Remembering You For Eternity

2.23 Preliminary (1)

Days passed like passing clouds; although they were still able to occasionally see Ao Xiang – much to Xiao Zi's delight – YuLan did not manage to see Zuo ZhouLei. It was almost too much for her to bear. It would probably be much easier if YuLan could still 'sense' his presence, just how she apparently was able to when he was born, and then when she arrived at Hui Lin sect.

The same pull found in the two occasions, as well as Xiao Zi's confirmation that Zuo ZhouLei was in fact born on the day that the latter left the Palace, convinced YuLan that this whole business of reincarnation had bound the two of them.

Not that she wanted to complain – her memories were intact after all. She did not know how she could manage to live for another lifetime if she were to not meet her beloved, especially with her yearning for him to be reborn as well which only strengthened with time.

Nevertheless, that radar – that pull, the sense of 'missing something' completely disappeared after she actually met him at that time after passing the entrance of Hui Lin sect. 

So it had become a habit for her to look for his figure in the midst of any blue robed cultivators she saw, whenever she managed to stroll around Lin sect a little. And this had to be done covertly as well, as Cao Lu – the ever worrywart and the person carrying Ping sect's elders' commands – was against YuLan walking out in the open. With or without veil, the Ping sect's disciples were confined to their secluded assigned rooms.

Their dorm was secluded from the other guests, Hui Lin sect had long known of the Ping sect's elders' request to not mingle their disciples with the other sects' cultivators currently present.

Ao Xiang though, as the person responsible to accommodate all guests on behalf of his sect, had the privilege to make regular trips to their courtyard.

YuLan definitely did not miss his slightly wider smile and his sparkling eyes as he involuntarily chose to chat more with Xiao Zi, than with YuLan, Zhen Zhu, or Cao Lu. The shy interaction between the two caused her to be slightly aggrieved for her own behalf. She also wanted to feel the sweetness that Ao Xiang and Xiao Zi were undoubtedly feeling.

"... Though preferably, towards a certain teenage Royal Prince... ," her expression fell as she was once again reminded of Zuo ZhouLei's current age.

Although there was no doubt in her mind that she wanted him, he was still under-age, was he not? YuLan really did not want to go against her modern moral values, leading an innocent youth towards a never-ending storm of surging Spring waves that she would indubitably willingly create... .

Fortunately, the day of the opening ceremony finally came, and YuLan finally had a distraction apart from constantly thinking of a certain someone.

The person that formally welcomed them was one of the Sages of Hui Lin sect. The old aged cultivator briefed them of the nature of the event. Only then did YuLan finally find out the actual reason why she had not been able to physically find Zuo ZhouLei for the past few days.

Apparently, as soon as all of the participating cultivators arrived, their names had been randomly grouped for the upcoming tournament. However, the groups were still formed to pit practitioners' matches to be still within the same rank. Martial Artists would be pit against other Martial Artists; Enlighteneds against Enlighteneds. They would also be segregated further in different peaks of the sect, as one area would not be large enough to contain everyone that would participate.

Zuo JinHai and Yu Mei from WuShan sect belonged to the same group as YuLan and Xiao Zi, all of them were to undergo the preliminary rounds at Green Clouds peak. Everyone else that YuLan knew were housed in different peaks and thus belonged to other competition groups.