In the Mystic Passage, the light was suspended high, casting a gentle glow on Yun Qian, whose long hair reached her waist, still wearing a crumpled bath towel.
"Miss, could you move a little?" Xu Changâan said helplessly.
"Hmm?" Yun Qian looked at him curiously and asked, "Do it myself?"
Indeed.
Itâs only when he is around that making the lady dress herself becomes strange.
"Am I really not spoiling the lady into uselessness?" Xu Changâan talked to himself, but still walked over and picked up the clothes beside him.
"..."
After changing clothes, Xu Changâan wiped the water stains from Yun Qianâs long hair clean before preparing to leave the spring valley.
Yun Qian always looked exceptionally beautiful after a hot spring, and Xu Changâan was well aware of this.
Yun Qian thought so too.
They both wanted to take a good look at each other.
The wind started outside, as if it was going to rain.
In the dim light of the Mystic Passage, Xu Changâanâs increasingly fervent gaze briefly met Yun Qianâs cool eyes.
The whole air was momentarily silent.
Xu Changâan very lamely stopped his "peeking" actions.
Yun Qian, naturally, had no intention of retreating, her light-colored eyes unblinkingly gazing over, earnestly appreciating her husbandâs appearance.
His clean, neat short hair, his eyebrows and eyes never appeared sharp but rather introverted and gentle.
His black, gentle eyes, the gaze changed from its usual calmness and steadiness, becoming somewhat evasive after making contact with hers.
Such youthful beauty was displayed to the fullest.
If a third person were watching from the side, they would acutely sense the difference between Yun Qian and Xu Changâan, the kind of unashamed character of Miss Yun... actually brought a very strong sense of pressure.
But Xu Changâan had never been weak.
The steadiness in him that brought reassurance... was what made Yun Qian gaze unblinkingly.
"You look really nice," Yun Qian said seriously.
"Miss, such words should be said to a girl," Xu Changâan sighed, working hard to retract his gaze, trying not to look at Yun Qian in her little dress.
"Someone said you seem like a girl, not bold enough," Yun Qian thought for a moment.
"I think theyâre right," Xu Changâan nodded seriously, "I sometimes care too much about Wenliangâs rules, lacking some decisiveness, which is something that needs to change."
"So you know," Yun Qian responded.
"People are like this, knowing but hard to change."
"Is that so," Yun Qian reflected thoughtfully.
Xu Changâan slightly shook his head, thinking that some matters were just hard to explain clearly.
Is he really a hesitant person?
Probably not entirely.
He only became so tangled and indecisive in matters related to Yun Qian because when it comes to her, he always wanted to achieve perfection in every aspect, thus appearing indecisive was only natural.
As for matters unrelated to the lady, what kind of character is he really... The women of Muyu Peak would have a lot to say.
To become a highly praised steward with a 90% approval rate, how could he possibly be a procrastinating character?
By the way, among the remaining 10% who didnât leave good reviews, some simply didnât like men, while the rest... felt a sense of resentment because Xu Changâan cleanly refused "ambiguous" advances.
"...maybe not,"
Xu Changâan thought about it and felt he might truly be an indecisive person.
But he only became unsure of himself in matters related to Yun Qian... but again, his world was all about Miss Yun.
So saying he has a feminine kind of nature makes perfect sense, with nothing wrong about it.
"Miss," Xu Changâan bent down, "this chaotic mindset of mine, I canât change."
Without thinking it thoroughly, how could he take care of Miss Yun in every way?
"I didnât say I didnât like it," Yun Qianâs embroidered shoes twisted slightly on the ground, leaving a clear footprint.
She thought people do change.
Xu Changâan is like this now.
But a century, a millennium later?
How to witness a husbandâs growth... is also the most cherished memory.
"Besides, being somewhat like a girl isnât bad," Yun Qian took a step forward, looking at Xu Changâan closely, and said, "If you were a girl, youâd surely be very pretty."
"...?"
Xu Changâan was startled by Yun Qianâs words but quickly calmed down and said to Yun Qian, "Miss is always alone, so after entering Muyu Peak, you should meet some agreeable sisters."
He thought Yun Qian wanted a confidante.
"Like your teacher?" Yun Qian looked him in the eye.
"Teacher..." Xu Changâan hesitated again and said helplessly, "Thatâs right."
Now everyone is calling each other sisters, and following this trend, Li Zhibai becoming Yun Qianâs close friend is almost a foregone conclusion.
Xu Changâan thought about his respected teacher acting like a young girl with hands behind the back, facing Yun Qian, with a faint blush still lingering on the face... and felt a headache coming.
Yun Qianâs charm, just outrageous.
"You care very much about my matters with women?" Yun Qian asked.
"Not exactly care, just think sometimes Miss also needs a woman of your age to communicate with," Xu Changâan explained.
"Same age? That might be somewhat difficult," Yun Qian slightly frowned, then fixed her gaze on Xu Changâan, "If you became a girl, I would like it very much."
"I canât," Xu Changâan thought he wasnât accustomed to womenâs clothing, and said seriously, "Besides, downgrading from a husbandâs position, I donât like that."
"...Mm."
"Besides, I always feel that with Missâs charm, itâs hard for the average person to resist," Xu Changâan coughed, "including women alike."
With Yun Qian by his side, if he really had a change of character and fooled around, the end result might not be a harmonious Crystal Palace, but all the girls turning into Yun Qianâs admirers.
Xu Changâan believed that this was very likely to happen.
However, in this aspect, the hardest part is not Yun Qian getting along with girls, but that... he just wouldnât fool around.
"Girls..." Yun Qian asked, "What are you thinking?"
"Nothing, nothing at all, we should head back."
"Iâm tired," Yun Qian looked at him, showing no intention of walking.
"Really?" Xu Changâan looked at Yun Qian, and with his understanding of the lady, her current state... clearly seemed energetic.
"Mm," Yun Qian stretched lazily, her long fingers grasping the cuff, but nothing unusual could be seen on her face.
She wasnât lying, she needed to conserve her energy.
After all... for Yun Qian right now, every bit of energy was incredibly precious, and with the change in the warmth of Xu Changâanâs gaze, the lady also had to be prepared.
When dealing with a "coquettish" Yun Qian, Xu Changâan always had only one course of action: compliance.
But he did resist once, by not carrying her.
But instead, carrying her on his back.
Yes.
Carrying her on his back, at least Yun Qian couldnât see the tempted look on his face.
ââ
The mountain forest near the spring was filled with the faint fragrance of soil, but it was not easy to walk; he carried the lady on his back... leaving a footprint with every step.
Perhaps because he was on the island, he tried to restore his past life as much as possible, not using any cultivation.
Before leaving the valley, there was an Inner Lake.
Looking at the quiet lake surface in the distance, Xu Changâan stopped.
Yun Qian then said, "Is it beautiful here?"
"Beautiful," Xu Changâan did not hesitate.
The Inner Lake was inherently tranquil, but at this time the sky was dim, even though it was daytime, the sun was nowhere to be seen... but it didnât matter, most importantly, the water here was unlike the hot spring, very calm, so calm that... if you walked over, you would definitely see your reflection in the water.
Unlike the hot spring covered in mist, unlike the Cold Spring where Yun Qian tossed small stones to prevent him from seeing.
His face could be seen clearly.
Only when Yun Qian didnât allow him to look... did he become curious.
"Itâs just some water, not you, how beautiful can it be?" Yun Qian raised her eyes and looked over, her voice ethereal and peaceful beneath the lakeâs ripples.
"I wonât look anymore," Xu Changâan automatically said, then felt he might have wimped out too much.
Looking is looking, what can the lady do to him?