One Remains Silent, the Other Doesn't Hold Back

"Miss Lin, you may leave."

When Ye Shu said these words.

Lin Qingxue was still frozen in place, staring at him blankly, then blankly looking at the white flour covering her body.

Suddenly, she let out a scream.

"Ye Shu!!!"

"You cheated!!!"

Lin Qingxue glared at him angrily, her small face full of defiance. "I don't accept this! You used underhanded tricks. Let's fight again!"

"That's right, I cheated."

Ye Shu nodded shamelessly. "But I won. And you, Miss Lin, may now leave."

He emphasized the fact once more.

Hearing this, Lin Qingxue finally reacted.

"I... I can leave?"

She gave Ye Shu a suspicious look, her toes quietly inching outward. "Can I really leave? You didn't secretly set up a trap or something to stop me like last time, did you?"

"I didn't."

Ye Shu put away his broken sword and made an inviting gesture.

"You can leave at any time. I never lie. If I say you can leave, then you definitely can."

"You..."

Lin Qingxue opened her mouth.

From Ye Shu's candid eyes, she could tell he was serious. He was really letting her go.

Thinking carefully about the recent period.

This guy really... hadn't lied.

But this... was too sudden.

So sudden that she wasn't prepared at all.

In her imagination, they were supposed to fight for a long, long time, and then Ye Shu would win by coincidence. Even if he won, he would use petty tricks to force her to stay by his side, and then she would battle him with wits and courage during their long time together, eventually finding a way to escape on her own.

Instead of it being like this.

Just a light, breezy... you can leave.

What was this?

The storybooks didn't write it like this at all!!!

Lin Qingxue suddenly wanted to get angry, but after puffing up her cheeks, she realized she had no reason to be mad. After struggling for a long while, she blankly spat out a few words.

"If I leave, do you really not care at all?"

This question was very sudden.

So sudden that the moment Lin Qingxue said it, a layer of crimson dyed her cheeks. It was hard to tell if it was the red of the sunset clouds or the shyness of a young girl.

"That's not it."

Ye Shu shook his head, not denying Lin Qingxue's importance in the slightest. "Actually, I really need a sparring partner. I need someone to tell me exactly how strong I am right now. To be responsible, you are very important to me."

"You are my coordinate system in this world."

Under the system's fate rules.

Sparring with a destined heroine allowed him to clearly know his approximate standing.

Was he stronger than the villains?

Or weaker than the villains?

And Lin Qingxue was his anchor.

"But a win is a win."

Ye Shu looked at Lin Qingxue very seriously.

"I won't go back on my word. I said I'd let you go, so I will."

"Of course."

"If you willingly choose to stay, I won't stop you either."

"Co... coordinate system?"

Hearing this, Lin Qingxue's pretty face flushed red. She then curled her lips, feigning disdain. "What cheesy words."

"I won't willingly stay! Right now, all I can think about is quickly leaving this dirty place, and most importantly, getting away from a huge pervert like you!"

With that, she turned to leave.

But for some reason, she didn't step onto her flying sword this time. Instead, she walked out step by step, as if waiting for something.

"I'm leaving~"

"I'm really leaving~"

"I'm really, really leaving~"

Lin Qingxue dragged out her words as she walked.

Finally, just as her figure was about to enter the dense forest, a voice called out to her.

"Wait! Miss Lin!"

"Hmph! You really can't bear to part with this lady, can you?" Lin Qingxue rejoiced inwardly, but tried hard to maintain an aloof expression on her face as she slowly turned around.

However, what greeted her was not Ye Shu's plea.

But a ring.

"Here! Catch!"

Ye Shu took a storage ring from his clothes and tossed it to her, then cupped his hands and said loudly, "Miss Lin, I'm giving you this storage ring as a token of my appreciation."

After saying that, he turned and left without the slightest hesitation.

Lin Qingxue clutched the ring, staring blankly at his back.

It wasn't until a long while later, when Ye Shu's figure completely disappeared into the dense forest, that she gripped the ring tightly, summoned her spirit sword, and flew away.

One didn't speak, the other didn't ask to stay.

In the dense forest, the fading light of the setting sun spilled through the gaps in the leaves. The little beast followed behind Ye Shu in an incredibly good mood, its little tail wagging back and forth.

That woman was gone, so Ye Shu only had it by his side now!

Ye Shu walked through the forest and suddenly looked up, seeing the distant clouds through the dappled shadows of the trees.

The distant clouds were layered upon one another, radiating a scale-like glow in the afterglow of the setting sun. He narrowed his eyes slightly and let out a sigh.

"The sunset is truly beautiful today~"

Xiaobai, sitting on his shoulder, dangled its little feet. It looked at the distant sunset, where the fading light dyed the clouds in gradient colors—dazzling gold in the distance, and dancing pink closer by.

"Actually..."

"The sunset is this beautiful every day."

Ye Shu gave a faint smile and continued walking.

"Because it is only during partings that people want to look at the sunset and feel that it is truly beautiful."

"Hey, why are you acting so sentimental?" Xiaobai patted his head in dissatisfaction and said fiercely, "That girl wanted to kill you, kill you! Just eighteen chapters ago, she wanted to kill you, and you wanted to kill her, didn't you?"

"Now you're acting like it's a tragic parting of life and death."

Ye Shu, however, was a bit confused. "Didn't you tell me to treat the heroine better? Now that I actually am, you're not happy."

"This is different!"

"How could you just hack Feng Mengli to death?"

Xiaobai angrily made a chopping motion with its hand. "So clean and decisive, without even blinking an eye. And you even gave the storage ring you looted from Feng Mengli to that girl. Why are you suddenly so generous?"

"Feng Mengli is Feng Mengli."

"Lin Qingxue is Lin Qingxue."

Ye Shu shook his head, suddenly spread his arms, and laughed loudly, "To those who betray me, I give a million!!!"

"Applaud if you understand!"

He looked at the little beast on the ground and smiled. "Come on, clap, clap!"

Buju?

The little beast looked up, seemingly not understanding the meaning of his words, but instinctively raised its two little paws and clapped them together.

"Then what about those who are loyal to you?"

Xiaobai suddenly asked.

"Those who are loyal to me?"

Ye Shu tilted his head slightly and laughed even louder than before. His laughter echoed throughout the entire mountain forest, startling flocks of birds into the air.

"They get absolutely nothing!"

"Because I've already given all my money away!!!"

He threw his head back and roared with laughter, laughing so hard that tears came to his eyes. Still laughing, he walked toward the cave.

Meanwhile, on the other side of the mountain forest.

A delicate shout that similarly echoed through the forest traveled straight from the other side of the mountain to this side.

"Stinky Ye Shu!!!!"

"I hate you to death!!!!"