Dusk Rose

After returning to her courtyard, Lin Zhiyue first scooped Yuetuan out of his nest and smoothed his fur.

The little guy had fully recovered his energy. Now that the swelling on his mouth had gone down, his appetite had returned with a vengeance. Squatting next to his food bowl, he bobbed his head as he ate, the silver tuft at the tip of his tail perked up high.

She squatted beside him and watched for a while. Once she was sure he was fine, she stood up, sat down at her desk, and opened the system's light screen.

The preview for the Dusk Rose limited-time card pool lay quietly on the interface, shimmering with a dark red light.

She clicked on it to take a closer look. The overall style of the set leaned toward retro-gorgeous. The main dress was a deep rose-colored, multi-layered gown with a full, fluffy skirt supported by a metal-hooped petticoat. The wide-brimmed decorative hat was adorned with velvet roses and dark lace, paired with a matching parasol.

The earrings were two small roses, while the bracelet and necklace featured designs of winding rose vines. Complete with high heels, stockings, and a shawl, every single item exuded a rich, dark retro charm.

At the very bottom of the preview, a line of small text indicated a hidden piece: Gilded Cloud Waves.

The hair color was a warm, deep gold with a hint of copper-red. The ends curled slightly, resembling the meticulously styled wavy locks seen in antique portraits, shimmering with a soft luster under the light.

Lin Zhiyue scrolled through the preview from beginning to end, confirming that there were ten regular pieces and eleven in total including the hidden hairstyle.

She glanced at the number of draw tickets in her hand—only two.

She decisively closed the card pool interface without drawing.

“Start with a ten-pull; never pull until you have ten saved up.” This was the hard-won experience she had gathered from her long battle of wits with the system.

She tidied up her desk, then got up to add water to Yuetuan's bowl.

The little guy took a few sips, threw his head back to let out a loud burp, and then trotted over to her feet on his short legs. He circled her twice, tilted his head up to let out a soft whine, and wagged his tail like a little windmill.

Lin Zhiyue bent down to scoop him up into her arms. Yuetuan curled into a ball in her palms, his warm little body pressed against her hand, his breathing steady and slow.

She sat back down at her desk and began planning how to save up tickets. Daily quests were available every day, and though the rewards were small, they accumulated over time. Occasionally, the system would pop up a limited-time quest, which offered rich rewards but was entirely up to chance.

She was in no hurry to pull for the Dusk Rose set. She would just slowly accumulate her tickets first.

A few days later, Lin Zhiyue received a letter.

It was brought to her by someone sent by Cui Yu'er, sealed with a light green spiritual rune imprint. Lin Zhiyue opened it to find neat, upright handwriting that looked almost engraved:

“To Junior Sister Lin. I apologize for the intrusion at Tiance Palace the other day. Upon returning, I thought things over and felt there are some matters you ought to know.

“The night Senior Brother Song returned to the sect, he went straight to the Sect Master's study and knelt there for six hours.

“He told the Sect Master that calling off the engagement was entirely his own decision and had nothing to do with anyone else. He also stated that all the expenses for the apologetic gifts would come from his personal treasury, without costing the sect a single cent.

“The Sect Master was initially unwilling, but since Senior Brother Song is his beloved disciple after all, he could not sway him and ultimately relented.

“You already know what followed—the apologetic gifts, the annulment document, and the elders' witnessing. The Sect Master even personally visited the Biluo Immortal Sect several times.

“I tagged along twice and listened to the entire proceedings. The Biluo Immortal Sect was not wronged in the slightest from beginning to end.

“However, the Sect Master laid down a condition—to preserve Senior Brother's reputation, he is not permitted to take a companion for three years and must break through to the Nascent Soul Stage. Senior Brother had no choice but to agree.

“Yet, he cannot bear to make Junior Sister Fengyao wait in vain. These past few days, he has been tossing and turning, unable to eat or sleep. It is not that he is unwilling to give her an explanation; it is just that being in the Qingling Sect, there are many times when things are beyond his control.

“These are not things I should be saying, but I felt it would be good for you to know as Liu Fengyao's friend. Additionally, I have always remembered the matter of the jade pendant. Thank you. —Cui Yu'er.”

After reading the letter, Lin Zhiyue folded it and tucked it into her desk drawer. She leaned back against her chair and stared blankly at the ceiling beams for a while.

Who would have thought... there was actually such a story behind it.

Lin Zhiyue was no fool; quite the contrary, she understood the ways of the world better than anyone.

The intent behind Cui Yu'er's letter was obvious—she simply wanted to use Lin Zhiyue's mouth to let Liu Fengyao know about Song Mu's difficulties.

She really was someone who genuinely cared for her senior brother.

She looked down at Tuanzi, who was napping on the corner of the desk, and reached out to pat his head.

The little guy twitched his ears in his sleep, nudged his head toward her fingers, and went quiet again.

Holding Cui Yu'er's letter, Lin Zhiyue hesitated for less than half a cup of tea's time before getting up and heading to Liu Fengyao's courtyard.

Liu Fengyao was currently drying freshly gathered petals on a stone table in her courtyard. Seeing Lin Zhiyue enter, she put down her work and stared at her expectantly.

Lin Zhiyue didn't beat around the bush either, summarizing the contents of Cui Yu'er's letter—how Song Mu had knelt for six hours, paid for the annulment gifts out of his own pocket, and how the Sect Master of the Qingling Sect had finally relented.

Liu Fengyao didn't speak at first. “Why didn't he write to me?” she asked sullenly after a long silence. “Even you knew about this before he told me.”

She paused, pursing her lips. “I know his personality. He always swallows his own bitterness. But if I'm just an outsider, that's fine. If he really considers me... forget it.”

Lin Zhiyue patted her shoulder, neither explaining on Song Mu's behalf nor advising her to be broad-minded.

After feeling down for a short while, Liu Fengyao cheered herself up again. Sniffling, she said, “It's fine. I'll wait for him to find me,” and even asked if Lin Zhiyue wanted to stay for dinner.

At dusk, just as Lin Zhiyue was about to head back to her own courtyard, a paper crane formed of spiritual energy flew in from the distance, gliding through the twilight of the side peak and landing on the ground at the entrance of Liu Fengyao's courtyard.

Upon landing, the paper crane automatically unfolded into a letter, the surface of the paper still bearing a very faint seal.

Hearing the noise, Liu Fengyao ran out to pick up the letter. She unfolded it and read it through, her lips twitching slightly afterward.

She read it a second time, then stood at the courtyard entrance holding the paper for a long moment.

Lin Zhiyue stood a few paces away, waiting for her without trying to peek. She watched as Liu Fengyao flipped the letter over to look at the back, then flipped it back again. Staring down at the words, she suddenly couldn't help but let out a laugh, though her eyes began to redden.

She raised her head to look at Lin Zhiyue, her voice trembling with a mix of laughter and tears. “He said he's going into secluded cultivation for three years. He also said the Sect Master won't let him take a companion right now, so he wants to wait until he emerges. He wrote a massive paragraph, going back and forth just to ask... if I'm willing to wait three years for him, and said that if I fall in love with someone else, I should have Sister Cui let him know.”

As she reached the end, her words rushed out faster, her voice trembling intensely. She looked down at the letter again and sniffled, her tone a blend of complaint and unmistakable, hidden tenderness. “What on earth did he write? It's so roundabout. He clearly just wanted to say, 'Wait three years for me,' but he just had to write so much nonsense.”

Lin Zhiyue walked over to her side and glanced down at the letter in her hand.

The handwriting on the paper was neat and orderly, every character written in a proper, disciplined manner. However, the force of the pen strokes was noticeably heavier in a few key places—the paper around the words “three years” and “fall in love with someone else” was slightly creased, as if it had been repeatedly read, folded, and opened again.

“He probably doesn't want to hold you back,” Lin Zhiyue teased with a clear smile. “But from what he's implying, he also doesn't want you falling in love with anyone else.”

Liu Fengyao carefully folded the letter and tucked it into her robes. When she raised her head, her eyes were still red, but the curve of her lips could no longer be suppressed. With a soft blend of feigned annoyance and laughter, she completely swept away the gloom that had hung over her all afternoon.

“Let's go,” she said, tucking the letter away securely. She took a step toward the house, then turned back, her voice carrying a slight nasal hum. “Tomorrow after class, bring Yuetuan to my room to play!”

Lin Zhiyue gave a soft reply and made her way back down the stone steps, her shadow stretched long and thin by the twilight.