Chapter 9: A reunion
"See? I told you."
Shangguan Yue Ling tossed the pill into Langtian’s hand and stepped off the bed.
As she came to stand before him, his heart skipped a beat.
She was so... different.
The Shangguan Yue Ling he remembered from ten years ago had always worn pristine white robes trimmed with gold, her hair tied in a neat high ponytail, her demeanor calm and graceful, like a lotus blooming beneath the morning sun. Even the way she walked was measured and elegant.
But now...
Now she wore black robes, long and flowing, the sleeves edged with deep crimson embroidery, like streaks of blood woven into shadow. At her waist hung a pair of curved sabers, the Twin Yangling Blades. Her hair was still tied back, yet far looser. Several strands had slipped free of the ribbon and brushed her cheeks and collarbone.
Back then she kept everything immaculate. Her hairpins were carved from jade, and faint touches of rouge and floral balm had always perfumed her skin.
Here, in this shadowed valley of mist and ash, there was no room for such refinement.
Yet she was still beautiful, perhaps even more so in this raw, untamed state.
Only...
Now she felt more dangerous.