Holy Land Trial Chapter Twenty-Seven: Tenderness Under the Moon

When he saw Qing Xuanyu’s figure, Luo Chen slowly lowered the arms that had been wrapped around himself. For a moment, he could not fathom why Qing Xuanyu would appear here. The narrow path ran through sparse bamboo groves, where dappled moonlight flickered with every passing breeze. Their eyes met in silent contest, yet neither dared to break the stillness first.

Luo Chen watched the shifting emotions on Qing Xuanyu’s face, uncertain how to speak or even what to say if he did. He could only gaze at her in silence. After ten heartbeats, Qing Xuanyu clenched her hands slightly and stepped forward until only three meters separated them. Her expression grew solemn as she slowly bowed her head.

“Is this amusing to you? If you’re back, why hide your identity? Did it truly take you so long to decide whether to see me and Xiaoya?”

Her quiet words, spoken with her head lowered, shifted from anger to disappointment. Luo Chen watched as Qing Xuanyu lifted her head, wanting to claim he did not understand her meaning. But at that moment, her eyes brimmed with tears, and crystalline drops began to slide down her lovely cheeks. Luo Chen found himself utterly unable to speak, guilt and sorrow marking his face.

“Luo Chen, you bastard! You selfish fool—how could you be so cruel as to leave me behind? Have you ever thought about how Xiaoya feels?”

At that, Luo Chen began to panic. He had never expected Qing Xuanyu to recognize him. Seeing her so heartbroken and dejected, hearing the pain in her voice, he was at a loss for words.

“I…”

He raised his right hand and had barely begun to speak when Qing Xuanyu rushed toward him. Instinctively, Luo Chen stepped back, but the next instant he felt her arms thrown tightly around his neck, her anguished sobs echoing in his ears. He made no effort to resist; after a moment’s hesitation, feeling her gentle fists beating against his back, Luo Chen could only sigh and rest his hand lightly on her back, letting her weep out her grief.

Gradually, Luo Chen began to wonder if his choices had been wrong from the very start. Since leaving Luoyu Village, traveling all the way to Tianqing Academy, more than half a year had passed. Thinking back on all the people who had entered and left his life, precious few had left a lasting impression. At this moment, he was no longer sure what it was he sought—perhaps some unreachable ideal, or perhaps, as Zhao Xingyu once said, the answer he so desperately pursued would not be the one he wanted.

So what, then, was the point of searching? Where was the meaning in this quest? Perhaps from the very beginning he had been mistaken. One should not live solely in pursuit of their origins, nor should they give up everything else for that pursuit, living like a puppet. Since one must live, why not live for oneself instead?

Late at night,

The city’s daytime bustle had long faded into silence. The radiant moonlight cast its glow upon the golden rooftops of the buildings. On the hillside, fireflies danced among the chorus of insects, appearing like tiny fairies in the night. Here, beneath the starry sky, this place seemed a world of its own—a new, vibrant paradise.

Luo Chen looked at Qing Xuanyu, her arm entwined with his. Beneath the moonlight, traces of earlier tears glistened on her beautiful cheeks. Luo Chen felt a pang of guilt, and gently reached out to wipe away her tears. He noticed that her eyes were fixed upon him, and after a heartbeat, he smiled softly.

“All right now, cheer up. Someone has missed you very much.”

Seeing the confusion flicker across Qing Xuanyu’s face, Luo Chen raised his hand, and a golden light flashed from its back. In the blink of an eye, Shi Ling appeared before them. Qing Xuanyu’s face brightened with joy, and when Shi Ling slowly opened her eyes, she threw herself into Qing Xuanyu’s arms. Qing Xuanyu affectionately stroked the little girl’s head.

“Big Sister Yu, Shi Ling missed you so much.”

“Silly girl, I think you missed my pastries more than you missed me.”

As Luo Chen teased her, Shi Ling bowed her head in embarrassment, fiddling with her small hands, looking forlorn. Both Luo Chen and Qing Xuanyu could not help but laugh. Qing Xuanyu then took five boxes of pastries from her ring and placed them in her lap, opening one. Shi Ling’s eyes sparkled as she gazed at the pastries, and she could not help but drool a little.

In a flash, she darted from Qing Xuanyu’s embrace to the box, grabbed a pastry, and began to eat. Watching the obedient Shi Ling, Qing Xuanyu glanced at Luo Chen out of the corner of her eye, then gently leaned her head against his shoulder, her arm still around his.

Her heart was a mix of joy and sorrow—joy that the person she had waited and yearned for over half a year had finally returned and was now by her side; sorrow, for she feared he might vanish once more without a sound, feared that come morning it would all prove to be a dream.

She had waited so long for this moment. For half a year, she had thought of him constantly, dreamed of his return. The instant she first saw him, those eyes—yes, those unique eyes—told her it could only be him. Yet at the same time, he felt both impossibly close and impossibly distant. He had come back, but why had he not sought her out at once? Why the mask? Why conceal his unique aura?

All these questions, perhaps, no longer mattered. What mattered was that he had returned.

At this thought, Qing Xuanyu’s swollen eyes filled with tears again, and a few drops slipped quietly down her cheeks. She wiped them away, urging herself to be happy. Luo Chen, catching these gestures from the corner of his eye, felt his guilt rekindle, uncertain what he ought to do.

As night deepened, the chorus of insects faded. Shi Ling finished her pastries and dissolved once more into a golden light, merging into Luo Chen’s hand. Luo Chen looked up at the bright moon, then slowly leaned back against the hillside. Seeing this, Qing Xuanyu turned and lay down in his arms. He rested his head on one hand and wrapped the other around her, breathing in the fragrance of her hair. Looking at her nestled in his embrace, a long-lost smile of happiness spread across Luo Chen’s face. This tranquil contentment—perhaps this was the life he truly desired. Still, he could not fathom how Qing Xuanyu had seen through his disguise. He had asked before, but she only teased, “That’s a secret!”

“Brother Chen, I missed you so much! Please, don’t ever leave me alone again, all right?”

Her soft whisper, spoken as she lay on his chest, made Luo Chen smile. He took a garment from his ring and draped it over her, gently stroked her hair, but gave no reply. Qing Xuanyu closed her eyes with a smile, hugging him tightly as if afraid he might slip away once more. Neither spoke again. After a long time, once he was sure she had fallen asleep, Luo Chen adjusted the garment covering her and closed his own eyes.

He did not know how much time had passed.

Sounds of lively commotion drifted into Luo Chen’s ears, and he sensed the light through his closed eyes. Slowly, he opened them, only to find Qing Xuanyu lying on his chest, staring at him with an uncommonly serious expression. Luo Chen withdrew the hand from behind his head and smiled at her, intending to rise, but Qing Xuanyu swiftly pinned him down, leaving him baffled.

“Yu’er, what are you doing?”

He asked in confusion, but Qing Xuanyu remained silent, her eyes fixed on him, her expression severe. Helpless, Luo Chen lay still to see what she would do. They stared at each other for a moment, then, as Qing Xuanyu drew a deep breath, Luo Chen sensed something amiss and tried to get up. But in an instant, Qing Xuanyu used her spiritual energy to immobilize him completely.

He saw her face draw closer, felt the soft fragrance of her breath, and in the next moment, her gentle lips pressed against his. Luo Chen was stunned, his mind going blank as he felt the sweetness and warmth of her kiss. Though the restraining energy soon faded from his hands, his mind remained captive to her tenderness.

After nearly ten heartbeats, Qing Xuanyu finally lifted her head, breaking the kiss. Luo Chen touched his damp lips and saw the shy look on her face, his eyes full of confusion and delight.

“Yu’er, you—”

“Now that you’ve accepted my mark, you’re mine from now on. You mustn’t tell anyone, understand?”

She spoke with mock gravity, then pulled a face at him. Luo Chen was utterly at a loss. A mark? What was all this about? And wasn’t her mood shifting a little too quickly? That reminded him of Qing Xingyue—it must run in the family. Watching Qing Xuanyu rise, Luo Chen slowly got up as well, when suddenly a serious question came to mind: In everyone else’s eyes, he was Xuanyu’s teacher, but now, after all this… what was their relationship supposed to be?

Before he could ponder further, he felt her arms wrap tightly around his.

“Let’s go, Brother Chen. The competition will begin soon.”