[To Become a River of Stars] Dong Xiange - Chapter 47

Such a beautiful woman.

Shiliu was mesmerized.

The hands steadying her were soft and pale, making her own fingers look as plump and tender as little quails.

This… this must be what the storybooks call a stunning beauty.

Shiliu couldn’t help but secretly inhale—this older sister even smelled lovely, so fragrant.

Her face inexplicably flushed as she politely said, “Thank you.”

The woman was much more composed than Shiliu. She waited until Shiliu was steady before releasing her hands, offering a faint smile as she softly replied, “Young master, you needn’t be so polite. This was merely a small gesture.”

Watching her smile, more elegant and refreshing than the rain itself, Shiliu’s eyes glazed over.

So, this is how a beauty smiles—eyebrows like distant mountains, eyes like crescent moons, a cherry-like mouth, and a faint dimple gracing her cheek.

Shiliu stared dazedly at that small dimple, a foolish impulse rising within her. If… if she poked her own cheek with a finger, could she poke out a dimple too?

Before she could act on such silliness, someone flicked her forehead. Shiliu looked up and saw Li Xuanci, who had previously walked so swiftly, leaving her with only the glimpse of his red cord and black hair in the misty rain.

Now he stood right in front of her.

Amid the coming and going of oil-paper umbrellas, through the misty drizzle, his jet-black eyes regarded her. Perhaps she imagined it, but besides their usual mockery, they seemed to hold a trace of amusement.

He looked at her and spoke with his typical harshness, “Your brain is dull enough, and your legs are so short. Nothing about you is up to par.”

Even with such a beauty beside him, he couldn’t keep his mouth shut and still had to belittle her.

Shiliu wished she could plunge into the lake and transform into a plump pufferfish, puffing up all her spines to prick him all over.

Yet, deep down, she felt an inexplicable itch, as if holding a fluttering butterfly in her palm—a bit flustered, with an indescribable warmth rising to her face.

Flustered, she began babbling, stammering accusations at him, “It’s all because you walked too fast! How could I keep up? I almost fell, but luckily, this young lady helped me.”

Only then did Li Xuanci shift his gaze to the woman beside them, but his eyes remained indifferent, as if he were merely looking at mountains, rain, or the lake’s ordinary ripples.

He gave a polite yet cold nod, a mere token of thanks.

Shiliu didn’t stop to wonder why he was offering thanks when she was the one rescued. She only worried that his aloofness might offend the beauty and hurried to make amends.

“Dear sister, thank you so much. I must repay you properly.” She warmly took the beauty’s hand with one hand and held the other out toward Li Xuanci.

Li Xuanci looked at the small, pale hand stretched out before him, momentarily speechless, then coldly pushed it away with the hilt of his sword.

Thinking he hadn’t understood, Shiliu foolishly reached out again, only to hear Li Xuanci say coldly, “Stretch it out again, and I’ll chop it off. Your debt, you repay it yourself.”

Cheapskate! So wealthy yet so stingy. What a miser! Shiliu grumbled inwardly while fumbling for money on her person.

But the private savings she had painstakingly hoarded in her small burden along the way had mostly been spent on sugar figurines, chestnuts, dried meat, and trinkets. All that remained were a handful of copper coins. Fishing them out one by one to give to her benefactor would be rather undignified.

Fortunately, the beauty was not only lovely in appearance but also kind-hearted and tactful. She gently pressed down Shiliu’s fumbling hands with a smile.

“Truth be told, both of you are my benefactors. There’s no need for this at all.”

Then, seeing Shiliu’s surprised expression, she explained, “Half a month ago, when you two took the passenger boat north, I happened to be on that same boat. If not for your intervention, I might have ended up at the bottom of the river. Now that I’ve met my saviors, how could I not repay you?”

Shiliu was puzzled. Was the beauty on the boat too? But someone so striking—even a single glance should have left a deep impression.

She was confused, but the beauty seemed so sincere that Shiliu instinctively believed she must have simply forgotten. Such a kind-hearted beauty surely wouldn’t lie to her.

However, Li Xuanci’s brows furrowed almost imperceptibly. His expression cooled as he turned away, calling out “Let’s go” as if summoning a pet, then descended the bridge first.

Seeing him turn and leave so abruptly, Shiliu was caught off guard. She could only hurriedly say to the beauty, “Sister, thank you for today,” before rushing after Li Xuanci.

But the beauty stopped her, pressing a finger lightly to Shiliu’s forehead and murmuring as if in a trance, “I have a word of advice for you, as repayment for saving me on the water. What you seek lies not in the north, but in the south. The calamity stems not from demons, but from people. Treating the symptoms while ignoring the root is unwise.”

With that, she released Shiliu and drifted away, her figure soon disappearing among the scattered umbrellas.

Shiliu stood dazed on the bridge, the rain mist stinging her eyes before she finally snapped out of it. What did that mean? What was the beauty’s true identity?

Before she could ponder further, she suddenly felt a jolt as a child bumped into her. Luckily, she reacted quickly and steadied them, but when she tried to check on the child, they ran off.

Shiliu felt uneasy, but Jin Zhan caught up just then, and Li Xuanci was waiting below the bridge. She had no choice but to let it go and descend the bridge to return to the inn.

That night, as Li Xuanci was about to retire, he suddenly heard footsteps in the corridor. Sword in hand, he waited behind the door. When the thump-thump sounds drew closest, he kicked the door open and swung his sword.

But the intruder was Shiliu. He was about to mock her when he noticed her hair was down, she wore only inner garments, and her jade-white feet were bare.

He had no idea what mischief she was up to now. Just as he frowned to speak, a warm, soft form threw itself into his arms.

Like a fluffy rabbit burrowing into his arms, running wild against his chest.

Shiliu emerged from his embrace, her round, grape-like eyes looking up at him, her gaze filled entirely with him.

Thump, thump. The sound of heartbeats echoed through their tightly pressed bodies.

“Brother.” She suddenly smiled, her eyes curving like crescent moons, calling out to him with innocent ignorance.