He looked like an untouchable immortal, but the way he looked at her... it was so human, so raw, that it terrified her.
"Besides," Ji'an added, her voice dropping, losing the bravado entirely as a soft, genuine honesty broke through. She looked down at the jade tiles, suddenly unable to bear the intensity of his ruby eyes. "I missed my designated vegetable-chopper. The kitchen felt empty without you brooding in the corner."
The silence on the balcony stretched.
The wind howled through the peaks.
And then, Wangchen did something that completely broke her.
He reached into the wide sleeve of his pristine white robes.
He pulled out a small, delicately wrapped paper package.
He held it out to her.
"I broke through my bottleneck three days ago," Wangchen stated calmly. "The elders wished to hold a banquet in my honor. I declined the invitation and traveled to the mortal town at the base of the mountain instead."
Ji'an looked at the paper package, her brow furrowing in confusion.
