Shi Yu went for half a day and finally returned alone.
“Miss Yun, His Majesty is currently busy and will come later,” he said.
Yun Qingxue glanced at the sky. It was already noon, and if it got any later, she feared she wouldn’t be able to leave today.
“Take me to see your king,” Yun Qingxue stood up.
“This…” Shi Yu hesitated, lowering his gaze. “His Majesty instructed that you wait here.”
Yun Qingxue sighed but didn’t press further. Yet, this wait lasted until sunset, and then from sunset until the moon rose above the willow branches.
Looking at the sky outside, Yun Qingxue felt that Jin Lin probably wouldn’t come today. With another sigh, she tidied up briefly and sat on the bed, preparing to meditate.
*Knock knock.*
Just as Yun Qingxue settled in but hadn’t yet entered her meditative state, a dull sound came from the door.
“Xuexue, it’s me,” Jin Lin’s muffled voice called from outside.
Yun Qingxue slipped on her shoes, stepped down, and opened the door.
In the night, the luminous pearls of the underwater dragon palace cast a cold, moon-like glow. The man outside wore blue robes, his noble and aloof features tinged with the loneliness of the night.
Yun Qingxue stepped aside to let Jin Lin in.
“Xuexue,” Jin Lin entered, closing the door behind him as if sneaking around. He took her hand and led her to the round table in the room, where they sat down.
He gazed at her quietly.
On the table was a luminous pearl carved into the shape of a flower petal. Under its cool light, Yun Qingxue’s skin seemed like flawless jade, her beauty ethereal.
Jin Lin suddenly smiled, withdrawing his gaze. He pulled out a small box from his robe and slid it toward Yun Qingxue with his slender fingers.
A faint, exquisite fragrance emanated from the wooden box.
Yun Qingxue watched Jin Lin silently, not touching the box.
*Ahem!* Jin Lin coughed awkwardly, masking the loneliness in his eyes. “It’s too late today. Tomorrow morning, I’ll personally escort you out.”
“Mm,” Yun Qingxue responded with a faint smile.
Jin Lin averted his gaze and continued, “You don’t know any spells, and it’s unsafe for a girl to travel alone. Plus… plus, you’re so beautiful, which makes it even more dangerous.
“I… I found you a pill that can alter your appearance. Take it, and it’ll change your looks. And…
“I’ve prepared some essentials for you in a storage ring. Just drip your blood on it to activate it.”
Only then did Yun Qingxue lower her eyes to the small box Jin Lin had pushed toward her.
After explaining everything, Jin Lin didn’t look at her again. He stood up abruptly. “It’s late. Rest early. I’ll take my leave.”
Without waiting for her reply, he strode to the door, opened it, and stepped out.
“Jin Lin.”
Yun Qingxue clutched the small wooden box and stood up, calling after him.
Jin Lin paused at the doorway but didn’t turn around.
“Thank you…”
Her grip on the box tightened, and suddenly, her throat felt dry.
“Don’t mention it,” Jin Lin replied without looking back, then walked away.
The door closed, leaving only the cold glow of the luminous pearls and an overwhelming sense of solitude.
Yun Qingxue sat back down at the table, still holding the small box tightly. Whether it was her imagination or not, the box felt warm, as if carrying human warmth.
After a long while, she opened the lid. Beneath it lay blue silk, atop which rested two snow-white pills and… a simple silver ring, so plain it was almost unnoticeable.
Yun Qingxue picked up the ring and examined it carefully under the luminous pearl’s light. Finally, she bit her finger and let a drop of blood fall onto the ring.
The blood was absorbed instantly, and the ordinary ring suddenly blazed with light.
Outside, not far down the corridor, Jin Lin stood silently watching her door. The moment the blinding light flared, a golden glow shot from his hand, and the strange phenomenon in the room vanished—at least, from the outside, nothing seemed amiss.
But inside, the dazzling light persisted…
Yun Qingxue squinted slightly as the radiance lasted for about thirty seconds before gradually fading.
The once dull ring now shimmered with an inner glow.
*Hiss hiss~* A-Dai, the little snake, poked its head out, its beady eyes gleaming excitedly at the ring.
Before Yun Qingxue could react, A-Dai slithered over, coiled its tiny tail around the ring, and lifted it from the table, then began nuzzling it with its head.
*Hiss hiss~*
*Hiss hiss~*
A-Dai rubbed against the ring while flicking its tongue excitedly.
After a while, as if realizing something, it obediently handed the ring back to Yun Qingxue with its tail.
She took the ring, and A-Dai stared at her intently.
“Is this… a treasure?” Yun Qingxue asked the snake.
*Hiss hiss~ Hiss hiss~* A-Dai flicked its tongue vigorously, then, as if realizing she didn’t understand, raised its body and nodded its tiny head emphatically.
“A very remarkable treasure?” Yun Qingxue pressed.
Having stayed with Jin Lin, A-Dai had surely seen many rare artifacts and wouldn’t react so intensely to an ordinary one.
*Hiss hiss~* A-Dai nodded while flicking its tongue, its round eyes practically sparkling.
Yun Qingxue gave a wry smile, looking down at the ring in her hand. She sighed inwardly—such a precious gift meant she owed Jin Lin yet another enormous favor.
But since she’d already accepted it, returning it now would seem insincere.
She slipped the ring onto her index finger, and it automatically resized to fit perfectly.
The night passed without further incident.
Early the next morning, Jin Lin came to fetch her.
With a single spell, he whisked her away in the blink of an eye to the place where they’d first met.
A gentle morning breeze rustled the green grass by the river. The sun rose slowly in the eastern sky. Birds chirped, and the stream murmured softly.
He looked at her.
She gazed back quietly…
“Xuexue.”
After a long silence, Jin Lin spoke. “Why don’t you take me with you?”
－_－|| “You’re too heavy.”
“Then marry me instead of going to seek a master. The journey is fraught with danger—I can’t rest easy.” Jin Lin tugged at her sleeve.
“Jin Lin.”
Yun Qingxue met his eyes steadily. “We’ll meet again.”
“And you’ll marry me then? Ow!”
Yun Qingxue stomped hard on his foot, scattering much of the melancholy of parting with his ridiculous words.
She turned and strode away.
The wind carried the freshest scent of morning grass…
Suddenly, Yun Qingxue stopped and turned back.
By the murmuring stream, Jin Lin still stood there, his star-like eyes filled with nothing but her reflection.
She took a deep breath, then ran back and gave the man standing foolishly by the water a tight hug.
“Jin Lin, thank you.”
Tai Sui Yellow Amulet Paper FuLu Taoist Love Talisman Traditional Chinese Spiritual Charm Attracting Love Protecting Marriage