As the two were walking, a little girl suddenly darted out and showered Lin Zhenzhen with a handful of flower petals.

"Brother and sister, may the moon goddess bless you and grant you a long and happy life together."

Before Lin Zhenzhen could react, Xuan Yuanzhao took out two spirit coins and gave them to her.

"Thank you, and may the moon goddess bless you as you grow strong and healthy."

Watching the interaction between the two, Lin Zhenzhen smiled and said, "I didn't realize you could be so patient with kids."

Xuanyuan Zhao seemed to have thought of something. He turned his head to look at her and then said, "I have always liked children."

"Aren't you just a child at heart?" He held up the ghost-faced river lantern in his hand, the originally terrifying blood-red mouth looking somewhat comical in his hand.

Lin Zhenzhen snorted defiantly and pointed to the river lantern in her hand, replying, "I'm so cute, but you always have such a fierce face. This little rabbit is me, and that funny face is you, how fitting!"

Xuanyuan Zhao did not speak, but the corners of his lips under the mask unconsciously turned up high.

A number of people were already standing by the river. Lin Zhenzhen chose a spot, put down what she was holding, and mysteriously closed her eyes.

"What are you doing?"

Lin Zhenzhen opened her eyelids a crack and said seriously, "Make a wish, don't you always make a wish before lighting the fire?"

"Unheard of."

Before them lay the mother river of Xihuang, a clear mirror reflecting the pale purple sky and the enormous full moon perfectly on its surface.

A gentle breeze rippled across the surface of the moon on the river.

The girl lowered her head slightly, and the bright moonlight bathed her body in a soft glow.

The scene seemed frozen in time, firmly imprinted in his mind, and would replay endlessly many years later.

Xuanyuan Zhao's constantly agitated and tense heart finally found a moment of peace.

After making her wish slowly and deliberately, Lin Zhenzhen turned around, pointed the lantern at him, and said, "Light it."

Xuanyuan Zhao snapped his fingers, and a small, leaping flame appeared at his fingertip, then slowly floated into the river lantern and lit the candle.

Lin Zhenzhen put down the river lantern and watched the little rabbit slowly drift away before clapping her hands in satisfaction.

"Alright." After taking two steps, she noticed that Xuan Yuanzhao was still holding the ghost-faced river lantern. "You haven't released yours yet."

Xuanyuan Zhao remained calm: "Keep it, we'll release it next time."

[Ding dong, male lead's favorability +5, current favorability 80, face-slapping plot progress detected as 0, reminding host to complete it as soon as possible.]

Lin Zhenzhen, however, had her own ideas.

She suddenly moved closer to Xuan Yuanzhao, pressing half of her body against him.

"This seems to be the first time we've gone out to play alone."

Her eyes shone brighter than the stars in the entire sky.

Xuanyuan Zhao stopped in his tracks, his mind blank for a moment, and he didn't move for a while.

His obsidian-like pupils were revealed, and they were trembling slightly.

Lin Zhenzhen stood on tiptoe, bringing her entire face close to his. The two were only inches apart; when she looked up, her lips even brushed against Xuan Yuanzhao's mask.

"If we win this Spirit Refining Tournament, I'd like to ask you for a reward."

Her gaze moved to the tip of the other person's nose, as if hinting at something, then she smiled and said, "Don't worry, it won't be too much."

"......good."

The warmth in his arms suddenly left, and Xuan Yuanzhao's heart, which had been filled with love, suddenly felt empty.

He stood there for a moment, annoyed that he was acting like a young boy, getting flustered by Lingzhen's little actions.

Lin Zhenzhen took two steps, then stopped and looked at him with a smile when she saw that he hadn't caught up yet.

"Let's go?"

Xuanyuan Zhao frowned, clenched his fist, and followed.

It was already late at night when they returned to the Xuan Mansion.

Get some rest.

"The same to you."

After saying goodbye to Xuan Yuanzhao in the corridor, Lin Zhenzhen pushed open the door to her room.

The windows were wide open, and moonlight streamed in, illuminating the entire room with a pale purple glow.

By the light, Lin Zhenzhen could see white petals scattered on the ground and a figure covered in blood.

"Wu Nian Mu?!"

She rushed forward, helped him up, and found that his eyes were closed, his lips were pale, and his face was covered with mottled bloodstains.

The sensation in her palm was strange and eerie. When Lin Zhenzhen raised her hand, she found it covered with tiny, densely packed flowers that were withering rapidly at a visible rate.

She was startled and quickly channeled her healing spiritual power into it.

After an unknown amount of spiritual energy was poured into it, Wu Nianmu finally slowly opened its eyelids.

"Imperial Beast..."

What's wrong with it?

"Don't worry, I've hidden it in a very safe place." Wu Nianmu's voice was weak and barely audible.

He pointed to the spot by the window: "I need to bask in the moonlight."

"OK."

Under the moonlight, Wu Nianmu's condition gradually improved, and the flowers that had been blooming on her head gradually closed up, returning her to her original black hair.

"What exactly happened?"

Wu Nianmu opened his eyes, his eyes filled with endless resentment.

"We've been ambushed."

"Today is the full moon, and my true form will appear in the crevice of the Piling Abyss canyon to absorb the moonlight's spiritual energy. Someone knows this and has deliberately laid an ambush there."

“The spirit beasts in the valley fought desperately to protect me, but they couldn’t withstand their overwhelming numbers.” Wu Nianmu’s eyes reddened. “Some of them were still just cubs when their inner cores were dug out.”

Lin Zhenzhen thought of the inner lining of the hair accessory she had stolen that night, and finally remembered where that familiar feeling came from; the smell was somewhat similar to that on Xiao Hei's body.

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