By the ti the two of them ca out of the Lin’an Chamber of Comrce, it was already dark.
However, this town connected to the Lingyun Sect was even livelier at night than it had been during the day.
The shops lining both sides of the street lit their lanterns one after another, illuminating the entire long street as though the whole galaxy had descended upon the mortal world.
The vendors were not idle either; each person hung up a lantern in front of their own stall and continued hawking their goods.
So were selling fruit wine, snacks, low-grade protective charms, and exquisite little ornants...
Lu Fengmian stood on the steps at the entrance of the chamber of comrce, looking out at the brilliantly lit market street, and let out a long breath.
The sword seal was in his hand.
This matter had finally been settled.
He truly wished he could fly straight back to Luo Xia Peak at once.
However, Lu Fengmian stopped in his tracks.
There was still one more thing he had not done.
He still had not bought Junior Sister Yun’s hairpin.
He turned and walked toward the small alley he had strolled through during the day, the one full of stalls selling accessories.
He Shi’an followed behind him, looking around curiously, finding everything fresh and interesting.
When he saw Lu Fengmian suddenly change direction, he hurriedly followed after him.
“Senior Brother? Aren’t we going back to the sect?”
“I needed to buy sothing first,” Lu Fengmian said without even turning his head.
He Shi’an let out an “Oh” and did not ask any more questions.
Not until he saw Lu Fengmian stop in front of an accessory stall and begin carefully selecting items.
He Shi’an froze.
He blinked, then blinked again, making sure he had not seen wrong.
That Senior Brother who had just swept through the entire auction with one hundred million spirit stones and an expressionless face was now standing in front of a tiny stall piled with hairpins, earrings, and bracelets, holding a hairpin in his hand and examining it carefully from left to right, his brows slightly furrowed as though he were making an extrely difficult decision.
He Shi’an: “?”
He silently bent down and asked in a low voice, “Senior Brother, who are you buying it for?”
Lu Fengmian did not even lift his head, his gaze still moving across the stall.
“Who else could it be?” he answered absentmindedly. “Your Junior Sister Yun.”
Junior Sister Yun.
That made perfect sense.
Who in the entire sect did not know that Junior Sister Yun of Luo Xia Peak was cold as frost to everyone except Senior Brother?
He had once heard a senior brother from Wanren Peak gossip in private that one ti, Junior Sister Yun had gone to the dining hall for a al and happened to run into Senior Brother, and the expression on her face had looked as if she had beco a completely different person.
Senior Brother had even sumd up a rule: as long as Senior Brother was present, Junior Sister Yun’s friendliness could rise from “suicidal” to “perhaps one could try saying hello” .
Although, even so, no one had dared to test it yet.
“How about this one?” the stall owner enthusiastically handed over a hairpin decorated with kingfisher feathers and a floating cloud. “Elegant and noble, most suitable for a young lady to wear.”
Lu Fengmian took it, looked at it, shook his head, and put it back down.
The stall owner then handed him a pink crystal tassel hairpin wrapped in silver filigree. “How about this one? Delicate and lively.”
Lu Fengmian looked at it, then shook his head again.
Watching from the side, He Shi’an was stunned.
He truly could not tell the difference between these hairpins.
They were all shiny, so they should all look good when worn in the hair, right?
But Senior Brother clearly did not think so.
He moved from one stall to another, looking at one hairpin after another, his brows remaining tightly knitted the entire ti.
Not until they reached the final little stall at the end of the alley.
The stall owner was an elderly woman with graying hair. She did not call out to advertise her goods, rely sat there quietly, with only a few ornants laid out in front of her.
Lu Fengmian’s gaze fell upon a hairpin in the corner.
The body of the hairpin was entirely silver-white. It was not made of precious jade, but seed instead to have been polished from so kind of moonstone.
The head of the hairpin was shaped like a crescent moon, its lines simple and smooth, its edges polished soft and gentle.
On the side were embellished extrely delicate pearl-like stans. When the breeze blew, they trembled lightly, like a few fallen stars.
At the center of the crescent, a faint, exceedingly fine silver thread flowed through it, like a pattern condensed from moonlight.
He picked up the hairpin and looked at it for a long ti.
Bright, elegant.
This hairpin suited her very well.
“Old Madam, how many spirit stones for this hairpin?”
The elderly woman looked up at him, then at the hairpin in his hand, and slowly said, “Fifty spirit stones.”
Lu Fengmian did not bargain and paid directly.
He tucked the hairpin into his sleeve, the corners of his lips lifting slightly.
He had finally bought it.
Watching from the side, He Shi’an could not help but lean over and ask, “Senior Brother, what is so special about this hairpin?”
Lu Fengmian thought for a mont, then said softly, “There’s nothing special about it. It’s just that it suits her very well.”
He Shi’an nodded, half believing and half doubting.
*
The night grew deeper, and there were fewer and fewer pedestrians on the street.
The lanterns still remained lit, swaying gently in the night wind and casting mottled patches of light and shadow.
The two left the alley and headed toward the sect.
Lu Fengmian suddenly rembered sothing and turned to look at He Shi’an beside him.
The fact that he had been able to buy the sword seal today was entirely thanks to him.
If not for him telling him about the auction, if not for him leading the way and accompanying him in the private room for so long, he might never have known of the existence of this sword seal.
“Junior Brother He.”
He Shi’an raised his head. “Hm?”
Lu Fengmian raised a hand and tossed sothing toward him.
“Catch.”
He Shi’an hurriedly caught it and lowered his head to look.
It was a sword tassel.
The tassels were a deep cinnabar red throughout, and the edges of the fringe were dense like rose-colored clouds. At the very top of the tassel was tied a finely carved jade ring.
The bright red tassels hung down and swayed lightly in his palm like a ball of fla.
He was dumbstruck.
“This is...”
“Thank you for accompanying today.” Lu Fengmian’s voice ca from ahead of him. “Goodbye.”
He Shi’an abruptly lifted his head.
In the distance, that figure had already drifted away, his robes fluttering in the night wind as he rged into the darkness.
Only he remained standing there stupidly in place, holding the sword tassel in his hand, mouth hanging open, his face full of bewildernt.
There was only one sentence left in his mind:
Senior Brother gave sothing.
Senior Brother gave sothing!!
Senior Brother gave sothing!!!
He stood there grinning foolishly for a long ti before finally coming back to himself.
He lowered his head, carefully tucked the sword tassel into his robe, and then walked toward Wanren Peak, his steps so light they seed as though they might take flight.
Lu Fengmian moved swiftly, piercing through clouds and mist as he sped toward Luo Xia Peak.
It was already late at night, but there were still so disciples in the sect who had not yet gone to sleep.
So walked the mountain paths in twos and threes, while others were sparring on the training grounds or had just finished training; when they saw a moon-white figure flash by, they all raised their heads.
He did not notice that several disciples he passed along the way were looking at him with strange expressions.
Lu Fengmian arrived at Luo Xia Peak without slowing his steps, heading straight for Junior Sister Yun’s courtyard.
The courtyard gate was half closed, and faint light shone through from inside.
The mont he pushed open the courtyard gate, he saw that familiar figure.
Junior Sister Yun was practicing sword in the courtyard.
Under the moonlight, she wore a plain white robe, the long sword in her hand flashing with cold light, her swordsmanship moving like frost and snow.
She was extrely focused while practicing, and there was even a fine layer of sweat on her forehead.
Hearing footsteps, Junior Sister Yun’s movents stopped.
Her icy eyes suddenly turned, and after seeing clearly who had co, her pupils contracted slightly.
The next second, she abruptly hid the sword behind her back, so quickly it was almost possible to hear the air shatter.
Lu Fengmian: “……”
He raised a brow.
Junior Sister Yun stood where she was, her thin lips pressed tightly together, her gaze wandering everywhere, not daring to look at him at all.
Seeing her expression, then looking at the sword hidden behind her back, how could Lu Fengmian possibly fail to understand?
She had been caught red-handed once again.
He let out a soft sigh.
This girl had practiced all day long and still refused to rest at night.
If she kept training like this, even a body of iron and stone would not be able to endure it.
But now was not the ti to nag her about that.
He did not ntion the sword, nor did he ask her why she was still not resting so late at night. He rely smiled and said:
“Guess what gift I brought you?”
Junior Sister Yun froze.
Those eyes that had been avoiding him all this ti finally slowly turned back and t his gaze.
Senior Brother was not scolding her?
And he had even brought her a gift?
Her attention truly was diverted.
She lowered her eyes and thought about it seriously.
“I don’t know,” she answered honestly.
Seeing her solemn expression, Lu Fengmian could not help the trace of a smile curling at his lips.
He took out that bronze box from his storage ring, held it in his palm, and handed it to her.
“Ta-da!” He rarely used this kind of tone. “Open it and have a look.”
Junior Sister Yun lowered her head and looked at that ancient bronze box.
The box was not large. It was dark green all over, and so blurry patterns were carved on the surface, making it look like so kind of ancient seal.
She reached out and took it; it felt a little heavy, and a faint coolness traveled from her fingertips.
She looked up at Lu Fengmian.
Lu Fengmian rely smiled and nodded at her.
Junior Sister Yun took a deep breath and gently lifted the lid.
In that instant, an ancient sword intent burst through the air!
Her gaze fell upon that sword seal, and she could no longer move it away.
As though bewitched, she involuntarily extended her hand, her fingertips lightly touching it.
“Click.” An extrely light and crisp sound rang out.
The cracks on the surface of the sword seal suddenly began flashing violently.
The next mont, the entire sword seal exploded apart with a crash!
A dazzling beam of light shot from the fragnts into the sky, directly enveloping Junior Sister Yun!
That beam was pure and vast, wrapping around her entire body.
Lu Fengmian’s heart tightened, and he subconsciously wanted to step forward.
But he stopped.
Junior Sister Yun stood quietly within that beam of light, her eyes sowhat unfocused, as though she had seen sothing.
Her consciousness had been pulled into another world.
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