[To Become a River of Stars] Dong Xiange - Chapter 84

Through the dense smoke and towering flames, a voice pierced the chaos.

“Shiliu!”

For a moment, her face, flushed red by the firelight, froze in surprise.

It was the first time he had ever called her by her name.

In the blink of an eye, the smoke grew thicker, and searing tongues of fire licked up the staircase, roaring into an inferno. Accompanied by the terrifying glow of the flames came the dull crackling of burning wood, on the verge of collapsing at any moment.

Her escape route was completely cut off.

Trapped alone on the third floor, Shiliu was forced back several steps by the flames surging from the staircase. Clumsily covering her mouth and nose with the damp tablecloth, she leaned over the railing, waving frantically through the gaps and shouting with all her might.

“I’m here! Help!”

She put every ounce of her strength into the cry.

No sooner had the words left her lips than a figure emerged faintly from the smoke on the second floor, directly below her.

His thin underrobe was already stained with soot, his hair tied back only by a red cord. Standing amid the flames, he held a sword whose gleam was sharper than snow, capable of cutting through the thickest fog.

“Jump.”

Li Xuanci’s voice pierced through the fire as he looked up at her.

Since discovering the fire, Shiliu had remained calm, focused solely on escaping, with no time for fear or panic.

Yet, for some reason, seeing his eyes, seeing him gaze at her through the smoke and flames, she felt an untimely surge of grievance.

Shiliu couldn’t quite explain why she felt wronged. After all, she had chosen to stay on the third floor, and she had slept so soundly that she only noticed the fire when it was nearly at her door.

But she felt aggrieved, deeply and intensely.

Her eyes suddenly stung. It must be the smoke, she thought, quickly rubbing them and swallowing back the hot, aching sensation before calling out to him.

“How do I jump?”

Her voice trembled slightly, carrying a faint nasal tone. Even in such a chaotic moment, Li Xuanci caught it without fail.

Of course, Shiliu knew how to jump. However poor her martial skills were, a single floor’s height was no problem. Even if he weren’t standing below watching, she could have jumped down on her own.

But her mind, which had been racing since the fire started, suddenly stalled. She had to ask such a foolish question, wasting precious escape time.

Yet Li Xuanci, usually so sharp-tongued, didn’t mock her this time.

“Jump. I’m here.”

His words were simple, and he stepped forward to the spot closest to her, opening his arms.

The flames burned even brighter, and thick, grey smoke billowed in waves as the wood groaned and splintered. He stood too close, the fire threatening to lick at his plain white underrobe.

Shiliu looked into his eyes, stilled for a moment, then gritted her teeth, climbed onto the railing, and curled herself to jump.

“Come here.”

Li Xuanci called out.

The next instant, a small figure leaped through the blazing flames and swirling smoke, landing squarely in the young man’s outstretched arms.

Li Xuanci caught her firmly, his sword-bearing arm wrapping around her back, holding her securely against his chest.

Thump-thump, thump-thump, thump-thump.

Whose heartbeat was it? In the life-threatening inferno, it resonated recklessly, betraying emotions never before spoken.

Their eyes met for a moment—unshielded,naked, without pretense or defense.

Shiliu looked into the depths of his eyes. Soot dusted Li Xuanci’s brows and lashes, yet his striking eyes were unmistakable, gazing at her as brightly as stars in the primordial wilderness.

And her reflection in them shone brighter than the scorching flames.

Li Xuanci held her tightly, not setting her down, and swiftly turned to leave with her cradled in his arms.

“What about my senior brothers?” Shiliu suddenly remembered, asking urgently.

“They’ve already escaped. Did you think they were all as foolish as you?” Even while running, Li Xuanci found time to jab at her.

Then why didn’t you run?

Shiliu watched the sweat dripping from his forehead and swallowed her words.

The fire on the second floor wasn’t as intense yet, but ash fell everywhere. Burning tables and chairs blocked their path, yet he dodged them with remarkable speed.

Suddenly, an ornate beam carved with cloud patterns—unable to withstand the raging fire above—snapped and plummeted downward, wreathed in flames, heading straight for Shiliu’s head.

Holding her, Li Xuanci’s movements were restricted, making evasion impossible. Instead of trying to dodge, he swung his sword with all his might, cleaving the beam in two. With his other arm, he shielded Shiliu tightly against his chest, using his shoulder to deflect the falling debris.

A sharp, piercing pain shot through Shiliu’s own shoulder, and she knew he must have been injured. She opened her mouth to ask urgently but choked on the smoke instead. Realizing this was no time for conversation or delay, she closed her mouth and wrapped her arms firmly around him, determined not to be a burden.

Though injured, Li Xuanci’s pace didn’t slow in the slightest. Instead, he moved even more agilely through the flames toward the main hall. After what felt like an eternity, a sliver of light finally appeared.

The two of them emerged safely from the inferno at last. Fresh air rushed in, but they could only cough uncontrollably, unable to stop for a long while.

Once she had recovered slightly, Shiliu struggled to her feet to check his injury, but Li Xuanci pushed her away.

“I’m not dying.” His tone had returned to its usual arrogance. He raised an eyebrow and asked, “Were you worried?”

Shiliu looked into his eyes, honest and straightforward, and said, “Of course I was worried.”

But then she added, “I just don’t want to die like that.”

Li Xuanci didn’t respond, only let out a low chuckle. His voice was hoarse and warm, carrying the residual heat of the flames.

For some reason, Shiliu’s ears grew hot. She turned her head away and, as if possessed, blurted out,

“Why did you just now…”

But she didn’t finish.

The next moment, warm fingers pinched her cheek and then wiped harshly across her skin.

“Filthy.”

He used his fingers to wipe the soot from her face, his tone disdainful, but his eyes were smiling.

“You’re already unattractive enough. If your hair got burned and your face scarred, wouldn’t it ruin my appetite just looking at you?”

Shiliu looked up in a daze, just in time to catch a faint, elusive smile at the corner of his lips, lending a deceptive tenderness to his otherwise sharp mouth.

Having been insulted by him so many times, it was strange—this time, she didn’t seem angry at all. Instead, she felt flustered, her heart pounding wildly.

Probably just scared from escaping the fire, Shiliu thought, lowering her head to rub her chest. It should pass in a while.

But her ears continued to burn fiercely.