The lady was barefoot and as she stepped on the stair above the miasma, multiple golden anklets clung together and let out a soft chime.
As her leg emerged, nearly fully revealed, a golden strip of intricately woven silk encircled the middle of her ample thigh.
Then, like a gentle breeze, her regal black and red robes crossed the miasma.
And at last…
An enchanting celestial figure crossed the pink miasma with not a single scratch on her body or change in her complexion.
The young lady, who appeared to be in her early twenties—slightly older than the young man—wore a black and red regal daoist robes with subtle gothic tones. The layered robes had swirling cuts waist down. It was full sleeves with cuts at the shoulder and collarbone region. Her robes perfectly fit her upper body and were not flowy like the other half.
The lady's sky blue eyes—a stark contrast to her dark robes—gazed around, in search of someone.
It stopped at the frail youngster sitting in a corner, and a bright twinkle radiated within her eyes.
Her knitted brows eased, and the corner of her lips curved up into a mischievous smile.
The young lady hopped on the stairs, and tried to land as softly and quietly as possible.
Shiing—!
Her anklets chimed, making her wrinkle her nose in annoyance. She lightly tapped on them and the noise disappeared.
The young lady nodded in satisfaction and once again hopped like a rabbit and sneaked closer to the young man.
Her waist-length lush raven hair flowed along with her, but did not become a mess due to a peculiar silver serpent-shaped hairpin attached to her half bun.
The lady's stature was tall. She seemed almost twice the size of the frail youngster. Unlike his grim, frustrated, and serious self, she was radiating like a bright lotus.
Without him noticing, the young lady hopped her way behind him. She looked at him and grinned, her eyes narrowing in response.
Then, she did another hop and squatted right beside the young man. Quickly spreading out her palms, she softly yelled, "Boo~!"
The young man, who was busy coloring, took notice of the young lady beside him. He was not surprised by her actions since his powerful survival instincts—sharpened through years of suffering—were still intact.
However, noticing the young lady's cheerful face, he dropped the brush, spread out his hands, and timidly said, "ah… I got scared…"
"Pfft…" The young lady covered her mouth and suppressed her giggle. "You really got scared this time, didn't you, Leo?"
The young man, or rather, Leo, smiled lightly and said, "You got me there, young lady. So… may I ask what brings you here?"
The young lady gave Leo a knowing smile and placing her palm vertically on one side of her mouth, as if wanting nobody to read her lips, whispered, "This is a safe place. Daddy's not watching, you can call me Lanlan."
Leo blinked in amusement and then shook his head with a smile. "Young lady, you should refrain from wording things like that."
Lanlan rolled her eyes. "It's just you who thinks it's weird. In any case, he's really not watching. So call me Lanlan like you always do."
Leo nodded lightly. His young lady's name was Lan Mei, but he affectionately called her Lanlan. They were of the same age, and when in private like now, Lanlan treated him like a friend rather than her aide.
"Right, so what brings you here, Lanlan? Did you suddenly develop a knack for reading? Well, hopefully you did. It's a good habit and all of this inheritance anyway belongs to you. You should fully utilize it."
The informal words rolled off Leo's tongue naturally and easily. He was used to the switch between her servant and her friend.
Lanlan wrinkled her nose and hugged her knees. "Even with such a sickly complexion, you are in the mood to joke. You do know that I dislike reading, right? And also, aren't you my aide? As far as I know, aides aren't supposed to taunt their superiors."
Leo let out a wry smile and with half droopy eyes, answered, "It's you who asked me to call you Lanlan, young lady, meaning giving an approval to the informal speech. In any case, I'm trying my best to not fall asleep. I have got something important to do right now and really need to finish it."
Lanlan ignored the prior words of Leo and focused on the latter ones. "What's something more important than serving me?" She raised an eyebrow and asked, not in a haughty tone, but one filled with curiosity and subtle worry.
"Ah, well…" Leo suddenly turned a little alert as he reflected upon his words. He accidentally gave out information to Lanlan that he had been hiding from her.
Lanlan's curious gaze seemed to pierce Leo's very soul. She probably wouldn't budge from her place until she got an answer.
Leo shook his head. It was futile to conceal anything. The book lay open before Lanlan, and there were colors nearby too. He suspected she already knew what he had been up to but remained silent all this while, waiting for him to confess.
Leo sighed and said, "There's nothing more important than serving you, young lady, and I am only—"
Lanlan waved her hand dismissively. "I am not trying to punish you or anything. You don't have to think all the time about me and speak in a manner that wouldn't hurt my feelings. You maybe my aide, but you have your life to live too. Plus…"
'…you're about to die so please-'
The words she was about to say further got stuck in her throat. She fell silent, then shook her head, and continued, "All I am saying is don't worry, I won't hold you responsible for anything. And with how busy daddy is, I'm sure he doesn't even notice that you leave my side during your break time."
"The question I asked previously was out of curiosity. You don't have to answer, if you do not wish to. There wouldn't be any problems, so be at ease."
Leo let out his nth sigh as he heard that. Lanlan, it's not that I don't wish to tell you. It's just that…
Well, chuck it. It doesn't matter anymore. Leo thought. I'll just tell her. Whatever happens, happens.
The paint had dried off during their conversation, so without any qualms, Leo closed the book and showed the cover to Lanlan.
"Please have a look at the cover. Then flip the pages and see what's inside it. You'll understand," Leo said and handed the book.
Lanlan took it and looked at the book in every possible angle. She then opened it and began flipping the pages. A slight surprise appeared on her face.
"You're trying to cultivate a Time Path martial art? Seriously? At this stage?" Lanlan closed the book and asked with furrowed brows.
"What?"
"What do you mean what?" Lanlan blinked and asked back. She opened the book right in front of Leo, then showed the pages he had colored. "Look at this, there are steps and chants available to perform. Does it not say that by the end of these moves, you can draw energy from the River of Time?"
Lanlan then shook her head disapprovingly and handed the book back to Leo.
"I do not understand why you're trying to put such stress on your already weak body. However, if that's something you seriously wish to do, I won't stop you."
"What!?" This second what contained all the befuddlement Leo was experiencing, and his droopy eyes widened in astonishment.
A hint of worry flashed in Lanlan's eyes. She placed her hand on his shoulder and said, "Calm down. Such hyperactive movements are not good for your health."
Her words did not ring in Leo's ears.
How is this possible? I've literally colored the book. How can there be martial stances and not the scenery of a mountain, river, and house?
The overexertion accelerated the exhaustion. Leo's body slipped out of his control, falling into a deep slumber.