"I lost."
Ying Ye put away his spirit sword and admitted it frankly.
The woman, however, continued to hold her spirit sword and said, "Let's do it again. No need to deliberately slow down your moves."
Upon hearing this, Ying Ye chuckled and candidly replied, "My moves weren't slowed; my mind was in turmoil."
The woman, confused, put away her spirit sword and looked at Ying Ye. Seeing him point to her floating ribbon, a surge of annoyance and an unnamable emotion washed over her. Her expression remained calm, but her ears turned crimson.
Ying Ye, however, continued to ask with mock seriousness, "We didn't set a wager before. If I lose this match, what do you want?"
The woman, feeling the victory was somewhat unearned, but seeing Ying Ye's very serious expression, gritted her teeth and challenged, "Is taking your spirit sword acceptable?"
Ying Ye fell silent, only staring at the woman.
Seeing this, the woman felt the heat receding slightly. She then glanced around and continued, "A gentleman does not take what another cherishes. Though I am not a gentleman, I understand this principle. Never mind, how about I just take the most beautiful plum blossom in this garden?"
The garden was filled with plum blossoms, their fragrance scattering. However, the woman's ear tips then turned red again, the heat even more intense than before.
"The most beautiful plum blossom in the garden..."
Hearing this, Ying Ye reached out and then took down the blossom that had fallen into her hair during their match, presenting it to the woman.
The woman smiled upon seeing this, while Ying Ye was instantly captivated.
Since that match, the woman and Ying Ye often met to practice swordplay together.
For Ying Ye, a sword fanatic, and for the woman who was fond of blades, spears, and swords, all their emotions were poured into the dance of swordplay.
They found a worthy opponent in the clash of spirit weapons, and through their encounters, they became close friends.
After some more time had passed, the two had another match. The woman lost rather ungracefully, but when they stopped, she showed a rare smile, like ice melting slightly in the early spring warmth, revealing a gentle spring water beneath.
During their breaks, they would soar through the garden on their swords. Clouds drifted slowly in the sky, and their hushed conversations were swept away by the wind, yet like a sculptor's chisel, they etched each other's profiles in their eyes more vividly.
Unlike during combat, the woman was gentle and soft in their daily interactions, like moonlight filling autumn waters in a pot, exuding a sense of transcendence and purity.
Day after day, the clouds on the eastern horizon drifted to the west, yet it didn't feel like such a long time had passed.
As Ying Ye and the woman flew on their swords, their conversations dwindled, replaced by a tacit understanding and admiration that needed no words.
One day, perhaps it was a human celebration, brilliant fireworks exploded in the sky, blooming into brief, dazzling flowers.
The woman stopped and stood high above the clouds.
Ying Ye looked down with her, and spoke of how he had first entered the mortal world and encountered a human wedding. At that time, he had been pulled in by the enthusiastic hosts, had a few cups of wine, listened to the vows of eternal companionship from the newlyweds, and felt the fireworks were exceptionally brilliant.
The woman fell silent upon hearing this. She withdrew her gaze and fixed it on the spirit sword in Ying Ye's hand.
Seeing her frown slightly again, Ying Ye immediately said, "Next time, I'll take you to see fireworks in the human world."
The woman shook her head, appearing somewhat vexed, yet her tone suggested otherwise.
"If one day, your swordsmanship reaches its pinnacle, what will become of me alone?"
Ying Ye hesitated for a moment. Every sword cultivator who achieved mastery in the Way of the Sword was a hero of chivalry and righteousness, who had sacrificed their lives to uphold justice and fairness in the world. He had always aspired to this. At least, that was what he had upheld within the sect.
But now that the woman was asking, he didn't know how to answer. Ying Ye lowered his head, about to reply, when his hand brushed against a small pot of wine. He let out a loud laugh and said, "Regardless of what the future holds, having a confidante like you is enough to leave no regrets. Let us drink!"
Ying Ye took a sip of wine and offered the pot to the woman. She took it, took a small sip, and gazed absently at the fireworks in the human world.
For several days, Ying Ye did not see the woman in the forest. As for the tall ice palace not far away, Ying Ye dared not enter it lightly.
A few more days passed. Ying Ye practiced his sword alone under a tree. When he grew tired, he would stop and look towards the entrance. When he was utterly exhausted, he would lean against the tree to rest, just as he always did.
One day, he arrived in the forest with no desire to practice his sword. He lay under a tree, looking towards the entrance, and fell asleep waiting. He felt as if he had a dream. In his dream, he stood beneath a plum blossom tree, surrounded by the fragrance he had first caught from the woman's ribbon. In the haze, he seemed to see someone dancing with a sword, their posture elegant, untouched by worldly dust.
As he eagerly approached the person in his dream, a sudden gust of wind woke him. He opened his eyes to find the forest empty, no one there, only plum blossoms falling all over him.
"A confidante?"
Ying Ye inexplicably recalled the words he had spoken. Like a drifting withered leaf that had finally landed, they gained substance, and he suddenly became clear-headed.
When he saw the woman again, she was still as before, like the autumn moon, like the spring water, like a snow lotus that had quietly taken root and grown on its own.
Ying Ye walked towards her. With each step, his heart beat like a thunder drum. But when he reached the woman, he suddenly calmed down, like wild grass stubbornly breaking through the earth, the dust settling.
Ying Ye took the woman to the human world. The newly married couple he had seen before were now elderly, leaning on each other as they walked across a high bridge amidst the vibrant spring scenery.
Upon returning to the garden, Ying Ye's mind was a whirl. But when the woman turned and smiled at him, he swallowed the words he was about to speak.
He knew she understood. Silence was more eloquent than words.
At this moment, the rosy sunset slanted, piercing through the clouds. For some reason, a milky mist condensed in their hair. It seemed to be an answer, a pledge of "life and death unknown, but together until old age."
...
Li Xuan slowly opened his eyes, his expression becoming increasingly complex. As for what happened next, Li Xuan could not bear to watch, nor did he wish to.
If beauty could be preserved in the world, why seek trouble? In truth, Li Xuan also yearned for such a life.
For a moment, Li Xuan couldn't help but think of Yue Fuyao. He thought of Liu Jiaqi and Zhou Wenjing. More than anything, he thought of those two children. As a father, Li Xuan felt he had been very negligent.
A moment later, Li Xuan withdrew his thoughts. In the end, Li Xuan still chose to finish reading about the conclusion of Ying Ye and the woman. However, compared to the beautiful scenes before, Li Xuan naturally did not watch as intently.
The ultimate outcome was that the ice palace had a rule that disciples were forbidden to fall in love, and even more so, to have clandestine affairs with outsiders. The woman, who had already broken the rule, had her spiritual power sealed and was thrown into an ice prison.
Ying Ye naturally could not accept this outcome. Enraged for his beloved, he directly attacked the ice palace. With Ying Ye's strength at that time, he was no match for Bing Ling Shuang, the then Palace Mistress of the ice palace.
In the end, if not for the woman's desperate pleas, Ying Ye would have perished in the ice palace.
In the final moments, the woman committed suicide before Ying Ye's eyes. Ying Ye, in accordance with the woman's last wish, was spared by Bing Ling Shuang and thrown out of the ice palace.
The world believed Ying Ye was dead, but no one expected him to lie dormant for tens of thousands of years, only to return and break through to the peak of the Divine End Realm to exact revenge.
"What is love in this world? It makes life and death a mutual pledge." Li Xuan said with emotion. Then, his gaze shifted to Liuli. "Senior, where is Ying Ye now?"
Liuli was silent for a moment before replying, "In that flower forest."
Upon hearing this, Li Xuan immediately walked out the door. Li Xuan already knew where that flower forest was.
"This guy, he isn't going to interfere in this matter, is he?" Liuli rubbed her forehead with a slight headache at the sight. Then, with a thought, she vanished from her spot.
Soon, Li Xuan arrived at the flower forest. Ying Ye glanced at Li Xuan, then withdrew his gaze and continued to watch the petals falling with the gentle breeze. It was at this moment that Li Xuan saw the tender affection in Ying Ye's eyes.
Li Xuan walked to Ying Ye's side and sat down. After a moment of silence, he spoke, "Shall we talk?"