Seeing the elegant young swordsman surrounded by the Oirans, Bai Shangxi hugged her knees, her cheeks puffing up in displeasure.

On the night Min Ning stayed at the Bai residence, the door was suddenly knocked upon.

When the door was opened, it was none other than Bai Shangxi.

"Come, I'll take you to admire the moon. I've said it so many times—my Moon Viewing Pavilion is unparalleled within a hundred-mile radius."

Bai Shangxi insisted on dragging Min Ning outside.

Unable to refuse her enthusiasm, Min Ning had no choice but to follow her to the Moon Viewing Pavilion.

The moonlight was serene, the distant swing gently swaying. This garden of Western Jin was quite different from those in Great Yu, resembling a national beauty, possessing an unmistakable grace and charm. Min Ning rather liked it here.

She closed her eyes and listened carefully to the chirping of insects.

Bai Shangxi, however, dared not blink. She sat on the swing and rocked gently.

After a long while, Bai Shangxi finally found something to say:

"Where did you learn such exquisite martial skills, Min Sir?"

"Not too exquisite, just between sixth and seventh rank. It's adequate for wandering the Jianghu, which is the most important thing." Min Ning paused before continuing directly, "Talking about this with you is useless anyway, since you don't practice martial arts."

"Oh…"

Bai Shangxi was rendered silent for a while, before she spoke again:

"Do you have gardens this beautiful in Great Yu?"

"Probably, but even if we do, I wouldn't know."

"...Alright."

Their conversations continued like this—Bai Shangxi asked many questions, sometimes trying to provoke Min Ning to ask something back—but regardless of her efforts, his answers were always straightforward and matter-of-fact.

That night, their talk was not particularly delightful. Bai Shangxi hinted multiple times, her tone gentle and tender, but the young swordsman appeared to have a heart made of iron.

Bai Shangxi didn't know whether he understood or not; she only knew that that night, Min Ning shook his head repeatedly.

The Bai family's hospitality was generous; everyone thought Min Ning would stay for four or five months, or even years as a guest. But he stayed only one night, announcing the next day that he would leave.

Western Jin was windswept and sun-scorched. The swordsman, carrying a sword and a blade, clasped his fists to bid farewell to the crowd, then clasped his fists toward Bai Shangxi.

He turned and left without hesitation.

"Miss!" a servant shouted.

It was Bai Shangxi—she could bear it no longer and dashed forward.

Min Ning listened to the piercing sound of the wind howling, took long strides forward, raising his hand to shield his eyes from the sun.

A moment later, when he turned his head unintentionally, he saw that Bai Shangxi had been following him, staring at him fixedly.

"Miss Bai, why did you chase after me? Go back, quickly," Min Ning advised.

Bai Shangxi finally couldn't hold back and said:

"You talk so sullenly—do you not know how to talk to women?"

Min Ning tilted his face to look at her.

Bai Shangxi shrank her neck slightly.

The wind swept yellow sand, which scraped against the city walls with a rustling sound, like the whispering of a flute carrying feelings.

Min Ning let out a laugh and said, "Miss Bai, do you like me?"

Bai Shangxi replied, "I… I don't like you."

Min Ning nodded and said, "Good thing you don't like me. I'm afraid of you liking me—I'm not ready for that."

"Ready for what?" Bai Shangxi asked delightedly, her eyes shining. "What would you do if I liked you? What preparation would you need?"

"Prepare to reject you, of course."

"..."

Bai Shangxi froze briefly. Wind hit her face, and the heart she had raised so high sank instantly. She looked at Min Ning in disbelief.

Min Ning pointed to his left chest and, smiling, said:

"My heart already belongs to someone else. If you liked me, I'd have to reject you—that's all there is to it."

After finishing, Min Ning no longer hesitated, turning decisively on his heel and striding away.

His figure gradually receded into the distance as Bai Shangxi snapped out of her daze and pursued him.

"Wait, wait!"

Min Ning stopped in his tracks. Bai Shangxi, gasping for breath, felt an unbearable pang of heartache.

The Bai family's cherished daughter managed to steady herself and, taking a deep breath, asked:

"Is this… is this because of that village girl from your homeland? Our Great Jin and your Dongyu are different; we're more forthright here. If you wish, bring her to the Bai residence—I'll shower her with good food and drinks, set up a house for her, let her live as a companion…"

Min Ning raised a hand to interrupt and said, "No need, Miss Bai; I understand your kindness."

Bai Shangxi couldn't accept this and blurted out, "Don't just understand—actually accept it! Please! You and I met by chance along the way, and you've protected me at every turn, through countless dangers. What do you expect me to do? Haven't you thought of becoming the Bai family's son-in-law? You must have thought about it—you couldn't possibly not have!"

"I haven't."

"…Hah? Hah? You… you really haven't thought about it?!"

"I really haven't."

"Then why save me?" Being rejected so outright, Bai Shangxi couldn't believe it. She reflected for a moment and became even more astonished. "Just because you wanted to save me? Just because you said… it's what your heart decided?"

Min Ning nodded and said, "It was decided in my heart."

Bai Shangxi's shoulders trembled, a stabbing pain in her chest forcing her to cry.

She seemed to understand something but was still unwilling to accept it, muttering, "No, no—you can't do this. You've been separated from that… that village girl for so long, with no news of her. Separated by thousands of miles… even if the feelings run deep… Forgive me, I shouldn't say this, but I have to. Min Sir, what if one day you no longer like her?"

Min Ning watched her cry, listened to her question, then chuckled softly:

"If I don't like her someday, then I don't. Regardless, I cannot betray her."

Bai Shangxi stared at him with tearful, wide eyes.

She felt a hollow emptiness in her heart.

That chance encounter with a wandering swordsman—who traveled thousands of miles neither for fortune nor beauty—had already turned away. Along the way, he had shielded her from countless dangers, owed her countless kindnesses, yet never made anything of it.

Because of the words "it was decided in my heart," he would draw his sword and defend, even if it meant death.

Bai Shangxi stood stunned, realizing she couldn't make him stay.

This man was destined to travel to the ends of the earth, never lingering in one place. Now, with his sword and blade, he departed just as he arrived.

"Even if someday I stop liking him."

Amid the boundless yellow sands, the swordsman's figure grew increasingly distant, while faint whispers still echoed beneath the city wall:

"But the things decided in one's heart—how could they ever change?"

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