“Here, bite this.”
Luo Qingchuan stood in front of Chen Yanyu and handed her something.

“What is it?”
“A lollipop,” Luo Qingchuan gently said as he switched it for a Heavenly Dao lollipop. “If it hurts later, just bite down on it hard.”

Chen Yanyu tilted her little head, tears blinking in her eyes. “Can I not? I-I’m scared of pain…”

“You can’t keep your head like that forever…” Luo Qingchuan was speechless.

“M-Maybe it’ll just get better on its own?” she muttered while quietly taking the lollipop from his hand.

Suddenly, she remembered that time when she had surveilled—no…
Followed!
Yes, followed the boy to the park.
Back then, he pulled out two lollipops from his pocket—one strawberry, one milk.

She still didn’t know why he even had them in his pocket.
Chen Yanyu had been curious ever since. Now, she could finally try one and see what was so magical about them.

Since Chen Yanyu was terribly afraid of pain, there wasn’t much Luo Qingchuan could do.

“Anyway,” he sighed, “I’ll give you a massage, help loosen the muscles a bit.”

“Okay, okay, okay!”

After carefully adjusting their positions, Luo Qingchuan sat deep into the sofa, while Chen Yanyu lightly sat in front of him, her long, slender legs closed tightly together. It almost looked like she was sitting in his lap.

Morning sunlight spilled over the girl’s pale, tender skin—it seemed to glow.

Luo Qingchuan gently cupped her swan-like, smooth white neck. Just a downward glance would let him see the soft, snow-like skin hidden beneath her collar.

He focused on her neck, fingers moving up and applying soft, even pressure.

“How’s that? Let me know if it hurts, I’ll go easier.”

Chen Yanyu’s silver hair cascaded down like a waterfall over her delicate back, laced with the scent of shampoo.

She tilted her head and unwrapped the lollipop with her dainty fingers, popped it into her soft pink lips, and her eyes lit up. “So sweet! Orange flavor!”

Luo Qingchuan’s expression darkened. “I was asking if it hurts.”

“It doesn’t!” she finally realized just how close they were. The warmth of his fingertips brushing against the nape of her neck made her blush, her body inexplicably flushed.

Her hands curled into tiny fists, resting stiffly on her thighs beneath the hem of her shirt.

“It doesn’t hurt?” Luo Qingchuan asked again.

Chen Yanyu shyly replied, “No… you’re very gentle.”

Click—
Luo Qingchuan suddenly pressed down.

“MMFFFF!!!”

Chen Yanyu’s head arched back, her forehead bumping into Luo Qingchuan’s chin.

“No sneak attacks!” Her sacred golden eyes popped open, staring up at him in fury. She bit down on the lollipop, making her speech muffled and unclear.

Caught completely off guard by the sudden strike, her whole body had tensed. Her fingers were clenching tightly together.

Then…

“Huh?”

Chen Yanyu stood up and silently tilted her head side to side.

“All better?” Luo Qingchuan asked with a grin.

“Mm…”

Even the tips of her ears were red.
She bowed her head in embarrassment. She felt ashamed—being so scared of pain in front of him made her feel like a bit of a baby.

“I’m off to school now.”
Luo Qingchuan picked up his phone from the sofa and headed to the front door to put on his shoes.

From their conversation, he’d learned that Chen Yanyu didn’t need to attend the aptitude assessment. Her enrollment papers hadn’t even been processed yet.

She’d be joining the Seeking Dao class later on as a transfer tongxue.

As he bent to tie his shoes, Luo Qingchuan said, “I hung up your clothes for you—you can change into them. The key’s on the coffee table. Head out whenever you’re ready.”

After tying his shoes and standing up, he turned—
And saw that Chen Yanyu had silently walked up behind him.

Her eyes were a little misty as she looked at him. “You’ll be… coming back tonight, right?”

Luo Qingchuan smiled. “Of course. This is my home.”

He lived alone in this villa—after a small falling out with his family… mostly his gege.

Chen Yanyu wanted to say: I’ll be waiting for you here…

But she was a shy girl. Some things, she just couldn’t say aloud.

After a night of playful chaos, now standing at the moment of parting, she lowered her head. Tears welled up again. But she was afraid he’d get annoyed if she kept crying all the time, so she held them back. Her eyes sparkled with unshed tears like polished light.

Luo Qingchuan stayed silent for a moment, then smiled and said only:

“Don’t cry.”

Nothing more.

“Mm…”

The boy opened the door and was about to step out—

“Luo Qingchuan,” Chen Yanyu called softly.

He turned around.

Chen Yanyu bit her lip and smiled at him. “The movie… don’t forget.”

“Got it.”

With that gentle reply—

The door closed.

Chen Yanyu’s tears finally fell—big and small, like pearls rolling onto jade. She didn’t even know why, but she felt deeply sad. Her small chest heaved with every breath.

She clutched the long sleeves of the shirt she was wearing and slowly wiped away the tears on her cheeks. Then she turned back toward the living room, heading for the balcony to find her clothes.

The faint shimmer left on the pure white cuffs looked like soft rain blooming across a sky of endless light.

… … …

Su Yingxue stood in the wide school gymnasium, staring blankly at the entrance.

Still not here…? Not yet?

The floor gleamed with polished wood. The boys and girls were standing separately—over thirty students total, all from the Seeking Dao class.

On a small table in the center, draped with red cloth, sat two objects.

A crystal orb that shimmered like it held the stars.
A square bronze mirror, ancient in style, its surface hazy and unreadable.

“This tongxue Luo… late on his very first day, huh.”

Standing beside the orb and the mirror were three people—two men and a woman.

To the left was a graceful woman dressed like a fashionable office worker.
To the right, a cold-faced man in his thirties, stern and expressionless.
In the center stood a young man with an easy smile, plain features, and a white daoist robe. His hands were empty, clasped behind his back.

He was the one who had spoken.

Su Yingxue wanted to speak up for Luo Qingchuan in front of what would be their future laoshi…

But someone cut in first. “Lu laoshi, you might not know, but Luo tongxue doesn’t really show up to school. Want me to @ him in the class group chat?”

The one speaking was Yang Jin.

Next to him stood his friend—a pale, delicate-looking boy with messy hair. He frowned at Yang Jin.

Zuo Tian said nothing but glanced at Su Yingxue.

She kept her gaze fixed on the doorway, her long brows slightly furrowed, looking like an aloof fairy who kept everyone at arm’s length.

Zuo Tian’s heart involuntarily trembled. His face grew even paler.

The reason was simple…

He remembered what had happened last night.

The night wind had been cold. Zuo Tian was alone on the rooftop, cultivating a mysterious technique he’d gotten from the Golden Pagoda.

In just one minute, he had drawn qi into his body.
A few minutes later—Qi Refining Level 2.
Ten minutes—Level 3.
…
Three hours—Level 7.

Then, in the distance, a dazzling lightning bolt tore across the skies from the city outskirts.

The righteous aura of Foundation-level lightning technique surged over him.
Zuo Tian’s heart shook. He should’ve been terrified by that divine light. Even one moment of distraction should have slowed his breakthrough.

But instead—

“Such overwhelming power. Someday, I’ll reach that level too.”

Confidence surged through him.

Riding that wave of emotion, he made a breakthrough—Qi Refining Level 8.

An hour later…

He failed to form his foundation. Coughing blood.

Zuo Tian still remembered the voice of an ancient elder, deep and resounding like a temple bell, whispering in his ear:

“There is fear in your heart.”
“Child, you already have a heart demon.”
“Tell me… what is it you fear?”

He sat cross-legged beneath the stars, eyes wide open, body shaking.

He remembered Su Yingxue’s sword—
How it had swept past him, pierced through a tall tree, as if it could split him in two.

“To slay the fear in your heart is the only way to unleash your full potential. Only then can the path of cultivation shine brightly.”

“What should I do?” he asked.

The elder replied lightly:

“A leaf is blocking your eyes. You must remove it.”

“You mean I have to kill Su Yingxue?!” Zuo Tian’s icy expression cracked.

“No, fool. I mean beat her once.”

“Wise words, Old Ancestor. I was foolish.”

…