It was love at first sight

The afternoon will soon come to an end; the night approaches stealthily.

The sky that little by little left behind the warm colors of a beautiful twilight is decorated by majestic and golden birds that fly back to their home. They warn those who see them that it is time to return to their own.

A couple of young wanderers watch them from the ground with pain in their hearts.

The autumn breeze sways the foliage of the tall trees as it passes, eliciting its characteristic crisp whisper, and pleasing the listener with a sense of peace. Such a lullaby also reaches them; they let this be their comfort as they continued on their way.

They don't want to think about going back yet. They feel that it is not the time yet and that they have more to discover. Just... a few days more, okay?

Both of them go further into that bamboo forest. The oldest of the teenagers explores it before the start of his usual night hunt; playing with his sword and jumping between trees, he pretended to be the free wind. At the same time, at the other extreme, the younger has just arrived at the place and begins to look for an ideal place to sleep when needed. While feeling the terrain, he marvels at the landscapes that the forest itself showed him as he deepened between its paths.

They are Xiao Qingchen y Song Yewan, respectively.

Skilled at fighting and with high cultivation, they did not care too much if danger suddenly appeared while they were distracted around. This great confidence in themselves was understandable: having lived without great worries far from the mortal world, they never faced more than intermediate level ghosts or beasts, whom they defeated with relative ease. Really... was there even something stronger in their bubble with what to fight?

After about an hour, the sun completely disappeared behind the green mountains.

The inky, silver-spattered sky soon received the passage of a new light: an incredibly large full moon was rising to reign over the thousands of stars. Because of her, the night seemed to be enchanted, to be magical... If you asked the people of that time how precious it was, everyone would answer without hesitation that it was the most beautiful they have seen; even after hundreds of years, the answer would be the same.

Our young protagonists are no exception.

Enraptured by the incredible scenery offered by the nemorouses lands bathed in niveous light, they did not realize that their red threads were getting closer and closer to joining together as one.

~

A young taoist in black robes, of elegant bearing and very good-looking, arrives after a time at a large clearing in the middle of the forest. He is carrying a small, fluffy bundle that adorably hid its view in the folds of its savior's garment. Song YeWan had found it injured.

Just over a quarter of an hour ago, the noble cultivator had strayed from the path upon hearing it groan pitifully in pain; he follows the weeping, expecting to find a trap set by some demon with whom he would have to fight, but... it did not turn out to be like that. In the end, he only encountered a simple animal with no trace of spirit power. It was small and had been hurt, his heart was touched and he wanted to help it.

When he picked it up, the shadows produced by the bamboos around them did not allow him to know the exact location of the wound, much less treat it, so he looked for a lighted place to do it.

The clearing found seems a suitable place. It's fairly clean —exactly to his liking— so she chose it for her later break as well.

The black and white creature now rested on his lap; that baby panda had already been properly cared for. In serene silence, the young Song was polishing his Aoxue sword and tucking in his sleeves the talismans he would need during the night hunt when suddenly, a figure pierced the sky like a precious shooting star. A roar echoed through the forest following the star.

Shrouded in a pure and bright aura, another young cultivator, beautiful, but clad in green water robes, appeared at the scene. He came from who knows where, but, by his graceful fall, he seemed to have descended from heaven just like a god who came to offer his divine grace.

Song Yewan reacted immediately.

In less than the blink of an eye, he had carefully tucked the sleeping baby behind him, and he rose from his position brandishing his sword softly, gracefully, and cleanly. He really did look like a noble and cold knight. All this was done in silence and hiding his presence as much as possible in the shadows.

On the other hand, the one in robes like snow did not notice the other's actions. Busy fighting a large creature at least three zhangs tall, his mind did not admit the slightest distraction.

The battle against that giant tiger-headed python did not last long. It only took less than two minutes for him to finally manage to defeat and exorcise it; everything was done so cleanly that not a drop of the beast's black blood got to dirty his person. His bearing still gave the impression of being a descended god, his movements like a snowflake being carried by the breeze.

Still, Song YeWan remained alert and hidden, measuring the other before acting. Actually, he was impressed. He silently praised him for such demonstrated talent, and although he didn't want to admit it, he felt really curious to meet the face of such a good cultivator.

Xiao Qingchen of course was unaware of this, so he still kept his back to wipe his sword from the blood that slid along it. It was not until the yawn of a small creature reached his ears, that he noticed the presence of someone else in the place. Sharpening his senses, he notices a couple of breaths not far from where he is.

The young Song was so intent on trying to see the face of Xiao Qingchen, that he forgot to keep hiding his presence. Falling for this as he saw the moon-clad cultivator's movements stop, he resumed his position with the sword aimed at the other.

They both mentally prepared to defend themselves against any movement before making their own.

The seconds passed.

—Who are you? —Song Yewan did not resist asking when he saw the immobility of the one who suddenly appeared.

Xiao Chen inwardly sighed in relief. Well, it was a person behind him, at least he is not some other beast. He is exhausted after fighting the latter.

Turning around gracefully, Xiao Qingchen stopped showing his back to finally reveal for a few seconds a beautiful face that resembled an exquisite jade carving. With the movement, the veils that hung from the bamboo hat on his head —which was a gift from his teacher— rippled with the wind, further grace the movement of the beauty that came down from the heavens.

Song Yewan was even more impressed by the other. Xiao Qingchen thought quickly before speaking and decided not to lie in his answer. It might have been useful to change his identity to a more modest one; however, his appearance in the place was definitely not a regular one and his shining Mingyue sword was not hidden from view, thus both revealed what he really is.

—I am just a young cultivator passing through the area, daozhang. —He replied with a soft voice as he greeted with a respectful reverence—. I did not know there was someone else here, excuse me if I bothered you in any way.

The voice of the person who inquired was serious and deep, it made him think that the owner of such was someone possibly twenty years old and that is why he addressed the other in such a formal way. You can imagine how great his surprise was when he looked up and did not meet an adult, but someone his age coming out of hiding and greeting him back.

Now Xiao Qingchen is the one impressed.

The taoist who emerged from the shadows is tall and owner of a great beauty. His features were sharp and masculine: sword-shaped eyebrows, phoenix eyes, a straight nose, and thin lips. His figure is slim but strong; the black color of their clothes gave a certain elegance to their bearing. Xiao Qingchen noticed that behind the other, he was followed by a small panda bear with one paw wrapped in bandages; it seems that it had been cared for by the handsome taoist. Then he felt honey fall on his heart when he thought that this boy was a very kind one.

The young Xiao was delighted with the sight; his heart began to beat fast and without reason in his chest that suddenly became warm, as well as now his soft cheeks are. His mind did not think of anything else other than the image etched in his memory of this stoic boy pointing his icy sword at him, protecting a helpless animal.

Fortunately, he was not the only one who suffered these strange symptoms. At the other extreme, Song Yewan also felt weak.

Behind those translucent and delicate veils is a beautiful boy who immediately struck him with his soft gaze. His facial features are harmonious and well defined: laurel brows, bright innocent eyes under the shadow of long, thick lashes, and not forgetting those rosy lips. Besides, his complexion is as white as porcelain. And, although these characteristics read more like those of a doll, in reality, the possessor of these is remarkably a man. One very beautiful and, at the same time, masculine. Radiant under the moon, soft as a breeze; Song Yewan could not stop his heart from skipping and his mind from only being occupied by the cute little boy who suddenly appeared in his life, proving not only to be a delicate jade but a fierce warrior.

Both fell inadvertently for the other, believing that their encounter in the clearing was accidental and no planned for years by the Universe and the gods.

—My name is Song Yewan. —I am Xiao Qingchen.

Faced with the coincidence of introducing himself at the same time, the older one laughed amusedly and the younger one looked away feeling shy.

The bamboos swayed in the wind and their leaves were carried by it: silently, they swirled around the pair. The moon seemed even larger and the clearing brighter. From the clouds, the gods released beautiful flowers that reached the ground in the form of snow.

Yes. This place, where currently they celebrate their wedding, was a long time ago that witness who witnessed the beginning of the warm feelings that settled in their young hearts and imprinted on their souls. Those warm feelings that they only managed to feel for the other.