The Aloof Girl Opens the Door of Her Heart Only to Him

After the Jinglei Cliff incident passed, Fang Qing no longer took on high-intensity tasks and instead devoted herself to cultivation.
The reason she gave publicly was that after that crisis, she felt her strength was still insufficient and intended to focus on cultivation.
Of course, although in name she was cultivating, in truth over the past few days she had been wandering around the outskirts of Fire-Gold Sect.
She claimed to be comprehending heaven and earth, but in reality she was quietly searching for any sign of the Wood Kirin.
Today, however, she encountered something out of the ordinary.
When she woke early in the morning and saw the pool of blood on her sheets, she stared at it in dismay and murmured to herself.
“Why… am I having my period…”
Having never considered this possibility, Fang Qing obviously had no means to deal with it.
Still, she knew what she needed to do.
She just needed something absorbent, to place beneath her.
So that’s exactly what she did.
She retrieved a clean piece of cloth from her personal space, placed it under herself, and even changed clothes.
But she understood this ✧ NоvеIight ✧ (Original source) was only a temporary solution, so she decided to visit the female disciple she knew best, Yu Hui, shortly.
Over the past few days Yu Hui had spent time with her, mostly trying to integrate her into the Fire-Gold Sect’s circle of women.
Fang Qing had always declined, using cultivation as an excuse.
Today, unexpectedly, she would take the initiative to seek out Yu Hui.
She hurried out and prepared to go to the place Yu Hui mentioned most often.
It was a little awkward—after all this time, she still didn’t know exactly where Yu Hui lived, and could only infer based on the information Yu Hui had given.
As Fang Qing stepped out, someone nearby noticed her immediately.
That was naturally Gu Yuan, who lived close by.
He was swinging his heavy sword Xuanlan in broad, powerful arcs, looking imposing and formidable.
Spotting Fang Qing leaving, he sheathed Xuanlan in his storage ring and approached her, saying,
“Going to comprehend heaven and earth again today?”
Fang Qing nodded.
“Yes. My sword technique has reached a bottleneck. Pure practice alone can no longer yield improvement.”

Gu Yuan was about to reply when a strange scent suddenly reached his nose, causing him to sniff carefully.
Then he realized.
It was the smell of blood.
Alerted by this, he spoke quickly,
“I smell blood. There might be danger nearby!”
Fang Qing’s eye twitched at his words. Did he not realize where that blood smell was coming from?
She thought for a moment, then explained,
“My period started today.”
Fang Qing had assumed a single sentence would suffice, but Gu Yuan asked bluntly,
“What is a period?”
Hearing this, Fang Qing fell silent.
As a half-cooked woman, how could she possibly explain menstruation to Gu Yuan?!
Yet Gu Yuan’s question was understandable.
Though he was the World’s Progeny, his life experience was sparse. He had never known his mother, lost his father early, and had survived by hunting until meeting Fang Qing.
He had almost no contact with women, so his ignorance made sense—and proved he truly was a clean-living, no-bad-habits young man.
Fang Qing’s silence made Gu Yuan realize he had spoken out of turn.
He immediately said,
“I just remembered something very important. I’ll go ahead—why don’t you go on without me?”
Before Fang Qing could reply, he disappeared from sight.
Fang Qing shook her head slightly and continued toward her destination.
Meanwhile, Gu Yuan, having put some distance between them, hurried to ask Master Mo,
“Master Mo, what is a period?”
Having resolved the Golden Dragon King matter, Master Mo now had ample free time. Upon hearing Gu Yuan’s question, his face registered immediate disgust—he almost refused to acknowledge Gu Yuan as his chosen successor.
But that thought passed in an instant, and he began to explain menstruation to Gu Yuan.
After some focused tutoring from Master Mo, Gu Yuan finally understood what menstruation was: simply a recurring negative condition that causes women to lose blood regularly.
Realizing this, he slapped himself mentally for his earlier ignorance, then recalled Fang Qing’s path and hurried to catch up.
He decided to serve Fang Qing like a dog these next few days to make amends for his mistake.
…
Gu Yuan’s speed was impressive, and since Fang Qing was walking slowly, he easily overtook her.
Hearing rapid footsteps behind her, Fang Qing turned her head in surprise.
Seeing him, she tilted her head in mild puzzlement.
Gu Yuan immediately apologized,
“I’m sorry. I was ignorant. Where are you headed? I’ll go with you.”
Seeing Gu Yuan’s sheepish remorse, Fang Qing almost smiled, though she wasn’t sure why.
Realizing it would be inappropriate to laugh, she composed herself and replied,
“It’s fine. I don’t mind. I want to go to Hanli Pavilion. Are you sure you want to come?”
Hanli Pavilion was the place Yu Hui mentioned constantly.
Though Fang Qing had never been there, Yu Hui’s descriptions had made its location and features clear.
Because of the presence of the Scorching Sun Spring, Huojin Sect’s home on Mount Huadie enjoyed eternal summer and oppressive heat daily—barely affecting cultivators but growing wearisome over time.
A few generations ago, a senior sister brought back ice-cold Hanli Stones and placed them mid-mountain, then built a pavilion around them.
Thus Hanli Pavilion became a cool retreat.
Originally the senior sister’s private residence, over time it became the gathering place for Fire-Gold Sect’s female disciples, filled each day with throngs of women.
Because of this, even male disciples knew of Hanli Pavilion.
When Gu Yuan learned of Fang Qing’s destination, he felt awkward.
Very few men ever went there, and he risked looking out of place—or even being excluded.
But having already spoken, he swallowed his unease, patted his chest, and said,
“All right. If I said I’d accompany you, I will!”
Fang Qing studied Gu Yuan’s eyes for a long moment, then slowly nodded,
“Very well.”
She resumed her slow pace toward Hanli Pavilion.
Gu Yuan followed close behind.
He even retrieved a woman’s shawl from his storage ring and draped it over Fang Qing, saying as he did,
“Keep warm.”
Watching Gu Yuan’s gentle care, Fang Qing opened her mouth to tease him,
In Fire-Gold Sect’s heat, what warming was needed!
But in the end she didn’t say it aloud, only replied faintly,
“All right.”
(She hurried, lest the flow stop; after that, there might be no opportunity.)