Yue Liangze asked her, “What are you doing here?”

“Can’t sleep,” Ling Luo pressed her lips together and said, “Wanted to see you.”

Yue Liangze paused in wiping her face, lowering his eyes to look at her: “Do you know what you’re saying?”

“I just wanted to see you,” Ling Luo repeated, “Because I couldn’t sleep.”

She appeared to have no malicious intent, nor any distracting thoughts.

Yet Yue Liangze was flustered by her words. The one with distracting thoughts was him, making him slightly lower his head, unable to be gazed upon by those eyes.

He said, “Not being able to sleep isn’t a reason. You could do many things. Why did you have to come to see me?”

Ling Luo’s eyes widened slightly at his question, with a hint of curiosity and arrogance: “Why shouldn’t I come to see you? Have you taken a wife or been betrothed?”

Yue Liangze: “…”

Fine, she had a point.

He didn’t speak, but Ling Luo pressed on: “Or have you secretly pledged yourself to another woman, or is there someone in your heart?”

Yue Liangze said with an unchanged expression, “None of those.”

Ling Luo made a sound of acknowledgment, then asked, “Not even a beloved?”

Yue Liangze: “No.”

Ling Luo looked at him and said nothing more.

If given another chance, would Yue Liangze still like her?

The past could be changed.

Like with Chu Yi.

She had cut off the connection between Chu Yi and Jiang Miao, severing their destiny. Now her Senior Brother was still staying well at Tianji, not going to the Moon Palace in Northern Court.

Chu Yi was no longer obsessed with the moon in the sky, and perhaps Yue Liangze could also stop liking her demonic self.

Then he wouldn’t be expelled from the Holy Sword Sect with no way back, nor would he have to guard Mount Tianzhaoding and die fighting the four forbidden beasts.

It almost seemed as if she had caused Yue Liangze’s death.

In the end, was it still her fault?

Ling Luo frowned, feeling momentarily stifled.

She looked at Yue Liangze and said with utmost seriousness: “If you don’t allow me to come see you, in the future I’ll—”

“I don’t disallow it,” Yue Liangze interrupted her. “You can come see me whenever you want.”

He found a dry cloth to wipe her hair.

Ling Luo sat on the edge of the bed, resting her chin on the windowsill as she watched the night rain outside. The rain sounded loud, so she raised her hand and drew a sound barrier circle in front of the window.

Yue Liangze stood by her side, helping her dry her hair.

After a long time, Ling Luo asked, “What did you write in those fourteen letters?”

Yue Liangze said casually, “Just some holiday greetings.”

“Really?” Ling Luo tilted her head to look at him, her eyes full of suspicion. “You even sent Song Yuanyuan and the others a teacup when they needed one, but only wrote holiday greetings to me?”

“I sent you things too,” Yue Liangze said. “Pastries you wanted to eat, some small trinkets that might suit a girl like you.”

As he spoke, his feelings grew more complex.

Thinking about how those letters had been seen by Yun Shouxi, who knew what he had written, Yue Liangze felt a sudden stomach ache.

Ling Luo looked back at the night rain outside the window, thinking to herself that she needed to find a way to retrieve those letters.

But given Yun Shouxi’s personality, he probably wouldn’t have kept them.

In any case, she would look for them after returning.

The night rain was misty. Since she wouldn’t let him use curse rituals, Yue Liangze patiently wiped her hair.

Ling Luo vaguely recalled the night rain at Mount Tianzhaoding.

The rain that day was much lighter than now. She had sat leaning against the window railing, quietly watching by lamplight as the man busied himself moving flowers and tidying things in the courtyard.

Though he was getting rained on, he wasn’t hurried, determining which items couldn’t get wet and then putting them away, not using curse rituals to help.

Ling Luo had asked him, “Why not use curse rituals to get it done faster?”

Yue Liangze had said, “Relying on curse rituals for everything would be very boring.”

Ling Luo then looked at the half-built courtyard he had made, unable to hold back a smile: “You’re treating this as your own home, renovating without any hesitation.”

“Mount Tianzhaoding has enough materials, and if something is missing, I can buy it,” Yue Liangze said, adding, “With my own money.”

Ling Luo snorted, “You talk as if I have no money. If you go out and mention my name, who would dare charge you even half a coin?”

Yue Liangze glanced at her: “You don’t have any.”

“…” Ling Luo gritted her teeth, “Then where did you get your money?”

“Saved over the years,” Yue Liangze said. “I’ve helped some wealthy households eliminate demons and monsters before, and they gave me quite a few things. I have two senior brothers who, because they rarely leave the sect, have money with nowhere to spend it, so they gave it to me.”

Ling Luo: “…”

Why don’t my senior brothers have such awareness?

Yue Liangze continued, “I also have a nephew who only does one thing in life: make money. He’s opened many shops, and I help him deal with troublemakers, for which he pays me wages.”

Ling Luo said, “It’s just money, what’s so difficult about that? If you don’t have enough, I can now go…”

Yue Liangze: “It’s enough. If you want to buy something, just tell me, and I’ll buy it for you.”

“I don’t lack anything,” Ling Luo said, supporting her chin with one hand and turning to look at him. “But you’ve stayed here too long. Haven’t you forgotten that you’re a cultivator from an immortal sect who came to eliminate demons? You’ve been tinkering with building houses all day, and I haven’t been watching you closely. It would be very easy for you to leave, yet you insist on staying.”

Yue Liangze had just opened an umbrella. Hearing this, he turned to look at her, rainwater sliding down his sharp, thin chin. He said, “Ling Luo, haven’t you ever wondered why I don’t leave?”

Ling Luo deliberately mocked, “Could it be that the True Immortal of Danshui covets my beauty and is unwilling to leave?”

Yue Liangze was momentarily stunned, then smiled along, somewhat indulgently, shaking his head lightly.

“In South River City, you already left me once. I don’t want to be left by you a second time,” he lowered the oil-paper umbrella to shield the flowers from rain, exposing himself to the cold rain curtain, and said softly, “No matter how you try to drive me away, I won’t leave.”

Ling Luo said disdainfully, “Not leaving? Are you crazy?”

Yue Liangze glanced at her, a look that carried some contempt and dominance, different from his usual calm demeanor, which startled Ling Luo.

“I don’t want you to be all alone,” he said. “Just consider that from now on, only I can accompany you.”

Yet Yue Liangze’s gaze silently told her: No one but me will do.

Ling Luo hadn’t taken it seriously at the time, even listening carelessly. Her focus had been on fighting and killing, yet these words spoken by Yue Liangze had been unconsciously recorded in her heart, and even now she could clearly remember every detail of that moment.

Looking back now, she had given Yue Liangze too little time.

She had just tacitly accepted his presence as a habit, without deep contemplation.

Even less would she have thought about it in terms of romantic love.

Despite this, Yue Liangze held a special place in her world.

Even through the sound barrier, the small sounds of rain could be heard, pattering on the roof tiles or the courtyard shelter. Yue Liangze finished drying her hair and asked, “Are you cold?”

Ling Luo shook her head.

“Then are you hungry?” Yue Liangze said. “Earlier you said you were unhappy because I didn’t make you brown sugar cakes—”

“I was just making that up,” Ling Luo looked out the window, blinking her eyes. “I’m not hungry either, but if you want to make them, I can eat.”

Yue Liangze was silent for a moment. Standing by the window, he got up and said, “Then I’ll go make some.”

Ling Luo couldn’t help but tilt her head to look at him.

She said, “It’s pouring rain now, and it’s the middle of the night.”

Yue Liangze opened the door: “It doesn’t matter.”

Ling Luo was slightly stunned as she watched him walk out.

Now that she seriously thought about it, she felt that Yue Liangze was very indulgent toward her.

Giving her whatever she wanted.

Yue Liangze’s room faced the kitchen, and Ling Luo leaned on the windowsill. Through the rain curtain, she saw the light in the kitchen, with a silhouette cast on the window.

She removed the sound barrier, and her ears were filled with the patter of heavy rain.

Because of Yun Shouxi and other reasons, Ling Luo felt that love was the most useless and unnecessary thing.

First Senior Brother had abandoned dignity and pride for love, allowing himself to be trampled by others.

Master had resorted to any means for love, transforming from a banished immortal into a demon.

Jin Yuan had tortured and killed Yu Zhi out of love for Senior Brother Chen.

Mother’s entire family had been slaughtered because of a man.

Even Yue Liangze had died because of the one he loved.

Ling Luo frowned.

The people around her had always influenced her prejudice and understanding of love.

Therefore, after killing Yun Shouxi, her focus had always been on revenge, with her killing intent growing wild. Every day, what motivated Ling Luo to open her eyes was to kill those she hated.

After becoming a demon, she had only focused on fighting against the heavenly way, with no mind to think about love.

To her at that time, it was meaningless.

Ling Luo had been walking a path of self-destruction, unstoppable by anyone, and she didn’t want to stop.

Yue Liangze knew this well and had tried to hold her back, but Ling Luo hadn’t given him a chance. So all he could do was accompany her, not letting her walk this path alone.

Now Ling Luo was willing to stop and wait for him, to give Yue Liangze more time.

She had realized too late, and their time together had been too short.

But that hatred could not be appeased.

Ling Luo lowered her eyes, her gaze dark.

The lamplight and human silhouette in the night’s rain curtain seemed especially warm.

Ling Luo recalled how she had mercilessly mocked Yue Liangze for losing to Cong Xiu, forced him to eat baked buns, used him to practice her beauty point, injured him, said she would use him to lure Guai Ci, mocked the Holy Sword Sect for not saving him—now all these were memories she couldn’t bear to face, somehow shameful, making her involuntarily cover her face and close her eyes.

A night breeze arose, blowing the rain into the window. Rain droplets fell on Ling Luo’s face, cool and icy. Her previously dried hair was dampened again.

But Ling Luo faced the night wind without dodging or avoiding it, her expression serious as she looked at the silhouette under the lamplight opposite.

After a long while, she finally said softly, “I’m sorry.”

If you were to start over and still like me—

Then teach me, teach me how to correctly like someone.

The violent rain sound drowned out her voice.

In the kitchen opposite, the flatbread had been baked to golden, and Yue Liangze cut a piece for her and carried the plate back.

Reaching the corridor, he saw Ling Luo by the window with her hair wet again. Yue Liangze was speechless, somewhat between crying and laughing: “Why didn’t you close the window when the wind blew the rain in?”

“Didn’t want to close it,” Ling Luo blinked at him. “Sword cultivators have the strongest physique, what’s a little rain?”

Seeing she wouldn’t close it, Yue Liangze stood outside the window blocking the rain, and handed the plate over.

Ling Luo put the plate on the windowsill and smelling the sweet, warm aroma, she suddenly felt a bit hungry.

She nibbled on the brown sugar cake while chatting with Yue Liangze.

The two talked about what they had encountered during their years of training apart.

One spoke of strange tales from places rarely visited by people, the other of bizarre and beautiful incidents in prosperous capitals.

The rain gradually lessened, becoming a drizzle, but the two by the window were so engrossed in their conversation that neither noticed this change.

Biting into the last piece of brown sugar cake, Ling Luo asked, “Do you want some? If not, I’m going to finish it.”

Yue Liangze, leaning by the window, tilted his head to look at her: “You’ve already bitten it.”

Ling Luo: “I only took a small bite. If you want to eat, I’ll give you this big piece.”

She moved to tear off the part she hadn’t bitten, but Yue Liangze stopped her: “I don’t want any.”

Ling Luo looked at him and smiled, the corners of her eyes curving upward, her voice soft and sweet as she said, “You made the cake. I’ve only taken one bite, just a small one. You’ve glanced at this cake several times already. If you want some, just say so.”

Yue Liangze listened, turning to look at her.

Ling Luo munched on the cake, her expression innocent as she met his scrutiny, silently indicating that she had already asked if he wanted some.

Yue Liangze watched her finish, a trace of amusement passing through his eyes.

Ling Luo said, “You kept looking at me. I thought you were going to snatch it.”

Yue Liangze lowered his eyes and turned his face away.

He had wanted to snatch it.

Just now, he had wanted to lean forward and steal the last bite from her lips.