The group returned to the Zhou Family's station.
Qin Li was arranged in an unoccupied courtyard, while Zhou Fan, at Zhou Chenxi's invitation, moved into her home.
That afternoon, the two of them strolled together within the Zhou Family's station.
Along the way, members of the Zhou Family would respectfully greet the Clan Chief, and many were curious about the tall, handsome man standing beside her.
However, after Zhou Chenxi proactively took Zhou Fan's hand, the Zhou Family members instantly understood that this person was the Clan Chief's Dao Companion.
Everyone was mostly supportive of this, as Zhou Chenxi had indeed led the Family to greater prosperity during her years as Clan Chief, personally handled many matters, and even improved some previously unreasonable systems.
Zhou Fan and Zhou Chenxi, holding hands like this, walked to a mountaintop at the edge of the Zhou Family's station.
It was already May, and this small mountain, not high in elevation, presented a scene of vibrant life at its peak.
The two sat on an open space in the Spiritual Plant Garden at the top of this mountain, behind them a first-tier Spiritual Tree tens of meters tall.
The wind near sunset blew through the treetops, and the leaves of the Spiritual Tree danced with the wind, rustling.
The slanting sunlight, passing through the branches and falling on their bodies, was not scorching, only a comforting warmth.
Looking to the left, patches of pristine white Snow Grass were neatly distributed in garden plots of the same size, undulating in the breeze like pure white waves of wheat.
Looking to the right, purple Iron Orchid Vines were uniformly arranged, coiling around A-frame trellises made from Spiritual Tree branches, motionless in the gentle breeze, like purple armored guards cast from steel.
“Zhou Fan, do you still remember when we were fourteen, and the teacher brought us to this Spiritual Plant Garden to observe various spiritual plants up close, to lay the groundwork for our future Alchemy studies?”
“I remember. That was the first time we talked. You asked me if planting Snow Grass and Iron Orchid Vines so close together would interfere with each other’s growth.”
Zhou Fan remembered every detail of his interactions with Zhou Mei and Zhou Chenxi before he turned eighteen, but he could not recall any memories of his time with Zhou Chenxi after he turned eighteen.
Seeing that Zhou Fan remembered so clearly, Zhou Chenxi, filled with happiness, immediately leaned into his embrace.
“At that time, my mother remarried, and I had just transferred from the Zhou Family branch school to the main branch school.”
Zhou Chenxi recounted the past: “When I first arrived at the main branch school, I didn't know anyone. The teacher heard that my academic performance at the branch was excellent, always ranking first, so she moved me to the desk behind you.”
“During class breaks, I greeted you, but you ignored me.”
Hearing this, Zhou Fan recalled the past, saying, “During that time, I accidentally broke a birthday gift April gave me. April was angry with me for a few days and even punished me, forbidding me from speaking a single word to any other girl.”
“Hmph, although I didn't understand it at the time, later, after we got together, I guessed it was Zhou Mei’s doing.”
“Got together?”
Zhou Fan was a little surprised; he didn't remember when they had gotten together.
“Have you forgotten, Zhou Fan?”
Zhou Chenxi looked up at Zhou Fan with a concerned expression, earnestly saying, “When you were eighteen, you were found to have no Spiritual Root. That bad woman Zhou Mei immediately broke off her relationship with you on the spot, even telling you, a good-for-nothing, not to come looking for her again.”
“Later, I stayed by your side day and night. Three months after the Spiritual Root test, you finally recovered from that huge blow. I confessed my feelings to you, and you accepted me. That day was August 9th, and we officially got together.”
“Is that so?” Zhou Fan held his forehead. He clearly remembered that he and Zhou Chenxi had made a…
He suddenly couldn't remember, and looking down at Zhou Chenxi's eyes, which held both concern and a hint of worry, Zhou Fan forced a smile and said,
“It seems we did get together, Chenxi. Thank you for waiting for me for so long.”
“It’s alright. As long as I can be with you, I’m willing to wait no matter how long.”
“Chenxi…”
The atmosphere between them was just right, and Zhou Chenxi naturally closed her eyes.
Zhou Fan lowered his head, and the two embraced passionately in this Spiritual Plant Garden, a tapestry of white and purple.
As their lips parted, the sky grew dim, and a cool evening breeze blew across Zhou Fan’s face. He held a blissful Zhou Chenxi in his arms, yet in his mind, he recalled the promise he had made with Zhou Mei here.
Five days after the teacher organized everyone to visit the Spiritual Plant Garden when they were fourteen.
During class break that day, Zhou Mei suddenly turned around mysteriously and told Zhou Fan to meet her at Secret Base Number Two an hour after the moon came out that night.
Zhou Fan naturally agreed. He didn't ask April what she was going to do, because he understood April and knew that even if he asked, April wouldn't say.
She always liked to reveal things at the last minute.
That night, Sixteen and April met at Secret Base Number Two.
April led Zhou Fan stealthily to the edge of the Zhou Family's station. They were very lucky and weren't caught by the Zhou Family's night patrols.
The two walked unimpeded to the top of the small mountain's Spiritual Plant Garden. The Spiritual Plant Garden had detection and defense Formations connected to the Zhou Family's main Formation for external threats, but internally, it only had surveillance Formations.
This surveillance Formation was centered around a Shadow Stone, and the person in charge would quickly review the images on the Shadow Stone every seven days.
April had clearly done her homework in advance. She told Sixteen all this information, and Sixteen trusted April. Since they would at most be seen by the surveillance Formation, it wasn't a big problem.
The two didn't sit under the first-tier Spiritual Tree but stood together in the most central open space on the mountaintop. April said that the view here was the widest, and the performance effect would be best later.
Sixteen asked April what she was going to perform.
April said she was going to perform a very, very high-tier and powerful Spell.
Although Sixteen trusted April, he wasn't a fool. He said that April, like him, currently had no Qi at all, so how could she cast a high-tier Spell?
April told Sixteen to watch closely.
She took out a talisman covered with strange symbols from her pocket, then chanted something to the boundless starry sky.
Sixteen leaned his ear closer, wanting to hear what April was saying.
But as soon as April saw Sixteen leaning in, she immediately moved to the other side, not letting Sixteen get close.
After they played around for a while, April, who had kept her eyes gently closed, suddenly opened them with a flash of inspiration.
She looked up at the sky and said, “Watch closely, Shiliu, this is my very, very high-tier Spell!”
Sixteen followed April's gaze and looked up at the night sky.
The moonlight that night was very bright, without a single dark cloud.
The stars twinkled, but nothing special happened.
It wasn't until April's finger hooked with Sixteen's that a meteor, trailing a long streak of light, suddenly fell from the endless sea of stars.
April extended her other hand, and Zhou Fan simultaneously extended his other hand.
They pressed their palms together.
As the meteor vanished, April turned her head to look at Sixteen, her starlit eyes twinkling, and said with a triumphant smile,
“Do you like it? This starry sky Spell I prepared for you?”