spread across her smooth, lustrous face.

Xiao Rangchen stood to one side. His gaze paused for a moment on Lou Yue’s bashful, evasive expression before passing over Xiao Aiai and landing on the person clinging to Lou Yue.

The woman’s fingers, their nails painted with red lacquer, were gently stroking up and down Lou Yue’s slender back.

It was nothing more than an ordinary gesture to help her catch her breath, yet it looked especially irritating to him.

Expressionless, Xiao Rangchen turned his head away.

“All right, that’s enough... cough. In a little while, spiritual rain will descend from Xuantian Capital. Go outside and absorb it before you go play. Little Qiu, take people with you and make sure they’re protected.”

After giving his instructions, Lou Yue saw that it was nearly time. She nodded and walked outside.

Xiao Aiai had just opened her mouth to tell Xiao Rangchen to be careful, but her brother had already walked past her without so much as a sideways glance.

Xiao Aiai closed her mouth and stared at the two tall figures walking one after the other. Suddenly, the question that had been interrupted earlier sprang to mind:

Why had her brother come out of Lou Yue’s room that morning? When had he gone in?

“Could it really be...?” Little Qiu let out a sigh beside her. His tone held both confusion and a trace of grief, as though someone had dug up the cabbage in his own garden, though he still could not bring himself to believe it.

“What are you two doing? Why are you standing there like fence posts?” Dou’er asked, utterly bewildered. “Young Master isn’t never coming back. You two are acting like you’re seeing him off to his funeral.”

Little Qiu: “...”

Xiao Aiai shot her an exasperated look. “...Just shut up.”

“Xiao Aiai!”

Seeing that the two of them were about to start arguing again, Little Qiu hurriedly tried to mediate. But neither of them was willing to listen. One spoke after the other, and soon their bickering grew lively and loud.

Not a trace of the commotion in Sleeping Cloud Courtyard reached Lou Yue’s ears.

The streets of Xuandi City were packed with people, all waiting for the spirit rain that was about to fall. Spirit rain descended only on the birthdays of the patriarchs of the four great families. It contained spiritual energy that could cleanse a cultivator’s meridians and aid their advancement, while even ordinary people could benefit from its life-prolonging effects.

In this world, cultivation resources were monopolized by the great clans. Spirit rain was one of the few blessings available to everyone, which was why there were so many commoners gathered in Xuandi City.

Lou Yue and Xiao Rangchen walked through the surging crowd toward the teleportation array, maintaining a distance that was neither too close nor too far.

Unlike the areas elsewhere, the teleportation array was heavily guarded but surprisingly spacious.

Lou Yue handed over her jade token and gestured toward Xiao Rangchen, who was following her. “Two people.”

The guard took one look at her and respectfully returned the token. He had recognized Lou Yue long ago. In all of Xuandi City, the only person who possessed such a special jade token and was as strikingly beautiful as she was could only be her.

Lou Yue had just stepped onto the stone stairs when her gaze fixed on a figure standing before the array. She could not tear her eyes away.

It was a woman dressed in a silver-white robe. A veil of white gauze covered her eyes, revealing only her smooth forehead and beautifully shaped chin. She resembled a flawless divine statue hidden atop a snow-capped mountain, radiating a cold beauty so pure and lofty that she seemed untouchable.

Lou Yue’s heart jolted.

That outfit, that bearing... Could it be...?

The woman seemed to sense her gaze and slowly turned her face. Through the thin veil, Lou Yue could not make out her eyes. She only felt a gaze as faint as a mountain breeze, brushing lightly across her before withdrawing, as if the woman cared about nothing at all.

It was Liufeng Xin. Lou Yue was even more certain now.

Xiao Rangchen noticed Lou Yue’s dazed expression and followed her line of sight. Almost at the same moment, Lou Yue glanced toward him and saw that he was indeed staring at Liufeng Xin. She gave an inward scoff.

Xiao Rangchen swept the woman with a cold glance before looking away, but Lou Yue had already continued forward.

When they drew closer, Lou Yue heard the person accompanying Liufeng Xin speaking in a lowered voice. The words came rapidly and urgently, but just as they reached the array, the person cautiously fell silent.

The two of them seemed to be waiting for someone and had no intention of entering the teleportation array yet. Not wanting to give Xiao Rangchen a chance to meet his white moonlight, Lou Yue immediately led him into the array.

Just as the teleportation array activated, Lou Yue heard Liufeng Xin’s voice, cool as snowmelt, say in a flat and detached tone, “If you keep making empty promises, I’ll have to go set up a street stall.”

Lou Yue’s peach-blossom eyes flew wide, but the blue light of the teleportation array had already swallowed her vision.

She hadn’t misheard, had she?

“Making empty promises” was modern internet slang, wasn’t it?! No matter how she interpreted it, Liufeng Xin’s words did not sound as though she meant literally drawing a pancake with a brush!

Could it be...?!

No, she had to confirm it! She absolutely had to!

The light of the teleportation array faded, and the two arrived in the Xuantian Capital.

Lou Yue walked toward the covered bridge in a state of excitement mixed with distraction. Seeing her like this, Xiao Rangchen pressed his lips tightly together.

Suddenly, Lou Yue stopped and pointed toward the clock tower in the distance. “I have something to take care of. Go wait for me over there.”

A cold edge tinted Xiao Rangchen’s brows and eyes. He asked no questions and left without a word.

Lou Yue waited in place for less than half a quarter of an hour before the teleportation array lit up again. Liufeng Xin appeared with two others.

Liufeng Xin showed no reaction whatsoever at seeing Lou Yue again. The person who had been speaking earlier, however, looked at her warily.

The three of them walked straight past her. Staring at Liufeng Xin, Lou Yue spoke softly.

“Odd changes, even stays the same.”

The cold, sacred figure came to a halt.

Lou Yue’s heart rose into her throat. She was both nervous and hopeful.

The next moment, Liufeng Xin slowly turned her head and looked at her. Her cool voice held a trace of uncertainty.

“...Signs depend on the quadrant?”

Lou Yue: !!

But just as Lou Yue was about to say something else, Liufeng Xin turned away again, as if worried that someone else might understand them. She tossed back one final sentence:

“Nine tonight, here.”

Then she left with the others.

Lou Yue watched their departing figures and broke into a foolish grin.

She had actually encountered another modern person here—and it was none other than Liufeng Xin, her white moonlight.

After grinning stupidly for quite a while, Lou Yue finally headed toward the clock tower.

As she drew near, she looked up and saw Xiao Rangchen leaning against the wall beneath the tower, his arms folded across his chest. His deep gaze suggested that he had no idea how long he had been watching her.

What was with that look in his eyes?

Oh, she knew.

The Dragon Proud Heaven was jealous.