Chapter 72: Xiao Cui
Xiao Cui stood on her tiptoes, her small fingers resting on the edge of the wooden flower stall as she peered at the half-empty wicker baskets.
Her hair, catching the late afternoon sun filtering through the willow branches, was in a constant state of transition—shifting from a beautiful blonde to a deep, charcoal black.
The old flower merchant was already packing up his remaining stock, tossing bruised stems into a pile behind him.
"That’s all I’ve got left for today, little miss," he grunted, not looking up. "No more dream lotuses until tomorrow morning."
Xiao Cui’s shoulders slumped, her lower lip turning outward in a small, disappointed pout. "But did you not get any of the yellow honey-bells from the lower valley? The ones with the sticky red centers?"
"Those don’t grow well this time of year, too much frost on the banks. You’ll be lucky if you get even one this week," the merchant replied, wiping his hands on a dirty apron. "Haven’t seen a honey-bell yesterday either."
She looked even more disappointed. "Yeah, I asked yesterday as well."
Kian stepped out from the shade of the willow tree, standing outside the flower shop beside her.
"Are you really that fond of the honey-bell, little sister?"
Xiao Cui jumped slightly at the sudden voice, her hair instantly rippling into a solid, glossy black as she stepped fully into the open sunlight to look up at him.
She blinked her large, round eyes, taking in his deep indigo robes and his clean, almost handsome face before nodding with earnest gravity.
"Yes! They are the absolute best."
"And why is that?" Kian asked, leaning his hand against the wooden stall with a curious smile. "Do you like the way they look in a vase, or is the scent particularly sweet?"
"No, nothing like that," she said, shaking her head so fast. "If you pinch the very bottom of the stem and squeeze really hard, a tiny drop of sweet nectar comes out of the middle. It tastes just like wild honey, but even better."
Kian let out a chuckle.
He had expected some poetic nonsense about the beauty of the petals or the elegance of the bloom, but the little maid was simply looking for a quick snack.
"So you just want to eat them?"
Xiao Cui’s cheeks flushed a light pink. "Yes."
"Want to go look for those flowers with me?"
Xiao Cui blinked up at him, her large eyes reflecting the warm amber of the setting sun. "Eh, really? Would you come with me?"
The merchant scoffed. "Young man, if you have any ill intentions, you better forget it. She is my regular customer. And a sect member!"
"Ill intentions? Brother, why would I have ill intentions?"
Kian grabbed Xiao Cui’s tender hands. "Come on, let’s go grab some flowers in the forest."
Before the merchant could react, Kian had already left like the wind, the girl now firmly in his arms.
Xiao Cui’s breath caught in her throat as the ground suddenly vanished beneath her feet, her small frame instantly scooped up into a secure, dizzying princess carry.
The wind of Kian’s rapid movement whipped her hair into a frantic blur.
"Wait! Put me down!" she squeaked, her round eyes wide with sudden panic as she looked up at his calm, grinning face. "Are you kidnapping me? You are a kidnapper! My sect is incredibly fearsome and they will hunt you down to the ends of the earth if you take me!"
Kian didn’t slow his pace, his feet skimming over the cobblestones with the effortless grace of Wind Step as he looked down at the trembling girly.
"I am a cultivator this strong," he said teasingly, his voice carrying easily over the rushing wind. "If I wanted to kidnap you, would I need to play like this? Couldn’t I just take you away?"
Xiao Cui blinked, her panic halting mid-breath as her airheaded face actually processed the simple logic of his words.
She looked at his relaxed expression, then at the blur of the passing scenery, and her grip on his shoulders loosened just a fraction.
"Oh, that’s true," she said, her voice dropping into a quiet, thoughtful hum as she rested her head back against his arm. "If you were a bad guy, you probably wouldn’t have asked me about the honey-bells first."
"Good that you understand. Do you know where we can find Honey-Bells?"
Xiao Cui pointed a small, dirt-smudged finger toward the jagged ridgeline rising just beyond the city’s eastern wall.
"There’s a hidden ravine near the old weeping cliffs, but the path is very narrow and full of prickly brambles."
Kian adjusted his grip on her thighs, his hardened skin barely registering the light pressure of her weight. "Brambles won’t be an issue, little sister, so just keep pointing the way."
"I am not little! I am TWENTY YEARS old next year."
"Damn, really?"
Kian couldn’t tell at all.
She puffed her cheeks.
He shook his head.
With a sudden, leaping burst of Wind Step, he moved through the path quickly.
In just a minute, they ran past the eastern gates.
And then...
They plunged into the deep shadow of the forest, the canopy swallowing the last rays of the sun and turning Xiao Cui’s hair back into a pale, glowing blonde.
"My name is Xiao Cui. You are?"
"I am Kian. Where are you from, Xiao Cui?"
"I am from the Jinguan Sect. Actually, I am a servant there, not a sect member. People outside usually get disappointed when they learn of that."
"Eh, I am not disappointed at all."
"Really?"
"Yes of course. But what’s up with your hair anyway?"
"It’s a mountain’s blessing."
"What’s that?"
"One day, I cleaned a mountain full of trash and it just so happened that the mountain was sentient. It blessed me with a shade from the sun. No matter how hot the sun gets, I don’t feel uncomfortable now."
"Wow, that’s quite unique."
She giggled as the cool mountain air rushed past them, her earlier fear completely forgotten as she clung to his neck.
She eagerly pointed to the left.
"Turn left at the mossy boulder! No, the other left—the one with the giant spiderweb!"
She nodded.
Then asked: "By the way, there might be bears around. I never dare come here. Is that okay?"
"Hmph, mere bears."
She looked at him in awe. "Big brother, you are really powerful! Even more powerful than Su Chen."
"Is Su Chen powerful?"
"Nowadays, everyone says he is."
"Is he good to you?"
She hesitated. Then, she said: "Nowadays, he doesn’t yell at me. He is quite nice."
"Hmph!"
"Why are you snorting?"
"C’mon. Tell me where your favorite flowers are, we will pick them all up!"