Chapter 914: Chapter 40 Divine Judgment_3
After dinner, once Yan Shi went alone to bid farewell to the Chieftain of the three tribes, the four of them mounted their steeds and left the Oasis where the Northern Tribe resided. As they were leaving, the Chief of the Northern Tribes wanted to express his gratitude for their assistance and specially gifted them a Xuan iron bow weighing two hundred pounds. This bow was a relic that the ancestors of the Northern Tribe had come across by chance, unaware of its true value. A small amount of Xuan iron mixed into ordinary swords and blades could transform them into fine weapons. Across the continent, Xuan iron was a precious mineral that countries would purchase at high prices. Thus, such an amount of Xuan iron was even more valuable than the Top-Grade Magic Crystals Ah Dai and Xuan Yue had on them. Yan Shi gave the Xuan iron bow to Ah Dai, who didn’t pay much attention to it and simply stored the bow inside the Dragon’s Blood.
Riding across the boundless grasslands made the depressed Ah Dai gradually cheer up. Even though the shadows still lingered, he was no longer so fixated, after all, those who had been killed were bandits with countless murders to their names.
Considering that Ah Dai’s injuries had just healed, they didn’t travel very fast. Although the weather was somewhat scorching in the afternoon, Xuan Yue didn’t complain this time. Instead, she snuggled into Ah Dai’s arms, enjoying the warmth of his embrace.
"Ah Dai, what were you going to say to me last night? You can tell me now," she said.
Ah Dai was stunned for a moment and while controlling his steed, he muttered, "Yue Yue, I—I’m not good with words. It’s just, I feel that you’ve changed a lot compared to when we first met."
Xuan Yue chuckled, "Then tell me, in what ways have I changed?"
Ah Dai said, "The first time I saw you, I found out that a girl could be so pretty; your beauty almost took my breath away. But you were so temperamental and willful, spoiled to the core, always acting as if everyone should revere you. Back then, you looked down on a clumsy boy like me."
When Ah Dai mentioned the first part, Xuan Yue couldn’t help but feel smug, but as he continued, her face sank, and pouting, she said, "Was I really that bad? Who’s temperamental and overbearing? You’re talking nonsense." In truth, she knew that what Ah Dai said was indeed the reality, she just didn’t want to admit it. When Ah Dai spoke about her looking down on him, a hint of sadness clearly surfaced in the depths of her eyes. Seeing this, Xuan Yue’s heart began to ache.
Ah Dai gave a wry smile and said, "I’m not making it up, nor am I lying. What I said is just how I felt."
Xuan Yue sat up straight and looked at Ah Dai, "What about now? How have I changed since we first met?"
A gentle smile appeared on Ah Dai’s face as he said, "First sit tight, then I’ll tell you. I’m not very good at horseback riding, be careful not to fall off." After speaking, he stretched out his right hand and naturally encircled Xuan Yue’s soft waist, pulling her close into his arms.
Although Xuan Yue’s face was flushed, she did not resist, a sweet feeling arising in her heart.
As Ah Dai remembered the unexpected tenderness from Xuan Yue the night before, the unusual feeling dispelled the original suppression in his heart; holding Xuan Yue’s soft body in his arms and smelling the faint fragrance on her body, he felt incredibly moved. He spoke softly, "When we first met, for some reason, you lost your Magic to me. Then you accused me of bullying you and insisted I become your lackey. Actually, I didn’t want to follow you; I was eager to return to my teacher, but seeing you cry, I don’t know why, my heart softened. Hence, I agreed to your request. As we spent time together, your temper would constantly change—suddenly very sweet, then completely different a moment later. I’m not clever enough to understand those changes, so I could only keep my distance, hiding myself to avoid being hurt by your hurtful words."
After hearing Ah Dai’s words, Xuan Yue’s body trembled slightly. She grabbed onto Ah Dai’s hand around her waist, lowered her head, and said in a soft voice, "I’m sorry, I didn’t know my behavior caused you such trouble."
Ah Dai, seeing Xuan Yue’s distressed look, felt a pang in his heart and continued, "But then you changed. After entering the Pu Yan Clan Territory, you began to transform little by little. You’ve shown me the kind side of your character. You used your Magic to save Big Brother Yan Shi, and I was truly grateful to you at that time. Without your Light of Tranquility, Big Brother Yan Shi would have probably died by now, and we wouldn’t have found the murderer of his wife. Since then, you’ve changed, and lost all those bad habits you had before. Whether in the Elf Forest or among the Ya Lan tribe, you’ve become very different from before. You’ve learned to care for others."
Ah Dai’s sincere words deeply touched Xuan Yue’s heart, and she snuggled tightly into his embrace, murmuring, "Ah Dai, I don’t know what I was like before, nor do I understand how I’ve turned out now. But I do know that there’s only one reason for my change."
Ah Dai was puzzled and asked, "What’s that?"
Xuan Yue lifted her head and looked at Ah Dai, her voice soft, "It’s because of you. You’re the reason I changed. Do you like the me I am now?"
Avoiding Xuan Yue’s intense gaze, Ah Dai seemed bewildered as he nodded his head. He kept pondering why Yue Yue would change because of him. No matter what he thought, he couldn’t come to a conclusion, after all, he was still just a child, not yet eighteen years old.
