Zhao Li nodded and smiled, "For the sake of my Danyuan Sect's reputation, the Qin father and son didn't even care about their own faces, practically shoving them under my feet for me to step on. If I refused, how sad would they be?"
He paused slightly, then continued, "Besides, as the Sect Master, I have to do something for the sect, don't I? I don't have much skill, I can only refine some pills to make a living."
Zhao 'Versailles' Li was back online. Even Lin Lan felt an urge to beat him up.
Before Lin Lan could put his thoughts into action, Zhao Li became serious. "Master, the Grand Ceremony doesn't really need me anymore. I'll leave for a bit. I'll have to trouble you to look after the sect."
Lin Lan looked thoughtful and smiled, "Go, go. Don't hesitate or overthink."
Zhao Li looked a bit embarrassed, like a child whose thoughts had been exposed, but compared to the longing in his heart, it was nothing. He nodded heavily, "Disciple understands. Then I'll be going."
As his words fell, Zhao Li vanished.
...
On Danxia Peak, along the ancient path in the forest, sunlight filtered through the dense trees, casting dappled light and shadow on the bluestone path.
Zhao Li and Ye Yunsheng walked side by side. On the not-so-wide path, they were very close, and their steps became slower and slower.
Zhao Li would secretly glance at the girl beside him from time to time, and then feel a wave of guilt. His gaze would dart around, looking at the flying birds and listening to the chirping insects.
After several times, Ye Yunsheng inexplicably found it a bit funny. Zhao Li's appearance seemed to be the same young man from before, without the slightest change.
They walked for a long time. Seeing that Zhao Li still had no intention of speaking first, Ye Yunsheng casually found a topic.
"Zhao Li, I heard you've been to the Central Plains. What's it like there?"
Zhao Li was stumped by Ye Yunsheng's question. He was about to answer, but after thinking for a while, he suddenly realized that he didn't seem to have any deep impressions of the Central Plains.
He stopped and thought for a while. By the time he came back to his senses, Ye Yunsheng had already walked ahead a bit. He quickened his pace, walked back to her side, and then slowed down. Only when their steps were in sync did he say, "Just so-so, not even one ten-thousandth as good as this time, this place."
Ye Yunsheng hadn't expected Zhao Li to answer and just responded with a perfunctory "Oh." Then she asked what was on her mind.
"Oh! I heard the Central Plains has many powerful experts and many beauties, is that true?"
As soon as she asked, she felt it was a bit inappropriate, but the words were like spilled water and couldn't be taken back. She just quietly perked up her ears to hear what Zhao Li would say.
Zhao Li was a little confused, not knowing what the connection was between many powerful experts and many beauties, but he still answered honestly, "Yes, there are many powerful experts, even quite a few Dou Sheng. As for beauties, I didn't really pay attention."
"Oh? Brother Zhao Li is such an outstanding person, could it be that no girls have taken a liking to you?"
Ye Yunsheng pretended to be curious and teased him.
Zhao Li suddenly laughed, looking relaxed. He looked at Ye Yunsheng and said, "Perhaps there are."
He finally noticed that Ye Yunsheng's state was a little off. Beneath her generous demeanor, she was clearly a bit nervous.
Hearing this, Ye Yunsheng's body stiffened for a moment, but she quickly returned to normal, feigning ease. "That's right. How could someone like Brother Zhao Li not have beauties accompanying him?"
Zhao Li gently shook his head, a smile appearing on his face. "Yes, there are now, at this time, in this place. I just don't know if there will still be such a beauty accompanying me in the future."
He wasn't a dull person to begin with, so how could he not sense Ye Yunsheng's feelings?
Ye Yunsheng suddenly stopped, a smile on her face, and looked at Zhao Li.
"Hmm?"
Hearing "this time, this place" again, she suddenly understood. It turned out that it wasn't just her who held expectations.
Her heart leaped. Her beautiful eyes blinked lightly, as if she had made some decision. Then she stared at Zhao Li without blinking, saying slowly, word by word, "I wonder if I offer a nation as a betrothal gift, can I recruit you as my consort?"
Before she even finished speaking, a blush appeared on her face. Then, like ink spreading in water, it quickly covered her cheeks, reaching her ears, neck...
Under the rosy light filtering through the forest leaves, it was breathtakingly beautiful.
But she forcefully suppressed the urge to lower her head and quietly looked at Zhao Li.
Zhao Li looked at her, his mind seemingly frozen. He stood rooted to the spot, momentarily lost in thought.
Ye Yunsheng felt that Zhao Li at this moment was slowly overlapping with the Zhao Li from her memory who buried his head in his food. For some reason, she couldn't help but chuckle softly.
Zhao Li came back to his senses, inexplicably feeling a hint of pressure in Ye Yunsheng's gaze. He didn't dare to look directly at her.
He didn't understand why, only thinking it was his own illusion. He stopped thinking about it and replayed Ye Yunsheng's words in his mind over and over, analyzing her meaning word by word.
"If you don't want to, then so be it."
Seeing that he didn't respond, Ye Yunsheng suddenly spoke.
Zhao Li's heart panicked. Ignoring everything else, he met Ye Yunsheng's gaze and said slowly and firmly:
"Yunsheng, come home with me."
The same person, the same words, the same feelings, but the last time he said it was twenty years ago.
Finally, the current Zhao Li completely replaced the image of Zhao Li in Ye Yunsheng's memory.
She nodded gently, letting her head droop naturally, not lifting it again.
For people who care for each other, even if a long time passes, long enough for one person to go from being a novice to the peak of the continent, from being unknown to the ruler of a nation, the feelings of youth are like this. When they meet again, their hearts still flutter.
As the two remained silent, a long time passed. Ye Yunsheng, with her head lowered, extended her slender hand and said:
"Let's go, what are you still standing around for!"
Zhao Li finally snapped back to reality, reached out and took her hand, then gently held it, grinning foolishly.
"Is Zhao Li stupid? He wasn't like this before."
Ye Yunsheng was puzzled, but let him lead her, walking down the mountain step by step.
...
Danyuan City was still bustling and prosperous, seemingly never quiet.
Zhao Li held Ye Yunsheng's hand, walking slowly through the crowd, looking around at everything.
At this moment, he truly seemed like a young man again.
Ye Yunsheng followed him quietly, a sense of novelty rising in her heart as well.
She had a special constitution and had suffered from the torment of阴寒之气 since childhood. Her body was extremely weak, and she had almost never left Nameless Valley. How could she have experienced any of this?
As for later, driven by the thought in her heart, she cultivated diligently, not daring to slack off, and simply couldn't spare any attention for these things. This was the first time she had experienced something like this.
She watched Zhao Li, who had easily promised hundreds of Seventh Grade Pills during the Grand Ceremony, now standing in front of a small stall, haggling over a hairpin that cost no more than a hundred Gold Coins. The corners of her mouth curved slightly upward.
In the end, the stall owner won with the line, 'Young man, that's not right of you. Your little girlfriend is so beautiful, how can you not even be willing to buy a hairpin!' He smiled and earned dozens of Gold Coins from Zhao Li.
Zhao Li took the wooden hairpin, then gently placed it in Ye Yunsheng's hair, looking at it from all angles, showing off:
"Yunsheng, the hairpin you're wearing looks a bit cold. This one is much better."
Ye Yunsheng rolled her eyes at him:
"Look at you, so proud. I wonder who was haggling for so long but couldn't get the price down at all."
Although she said this, the smile on her face didn't disappear; it even grew wider.
Zhao Li was unhappy and retorted:
"That's not right, miss. With this hairpin on you, it's definitely worth more than its price!"
"You're so stubborn."
"It's true, though..."
Seeing Zhao Li and Ye Yunsheng leave while bickering, the vendor seemed to recall his own youth, which was likely similar, and sighed:
"Being young is truly wonderful!"
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