Chapter 96 Han Xue Invites Ding Xiang, Feeling Melancholy

“From now on, if Lord Gu orders us to go west, we will never go east! We give you our word!”

Han Chi's voice resounded throughout the room. At this moment, outside the large window, the rain that had long since stopped, along with the receding dark clouds, gradually revealed the bright moon.

The clear moonlight shone faintly on the ground like frost, wiping away the heat of the day.

The members of the Han Family in the room could not recover for a long time. After reacting, some nodded, some whispered privately, but none stepped forward to stop him.

They lacked the courage and the qualifications. Moreover, Gu He was now the idol of the Han Family's younger generation; they admired him too much to do anything else!!

Gu He looked at the bowing Han Chi and unhurriedly helped him up, “Patriarch Han, there is no need to be so polite, however...”

“I heard that an auction house called ‘Mittel’ has recently opened in Tianbei City.”

“This auction house is quite good. I have a partnership with them and often send some Medicinal Pills over.” Gu He said with a hint of implication.

Han Chi was stunned, then immediately realized what he meant and nodded repeatedly in agreement.

“The Han Family will definitely do our utmost to assist!”

Gu He smiled. It was another day where a single sentence allowed Mittel to expand its territory.

That old fellow Hai Bodong would surely be so busy he'd be hopping mad.

Subsequently, Gu He looked at Han Xue, who was staring with wide eyes, hoping he would take the initiative to speak to her.

“Actually, this can also be considered Xiao Xue's credit. If she hadn't brought me here, I wouldn't have known the Han Family...” Gu He said.

Han Chi agreed, and the look in his eyes when he looked at Han Xue held a visible amount of reliance and pride.

“It is Xiao Xue's good fortune to be able to meet you, Lord Gu!”

Han Xue held Han Yue's hand, her little face flushed red from being praised by the two people she valued at the same time. She looked at Gu He and said softly, “Thank you, Mr. Gu...”

[Ding! Target Han Xue's favorability towards the host has increased by 30%, current favorability is 55%!]

[Congratulations to the host for obtaining the reward “Four Portable Magical Artifacts”!]

[Portable Magical Artifact 1: Silver Flowing Sword Tassel, tassel shape, entirely silver-frost colored, extremely magnificent, with Lightning attribute. Magical Artifact 2: Exquisite Dice Pendant, jade-white cubic jade pendant, shaped like a die, decorated with red beans, representing deep longing, with Wind attribute. Magical Artifact 3: Snake Sovereign Thumb Ring, stone-cyan jade thumb ring, can change size and style according to the user, with Poison attribute. Magical Artifact 4: Jasmine Hairpin, pure silver texture, inlaid with a Fire-attribute magic core, emitting a faint scent of jasmine and angelica.]

The System's notification was sudden, taking Gu He by surprise. But he did not show it on his face. He rubbed the silver storage ring on his index finger with his thumb, looked at Han Xue, and felt very soft in his heart.

The boisterous night passed quickly. Gu He attached the obtained Magical Artifact sword tassel to the Crimson Sky Sword, and gave the other three items, the Exquisite Dice Pendant and the like, to Yun Yun, Medusa, and Xiao Yi Xian respectively.

It is worth mentioning that Medusa accepted it with a look of disgust, “It's so ugly! What a lousy thumb ring!”

As a result, when she put it on, the ugly, snake-shaped, cyan thumb ring quickly changed its shape, turning into deep purple overlapping petal patterns. The simple, thin ring circled her slender, white finger, looking exceptionally beautiful.

Medusa glanced at the petal-shaped ring, her heart stirred, and she curled her red lips, “Actually... it's not bad.”

As for the grand festival that was disrupted by this sudden battle, the Han Family was responsible for funding the repairs to the plaza, and the Fire Dragon Festival was therefore postponed to the next month.

However, the public's enthusiasm did not diminish; instead, they were all boasting about how much of the battle they had seen, taking pride in having watched the whole thing.

Time flew by. At noon the next day, Gu He's door was knocked on by a freshly dressed-up Han Xue, “Mr. Gu, can I invite you to eat?”

“Um... it's just nearby. I know there's a delicious restaurant here, it's also very famous in Tianbei City!”

Han Xue had been looking down, but thinking of the courage she had finally mustered, she plucked up the courage to look at Gu He.

Although Gu He was no longer a young man in his twenties or thirties, he didn't look old at all, at least that's what Han Xue thought! If anyone said Gu He was old, she would definitely be the first to scold them back!

“Just this once...” Han Xue persisted.

The sunlight in the courtyard shone through the hibiscus tree onto Han Xue's pretty face. Unlike their first meeting and the outing at Crescent Lake, she attached great importance to this “date” with Gu He and broke her usual style.

She was wearing a pink silk long dress, the hem swaying slightly, light and fluttering like the hibiscus petals on the tree. The pair of watery, wide eyes looking up at Gu He could make young men unable to walk; it was a purity like that of a white dove.

“Just this once~” Her small hand tugged at Gu He's water-blue robe. Gu He's heart softened, “Okay.”

The two went to a restaurant. The second floor seemed to have been cleared by Han Xue; there was only the shopkeeper, making it exceptionally quiet and secluded.

The chairs in this shop were quite special; they were spacious rattan swing chairs with backrests, connected to the ceiling by long, tough bamboo vines. The tables were made of iron and fixed to the ground, so customers could gently sway in the swing chairs while eating.

This feature was very attractive to girls, and it was also the shop Han Xue liked to visit the most in Tianbei City.

“The food in this shop is super delicious!” Han Xue took the menu and handed it to Gu He opposite her, her eyes fixed on him. “You order!” Han Xue said.

She hadn't tried asking Gu He out alone before. Last time they played at Crescent Lake, she had awkwardly dragged her sister Han Yue along. She didn't ask Gu He out alone because she felt their relationship hadn't reached that point yet.

But after yesterday, when Gu He dashingly defeated the Pavilion Master of the Tianlei North Pavilion, the clear moonlight shining on his undiminished, handsome face with distinct features made her heart flutter all the more.

“Okay.” Gu He took the menu, ordered two meals and a few dishes, and then ordered the small cake and steamed egg custard that Han Xue wanted to eat.

The food and desserts were quickly served by the shopkeeper. The steamed egg custard emitted a rich, sweet milky fragrance, steaming hot.

“...” The two were unexpectedly speechless for a moment and silently began to eat. The atmosphere was unexpectedly silent, almost stagnant.

Between the two, besides silence, there was another kind of feeling. It was like a faint drizzle with the scent of lilacs.

Both of them put down their chopsticks at the same time. Han Xue looked at Gu He's face, hesitated several times, and finally picked up the slightly cooled steamed egg custard, put the egg into Gu He's bowl, and drank the sweet milk “gulp gulp gulp” herself.

The smooth egg white slid into her throat along with the sweet milk. Before, whenever Han Xue ate steamed egg custard, she would feel very happy. After all, sweets really can make people feel good. But she... was not happy now.

Because she knew that Gu He was going to say goodbye to her. The fall of Tian Leizi and the safety of the Han Family were signs that Gu He was about to leave Tianbei City, go to a wider and more vast place, and start a new journey.

She and the Han Family were just a stopover for Gu He. And she didn't know how to express this deep reluctance...

The blue and white bowl was put down, and her tears fell on the rim of the bowl. Gu He also saw her rabbit-like eyes, red, like brilliant gems, but filled with a sour feeling.

They were sitting by the window, and a breeze blew in through the open window, as if carrying the melancholy of lilacs.