Xie Jingci had a very pleasant conversation with the little boy. After asking around, she learned that the boy's name was Sun Jue, the youngest son of the Sun family in Yunjing.
The Sun family had practiced Daoist magic for generations and possessed great attainments in illusions. Sun Jue had four older brothers and sisters. Growing up doted on by his entire family, he developed the habits of a lawless, willful, and spoiled little tyrant.
The reason he met Pei Du was that he had heard the Ghost Tomb was infested with monsters and demons, and that a powerful, evil demon had appeared. Out of curiosity, he pestered one of his older brothers to take him there.
Based on the timeline, Pei Du had just been pushed off the cliff by Pei Fengnan not long before that. Let alone lacking spiritual power, his meridians and bones were broken everywhere. The slightest movement would cause intense agony all over his body.
It just so happened that Sun Jue sneaked out of his tent, wanting to see the excitement in the mysterious, boundless Ghost Tomb. Unexpectedly, he encountered an evil demon on the way and narrowly escaped death.
Skipping the tragic and bloody details, in short, Pei Du, who would become the great demon lord that struck terror into everyone's hearts in the future, did everything in his power to fend off the evil demon that day. In a life-or-death struggle, he managed to save the boy's life.
Although Sun Jue was young, he could clearly distinguish right from wrong.
A child's mind is the simplest. He firmly believed in one unchanging truth: if that blood-covered older brother was a bad person, he definitely wouldn't have risked his life to save him.
Even within the orthodox sects, he had heard many stories of perfidy, leaving people to die, and deserting in the face of battle.
The strange older brother did not tell him his name. After escorting the boy to a place not far from the camp, he quickly said his goodbyes and left.
It was not until a few days later, when wanted posters for the Ghost Tomb demon were put up all over Yunjing, that Sun Jue finally learned his name was Pei Du.
But that person had spoken to him so gently. To ensure the boy's safety, he would rather risk being discovered to personally escort him back near the camp.
Whether it was stubbornness or being blindly obsessed, Sun Jue always had a vague idea that perhaps Pei Du was not the unforgivable demon lord that most people claimed him to be.
He liked that big brother.
Having found a kindred spirit, the young master almost dragged Xie Jingci away to swear brotherhood. It was only when his guards reminded him that it was getting late that he reluctantly said goodbye and went home—
Ever since he sneaked away at the Ghost Tomb that time, his parents had been so angry they almost went mad.
Today was a great day for an outing. When Xie Jingci returned to the Xie Manor, she was caught completely off guard by two pieces of news that hit her right on the head.
The first was a mutation in the Eastern Sea. An ancient demon had broken out of the Langya Secret Realm and entrenched itself in Lingshui Village outside the realm.
Rumor had it that the demon was named Memory Spirit. It could devour cultivators' memories and divine senses, refining them into nourishment for its own use.
The Memory Spirit had lain dormant in the Langya Secret Realm for many years. Now that it had broken out, it had attracted many prominent families and sects to compete in besieging it, and the Pei Manor was among them.
If they could properly utilize the Memory Spirit to find the memories from the Ghost Tomb back then... restoring Pei Du's innocence might no longer be a fantasy.
The second piece of news was that Meng Xiaoting had woken up.
She had been rescued in time by Long Xiao, so her divine sense did not suffer a fatal blow. Later, resting for many days under the care of panaceas and absorbing the spiritual energy of heaven and earth, her sea of consciousness gradually recovered.
Xie Jingci ran all the way to the Meng family.
The young girl sitting on the bed was much thinner than before. Her face lacked color, resembling white porcelain jade. Surrounded by Lin Yunrou and a few little maids asking about her well-being, she caught a glimpse of Xie Jingci, and her tears fell down like a waterfall: "Wah—! Cici, you're awake!"
"Today we should be celebrating that you are safe and sound."
Xie Jingci felt sour yet amused. She tapped Meng Xiaoting's head and wiped away her endless stream of tears: "I've been awake for over a month now."
"How did we end up as such fellow sufferers, even getting injured and falling into a coma at the same time."
She sobbed as she spoke, her gaze inadvertently looking outside, and she asked curiously: "Is the person outside... Young Master Long?"
"I have already told her that young Daoist friend Long gifted us many precious medicinal herbs."
Lin Yunrou's eyes curved slightly, her tone deepening: "Young Master Long, aren't you going to come in and see her?"
Xie Jingci turned her head and glanced at Long Xiao outside the door.
It was near dusk now. The pale yellow sunset draped behind him, outlining a solitary, deep black shadow. Perhaps because of the reflection of the evening glow, his face was inexplicably flushed.
She remembered.
Long Xiao had once said that it was inconvenient for him to enter a woman's boudoir, unless one day Meng Xiaoting woke up and personally allowed him to approach.
"Standing outside all alone is no fun."
Meng Xiaoting's eyes and brows were full of smiles. She grinned at him: "I still want to thank you in person."
Long Xiao's Adam's apple bobbed.
He walked closer step by step. His usually confident gaze gradually revealed a clumsy hue. By the end, he was even walking with the same arm and leg moving forward together.
Xie Jingci coughed lightly, Lin Yunrou pretended to look around at the scenery, and the surrounding little maids watching the fun chattered and burst into laughter.
Long Xiao: "Uh, well... happy."
Meng Xiaoting looked at him in slight confusion.
"No, no, 'happy' is my inner thought, I didn't mean to say it out loud. What I originally wanted to say was—"
He spoke without thinking. Halfway through, he suddenly realized he had completely exposed his own feelings. He just wanted to kill himself on the spot to get some peace.
Long Xiao scratched his head and ears, his voice getting lower and lower: "It's just, it's really great that Miss Meng could wake up."
"I suddenly remembered, hasn't today's medicine been prepared yet?"
Lin Yunrou's expression was faint as she looked at the little maid beside her: "Why don't I go check the medicinal herbs with you first—even if she's awake, she still needs to take her medicine."
Xie Jingci nodded: "I'll come help too!"
Long Xiao guessed their intentions and cast a terrified glance at her, using a secret voice transmission: "Miss Xie, you can't just leave me here."
He paused as he spoke, starting to stutter uselessly: "I-I-I'm nervous."
Although he had indeed promised Xie Jingci outside Meng Xiaoting's room back then that he would confess his feelings when she woke up, now that the moment had truly arrived—
He was panicking, panicking, panicking.
If he wasn't a coward, how could Long Xiao still be pitifully harboring a secret crush after all these years?
Xie Jingci felt frustrated with his lack of spine, completely forgetting that she was also a coward herself. She was meek and submissive when facing Pei Du, but once she bumped into anyone else, she had a whole set of principles: "Where did your imposing manner of punching evil spirits and kicking demons go? Don't tell me you don't even dare to give it a try?"
Long Xiao replied without any confidence: "Miss Meng isn't some demon or evil spirit."
This guy even talked back.
Xie Jingci was so choked up she almost couldn't catch her breath.
As the mistress of the household, Lin Yunrou had always acted briskly and decisively. Now that she said she was going to brew medicine, she meant it, and quickly led the group of little girls out the door.
Thus, the clamor faded away, leaving only the two of them in the bedroom.
Long Xiao scratched his head, pretending to be calm, and secretly glanced at her from the corner of his eye.
Over countless long days and nights, he had gradually grown accustomed to watching Meng Xiaoting's silhouette from afar, using his thoughts to trace the contours of her profile bit by bit. Now, being truly and tangibly close to her felt as though a long journey had finally reached its destination. It felt like a dream, yet it also brought him an unparalleled sense of peace.
"Aunt Lin said that Young Master Long sent over many life-saving medicinal herbs... Thank you."
Meng Xiaoting didn't have as much emotional baggage as he did. Leaning against the headboard, she turned her face slightly. "As for those medicines, I will slowly repay you for them in the future."
This time, Long Xiao replied very quickly, sounding a bit anxious. "There's no need to repay me."
Meng Xiaoting was the girl he liked; he didn't want to become any sort of burden to her.
His brain habitually kicked into gear, and he remembered the excuse he had used countless times. In his haste, the words tumbled out rapidly: "You are Miss Xie's best friend, which logically makes you my friend too. Friends don't need to stand on such empty ceremonies, and I don't—"
What on earth was he saying?
He had clearly made up his mind long ago to tell her his true feelings. It was one thing to lie time and time again before, but now that it had come to this, why was he still using Miss Xie as a shield?
He wanted to treat her well, and it had absolutely nothing to do with anyone else.
Meng Xiaoting smiled gently, not taking his words to heart. Her gaze drifted lazily, landing on the ajar door.
Due to her physical weakness, her voice lacked its usual vitality, yet her tone was still light and brisk, like a gentle breeze. "It's strange to say, but for some reason, I occasionally see Young Master Long in my dreams."
Long Xiao's chest trembled slightly, as if struck by a drop of honey falling from the sky. He held his breath in a panic.
"In the dreams, you always just stand far away by the door, without saying a single word. I open my mouth to ask you to come in, but you never seem to hear me, just standing there motionless."
She chuckled to herself as she spoke. "A very strange dream, right?"
The person listening to her, however, made no response.
Clenching and unclenching his right hand, Long Xiao heard a gust of wind sweep past the window. The leaves on the branches quivered wildly, bringing waves of palpitations to his heart. Before Meng Xiaoting could speak again, the young man finally lifted his head. "It's not because of Miss Xie."
Meng Xiaoting froze.
"The reason you don't need to repay me is that those things... from the very beginning, were prepared specifically for you."
The branches and leaves outside the window swayed again.
A faint heat rose around her ears, and her eyelashes fluttered slightly as she listened to Long Xiao continue, "To me, if I couldn't save Miss Meng, no matter what kind of medicinal herbs they were, they would all be no different from weeds. Whether they are heavenly treasures or miraculous pills, none of them... are as important as you."
His face felt as though it were burning.
But the words were fierce, rushing to his lips all at once, washing away his reason until nothing was left, allowing no pause.
"I just wanted to save you, and it has nothing to do with anyone else."
Long Xiao said, "You are more important than anyone else, and more unique and special than anyone else—in my heart, it has always been this way, since a long time ago."
As an invincible genius cultivator, this was the first time in his life Long Xiao had been so nervous. He hesitated, not daring to look at Meng Xiaoting's expression. When he finally spoke again, his tone was much weaker, sounding both apologetic and aggrieved. "I'm sorry for hiding this from you for so long."
The wind had stopped, and it was quiet all around. Only his heart was still beating violently, thump, thump.
His peripheral vision hastily swept across Miss Meng's face, and to his surprise, her face was also flushed red.
Talking to the girl he liked was much harder than fighting enemies above his cultivation level.
Unfortunately, he ultimately didn't get to wait for Meng Xiaoting's response.
Just as the last word fell, a sharp donkey bray suddenly rang out from the hallway outside the door, which should have been empty.
This was followed by a chaotic mix of chicken clucks and horse neighs, interspersed with two incredibly panicked shouts of "Shut up!" Immediately after, the ajar door was pushed open, and a large group of people tumbled in with a crash.
The little maid at the very top hadn't stopped laughing, but was forced to halt mid-way, her laughter turning into a hasty goose honk.
Meng Xiaoting: ...
Meng Xiaoting kicked the blanket with a blushing face. "W-w-weren't you all going to brew medicine?! Cici! My god, and Aunt Lin—why are you joining in on the fun too?"
Xie Jingci forced a smile, coughing as if her life were about to end.
Lin Yunrou stood up gracefully, continuing to pretend to admire the scenery around her.
"So—"
Clenching his right hand once more, Long Xiao took a deep breath.
Perhaps afraid she would be shy, he used telepathy this time. However, the touch between their divine senses was incredibly intimate. Every word and sentence was exceptionally clear, gently striking against Meng Xiaoting's sea of consciousness.
This was a secret that belonged only to the two of them; no one else could hear it.
Long Xiao finally mustered the courage he used when subduing demons and vanquishing monsters. With his back to the female cultivators behind him, who all wore varying expressions, he met her eyes alone.
For a moment, their divine senses intertwined. Meng Xiaoting felt a fine, dense tickling sensation, and at the same time, she heard his voice: "It's true that I'm very happy you woke up, it's true that I secretly stood by the door to look at you, and..."
In a daze, Meng Xiaoting met his dark eyes.
There was no laughter in those pupils, only an indomitable resolve, more serious than ever before: "It's also true that I've liked you for a very long time."
