Xie Tao looked at him and couldn’t help but lose herself in thought again.
“Stupefied?”
Wei Yun saw her standing there dumbfounded, so he walked over and his fingers gently brushed past the hair near her ear.
When the two of them sat down at the table inside the room, Wei Yun held a book she had brought him earlier and looked down at it under the light.
“Still thinking about last night’s events?”
Perhaps because Xie Tao had been silent for a long time, just leaning over the table and occasionally feeding herself pastries, Wei Yun suddenly spoke up.
He looked up at her, “You’re still scared.”
“…Of course, I’m scared.” Xie Tao pursed her lips and replied softly.
She had never seen such a real murder scene before, and last night she even had nightmares over and over again, not sleeping well at all.
Wei Yun was silent for a moment, just about to say something, then he saw the young girl sitting across from him had moved her stool to his side, just a few inches away.
Her sudden closeness made Wei Yun tighten his grip on the spine of the book.
“Wei Yun, I’ve made up my mind,”
Her expression suddenly became very serious, “I will definitely learn magic well. If you’re in danger again in the future, I can help you…”
Wei Yun didn’t expect her to say this.
He was momentarily stunned.
Xie Tao had always been an ordinary person. If she hadn’t witnessed those supernatural magic firsthand, if she hadn’t met Wei Yun, if she hadn’t truly come to this world which was so unfamiliar to her.
She might have, forever, lived the most ordinary life.
As an ordinary person living in modern society, she had never seen so much bloody conflict, nor had she truly seen all the darkness of the world he lived in.
So, when all that happened last night, it was natural for her to feel fear, unease, and even a desire to retreat.
But Xie Tao was clear that she had to learn to face it all.
Because he was here.
Xie Tao had never thought about asking him to give up anything for her, or even to leave this place.
Just like she loved him but still also cherished her own world, Xie Tao knew that in his world, there were things he couldn’t leave behind.
So, she treasured every moment she spent with him.
Perhaps in the future, such opportunities would become increasingly rare.
Xie Tao didn’t understand the dangers he, as the Imperial Advisor, had to face in the court.
In many ways, she couldn’t help him.
But she thought, at least she should learn magic well, to have the ability to protect herself, to give him some peace of mind.
“You don’t have to do anything for me.”
The shadows of the lights cast on his profile, Wei Yun suddenly spoke, his fingers now touching her hair.
“I will protect you,”
At this moment, Wei Yun, with his eyes lowered, had a look in his eyes as if melting the last ice of early spring, “but you must remember what you said, to stay with me.”
Walking on thin ice in the court.
What is he, such a person, most afraid of?
It’s his weak spot.
Once, he thought he was all alone, already without such a thing as a weak spot, hence in this life, he dared to do that thing that very few people in the world would dare to do.
Success or failure, it’s just a matter of life and death.
Now, Wei Yun couldn’t deny that as he began to cherish the sincere heart this girl offered him, he was no longer his former self.
If it weren’t for that copper pendant.
If it weren’t for the fact that what separated him and her were two different times.
Perhaps Wei Yun wouldn’t have let down his guard, allowing her to get close to him, to approach him.
Perhaps he wouldn’t have developed feelings for her.
And such a temporal distance created a compassionate heart in him towards her, but it also formed a vast and insurmountable chasm between them.
Even though he thought through all these matters very thoroughly.
But last night, upon hearing her say, “I will be with you…”
He couldn’t help but take her words to heart.
Her soft and gentle voice was etched in his mind, lingering until she left, until he lay alone on her bed, closing his eyes. In his mind, her words echoed back and forth.
Wave after wave.
Stirring his heart like turbulent waves.
Throughout the years, no one had ever said such words to Wei Yun.
Not even his mother, who passed away early.
Not even his weak father.
Wei Yun never intended to involve her in those matters.
It was enough for her to just be with him like this.
To accompany him, that was all he needed.
“I won’t forget…”
Xie Tao leaned on his shoulder, murmuring softly.
Outside the window, it continued to snow, while the charcoal fire inside was burning vigorously.
The two started reading the same book, but since it was a history-related book, Xie Tao felt a bit sleepy as she read.
“How about I show you my textbook? You can learn from it, then help me with my homework…”
She yawned with half-closed eyes, a faint glimmer of moisture gathering in her eyes.
Wei Yun gently tapped her forehead with his knuckle, “One should not be lazy in their studies.”
Xie Tao touched her forehead and pouted.
Whenever it came to studies, he became like an old teacher, quite stern.
“It’s just a suggestion… I wasn’t really going to make you do my homework.”
She dared to think it, but she knew very well that Wei Yun would definitely not do her homework.
In such matters, he was as stubborn as an old man.
Xie Tao boldly pulled a book with a blue, string-bound cover from beside him, which was the “Unpolished Jade” she had heard about in the teahouse.
She perked up and hurriedly flipped it open.
This “Unpolished Jade”, although still using a bit of classical Chinese in its wording, was much more colloquial than the books Wei Yun had previously shown her. It was not very difficult to read and she could easily understand the plot.
She flipped through a dozen pages of the book she was holding, and to her surprise, she found herself increasingly engrossed.
This was a martial arts novel written from a female perspective, telling the story of a heroine who, with a short sword, gradually grows into a grandmaster amidst the turbulent world of martial arts.
In the Great Zhou Dynasty, it was rare for a novel to feature a female character as its primary protagonist.
The plot was full of twists and turns, captivating and engaging, with a writing style that was delicate and skilled.
“Wei Yun, Wei Yun, this book is much better than the ones you gave me before!”
She leaned against him, waving the book in front of his face.
Little did she know, this book, “Unpolished Jade,” was specifically ordered by Wei Yun through Wei Bo, just because she had enjoyed listening to it in the teahouse that day.
Wei Yun pressed down her flailing hand and said indifferently, “This book is written for the common folk, so naturally, the language is more colloquial. But it’s undeniable that it also has literary grace and a unique charm.”
“You’ve never complimented me like that.” It was the first time Xie Tao heard him praise someone else.
Hearing this, Wei Yun looked down at her, chuckled softly, and said, “I’ve asked you to read, but you’re unwilling. Why should I compliment you?”
Xie Tao fiddled with a strand of his long hair, “You could compliment me on other things.”
“Like what?” Wei Yun raised an eyebrow.
“Like…” Xie Tao rolled her eyes thinking, then suddenly pursed her lips, smiled, and her eyes curved, “You could… you could say I’m pretty.”
It was just an offhand remark.
However, Wei Yun threw the book on the table, then pinched her chin, forcing her to look up at him.
Her almond-shaped eyes were extremely beautiful, with pupils clear and bright as water.
Her delicate nose was straight and her lips slightly full, the color of her lips like crimson.
Her face was white and clear.
She was not a stunning beauty that could dazzle people at a glance, nor did she possess an overwhelmingly beautiful appearance, but she had a kind of ethereal charm that set her apart from others.
Like a clear spring that could be seen to the bottom, or like the moonlight scattered with silver-white brilliance on a snowy night.
Her features were always soft and clean.
Just one glance was enough to soothe the heart.
While Wei Yun was gazing at the girl in front of him, she was also looking at his face.
His appearance was something she could look at over and over again, yet she would still find her heart fluttering uncontrollably.
Suddenly recalling the scene from last night where he had his hair loose, holding her in his arms, and kissing her forehead, Xie Tao almost forgot to breathe again, her heart racing once more.
It was as if she had entered a jar of honey, the sweetness seeping through, leaving her a bit disoriented.
“Alright, alright, I’m not as good-looking as you…” Her face flushed, she pushed his arm, trying to get him to release her chin, wanting to free herself from this heart-thumping state.
Yet, Wei Yun still held onto her chin.
It was as if he was examining her carefully, then suddenly he reached out to mess up her neatly tied ponytail, almost unraveling it.
The black hair tie broke, and her hair fell down.
At that moment, she suddenly heard his cold voice, serious and with a hint of earnestness:
“You’re very beautiful.”
The tone was gentle, unmistakably sincere.
And he was never one to feign.
In that instant, Xie Tao felt as if a string in her mind had snapped along with the breaking of an elastic band, with the sound of fireworks exploding in her mind, her ears ringing.
Him, him, him…
Her cheeks flushed rapidly, her eyelashes trembling, barely daring to meet his eyes, soaked with the hue of amber.
The casement window was blown open by the wind, bringing in a breeze that brushed her cheeks and his long hair.
The slightly chilly wind, however, did not disperse the rising warmth on her cheeks.
Logically, such a cold wind should have made her mind clearer, but at this moment, Xie Tao felt as if she had drunk alcohol, a bit dizzy.
Courage came all at once in an instant.
Suddenly, she wrapped her arms around his neck, and as Wei Yun reflexively supported her waist, she had already kissed his lips.
Her lips, carrying a bit of warmth, pressed against his.
At the same time, her fingers, in their flurry, knocked off his hair crown, causing the jade belt attached to the crown to fall to the ground with a sound.
And his dark hair, as dense as ink, spread out, mixing with her long hair on her shoulders, shining with the luster of brocade under the dim yellow light.
His face, as white and flawless as jade, had quietly gained a few faint blushes, and his ears had turned completely red in an instant.
She closed her eyes tightly.
His pupils contracted slightly.
In that moment, their lips touched, their breaths entwined.
