Lin Qianyan gently untied her long robe and slowly draped it over Pei Yuhang's shoulders, her movents as delicate as if she were touching a fragile piece of Liuli.
A gentle breeze swept through the bamboo forest, lifting their hair. Lin Qianyan's long hair fluttered in the wind, a few strands brushing against her cheek, but she seed completely unaware.
The wind gently tousled Pei Yuhang's hair as well, scattering it ssily across his forehead and obscuring his deep eyes.
The two were silent for a mont. Then, Lin Qianyan spoke softly.
"Pei Yuhang, you're free. You're still that carefree, number one Swordsman in the world."
Pei Yuhang lifted his gaze slightly, looking at her through his disheveled hair. The corners of his mouth curved into a faint, self-deprecating smile.
He shook his head, his voice low and hoarse. "No, I'm not number one anymore. Sect Leader Lin defeated . You're number one now."
A complex emotion flickered in Lin Qianyan's eyes when she heard this.
She pressed her lips together, seeming to weigh her words. After a mont, she began to speak slowly. "Pei Yuhang, you're wrong about two things."
Lin Qianyan's voice was still gentle, yet it carried an unquestionable firmness.
She raised her head and looked directly into Pei Yuhang's eyes, her gaze clear and deep, as if she could see into the very depths of his heart. astounding
"First, I don't accept that I defeated you. That duel wasn't fair at all. Only by defeating you at your peak can I truly call myself number one in the world."
Pei Yuhang was taken aback, surprise flickering in his eyes. He opened his mouth as if to say sothing, but Lin Qianyan's next words cut him off.
Her voice suddenly dropped, laced with a barely perceptible tenderness. Her gaze flickered, as if in anticipation, yet also in fear. She paused before continuing.
"And second... 'Sect Leader Lin' sounds too distant. I don't like it when you call that."
Pei Yuhang froze, a complex emotion flickering in his eyes. He spoke slowly, his voice growing hoarse. "Then... what do you want to call you?"
"Call Qianqian."
Qianqian...
Pei Yuhang's eyes widened. The na felt so, so familiar.
A mont later, he finally rembered where he had seen that na before.
Pei Yuhang looked at his arm, where a few small words were carved.
"Don't leave Qianqian?"
Pei Yuhang's voice was low and hoarse, as if murmuring from a dream, tinged with confusion and reluctance.
His gaze was unfocused, as if he hadn't fully pulled back from his thoughts and was just unconsciously repeating the phrase.
Lin Qianyan froze for a second when she heard him. A faint blush instantly spread across her beautiful face, like the glow of a sunset, and it was breathtakingly beautiful.
A trace of panic flashed in her eyes, her long lashes trembling like the wings of a startled butterfly. She subconsciously pressed her lips together, her voice a little hurried.
"Pei Yuhang, what... what are you talking about?"
Her voice pulled Pei Yuhang back to reality. His gaze gradually focused, landing on her face.
He stared at her blushing face, a flicker of astonishnt in his eyes.
"Did I... just say sothing?"
Lin Qianyan's face grew even redder, like a ripe peach, and even the tips of her ears were tinged with a faint pink.
She lowered her head, avoiding his gaze, her voice barely a whisper. "You... you said not to leave ..."
Her tone held a hint of playful complaint, yet it was tinged with shyness, as if she were chiding him for making her repeat his own bashful words.
Though Lin Qianyan was a mature and composed woman, in that mont, she seed to Pei Yuhang like a young girl—bashful, innocent, and beautiful.
Even Pei Yuhang was srized by her beauty.
But just then, he recalled the days and nights he had been dominated by Shang Miaoyan, rembered her whispers in his ear.
Pei Yuhang's gaze fell, flickering with unease and sorrow.
'The man I am now... am I really worthy of soone so pure and wonderful?'
'Would she... despise ?'
'It would be best to just leave her.'
'From now on, I'll beco a complete recluse.'
'Then Lin Qianyan will be the one and only number one in the world.'
'Leave her... Don't leave Qianqian.'
Pei Yuhang's breath hitched. He seed to understand the aning of those words.
'So, the words on my arm... were they ant to drive away Shang Miaoyan, so that I could be with Lin Qianyan?'
"Pei Yuhang? Pei Yuhang? Why have you gone quiet again?"
Lin Qianyan poked his arm. She took a deep breath and puffed out her cheeks, making her face adorably round.
"Pei Yuhang, I know you haven't escaped Shang Miaoyan's shadow yet, but you're the number one in the world!
The number one I know would overco any hardship or setback. He would never be so easily defeated!"
"So, pull yourself together! No matter what's beco of you, you'll always be the true number one in my eyes!"
Lin Qianyan watched Pei Yuhang with a burning gaze, trying to encourage him. Finally, she took the initiative to take his hand, intertwining her fingers with his.
Pei Yuhang felt the warmth spreading from her palm, and an inexplicable warmth flowed through his heart.
He took a deep breath, as if he had made a decision, and looked at Lin Qianyan again with great solemnity.
"Qian... Qianqian... do you like ?"
Lin Qianyan was taken aback. A faint blush instantly colored her cheeks, like a sunset glow.
Her long lashes trembled, and she averted her gaze in a fluster, not daring to look him in the eye.
"Why... why are you suddenly asking that?"
"Was I being presumptuous? After all... I'm damaged goods."
When Lin Qianyan heard this, a wave of anxiety washed over her, as if sothing important was about to slip through her fingers.
Her heart pounded like a drum as countless thoughts raced through her mind, finally solidifying into an impulse.
Lin Qianyan looked at him, her gaze burning, her voice rushed. "That's not it, Pei Yuhang! How could I possibly mind sothing so crass!
I... I think, maybe, I like you a little bit!
Of course... it's mainly your martial arts and your Sword Dao that I admire. *Ahem.* It's not because you're handso or anything. I'm not that superficial."
Lin Qianyan muttered coyly.
Seeing her reaction, Pei Yuhang couldn't help but smile, and he squeezed her hand.
The two of them sat like that in the bamboo forest, holding hands and letting the evening breeze wash over them.
After a long silence, Pei Yuhang spoke.
"Qianqian... I still can't really face you right now."
Hearing this, Lin Qianyan subconsciously tightened her grip on Pei Yuhang's hand. Fortunately, his next words put her at ease.
"But Qianqian, I won't leave you... Three years from now, let's have another duel on i Mountain. When that ti cos, it won't matter if I'm number one in the world or if you are.
We'll be together."
Lin Qianyan's eyes grew brighter and brighter, until clear tears began to stream down her face.
She rested in Pei Yuhang's arms, a storm of emotions swirling in her heart. It felt as if she had waited a thousand years, a hundred lifetis, to hear those words.
And yet, it also felt as if it had all happened just yesterday.
It seed this was how things were always ant to be between her and Pei Yuhang.
"Then... Brother Pei, can we get married then?"
"Yes."
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