Li Yu and Lian sat in the quiet wooden pavilion while the lingering flavors of the roasted Moonlit Carp faded away. The crisp mountain wine ward their chests and brought a comfortable ease to the evening as they continued to talk and have an enjoyable ti. They finished their al in peace as the golden hue of the afternoon sun slowly surrendered to the approaching dusk.
Li Yu cleared the empty plates away with a smooth sweep of his Qi and stored the grilling station back into his ring. They stepped out of the pavilion and began a leisurely walk along the stone pathways winding through the Five Star Lakes once again to work off the al.
The vibrant colors of the sky shifted into deep shades of indigo and violet as the first stars erged overhead. The valley ca alive with the nocturnal sounds of the local fauna and the rushing currents of the eastern basin echoed through the air while the Jade Ribbon Eels darted beneath the surface to leave glowing green trails in the water.
They chatted amiably as they strolled along the grassy banks. They briefly discussed the hundred-year agreent his father had proposed. Lian walked with her hands clasped behind her back and noted that a century was rely a brief breath for cultivators at their level.
She felt it was a generous window of ti for them to understand one another without the heavy burden of a forced political union. He kept his insecurities to himself about the whole thing but inwardly hoped that it would work out after the one hundreds or sooner. Li Yu then focused on the tranquil beauty of the mont. The silver moon crested the mountain peaks and cast a pale light over the sprawling estate. The gentle breeze rustled the leaves of the weeping willow trees lining the shore and carried the faint scent of wild orchids.
They stopped near a secluded bend of the central lake with the water mirroring the starlight above and created an illusion that they were standing on the edge of the cosmos itself. The ambient Qi in the valley settled into a slow and soothing rhythm.
Li Yu looked at the woman standing beside him and he couldn't help but admire her beauty. The moonlight caught the polished edges of her black dragon-scale armor and highlighted the sharp features of her face. The deep crimson cloak draped over her shoulders fluttered slightly in the wind. She possessed a terrifying martial strength but right now she just looked serene and beautiful.
He felt a sudden surge of courage welling up inside his chest as his blood pumped a warm heat through his veins. He did not want to spend the beginning of their hundred year agreent acting like a timid person with insecurities. His insecurities were what actually caused him to feel this swell of courage, as he tried to over compensate for them. He wanted to show her that he could be a man worthy of her devotion.
Li Yu took a deliberate step closer to her and the distance between them vanished. The subtle shift in his actions and body language caused Lian to pause. She looked up at him and her dark eyes widened a fraction of an inch. She usually kept her emotions locked behind a stoic general persona but that rigid facade slowly lted away under his intense gaze.
He raised his hand and gently brushed a stray lock of black hair behind her ear. Her breath caught softly in her throat and she did not pull away from his touch. She tilted her chin up and her eyelids fluttered shut in quiet anticipation.
Li Yu felt his heart hamring a frantic rhythm against his ribs, as the swell in courage all of a sudden didn’t feel like it was enough. He had faced heavily mutated beasts and alien invaders without much fear but leaning in for a kiss terrified him in the best way possible. He gathered his resolve once more and leaned his face toward hers as the space between their lips closed to a re whisper.
A booming roar suddenly shattered the romantic tension into a thousand jagged pieces.
"LI YU! I HAVE A SURPRISE FOR YOU!"
The thunderous voice of Zhan Tian echoed across the tranquil valley and rattled the wooden beams of the nearby pagoda. A violent spatial rift tore open the fabric of reality near the opposite side of where they were. The fierce warlord stepped out of the void with a roaring laugh that chased away the quiet intimacy of the night.
Li Yu froze in place like a statue as his romantic courage evaporated in an instant and left behind a hollow shell of pure frustration. He let out a long and heavy sigh while dropping his head toward his chest. He could only curse his terrible luck.
Lian opened her eyes at the sound and blinked in surprise before a bright smile broke across her face. She covered her mouth with her hand to stifle a clear laugh. She found his sudden courage from Li Yu and the impeccable timing of his grandfather to be highly amusing. She was in no rush and monts like these only brought the two of them closer together.
She stepped forward and pressed a soft kiss against his cheek. The touch was warm and fleeting but it sent a jolt of electricity straight to his core.
"Perhaps you should be faster and even bolder next ti," Lian whispered near his ear with a playful tease.
She pulled her crimson cloak tight around her shoulders and took a step back. She raised her hand and effortlessly tore her own spatial rift in the air. Lian offered him a final fond smile before stepping into the void and returning to her hidden duties with the Veiled Lotus. The rift sealed shut behind her and left Li Yu standing alone on the grassy bank.
Li Yu groaned and rubbed his face with both hands. It was the first ti he ever actively wished his grandfather had stayed away from the estate since learning that he had one. It was just a passing thought born from the ruined mood but the sting of the missed opportunity burned bright. He took a few deep breaths to calm his racing heart and turned his attention toward the opposite side of the lakes.
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He walked along the winding stone paths to reach the simple fishing cabin his grandfather had built. Zhan Tian stood near the water with his hands resting proudly on his hips. The heavily scarred Worldkeeper bead with joy as his grandson approached.
"Grandfather," Li Yu greeted him with a strained smile. "You certainly know how to make an entrance. What is this grand surprise you were yelling about?"
He expected Zhan Tian to pull out a rare cosmic weapon or perhaps a high level aquatic beast for the lakes based on the sheer volu of his arrival.
Zhan Tian reached deep into his heavy robes and pulled his hand back out with a dramatic flourish. He held his thick fingers up to the moonlight to reveal a small glass orb. It was a simple marble with a vibrant swirl of blue color trapped inside the smooth glass. Li Yu stared at the tiny object in absolute disbelief. He blinked his eyes several tis to make sure he was seeing it correctly.
"That is what you were yelling so much about?" Li Yu asked with a flat tone. "A marble?"
Zhan Tian stepped forward and imdiately slapped the back of his grandson's head. The strike carried no aggressive Qi but the physical weight of the Worldkeeper's hand stung enough to make Li Yu wince and rub his scalp.
"Foolish boy," Zhan Tian scolded him with a booming voice. "This is not just a marble. It is the first marble that I am giving to my grandson."
Li Yu rubbed the back of his head and stared at the older man. He was genuinely stunned. It really was just a normal glass marble without any hidden arrays or laws woven into it to be used as a weapon.
Zhan Tian let out a roaring laugh that shook the leaves of the nearby trees. His fierce eyes softened with a deep and paternal affection.
"Yes, it is a marble," Zhan Tian said with a proud smile spreading across his scarred face. "What grandson did not get a marble from his grandfather while growing up? The wars and the distance kept from doing this when you were a small child. Since I missed that precious ti, I am making up for it right now."
Li Yu looked at the earnest joy shining in the eyes of the mighty warlord. He felt the bitter frustration of the ruined kiss lt away into the cool night air as he could not stay mad at his grandfather. Zhan Tian was actively trying to reclaim a piece of the normal family life that the cosmic conflicts had stolen from them.
Li Yu could not help but laugh out loud as well. His grandfather was making up for lost ti but the timing was tragic. He had been seconds away from getting his first kiss from the woman he had feelings for.
He pushed the lingering disappointnt aside and offered a sincere smile. "Thank you, Grandfather. I appreciate the gift."
Zhan Tian tossed the blue marble to Li Yu and then reached into his pocket to produce a handful of his own glass spheres. He pointed toward a patch of smooth and hard packed dirt near the side of the fishing cabin.
"Co then," Zhan Tian challenged him while rolling up the sleeves of his dark robes. "Let us see if your aim is as true as your staff strikes."
Zhan Tian drew a crude circle in the dirt using a stick and placed several target marbles in the center. He established the rules of the ga with the sa serious tone he used to dictate battle strategies to his generals.
Li Yu knelt down and took the first shot. He balanced the blue marble on his thumb and channeled a tiny fraction of his physical strength. He flicked his thumb forward and the glass orb shot across the dirt like a miniature cot. It struck a target marble dead center and knocked it cleanly out of the drawn ring.
"Not bad," Zhan Tian praised him with a competitive glint in his eye. "But you lack finesse. You use too much force and disregard the uneven terrain of the battlefield."
The older man knelt beside the circle and prepared his own shot. He narrowed his terrifying eyes and calculated the trajectory with flawless precision. He flicked his wrist and sent a green marble spinning across the dirt as it curved slightly around a small pebble and slamd into two target marbles. The kinetic transfer knocked both targets out of the ring while his shooter marble spun in place and stayed safely inside the boundary.
"That is how it is done," Zhan Tian boasted with a booming laugh.
Li Yu gathered his focus and tried his best to win the next round. He used his keen eyesight and steady hands. He managed to land several impressive shots and cleared out his fair share of targets.
However, Zhan Tian proved to be vastly more skilled and experienced in the ancient art of marbles. The older man possessed a ruthless competitive streak and his imnse grandfatherly pride refused to let him lose even a simple ga to a younger generation. He played aggressive defense and constantly knocked Li Yu's shooter marble into terrible positions.
The two n spent the next hour kneeling in the dirt. It was a surreal and highly amusing sight to behold. A Paragon realm cultivator and a Worldkeeper were engaged in a fierce ga of shooting marbles on the ground. The countless foes Zhan Tian had slaughtered across the cosmos would have rolled in their graves, if they had one, to see the terrifying warlord crouching in the dirt and flicking glass toys with focus.
Zhan Tian claid victory after victory as the night wore on. He celebrated every winning shot with a loud cheer and a boastful remark about his superior technique. Li Yu took the losses gracefully and enjoyed the ridiculous banter they shared in the dirt.
The moon crossed the highest point of the sky and the ga finally drew to a close. Zhan Tian collected his glass spheres and stood up to stretch his broad shoulders. He declared himself the undisputed champion of the Five Star Lakes and gave Li Yu a heavy pat on the back.
"You need more practice, boy," Zhan Tian chuckled warmly. "I will give you a rematch next ti I return."
"I will be ready," Li Yu promised with a smile.
Zhan Tian waved his hand and retreated into his quiet lakeside cabin to rest for the night, saying he was heading back out again after enjoying a sleep here at his ho. Li Yu turned around and began the long walk back toward his central pagoda.
The cool night wind brushed against his face as he walked along the stone pathways. He slipped the blue marble into his pocket and kept his hand wrapped around the smooth glass. He touched his cheek with his free hand and his mind wandered back to the sweet scent of Lian's hair and the fleeting warmth of her lips.
He rembered the booming laughter of his grandfather echoing over the dirt and the simple joy of playing a childhood ga under the stars. He climbed the wooden steps of his dark ho and looked out over the shimring water reflecting the moonlight.
He felt a deep happiness settling into his bones. His life was filled with brutal training routines and the looming shadows of ancient cosmic burdens. But these quiet monts of connection with the people he cared about made the endless struggle worthwhile. He closed his eyes and breathed in the night air while feeling truly content with his life.
Li Yu didn’t realize was that all of these emotions that he was feeling were resonating within soul space as well with all five of his souls. He had taken an additional step forward on the technique without him having realized it.
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