Chapter 234

As for the Longyin River, it was filled with flickering lights. When viewed from above, it truly resembled a coiling dragon, with waves of smoke billowing to the heavens—an impressive sight.

Ning Ning was dazzled by the view, with Zheng Weiqi’s chatter playing in her ears. When she inadvertently turned her head, she spotted Lin Xun’s figure in the corner of her vision.

The little white dragon was standing a small distance away from everyone else. The entire mountaintop was bathed in a soft glow, but the place where he stood was shrouded in the shadow of the trees, casting a dark shadow like thick clouds.

He had been intently watching the scenery below. Perhaps sensing Ning Ning’s gaze, he hastily turned his head away.

“What’s wrong? Why are you standing here alone?”

Ning Ning quietly walked to his side. The lights before her dimmed, leaving only vague shadows.

“I—”

He hadn’t expected anyone to come over and took a small step back. Even though he had known Ning Ning for a while, Lin Xun still felt nervous when alone with her: “I just think this spot is nice.”

To be precise, he rarely spent time alone or talked with anyone.

Ning Ning leaned against the tree trunk, her hands behind her back. She looked up and asked softly, “How have you been feeling during your time in the sect?”

Lin Xun didn’t dare meet her gaze, murmuring a low “mm.”

Like Pei Ji, he was one of those who walked alone in the sect, never fitting in.

But unlike Pei Ji, who deliberately distanced himself from others and detested unnecessary interactions, Lin Xun wanted to get to know more people but was always held back by fear, wrapping himself in a cocoon of absolute safety.

He hated this about himself but felt powerless to change it.

This scene reminded Lin Xun of an accident in his childhood.

He had fallen into an abyss alone, surrounded by monstrous beasts and evil spirits, while in his descent, he could see the distant lights of the city.

Those lights were brilliant and dazzling, seemingly within reach. But when he stretched out his hand, he could only grasp at empty illusions.

Just like now.

The city of Luan was aglow with lights, and even Yuxia Mountain was touched by a bit of that light. But the mountain itself was actually pitch black, devoid of any light.

He wasn’t good with words, and an awkward silence seemed to form between him and Ning Ning.

Lin Xun felt a surge of anxiety, desperately trying to think of something to say. Suddenly, he heard Ning Ning’s voice.

She was still smiling: “Oh, I have something to give you.”

Lin Xun looked up in confusion.

They stood under the quiet and dim shade of the trees, as if completely isolated from the outside world’s clamor.

The girl beside him lowered her head slightly, searching for something in her storage pouch. Some light filtered through the gaps in the branches, falling on her delicate nose.

Then, Ning Ning smiled, a faint light illuminating her fair fingertips.

The dragon boy’s eyes widened in astonishment.

In her hand was the luminous pearl he had longed for.

Lin Xun stood there, speechless.

Back in that abyss, he had desperately wished for someone to reach out and save him, hoping in his despair to touch the light that seemed so out of reach.

But no one ever came.

Even after being rescued from the abyss, his changed personality made others, apart from his family, unwilling to approach him.

—He was so troublesome, shy even to speak a word, unable to trust anyone around him, remaining motionless like a piece of wood, solitary and detached from the group.

Lin Xun knew about Ning Ning’s financial situation.

This pearl could empty her small treasury.

Why…why would she still buy it for him?

“It’s for you. Do your best in this trial, okay?”

Ning Ning stood in the halo of light, smiling up at him: “When you’re alone and scared, take it out and look at it, and you’ll think of us.”

This place, originally pitch-dark, was now bathed in a gentle, dream-like white light due to her presence.

Next came the human presence, warmth, and soft accompanying voice.

Lin Xun took a shallow breath.

He felt a warmth in the corner of his eyes.

“Sh-Senior Sister—”

Tears welled up in Lin Xun’s eyes, and his white jade-like dragon horns turned a faint pink, trembling at the tips: “When we return to the Xuanxu Sect, I’ll give you all the watermelons, pumpkins, and cucumbers. I’ll even cook the melon rinds for you. You’ll never have to beg for food again.”

Ning Ning laughed softly, gently holding his wrist and placing the luminous pearl in his palm: “Okay.”

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Zheng Weiqi used a month of free storybooks as a bargaining chip to make Jiang Si agree to practice swordsmanship with Wujing with the identity of Tian Xianzi.

When the group descended from Yuxia Mountain, they ran into them right outside the temple gate.

Along with a dark mass of onlookers.

Someone in the distance played “Butterfly Dance” on an erhu, and amid the continuous music, Jiang Si, with a gaze indifferent to life and death, honor and disgrace, stood gracefully with Wu Jing.

The music started, and the swords rose. They stood on tiptoe, lifting their swords, with Wu Jing’s hand lightly resting on his shoulder.

Every movement seemed to be slowed down by 0.25 times, with Jiang Si stepping on his feet, touching the sword, spinning, and then touching the sword again. At first glance, it looks like a fluttering butterfly, stumbling and resting on a cylindrical stick.

Someone curiously asked, “Who is the person sparring with Wu Jing?”

“I heard it’s the Tian Xianzi Elder of the Xuanxu Sect.”

Someone else responded, “As expected of the man who has conquered the entire Luan City. His butterfly-like dance is so beautiful.”

Jiang Si remained indifferent, still wearing a deadpan expression. As he moved sideways, his thin body was lifted high by Wu Jing.

At that moment, “Butterfly Dance” reached its climax, and the crowd collectively gasped.

He spun, fluttered, spun, and fluttered, raising his orchid fingers in the style of the Seven Fairies flying to heaven, allowing his longsword to draw one arc of light after another. Finally, his figure swayed, performing an extremely difficult Thomas full spin in Wu Jing’s hands.

Thomas Full Spin

(T/N: Thomas Full Spin is a movement in gymnastics and hip-hop. This movement usually requires a lot of wrist and waist strength. It is an 8-level movement. You support the ground with both hands and use waist strength and inertia to swing your legs in a certain posture.)