Whoosh!

A light breeze flowed through the air, causing the field of grass that grew below to rustle and fill the otherwise silent atmosphere. It was cold, but not to the point where it was freezing. In fact, this level of cold only made the night sky above feel even more beautiful.

A glistening moon hung in the sky, surrounded by a field of stars. An assortment of various colors decorated those stars as well as they swirled around and formed constellations and the shape of galaxies.

In the middle of the calm and breathtaking scenery stood a man. His hair was so black that it almost blended with the night sky, streaks of silver running through it and being highlighted by the light of the moon. His face was sharp, but as his eyes gazed upon that very sky, his aura calmed and merged with the space around him.

Such was the scene that Ruyue suddenly found herself transported into.

‘It’s too unfair…’ She lamented inwardly. When such a man and such a scene were combined and presented in front of her like this, how was it possible for her heart to stay still? She found herself in a trance watching his back.

They stayed like this for a few minutes before Damien turned around as if he had only just noticed her presence.

“How is it?” He asked softly. His gentle eyes seemed to pierce directly into her heart.

Ruyue smiled. “Although you made me wait too long for this day, I’ll forgive you because of this.”

“Ah, how can this be? After all this work, I won’t get rewarded at all?” Damien replied, walking towards Ruyue.

Ruyue glanced at him sideways. “And how did you want to be rewarded?”

“How? Aren’t you the one rewarding me? It would feel much more sincere if you decided for yourself.”

Ruyue rubbed her chin as if she was deep in thought. “Hmm, you see, I am just the shunned daughter of a major clan. The only thing I can give you is a load of problems.”

“Problems? A mere major clan, how can they compare to me?”

“Can you back up those words?”

“Of course I can. What, you don’t believe me?”

Ruyue shook her head. “Believe! Of course I believe you. However, the problems of such a clan can hardly be considered a reward, don’t you think?”

Damien nodded as well. “You’re right. If so many problems are going to be put on my plate, don’t you think I should get an even greater reward?”

He arrived in front of her. Ruyue was tall for a woman, so even at such a close distance, Damien didn’t have to look down too far to meet her eyes.

Looking into those mystical eyes that were only inches away from her, Ruyue’s breath quickened. “My money is borrowed from my Master, my status has been revoked, and I don’t have treasures to give at all. What kind of great reward are you expecting from me?”

Damien furrowed his brows and spoke seriously. “Hmm, since you can’t provide me an adequate reward, I guess I’ll have to keep you by my side until you can properly compensate me.”

“And if that day never comes?”

“Then it can’t be helped. I guess I’ll just have to keep you by my side for eternity.”

“If it’s like that, then I’ll have to make sure that my debt to you is never paid off.” Ruyue muttered under her breath.

“Is that so?” Damien smiled. He couldn’t help but find their conversation a little tacky.

Between the two of them, there was no need to confirm their feelings or their relationship. The boundary between friends, or the boundary between senior sister and junior brother, they had all been crossed by the two long ago.

This conversation, he couldn’t see it as anything other than them teasing each other. But it was still nice in its own way. Besides, seeing the rising blush on Ruyue’s face, and the way her breath quickened when he leaned in closer to her, they were scenes he couldn’t get enough of.

“Now that I look so closely, you really are a beauty, Senior Sister,” Damien said slyly.

“Hmph! And you didn’t notice before? Silly Junior Brother, don’t you know how many men are pursuing this Senior Sister of yours?” Ruyue replied haughtily.

“Ah, what pitiful men. I must offer them my condolences when I see them.” Damien sighed.

“And why is that?” Ruyue said softly.

Damien leaned in closer. His nose brushed against hers. “Of course, it’s because I’ve already claimed this Senior Sister of mine as my own.”

He closed the final gap between them, pressing his lips against hers. Ruyue didn’t reject at all, snaking her hands around his neck and pulling him closer.

Their tongues intertwined and their breaths became one. Their lips didn’t part until they were both short of breath.

Damien wrapped his arms around her waist and leaned backward, gently falling into the bed of flowers that they were standing on. And in the same motion, Ruyue fell cleanly on his chest.

Under the light of the brilliant moon and stars, the two embraced each other tightly, refusing to let go. The missing sentiments of a year of parting were poured out in whole.

“Ruyue…” Damien said between breaths. He was trying hard to control his urges. This moment, it was better to keep it romantic, instead of polluting the current blissful atmosphere with desire.

“Mm…” Ruyue responded lightly. Her eyes were half open as she leaned on his chest. Being embraced like this, being surrounded by Damien’s unique scent, if it was up to her, she would choose to stay like this until the ends of time.

“Isn’t it funny?” Damien continued. “When we first met, we were always at each other’s throats. I never would have thought things would end up like this.”

His eyes glazed over as he thought of those memories from when he first arrived at the Cloud Plane.

Ruyue smiled as well. “Indeed, I would have never expected things to be like this. Did you know how annoyed I was, Junior Brother? When you appeared out of nowhere and ruined my peaceful life, I truly wanted to skin you alive.”

She giggled lightly when she thought of how immature she used to be. In but a year and a half, she had changed far more than she had in the years she had lived before that. And it was largely in part to the man in front of her. She once again found herself feeling incredibly thankful for his presence.

“Ruined?” Damien said in a pitiful voice. “How could you be so harsh!”

“Hehe, if you want me to stop, then stop me!”

“And how do you think I should stop you?”

“That answer…don’t you know it yourself?”

Ruyue lifted her head off his chest and once again planted her lips onto his. Actually, it was the first time in her life that she had ever initiated a kiss.

Well, considering that her first-ever kiss was when Damien first took her into the Sanctuary, that much was obvious.

But despite being inexperienced, Ruyue was like a student eager to learn everything she could. So until the proud moon in the sky set and was replaced by the burning sunlight, she made sure to have Damien tutor her until her inexperience faded altogether.