Zhi Xuan stood one step behind the girl, his sapphire blue eyes staring at the reflections of light dancing on the water's surface. Yet, behind that stillness, his mind was in a violent turmoil. Zhu Qinglan's words about the silhouette of a Great Emperor from a distant time continued to echo, clashing with Ruo Xianxue's warning urging him to stay away.

  Zhi Xuan stood frozen on the edge of the decaying wooden pier, his eyes fixed on the reflections of the swaying lanterns on the river's surface. Beside him, Zhu Qinglan stood with a frozen elegance, as if she were an ice statue placed in the middle of a human fire festival.

  Mei Hua suddenly turned, her cloud silk dress fluttering and creating unnatural ripples of light. She tugged at the hem of Zhi Xuan's robe with her left hand, while her right hand remained cradling Lulu. "Big Brother Zhi Xuan, why are you just standing there? Lulu says you have to write a wish on the red paper and then set it adrift. If not, your wish will be eaten by the hungry Night Monster!"

  Zhi Xuan snapped out of his reverie. He knelt in front of Mei Hua, trying to smile even though his heart felt as heavy as the Xuan-Huang Energy he harbored. "The Night Monster won't dare eat my wish, Mei Hua. But alright, for Lulu's sake, I will do it."

  Zhu Qinglan slowly approached, handing over two lotus lanterns she had just bought from an old grandmother by the roadside. She gave one lantern to Zhi Xuan and held the other herself. "Write something, Zhi Xuan. Not as a cultivator, but as a human."

  Zhi Xuan accepted the lantern with his still-warm right hand. He took a small brush available on a nearby wooden table. For a moment, he hesitated. What would a youth whose body was half-demon desire? Did he want the power to destroy his enemies, or did he merely want peace in the star village that had long since vanished?

  Finally, with a steady motion, Zhi Xuan wrote several characters on the thin red paper. He did not write of immortality or heavenly thrones. He only wrote one short sentence: "May this light remain when the darkness comes."

  Zhu Qinglan glanced at the writing, her gray eyes trembling slightly. She wrote her own characters very quickly, as if she had known what to write for thousands of years. Without showing it to Zhi Xuan, she immediately folded the paper and tucked it into the heart of the lotus.

  "Come on, Big Brother! Beautiful Big Sister! Hurry!" Mei Hua cried out impatiently. The little girl did not have a lantern of her own, but she seemed incredibly enthusiastic to see the lanterns belonging to the two adults.

  The three of them stepped to the riverbank. Zhi Xuan and Zhu Qinglan knelt on the grass damp with night dew. Simultaneously, they released the lanterns into the calm current. The two lotus lights swam away, slowly merging with thousands of other lights drifting downstream.

  "Ugh, Big Brother Zhi Xuan..." Mei Hua's voice suddenly dropped, losing its earlier high-pitched joyful tone. She stood still between the two of them, staring straight toward the river's horizon where the darkness began to swallow the lantern lights. "What was that just now? Mei Hua is sleepy."

  Zhi Xuan immediately caught Mei Hua's tiny body before the girl fell onto the damp ground. Mei Hua's head slumped onto Zhi Xuan's shoulder, her breath instantly becoming very faint, as if she were sleeping, as if she had just forgotten something. The Lulu doll she had been clutching tightly was now released, falling onto the grass on its back, staring at the night sky with its empty button eyes.

  "Mei Hua?" Zhi Xuan murmured, pulling the little girl into his arms. He leaned down to pick up the Lulu doll in his other hand, then stood back up. "She suddenly fell asleep."

  "Zhi Xuan," Zhu Qinglan whispered, her voice almost lost to the wind. "Look at that doll. It is not covered in dust despite falling on the ground, and the girl's hair... it is not wet from the night dew."

  Zhi Xuan looked down, staring at the Lulu doll now in his left hand wrapped in blue cloth. Qinglan was right; the cloth doll looked perfectly clean, as if the natural laws of dirt and cleanliness did not apply to it.

  "She is always like this, Qinglan," Zhi Xuan replied in a low tone, tightening his embrace on Mei Hua, who felt as light as cotton. "Suddenly appearing, saying nonsensical things, then falling asleep or disappearing just like that."

  He looked up again and gazed at Zhu Qinglan, offering a small, calming smile. "Rest assured, she is not dangerous. Let us enjoy our own time, at least for tonight."

  Zhu Qinglan stared at Mei Hua's peaceful face for a moment, then turned to Zhi Xuan. She exhaled and her cheeks flushed faintly, a thin cold mist escaping her lips, slowly melting the tension that had frozen her shoulders. "Do not look at me like that."

  Zhi Xuan chuckled lowly, a sound that was rarely heard so freely. He turned his gaze back toward the river's flow, letting the night's silence and the lantern glow envelop them.

  "I just find it strange," Zhi Xuan said as he began to walk slowly along the riverbank, carrying Mei Hua with great care. "You often blush when I look at you for too long."

  Zhu Qinglan walked at his side, her light steps leaving almost no sound on the grass. "You, wild devil. You are the most conspicuous disturbance in my path of cultivation, Zhi Xuan."

  "Just a disturbance?" Zhi Xuan raised an eyebrow, his sapphire eyes glinting playfully under the dim light. "I wonder if it is this disturbance that makes you want to freeze the entire world so I have nowhere else to flee but to you?"

  Zhu Qinglan stopped her steps for a moment, staring at Zhi Xuan with a deep gray gaze, as if trying to pierce the ghost veil he wore again. "Do not quote my own words to tease me. That is... that is unfair."

  "This world is indeed unfair, Qinglan," Zhi Xuan replied, his voice softening now, losing its teasing tone. "But tonight, for the umpteenth time, I feel the world's injustice has provided a fitting compensation. Seeing you here, without frost on your face... it is worth more than a thousand spiritual pills."

  Zhu Qinglan turned her face toward the river, but she could not hide the small smile etched on her lips. "Your mouth has truly become sweeter after being wrapped in blue cloth. Has that cloth also bound your sharp tongue?"

  "Perhaps," Zhi Xuan shrugged, feeling Mei Hua move slightly in her sleep. "Or perhaps it is because I am simply enjoying the time with you."

  They reached a small stone bridge arching beautifully over a stream. There, the crowd was not too dense. Zhu Qinglan rested her hand on the cold stone railing, staring at the receding lanterns.

  "Zhi Xuan," Zhu Qinglan called softly.

  "Hmm?"

  "What did you actually write on that lantern earlier? 'May this light remain when the darkness comes'... do you truly feel the darkness is already so close?"

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  Zhi Xuan fell silent, staring at his left hand wrapped in the blue cloth given by Qinglan. "The darkness is never far away, Qinglan. It is in here, pulsing along with my heart. I only hope that when I one day sink into the Abyss, I will always find light, one of which is you."

  Zhu Qinglan was stunned, her slender fingers gripping the edge of the stone bridge until a thin layer of ice crept beneath her palm. Zhi Xuan's sentence was not a mere mortal flirtation; it was the confession of a soldier who knew his final battlefield might be himself.

  "You will not sink alone," Zhu Qinglan whispered without turning, yet her voice carried the firmness of heavenly law. "If you fall into that abyss, I will freeze the entire abyss until it becomes a crystal staircase so you can crawl back up."

  Zhi Xuan stared at the side profile of the woman's face, the firm yet beautiful jawline illuminated by the yellow glow of a lantern passing under the bridge. "I will always remember that. Tomorrow, we may be separated for hundreds of years. One day we will meet again, with me having become someone equal to you."

  Zhu Qinglan remained silent for a long time, letting the gurgling of the river fill the void between them. She slowly turned her body, staring straight into Zhi Xuan's sapphire pupils which now radiated a determination harder than ancient jade.

  "Hundreds of years..." Zhu Qinglan murmured, her delicate fingers now touching Zhi Xuan's right wrist which held the Lulu doll. "To the outside world, that is time enough to topple a dynasty, time for mortal humans to live and die. But to me, it is only like a blink in cultivation."

  Zhu Qinglan looked intently into Zhi Xuan's eyes, as if wanting to carve every inch of emotion there into her soul. "But you are right, Zhi Xuan. This world will demand you to grow faster than anyone. The Three Plains Competition is only the beginning. There, you will not only fight geniuses, but you will fight the current of fate trying to swallow you."

  Zhi Xuan nodded slowly, feeling Mei Hua's weight in his arms as a tangible reminder of the responsibility he bore. "I know. And when that day comes, when I stand at the peak of immortality, I do not want to stand there as a stranger to you."

  "You will never be a stranger," Zhu Qinglan interrupted quickly, her voice rising slightly yet remaining soft. "Even if half your body turns black, even if the world calls you a devil, I will still recognize you by this foolish heartbeat of yours."

  Zhi Xuan chuckled, though there was a sting tucked in his chest. "Foolish? So, now this man is merely a foolish youth in your eyes?"

  "Always," Zhu Qinglan replied with a slightly wider smile, now emboldening herself to touch the blue cloth wrapping Zhi Xuan's left hand. "Only a fool would carry the weight of the world just to see a woman smile by the river."

  "In that case, I am the happiest fool in Emperor Dragon City tonight," Zhi Xuan replied. He looked down at the still-sleeping Mei Hua, then back toward the river. "Look, our lanterns have almost disappeared around the downstream bend."

  Zhu Qinglan followed Zhi Xuan's gaze. "Let them go, carrying our prayers. Heaven may not always listen, but this river will keep them in its flow."

  "I have watched you grow, from the one said to be the Black-Haired Devil, the Herald of Devil, until now," Zhu Qinglan continued with a hint of melancholy, staring far down the river. "Whatever you do in Yao Gu later, remember when you are on the brink of death that I will pull your soul and destroy it for myself. I am your end; do not die by any hand but mine."

  "So cruel," Zhi Xuan replied with a thin smirk, lowering his face to whisper into Zhu Qinglan's ear. "Then, do not cry if I truly die by your hand."

  Zhu Qinglan turned her face away, but her tiny ears turning red behind her hair could not hide the turmoil in her heart. She snorted softly, a sound more akin to a spoiled complaint than a high-level cultivator's threat.

  "You think I will cry? I will only freeze your corpse so you remain eternal in regret for having left me," she whispered, her voice trembling slightly yet full of a beautiful sharpness.

  Zhi Xuan adjusted his hold on Mei Hua, feeling the little girl's breath grow deeper. "If that happens, at least I will be the most handsome ice statue you have ever owned, Holy Fairy."

  "Still finding the time to be a charmer," Zhu Qinglan rolled her eyes, then she looked at the Lulu doll dangling in Zhi Xuan's hand. "This child... what will you do with her after tonight ends?"

  "I have already considered her my adopted younger sister," Zhi Xuan replied calmly, pulling his face back and looking at Zhu Qinglan. "Of course I will take her; although she often disappears suddenly, she always finds a way to reappear."

  Zhu Qinglan stared at Mei Hua's peaceful face, then back at Zhi Xuan with lingering doubt. "Adopted sister? You are bringing a strange little girl, considering her a sister? You are truly looking for trouble, Zhi Xuan."

  "Trouble has been my shadow since I left the village, Qinglan," Zhi Xuan said as he began to step down the stone bridge. "Besides, look at her. How could I leave this brat, who doesn't even know how to eat a bun properly, in this cold world?"

  "Qing'er," he continued, calling Zhu Qinglan by that intimate name, turning sideways to offer her a thin smile. "Do not worry, it is not as if I am ignoring you."

  "You..." Zhu Qinglan bit her lower lip, her usually porcelain-white face now flushed a deep red down to her neck. "How dare you call me that again in this place, Zhi Xuan!"

  Zhi Xuan did not stop walking; he only laughed heartily seeing the reaction of the Holy Fairy, who usually kept such a distance from worldly emotions. "Did you not say yourself that tonight I am not a cultivator? As an ordinary youth, is it not natural for me to call my karmic bond by her childhood name?"

  "C-childhood name?" Zhu Qinglan was stunned, her steps stopping in the middle of the bridge. The word felt heavier than the Ice Laws she had studied for decades. "You truly have lost your sense of shame, Wild Devil."

  Zhi Xuan turned around; though his hands were full carrying Mei Hua and holding Lulu, he was still able to radiate a charisma that left several passing mortal inhabitants entranced. "Losing my sense of shame is a small price to pay to see your blushing face, Qing'er. Look, the lanterns around you even seem dim compared to your glow right now."

  "Zhi Xuan! Stop or I truly will freeze your tongue!" Zhu Qinglan quickened her pace to catch up, trying to cover her face with her wide sleeve. However, the light in her eyes could not lie; there was a surge of happiness overflowing there.

  Zhi Xuan quickened his pace with a laugh still lingering in his throat, letting his black robe flutter low, brushing the grass. He turned slightly, seeing Zhu Qinglan trying to chase him with steps that remained graceful yet hurried.

  "You cannot freeze my tongue if you cannot catch me, Holy Fairy!" Zhi Xuan called out playfully.

  "Do not challenge me, Foolish Devil! I can freeze this entire river just to stop your steps!" Zhu Qinglan replied. Her melodious voice now sounded more alive, losing the flat tone she usually used in front of the sect elders.

  Mei Hua moved slightly in Zhi Xuan's embrace, mumbling something about flying buns in her sleep, causing Zhi Xuan to immediately slow his pace so as not to wake the girl. Zhu Qinglan finally managed to catch up, standing beside him with slightly irregular breath.

  "Look," Zhu Qinglan said while pointing toward the city square, which was now filled with fireworks beginning to explode in the night sky. "The peak of the festival has begun."

  Zhi Xuan looked up. Multi-colored lights roofed the sky of Emperor Dragon City, reflecting in his sapphire eyes and casting a hue on his silver hair. "Beautiful. Far more beautiful than the explosions of high-level cultivation techniques we usually see."

  "Because this carries no killing intent," Zhu Qinglan whispered. She stood close enough that her shoulder touched Zhi Xuan's right arm. "Only sincere joy."

  Zhi Xuan looked down at Mei Hua, then turned to Zhu Qinglan. "Qing'er, if one day a great war truly breaks out... can we still see something like this again?"

  Zhu Qinglan was silent for a moment, her eyes fixed on a firework that faded, replaced by a new explosion. "As long as there is life, humans will always find a way to celebrate light. But for us... it depends on how strongly you grip your sword, and how strongly I freeze your enemies."

  "A very typical answer for a cultivator," Zhi Xuan snorted softly, then he smiled. "But I like it. It means we will not just surrender to fate."

  "Of course not," Zhu Qinglan stated firmly. She stared at the Lulu doll still dangling in Zhi Xuan's hand. "Give me that doll. Your hands are full carrying Mei Hua."

  Zhi Xuan was slightly surprised, but he handed the cloth doll to Zhu Qinglan. "Be careful; Lulu is very protective of Mei Hua. Do not let yourself offend it."

  Zhu Qinglan accepted the doll with her fingertips, staring at Lulu's flat face with a strange curiosity. "Protective? For an inanimate object? You truly have associated with mystic items for too long that your mind is starting to be affected."

  "Hey, I'm serious! Mei Hua said Lulu can talk," Zhi Xuan protested while walking slowly toward a quieter teahouse by the river.

  "And you believe her?" Zhu Qinglan followed, now holding Lulu in a more relaxed manner, though her eyes remained alert.

  "After seeing Mei Hua appear in the middle of the city like this, I would believe it if she said the moon was actually a giant wheat cake," Zhi Xuan answered honestly.