That night, the valley quieted. Most disciples rested in their quarters, exhausted after the first day of lessons.
Except four.
Under the moonlight, Yulian, Jinluo, Jianxu, and Tianyao slipped through the shadows, their laughter muffled by the mountain mist. They explored forbidden paths, climbed the old watchtower, and snuck into the training grounds to spar in secret.
By dawn, they crept back — all except Yulian, who stayed behind, resting lazily on a tree branch overlooking the lake.
He was humming softly when—
Shiiing!
A blade flashed past his cheek, missing by a hair’s breadth.
“This place doesn’t tolerate misbehavior,” a calm voice said from the shadows.
Yulian froze — then blinked in disbelief. “You’ve got to be kidding me.”
The moonlight caught the figure stepping forward. Sword at his side, wearing the simple robes of a disciple — Xing Hanxu.
![Anime-style wuxia night scene by a serene moonlit lake. Huo Yulian [age:15] perched lazily on a tree branch, moonlight on his red eyes, expression mischievous. A sword flashes past his cheek. From the shadows emerges Xing Hanxu[age:15], calm and unreadable, holding his sword with effortless grace. Mist rising over water, soft blue moonlight, cherry leaves drifting, tension mixed with warmth. After shock, they smile and embrace—a dramatic, emotional reunion. Clothing simple disciple robes, detailed folds, glowing sword aura, cinematic contrast between shadow and moonlight.](https://cdn.leonardo.ai/users/10b538a6-5030-4a2e-8ba4-169116474c39/generations/7dd2b03f-8ed2-44e3-982d-c262c2692cea/segments/3:4:1/Lucid_Origin_Animestyle_wuxia_night_scene_by_a_serene_moonlit__2.jpg)
For a heartbeat, neither spoke. Then Yulian broke into a grin. “You bastard… you’re alive.”
Hanxu smiled faintly, lifting his sword. “Still as loud as ever, I see.”
Yulian laughed, leaping down from the tree. “It’s bad enough I have to see you — do you have to threaten me too?”
“Why bother being polite?” Hanxu replied dryly.
“Scram. I thought you were well-behaved, well-cultured — apparently not,” Yulian shot back.
“Then I must’ve learned it from you.”
They stared at each other for a beat — then both burst into laughter.23Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTXBZd7BHVH
In the next instant, they hugged, a rare warmth passing between the two.
Hanxu smirked. “You know, you need to write the Sect’s rules ten times — for being late and leaving without permission.”
“Why me?” Yulian groaned. “Jinluo, Tianyao, and Jianxu came with me!”
Hanxu raised an eyebrow. “You got caught. They didn’t.”
Before Yulian could retort, a light rustle echoed above — Xing Lianchen, Liuyue, and Tianlong Yuhan stood on a terrace, watching silently. Liuyue’s eyes softened with amusement; memory stirred — he remembered once scolding Linyue the same way, making her copy all ten sect rules by hand.
Down below, Yulian sighed in defeat. “Fine. Just ten times, right?”
Hanxu nodded. “Yes.”
A moment later, Hanxu added casually, “There are ten thousand sect rules.”
Silence.
Then Yulian’s expression collapsed. “Ten… thousand?!”
From the terrace, Lianchen coughed to hide a laugh. Liuyue turned away, shoulders shaking. Even the usually composed Yuhan covered her mouth to suppress a smile.
Under the moonlit courtyard, Yulian’s groans echoed through Tianlong Sect — while Hanxu laughed for the first time in a long while.
and then Add to home screen.