“Of course,” Zanxing answered without hesitation: “The master uncles treat me very well, the senior brothers and sisters are also friendly, Mendong is very cute, the food here is delicious, and the bedding is comfortable to sleep on. A mortal paradise is nothing more than this.”

Gu Baiying fell silent.

Zanxing turned to look at him: “Master Uncle, you’ve been a bit strange lately.”

“Strange how?”

“I can’t quite put my finger on it, but you seem to have something on your mind.” Zanxing thought for a moment: “Is it because you’re approaching the time to take the third pill? Are your emotions complex, with mixed feelings?”

Here she goes talking nonsense again. Gu Baiying said irritably: “Just look at your stars.”

The night was bright and clear. Mountain wind blew from afar, scattering the Milky Way, causing the stars across the sky to fall and land on people’s heads.

The young man clenched his fist, hesitating for a moment. Just as he was about to speak, someone beside him suddenly said: “Where’s the thing you’re giving me?”

Gu Baiying was startled: “What thing?”

Zanxing extended one hand toward him: “Aren’t you going to give me something?”

He was stunned and instinctively replied: “How do you know I’m going to give you something?”

“We’ve traveled together for so long—I do have this much understanding of you.” Zanxing suppressed her laughter: “Even Mendong gave me a useless miscellaneous book. As a master uncle, you surely wouldn’t just dismiss me with a meal. Since you specifically called me to this place away from others, tell me—what good thing are you going to give me?”

She looked at Gu Baiying with undisguised expectation in her eyes. The young man choked, turned his face away, and stiffly changed the subject: “Don’t look at me.” Then, as if remembering something, he added: “Look at the stars.”

Mendong’s advice to Mu Cengxiao echoed in his ears again: “On a dark and windy night, gazing at the stars across the sky, ask her: ‘Is there something you want? Whatever you want, I’ll risk my life to get it for you.’

Then she’ll answer: ‘Nonsense, could you even get me the stars in the sky?’

Then you say, ‘Of course, close your eyes first.’ When she opens her eyes again, you put your gift in front of her—she’ll be very moved.”

Just as Gu Baiying was contemplating the timing to present his gift, Zanxing had already spoken. She said: “You’re not planning to ask if I want to pluck stars, then take out your gift while I have my eyes closed, are you?”

Gu Baiying’s movements froze. After a long moment, he calmly said, “Daydreaming.”

“That’s good then.”

“Yang Zanxing,” Gu Baiying hesitated: “Don’t you want to pluck stars?”

“Of course I do,” Zanxing looked at him puzzledly: “This might be hard for you to understand, but stars are much larger than what your eyes see. Not only do I lack the ability to pluck them down, but even if one fell from the sky and accidentally hit someone, it would be fatal.”

Gu Baiying frowned: “Nonsense.”

“I knew you wouldn’t understand even if I explained it to you.” Zanxing sighed: “But if you’re in a bad mood, you could come here more often to look at the stars. After looking at them enough, you’ll feel the universe is vast and life is brief, and those tangled loves, hates, and grievances of yours are nothing much.”

“You sound just like Senior Brother.”

Zanxing didn’t speak. She could comfort others, but couldn’t comfort herself. When she first arrived here, she naturally viewed everything from an outsider’s perspective, so she was naturally composed. Now that she was trapped too deeply and had become a character within it, struggling in her unpredictable fate, she finally understood the impermanence of worldly affairs.

“Hey,” the young man beside her reminded her expressionlessly, “There’s a star falling toward you.”

Zanxing: “……”

“Really.”

Zanxing looked up and indeed saw a stream of light rushing toward her. She instinctively dodged to the side but was caught by the person beside her. The young man’s crimson sleeve brushed past her brow, carrying the moist fragrance of green grass, like a night butterfly that lightly stayed in her hair for an instant before hurriedly departing.

She opened her eyes wide in surprise.

Gu Baiying looked down at the woman in his arms, then suddenly stood still and released his hands. He said, “It hit your head.”

Zanxing frowned and reached up to touch her head, saying: “Master Uncle, when did you become so childish…” Her movement suddenly stopped. Where her fingers touched, she felt something cool and slender.

Before leaving today, Hong Su had put a flat emerald jade hairpin in her hair. She gripped the object in her hand and forcefully pulled it from her hair.

Lying in her palm was an azure hairpin.

This hairpin was entirely jade green, like the fresh branches and shoots of willows in spring, tender and full of vitality, as if it were alive. It felt like it was cast from plant stems, with very exquisite craftsmanship. Though it had no carved patterns, there wasn’t a single flaw either. Most dazzling was the top of the hairpin, which was set with a brilliant crystal stone. This crystal was very bright and pure, sitting atop the hairpin like an embedded ray of starlight, gleaming brilliantly in the night.

“This is…” Zanxing gripped the hairpin in her hand and looked at Gu Baiying: “The birthday gift you’re giving me?”

Gu Baiying lifted his chin: “This is what an elder should do, lest you call me stingy.”

Zanxing suppressed her laughter: “This hairpin is really beautiful. It must be worth quite a few spirit stones at Huajin Tower, right?”

He was startled, then answered after a moment: “Quite a few indeed.”

“Master Uncle, thank you.” Zanxing sincerely thanked him and inserted the beautiful hairpin in her hair: “I like it.” Gu Baiying was someone who usually didn’t pay attention to women’s accessories, yet he had chosen such a gorgeous star hairpin for her—clearly, he had put considerable thought into it.

“I have something I want to ask you.”

“Master Uncle, I have something I want to tell you.”

Both their voices sounded simultaneously. Zanxing was startled, then, after a moment, asked: “What is it?”

“What did you want to say?”

Zanxing lowered her head: “Mendong said that tomorrow you’ll take the third pill, and after you come out of seclusion, your spiritual meridians will be completely repaired, with no more worries for future cultivation.” She said, “When you come out of seclusion, I want to tell you something.”

After thinking it over, she felt that continuing to hide things wasn’t a solution. Tian Fangfang and the others were just disciples after all and couldn’t make decisions. Gu Baiying had high status and position—perhaps he could protect her for a while and prevent the sect’s disciples from killing her without question. But Gu Baiying would enter seclusion tomorrow, so if she spoke now and it disturbed his mind and caused cultivation deviation, that would be bad. It would be better to tell him the whole story after he comes out of seclusion.

The young man’s gaze fell on her face, his eyes holding unclear emotions. After a moment, he finally spoke: “Good. It so happens that when I come out of seclusion, I also have something I want to tell you.”

It was rare for him to have such a serious tone. Zanxing stepped forward and looked up at him intently.

Gu Baiying felt somewhat uncomfortable being stared at. He coughed lightly and asked: “What?”

“What you want to tell me—it’s not a confession of love, is it?” she asked.

His expression suddenly stiffened, and for a moment, he couldn’t speak, only awkwardly evading her questioning, his breathing somewhat unsteady.

The girl pressed aggressively while the young man instinctively retreated. Gu Baiying, who had always feared nothing in heaven or earth, was rendered speechless and completely defenseless.

Suddenly, Zanxing stopped in her tracks and let him off the hook, sighing regretfully: “Never mind. If you wanted to confess to me, the Jiexin Bell would make a sound. Unfortunately, you didn’t bring it today.” A mischievous smile seemed to flash in her eyes: “Then next time, remember to bring the Jiexin Bell, and I’ll listen to see if you have feelings for me.”

His face remained calm, but inwardly, he secretly breathed a sigh of relief. He snorted and spoke without much confidence: “…In your dreams.”