The moonlight fell unobstructed onto the lake's surface, and also onto the girl named Xiao Li.
Her face was still very red—flushed from her cheeks to the tips of her ears, and from her ears down to her neck.
“It's a misunderstanding,” she whispered, her gaze not daring to look toward Lin Yuan, staring only at the small patch of water in front of her.
“I was underwater just now and indeed used Mist Concealment. He probably didn't see me before he got into the water.”
Xiaxia lowered her sword slightly, but didn't put it away completely. “Really?”
“Mm,” Bai Li's voice was even softer.
“And... he was over there the whole time; he never came close. It was my fault for not paying attention when I deactivated the Mist Concealment, that's why...”
She didn't finish, but her meaning was clear.
She hadn't noticed someone else was in the lake when she dropped her concealment, leading to her being seen. It wasn't that Lin Yuan was peeking; it was a complete accident.
Xiaxia remained silent for two seconds before finally lowering the green sword in her hand.
But the look she gave Lin Yuan was still sharp as a blade.
“Consider yourself lucky.”
Lin Yuan let out a long breath. He used the water's buoyancy to flip himself onto the shore, grabbing his clothes from the rock and pulling them on the moment he landed.
His movements were so swift that even a lightning ability user would have been impressed; he was fully dressed in three seconds.
The faint sound of water came from behind him.
It was very soft, followed by the subtle rustle of fabric against skin.
A moment later, footsteps approached from behind.
“You can turn around now.”
Lin Yuan turned around.
Bai Li stood before him.
She had changed into a clean set of moon-white casual clothes. Her face was still flushed, but she looked much better than she had in the lake.
At least she could look at people normally now, though her gaze would quickly dart away like a startled kitten whenever it met Lin Yuan's face.
She wasn't tall, about 160 centimeters, standing a head shorter than Lin Yuan.
Her frame was slender, with a delicate build.
Xiaxia stood beside her, having sheathed her green sword, but she kept her arms crossed. Her eyes remained fixed on Lin Yuan as if he were a criminal suspect who might strike at any moment.
Bai Li kept her head down, her hands clasped together, fingers nervously fidgeting.
After a long silence, she finally gathered the courage to look up at Lin Yuan's face.
“Are you... Senior Lin Yuan, right?”
Lin Yuan was stunned.
Senior? He stared at Bai Li's face for a good while.
The mist had obscured her before, making it hard to see clearly.
Now that the moonlight was shining directly on her face, this face...
Lin Yuan's memory felt as if it had been nudged by something.
During his first year of high school, he had seen a group of older boys surrounding a small, thin girl, trying to force her to pay “protection money.” The girl was huddled in a corner, too afraid to say a word.
He had stepped in and driven those older boys away. It wasn't some grand act of a hero saving the beauty; he simply couldn't stand the sight of it.
The girl had stayed crouched in the corner, her face buried in her knees, her shoulders still trembling.
He had knelt down to ask if she was hurt. She didn't speak, only shook her head. He placed a candy Grandma Wang had given him by her hand and then left.
Later, that girl would occasionally run into him in the hallways.
Every time, she would stand far off, clutching her books and keeping her head down, only daring to look at his back after he had passed by.
Sometimes he would give her a nod, and her face would instantly turn red to the roots of her ears before she hurriedly ran away.
He remembered her name.
“Bai Li.”
Bai Li's eyes lit up.
“Senior still remembers me.”
There was a hint of cautious joy in her voice.
Xiaxia watched the scene from the side, her gaze scanning between the two of them twice as her brow slowly furrowed.
“Wait,” she interrupted their eye contact. “You two know each other?”
“High school classmates,” Lin Yuan said.
“He was my senior during my first and second years,” Bai Li said at the same time, then added, “He's a few months older than me.”
Xiaxia's eyebrows shot up.
She looked at Bai Li, then at Lin Yuan, her expression shifting from “suspected criminal” to “a pig eyeing her prize cabbage.”
But since Bai Li had already spoken, she couldn't say much more, only letting out a huff through her nose.
Bai Li briefly explained what happened after she left Donghai City.
For this college entrance exam, she had teamed up with Xiaxia. Xiaxia was the first friend she had made after arriving in Hangzhou—an A-rank weapon system user with the Azure Peak Sword. Her personality was the complete opposite of Bai Li's.
One was like fire, the other like water.
“What about you? How did an F-rank lightning system user like you end up this deep in the wilderness?” Xiaxia interjected, her tone still none too polite.
Lin Yuan thought for a moment and said, “There are too many people and too few monsters on the outskirts.”
Xiaxia was left speechless.
An F-rank lightning system user complaining about too many people and too few monsters? What kind of humblebragging was this?
Bai Li, however, let out a soft laugh.
“Let's exchange contact info,” Lin Yuan said. He pulled out his phone. Although there was no signal, Bluetooth still worked for exchanging communication codes.
Once the exam was over and they left the danger zone, they could add each other when the signal returned.
Bai Li was taken aback for a moment, then quickly pulled her phone from her sleeve. The two of them exchanged their communication codes.
As Lin Yuan looked down at his phone, Bai Li's gaze briefly lingered on his profile before quickly darting away.
Xiaxia saw this and silently rolled her eyes.
It was over. This silly girl was beyond saving.
...
Late at night.
The three of them found a sheltered spot by the lake and started a small fire.
Lin Yuan finished his dinner in a few bites and then said, “I'll take the first watch.”
Xiaxia glanced at him but said nothing.
Lin Yuan sat by the fire, looking out over the lake.
A very soft voice came from behind him.
“Senior.”
He turned his head slightly.
Bai Li was wrapped in a blanket, only half of her face showing.
“Goodnight,” she said.
The corners of Lin Yuan's mouth curled up slightly.
“Goodnight.”
She pulled her face back into the blanket, leaving only a small, reddened tip of her ear visible at the edge.
Early the next morning, as the sky was just beginning to brighten, Lin Yuan woke up.
Xiaxia was on the final watch. Seeing him get up, she merely tilted her chin in a silent hand-off.
Bai Li was still asleep, her breathing so light it was almost inaudible.
Lin Yuan nodded to Xiaxia, turned, and began walking toward the depths of the dense forest.
After a few steps, Xiaxia's voice came from behind him.
“Lin Yuan.”
He stopped but didn't turn around.
“Han Feng of Hangzhou No. 1 High School. Tier 1, Level 5, A-rank weapon system, Spirit Blade Iron-Cutter. He's been saying he'll take first place in this year's exam.”
Xiaxia's tone was flat. “We ran into his team yesterday. He said ‘no one in Hangzhou can compete with him this year.’”
Lin Yuan waited for two seconds, realizing she wasn't going to say anything more.
“And?”
“And nothing. Just letting you know.”
Lin Yuan's lips curved upward. He gave a wave of his hand and continued forward.
His figure vanished into the depths of the pine forest.
Xiaxia leaned against the extinguished fire, watching the direction where he had disappeared.
“F-rank,” she repeated the term to herself, then shook her head.
Bai Li was still asleep. The morning light fell upon the corners of her mouth, where a tiny smile was visible.
One could only wonder what she was dreaming about.
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