The parting at the edge of Jade Dew Market was as discreet as their meeting. Liu Ruyan, her heart a chaotic symphony of guilt and thrilling anticipation, adjusted her veil, her gaze lingering on Wang Jian for a moment longer than necessary before she mounted her Flying Leaf and soared towards the distant peaks of the Crimson Pill Sect. She carried with her the memory of his touch, the taste of his lips, and a dangerous, life-altering secret.
Wang Jian watched her go, a faint, unreadable smile on his handsome face. He then turned, his own Serpent Scale Soarer rising silently into the air, carrying him back towards the looming, mist-shrouded mountains of his own sect.
His return to the Mystic Peak Sect was a quiet affair. His promotion to the status of a Deacon upon reaching the Foundation Establishment Realm was already known among the sect's upper echelons. The news had caused a stir, of course, but the explanation was simple and, to them, perfectly logical.
