In fact, she was not a narcissistic person.
Even though she knew she was very good-looking, she would not go so far as to think that everyone would like her.
Lu Dantao raised her hand and gently touched her own face.
Although she had become a bit thinner than before, it was still soft and chubby.
It seemed as if it still retained the fleeting touch from last night, those slightly rough fingertips, carrying the unique awkwardness and restraint of a young man, gently brushing across her face.
Lu Dantao lifted her eyes and looked toward the high-ponytailed boy walking ahead.
No matter how she thought about it, she had never expected that he would actually take advantage of her being asleep last night to secretly touch her face.
Lu Dantao turned this matter over and over in her mind the entire night. After carefully sorting through it, there really seemed to be only one possibility left, that he had a secret crush on her.
The morning mist had yet to fully dissipate, and the forest was filled with the damp, fresh scent of grass and trees.
The young man’s back was straight and upright, his ink-black long hair tied high, his steps steady as he walked ahead.
The morning breeze swept past the treetops, and his tied ponytail swayed gently with it, like a windshield wiper, drawing a neat arc through the air.
Lu Dantao’s gaze unconsciously followed the ponytail as it swung from side to side, yet her thoughts drifted even farther away.
In truth, she was not making blind guesses.
As an engineering student, she only looked at evidence, and there was quite a bit of evidence for the matter of Xue Yao secretly having a crush on her.
First, Xue Yao was not some lecherous man.
Yesterday by the river, she had merely loosened her collar slightly, faintly revealing a bit of her collarbone, yet he had kept such a distance from her.
She did not understand the strict boundaries between men and women in ancient times, yet he had even personally helped her pull her clothes back into place.
What had he said at the time again, something like, “How do you want me to look at you, hmm?”
That “hmm” at the end!
Lu Dantao could not help but shiver slightly. It was oddly greasy.
But he had indeed restrained himself with her, keeping within the bounds of propriety.
Otherwise, in this desolate wilderness, he could have simply taken heaven as his canopy and earth as his bed, doing whatever he pleased to her, a delicate beauty like an immortal.
So it could be ruled out that he had made a move on her out of lust for her looks.
Second, as the saying goes, when something is abnormal, there must be something behind it.
And his behavior toward her was very abnormal.
Xue Yao, the arrogant guy.
Normally, he was so cocky it was off the charts.
There were only two expressions on his face.
One was a world-weary look, as if the entire world owed him eight million.
The other was an arrogant, overbearing look, as if he looked down on the entire world.
If one really followed his usual way of doing things, he could have completely ignored her and paid her no attention, and there was even less need for him to help her again and again.
Wasn’t that so?
But what was the reality?
Although they had spent very little time together over the past few days, whenever she had any need, hadn’t Xue Yao always acted with a look of disdain on the surface, yet in the end obediently gone to do it anyway?
Right?
He had even taken the initiative to do things himself!
For example, last night, she had not even mentioned that she was hungry, yet he had gone off without a word, extremely proactive and eager, to hunt a wild rabbit, even though he had clearly looked annoyed at the time.
And before that, when they traveled overnight into the deep mountains, she had been so hungry that she refused to walk any farther. At that time, he could have simply left her behind, but what did he do?
He quietly went to pick edible fruits for her.
And earlier still, when he took the risk to bring her out of the dungeon, he could obviously have escaped on his own, couldn’t he?
And before that, even earlier, at the apothecary, it was also him who exposed himself and showed up to save her.
Could all of this really not seem strange?
Of course, the most crucial point, and also the most decisive one.
Last night, he had lost control of his feelings and secretly touched her face.
Over the past two days of nonstop exertion, she was indeed very tired, but perhaps she had gone past the point of exhaustion.
No matter what, she could not fall asleep. On top of that, she had eaten his rabbit and felt somewhat embarrassed, so she had turned her back to him and leaned against the tree, pretending to sleep.
In her half-drowsy state, she heard the sound of his footsteps as he got up and walked closer.
She had originally planned that once he came a little nearer, she would suddenly jump up and point at him, scolding him to regain the upper hand.
Who would have thought that before she could even move, his fingertips had already landed first.
At first, they gently brushed past her hair, the touch astonishingly soft. Even the Tony stylist at a hair salon had never treated her hair with such care.
And also.
Lu Dantao fell into deep thought, her fingers unconsciously reaching up to touch her eyes once again.
It seemed that he was even afraid of waking her.
He lingered quietly by her side for a long time, only daring to truly touch her face after confirming that her breathing was steady.
Then, just like that, he gently and slowly rubbed it with his fingertips.
The movements were so soft, the force so careful, as if he were handling a rare and priceless treasure.
Lu Dantao could even feel the many emotions contained within it, tenderness, restraint, forbearance, and more.
At the time, her whole body had gone stiff. She had been utterly shocked.
In her entire life, Lu Dantao had never imagined that such a simple hand, just a few fingers like that, could actually convey so many emotions.
Xue Yao.
Usually, he either kept a cold face like a mute, or the moment he opened his mouth, it seemed as if he wanted to poison everyone within a few hundred meters.
Who would have thought that he actually hid such rich and delicate feelings?
Had he really been silently in love with her for so long?
When exactly had it started?
He had hidden it so deeply.
Perhaps it was true that the mind was especially clear in the early morning. All these thoughts flashed through her mind like lightning, and in an instant, Lu Dantao suddenly understood.
She thought she now knew what exactly Xue Yao had been sulking about yesterday.
Back then, Lu Dantao had also encountered a little boy who had a secret crush on her.
That chubby boy followed behind her every day, either tugging at her ponytail or mocking whether her parents would come pick her up that day.
At the time, she had foolishly thought that it was because she had refused to sit with him on the first day of school and offended him, which was why he had been so annoying.
It was not until later, when she transferred schools due to her parents’ business and left, and he cried his heart out as if he were seeing her off to a funeral, that she belatedly realized that some people express their affection in ways that are deliberately irritating.
The sentiments of the middle-aged are as strong as wine, while a young girl’s feelings are always like poetry.
And when placed upon a young boy, was it not the same?
At Xue Yao’s age….
Lu Dantao discreetly sized him up from head to toe.
He was about eighteen or nineteen.
Placed in modern times, he would have only just taken off his Little Genius children’s smartwatch a few years ago.
It was exactly the stage of first awakening feelings, yet being too proud and suffering for the sake of saving face.
At that age, for a boy to be teased to his face by the girl he liked and become embarrassed and angry was simply too normal.
Thinking of it this way, the slight sulking she had felt because of his attitude quietly dissipated.
Instead, a trace of indescribable sympathy arose.
After all, Xue Yao was actually quite pitiful.
Alone, and perhaps because his family vendetta had yet to be avenged, he was afraid of implicating her.
He did not dare to say anything, nor did he dare to reveal anything.
He could only suffer through a silent, unrequited love for her.
Xue Yao walked ahead, and for once, his ears enjoyed a brief moment of peace, no longer filled with her usual chattering.
Out of the corner of his eye, he casually glanced back.
The morning light stretched their shadows long, casting them onto the mountain path overgrown with wild grass.
The shadow that belonged to Lu Dantao had one hand propping up her chin. From that posture, it seemed she was deeply absorbed in thinking about something.
Xue Yao indifferently withdrew his gaze.
He had no interest in whatever was going on inside that little head of hers.
After all, based on past experience, every time she seriously thought about something, the conclusions she reached were usually strange and far-fetched.
Except for yesterday, that remark she made by the river.
Xue Yao lowered his lashes, his gaze darkening.
Possessing a corpse and returning to life.
Did such a mysterious and uncanny thing truly exist in this world?
The Great Yong Dynasty believed in immortals and deities. Otherwise, Lu Dantao would not have been taken to a Daoist temple to play a child attendant simply because of the mole between her brows.
But Xue Yao had never believed in such things.
If there were truly divine justice in this world, then the Xue Family Army would not have had to throw away their heads and shed their blood, nor would they have needed to use their lives to defend a stretch of territory.
Those one hundred thousand loyal soldiers of the Xue Family Army would not have been falsely accused of treason, without even a single chance to defend themselves.
Yet after staying awake the entire night yesterday, thinking it over again and again, he had no choice but to admit that, up to this point, every action and every word of Lu Dantao was telling him that this strange matter did indeed exist.
And he could not help but believe that this soul from another world had, from the very beginning, come for him.
But why exactly?
Was it because of the former subordinates of the Xue Family?
And why had it specifically taken Lu Dantao’s body?
Had she come of her own will?
Or was it that Pei Di had secretly used some unorthodox and sinister technique to summon her here?
He suddenly turned his head and looked toward the girl behind him.
She had her head slightly lowered, at times frowning in thought, at times letting the corners of her lips lift gently, as if she were secretly smiling.
The next moment, her toe caught on a vine stretched across the ground, and her whole body lurched forward, nearly falling.
She immediately turned back, glaring furiously at that section of vine, her lips moving in a silent mutter.
Xue Yao withdrew his gaze from her face and halted the line of suspicion in his mind.
Impossible.
If she had been painstakingly brought here by Pei Di, she would not be this foolish.
But Lu Dantao had already caught the look he cast over. She immediately raised her voice and called out to him, “Hey, you.”
Xue Yao turned back.
He saw that her expression was strange, a faint, ambiguous smile hanging at the corner of her lips, as if she wanted to say something yet hesitated.
Seeing his gaze settle steadily on her, she instead grew a little uneasy, turning her eyes away, and rather affectedly raised her hand to fiddle with her hair.
Her ten slender fingers fidgeted stiffly with the ends of her hair. She cleared her throat softly before finally asking him, “What did you want with me?”
Xue Yao: …?
When had he ever looked for her?
Yet Lu Dantao was still carefully observing him.
The morning light was clear and bright, falling upon his finely contoured face and illuminating the distinct dark circles beneath his eyes.
At a glance, it was obvious he had not slept well last night.
She shook her head inwardly again. ‘No, that’s not right.’
Those dark circles were so obvious. He must not have slept at all yesterday.
Could it be because he had to keep watch over her?
The two of them met each other’s gaze, standing in silence.
Each harboring their own thoughts, both waiting for the other to speak first.
After a moment, the young man’s lips moved.
Lu Dantao unconsciously straightened her back, her gaze intently fixed on his lips, waiting for his response.
Yet she saw that he merely raised his hand and casually pointed his thumb behind him, his tone as indifferent as ever:
“If you’re really so idle that you have nothing to do and end up letting your thoughts run wild all day, you can go dig a pit and bury those corpses.”
Lu Dantao: “…!!”
He really!
See! This was exactly how he was!
Why bring that up for no reason?!
She subconsciously glanced back, only then realizing that the two of them had once again returned to the riverside where they had discovered the floating corpses yesterday.
She bit her lip secretly and snorted softly in her heart. ‘Hmph.’
Circling past Xue Yao, she walked toward the riverbank.
Forget it. She absolutely would not take the initiative to expose his feelings.
When he confessed, she would reject him harshly!
She would trample his dignity underfoot!
Thinking this, she simply endured the disgust and pointed toward the river, giving instructions on her own, “I think we should investigate this hidden passage at the bottom of the river.”
“Once we find the entrance, we can expose Pei Di’s secrets.”
Lu Dantao curled her lips into a smile. If she could really find the male lead in that underwater passage, with a Long Aotian around, what would there be to fear from Pei Di?
It might even deal with Xue Yao’s arrogant attitude.
She would ditch him!
Let him know what it meant to lose something by not cherishing it.
He could go home at night and hug his pillow and cry.
Xue Yao narrowed his eyes slightly, scrutinizing the strange smile at the corner of her lips.
He had felt that something was off since yesterday.
Why was it that Lu Dantao was so certain that this matter was related to Pei Di?
Why did she think that Pei Di was dissatisfied with the emperor?
No matter how he thought about it, the connections did not make sense.
Could it be that she knew something?
His gaze darkened as it fell on Lu Dantao. Seeing her staring intently at the water with a grave expression, he could not help but walk slowly to her side and had just begun to speak, “You—”
But in that instant, the sound of wind suddenly rose through the forest!
Xue Yao’s eyes sharpened, and almost by instinct, he reached out, wrapped an arm around Lu Dantao’s waist, and swiftly darted to the side.
Caught off guard, Lu Dantao fell into his arms and blankly lifted her head.
The young man’s lean and clean jawline came into her view.
And just above it, about half an inch below his earlobe, a vivid cinnabar mole stood out clearly against his pale skin.
From ahead came a hoarse, icy male voice, “After searching all night, we’ve finally found you.”
Lu Dantao’s heart jolted in shock, and she hurriedly turned her head.
At the very moment she turned, she caught sight of several streaks of silver light shooting rapidly toward them.
Lu Dantao’s pupils shrank abruptly, and her mind went blank.
Why?
Why was it that every time pursuers came, they shot arrows at her??
In that split second.
A figure in dark robes had already, without hesitation, stepped in front of her.
With one hand, the young man held her firmly protected, his figure shifting like a phantom, precisely evading every arrow that tore through the air.
The wind howled past her ears.
Lu Dantao instinctively clutched the front of his robe, shock and confusion intertwining in her heart, yet in the end condensing into an extremely clear thought:
“Xue Yao…”
She only managed to call out this once, and could not continue.
She truly had not expected it.
So it turned out… he really did like her very much.
Liked her to the point that he was willing to block blades for her.
She looked up at his sharply defined jawline, and in that moment of daze, even time itself seemed to slow.
As the two of them spun, fallen leaves scattered through the air.
Lu Dantao thought blankly that she needed to take back what she had just said.
He had not hidden it deeply at all.
He had never hidden it.
He was full of flaws.
It was just that she had been too focused on her future pursuits.
And had turned a blind eye and a deaf ear to the feelings of a young boy.