A major upheaval can change a person in many ways. Lin Que was one such case and Jiang Moqing was no exception.
Ever since she went missing during a mission and was rescued by Lin Que, the once-aloof, ice-cold senior sister had gradually begun to change, showing hints of human warmth.
Jiang Moqing confided in Lin Que that her real name was not Wang Moqing, but Jiang Moqing, the sole surviving heir of the Jiang clan.
Years ago, the Jiang family had been wiped out in a massacre. Every member, young and old, perished except for her. She was saved by their master, An Xiaoyao, but had no choice but to live under a false identity ever since.
Over the years, An Xiaoyao had tried to persuade her to let go of the past, but a fire of unquenchable anger continued to burn in Jiang Moqing’s heart.
She wanted revenge. Even if it cost her life and soul, she wanted to take a piece of flesh from those who wronged her.
The mission assigned by the elder had been to investigate whether her enemies were colluding with demonic cultivators and shockingly, someone among them knew of her true identity.
It was clearly a trap meant for her, but Jiang Moqing had no choice. If she backed down, she would no longer be Jiang Moqing.
The result was… her investigation was exposed. She was hunted down by her enemies, and after days of bloody battle, exhausted and cornered, Jiang Moqing refused to be taken alive. She prepared to self-detonate her Core to take them down with her.
But at that very moment, Lin Que descended like a divine warrior, with unstoppable might. Not only did he slay the enemies chasing Jiang Moqing, but he also stormed directly into their stronghold and returned their cruelty in kind.
Only then did the hatred in Jiang Moqing’s heart find closure.
Due to her injuries, Jiang Moqing had to recuperate for several months in seclusion. Unable to train during this time, she found herself with plenty of free time.
She began trying her hand at cooking, preparing a full table of dishes before Lin Que returned. Though she never said it outright, she would look at him with anticipation, silently hoping to hear his opinion of her cooking.
During this time, what Jiang Moqing looked forward to most each day was Lin Que’s return. Seeing him eat the meal she had prepared and watching the fatigue melt from his face.
At those moments, her gaze toward Lin Que would soften, and an unconscious, faint smile would tug at the corners of her lips.
Naturally, Lin Que didn’t remain indifferent. Every time he came back, he would bring her preserved fruits and pastries. Worried she might be bored staying alone in the cave dwelling, he also bought little trinkets to decorate her room.
Eventually, the scale of things grew so much that the two of them simply decided to remodel the entire place to suit their tastes. They made a fish pond, a pavilion, and beautiful greenery. The once cold and lifeless cave abode gradually became warm and inviting.
It began to feel more like a home. One that belonged to the two of them.
Senior Sister Jiang probably yearned for this kind of peaceful and happy life too, didn’t she?
Watching all this, Qin Wanyuan couldn’t help but feel a little bitter.
Even though she knew these were things that had already happened in the past, witnessing them with her own eyes was a different experience entirely. As she watched the young Lin Que and Jiang Moqing grow ever closer, how could she remain unaffected?
At the same time, she couldn’t help but feel a bit of awe…. that it had taken nearly six years for these two cold-hearted people to go from strangers to lovers.
Lin Que saving Jiang Moqing had merely been the starting point. What truly allowed them to become Dao companions was the time they spent together over the years…. the way they supported each other through hardship, and most of all, the feelings that had gradually deepened through the seemingly ordinary moments of everyday life.
Even during Lin Que’s lowest moments, Jiang Moqing never looked down on him. She treated him the same as always…. with respect and calm composure.
And the same was true the other way around.
It was through this mutual understanding that the once cold-eyed, emotionally distant young man who had first moved into the cave dwelling gradually became the Lin Que that Qin Wanyuan was now familiar with.
Scene after scene passed before Qin Wanyuan’s eyes, finally coming to a halt at the moonlit pavilion.
It was the Mid-Autumn Festival, a time of full moons and blooming flowers.
Jiang Moqing had invited Lin Que to drink and admire the moon with her.
The two of them sat together under the pavilion, silently gazing at each other.
After a long pause, Lin Que finally spoke.
“Senior Sister, why have you been avoiding me these past few days?”
Lately, Jiang Moqing had been keeping to her room. On the rare occasions she came out, she was always holding a book, yet wouldn’t let Lin Que see it. It all felt a little too deliberate.
Lin Que was confused.
In response, Jiang Moqing merely filled two cups with wine, raised one to him, and motioned for a toast.
“Drink first. Then I’ll tell you,” she said softly.
Lin Que nodded, clinked glasses with her, and downed his cup. Jiang Moqing followed suit.
One cup after another, time slipped by unnoticed. The stars and moon began to sink low in the sky; it was now the dead of night.
A faint flush of drunkenness had crept onto Lin Que’s face. He rarely drank, and tonight might have been the first time he’d gotten this tipsy.
Still, he hadn’t forgotten what he came to ask.
“Senior Sister… why have you been… avoiding me lately?”
Lin Que was completely drunk. Even the scene before his eyes had begun to blur and take on a dreamlike quality.
He saw moonlight cascading through the night sky, casting a soft glow on the fair and delicate face of the cool, aloof fairy before him. Her cheeks were tinged with a blush like a shy, half-bloomed peach blossom.
The next second, her lips parted slightly.
“Because… I wanted to give you a surprise.”
“A surprise?”
Lin Que was confused, but before he could say anything, a faint fragrance drifted over. To his astonishment, the fairy moved with the grace of a cat, climbing lightly onto the table and crawling toward him.
In an instant, the distance between them disappeared. Her soft, wine-scented lips met his, and her nimble tongue slipped past his teeth to entwine with his.
It was a clumsy kiss…yet so earnest.
This was the surprise Jiang Moqing had prepared for him. The aloof fairy knew nothing of love between men and women, and the young swordsman knew no better.
But she was willing to buy books, to study in secret…all for him. Just to give him a surprise he’d never forget.
Lin Que froze…. yet his arms instinctively wrapped around the fairy’s slender waist, as if reluctant to let her go.
The sweet and lingering kiss stretched on for a long, long while.
However,
What they didn’t know was that outside the pavilion, a woman in a light blue flowing dress was clutching the hem of her skirt, her eyes wide open, and her pupils trembling.
This had clearly already happened in the past. She had wanted to understand his past. She had known….should have known that the two of them would eventually grow this close…
But why did it hurt so much when the scene replayed before her eyes?
Qin Wanyuan pressed her lips together, shut her eyes tightly, and took a deep, steady breath before opening them again.
She was only a bystander now. Besides, this was something that had happened long ago. There was no reason to be this shaken.
Endure it.
No matter how she felt in this moment, the story continued to unfold.
Their lips parted and they saw a trace of intoxicated daze in each other’s eyes. Like a cat, Jiang Moqing braced herself on the table with her hands and knees. The collar of her plain white robe had slipped slightly, exposing a deep white cleavage formed by the gentle curves of her chest.
Lin Que couldn’t look away, and Jiang Moqing noticed. She gently took his hand and guided it beneath her, the corners of her lips lifting into a faint smile.
“Do you want to touch?”
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