When Li Meirong woke up, she found herself covered underneath a warm blanket on her bed. A deep baritone voice greeted her as she opened her eyes.
"You are awake."
Rubbing her eyes, she bent herself forward and looked towards the direction of the voice, finding herself face to face with a radiant man sitting by the bedside, his frame illuminated by a cold light which seemingly radiated from his own body. Peerless and graceful like an aloof immortal, the man's long, flowing hair was loosely tied at the waist and the wide sleeves of his extended robe draped on the floor. The breathtaking appearance before her eyes sorely clashed with the shoddy cabin's interior.
The instant Zhu Qingyue turned to face her, she felt as though the world stood still. When their eyes met, she suddenly felt her heart pounding in her chest in a constant, throbbing rhythm.
Flustered by her own reaction, Li Meirong looked away without delay, occupying herself with studying her own hands as she entwined her fingers together.
Now that she wasn't staring straight at the man, it became easier to regain her composure.
She still found it hard to believe that she was somehow still alive. The last thing she could remember was a horde of furry, fuzzy creatures enveloping her. Afterwards, she had been knocked out cold. It somewhat startled her to discover that near-death experiences didn't really seem to rattle her anymore.
It's as they say, humans tend to adapt to their environment, no matter how deadly it may be.
Finally, Li Meirong asked what was on her mind, "How did I get here?"
"A pair of outer sect disciples found you sleeping on the vegetable fields and brought you home. By the time I arrived, you were already deep asleep." Zhu Qingyue coolly informed her.
"Oh, I see…"
'Is that really what happened? But then, how did I survive the fall?' Li Meirong silently wondered as she got out of bed and assessed herself, noticing her clothes had been replaced. She warily eyed her senior, "You…"
"The girls who had found you had also cleaned you up."
Hearing his response made her sigh in relief. Still feeling embarrassed by his presence, she covered the blanket around her like a shawl.
"Have you seen Snowball?" Li Meirong inquired. She looked all around but couldn't find a trace of him.
A few seconds later, Zhu Qingyue answered in a flat voice, "He went out to play."
"Oh, I see…" She continued asking, "What are you doing here?"
Honestly, Li Meirong was surprised to find herself happy to see him, and yet, his presence was unsettling at the same time. How long was he here? Why did he come? Did he watch her sleep all along?
Zhu Qingyue's eyes slightly narrowed, his gaze had never left the girl's face. As though he could read her mind, he answered, "I have just arrived. Did you forget your lessons?"
Li Meirong peeked at her senior, cowering under his unnerving scrutiny, "Of course not. I just didn't think we would be training in my home…
Zhu Qingyue sighed in apparent contemplation, "I had wanted to give you time to adjust to my presence. Alas, a few disciples had notified me that they had seen you nearly fall to your death today. As it is, by the time you would accept my proposal, I shall end up marrying a corpse. It would be best for me to live here so I could supervise you, just as I had previously suggested. This way, I could also teach you martial arts right here."
"…" Speechless, Li Meirong brows arched high, and her mouth opened wide. 'When was there any suggestion? You never asked for my opinion about anything!'