The Sword Maiden sat obediently in her chair, her eyes peering through the pavilion window at her master below.
At that moment, leisurely footsteps reached her ears. At first, the Sword Maiden paid little attention, assuming it was just a regular patron. She even offered a slight smile and nodded to the refined middle-aged man.
The man gently took a seat opposite her, a warm smile on his face as he looked at her.
The Sword Maiden blinked and gestured towards him, indicating that his seat was taken. She also pointed out the window, where Su Bei was conversing with the woman who had fallen into the water.
"I'll just sit here for a little while, and then I'll leave," the man said, looking at her with an affable smile. He then pointed to the man outside the window. "What relation is he to you?"
The Sword Maiden tilted her head and gestured to the middle-aged man. Although he couldn't make out what she was trying to express, he still said with a smile, "Oh, he's your master, I see!"
The Sword Maiden nodded.
Just then, the middle-aged man appeared to notice something. His expression turned grave as he eyed the Stone Pendant around the Sword Maiden's neck. "Where did you get this necklace?" he asked.
Upon hearing the man's words, the Sword Maiden's body trembled slightly. She placed the Stone Pendant in her palm, her long eyelashes fluttering as she bit her lip.
Watching the Sword Maiden's actions, as if her movements confirmed his suspicions, he hesitated for a moment before asking, "Miss, may I take a look at that?"
The Sword Maiden's heart seemed to tremble, disbelief on her pretty face as her palms grew sweaty, her heart filled with a mix of anticipation and some other indescribable feeling.
With a complex array of emotions swirling in her mind, she took a deep breath, nodded slightly, and placed the Stone Pendant into his outstretched hand.
The man's eyes held a hint of reminiscence as he gently caressed the Stone Pendant, letting out a long sigh. When the Sword Maiden looked into his eyes again, they seemed to be veiled in a mist she couldn't quite decipher.
"I have a necklace just like this one," he said.
His eyes, full of kindness, gazed at the Sword Maiden before he placed the Stone Pendant back into her hand.
As if to confirm the suspicions in the Sword Maiden's heart, the man turned his head towards the window and hummed a tune, "Where are the painted faces and melodious flutes of yesteryear? The Dragon Boat Festival's lantern boats are still, no revelry; the wine flags of the Double Ninth Festival are furled, how dreary..."
The Sword Maiden covered her lips with her hand, her eyes shimmering with excitement as she gazed at the man before her.
He was humming her mother's favorite opera, *The Peach Blossom Fan*.
Su Bei looked at the woman before him; perhaps due to his shock, he had even forgotten to ask for her name.
Could it be that I've incidentally encountered a woman of remarkable identity? Could this be the work of my title as the Child of Destiny?
He coughed softly and ventured, "I don't even know the lady's name..."
A gentle breeze caressed them. Die Yi's cheeks were flushed, but definitely not because of the man before me, she told herself.
"Die Yi."
After a moment's thought, she decided to tell him her name.
Her wet, water-stained gauze dress clung to her, but under the warmth of Su Bei's Spiritual Energy, it instantly dried.
Having slipped away from Key Smoke's supervision, Die Yi looked at the earnest Su Bei with a complex gaze and sighed softly.
Why would such a person end up acting like that?
Events in this reincarnation cycle were becoming increasingly strange. First, this man accepted a disciple on the high platform—someone he had never taken in her previous life. Then, she herself was recognized by her master from the previous life (the Saintess) as an adopted niece—though the Saintess had actually wanted to adopt her as a daughter.
But for the Saintess, who in my previous life wouldn't even let me call her Master and only allowed me to call her Sister, this wasn't out of the ordinary.
"Shall we go upstairs and sit for a while?" Su Bei offered.
"Perhaps have some tea?"
Have tea? Should I poison the tea and kill him? But Immortals probably can't be poisoned, right...? Still, my main goal today is to meet him and leave a deep impression, so he won't be wary of me. Then I'll find a chance to kill him with a single sword strike!
But Die Yi's spirits instantly flagged again, feeling as if the first impression she had made was not what she had envisioned.
Seeing her silence, Su Bei took it as consent and grabbed her arm, intending to pull her along to the restaurant.
Through the thin sleeve, her delicate, jade-like arm was grasped in his. Feeling the warmth from his palm, Die Yi's heart raced, her cheeks reddened, and she momentarily forgot to move.