Lynn Snowmoon was briefly stunned, then smiled and said, "Brother Yang, you really know how to joke. May I ask which sect you belong to?"
"I'm unaffiliated, just a free rogue cultivator. But Miss Xue, why did you choose me today? You even offended those four others." Evan Yang, already sensing something unusual about tonight, asked.
"A rogue cultivator? That's even better—at least you won't be questioned by any sect. As for today, it's my first time down the mountain and I don't want to deal with those people. But you—I'm really curious, how did you see through those things?" Lynn Snowmoon answered with a smile.
Evan Yang knew she wouldn't tell the truth, so when she asked about how he saw through things, he quickly thought for a moment and smiled, "That's a secret."
"Oh? Could you tell me?" Lynn Snowmoon looked at Evan Yang with curious eyes.
Evan Yang, of course, wouldn't be foolish enough to tell others his secret. He simply shook his head to refuse. Seeing Evan Yang's silence, Lynn Snowmoon didn't press further but smiled and said, "I wonder if I could be friends with you, Brother Yang!"
"I'd be happy to, but there's something I don't understand." Evan Yang smiled and then voiced his question.
"Is it why I chose you?" Lynn Snowmoon smiled.
"Since you know, Miss Xue, please tell me." Evan Yang nodded in response.
"That's also a secret," Lynn Snowmoon replied mysteriously, leaving Evan Yang a bit frustrated. Still, he was rational enough not to exchange his own secrets so easily, so he just chuckled and said, "Miss Xue, why did you keep me here? What do you intend?"
After hearing Evan Yang's words, Lynn Snowmoon didn't answer immediately, but instead smiled and said, "Let's go out and talk."
"Go out?" Seeing Lynn Snowmoon's outfit, Evan Yang didn't think they could go anywhere—maybe they'd soon be surrounded by a crowd.
Noticing Evan Yang's worry, Lynn Snowmoon smiled and said, "Wait for me outside."
Evan Yang found her likable, so he left the cabin, curious about what this beauty wanted him to accompany her for, or how others had spent the night with her before. With curiosity, he left the cabin.
After leaving the cabin, he stood at the bow. The attendant entered next; thanks to good soundproofing, he couldn't hear what the attendant and Lynn Snowmoon were doing inside.
"Junior sister, how could you!" The woman who entered the cabin looked at Lynn Snowmoon with surprise and doubt.
Lynn Snowmoon was fixing her hair and outfit, smiling, "Senior sister, since we're here for experience, why must we choose those people?"
"Junior sister, do you think those sect and clan disciples will let such an opportunity slip by? And let you walk with a beggar?" The attendant shook her head.
"Senior sister, I only know that those predecessors sacrificed a lot for the sect, but they weren't all that happy. I just want to choose my own path, and the man outside isn't as simple as he looks." Lynn Snowmoon said, finally glancing strangely toward the door.
"A beggar is always a beggar, how can he compare to those outstanding young men? There's still time! I'll help you contact those four." The attendant thought Lynn Snowmoon was just being impulsive and continued.
Lynn Snowmoon answered confidently, 'Senior sister, trust my judgment. You can go report back to the sect honestly about what happened.'
'Junior sister, you—!' The attendant was shocked to see Lynn Snowmoon already preparing to leave.
Lynn Snowmoon smiled at the attendant, then walked past her and out of the cabin. Seeing that smile, the attendant sighed helplessly, 'Well, I just hope the master won't be angry.'
Evan Yang was standing at the bow, taking in the scenery, when someone called him from behind. He turned around and was stunned, staring wide-eyed at the girl before him.
'Now no one will recognize us, right?' Lynn Snowmoon said. Her outfit now matched Evan Yang's beggar look.
Evan Yang stared and said, 'Miss Xue, your outfit is really something.'
'Let's go. This way, nobody will misunderstand. It's just a costume anyway,' Lynn Snowmoon said naturally, sounding excited.
'You're really going out like this?' Evan Yang couldn't believe Lynn Snowmoon had gone from immortal beauty to beggar in an instant.
Lynn Snowmoon smiled, 'Of course. Let's go. But let's set a rule—you call me Miss Xue, and I'll call you Young Master Yang.'
Evan Yang hesitated at the new titles, finding them a bit hard to accept.
'Doesn't this make us look more like ordinary people?' Lynn Snowmoon laughed as she spoke, then hopped off the boat and waited for Evan Yang on the shore.
At this point, Evan Yang figured he might as well go along with the beauty. He leapt off the boat and started wandering the streets with her.
Lynn Snowmoon acted just like a wild little girl, nothing like a lofty lady. The people around them found these two beggars odd, but couldn't say why. After a glance, most just ignored them.
'This is great,' Lynn Snowmoon said with a smile as they walked.
Evan Yang hadn't leisurely strolled like this in ages. Seeing Lynn so happy, his own childhood feelings resurfaced. At first, he felt awkward about wandering the streets, but soon he relaxed. The two of them started playing with things only children would, even acting a bit childish themselves.
Gradually, some people began to wonder if these two beggars were crazy.
Neither Evan nor Lynn cared what others thought—they kept doing their own thing. As night deepened and most shops closed, the two of them climbed a mountain.
'Everstead City's tallest mountain really is something else,' Lynn Snowmoon said, gazing at the chaotic city lights below once they reached the summit.
Evan Yang felt the same way. Watching the city at night really had a special charm.
Lynn Snowmoon spotted a jutting rock ledge hanging off the mountainside. When no one was around, she jumped down to sit on it and smiled up at Evan Yang, 'Come down.'
Evan Yang had no choice but to jump down as well. He avoided using flight techniques to keep his strength hidden, landing directly on the rock. It was slippery, and he nearly fell, but Lynn grabbed his hand and saved him. If she hadn't been a cultivator, they both would have tumbled off the mountain.
'Whew, that was close,' Evan Yang said, climbing onto the ledge, embarrassed. Luckily, it was night and Lynn Snowmoon didn't see his awkward expression.
'If it weren't for me, you really would have fallen. So, how will you thank me?' Lynn Snowmoon teased.
'Miss Xue, you invited me out, so you have to guarantee my safety. That's your responsibility, isn't it?' Evan Yang joked, refusing to admit fault.
Lynn Snowmoon paused, then laughed. 'You're so glib. Fine, tonight I'll be your free bodyguard.'
'That's more like it,' Evan Yang said, looking at her small hand nearby—the very hand that had saved him. Remembering the moment, his body felt hot.
He quickly suppressed the surge in his blood and calmed himself after a while.
'What's wrong?' Lynn Snowmoon asked, noticing Evan Yang's uneven breathing.
'Nothing. But you—what made you want to come here tonight?' Evan Yang looked around and found the mountain unique. There were no people nearby, but the chaotic city lights could be seen ahead.
'I wanted someone to sit here with me and share the feeling of being on a cliff,' Lynn Snowmoon said with a girlish wish.
'Oh? Did you used to sit here alone?' Evan Yang asked curiously.
Lynn Snowmoon nodded, 'My sect also has a cliff. When I was little, I had no companions and couldn't leave, so I often sat there, hoping one day I could go out and see the outside world.'
'So that's why you're acting so wild tonight,' Evan Yang said, finally understanding Lynn Snowmoon's unusual behavior was to fulfill a long-held wish.
'Today has truly been the happiest day of my life. Thank you for accompanying me,' Lynn Snowmoon said, expressing her gratitude.
Evan Yang was at a loss for how to respond and fell silent, thinking about how he had also spent much of his life alone.
Lynn Snowmoon noticed Evan Yang's silence and asked curiously, 'What's wrong?'
Evan Yang didn't answer directly, but asked, 'How did you join your sect?'
'I was an orphan, begging on the streets as a child. I didn't know about cultivation until my master took me in. I stayed in the sect for fifteen years, always hoping to go down the mountain and play, but ended up as this cycle's Flower Queen,' Lynn Snowmoon explained, expressing her resentment.
Evan Yang understood why Lynn Snowmoon was different tonight—she disliked that life and didn't want to interact with those sect elites.
'Is that why you chose me?' Evan Yang asked, curious since he had no background like those others.
Lynn Snowmoon knew that was part of the reason, but there was another—Evan Yang was mysterious, especially his ability to see through things. She smiled and said, 'Do you know why I chose you?'
'I'm all ears,' Evan Yang replied with a smile.
'You were so proud. I'll tell you—it's because of your divine sense. Earlier in Flowerview Garden, you used your divine sense to see inside, didn't you?' Lynn Snowmoon explained, looking at Evan Yang.
'You knew?' Evan Yang was surprised she had noticed.
'Of course. Our sect has a Double-Face Mirror—two magical mirrors that correspond. If you probe one, I can sense it from the other,' Lynn Snowmoon said. After spending the evening with Evan Yang, she found he had no ulterior motives and didn't treat her differently because of her status, which made her comfortable enough to explain.