Chapter 462 [Hus] [band]

The girl rested her head in Xu Xi's arms while he leaned against the back of the bench. The two rested beneath a tree, a sea of golden leaves dazzling in the sunlight above them.

Light and shadow poured down like water.

Casting onto the face of the softly murmuring, sleeping girl.

It was bits of sunlight captured by the leaves from various angles.

Silent and gentle.

Like the finest brushstrokes brushing against the tip of her nose.

Xu Xi didn't fall asleep with her. Instead, he sat quietly on the bench, looking out at the golden street while his hand lightly supported the girl's body.

He watched the green ivy trailing down the walls.

While the golden sunlight climbed up along it.

"Are you not going to sleep, Sir?"

In Xu Xi's arms, the Princess moved restlessly and opened her eyes to ask.

Xu Xi instinctively looked down and met those bright, spirited eyes, seeing a starlike light within them.

"Yingxue, I'm not tired."

"Aiya, but I want to sleep with you, Sir."

He curled his finger.

And lightly flicked the Princess's forehead.

As the Princess put on a mock-aggrieved expression, Xu Xi sighed helplessly. "It's broad daylight; don't say such misleading things outside."

The leaves overhead swayed gently, composing a summer lullaby.

Wu Yingxue lay in Xu Xi's arms.

Her eyes blinked repeatedly.

"I understand, Sir," she said. Suddenly, she spread her arms and hugged Xu Xi's neck, leaning her entire body against him.

"What's wrong?"

Xu Xi didn't fall despite the shift in center of gravity; he was simply puzzled by the Princess's actions.

"It's nothing~ I just suddenly wanted to be close to you, Sir~"

Sunlight fell on her eyelids. As the girl lay in Xu Xi's arms, she could see the sea of trees above, shimmering in the summer sun and bursting with countless tiny, gold-coin-like specks of light.

Accompanied by the chirping of cicadas in her ears.

And the warm embrace so close at hand.

Wu Yingxue couldn't help but laugh in Xu Xi's arms.

She wasn't quite sure herself why she was so happy; she just felt that from the perspective of lying in Xu Xi's arms, it was as if she possessed the whole world.

"Time really flies, Sir."

Xu Xi replied, "It really does."

Time is a mysterious thing; the more one compares the present to the past, the faster it seems to slip away.

Thinking back from their first meeting to the upcoming wedding, Xu Xi felt as though time had become a train, rumbling through and shattering the deepest parts of his sea of memories.

The Princess lying in his arms added, "It's wonderful. It's so good that I was able to meet you on that day, Sir."

Xu Xi reminisced for a moment. "But I remember that when we first met, the atmosphere wasn't exactly harmonious."

"Ah, was it?"

"It was. At that time, you even wanted to stab me with a spear."

Xu Xi remembered clearly.

When Wu Yingxue was heavily injured and rescued by him, she had woken up in a very wary state. Had he not taken her spear away beforehand, it likely would have escalated into a physical conflict.

"*Cough! Cough!*"

"Don't bother remembering such trivial things, Sir!"

The girl in his arms grew restless again.

She bumped against Xu Xi's chest with moderate force to express her dissatisfaction.

The sky was clear, the sun was bright, and the heat wave hitting their faces couldn't compare to the Princess's bashful annoyance.

Xu Xi smiled. "Fine, I won't remember it then."

Having achieved her desired result, Wu Yingxue was finally satisfied. She called a retreat and lay flat in victory.

Once again, she wriggled comfortably in Xu Xi's arms.

Like a giant caterpillar.

She tried to fall asleep again, but her drowsiness had completely vanished. The sound of rustling leaves in her ears was exceptionally clear, drifting into her mind and preventing her from finding peace.

Perhaps it was time to reveal her true purpose.

The Princess sat up from Xu Xi's arms, her fingers twining through her black hair. Her eyes darted around before she finally took a deep breath as if to muster her courage.

"Sir."

"Hmm?"

"I heard that just today, that Sword-swinger wanted to take you to meet her parents?"

"Sword-swinger" was the nickname Wu Yingxue had given the Hero.

Xu Xi nodded. "That's true, but Sevia needs time to prepare, so it's been delayed for a few days."

"Oh, I see…"

Her hair wrapped around her fingers, sometimes loosening completely and sometimes twining around again.

Wu Yingxue's brows furrowed as she put on a very serious and solemn expression. "Sir, I believe that in all things, one must follow the order of arrival. What do you think?"

Facing the Princess's seriousness.

Xu Xi nodded again. "That makes sense."

In the summer breeze that wasn't cool at all, the girl's expression relaxed slightly, but she quickly tensed up again, trying her best to strike a formal pose.

"Do you still remember, Sir?"

"A long time ago, I also invited you to return to the Wu Realm to meet my parents."

"Ahem, so…"

"You should go to my place first, Sir."

After a series of preparations, Wu Yingxue finally revealed her true purpose.

The massive sun burned wantonly in the sky. Its surging flames were so dazzling that even the watery light in the Princess's eyes was reflected clearly.

Like two translucent full moons.

Reflecting Xu Xi's face.

Without blinking even once.

Xu Xi felt that this side of the Princess was very rare. It was somewhat like the way Klisa and Ele acted, yet it still revealed her own unique vitality.

At such close range, he could even hear her nervous heartbeat.

"I don't have a problem with it, but Yingxue, don't you need to prepare on your end?"

Xu Xi reached out and plucked a fragment of a leaf from the tip of Wu Yingxue's nose.

The girl chuckled.

Light and shadow danced in her pupils. "Of course I have to prepare. It's your first time visiting my home, Sir; how could I just wing it?"

"However~~"

"Being the clever person I am, I've already prepared in advance."

The Princess wasn't unprepared.

On the contrary, she had prepared everything before coming to find Xu Xi.

This included the gifts for the visit, which she had also prepared for Xu Xi.

All she needed was a nod and a word of agreement, and they could immediately head to the Wu Realm to visit the long-waiting Prince Dingyuan and his wife.

Her efficiency was so high.

That it made the look Xu Xi gave Wu Yingxue turn strange.

"Is there a problem, Sir?"

"Hmm, I'm wondering if you're the real Yingxue."

"Ahem, your misunderstanding of me is a bit too deep, Sir. I was just too lazy to think before; I'm not actually stupid."

She poked her two index fingers together.

The Princess turned her head away, feeling a bit guilty.

"So, Sir? As long as you agree, we'll head over right now."

"I can, but I want to let Mo Li and the others know first, so they don't worry unnecessarily."

Xu Xi raised his hand.

Invisible mental power rippled through the air, heading toward the Courtyard at the other end of the street, but the Princess intercepted the message.

Her expression returned to its previous sneakiness.

"Shh~ Sir~"

"We'll be back soon; there's no need to tell everyone."

"Besides, this matter has nothing to do with the others. It's a memory that belongs only to us—a secret [elopement]."

Her finger swiped through the air.

Her fair fingertip created a Spatial Rift leading to the Multiversal Boundaries beyond the Chaos.

Wu Yingxue stood up from the bench and faced Xu Xi with her hands behind her back, her beautiful eyes blinking.

"What do you think?"

"[Hus][band]."