Xian Gu Yao was utterly speechless, completely ignoring her parents and turning to leave.
Seeing this, Xian Gu Tong and the beautiful woman grew anxious but were helpless. They knew their daughter’s temperament, persuading her to take the initiative was incredibly difficult!
This girl was too headstrong!
The two exchanged a glance, both filled with regret, regretting their initial shortsightedness!
…
After leaving the hall, Xian Gu Yao went alone to a riverbank, watching the small fish swimming in the water. She sank into thought. For some reason, these days, her mind was restless, as if something was tugging at her heart.
At that moment, Xian Gu Yuan appeared beside her. He hesitated, then said, “Sis!”
Xian Gu Yao snapped out of her thoughts, looking at Xian Gu Yuan, “Something up?”
Xian Gu Yuan gave a bitter smile, “Sis, Li Xue refuses to come back!”
Xian Gu Yao’s face turned icy, “That’s your lack of ability, who’s to blame?”
Xian Gu Yuan’s expression darkened.
Xian Gu Yao stared at him, “When he came to your wedding and gifted the Divine Dao Codex, how did you treat him?”
Xian Gu Yuan smiled bitterly, “I didn’t know that little pouch held the Divine Dao Codex. If I’d known, I wouldn’t have treated him like that!”
Xian Gu Yao sighed softly.
Xian Gu Yuan added, “Sis, you’re so close with Young Master Ye, can you plead for me? Get Li Xue to come back…”
Xian Gu Yao said softly, “Forget about Li Xue!”
Xian Gu Yuan froze, “Why?”
Xian Gu Yao glanced at him, “Because she’s not coming back!”
With that, she turned to leave.
Xian Gu Yuan’s face grew grim, lost in thought.
Suddenly, Xian Gu Yao stopped and turned to him, “Don’t get any crooked ideas, or even I can’t save you! Don’t be fooled by Young Master Ye’s mild nature, if he gets truly angry, I can’t save you either!”
With that, she vanished.
Xian Gu Yuan, “…”
…
After leaving the Xian Gu Mansion, Xian Gu Yao suddenly said, “Elder Zhang!”
At her words, a white-robed elder appeared beside her.
Xian Gu Yao, expressionless, said, “Keep an eye on him. If he dares trouble Li Xue or Young Master Ye, cripple him!”
The white-robed elder froze.
Xian Gu Yao glanced at him, “You don’t dare?”
The elder hesitated, then said, “Miss…”
Xian Gu Yao said softly, “What do you think of Young Master Ye?”
The elder thought, then said, “Gentle, refined, a true gentleman!”
Xian Gu Yao nodded, “Indeed! But my instincts tell me it’s not that simple.”
The elder was puzzled, “This…”
Xian Gu Yao looked to the distant horizon, “He’s a man of strong character. Be good to him, and he’ll be ten times better to you. But harm him, and he’ll return it tenfold! Our Xian Gu Clan has already clashed with him once, we mustn’t make an enemy of him again!”
The elder hesitated, then said, “Miss, Young Master Ye may not love you, but he definitely has a good impression of you.”
Xian Gu Yao chuckled, “So what?”
The elder said gravely, “Miss, forgive my boldness, but if you also have a good impression of him, you could spend more time with him.”
Xian Gu Yao’s expression remained calm, “No!”
The elder gave a wry smile, “Miss, Young Master Ye is truly a good man, and a learned one. In your spare time from cultivating, you could connect with him more!”
Xian Gu Yao, stone-faced, said, “I said no!”
As the elder was about to speak, another elder appeared, bowing slightly, “Miss, Young Master Ye is visiting, he’s outside the city, he says…”
Before he could finish, Xian Gu Yao vanished.
Elder, “…”
White-robed elder, “…”
…
Outside Xian Gu City, Ye Xuan, who had been meditating, opened his eyes. Xian Gu Yao appeared before him.
Xian Gu Yao looked at him, silent.
Ye Xuan smiled faintly, “Miss Yao, we meet again!”
Xian Gu Yao said calmly, “Something up?”
Ye Xuan feigned displeasure, “Can’t I visit you without a reason?”
Xian Gu Yao was briefly stunned, a spark of joy in her heart, quickly suppressed.
Ye Xuan smiled, “Shall we walk?”
Xian Gu Yao nodded, “Alright!”
She started to lead him into the city.
Ye Xuan didn’t move.
Xian Gu Yao turned to him, “Still upset?”
Ye Xuan nodded.
Xian Gu Yao rolled her eyes, “Petty!”
That glance carried a touch of charm, unnoticed by her.
Ye Xuan smiled faintly, pointing aside, “The scenery’s nice over there, shall we walk?”
Xian Gu Yao nodded, “Alright!”
They walked along the city wall, heading into the distance.
Xian Gu Yao suddenly spoke, “Visiting me out of the blue, there must be something, right?”
Ye Xuan smiled, “A small matter, but mainly, I came to see you!”
Xian Gu Yao looked at him, “See me for what?”
Ye Xuan smiled, “You’re beautiful, seeing you lifts my spirits.”
Xian Gu Yao glared at him, “No sweet talk!”
Ye Xuan chuckled, “Miss Yao, I’m not the first to call you beautiful, am I?”
Xian Gu Yao countered, “What if I were horribly ugly?”
Ye Xuan looked shocked, “Miss Yao, you misunderstand me!”
Xian Gu Yao frowned, “What?”
Ye Xuan said earnestly, “When I say you’re beautiful, it’s not just your appearance, but your soul and character. In this world, many have fine looks but filthy hearts. No matter how pretty they are, to me, they’re ugly. But you, Miss Yao, are not only beautiful outside but kind inside. Compared to your looks, I admire your soul and kind heart more. As they say, ‘Pretty faces are common, but a kind, interesting soul is one in a million.’”
He paused, then added, “My words might seem flowery, even forward, but they’re my truest thoughts. As sword cultivators, we follow our hearts, we never deceive ourselves, what we say is what we think!”
Xian Gu Yao stared at Ye Xuan. Though her expression stayed calm, her heart trembled slightly, but she quickly steadied it.
She met Ye Xuan’s gaze, his eyes clear as water, his face wearing a gentle smile, all so genuine.
Xian Gu Yao suddenly looked away, his gaze like a vortex, threatening to pull her in.
Ye Xuan suddenly smiled, “Miss Yao, I have a gift for you!”
Xian Gu Yao turned, curious, “What gift?”
Ye Xuan opened his palm, revealing a Divine Dao Codex.
Seeing it, Xian Gu Yao froze, “This…”
Ye Xuan said seriously, “This Divine Dao Codex is different from the one I gave your brother and Li Xue. I spent half a month studying and annotating it, making cultivation several times easier!”
Shu Xian, “???”
Xian Gu Yao stared at the Codex, then shook her head, “Too precious!”
Ye Xuan suddenly asked, “Is it more precious than our friendship?”
Xian Gu Yao froze.
Ye Xuan smiled, asking again, “Is it?”
Xian Gu Yao was silent, unsure how to respond.
Ye Xuan placed the Codex in her hands, “To me, even ten thousand Codices wouldn’t match a fraction of our friendship!”
He looked at her, “Next time, don’t measure our friendship with material things. To me, doing so insults and profanes it!”
Xian Gu Yao looked at Ye Xuan, silent.
Ye Xuan smiled, “Think I’m trying to sweet-talk you?”
Xian Gu Yao nodded.
Ye Xuan smiled faintly, turning to walk away.
Xian Gu Yao looked at the Codex in her hands, sighing softly.
Sweet-talk?
This was the Divine Dao Codex, worth at least fifty million cosmic veins! Annotated, it was priceless!
Did he have ulterior motives?
At that thought, she realized she wasn’t angry at all.
If he did, why not say it outright?
Then, she realized she was a bit angry.
Xian Gu Yao shook her head, clearing her jumbled thoughts, and hurried to catch up with Ye Xuan. She glanced at him, “Upset?”
Ye Xuan nodded, “A little! Because when I tell the truth, no one believes me.”
Xian Gu Yao blinked, “Have you ever lied before?”
Ye Xuan nodded, “Yes! Often!”
Xian Gu Yao shook her head, “I don’t believe it. You seem carefree, but you’re upright, not the type to lie!”
Ye Xuan, “???”
Xian Gu Yao suddenly said, “I’ll keep this Codex! Don’t be upset, alright?”
Ye Xuan smiled, “I’m not that petty!”
Xian Gu Yao smiled faintly, “Good!”
Ye Xuan blinked, “Can I be bold again?”
Xian Gu Yao glared at him, “What do you want to say?”
Ye Xuan smiled, “I want to speak my heart, but I’m afraid you’ll be unhappy, so… may I?”
Xian Gu Yao rolled her eyes, thought, then held up one finger, “One sentence, just one!”
Ye Xuan said earnestly, “Your smile is beautiful, like a ripe cherry, so vibrant it makes one want to take a bite!”
Xian Gu Yao froze, then her cheeks flushed. She glared at him, “You… that’s a bit roguish.”
As Ye Xuan was about to speak, Xian Gu Yao suddenly said softly, “You… can say one more!”
Ye Xuan, “…”
…
