A cloud of dust rose into the air.
Seven Swiftwind Steeds galloped down the official road, hooves striking like rolling thunder.
As the grand silhouette of the city walls came into view, smiles spread across the faces of Li Zhexian and the other six.
Their trip to the Star Dou Great Forest had lasted only a few days, but after all the twists and turns, returning now felt almost like a lifetime had passed.
"Let's go!"
Li Zhexian flicked his reins and led the charge toward the city gates.
Dugu Yan, Ye Lingling, and the rest quickly urged their mounts to follow.
The moment they entered the city, the clamor of human voices and the warm, bustling air of the mortal world swept over them.
Everyone let out a relaxed breath, savoring this long-missed liveliness.
"No need for extra words," Li Zhexian said with a smile.
"We've just returned to Heaven Dou City—no doubt you're all eager to get home and let your families know you're safe."
"Tomorrow at noon, at Shanxiang Pavilion—don't forget."
Yu Feng and the others agreed with a laugh and went their separate ways.
Dugu Yan's slender fingers twirled her now-black hair. "Brother Zhexian, where are you going? Why don't you come to my place? My soup-making skills are excellent now. Grandfather would also be happy to see you."
"I…""I..." Ye Lingling was getting a little anxious. She also wanted to invite Li Zhexian to her home. But as her red lips parted, she couldn't find a suitable reason.
She knew that Li Zhexian's impression of her mother was not good, so she could only lower her head slightly, her cool voice carrying a hint of timidity.
"Come... come to my place. My house... I... I can make soup, too."
"Not going to either."
Li Zhexian patted the Wishful Hundred Treasure Purseat his waist, filled with the wild game they had hunted in the Star Dou Great Forest.
"I'm going to Lotus Lake. I haven't seen Qinghe in a while. I'm going to drink and fish with her."
Upon hearing this, Dugu Yan and Ye Lingling were both startled, then nodded in understanding. By now, everyone in their little group knew that the relationship between Li Zhexian and Crown Prince Xue Qinghe was unusually good.
Dugu Yan looked Li Zhexian up and down, pouted, and muttered, "Why are the two young men always so close?"
Ye Lingling was normal at first, but when she heard that, her gaze toward Li Zhexian also became subtle.
For the first time, a hint of heat rose to Li Zhexian's handsome cheeks. He quickly waved his hand. "Go, go! What on earth are you young girls thinking about?! I'll see you both at noon tomorrow. I'm not talking to you two anymore!"
With that, under the amused gazes of Dugu Yan and Ye Lingling, Li Zhexian turned and left with slightly rushed steps, his back seeming to indicate a panicked escape.
...
By Lotus Lake—
Willows trailed their branches along the shore; the fragrance of lotus drifted subtly over the water.
It should have been a scene to refresh the spirit—yet Xue Qinghe looked faintly bored.
"I'm not fishing anymore!"
She threw down her fishing rod, and a wave of inexplicable frustration surged in her heart. On second thought, she had come to Lotus Lake for a moment of peace precisely because she was tired of the formalities and schemes.
But... when did this beautiful scenery, which she used to linger in, become so uninteresting?
Plop—
The fishing rod she had casually thrown down was suddenly pulled toward the center of the lake.
Xue Qinghe snapped back to herself.
"A bite?!"
She quickly leaned over and picked up the fishing rod.
A silver-scaled fish fought and thrashed on the line, struggling to break free.
Looking at this unexpected catch, a hint of joy flashed in her eyes. An elegant, smiling face involuntarily appeared in her mind.
"Hmph!"
She gave a little hum toward the empty air, as if the person she was thinking of stood before her.
"If Li Zhexian were here, I'd make sure he saw this. I'm not some 'empty-handed angler'!"
Thinking of that strange phrase from his lips,
Xue Qinghe's mouth curved in a faint smile.
"Mm… that's what he called it, wasn't it?"
When the three words "Li Zhexian" were spoken softly from her lips, Xue Qinghe herself didn't even notice that her heart seemed to have been gently plucked by something.
The masculine voice she usually maintained so well would only reveal a touch of a young girl's unique coyness when she spoke his name.
Only now did she suddenly realize why Lotus Lake, which she used to be so fond of, had lost its flavor. It was because one person was missing.
"It's already been six days…"
Xue Qinghe unhooked the silver fish and gently released it back into the water, watching it vanish into the green depths.
Without Li Zhexian, even fishing felt dull.
"Forget it, let's go back." She turned away listlessly, but her gaze suddenly froze.
Three to five meters away, that familiar young man in a white shirt was leaning against a willow tree, his arms crossed, a blade of grass in his mouth, and a smiling gaze on her.
"You…!"
Intense joy burst from Xue Qinghe's eyes, and she uncontrollably took a step forward.
Halfway through, she realized she had overreacted and came to an abrupt stop, forcing her voice back into its usual calm register.
"You're back?"
Li Zhexian nodded with a smile. "I saw everything." He raised an eyebrow. "What? Your Royal Highness? Fishing is no fun without me?"
Xue Qinghe was busy observing Li Zhexian. When she confirmed that he was safe and sound, her heart quietly relaxed.
But when he exposed her thoughts, her heart inexplicably beat a few times faster, and a wave of embarrassment at being seen through surged up.
She glared at the dense reeds not far away with a hint of anger.
Why didn't Li Zhexian inform them of his return beforehand?!
In the reeds, the two Titled Douluo—Porcupinefish Douluo and Snake Lance Douluo—looked pointedly up at the sky, wearing matching "we know nothing" expressions.
A blush gradually crept onto Xue Qinghe's fair cheeks. Then, as if she remembered something, her eyes suddenly lit up, and she asked, "Li Zhexian! You said you saw everything?"
"Then did you see the fish I caught? It was probably more than two pounds!"
Li Zhexian shook his head.
"Nope. Missed that part."
Xue Qinghe's eyes narrowed, and a hint of "killing intent" appeared on her delicate face. "You must have done it on purpose!"
Seeing her like this, Li Zhexian only laughed and took the wild game from his Wishful Hundred Treasure Purse..
"You let the fish go—so here, I brought some wild game instead."
"Don't say your buddy went out and didn't think of you."
Then he turned his head toward the reeds, raising his voice:
"You two over there—nothing in the sky, so quit staring up. Come and eat with us!"
He and Xue Qinghe caught up by the lake until dusk fell.
...
The next day at noon—
Li Zhexian hosted a banquet at Shanxiang Pavilion.
Notably, Yu Tianheng, captain of the Emperor Team, had returned.
He had barely arrived before he loudly challenged Li Zhexian—
Only to be knocked out by two cups of strong wine.
The group drank from noon until the sky began to darken.
Li Zhexian staggered back to his courtyard, humming a tuneless little ditty.
He sprawled on the sandalwood chair under the plum tree, ready to nap.
Then, without warning—
A calm voice rang out.
"You're so fond of drinking. Can you still lift the sword in your hand?"
The drunkenness in Li Zhexian's eyes was instantly replaced by alertness.
Two sharp streaks of sword light flashed in his gaze, there and gone in the dim light.
He stepped into the center of the courtyard and looked up sharply.
On the eaves across from him—
At some point—
A white-clad figure had appeared, standing silently…