The trial grounds were quiet that night, save for the distant roars of beasts and the crackling of the campfire. The crescent moon hung low and red, casting a dim glow over the blood-soaked earth. Lin Chen sat by the flames, his sword across his knees, while Yu Xueqing stood with her back to him, gazing into the darkness.
Her figure, wrapped in that flowing icy-blue robe, seemed as distant as the stars above. Yet Lin Chen, ever the rogue, couldn't leave the silence be.
"Xueqing-jie," he called, his voice breaking the stillness, "If you keep standing like that, people might think you're posing for a painting."
Yu Xueqing let out a soft snort but didn't turn around. "And if I am?"
Lin Chen grinned and stood, stepping closer until he was just behind her. "Then I'd say the painter would fail. No brush can capture how beautiful you look right now."
That made her stiffen — just a little. But it was enough. Lin Chen could see the faintest pink tinge creep up her fair neck. Victory.
After a pause, her voice turned colder. "You're shameless."
"Always have been," Lin Chen shrugged. "But I don't lie. And I don't go back on my word."
This time, Yu Xueqing turned. Her eyes, usually frosted and distant, now shimmered faintly in the moonlight. "Lin Chen... why do you keep pushing like this?" she whispered. "I'm not someone you should tie yourself to. There are... things you don't understand."
Lin Chen took a step closer. "Then explain it to me."
Yu Xueqing looked at him for a long time, her lips trembling. And then — as if finally breaking — she spoke.
"I'm not just an ordinary widow disciple of Azure Sky Sect. I come from the Profound Blossom Holy Sect..."
Her words echoed in Lin Chen's ears like thunder.
"One of the overlord sects ruling the Eastern Starfield. My time here was exile — punishment. And now... my time is up."
Lin Chen's heart pounded. Profound Blossom Holy Sect. That was a name even outer elders only dared whisper — a sect whose power stretched across galaxies, their women famed for dual cultivation arts and their men feared as apex cultivators.
Yu Xueqing's eyes dimmed. "This place was just a cage for me. But you... you made it bearable."
Lin Chen felt his throat dry up. He swallowed and, for once, dropped his usual humor. "Then come with me. Or... let me come with you."
Yu Xueqing shook her head. "Foolish. You're still too weak. If you followed me now, you'd die before you stepped foot on Profound Blossom's soil."
She reached into her robe and pulled out a jade pendant — carved in the shape of a blooming lotus, pulsing faintly with ancient qi.
"Take this." She pressed it into Lin Chen's hand, her fingers lingering on his. "When you step into Nascent soul realm... come to the Profound Blossom Holy Sect. Show them this token, and they will let you find me."
"And then... what?" Lin Chen's voice was hoarse.
Yu Xueqing smiled — a real smile this time, soft and bittersweet. "Then you may ask for my hand properly, idiot."
The space around her shimmered. A golden teleportation array unfurled at her feet, ancient runes dancing in the air. Lin Chen realized — she was leaving. For real.
Panic surged through him. "Wait—!"
But Yu Xueqing silenced him the only way that could. She leaned forward and kissed him — brief, fierce, and full of all the unspoken words between them. Lin Chen's eyes widened, then closed as he returned the kiss, his arms wrapping around her slender waist for just that stolen moment.
When she pulled back, her breath was shaky. "Don't come looking for me before you become a Nascent soul cultivator. Survive. Grow. Then... find me."
Lin Chen gritted his teeth. "I swear, Xueqing-jie. I'll come for you."
Her smile turned sad. "You'd better. Or I'll find you first and beat you for making me wait."
And then, with a flash of blinding golden light, she vanished — leaving only the faint scent of her lingering in the wind and the lotus pendant warm in Lin Chen's hand.
The trial grounds fell silent again.
Lin Chen stood there for a long time, staring at the spot where she disappeared.
He tightened his grip around the jade token, his eyes burning with a new flame.
"Nascent soul, huh?" He smirked, though his heart ached. "Then I'll shatter every damn bottleneck until I get there. And when I do... I'm taking you back, woman."
His sword gleamed faintly under the crimson moon, as if swearing the same vow.
[End of Chapter 25]