Chapter 37 Chapter 37 (The sunset has already set, orange...

The sun had already set, and the orange light of the setting sun illuminated the sparse hibiscus trees swaying in the wind in the Theological Society. It was time for the Theological Society to go home. Li Yian took a quick shower in the bathroom, changed into spare clothes, and prepared to return to the Mu family.

At the Wu Academy, everyone had their own private bathroom. Because the seminary was state-funded, the students who came here were generally wealthy or aristocratic, so the study environment was excellent.

Students at the martial arts academy need to undergo extremely rigorous training, and they sweat a lot during each training session. So taking a cold shower after class is a very good way for students at the martial arts academy to relieve fatigue.

As Li Yian left, the sky gradually darkened, and the red sunset in the west was as brilliant as fire. Because she had to go to the palace in two days, she packed her daily necessities and clothes into a bag.

The evening breeze blew gently, bringing a pleasant sensation to her. Carrying her bag, she looked back at the martial arts academy where she had spent nearly ten years. It held all her memories, good and bad. Now that she was about to leave, she felt truly reluctant.

Beneath the hibiscus tree at the seminary, a young man in pale blue clothes held a porcelain tray, his pale fingers plucking pink petals from the tree one by one. Autumn was drawing to a close, and the blossoms on the tree were about to wither. Before the hibiscus flowers faded, fresh petals could be picked to make incense.

Out of the corner of his eye, the young man noticed a young woman in black passing by not far ahead.

Mu Yin turned slightly to the side, hiding himself behind the tree trunk, intending to wait until the woman was far away before coming out. Mu Yin waited for a long time, and when he realized that the footsteps could no longer be heard, he let out a sigh of relief and turned to walk out.

Then he saw Li Yian, dressed in black, standing in front of him with his arms folded, looking at him.

Mu Yin was startled for a moment, quickly lowered his eyes, and called softly, "Sister."

Li Yian pulled out a small bag of candied fruit from his sleeve, threw it to Mu Yin, and said, "I heard that you still feel pain in your body, so I asked the cook in the kitchen to make some candied fruit. I wanted to give it to you this morning, but I didn't see you after the meeting. Desserts can slightly relieve pain, so when you feel pain, just eat some."

Mu Yin hurriedly took the candied fruit wrapped in the white handkerchief and was stunned for a moment. "Thank you."

Li Yian just replied gently, "You're welcome." Then he turned around and prepared to leave.

To be honest, she had a good impression of Mu Yin. Although Mu Yin was young, he had experienced many illnesses and suffered the grievances of being ignored by his family. This had cultivated his mature character and he would never show his vulnerability in public.

Although Mu Yang is three years older than him, Mu Yin is much more mature than Mu Yang.

Li Yian is a person like Mu Yin. She never easily reveals her vulnerability in front of others. Even if she encounters any difficulties, she will grit her teeth and get through it. Showing vulnerability in front of outsiders is an insult to herself.

It is precisely because Li Yian and Mu Yin are the same type of people that she can empathize with Mu Yin's situation.

Mu Yin stared blankly at Li Yian's figure as she walked away, and couldn't help but shout out, "Sister, are you sympathizing with me?"

Li Yian looked back at him in surprise. Under the brilliant fiery sunset, Mu Yin's pale and handsome face was also dyed with a thin layer of fiery red. Under Li Yian's surprised gaze, he turned his head to the side and tightened his fingers holding the tray slightly.

"Aren't we family?" Li Yian laughed a little amusedly.

Mu Yin was stunned for a moment, then turned to look at Li Yian. Li Yian had already turned and left. Mu Yin lowered her eyes to look at the small bag of preserved fruit in her hand, her pale lips curled slightly.

It seemed to get dark quickly. After Li Yian left the seminary, she could no longer see the road ahead. It was all dark, and the trees in front of the seminary rustled in the evening breeze.

There were only a few pedestrians on the street. From somewhere in the distance, the sound of flapping wings came. A child suddenly appeared from nowhere and pounced on her. Li Yian was startled and took a few steps back.

Because of the darkness, she couldn't see the child's face clearly, she only saw the child looking back at her eagerly. In this quiet and dark street, the child's dark eyes stared at her intently, which made her feel a little weird.

She stood there in a daze and could only say dryly, "Kid, go home quickly." She remembered what the priest said, that demons can transform into various shapes, and the only way to identify a demon is to see if he has body temperature.

She took two steps towards the child, and the child turned around and ran away quickly as if frightened.

When the child ran to the end of the street corner, a man in a white student uniform with gold edges squatted down, reached out and touched his head, and handed him a string of candied haws. The child seemed to be comforted, laughed out loud, picked up the candied haws and ran away.

Li Yian breathed a sigh of relief. Was it a human?

She turned around and prepared to leave, but she heard the man in white behind her gently call her name, "Li Yian, long time no see."

His voice was clear and pleasant, and it was tinged with a smile.

Li Yian, whose name was called, looked back and saw the man in white holding a candlestick in his hand and walking towards her with a smile.

The man was tall, dressed in a white robe that made him look both noble and elegant. His waist-length hair was half-tied back. The flickering flames of the candlesticks illuminated his face. He was handsome, with a gentle smile on his face, and his eyes shone like stars in the night sky.

Li Yian looked at his familiar face and blurted out, "Cheng Qiu?"

Cheng Qiu walked up to her and nodded with a smile, "You still remember me."

Li Yian straightened his face, coughed dryly to hide his discomfort, and bowed to Cheng Qiu, "I'm sorry, I had something urgent to do at the celebration party that night..."

She had to wait for Mu Yang every night, so she broke the appointment. She didn't mean to tease Cheng Qiu, it was just because it was the first time she was approached by a man, and she was nervous and agreed to his invitation without thinking. After agreeing, she realized that she couldn't go out at night.

Later, she thought, Cheng Qiu, a popular figure in the Arts School, akin to a "student union leader," would be incredibly busy and invite many people to his gatherings, likely forgetting about her, a student from the Martial Arts School with a low profile. Cheng Qiu was probably just being polite, so her presence wouldn't matter at all.

Thinking this way, she stopped thinking about that matter. Now that she met Cheng Qiu, she remembered to apologize.

Cheng Qiu couldn't help but smile. Seeing that she always bowed to him respectfully, she was really an interesting girl. He said, "It's okay."

Li Yian wasn't a very sociable person, but Cheng Qiu's smile was so warm that it slightly eased her discomfort. She nodded at him solemnly, "Thank you."

After a pause, she remembered that some men from the College of Arts were discussing Cheng Qiu's absence from school for two days. She couldn't help but ask in confusion, "I heard that you haven't been to the Theological Society these past two days. Is there something wrong?"

Cheng Qiu was stunned for a moment, and recalled in confusion, "Huh? I've been in the Theology Society." He smiled and picked up the book he borrowed from the library and said to Li Yian, "I just came out of the library."

Li Yian was also a little confused and couldn't tell whether he had remembered it wrong.

The wind in late autumn is very cool. The evening breeze blows, rolling up the fallen leaves on the street. The dark green leaves on the treetops rustle. A blurry half moon hangs in the sky, and wisps of smoke and clouds half cover the moon.

Cheng Qiu took off her coat. When Li Yian saw the coat covering her, she was stunned for a moment and quickly stretched out her hand to block her, "No, no!"

But Cheng Qiu said softly, "You will catch a cold." After that, he took two steps closer to Li Yian and spread out his coat and put it on Li Yian.

Because he was tall, his coat was also very large. When it was draped over Li Yian, the white student coat fell to the ground. However, the coat blocked the cool wind for her, making her feel a little warmer.

Li Yian's eyes widened in shock, her whole body stiffened. She had always grown up in the martial arts academy and lived like a rough man. How could she have received such preferential treatment?

But Cheng Qiu still looked at her with a smile, "Li Yian, the celebration is not over yet. I will organize more interesting activities and look forward to your participation. I will take you to see interesting dances, guess riddles, and taste various snacks..."

Li Yian didn't know what to say for a moment. She quickly took off Cheng Qiu's coat and handed it back to him. Her pretty face flushed slightly. She clenched her fist, brought it to her lips and coughed softly, "I'm going to the palace to be an apprentice warrior in two days. But thank you very much for your invitation."

She bowed towards Cheng Qiu in gratitude and said, "We'll meet again if we have the chance."

After saying that, she forced an unnatural smile at Cheng Qiu, turned around and left somewhat uncomfortably.

When she jumped onto the roof and sprinted a few steps, she couldn't help but look down at Cheng Qiu. He was dressed in white, his handsome face always wearing a warm smile. He said to her, "Looking forward to meeting you, Li Yian."

Li Yian nodded respectfully to him again, turned around and ran away quickly.

Cheng Qiu looked at Li Yian's receding figure and his smile faded slightly.

Several children and pedestrians who had been hiding in the street corner came out one after another, their pupils emitting a faint green light, and they asked sinisterly, "Can't we eat her?"

"No." Cheng Qiu said softly. He squatted down and reached out to stroke the children's heads.

The half-moon in the sky was gradually obscured by dark clouds. Cheng Qiu stood up straight, looking at the candlestick that never went out in his hand, and murmured, "The celebration is not over yet. We need to quickly plan the activities."

Gusts of wind blew through the Mu family mansion, shrouding the house in darkness. Servants walked back and forth holding lanterns, and exquisite delicacies were brought to the dining table one by one by the servants.

Li Yian returned to the Mu family. When she passed the yard, she found Mu Yang in white standing in front of her yard, looking around absent-mindedly.

Li Yian had decided not to have anything to do with him anymore, but she would never leave without saying goodbye, so she walked up to Mu Yang and said calmly, "I'm going to the palace soon, and maybe we won't see each other again. Take care."