“Of course,” Zanxing answered without hesitation. “The Martial Uncles are very kind to me, the Senior Brothers and Sisters are friendly, Men Dong is cute, the food here is delicious, and the bedding is comfortable. It’s like a paradise on earth.”
Gu Baiying fell silent.
Zanxing turned to him. “Martial Uncle, you’ve been a bit strange lately.”
“Strange how?”
“I can’t quite put my finger on it, but it seems like you have something on your mind,” Zanxing thought for a moment. “Is it because you’re about to take the third pill, and your mood is complicated and mixed?”
Gu Baiying was annoyed by her rambling and said, “Just look at the stars.”
The night was clear, and the mountain wind blew from afar, dispersing the Milky Way and causing the stars to fall from the sky, settling on people’s heads.
The youth clenched his fists, hesitated for a moment, and was about to speak when someone suddenly spoke up beside him. “Where’s the gift you promised me?”
Gu Baiying was startled. “What gift?”
Zanxing held out a hand towards him. “Weren’t you going to give me something?”
He was momentarily stunned and instinctively replied, “How did you know I was going to give you something?”
“We’ve been traveling together for quite some time, so I know a bit about you,” Zanxing said with a suppressed smile. “Men Dong even gave me a useless book. As a Martial Uncle, you surely wouldn’t settle for just a meal to make up for it. You specifically brought me here alone, so tell me, what good gift are you going to give me?”
She looked at Gu Baiying with unabashed anticipation. The youth choked for a moment, turned his face away, and awkwardly changed the subject. “Don’t look at me.” Then he thought of something and added, “Look at the stars.”
The advice from Men Dong about teaching Mu Cengxiao echoed in his ears: “On a dark and windy night, while gazing at the countless stars, ask her: ‘What do you want? Whatever it is you want, I’ll do my best to get it for you.’
Then she might reply: ‘Nonsense, can you really get me the stars from the sky?’
And then you say, ‘Of course, just close your eyes first.’ When she opens her eyes again, you place the gift in front of her, and she’ll definitely be very touched.”
As Gu Baiying pondered the timing for presenting his gift, Zanxing spoke up. “You’re not planning to ask if I want to pick stars and then present your gift while I have my eyes closed, are you?”
Gu Baiying’s movement paused. After a moment, he calmly replied, “Dream on.”
“Well then.”
“Yang Zanxing,” Gu Baiying hesitated. “Don’t you want to pick stars?”
“Of course not,” Zanxing looked at him in confusion. “It might be hard for you to understand, but stars are actually much bigger than they appear to your eyes. Not only do I lack the ability to pick them, but even if they fell from the sky and accidentally hit someone, it would be fatal.”
Gu Baiying frowned. “Nonsense.”
“I knew you wouldn’t understand if I told you,” Zanxing sighed. “But if you’re feeling down, you might come here more often to look at the stars. The more you look, the more you’ll realize how vast the universe is and how fleeting life is. Your tangled emotions and conflicts are just a small part of it.”
“You sound just like Senior Brother.”
Zanxing didn’t respond. She could comfort others but not herself. When she first arrived, she viewed everything as an outsider, naturally calm and collected. Now, having become deeply involved and struggling with her unpredictable fate, she understood how unpredictable the world could be.
“Hey,” the youth beside her reminded her with a serious expression, “a star is coming toward you.”
Zanxing: “….”
“It’s true.”
Zanxing looked up and saw a streak of light approaching. She instinctively moved to the side but was pulled back by the person next to her. The youth’s crimson sleeve brushed against her brow, carrying a moist, grassy fragrance, like a butterfly in the night, lightly resting in her hair for a moment before quickly departing.
She widened her eyes in astonishment.
Gu Baiying looked down at the woman in his arms, then suddenly stopped and let go. He said, “It hit your head.”
Zanxing frowned, reaching up to touch her head. “Martial Uncle, when did you become so childish…” She suddenly paused, feeling something cold and delicate under her fingers.
Before she left today, Hong Su had given her a flat jade hairpin. She grasped the object tightly and pulled it out of her hair with force.
In her palm lay a green hairpin.
The hairpin was entirely jade green, resembling the young branches of willows in spring—fresh and full of life, as if it were alive. It felt like a finely crafted plant stem, though it had no carved patterns, and was free from any stray fibers. The most striking feature was the top of the hairpin, where a dazzling crystal was set. This crystal was incredibly bright and pure, embedded at the top of the hairpin as if a sliver of starlight had been captured, shining brilliantly in the night.
“This is…” Zanxing tightened her grip on the hairpin and looked at Gu Baiying. “Is this your birthday gift for me?”
Gu Baiying lifted his chin slightly. “As an elder, I should do this. Otherwise, you might say I’m stingy.”
Zanxing couldn’t help but smile. “This hairpin is really beautiful. It must be worth quite a few spirit stones in the Hua Jin Pavilion, right?”
He paused, then answered after a moment, “Quite a lot.”
“Thank you, Martial Uncle.” Zanxing sincerely thanked him and placed the beautiful hairpin into her hair. “I really like it.” Gu Baiying probably didn’t pay much attention to women’s accessories, yet he chose such a splendid star-shaped hairpin for her, showing that he put in a lot of thought.
“I have something I want to ask you.”
“Martial Uncle, I have something I want to tell you.”
Their voices overlapped, and Zanxing was taken aback. After a moment, she asked, “What is it?”
“What do you want to say?”
Zanxing lowered her head. “I heard from Mendong that you’re going to take the third pill tomorrow. After you return from seclusion, your spiritual veins will be fully repaired, and you won’t have to worry about it in your future cultivation.” She said, “When you come out of seclusion, I want to tell you something.”
She thought it over and felt that continuing to keep it hidden wasn’t a good solution. Since Tian Fangfang and the others were disciples and couldn’t make decisions, Gu Baiying’s higher status might offer temporary protection and prevent her from being unjustly punished by the sect’s disciples. However, if she told him now, it might disturb his mind and cause him to go astray. It would be better to wait until after he emerged from seclusion to explain everything to him.
The young man’s gaze settled on her face, his emotions inscrutable. After a moment, he spoke, “Alright, after I come out of seclusion, I also have something to tell you as well.”
His tone was unusually serious, and Zanxing stepped closer, looking up at him.
Gu Baiying felt somewhat uncomfortable under her gaze. He cleared his throat and asked, “What’s the matter?”
��Are you going to confess to me?” she asked.
His expression froze, and he was momentarily at a loss for words. He awkwardly avoided her probing question, his breathing slightly uneven.
The girl was pressing him hard, and the usually fearless Gu Baiying found himself speechless, unable to counter her.
Suddenly, Zanxing stopped in her tracks and let him off the hook, sighing in disappointment. “Forget it. If you really intended to confess, the Jie Xin Bell would have sounded on its own. Unfortunately, you didn’t bring it today.” A sly smile seemed to flicker in her eyes. “Next time, remember to bring the Jie Xin Bell. I’ll listen to see if you have any intentions toward me.”
His face remained calm, but he secretly breathed a sigh of relief. With a faint snort, he replied with little conviction, “… In your dreams.”