"Are you injured?"
Blood continuously dripped from Zhao Xue's great saber onto the ground.
Zhu Xu's gaze fell upon it, and her heart tightened.
"No," Zhao Xue's voice was dry. Her lips, as red as blood, were tightly pressed together, her phoenix eyes daring not to look at Zhu Xu.
After a few breaths, Zhao Xue steadied her nerves and looked at the Water God not far away, her eyes threatening her to leave quickly.
The Water God slowly regained her composure. The scene of Zhao Xue's long saber aimed at her, about to strike, was still vivid in her mind.
The Water God, using all her strength, employed a teleportation spell and returned to her palace beneath the water.
"Zhao Xue, does it hurt?" Zhu Xu nervously grasped Zhao Xue's arm.
Seeing that the Water God had left, Zhao Xue's expression relaxed somewhat.
"Xu Xu, I'm fine." Zhao Xue forced an unnatural smile onto her face.
"Then what's going on?" Zhu Xu pointed at the blood dripping from Zhao Xue's long saber.
Zhao Xue's expression tensed, and she quickly thought of a solution.
"Could it be ketchup from the mortal realm?" After a moment, Zhu Xu guessed, looking at the blood on Zhao Xue's saber.
"...Yes." Zhao Xue paused for a few seconds before confirming Zhu Xu's guess.
"It must be the Wine Immortal playing tricks on you. Zhao Xue, don't worry, the next time I see the Wine Immortal, I will demand an explanation from him."
Zhu Xu held Zhao Xue's hand, her demeanor gentle.
Zhao Xue responded unnaturally, her gaze evasive. She was nothing like her composed self when she had told the Water God, "Her heart deserves to be punished."
Zhu Xu looked at Zhao Xue and thought that Zhao Xue was truly terrible at lying.
Yet, even so, Zhu Xu would not expose her.
Zhu Xu could not bear to make Zhao Xue uncomfortable.
"Are you really not feeling unwell?" Zhu Xu asked, cupping Zhao Xue's face with concern.
Just as Zhao Xue was about to say no, Zhu Xu added, "Feeling unwell in your heart counts too."
Zhao Xue lowered her gaze, her slightly parted lips closing again.
He took a deep breath, rested his head on Zhu Xu's shoulder, threw the long saber aside, and wrapped his arms around Zhu Xu's waist.
Deceiving Zhu Xu was proving too difficult for Zhao Xue.
Zhu Xu gently stroked Zhao Xue's back. Sensing Zhao Xue's emotions, her own heart ached:
"It's okay, Zhao Xue. If you want to talk, I'll listen. If you don't, I'll be here with you."
"Xu Xu, will you hate me like this?" Zhao Xue wondered. If Zhu Xu hated him, he would definitely make those bothersome entities disappear beforehand from now on.
Facing Zhu Xu, Zhao Xue always felt uneasy.
Zhu Xu sighed, a hint of helpless shyness coloring her fair face. "Zhao Xue, you have no idea how much I like you."
Zhao Xue's heart began to pound faster upon hearing Zhu Xu's confession.
At this moment, in the Water God's palace.
"Divine Lord, what is wrong?" As the Water God entered the palace, her closest attendant, Lotus, hurried towards her.
"Take me to my bedroom first," the Water God whispered weakly before closing her eyes and collapsing into Lotus's arms.
Lotus quickly looked at the attendant Hulu nearby. "Hurry, get the immortal elixir!"
Hulu, without daring to delay, replied, "Yes."
A few hours later, the Water God, having taken the immortal elixir, finally woke up.
Lotus quickly brought the herbal soup she had prepared earlier.
"Divine Lord, who injured you so severely?"
Seeing that the Water God was much better after drinking the herbal soup, Lotus couldn't help but ask, looking at her injuries.
The Water God recalled the scene of her fight with Zhao Xue, her eyes filled with horror.
The Water God briefly explained to Lotus before falling unusually silent.
Lotus looked at the weak Water God with pity and couldn't help but speak again, "Divine Lord, can we stop flirting with those male immortals? It's not good."
Lotus worried that the Water God might return injured again if she went out.
However, it was unclear what aspect was "not good" that caused the Water God's emotions to flare up instantly.
"Not good? What's not good about it?"
"I think it's great! Why can those male immortals have companions on both sides, but I can't? Why!"
The Water God's tone was somewhat fierce, yet tears threatened to fall from her eyes.
Lotus was startled by the Water God's outburst. Realizing what she had said, she quickly soothed her, "Divine Lord, I misspoke. It's all my fault. Please don't be angry, Divine Lord."
Outside the Water God's bedroom, an older attendant holding a bowl of herbal soup heard the voices from within and shook her head, pausing in her steps.
She thought that the Water God was likely influenced by her mother.
The former Water God's infatuation with the fickle third prince of the Dragon clan had ultimately ended in a rather tragic manner.
It was understandable that the Water God was in such a state now.
This heartache, carried since childhood, was not easy to cure.
"Ping Gu, why are you just standing there? Aren't you bringing the soup to the Divine Lord?"
Ping Gu, lost in her thoughts, was startled by the sudden voice.
She glanced at the maid holding a broom and slowly calmed down.
"Alright, I'm going now." After speaking, Ping Gu loudly called out to Lotus again.
...
A few more hours passed. The vibrant evening glow painted the Nine Heavens with the blush of a young maiden.
Birdsong occasionally echoed through the peach grove, carrying the scent of peach blossoms on a gentle and lingering breeze.
At this moment, Zhao Xue was sitting in his courtyard, cooperating with Zhu Xu as she braided his hair.
It was Zhu Xu's first time doing such a thing. She was enthusiastic, but her skill lagged behind her interest.
Fortunately, Zhu Xu was extremely patient with Zhao Xue's hair. The soft, long strands were unruly in her hands, but eventually, through Zhu Xu's repeated adjustments, they became neat and orderly.
Half an hour later, two delicate braided strands hung symmetrically on either side of Zhao Xue's hair.
"Does it look good?" Zhao Xue looked up at Zhu Xu, who was examining his hair, a hint of nervousness in his eyes.
Zhao Xue didn't usually care about his appearance, but he cared about Zhu Xu's opinion.
"It looks great!" Zhu Xu replied without hesitation, her crescent eyes seeming to sparkle with stars.
"Zhao Xue, you know? You look just like those beautiful exotic people from the mortal realm right now."
After saying this, Zhu Xu felt it wasn't accurate and added, "No, Zhao Xue, you're even prettier than them."
"Zhao Xue is the most beautiful!"
The evening glow on Zhao Xue's face seemed to deepen in its radiance.
Zhao Xue lowered his gaze, his voice soft and gentle. "Xu Xu, as long as you like it."
"From now on, I want to braid your hair every day," Zhu Xu said, her hands cupped under her chin as she looked up at Zhao Xue, her entire demeanor expressing her affection.
"Every day?" Zhao Xue looked at Zhu Xu in surprise.
In reality, even if Zhu Xu didn't say so, Zhao Xue would have dressed himself up every day in a way Zhu Xu liked.
But if Zhu Xu braided it for him every day, then Zhao Xue would get to see Zhu Xu every day.
Zhu Xu nodded seriously. "Mhm."
At this moment, a gust of wind swept towards Zhu Xu, and she was suddenly forced to her knees.