The teacher placed a hand over his stomach and ran away in a manner as agile as a rabbit. She had to be joking, he thought to himself. He had seen the duel the other day and he knew Ling Chuxi's cultivation was very strong. The key point was that her ability to grasp battle opportunities wasn't something any ordinary person was capable of doing. He wasn't worried about losing, but rather he felt that by exchanging pointers with Ling Chuxi, he would definitely not be able to retreat completely unscathed. It would still be shameful if he won but was beaten black and blue in the process of doing so.
"Your uncle!" Ling Chuxi hollered a swear at the teacher's retreating figure. How hateful! Even the teacher had treated her as such! Ling Chuxi reflected on her own cultivation and knew that it wasn't as strong as others perceived. It was just that the battle between Lan Xinyu and herself had been one that enabled fame and prestige to be established for her. That battle made many people subconsciously put her on a pedestal. This resulted in very few people having the courage to actually challenge her.
Ling Chuxi could only sit down and drag her chin in boredom as she observed other students exchanging pointers with one another. Right then, the fifth princess returned to Ling Chuxi's company while wiping beads of sweat off her brow.
"Just perfect. You're here! Come, exchange pointers with me," said Ling Chuxi excitedly as she had finally managed to catch hold of someone.
"Master. Don't. It's too shameful for me to be hit and rolled all over the ground in front of so many people. I am still a princess after all, no matter what," said the fifth princess pitifully in response with an expression that looked as though she was about to cry if pressured any further.
"Fine. Go! Go! Get lost!" barked Ling Chuxi with a wave of her hand to dismiss the fifth princess. The fifth princess had given such a good reason that it was no longer right for her to exchange pointers with her.
Ling Chuxi stood up somewhat dejectedly and walked over to the forest behind the martial arts training ground. She wanted to relieve her boredom and lighten her heart with a change of scenery. After all, the heart does not feel troubled by what the eye doesn't see!
At present, winter had already begun. A chilling wind blew past Ling Chuxi and she shrunk her neck into her collar in response. She had left Little White back in her room. Without her natural scarf, the winds did feel very cold indeed.
The leaves of the surrounding trees rustled as the wind took on an even more chilling degree.
Suddenly, snow started to fall silently.
'It's snowing?'
Ling Chuxi lifted her head and saw more and more snowflakes falling gracefully. Very quickly, the snowflakes filled her sight one after another.
This was the first snow since the beginning of winter. Slowly, everything turned white. Ling Chuxi stretched out her hand to catch a snowflake. It melted quickly in the palm of her hand. Ling Chuxi smiled gently and raised her head to look at the snowflakes that were falling from high above once more. However, she suddenly realized that the snow was no longer falling on her.
She was shocked and immediately tilted her head upwards more and saw a paper umbrella hovering above her. She instantly turned around and saw a familiar peerless face. The man behind her had appeared out of the blue. His flirtatious silver hair seemed to blend into the endless white of the snow. A hint of a smile could be seen in his clear and beautiful purple eyes.
"Huangfu... Qingjue..." Ling Chuxi mumbled the name of the man who had appeared behind her.
"Chuxi." Huangfu Qingjue smiled gently and stretched out his hand, gently flicking away the snowflakes in her hair. His actions were so natural and intimate.
"You... Why are you here?" asked Ling Chuxi in surprise.
"You are here, so, naturally I am too," said Huangfu Qingjue as a smile appeared on his peerless face. His voice was gentle, yet it contained a miraculous strength that could make one's heart feel calm and at peace.
"Who exactly are you?" enquired Ling Chuxi as she looked dazedly at the man who stood before her. Why did this person give off such a familiar feeling? Why did he always inadvertently appear around her?
"Me? But of course, I'm your man," answered Huangfu Qingjue with another smile. However, this time, his smile carried a charming possessiveness.
"Why, I never! Stop talking nonsense!" exclaimed Ling Chuxi as her face reddened. She snorted and turned her head away from Huangfu Qingjue to hide her embarrassment.
Huangfu Qingjue laughed gently and didn't say a word more. He simply kept holding the umbrella silently over Ling Chuxi.