333: What's interesting isn't the physical appearance, but the people underneath.

"It's over now?!"

"Not only do you come before me with this kind of mark, Qin Wangchuan—who do you take me for?!" Li Qingluan snapped her head up, her fury instantly burning through her reason.

Before the words even faded, the body straddling his legs suddenly exerted force.

With an irresistible ferocity, she shoved the caught-off-guard Qin Wangchuan backward!

The back of the chair hit the floor with a dull thud.

Caught off guard, Qin Wangchuan was already firmly pinned to the ground by her.

The young girl took the opportunity to press her body against him, almost entirely pinning him down, her hands planted on either side of his ears, trapping him in that narrow space.

Immediately, she lowered her head, and a scalding kiss—no, it was more like a venting, gnawing bite—fell as densely and fiercely as raindrops.

It was not limited to his lips, but spread to his jaw, neck, and collarbone...

Every spot carried scorching anger and a near-paranoid possessiveness.

As if she wanted to, through this method, completely cover all the scents and traces on him that might belong to "someone else."

He did not resist.

Inside the Immortal Cave, the temperature suddenly climbed.

Only the sound of rapid breathing and the faint noises of lips and teeth fiercely entangled remained.

Water droplets dripped from the tips of her hair, soaking his shoulder.

One drop, two drops... Warm liquid fell in succession, landing on Qin Wangchuan's neck.

He looked down.

Li Qingluan, who was pressing down on him, had stopped her movements at some unknown point.

She propped her body up with her hands, letting tears slide down silently, her eyes soaked in moisture, and beneath the surging anger within was grievance.

"Making me angry, teasing me..." Li Qingluan's voice was choked with emotion, nasal and intermittent, every word sounding like an accusation, "Is it... is it really that fun?"

Tears dripped down her chin.

This Fairy, who was seen by outsiders as cold, aloof, and arrogant, was now sniffing, her eyes red-rimmed, like a child who had her most beloved possession snatched away but was powerless to take it back:

"I haven't, haven't even..."

"Haven't... tasted it yet."

Li Qingluan was mature; she shouldn't be shedding tears.

But she also had her own bottom line that she upheld.

Once upon a time, there was a little girl who received a delicious cake from a young age.

She guarded it carefully, and when she couldn't help it on ordinary days, she would at most... lick a bit of the frosting, telling herself it wasn't time yet.

It wasn't to say that the cake couldn't be shared with others.

The key was that the first bite had to be taken by her.

But one day, she discovered that on her cake, there suddenly appeared a very conspicuous tooth mark that belonged to someone else.

Her mindset collapsed.

Qin Wangchuan propped himself up from the ground and sat up halfway.

Looking at the young girl before him who was crying messily, feeling as aggrieved as a child, the corners of his mouth couldn't help but curve slightly, a trace of helpless yet affectionate amusement flashing in his eyes.

He reached out his hand and gently stroked the top of her head.

Li Qingluan turned her head away, dodging it.

He didn't mind and reached out again.

She shook it off again, letting out a huff with a tearful, nasal tone.

The third time, his palm finally landed steadily on her soft, slightly damp hair, gently rubbing it with a soothing force.

"Silly girl." His voice carried a trace of extremely faint, almost imperceptible doting, his gaze landing on her tear-blurred face, "There is no one else."

Li Qingluan's sobbing paused; she lifted her wet eyelashes to look at him, her voice small and hoarse:

"...Really?"

"Really." Qin Wangchuan looked at her, his eyes serious, "I swear."

Upon receiving this promise, Li Qingluan's tense shoulders finally relaxed a little, but the grievance had not completely dissipated.

Just then, Qin Wangchuan's expression suddenly became serious.

"Do you remember last time, when we were fighting in the Upper Thousand Provinces," he spoke slowly, "we agreed that whoever won would grant the other person one request."

Li Qingluan blinked, teardrops still hanging on her long eyelashes, looking at him with some bewilderment, not understanding why he suddenly brought this up.

Qin Wangchuan did not wait for her response; he raised his hand to gently wipe away the teardrops hanging on the young girl's eyelashes before speaking:

"When the day of your twentieth birthday arrives, how about we find a place with mountains and waters and travel together, hand in hand?"

He paused and added:

"Just the two of us."

The Immortal Cave was silent for a moment.

Li Qingluan's sobbing gradually stopped.

She stared at him blankly, her eyes still red, tears still hanging on her cheeks.

But in those eyes, washed by water, a faint light slowly ignited, mixed with disbelief and cautious hope.

"This is..." Li Qingluan sniffed, her voice as light as a whisper, "...what do you mean?"

The critical age of twenty, two people, alone.

She vaguely guessed something in her heart, but that thought was too hot, and too unreal—

Li Qingluan had never thought that these words would come from the mouth of that mature and calm Qin Wangchuan.

Qin Wangchuan didn't answer; he just reached out, his fingertips gently curling a wisp of the young girl's slightly damp long hair, winding it around, his gaze calm as he looked at her: "Exactly what it sounds like."

"Do you want to refuse?"

Li Qingluan shook her head, the movement so fast there was almost no hesitation.

Immediately, her entire body relaxed, her delicate form sliding down naturally, turning to her side, and she snuggled into Qin Wangchuan's arms with effortless naturalness. She found a comfortable position and pressed her face against his chest.

The youth's heartbeat was steady and powerful, coming through the fabric.

"Is it what I think it is?" Her voice was muffled, nasal, and she confirmed it once more.

"Mm." Qin Wangchuan replied, his arms naturally wrapping around her, "It should be."

He was not a person without desires, he just felt that there were too many novel things in this world, and matters of affection could perhaps be put aside.

However, he had neglected the young girl's feelings.

Li Qingluan burrowed into his arms again, her nose tip pressing close to his neck, sniffing carefully—there was no strange scent of makeup, only the faint fragrance that belonged to her, left behind during their entanglement just now.

Qin Wangchuan felt the kitten-like movements of the young girl in his arms and did not move.

No one would have thought.

That the Li family's Divine Maiden, who was heroic in public, feared by countless Prodigies, and as cold as a Fairy, would also have such a side—

Shedding all divine light and sharpness, like a cat that had retracted its claws, safely curled up in his arms, revealing a fragility and attachment that was unknown to outsiders and belonged solely to him.

"Okay."

After sniffing for a while, Li Qingluan finally responded, and then added, "But, this is because I agree... not because of that request."

"So, change it to another one."

Qin Wangchuan heard this and let out a low laugh.

Letting her lie in the crook of his arm, his other hand caught her restless little hand that was trying to cause trouble, his gaze turned toward the faint halo on the dome of the Immortal Cave.

"Then," he pondered for a moment, "let's use it in the future."

"The future?" Li Qingluan was puzzled.

Normally, it should be 'later'.

The word 'future' inexplicably made her uneasy.

"Yes, the future." Qin Wangchuan's tone carried a sense of certainty, "It will definitely be used."

"Mm." Li Qingluan replied in a muffled voice, her tone revealing a bit of sleepy vagueness, "I'm a bit tired."

"Don't go to the Secret Realm, let the two of us... just lie here for a while."

She was truly sleepy.

"You aren't even afraid of things getting out of hand." Qin Wangchuan chuckled, with a touch of helpless indulgence.

"Then you sleep for a while, I'll go and be right back."

After saying this, he gently patted the young girl's back, making a move to get up.

"If you leave, what am I supposed to sleep for?"

Li Qingluan immediately lifted her face, shot him a reproachful glare, the moisture in her eyes not yet receded, and the corners of her eyes still red, but this glance already carried a bit of her usual liveliness and coquettishness.

After speaking, she also sat up briskly and picked up her clothes to start changing.

Although there was a screen separating them, she really wasn't too concerned about taboos.

It was just that during her movements, the crimson that quietly spread across her earlobes and neck exposed that the owner's state of mind was not as calm as it appeared on the surface.

Since she was already unconstrained, Qin Wangchuan sat down calmly and even cast an appreciative glance.

The screen hid her graceful figure, but it could not hide another kind of scenery—

This Divine Maiden, who was always cold and noble, now had ear tips that were red and translucent, unable to hide at the edge of the screen, more vivid and lively than any scenery.

Qin Wangchuan watched, his mouth curving up imperceptibly.