Chapter 123:

Under the star-studded sky, everything was silent.

The night wind blew gently, carrying with it the faint fragrance of flowers from an unknown source, mingled with the distant roars of demons. Slowly, these sounds faded into the wind.

The only sound that remained was the faint rustle of paper being folded.

In the empty courtyard, it was as clear as a beacon in the darkness, impossible to ignore.

“Crunch—”

Xu Xi pushed the door open and stepped into the dim courtyard. It didn’t take him long to locate the source of the sound—a familiar figure dressed in red and white robes.

At this moment, she was hurriedly folding a piece of old paper, struggling against her uncooperative fingers.

Xu Xi immediately recognized the paper.

It was from the original manuscript of “Primordial Energy Technique.”

Since the Martial Arts That Even a Fool Can Practice had been developed, the Primordial Energy Technique had become obsolete. Xu Xi had no attachment to it anymore, but he was curious about what the girl was trying to do.

“Ahem—”

Xu Xi stood behind her, coughing softly to catch her attention.

In the moonlit courtyard, where the light barely illuminated the stone table, the girl didn’t seem to notice him. She muttered to herself, her brows furrowed in concentration.

“Darn it, why won’t it work…”

Seeing that she hadn’t heard him, Xu Xi cleared his throat more loudly.

“Ahem!”

“!!!”

Startled, the 17-year-old Wu Yingxue turned abruptly, grabbing the dragon-patterned spear beside her.

But upon recognizing Xu Xi, her tense expression softened, though it quickly turned awkward.

“Sir? How come you…”

Her voice trailed off as she realized she might have disturbed Xu Xi’s rest. Her face showed a mix of guilt and apology.

“Sorry, sir…”

“It’s fine,” Xu Xi interrupted with a wave of his hand.

The night was like a deep, stagnant pool, absorbing all light and plunging everything into darkness. Yet even in this obscurity, Xu Xi noticed the crumpled paper in the girl’s hands.

“Yingxue, what are you doing here?”

Wu Yingxue looked embarrassed, her expression shifting uncertainly. After some hesitation, she finally answered, “I’m folding flowers.”

“Folding flowers? That’s what you’re doing at this hour?”

“Ah, no… actually, I didn’t sleep,” she admitted.

Xu Xi was an innate warrior, while Wu Yingxue was in the 5th stage body forging realm. By all accounts, Xu Xi should have been the first to wake, but he found her wide awake instead.

As it turned out, after they parted for the day, Wu Yingxue hadn’t slept at all.

“I tried to sleep, but once I lay down, I couldn’t,” she explained with a sheepish smile, like a child caught misbehaving.

The faint moonlight cast a hazy glow over her fingers as she toyed with the paper, her demeanor both restless and charming.

“It’s okay. If you can’t sleep, don’t force it,” Xu Xi said softly, his voice comforting.

Feeling relieved, Wu Yingxue nodded.

However, Xu Xi’s gaze shifted to the “flower” she claimed to be folding.

In reality, it looked more like a crumpled ball of paper.

“?”

Noticing his skeptical expression, Wu Yingxue quickly added, “It’s too dark to see clearly. I didn’t dare light a lamp for fear of disturbing your rest!”

To prove her point, she fetched an oil lamp from the room. The oil, derived from demons, burned steadily and brightly.

“Whoosh—”

The flame flickered to life, its weak glow pushing back the darkness and revealing the faint marks and creases on her hands.

“Watch me,” Wu Yingxue said, taking a deep breath. She flattened the paper on the stone table and carefully began folding it again.

Her movements were deliberate, precise… yet the result was the same: another crumpled piece of paper.

Starlight streamed down like shattered silver, blending with the dim moonlight and adding an air of silent awkwardness to the scene.

“I… actually…”

Wu Yingxue stammered, as if searching for an explanation, but ultimately fell silent.

“Let me do it,” Xu Xi said, taking the paper from her hands.

He smoothed it out and began folding, his fingers moving deftly. Each fold was precise, whether straight or diagonal.

In moments, the crumpled paper was transformed into a delicate paper flower—a pristine creation with a white-brown surface that would never wither.

“So amazing…”

“Sir, how do you even know how to do this?”

Wu Yingxue first marveled at the flower, then looked at Xu Xi with wide, astonished eyes.

It was hard for her to reconcile the image of this skilled paper artist with her impression of Xu Xi, the martial master who slew demons effortlessly.

“When I was young, I learned a bit,” Xu Xi said with a chuckle, noticing her disbelief.

“So amazing… so amazing…”

Wu Yingxue muttered, holding the fragile paper flower as if it were a priceless treasure. Her gaze alternated between the flower and the faint moonlight above, her expression one of quiet admiration.

Seeing her like this, Xu Xi couldn’t help but ask, “Yingxue, why did you suddenly want to fold flowers in the middle of the night?”

“Actually…”

After a moment’s hesitation, Wu Yingxue confessed.

She hadn’t been able to sleep because she was thinking of her deceased parents. When she was a child, Princess Dingyuan had taught her how to fold paper flowers.

“Back then, I had no interest in folding flowers at all…”

“I just wanted to save the world, to become a hero…” Wu Yingxue’s voice was tinged with sadness.

She absentmindedly twirled the paper flower in her hands, the delicate folds spinning under her fingers.

Xu Xi rarely saw her like this. Wu Yingxue was always so strong, so determined.

But no matter how strong someone was, there were moments of vulnerability.

“Sir,” she asked softly, “where do people go after they die?”

Xu Xi looked at her, then up at the vast night sky. His gaze deepened as he answered gently, “In my hometown, we have a saying. After death, people become stars in the sky. They watch over their loved ones from above. When the stars shine brightly, it means they are here with us.”

“Is that so… That’s such a beautiful thought,” Wu Yingxue said with a faint smile.

She knew it wasn’t true, but she liked the idea.

“Sir, please teach me how to fold flowers. I want to learn.”