118.

"Huh!?" Opening her eyes, Xia Xueqi looked around in confusion. After noticing Yang Ze who was sitting beside her, her eyes narrowed into slits. Moving away from Yang Ze, she touched her body all over, and after finding there were no abnormalities, she breathed in relief.

"What the hell happened!?" A moment ago, she was talking with Yang Ze and the next moment, she suddenly lost consciousness. Looking at the night sky, she furrowed her brows. Before losing consciousness, it was still evening and now it was night.

"And how long have I been out!?"

"No idea." Shrugging, Yang Ze continued "I only remember talking to you before everything went dark. I just woke up an hour ago and seeing you were still sleeping, I didn't want to disturb you."

Xia Xueqi looked at Yang Ze's face before breaking out in a smile. "Thank you."

Even though there was a smile on her face, her mind was tense. Losing consciousness suddenly wasn't something that happens out of blue. It seems like they were involved with something way out of their league. Even though she was talking to Yang Ze, her eyes were constantly looking out for any abnormality.

Even after looking for a long time, there didn't seem to be something strange. In the end, Xia Xueqi could only keep this matter in her mind. Perhaps in the future, there will be a day when the event of today will come to light.

"Why are you thanking me!?"

"Well..." Blinking her eyes, Xia Xueqi looked at Yang Ze as she slowly moved her hands to her face and took off the veil that she was wearing.

Yang Ze who was still somewhat confused from her action didn't know how to react. Should he shout out beautiful!? Or should he just keep his mouth open so as to appear shocked by her ravishing beauty!?

Either way, Yang Ze just looked at the face that was in front of him. Unlike Cang Yue, she wasn't some kind of earth-shattering beauty, but she gave off a feeling of peace. The small beauty mark at the corner of her lips was adding even more to her charms. On this tranquil night, she looked like a fairy that stepped out of the painting into the real world.

"What do you think!?" With a wink, Xia Xueqi looked at Yang Ze who still seemed to be shocked by her beauty, before nodding her head in satisfaction.

"Err... You are the most beautiful woman that I have ever seen." After a brief pause, Yang Ze gave out an honest smile.

"Sigh..." Xia Xueqi looked at his fake smile, before shaking her head. "Forget it. It was a mistake."

Even though she had known Yang Ze for only a few days, she was able to tell whether he was lying or speaking the truth. And right now, his smile seemed too fake.

"Do you remember anything before you fell unconscious!?"

"I don't." Shaking his head Yang Ze continued. "I only felt like the world has gone dark and by the time I woke up, it was already night. Other than us two, there wasn't anyone in sight."

"I see."

Both of them exchanged glances for a while before Xiao Xueqi stood up. Even though she was worried and wanted to head back as soon as possible, she didn't show it on her face. In her mind, if even an expert like her was afraid, then it must be worse for the boy in front of her.

"Are we going back!?" To Yang Ze it didn't matter how long he was going to stay here. There wasn't anyone waiting for him back, so it didn't matter to him even if he spent an entire night here.

"Not yet. There is still something we need to see."

"What is it!?"

Xia Xueqi didn't reply but signaled him to follow her. After climbing the mountain, both of them stood at the top, just looking at the scenery below. Amongst the numerous flowers, there was a specific variety of flowers that was emitting a weak hazy light. Bending down, Xia Xueqi plucked one of those and slowly brought it near her nose.

"This is why we came here."

Looking at Xia Xueqi who was smelling the fragrance of the flower, Yang Ze picked one too and slowly took a deep breath.

"Do you know what this flower is called?" Xia Xueqi continued in a calm tone. "This is called Vistina. It is said that a long time ago, there was a lone goddess." Pointing to the starry sky, she continued "Amongst all those stars, she drifted forever alone."

"Day after day, years after years, she lived by herself. And one day, she was fed up with her loneliness. She wanted company, she wanted someone to share her feelings, her thoughts with, so she created this world."

"And along with this world, she created plants, animals, humans, and all other living beings. At first, she was happy. So happy, that she shared all her knowledge with the ones she created. She cared for them, loved them, and taught them."

"Everything was going great, everyone was living peacefully. That is until one-day greed overtook them. Fueled by their ambitions, her own creation, and her children, waged war against each other. They started killing and plundering the others.

However, their greed and ambition didn't just stop there. Armed with her knowledge, many of them started thinking about the goddess herself. Ignoring the fact that she was the one who created them, they all even attacked her."

Speaking till here, Xia Xueqi had a mocking smile on her face. It was as if she was laughing at the foolishness of those people.

"Aware of their plans, the goddess was heartbroken. Her own children were taking arms against her. They wanted to kill her to take her power. She tried explaining to them, telling them to let go of that foolish thoughts, but they didn't listen.

In the end, the goddess disappeared from this world."

"After her departure, the entire world fell into chaos, it didn't take long before the established order was gone, replaced by lawlessness. All the prosperity and happiness that was there because of her presence seemed to disappear overnight.

It was then, that the world understood her importance. It was then that they understood what she meant to them and to this world. Many cried, many prayed, but there was no reply. The goddess left this world with a broken heart, and perhaps she will never come back."

"The only things people had were her teachings and knowledge, and with that as a foundation, a new order was established. And to thank her, people started worshipping her in hopes that one day she might forget them and come back. No one knows where she went, but according to some legends, before her departure, she shed tears of sorrow. And wherever those tears fell, these flowers sprouted."

"These flowers then became a symbol of guidance, a symbol of hope. This was something left behind by the Goddess, so people took it as a sacred thing. It is said that this thing might help Goddess find her way back home, to this world. Even for people who have lost their way and themselves, this flower will help them find the thing they want the most."

There was a long pause as Xia Xueqi made her way in front of Yang Ze. Gazing into his eyes, she held both his hands as she whispered softly.

"This flower is my gift to you. It is a reminder that no matter what happened or what might happen, you shouldn't make the same mistakes as those people. Do not let go of what you hold dear, do not forget your roots, who you are. And maybe, one day, you might find yourself and what you lost."

Yang Ze didn't speak a word but kept his silence. Taking a deep breath, he slowly nodded his head "Thank you."

"Good." Releasing Yang Ze's hands that she was holding, Xia Xueqi put on the veil once more.

"Also, I will be leaving this city a few days later. And I suggest you do the same too. The city will go through a big change and since you have one of the most lucrative businesses, you might be a target."

"I..."

"Don't say anything. If you want..." After hesitating for a while, Xia Xueqi steeled her mind. "If you want, you can follow me back to the Xuanwu Sect. You can not become a disciple, but you can stay with me. At least you will be safe there."

Yang Ze thought for a second. This was a lucrative offer that she gave to him. But after thinking for a while, he shook his head. Even if he goes there, there was nothing of value to him. Someone like him could only serve as a servant there, far away from the reach of new knowledge and arts. Not to mention there were already a few people there that are pretty familiar with him. To the outside world, the second Young master of the Yang family, Yang Ze died in Darati city. Now, if he suddenly make his appearance, it was bound to cause problems.

"I..." Looking at Xia Xueqi's eyes which were filled with nervousness and expectations, Yang Ze sighed before rejecting her offer. "I am thankful to you, but I can not leave this city. At least not for now. Perhaps in the future, I will make a visit to the Xuanwu Sect just to meet you."

"YOU..." Xia Xueqi didn't know how to react. In her eyes, this was a great offer. If there was another person instead of Yang Ze, they would have accepted it without hesitation. But the boy in front of her didn't accept it. For a while, Xia Xueqi didn't know what to do. This was the first time that she found someone she could share her problems and worries with. She didn't want to lose him too. Conflicted, Xia Xueqi clenched her fists. If worse come to worse, she could just grab him forcefully before going back.

As she was slowly forming the plan, Yang Ze reached inside his robe and took out a small leather pouch.

"I found this in my house. Perhaps you dropped it when you visited me."

This was originally Xia Xueqi's storage bag that he got after the fishing. After thinking about it a lot, he finally decided to return it back to her. It might be precious to others, but to him who had no use for treasures and who had a portable space, this thing held no value. Since it was useless to him, it was better to return it back to the original owner. If it were someone else other than XIa Xueqi, then Yang Ze would have never considered it, much less actually returned it.

"OH MY GOD!!!!" Xia Xueqi jumped up in excitement before rushing forward and giving Yang Ze a tight hug. This sudden action of her startled Yang Ze who didn't know how to react.

"Thank you, thank you, thank you." Tightening her embrace, Xia Xueqi kept on thanking him, unaware of her intimate actions.

Yang Ze, who could feel her body along with the sweet fragrance, could only pat her back softly.

"Err... Let's go back." At this moment Xia Xueqi became aware of her actions as she released him and took a step back. With a face that was as red as an apple, she didn't dare to look Yang Ze in eyes. She could only hide her face in embarrassment as she made her way back home with Yang Ze.