Ruo Yin chose not to visit the waterfall. She didn't want You Xie to think she was neglecting her mission or that she was failing to seduce the War Deity. So, only minutes after Zhan Luo left, she decided to return to the pavilion.
"You came back just in time, Ruo Yin," You Xie greeted her with a teasing smile. "We were just joking that you couldn't handle High God Zhan Luo and ran off."
It was in that moment that Ruo Yin realized her mistake. You Xie was bound to reprimand her for leaving Zhan Luo alone with the others. As she prepared to speak, Zhan Luo interrupted.
"Hahaha, don't joke about something like that. Ruo Yin and I are getting along just fine, aren't we?" he asked, raising an eyebrow at her.
"Yes..." Ruo Yin hesitated before continuing. "I just wanted to stretch my legs, so I went for a brief walk. Zhan Luo noticed I had gone missing, and we ended up walking together. He didn't want to keep you, elders, waiting, so he returned first. If I have disrespected any of you, elders, I ask your forgiveness," Ruo Yin said, bowing deeply.
The room fell silent, all eyes on the Sky Emperor, waiting for his judgment. Though no one cared much about the specifics, if the Sky Emperor took issue with it, they would have to as well.
"What's with the silence?" the Sky Emperor finally spoke, his voice calm but commanding. "When You Xie offered Ruo Yin's hand in marriage, we knew she was unfamiliar with the Sky Clan's rules. So, what is there to discuss? She already understands her mistake."
The emperor's gaze shifted to Ruo Yin. "And I trust there won't be another incident," he said, his eyes locking with hers.
"Yes. Thank you, Your Highness," Ruo Yin said quietly.
"Well, it's late now. Perhaps we should take our leave," the Sky Emperor suggested.
"Allow me to see you off," Zhan Luo said, his tone polite as he extended his hand to Ruo Yin and gestured toward the door, signaling the guests toward the exit.
Once the deities had left, Ruo Yin and Zhan Luo were left alone. They stood at the entrance of the mountain, an unspoken tension in the air. Neither of them moved or spoke, each waiting for the other to make the first move. Finally, Zhan Luo broke the silence.
"Did you go to see the waterfall?"
"No," Ruo Yin answered, her voice betraying a hint of uncertainty. With each moment she spent with Zhan Luo, she found herself forgetting her original mission. He somehow did not feel like the vile deity that You Xie had described him to be. He somehow did felt like someone he could call home, and yet she knew she was playing a dangerous game, one where her heart was at risk.
"Do you want to see it now?" he asked.
"What about the mess in the pavilion?" she replied, trying to keep her focus on her mission.
"That's easy to clean up," he said with a wave of his hand, casting a small spell to restore the room to order. "Nothing a cleaning spell can't fix."
"Then what are we waiting for?" Ruo Yin asked, taking his hand and pulling him toward the path.
As they walked, her pulse quickened with each step.
"Do you even know where the waterfall is?" Zhan Luo teased.
Ruo Yin shot him a playful look over her shoulder. "You're not only strange, but also a little slow, aren't you? Didn't you tell me that if I followed the path I was walking, I'd reach the waterfall?"
Zhan Luo noticed that her hands, while not delicate, were strong and marked by faint scars—likely from sparring. It only made her more intriguing. Ruo Yin, for all her rebellious spirit, was a breath of fresh air, and he didn't mind sharing his space with her.
"Hey..." Ruo Yin waved a hand in front of his face and, tiptoeing, leaned in close. "Did the cat get your tongue?"
"Don't be silly," he chuckled. "I was just lost in thought."
"What, thinking about how your pretty wife might run away?" Ruo Yin teased, relishing the banter. She loved that Zhan Luo was the first immortal outside the Demon Clan who didn't treat her like an outcast. She was finally free of the whispers and gossip of You Xie's consorts.
Zhan Luo smiled, his voice low. "You know, even if you ran away and hid in the farthest reaches of the universe, I would come after you."
"If you chased me, you'd be breaking our deal," Ruo Yin said, her voice firm. "You promised me freedom, and I promised you my loyalty. I can still be loyal without being by your side."
Zhan Luo couldn't help but admire her spirit. There was something about her—the way she challenged him, the way she refused to be meek and tame. He could only hope that she would remain this way when the truth was finally revealed.
"So, this is how it is?" Zhan Luo raised an eyebrow. "And what happens to the one who breaks the deal?"
Ruo Yin thought for a moment, a glint of cunning in her eyes. "The one who breaks their part of the deal must fulfill a request from the other."
Zhan Luo could sense that Ruo Yin was making the rules in her favor, possibly to help You Xie if she truly sided with him, or perhaps she was testing him—trying to figure out what he was hiding. From the brief time they'd spent together, he could tell she wouldn't have returned to the pavilion unless she had a reason. Now, the question was: who would force the other to reveal the truth first?
"You've got yourself a deal, my dear wife," he said with a sly grin. "Now, weren't we on our way to the waterfall?"
For the first time, Zhan Luo wondered if maybe his heart wasn't as cold and impervious as people believed.