The Endless Promise

131. A Fated Encounter

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Zhurong Fen wanted Yin Xiaolong to be hers!

This private and one-sided desire led Zhurong Fen to stay longer and longer in Sky Palace, and in that time, she effortlessly won the hearts of everyone, weaving her brother, her father, and most of the core deities around her finger.

But try as she might, there was simply no leaping over the proverbial ice wall surrounding Yin Xiaolong.

Yin Xiaolong was warm and caring towards Zhurong Fen, boldly proclaiming her as his 'little sister', despite her being older, and even pampering her with gifts.

But he steadily kept a distance and never crossed even the tiniest of lines!

If she ever cornered him alone, he instantly patted her head, praised her for being immensely talented and so adorable, and maybe even gave her a precious-yet-insignificant gift. But he himself never lingered and would swiftly vanish.

She sent him love letters, but he simply pretended not to see them, never even opening one!

And even the few times she boldly appeared in his chambers under the pretext of having drunk too much fox wine or berry wine, that would be the one night Yin Xiaolong would somehow be absent!

"Aiya, A-Bai, you certainly cannot say you've not noticed A-Fen's affections for you. Won't you put her out of her misery?" Tianlong shook his head, passing a gourd of wine to Bailong who accepted it with a sigh.

The three friends sat on a nearby roof, watching a 'drunk' Zhurong Fen stumble into Bailong's bedchamber yet again.

"I don't want to encourage her... You and I are closer than brothers, so A-Fen isn't a bad match for me. Our cores even align as we both revolve around ice and water." He took a swig of wine before continuing.

"But you know full well I'm not one to settle. I don't like A-Fen enough to give up my adventures and wandering, but she's destined to rule the Floral realm, so I can't exactly take her with me.

"And besides, who knows who I might meet later on? I'm confident that I can ignore love for loyalty's sake, because I don't want a similar tale as my parents... But A-Fen might still discover that my heart is with someone else, and that will hurt her deeply.

"It's better if she wakes up now, rather than getting hurt later."

Tianlong could only sigh and shake his head.

In truth, he couldn't blame his little sister.

Apart from having looks that might make time stop and bow, Bailong had a royal background, was immensely powerful and talented, and somehow managed all of that with an open and friendly countenance, missing the usual arrogance most young and talented immortals wore.

In addition, every passing year brought something new to desire about Bailong.

His garden, Four-Petal Garden, had begun making waves as the most precious garden in all three realms, full of the rarest herbs and flowers.

Lord Medicine had recently acknowledged that Bailong was somehow better than him, and Bailong was already set to become the next Medicine Deity.

Then Bailong's inventions of Seals, Talismans, and formations earned him a profitable deal with the War Deity who constantly tried poaching him to War Hall.

All of this, combined with his looks, wealth, and family background, made a horde of determined fairies flock to Sky Palace, leaving Bailong precious gifts and hoping he would look in their direction.

Which only added to Zhurong Fen's frustration!

And this was why both Tianlong and the Sky Emperor breathed sighs of immense relief when Zhurong Fen suddenly turned her attention to Fei Yun...