Wu Long noticed that Ye Ling started to struggle in her Sword Dao in the past few days, and after pondering for some time while they sparred he suddenly took two consecutive steps back, lowering his sword.
"We are done for today", he said.
"Eh? " she looked at him surprised, she always felt like their training was flying by quick, but today she was sure that it was not only her perception, he really stopped the training short. Then, a slightly sad look appeared in her blue eyes as a certain possibility crawled into her mind. "I-Is it because I am not making progress? I will try harder, it is only a temporary setback…"
As she was saying in a calm tone with slightly downturned eyes, Wu Long raised his hand, gesturing to her to stop.
"It is not that, do not worry. I want to go for a walk through the capital with you, take me sightseeing, as, despite going out so often, I really did not go to that many places" he said in a soothing tone
"Oh, I see, alright, let's meet up after washing up and changing clothes" she said with a smile, there was still some reluctance in her tone, but she was too kind to refuse his request. Not to mention that it was he who had always agreed to train with her.
Once they got ready, they went out into the city.
Her beauty brought the eyes of nearly all men to her, and those who did not look stood beside their partners, who stared intently at their faces. They would wait until they were looking away to sneak a peek. Her face and style were simply irresistible, not giving any chance of resistance.
The women and young girls would, however, look with dreamy expressions at Wu Long, as it maybe was not that rare to see a handsome man in this large of a city, but it was definitely their first time seeing one this handsome. This did not make their partners happy, but it did give them an opportunity to sneak a peek so it was a duality of feelings for them.
Ye Ling first still had her mind on the sword, and her concerns that he may be disappointed with her progress, but with Wu Long talking with her and making her laugh she quickly concentrated on their little date.
The city was festive since there would be a big celebration at Ye family, and such a celebration affected all the surroundings. The inns that made a lot of profit made the shop owners, merchants and restaurant owners envious and they made all effort to take advantage and make this celebration of the whole city, borrowing the wave of excitement to instill a festive mood, raking in higher profits.
They walked around the city, trying food from various stalls and talking. She showed him some places she remembered from her childhood and reminisced about the places that changed. The atmosphere between the two was peaceful, and her blue eyes were beaming with delight at such a magical time.
She had a naturally calm and soothing disposition, only becoming bashful and childlike when it came to matters between men and women, specifically her and Wu Long. So her worries about the Sword Dao, although very strong, did not completely occupy her and he was able to distract her into having a good time.
Her struggle in the Sword Dao was caused by a disturbed mental state. And there were several reasons for that. First of them was her family, as they did not stop trying to influence her, albeit a bit more softly now. The second was his sword intent, as such a high level of Sword Dao made her slightly impatient and rushed. Another one is their ambiguous relationship, as it was harder for her to concentrate while being slightly uncertain.
The first two were actually easy to alleviate with this date. As taking her mind off of the sword and making her forget about her family for some time would easily get the job done.
With the sword, it was actually a good thing for her to encounter this struggle as she would have to fight with it a lot from now on. He could not directly advise her, as it required her own comprehension, but he could subtly help her like this. His sword intent will only make her stronger, she just needed to be startled out of her frenzied training state.
So this problem would actually completely end here. The problem with her family, however, was a little more complicated as this date could only serve as a temporary relief.
Wu Long looked at her with a pondering gaze. There was something inexplicable in her and Sui Luxiao's situation, something he could not understand, or maybe just forgot. Although in different ways, their families brought them both misery and did not benefit them in any way, there was not much affection either, but they both did not, could not or would not abandon their connection. The situations, lives and people were all different, but the core of the problem was the same.
A word from her and he could wipe out the Ye family and take her away, but despite knowing this and knowing what his question about help meant on that day she did not give him that word.
This was a truly puzzling dilemma for him, as he could not figure it out.
He was now slightly curious about his memories and would they make him feel like this if he had them, despite them being so miniscule in length for him that he could not even begin to describe it.
He was completely uninterested in them before, but now there appeared a light feeling of curiosity in him.
He was like a sponge, taking in his interactions with Ye Ling and Sui Luxiao and greedily absorbing every movement, light in the eyes, expression, word and tone of voice they made trying to settle his befuddlement, so now he was curious about his own background some more, wondering if it could give him perspective.
The third problem troubling Ye Ling was not so hard to resolve, and he planned to do so without beating around the bush too much.
They were sitting on a smooth rock, on a small hill that overlooked a part of the town in the evening. There was silence but it was not awkward, and she was slightly leaning on his shoulder. Finding comfort in the warm and fuzzy feeling that was permeating the air between them.
She knew that Wu Long looked at her as a woman, as she was looking at him as a man for some time now. They never said anything of the sort, and did not really flirt. But she knew, and she knew that he understood. He seemed to be waiting for something, and she did not press.
It was that there was still a slight uncertainty that was making her nervous. What if he was not waiting for something but completely uninterested, and she was just deluding herself? What if he did not view her this way, and he only just had goodwill to her?
Today was the first time that he spent time with her in a slightly more intimate way, as they naturally touched hands and she would naturally lean her head on his shoulder throughout the day. There was no awkwardness in this as they both had been long since ready for this step. But it made her feel elevated, as if she was soaring above the clouds.
"Ling'er"
Suddenly, Wu Long called her by an affectionate name with a gentle tone. Her heart fluttered when she heard it. It was a completely different feeling from when her family would call her that, as there seemed to be butterflies fluttering in her stomach just from hearing it. She turned her head slightly to see his eyes already turned to her.
"Yes?"
"I am a greedy and selfish man, do you know that?"
"Selfish?"
"I am not someone who will be faithful to one woman, but I am not in a habit of sharing my women, and will not tolerate anyone else touching them" he said, and although this was not really a romantic thing to say, it sounded more like a confession, and made her wanting to almost jump with joy.
She knew this beforehand, she knew as she looked at how he behaved that he was a man that could not be kept to oneself, but will only allow his woman to be touched by himself and no one else. She also knew that he was not a hypocrite, he did not lie or bother explaining, directly admitting that it was his vice, his nature and not really fair. As well as not hiding that he was selfish.
Thus, him saying this to her was like warning her of what she was getting into, at the same time expressing his intentions to her more directly than just a feeling between the two.
And her heart fluttered with happiness at those unromantic words. There was not even a negative feeling as she knew this about him even before she became completely aware of her attraction to him.
"I know" she said in a soft voice, slightly nodding but not averting her eyes from his.
"I love you" he said gently, making her shiver with excitement. She felt his sincerity, she knew that even if she was not the only one, she would be loved, and perhaps more than a woman who was the only one for another man.
"I love you, Wu Long" She replied, her eyes brimming with the light of joy and happiness.
He slowly reached for her cheek, caressing it in a familiar way, making her smile even more brightly. He then leaned in and touched her soft plump cherry lips with his, making her forget anything and everything.
He kissed her softly for a long time, making light kissing sounds reverberate between them. Their kiss was not lustful, but one of pure love and affection.
After their kiss they returned to viewing the scenery, as she was blushing profusely at the boldness she was displaying in the heat of the moment, and he sneaked a peek at her cute appearance with a look of adoration from time to time.
He still had to hold back for now, as if he went even slightly further, the next few days until he is cured will turn a pure torture.
A few days later, Wu Long arrived in Sui Luxiao's office, going into the bathroom to wash his hands as she prepared the formations and locked the door.