She bit her lip. "Not bad, big scary villain. Not bad at all."
Moonlight bathed her face, catching the soft curve of her lips and the shimr in her eyes. She leaned forward unconsciously, the charm of the mont pulling her closer.
She didn't realize Su Xiaobai had already noticed her.
In the lake's reflection, her shadow betrayed her hiding place.
A smirk tugged at his lips. 'Caught you, little sparrow.'
He continued his work, acting as if he hadn't seen her. The inscriber's glow pulsed in rhythm with his movents, his fingers steady as they etched celestial patterns.
Ling Er's gaze lingered on his hands, then drifted lower.
Her face burned. Stop it, stop it, stop it! You're not supposed to think about that!
But she couldn't help herself. His stance, his focus, even the way his robe was soaked after hours of training—it was maddening.
"What's wrong with ?!" she whispered, shaking her head furiously.
Su Xiaobai, still pretending not to notice her, fought the urge to laugh. Her reflection in the lake was more entertaining than any technique he'd practiced tonight.
But he didn't let her off the hook just yet.
"Enjoying the view, princess?" he called out suddenly, his voice carrying through the night like a whip.
"!!"
Ling Er froze, her muscles locking up like a rabbit caught in the gaze of a tiger. "W-What view?!" she stamred, louder than intended, her voice carrying into the quiet night.
Su Xiaobai stood lazily, his smirk as wide as the crescent moon. "I don't know. You tell . Been enjoying the scenery for a while now, haven't you?"
Her cheeks flared like cherry blossoms in spring. "I-I wasn't watching anything!" she yelled, leaping to her feet like a startled hare.
"Oh?" His tone dripped with mockery as he turned slightly, letting the starlight sculpt his figure like a divine statue. "Then why's your face so red? Admiring my technique, or sothing else entirely?"
Ling Er slapped her hands over her burning cheeks, only making it worse. "Y-You shaless bastard!"
He laughed, a low, infuriating chuckle that made her want to punch him straight through the heavens. "Shaless? Says the girl sneaking around to spy on a lonely man dead in the dead of night. So, what's the story, Ling Er? Couldn't sleep? Or were you hoping for a... private lesson?"
Her mouth flapped open like a fish gasping for air. "I—I didn't—!"
Before she could sputter further, Su Xiaobai took a step forward, the array behind him flickering out and leaving only the dim light of the moon. His smirk was maddening, his eyes gleaming with evil.
"If you're that curious," he purred, voice low and mocking, "co closer next ti. I don't bite. Much." His grin widened. "Unless that's what you're into."
Ling Er's face went volcanic. "You're pervert!" she shrieked, stomping over with murderous intent, only to pause as she realized sothing painfully obvious—he was a head taller than her.
She craned her neck, glaring up at him, a stiff smile plastered on her face as if trying to suppress her murderous rage. "Big Brother Su~" she said sweetly, her tone dripping with venomous sugar. "You wouldn't dare hurt your precious little sister, right?"
Her syrupy words triggered a mory from earlier that evening—one he hadn't entirely recovered from.
Su Xiaobai raised an eyebrow, glancing down at her suspiciously. "Oh, please. What are you scheming now?"
"Who, ?" she said innocently, her hands clasped behind her back like a naughty child caught stealing buns.
He reached out instinctively, pinching her cheek. "Tch. You think I can't tell when you're up to sothing?"
"..."
Her blank stare spoke everything, but Su Xiaobai ignored it, only realizing too late he might have made a mistake.
"You... have a bad habit, you know," she said, her voice unnervingly calm.
Su Xiaobai hesitated. "What habit?"
"THIS!" Her hand shot out, grabbing his face and squeezing with vengeance.
Squish. Squish.
"Argh—Ling Er!" he growled, his voice muffled as she pinched his cheeks hard, her delicate fingers digging in like a demoness exacting punishnt.
She pressed her forehead against his, her smug grin almost criminal. "What's the matter, Big Brother Su? I thought you didn't mind people getting close? Or was that just big talk? Want to show a private lesson now, hmm?"
"..."
His eye twitched. "Let go. Or else."
Whoosh!
Her silk ribbon snapped to life in response, wrapping protectively around her. "Or else what?" she teased, her face glowing with triumph as she leaped back, the crimson silk twirling like a fiery dragon.
Su Xiaobai rubbed his aching cheeks, glaring at her. "You— little—@#£#, you're not getting away with this."
Whoosh!
Ling Er's laugh rang out like silver bells, echoing across the night sky. "Catch if you can, Big Brother Su!"
She darted into the air, her ribbon lifting her like the wings of a phoenix. The moonlight glead off its shimring threads as it coiled around her figure, making her look untouchable, ethereal.
"Damn brat!" Su Xiaobai spat, his Qi igniting in a flash of light. He kicked off the ground, the air trembling as his figure shot after her like a cot.
Ling Er glanced over her shoulder, her face alight with a provocative smile. "Too slow, old man! Is that all you've got?"
His eyes narrowed. "Old man?!" His veins bulged as he pushed harder.
Her ribbon snapped in front of him like a whip, forcing him to dodge. It danced like a living thing, an extension of her will.
"Co on, Big Brother Su! Aren't you supposed to be stronger than ?" Her voice was sweet as honey, but the mockery was sharp enough to cut jade.
"You're dead at when I catch you!" he roared.
"Oh, if~" she sang, her ribbon flicking past his nose.
But Su Xiaobai's face darkened. As he pushed harder, sothing inside him began to churn—a shadow of frustration that wasn't entirely about Ling Er. No, this was deeper.
The air around him grew hot, infernal flas sparking to life as his Qi surged uncontrollably.
"Eh?" Ling Er's smugness faltered. Her ribbon kissed the flas and hissed in protest, its edge curling into ash.
WHOOSH!
"!"
Her face paled. "No!" she gasped, yanking the silk back before it could burn further. The ribbon coiled into her hand like a retreating serpent, but its absence betrayed her.
Without its guiding grace, her body faltered. The air that once lifted her now dragged her down, gravity yanking her back to reality.
"Wh—!"
Her gasp cut short as she plumted, limbs flailing.
Above, Su Xiaobai watched the spectacle with wide eyes, his brows knitting into confusion and fury. 'Did she just... retract the damn ribbon?'
His heart twisted sharply. 'That idiot. Does she think the ground is soft or sothing?!'
Whoosh!
Instinct overrode thought. His Qi exploded in a burst of speed as he shot forward, the night air tearing around him. The stars blurred, the forest below a dark sar, but all he saw was her falling form.
The shadows of his own frustrations, his failures, lted away. Right now, nothing mattered but catching her.
His arms wrapped around her just before the ground could claim her.
For a mont, they hovered midair, weightless and suspended in ti. Her warmth pressed against him, her trembling body a clear contrast to the cold night.
"Ah—"
Then gravity, pissed at being cheated, pulled them both down.
Thud! Thud!
The slope caught them, rolling them downhill like a pair of tumbling dice. Rocks bit at them, dirt clung to their robes, and the world beca a spinning blur of chaos.
"Ugh—damn it!" Su Xiaobai grunted as his shoulder slamd into a jagged rock. He tightened his hold on Ling Er, 'instinctively' shielding her from the worst of it.
Her small fra pressed against him, soft and trembling, while the ground punished him like an angry creditor collecting debts.
Finally, they slowed, crashing to a ssy stop in a heap at the bottom of the slope.
The world stilled. The night air whispered around them, the only sounds their labored breathing and the faint rustle of leaves above.
Ling Er, cradled in his arms, shifted first. Slowly, she raised her head. Her wide eyes, shimring with unshed tears, searched his face as if trying to make sense of the chaos.
"You… idiot," she breathed, her voice cracking sowhere between relief and disbelief.
Tears clung to her lashes, glinting faintly in the starlight. Her body trembled, her usual cockiness stripped away by the shock of the fall.
Su Xiaobai t her gaze, his expression hard, though his eyes betrayed a flicker of sothing softer—sothing he'd deny if anyone asked.
"If you're going to fall," he muttered, his voice tinged with frustration, "fall alone next ti. What the hell were you thinking, pulling back your ribbon? Can't even fly properly, and now you're trying to decorate the ground with your face?"
Her lips parted, her wide-eyed sorrow giving way to sothing far more familiar: rage.
"Shut up!" she snapped, her voice cracking unconsciously as her mind on the image of her burning ribbon.
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