Is Dijun showing off?
Yun Qingjue's brow furrowed slightly as he observed him, an unfamiliar unease stirring in his chest.
Why do I feel so strange about him?
His fingers tightened at his sides.
Is it because it was his first time seeing a woman after all the centuries passed? He's so different today—his movements softer, his attention lingering—this can't be!
His jaw clenched with growing suspicion.
A powerful being shouldn't lower their guard. Besides, Yu Xiao suddenly appeared somewhere, not knowing where she came from.
His eyes narrowed, calculation flickering across his features. I need to do something.
Yun Qingjue's mind raced with turbulent thoughts, his composure fracturing beneath the weight of unease.
Fingers curled into fists at his sides before he forced himself to relax.
He cleared his throat deliberately, the sound sharp enough to interrupt Dijun's tender ministrations.
"Dijun, looks like you're done with her treatment. If you have any tasks to do, you can do them anyway," he said, his voice carefully measured despite the tension coiling in his shoulders.
He paused, and Dijun's gaze lifted slowly, cool and assessing as it swept over him from head to toe, as if peeling back layers to read what lay beneath.
"Task?"
His lips curved sideways into a knowing smile, a glint of amusement dancing in his eyes as he gently took away the jade bowl from Yu Xiao after she finished the medicine.
In a brief glance, he shifted his attention to Yun Qingjue, his expression sharpening with understanding—he had obviously guessed his thoughts.
A soft chuckle escaped his lips.
"If that's so, I should leave now to pursue my task."
His gaze snapped back to Yu Xiao, sitting beside him, and something softened in his features.
With a graceful flourish, he materialized in his palm a piece of candy, the movement so fluid it seemed like magic itself bent to his will.
His fingers, warm and deliberate, gently took Yu Xiao's hand and opened her palm, placing the sweet atop before closing her fingers around it with tender care.
"This will help to ease the bitterness. Later, I will bring more," he murmured, his tone gentle as silk, before he rose with effortless elegance and left the bedchamber without another word.
Yun Qingjue trailed behind him, carrying the empty jade bowl with stiff movements, his expression unreadable.
Yu Xiao watched them leave, her eyes following their retreating figures until they finally disappeared from her sight, leaving only the whisper of robes and fading footsteps.
With her palm still closed, she slowly opened it, her breath catching as she stared at the piece of candy given by Dijun himself, its surface gleaming softly in the dim light.
How could he know exactly my remedies?
Her heart squeezed with bewilderment, warmth, and confusion, tangling together.
This is how I did after taking medicine in my own world. Taking candies to ease the bitterness.
Her thumb brushed over the sweet, the gesture achingly familiar.
Recently, I thought he was going to kill me when I intruded his place, but unexpectedly, he saved me.
A shiver ran down her spine at the memory.
On the surface, he was thoughtful—too thoughtful.
Her brow furrowed deeper.
Why does it seem he looked familiar to me?
The question gnawed at her, persistent and unsettling.
I just can't remember the first time I saw him.
She pressed her lips together, frustration building.
Or am I just overthinking?
She exhaled slowly, but the unease refused to fade.
Alright, so many questions.
Her mind spun with unanswered riddles, each one more confusing than the last.
The queries that can possibly exist or have existed before?
Her temples throbbed as she tried to make sense of it all.
Still, with her wavering mind, she can't spell out this occurrence.
The truth remained frustratingly out of reach, like trying to grasp smoke.
Forget it. I almost forgot that there is Tiaopi who needs my help. Unfortunately, I forgot to ask him, and now I missed the opportunity.
She sighed, shoulders sagging with regret as she shook her head at her own distraction.
She gasped softly, remembering the candy still clutched in her palm.
Opening her hand, she unwrapped the sweet and consumed it without hesitation, the sugary taste melting on her tongue and chasing away the lingering bitterness.
Along with her wavering thoughts, in contrast, the Dijun remained unbothered, his expression serene and unreadable.
Quietly, he minded his own business while Yun Qingjue walked beside him, the silence between them heavy with unspoken tension.
Like Yu Xiao, Yun Qingjue's mind became frantic, his thoughts racing as he dissected every detail of Dijun's behaviour—the gentle touches, the lingering gazes, the unexpected tenderness.
Some questions found answers in the quiet observations, while others only deepened the mystery, leaving him more unsettled than before.
As of now, Dijun was in the kitchen, his hands moving with practiced precision as he resumed composing medicine for Yu Xiao's treatment.
Air was thick with the scent of herbs and simmering remedies.
With Yun Qingjue's keen eyes fixed on him, he watched closely, his brow creased with concern as worry etched itself across his face.
"Dijun is so hardworking today. I can't believe you did this for her. Is this really necessary?"
His voice carried a note of disbelief, tinged with caution.
"What's wrong with taking care of her?"
Dijun's tone remained calm, his focus never wavering from the mortar and pestle in his hands.
"I wouldn't object."
Yun Qingjue shifted his weight, his fingers tapping restlessly against his side.
"My honest opinion, you look different today. You didn't even mention to me how she ended up here. Otherwise, you just asked me to stay with her and watch her for her safety."
He paused, his gaze sharpening as he studied Dijun's profile.
"Dijun? Do you know her?"
The question hung in the air, heavy with suspicion and unspoken implications.
Dijun paused for a mere moment, his hands stilling over the herbs as he weighed whether he could give Yun Qingjue an answer or not.
The silence stretched between them, thick with calculation.
Finally, he glanced up at him, his eyes unreadable, and offered a tiny smile that didn't quite reach his eyes—a practiced expression meant to deflect rather than reveal.
"Helping those who needed is just a common responsibility."
His voice was smooth, almost too casual as he resumed grinding the herbs with deliberate motions.
"You said that Palace Lord Xue is taking care of her personally. We're an ally, since she was in my hand. They won't regret but thank me for making her safe."
The words sounded reasonable enough, but something in his tone suggested layers left unspoken, truths carefully hidden beneath the surface of diplomatic courtesy.
In that way, Yun Qingjue pressed his lips together, a flicker of relief crossing his features as he heard what seemed to be a satisfied answer from his Dijun.
His shoulders relaxed slightly, though uncertainty still lingered in the depths of his eyes.
In contrast, his Dijun carried a secret burden—a mystery he encountered the moment he brought Yu Xiao into his bedchamber.
A mysterious, magical red thread had suddenly appeared, materializing in the air like a whisper of fate itself, shimmering with otherworldly light.
Without warning or intention, it had tied both their hands in an intricate knot immediately after his healing treatment for her, the silken thread pulsing with ancient power.
Definitely, at the same time, his mind began to waver, thoughts spiraling in confusion and wonder.
He found himself wondering how this phenomenon happened without summoning or doing it purposely, his centuries of knowledge offering no explanation.
The red thread turned invisible after it was tied to them, vanishing from sight yet still present—he could feel its weight, its connection.
He couldn't tell anyone about this strange occurrence and remained quiet all the time, the secret locked behind his composed expression.
After the healing, he created a protective barrier around her for her safety, weaving layers of spiritual energy with practiced precision.
He made sure that when he headed off and when he returned, she would still be there—safe, undisturbed, exactly where he left her.
Discreetly, without informing Yun Qingjue of his true destination, he went to the hidden realm—an isolated location known only to the most ancient beings.
It was a sanctuary for a divine being, a spirit who had been living for more than a thousand years, witnessing the rise and fall of countless eras.
Here, deep within this mystical sanctuary, was where the Spirit Divine Foreteller lived.
The place was shrouded in a deep, primordial forest where twisted ancient trees stood like silent guardians, their branches heavy with moss and secrets.
An invisible portal shimmered faintly in the air, detectable only to those who knew where to look, its presence marked by the subtle distortion of light and the tingling of powerful wards.
Inside lay a mysterious cave, its walls glittering with embedded crystals that pulsed with soft luminescence.
The atmosphere was rich in spiritual energy so potent it made the air itself seem to hum with life, each breath filling the lungs with power.
At the heart of this sacred space stood a crystal-like waterfall, its waters cascading with ethereal beauty, each droplet catching and refracting light into rainbow prisms.
This mystical waterfall served as a divine tool for the Spirit Divine Foreteller to manifest herself, the liquid surface acting as both a mirror and a gateway between realms.
"Show yourself, I need a word."
Dijun's voice echoed through the sacred cave, firm and commanding yet tinged with an urgency he rarely displayed.
The words resonated against the crystalline walls, rippling across the surface of the mystical waterfall.
Immediately, the Spirit Divine Foreteller showed up, her presence announced by a sudden shift in the atmosphere.
The waterfall's cascade shimmered and distorted, its surface becoming a swirling vortex of light.
She materialized before him, her form glimmering in spiraling energy that danced and twisted like living starlight, neither fully solid nor entirely ethereal.
Her essence pulsed with ancient wisdom, each flicker of her luminous form radiating power that had witnessed the birth and death of dynasties.
"It's been a long time since we last met, old friend."
Her voice emerged as a gentle whisper carried on the wind, yet it filled the entire cave with its melodious resonance.
There was warmth in her tone, a familiarity born from countless centuries of acquaintance, though beneath it lay the knowing quality of one who sees all threads of fate.
Her spiraling form shifted closer, the energy surrounding her casting dancing shadows across Dijun's face as she regarded him with what might have been curiosity—or perhaps she already knew why he had come.