It took great effort for Li Zhexian to finally send the drunken Yu Tianxin out of the courtyard.
Before he even had the chance to close the door—
A faint fragrance swept from behind.
Two embarrassed little gasps of "Mm…" rang out.
Dugu Yan and Ye Lingling, each covering their faces with slender hands, looking too ashamed to meet his gaze, fled the little courtyard in panic.
Li Zhexian leaned against the doorframe.
His gaze followed Yu Tianxin's staggering back,
and the two graceful figures fleeing in a hurry.
At that moment—
The east was already showing the pale white of dawn.
A new day had arrived, and all things were waking up.
As Li Zhexian looked at the faint morning light, a smile appeared on the corner of his lips.
He thought of the lively banquet just now, and the absurdity of the night.
He felt that... it was truly wonderful to take a walk in this world.
Morning.
At the botoom of the three thousand stone steps of the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan, led by Clan Leader Yu Yuanzhen, many clan members gathered to see Li Zhexian off.
Yu Yuanzhen smiled gently and said, "Zhexian, if you ever need anything in the future, you can come to me."
The words of a Level 95 Titled Douluo—worth more than ten thousand in gold.
Yu Tianxin, lips pressed, gaze burning, called out:
"Master, in a few days' time, I will surely come to Heaven Dou City to find you!"
Looking at those lively and earnest faces before him—
Li Zhexian could not help but recall the day he left the Wind Sword Sect.
The same deep bonds of parting.
This—was Li Zhexian's jianghu.
To make friends across the four seas,
to drink the finest wines of the world,
to comprehend the true essence of the Sword Dao.
He raised a hand in farewell.
Then with a fluid motion, mounted his horse.
The wind roared past his ears.
Li Zhexian reined in his mount, glancing back.
The figures still stood at the stone steps,
eyes following his departing figure.
Li Zhexian laughed heartily. A tune with no rhythm drifted on the wind. "Let's finish this cup of wine, sing a song, and lament life, where meetings are as easy as partings..."
Looking at the white-robed young man's back as he gradually faded into the distance, that tune, with a sense of melancholy and unrestrained freedom, seemed to still linger in their ears.
Yu Tianheng sighed from the bottom of his heart. "I wish I could be like Brother Zhexian."
...
Half a day spent wandering, half a day riding swiftly.
The towering outline of Heaven Dou City already appeared before his eyes.
After more than a month apart—
The familiar streets and bustling scenes made Li Zhexian's smile deepen.
He first went to the lotus lake.
But found no trace of Xue Qinghe.
A soft flash of light from his Wishful Hundred Treasure Purse produced a smooth jade token in his hand.
Li Zhexian weighed it casually, then turned his horse toward the Imperial Palace.
Come to think of it—
This Prince's Token was something Qian Renxue had tossed to him the very first time they met, when he pretended not to believe her identity.
He had never returned it.
Nor had Qian Renxue ever asked it back.
"I've been here this long,
yet I've never gone to the imperial palace."
At present, in the Heaven Dou royal family—
Emperor Xue Ye's body was wracked with illness, waning day by day.
The Crown Prince, Xue Qinghe, was Regent in all but name, her authority growing ever greater.
Holding the Crown Prince's token, Li Zhexian could move about almost without any obstacles in the vast Imperial Palace, with the exception of the restricted areas in the inner palace.
Walking in the shadows cast by the palace walls, Li Zhexian looked up. He saw a square, boxed-in piece of blue sky encircled by high walls.
A sense of dullness suddenly passed through his heart. The Imperial Palace didn't seem to be as beautiful as the legends claimed.
Thinking of the drastic changes that would happen to the Heaven Dou imperial family in the future, Li Zhexian's eyes darkened slightly.
"Because of my presence... I wonder how the future will change."
His existence—
Like a stone cast into a set river.
Already stirring ripples that diverted the original flow across the Douluo Continent.
Even though Li Zhexian knew the original course of the story—
The road ahead had already become unpredictable.
"Whatever darkness lies before me—"
A flash of sword-light gleamed in Li Zhexian's eyes,
all stray thoughts swept away.
"With the sword in my hand, I may shape all things."
The palace halls layered upon halls, corridors woven like threads.
Li Zhexian walked for half the day,
until he found himself lost.
Helpless—
He had no choice but to stop a young eunuch scurrying along the wall.
"Excuse me, sir, could you tell me how to get to the Crown Prince's residence?"
The young eunuch was startled when he was suddenly called out to. It was the first time he had been called "sir."
He looked up and saw that the person who asked the question was handsome and dashing.
He quickly bowed in return and anxiously pointed in a direction.
Li Zhexian thanked him and quickly walked in that direction.
...
Crown Prince's residence.
The vermilion brush in her hand hovered above the mountain of memorials, her fine-browed face unable to hide its vexation.
The Continental Advanced Spirit Master Academy Elite Tournament was about to begin.
The preliminaries were set in the Heaven Dou Empire.
This was the first grand event for genius Spirit Masters, attracting the attention of the entire Douluo Continent. It was an excellent stage to showcase the nation's power.
As the actual wielder of Heaven Dou's authority—
Xue Qinghe wanted to handle this matter perfectly and turn it into a great achievement.
However, there were a thousand and one complicated matters.Venues, budgets, organization—
The coordination, site selection, and budget of every single item left her mentally and physically exhausted. The plans submitted by the various departments were all too crude in her eyes.
Porcupinefish and Snake Lance, who were standing by the door, sighed to themselves. Their young master had been toiling and worrying about the tournament for many days.
Their young master had labored over the Spirit Master Tournament for many days.
"Young master, why don't you go fishing by the Lotus Lake?"
Xue Qinghe didn't even raise her head. "No."
In the past—
In the past, the clear water and green lotus might have been a place for her to get rid of her worries.
But ever since that person had come, the lakeside was no longer a simple landscape.
Porcupinefish and Snake Lance probably knew what Xue Qinghe was thinking and mused to themselves, "Why isn't that kid Li Zhexian back yet? Doesn't he know that our young master is thinking of him?"
A deep silence filled the residence. The only sound was the rustling of paper that Xue Qinghe occasionally crumpled.
The fatigue between her eyebrows was heavy
Occasionally, she would look up.
When she caught a glimpse of the Rose of Morning Light on the windowsill and the grasshopper woven from grass underneath the immortal flower, her taut cheeks would soften.
Porcupinefish and Snake Lance looked at their young master's appearance and sighed silently once more.
And just then—
Their faces abruptly changed.
They suddenly looked up, their gazes as sharp as a hawk's, and stared at the door of the residence.
Someone was coming! And not someone from the palace!
With their keen senses as Titled Douluos, how could they only notice this person now?! Without startling Xue Qinghe, their gazes, sharp as blades, locked onto the doorway.
"This kid..."
They sized up the white-robed young man who was walking leisurely toward them, their expressions uncertain and suspicious.
Their gazes lingered for a long time on the Qinglian Sword mark on his forehead.
After a month apart, Li Zhexian's skin had become even more lustrous, and his aura had become like clouds and fog, ethereal and hard to find.
"This kid has gotten stronger again..." Porcupinefish and Snake Lance's hearts trembled slightly.
Seeing that Li Zhexian had lightened his steps and made a shushing gesture, Porcupinefish and Snake Lance understood.
They shifted their bodies and quietly retreated to stand guard outside the residence's gate.
Li Zhexian's gaze fell on the figure bent over the desk. A wisp of black hair fell across her slightly thinner profile, and a weariness that was hard to hide showed through her focus.
The corner of his lips lifted, and he soundlessly walked behind her. Then, Li Zhexian reached out and gently covered her eyes.
"Guess who I am?"
Xue Qinghe's entire body suddenly tensed up.
However... the familiar warmth from the palm of the hand... and the voice that had been deliberately changed but had lingered in her dreams every night...
Xue Qinghe's tense body relaxed. Joy dispersed all the frustration in her heart. The corners of her lips lifted, and a bright smile blossomed on her delicate face...