Xia Lianqiao was completely stunned, staring at the young man before her. It had only been half a month since they last met, yet he now exuded an unfamiliar aura that made her feel both hesitant and nostalgic. After a long pause, she stammered, "Ling... Fellow Daoist?"
It was Ling Chongxiao.
Why was he here? According to the timeline of the original story, shouldn't he be with Li Langhuan and Bai Ji'an?
"Why are you here?" she asked.
The young man's expression remained impassive. "Should I not be here?"
Xia Lianqiao: "You should be with Langhuan."
As soon as she mentioned Li Langhuan, Ling Chongxiao's attention was immediately captured. "Where is Fellow Daoist Li?"
Xia Lianqiao pointed in the direction she had come from, deliberately exaggerating the situation. "Over there. Fellow Daoist, you should hurry. There are many demons around, and I'm worried about Fellow Daoist Li—"
"Ahhhh—"
As it turned out, she shouldn't have exaggerated too much. With a flash of sword light, Ling Chongxiao swiftly formed a sword seal and hoisted her onto his flying sword.
The feeling of riding a missile-like sword again...
Xia Lianqiao silently wept inside. Although she had recently been learning how to fly on a sword, she still couldn't get used to the brutal flying style of sword cultivators.
To distract herself, she glanced at Ling Chongxiao in front of her.
His jet-black hair was tied high into a white silk Daoist crown. The young man was full of vigor, his sharp brows carrying a hint of elegance, yet his frown was cold and severe. His waist was slender, the Daoist crown sat tall on his head, and the collar of his robe was neatly—or rather, ascetically—buttoned up to the very top.
It felt like he had become even more unapproachable in the past half month, exuding an icy aura that made him seem like a walking refrigerator, with snowflakes practically drifting around him.
Even though she knew he was an iceberg, Xia Lianqiao still mustered the courage to inch closer to him.
The young man's expression remained as cold and indifferent as ever.
Xia Lianqiao secretly grabbed hold of Ling Chongxiao's sleeve. Seeing that he continued to stare ahead, breaking through the clouds without seeming to notice her actions, she finally let out a small sigh of relief.
Her heart felt like it was being filled with air, light and expanding. She couldn't help but gently purse her lips.
The sword light circled a few times above the XiaoXiang Marsh, quickly locating Li Langhuan and Bai Ji'an. From above, it was clear that the two were surrounded by a group of water demons, crocodile demons, and the like.
For Li Langhuan, these demons weren't too difficult to handle, but they were certainly annoying.
Of course, all of this ceased to be a problem once Ling Chongxiao arrived.
The young man embodied the brutal fighting style of a sword cultivator. With a single point of his sword finger, a surge of sword energy shot into the sky, the sword light splitting into eighteen rays and annihilating all the water ghosts, crocodile demons, and crab spirits in sight.
Li Langhuan and Bai Ji'an both looked up in surprise, following the trail of sword light.
Li Langhuan (Bai Ji'an): "Fellow Daoist Ling? Lian Qiao?!"
The flying sword descended.
Xia Lianqiao, feeling utterly drained, jumped off the sword and couldn't help but ask, "Fellow Daoist Ling, can we make a deal? Next time, could you fly a bit slower?"
The young man didn't look at her this time, his gaze fixed on Li Langhuan in the distance. Xia Lianqiao quickly added, "I'm afraid I might throw up on your head."
Clearly, Ling Chongxiao had no sense of humor. He finally turned to look at her, but only to frown and shoot her a cold glare, his eyes like two icy stars piercing through her. "Speak less. Too many words harm your qi."
Alright, she could understand. It had been a while since he'd seen Li Langhuan, so his attention was naturally elsewhere.
From the moment he saw Li Langhuan, the young man's gaze had been firmly fixed on her. To Xia Lianqiao, he looked utterly infatuated, completely undignified.
Seeing Ling Chongxiao—especially one accompanied by Xia Lianqiao—Li Langhuan was naturally overjoyed.
She sheathed her sword and was about to step forward to greet him when she suddenly stumbled, a pained expression crossing her face.
Xia Lianqiao, Bai Ji'an, and Ling Chongxiao were all momentarily stunned.
Ling Chongxiao immediately moved to help her.
Xia Lianqiao, who had been on guard against Ling Chongxiao making a move on Li Langhuan, instantly guessed his intentions.
This was the perfect opportunity for Bai Ji'an to step in and help Li Langhuan, who had twisted her ankle. Ling Chongxiao, you third wheel, stay out of it! Seeing Ling Chongxiao about to act, Xia Lianqiao panicked and decided to go all out. She grabbed his sleeve and dramatically leaned into him.
Just as Ling Chongxiao was about to step forward, he felt a tug on his sleeve. The girl had playfully leaned half her body against him.
Ling Chongxiao stiffened. "...Move away."
Meanwhile, Bai Ji'an successfully reached Li Langhuan and asked with concern, "Langhuan, are you alright?"
Li Langhuan shook her head. "I hurt my ankle while fighting the demons."
Witnessing this scene, Ling Chongxiao's eyelashes flickered slightly. His gaze dropped, and his voice was icy. "Let go."
Xia Lianqiao shook her head like a rattle drum, not only refusing to let go but gripping even tighter. She had already made such a sacrifice—there was no way she was backing out now!
Ling Chongxiao, unable to shake her off, fixed her with a frosty stare, his cold eyes boring into her.
The intensity of his gaze was terrifying, sending a shiver down Xia Lianqiao's spine.
He stared at her unblinkingly, his voice cold as he pried her hand off his sleeve. "Let go."
His gaze was both indifferent and sharp, so detached that it carried an inexplicable sense of aggression, as if he could see right through her.
The moment their fingers touched, Xia Lianqiao felt a sudden wave of panic and fear, instinctively releasing her grip.
Only then did the young man lower his eyes to adjust his sleeve, completely ignoring her presence.
When he looked up again, his moon-like eyes were fixed on Bai Ji'an and Li Langhuan.
Why was he still looking? Stop it! Langhuan belongs to Bai Ji'an, not you, you rigid little iceberg! Seeing this, Xia Lianqiao had no choice but to bite the bullet and continue her act. "Ah, I think I twisted my ankle when I jumped off the sword."
Ling Chongxiao ignored her.
Xia Lianqiao resorted to hopping on one foot in front of Ling Chongxiao, blocking his view of Li Langhuan. She bounced around in front of him, trying to lean into him. "Fellow Daoist Ling, could you help me, please?"
Ling Chongxiao's gaze merely swept over her. Not only did he show no pity, but he even sent a burst of sword energy her way.
Faced with danger, Xia Lianqiao instinctively dodged, her movements as agile as a soaring hawk, smooth and swift as flowing water.
Xia Lianqiao: "..."
Sorry, could she rewind and start over? But since she had already committed to the act, she had no choice but to quickly strike a one-legged pose and continue the awkward performance.
Unfortunately, her actions spoke louder than words. The young man's expression remained cold and indifferent, completely unmoved, as if waiting to see how far she would take this charade.
Meeting his detached gaze, Xia Lianqiao: "..." You're really such a blockhead, aren't you?!
Their commotion had likely caught Bai Ji'an's attention. After ensuring Li Langhuan was fine, he walked over to Xia Lianqiao. "Lian Qiao, what's going on?"
Xia Lianqiao continued to brazenly lie. "I twisted my ankle."
Bai Ji'an frowned. "Can you walk? If not, I can carry you."
“Wait, I don’t need—” Before she could finish her sentence, she felt herself being lifted, and the next moment, she found herself lying on Bai Ji'an’s back.
Xia Lianqiao: “…” It seems like raising Bai Ji'an’s favorability too quickly over the past half month was a mistake.
After “Xia Lianqiao” stopped causing trouble, Bai Ji'an’s attitude toward her had noticeably softened. He frequently acted like an elder, perhaps because she was the daughter of an old friend. Throughout the journey, he treated her like a child, taking care of her every need.
She could only watch as Ling Chongxiao walked toward Li Langhuan. The two stood together, chatting about something, and the young man’s usually cold expression softened for once. All the sacrifices she had just made were instantly in vain.
Xia Lianqiao slumped dejectedly on Bai Ji'an’s shoulder. “What am I going to do with you, Brother Bai?”
“No need to thank me,” Bai Ji'an replied with a carefree laugh, adjusting her on his back as he walked steadily. “I promised your father I’d take care of you.”
Xia Lianqiao stared at the lean, broad-shouldered figure in front of her. His jet-black hair was tied up with a single ribbon, exuding an air of effortless charm.
But at this moment, she was so furious that she wanted to grab his hair ribbon and shout in his ear, “Are you an idiot?!”
Can’t you see the green clouds forming above your head? Where’s your flirtatious, high-EQ playboy persona? Don’t you notice someone trying to steal your girl right under your nose?
“Brother Bai, don’t you think there’s something between Ling Chongxiao and Langhuan…” Xia Lianqiao ventured.
Bai Ji'an: “What?”
How much clearer did she need to be? Xia Lianqiao took a deep breath and blurted out boldly, “That guy is definitely in love with Langhuan. Don’t you believe me?”
Bai Ji'an paused, his gaze falling on the two figures not far away.
Xia Lianqiao’s heart skipped a beat. Was he finally reacting?
She held her breath, waiting for Bai Ji'an’s response, but instead, he laughed lightly and said, “Langhuan is carefree and charming. Ling Chongxiao is young and full of spirit. It’s only natural for a gentleman to admire a fair lady.”
Xia Lianqiao: “…” She was so angry she wanted to grab Bai Ji'an by the collar and slap him.
The girl’s indignant tone amused Bai Ji'an. “Lian Qiao, why do you sound so worked up? Could it be that you have feelings for Ling…”
Xia Lianqiao shuddered. “No, no, no! Don’t even joke about that.”
Bai Ji'an chuckled. “Alright, I won’t say anything more.”
Still, if Xia Lianqiao did have feelings for Ling Chongxiao, it wouldn’t be a bad thing. At least it would keep her from developing feelings for him. The thought made Bai Ji'an sigh inwardly.
To be honest, Xia Lianqiao’s feelings toward Ling Chongxiao were also quite complicated.
She occasionally enjoyed witnessing the subtle interactions between Ling Chongxiao and Li Langhuan, but she didn’t want any romantic feelings to develop between them.
Or rather, she didn’t want Li Langhuan to fall too deeply for Ling Chongxiao. Ideally, there would be no feelings at all. Meanwhile, Ling Chongxiao should realize his own feelings for Li Langhuan, pining for her unrequitedly. That would be the perfect scenario.
After all…
Xia Lianqiao pursed her lips, her heart sinking.
In the original story, Li Langhuan died shielding Ling Chongxiao from a sword strike…
Thinking of that ending and looking at Bai Ji'an, who kept referring to Li Langhuan as a dear friend while being utterly oblivious, Xia Lianqiao grew more and more frustrated. She couldn’t help but punch Bai Ji'an’s shoulder. “Brother Bai, put me down! My foot is fine now!”
The wind rustled through the reeds, and the tide of the marsh rolled in, stirring up snow-like reed flowers that drifted toward Ling Chongxiao’s ears, carrying the sound of Xia Lianqiao and Bai Ji'an’s bickering.
A few specks of reed snow clung to the young man’s dark hair, making his expression appear even more stoic and cold.
“Ling Chongxiao?” Noticing his distraction, Li Langhuan followed his gaze curiously.
She saw the girl in green lying on Bai Ji'an’s back, her embroidered shoes kicking restlessly as she demanded to be let down. Bai Ji'an laughed carefreely, deftly dodging her attempts to escape while still carrying her.
The reeds were so thick that they nearly obscured the two figures.
Li Langhuan smiled. “Are you watching Lian Qiao and Brother Bai?”
“It’s nothing,” Ling Chongxiao replied indifferently, his brows slightly furrowed. His tone was as composed as ever, his handsome face as cold as ice.
He was always upright and principled, but it had been a while since he’d seen this girl. Her noisy demeanor and her tendency to joke around with anyone struck him as frivolous and irritating.
Xia Lianqiao glanced in Ling Chongxiao’s direction from afar.
The young man was still talking to Li Langhuan and didn’t look her way.
Seeing how close the two were, Xia Lianqiao was momentarily stunned. A strange feeling welled up in her heart, tangled and heavy, like a mass of reeds knotted together.
Noticing Xia Lianqiao’s dazed expression, Bai Ji'an asked in surprise, “Why so quiet all of a sudden?”
Xia Lianqiao pursed her lips and quickly patted Bai Ji'an’s back. For once, her voice was listless. “Brother Bai, just put me down already.”
