Qihan County had recently acquired a new topic of obsession.
The Gu family's young master was returning.
This news spread faster than discounted spirit rice.
"Have you heard? Gu Mingxiao is coming back!"
"The one from the Azure Heaven Sect?"
"Thirty years old! Mid Nascent Soul!"
"Handsome, cold, untouchable!"
"His mother passed last year… he's returning for the anniversary."
Sighs echoed across tea houses. Countless young ladies swooned. Gers fainted artistically. Mothers sharpened matchmaking knives.
Gu Mingxiao himself, however, was entirely uninterested.
He stood on the deck of a flying ship, black robes unmoving in the wind, expression colder than the Northern Ice Plains. His cultivation base pressed down like a silent mountain.
"Home," he said quietly.
No excitement.
No joy.
Only duty.
—
At the Li residence, the atmosphere was much warmer.
Li Yanya and Madam Xu sat together in the side hall, tea steaming gently between them. The conversation had drifted from embroidery to children, as such conversations always did.
Madam Xu smiled, placing her cup down carefully. "Yanya… I'll be direct."
Li Yanya nodded. "Please."
"I intend to let Yichen marry Yanli," Madam Xu said calmly. "When Yanli is ready."
Li Yanya didn't even blink.
She nodded once. "Good."
Madam Xu paused, surprised. "That's… all?"
Li Yanya smiled faintly. "Yanli is steady. Yichen is gentle. They suit each other."
Madam Xu exhaled, relief washing over her face. "I'm glad we see eye to eye."
Li Yanya leaned back slightly. "Of course, if Yanli refuses—"
"He won't," Madam Xu said confidently.
Li Yanya raised a brow. "…You're sure."
Madam Xu smiled knowingly. "Very."
They clinked cups.
An alliance was silently formed.
—
Elsewhere in the Li residence, Li Yanxu was suffering.
He sat cross-legged in the secluded courtyard, surrounded by layers of formations, his expression deeply resentful.
Foundation Establishment.
He had advanced.
Against his will.
"Do you know," he muttered to the spirit space, "how stressful this is?"
The spiritual energy surged cheerfully around him.
Li Yanxu glared. "Stop being happy."
He had only intended to "solidify" his initial stage.
Just stabilize it.
Just sit quietly.
Then—boom.
Foundation Establishment.
Now his qi was purer. His senses sharper. His cultivation aura impossible to hide.
"This is exactly why I didn't want to cultivate," he complained. "People expect things."
The spirit space responded by dumping more spiritual energy on him.
Li Yanxu closed his eyes. "…I hate you."
—
That afternoon, Xu Yichen received an invitation.
Dinner.
At the Spring Cloud Pavilion, a restaurant known for its refined dishes and discreet private rooms.
He smiled softly and accepted.
Xu Junyi insisted on following.
"For protection," Xu Junyi said flatly.
Xu Yichen glanced at him. "You just don't want to be alone."
Xu Junyi sighed deeply. "I am surrounded by couples. It's a hostile environment."
—
Li Yanli arrived early.
He sat straight-backed in the private room, hands folded neatly, robes immaculate. He had reviewed three possible conversation topics and rejected all of them as inadequate.
When Xu Yichen entered, the room seemed to brighten.
Xu Yichen smiled. "Sorry, did we keep you waiting?"
"No," Li Yanli said quickly. "…I arrived early."
Xu Yichen's smile deepened slightly.
Xu Junyi sat down heavily at the far end of the table and stared at the ceiling.
"I will order," he announced. "Since I am clearly the third wheel."
Li Yanli coughed.
Xu Yichen's ears turned faintly red.
Food arrived.
Tea was poured.
The atmosphere was… gentle.
"How have you been?" Li Yanli asked.
Xu Yichen nodded. "Very well. Mother has been in good spirits lately."
Li Yanli hesitated. "About… marriage."
Xu Junyi choked on his tea.
Xu Yichen blinked, then looked down shyly. "…Mother mentioned it."
Li Yanli straightened. "I want you to know—I won't rush you. Or force anything."
Xu Yichen looked up.
Li Yanli met his gaze steadily. "I wish to cultivate, to grow stronger… but I also want a family."
Xu Yichen's heart skipped.
"…I feel the same," he said softly.
Xu Junyi slammed his cup down. "I'm going to the restroom."
He stood up dramatically. "Do not acknowledge my existence."
The door shut behind him.
Silence.
A good silence.
Li Yanli exhaled. "Xu Yichen."
"Yes?"
"…Would you be willing to walk with me after dinner?"
Xu Yichen smiled. "I would like that."
—
Outside, lanterns glowed warmly along the street.
They walked side by side, close but not touching.
Li Yanli spoke first. "I heard the Gu family's young master is returning."
Xu Yichen nodded. "Gu Mingxiao. He's… very famous."
"Yes." Li Yanli glanced at him. "Does that worry you?"
Xu Yichen smiled faintly. "No."
Li Yanli relaxed.
Xu Yichen continued, "He's too cold. And I prefer… warmth."
Li Yanli's ears turned red.
They stopped beneath a lantern.
Li Yanli took a breath. "…Xu Yichen."
Xu Yichen looked up.
"I may not be as talented as Gu Mingxiao," Li Yanli said honestly. "But I will protect you. Respect you. And—"
Xu Yichen reached out gently, touching his sleeve.
"That's enough," he said softly.
Li Yanli's heart nearly stopped.
They stood there, lantern light painting their shadows together.
—
Across the city, Gu Mingxiao arrived.
He stepped through the Gu family gates, bowed once before his mother's memorial tablet, and knelt.
"I've returned," he said quietly.
The incense burned steadily.
Outside, servants whispered.
Inside Qihan County, alliances formed, hearts aligned, and one extremely single Xu Junyi wandered the streets wondering where his life went wrong.
And somewhere in the Li residence, Li Yanxu sneezed mid-cultivation.
"…Someone's plotting again," he muttered.
The Heavenly Dao remained silent.
It had learned not to interfere.
--
-
The Moon-Water Poetic Pavilion was at its most beautiful at night.
Lanterns floated like captured stars along the eaves, their reflections trembling softly in the lake below. The pavilion itself stood half over water, half on land, carved with verses from ancient poems—lines about longing, separation, reunion, and love that never faded even when dynasties did.
Gu Mingxiao arrived quietly.
He was dressed in dark robes trimmed with silver, his long hair tied back simply, no unnecessary ornamentation. Behind him followed a few fellow disciples from the Azure Heaven Sect—young men and women with sharp auras and lively voices, laughing as they pointed out scenery.
Gu Mingxiao did not laugh.
He nodded politely when spoken to, answered when required, but his gaze drifted often to the lake, to the lanterns, to the faint mist curling above the water.
It had been a year since his mother's death.
He had cultivated relentlessly, as if distance and power could dull grief. But returning home only made the absence clearer. The world was unchanged; only she was gone.
"Brother Gu," one of the disciples said cheerfully, "this pavilion is famous for encounters, you know. They say many couples first meet here."
Gu Mingxiao hummed noncommittally.
He did not believe in such things.
At the same time, at the opposite entrance of the pavilion, another group arrived.
Li Yanxu stepped inside with Xu Yichen and Li Yanli, the lantern light brushing his features softly. He wore pale robes tonight, loose and flowing, the fabric catching the glow of firelight like water. His blue eyes reflected the lake so perfectly they looked unreal.
Xu Yichen smiled gently. "This place is beautiful."
Li Yanli nodded. "It's peaceful."
Li Yanxu stretched his arms lazily. "Romantic, too."
Xu Yichen glanced at him. "You're planning something."
Li Yanxu grinned. "Of course I am."
He stopped walking suddenly and gestured grandly toward a side path. "You two go ahead. There's a poetry corridor there—perfect for quiet conversation and accidental hand-holding."
Xu Yichen flushed. "Yanxu—"
Li Yanli coughed. "…We can walk together later."
Li Yanxu waved them off without mercy. "Later is for regret. Go."
Xu Yichen hesitated, then smiled shyly. Li Yanli nodded, his ears already red. The two walked away side by side, their steps unconsciously synchronized.
Li Yanxu watched them go, satisfied.
"Good," he muttered. "One task complete."
He turned toward the lake.
The bridge that arched over the water was narrow and elegant, carved from white stone, its railing lined with lanterns shaped like lotus buds. The lake beneath was dark and deep, reflecting the sky so clearly it looked like another world.
Li Yanxu walked onto the bridge slowly.
He didn't know why his chest felt strange.
Not tight.
Not painful.
Just… expectant.
At the same time, Gu Mingxiao found himself separating from his companions.
He didn't consciously decide to. One moment he was listening to idle conversation; the next, his feet were carrying him toward the bridge, toward the lake.
Something tugged at him.
A quiet pull.
As if the night itself had called his name.
He stepped onto the bridge.
And stopped.
So did Li Yanxu.
They stood at opposite ends of the bridge.
Lantern light flickered between them.
Mist curled upward from the water, thin as breath.
Their eyes met.
The world… stilled.
Five minutes passed.
No one spoke.
No one moved.
The sound of the pavilion—laughter, music, footsteps—faded until it was nothing more than a distant echo.
Gu Mingxiao felt it first.
A sharp, aching pull deep in his chest, like something long-lost had suddenly appeared before him. His breath caught. His heart, long disciplined and steady, faltered for the first time in years.
Who…
His gaze traced the stranger's face—delicate but not fragile, beautiful in a way that felt natural rather than cultivated. Those eyes—blue, impossibly blue—held reflected lantern light like stars trapped beneath ice.
Gu Mingxiao had seen countless beautiful people.
None had ever made him forget how to breathe.
Li Yanxu felt it too.
It was terrifying.
And wonderful.
His lazy, drifting heart—content with watching others fall in love, content with staying untouched—lurched violently, like a door flung open by a storm.
His thoughts scattered.
He had never believed in love at first sight.
Modern common sense said it was a chemical illusion.
But as he stood there, unable to look away, something deeper than logic stirred—something old, something that did not belong to either world he had lived in.
Gu Mingxiao took a step forward.
Li Yanxu did not retreat.
The lanterns swayed gently, as if the wind itself held its breath.
Gu Mingxiao stopped a few paces away.
Up close, the pull intensified.
The grief he carried, heavy and quiet, softened strangely in this person's presence—as if the ache had finally found somewhere to rest.
"You…" Gu Mingxiao began, then stopped.
What could he say?
Who are you?
Why do you matter?
None of it felt sufficient.
Li Yanxu swallowed.
He was very aware of his own heartbeat.
Ridiculously aware.
"…The lake is pretty tonight," he said finally, voice softer than usual.
Gu Mingxiao nodded. "Yes."
Another pause.
Five minutes had already passed.
Neither of them wanted the moment to end.
Gu Mingxiao studied Li Yanxu's expression—the faint melancholy there, the gentleness hiding beneath an easy demeanor. He saw someone who had known loss, and endurance, and quiet loneliness.
Without realizing it, his hand tightened slightly at his side.
"My name is Gu Mingxiao," he said.
Li Yanxu smiled.
It wasn't his teasing smile.
It wasn't his lazy smile.
It was honest.
"Li Yanxu."
The names settled between them like a vow.
From the pavilion, someone called Gu Mingxiao's name.
From the corridor, Li Yanya's voice faintly echoed, undoubtedly shouting about something Li Yanxu had done wrong.
Neither moved.
Gu Mingxiao spoke quietly. "I… don't usually linger."
Li Yanxu nodded. "I don't usually feel like this."
Their eyes met again.
Understanding bloomed without explanation.
Gu Mingxiao felt a warmth spread through his chest—gentle, unfamiliar, but profoundly right. For the first time since his mother's death, the future did not look like an endless path walked alone.
Li Yanxu felt something settle inside him.
A certainty.
A terrifying one.
So this is it, he thought. So this is how it feels.
Love.
At first sight.
Lantern light shimmered.
Water rippled.
The bridge held.
And in the quiet heart of Qihan County, beneath the watchful glow of lanterns and moonlight, two souls recognized each other at last.
Neither of them knew it yet.
But from that moment on—
Nothing would ever be the same.