Su Wen stood up from his chair, his face dark as storm clouds. 'I have to stop this now before the fire burns down the whole forest', he thought grimly.
He walked around the table and gently placed a hand on his grandmother's shoulder. "Grandma," he said in a calm but firm voice, "please, stop terrorizing the guest."
Grandma huffed, crossing her arms. "Terrorizing? I'm just helping you find happiness before you turn into an old bachelor like your grandfather!"
From the side, Grandpa, who had just taken another sip of tea, sputtered and coughed again. "Oi, woman, I was twenty when we married!"
"Exactly!" Grandma snapped back triumphantly. "And he's sixteen already! Time flies!"
The little sparrow chirped from the table, clearly enjoying the chaos. "Chirp~ Grandma wins again!"
Su Wen sighed, rubbing the bridge of his nose. "You all are impossible…"
His eyes drifted toward Du Yue, who sat silently with her head bowed, her lifeless gaze fixed on the table. Her eyes looked like a calm lake that had lost all light, reflecting only emptiness.
'How can someone do something so cruel to such a pure and innocent girl?' he thought bitterly.
He walked forward and knelt down in front of her, lowering himself so their eyes were level.
Until now, Du Yue hadn't looked at him even once, her face pale and expression blank. But when he moved closer, she instinctively lifted her gaze, and froze.
The afternoon light brushed across Su Wen's face, highlighting his calm, scholarly features and sword-like eyes that carried both pride and gentleness. Her heart skipped a beat. Those eyes were nothing like the filthy, greedy stares she had seen before… especially not like his.
Su Wen, oblivious to her reaction, spoke softly. "Don't take Grandma's words seriously. She just doesn't want you to leave when you can barely stand."
He paused for a moment, his voice steady but filled with quiet understanding.
"I can't imagine what you've been through," he said. "What hurts you most right now isn't the wounds on your body, but the betrayal from the person you trusted most, your father. Fighting him must have been… unbearable."
He hesitated, looking down briefly before continuing, his tone gentle.
"You're still just a little girl, but you fought five cultivators including your father and survived. You could've killed your father too… I can tell. But you didn't. You couldn't. Because even when he betrayed you, he was still the man you loved and respected since childhood."
Du Yue's hands trembled slightly.
"That's why you forced the breakthrough," Su Wen said quietly. "You wanted to either succeed and escape… or die with your pride intact. You didn't expect the heavens themselves to spare you, leaving you no choice but to run with those wounds."
The words struck her heart like a blade she couldn't dodge.
Du Yue stared at him, wide-eyed. It was the first real emotion anyone had seen from her since she has arrived. Her lips quivered, and before she could stop it, a single tear slid down her cheek, followed by another, and another.
Her vision blurred as the tears finally broke free, falling in a silent torrent. She didn't want to cry, not after everything, not after swearing she wouldn't shed another tear for that man. But Su Wen's words, so calm, so understanding, ripped open everything she had been holding inside.
Her shoulders shook as she buried her face in her hands, sobbing quietly.
And Su Wen just stayed there, kneeling in front of her, saying nothing more.
His grandma looked at him for a long moment but didn't say a word. No one really knew what she was thinking.
Then, without a sound, she walked over to Du Yue, gently pulled the girl into her arms, and patted her head softly, a comforting rhythm that said more than words ever could.
Old Grandpa didn't speak either. He just sat quietly with his cup of tea, eyes slightly lowered. Even the little sparrow, who was usually hopping and chirping non-stop, sat silently on the table, feathers slightly puffed.
After a minute or two, the room grew still again. Du Yue finally stopped crying. Her breathing steadied, and when she looked up at Su Wen, her eyes shimmered with a faint trace of embarrassment. But she couldn't hold his gaze for long, she quickly looked away.
Su Wen exhaled softly and said, "Since you want to repay my grandparents, at least let me look at your condition first. I don't want them to stay worried if you keep trying to leave in this state."
His tone was calm and gentle, not forcing her, just offering.
Du Yue hesitated. For a moment, her lips parted as if to refuse… but something in his voice made her pause. Finally, she gave a tiny nod.
Su Wen smiled faintly in relief. "Alright then," he said, rolling up his sleeves. "Now, give me your hand."
The words barely left his mouth before Du Yue froze. Her face half covered with bandages suddenly flushed pink, and her heartbeat quickened again.
She looked down, fidgeting with her fingers, and stammered in a tiny mosquito-like voice, "I-I don't want to marry yet… I don't even know you…"
The entire room fell silent.
Su Wen blinked. His grandparents blinked. Even the sparrow tilted its head in disbelief.
For two seconds, no one breathed, then Su Wen's eyes widened as realization hit him.
"L-little girl! I meant your hand so I can check your pulse!" he said hurriedly, waving his hands in panic.
Du Yue's face turned crimson all the way to her ears. She covered her face with her free hand, feeling like she might die on the spot from embarrassment.
She lifted her hand to rest in his palm but didn't dare to lift her head anymore…
Grandma, Grandpa and that little sparrow, were trying their hardest to contain their laughter…
Su Wen's fingers rested lightly on her wrist, his touch calm and steady. The air in the room seemed to quiet down as everyone watched...