Martial arts have become extinct worldwide, yet I am forced to have a large family.

"Bingyan"

"Now that we've started dating officially, we need to act like boyfriend and girlfriend."

"Let's start with... holding hands."

Yang Xian extended his right hand.

"Yes..." Luo Bingyan instinctively tried to answer, but quickly corrected herself:

"Um!"

Then, somewhat hesitantly, she placed her hand on Yang Xian's hand.

Her hands were slender and beautiful, but the fingertips and palms of her hands, which she held weapons for many years, were covered with a thin layer of calluses that did not match her appearance at all.

Yang Xian didn't speak, but simply closed his fingers naturally, completely enveloping her slightly cool hand in his large hand.

It felt icy cold to the touch.

Luo Bingyan's body trembled slightly.

A warmth she had never experienced before emanated from where the two were in contact, flowing slowly down her arm and into her heart.

It's very warm.

I feel very safe.

The feeling was so unfamiliar and so wonderful that it made her unconsciously relax.

That heart, frozen for years, suddenly cracked open.

Luo Bingyan lowered her head, looking at her hand enveloped by that large hand, and a thought she had never had before suddenly emerged from the deepest part of her heart.

If only things could stay like this forever, and we could never be apart...

"Being boyfriend and girlfriend is just a beginning, a process." Yang Xian's voice rang out:

"If nothing unexpected happens, we will become husband and wife in the future."

"We will have a home of our own..."

As he spoke, Yang Xian pulled her along towards the cafeteria, his tone filled with plans and aspirations for the future.

Family?

Luo Bingyan asked softly, "Is that house... just the two of us?"

From the time she could remember, the word "home" had nothing to do with warmth and happiness.

Her mother died in childbirth, and her father, the head of the Luo family, always treated her as a tool of the family.

From childhood to adulthood, she has never experienced a single day of true family warmth.

To her, the Luo family mansion was nothing more than a magnificent yet cold prison.

This family meant unconditionally obeying the father, having to be mindful of the moods of all the elders in the family, and enduring endless, rigorous training day after day.

Home is a synonym for pain.

It was the source of all her repression and loneliness.

Yang Xian turned his head to look at Luo Bingyan with some surprise.

This was the first time she had taken the initiative to ask a question, rather than passively accepting one.

"Of course not!"

"And our children. We will build a completely new family... a family that is completely different from your past."

"Of course, there are many other people in this family, including other sisters who are about your age..."

As he finished speaking, Yang Xian smiled somewhat embarrassedly.

That's like giving someone a heads-up.

Ke Luo Bingyan didn't care about any of that.

Those words kept echoing in her mind.

new home.

A new home that belongs to Yang Xian and me.

That house didn't have any of those things that made her feel suffocated...

This scene was something she had never dared to dream of in the past twenty years.

Lost in thought, Luo Bingyan didn't even realize that her body had unconsciously pressed against Yang Xian, as if she wanted to draw more warmth from him.

"Bingyan?"

"Bingyan? Are you listening?"

Yang Xian sensed the movement beside him and whispered a name.

"Hmm!" Luo Bingyan snapped out of her daze and responded somewhat flusteredly.

Looking at her like this, Yang Xian felt both amused and a little sorry for her.

Simply instilling ideas in her unilaterally isn't a solution; we need to find a way to get her to speak more and express her thoughts more proactively.

Only when she has the "desire to express herself" can she better break free from her current closed-off state.

"Bingyan, if... I mean, if we really did live together in the future, what would you want to do?"

Yang Xian tried to guide her to imagine the future.

Luo Bingyan pondered for a moment, then gently shook her head.

"I have no idea."

She raised her eyes, looked into Yang Xian's eyes, and said with utmost seriousness.

"As long as Yang Xian can stay by my side, that's enough."

Well, it's too early to ask that now.

Yang Xian sighed inwardly.

How can someone who hasn't even fully moved on from the past dare to easily imagine the distant future?

He needs to change the subject.

A topic that Luo Bingyan is good at and can keep up with.

"Bingyan, while you were fighting..."

------

The two walked and talked until they finally arrived at the entrance of the cafeteria.

Before they could even go inside, a familiar figure strode out of the cafeteria.

"Yang Xian! Senior Luo!"

Xia Ming's eyes lit up when he saw the two of them, and he immediately smiled and waved to greet them.

However, she had only taken two steps when she saw Luo Bingyan's expression turn cold instantly.

Luo Bingyan took half a step forward, shielding Yang Xian behind her.

"Xu Huanhuan! It's you again!"

"Huh?" Xia Ming was completely bewildered by this sudden hostility. "Who is Xu Huanhuan?"

"Bingyan, don't be impulsive." Yang Xian quickly grabbed her arm and whispered to comfort her, "She's not an imposter, she's Xia Ming himself."

As for how this conclusion was reached?

Naturally, this information came from system feedback.

Yang Xian smiled apologetically at Xia Ming: "It's okay, I'm sorry. We just saw someone who looks a lot like you on the street and mistook him for someone else."

"I see..." Xia Ming nodded in sudden realization, without giving it much thought. "That's quite a coincidence."

She peeked behind Yang Xian and asked, "By the way, where are Feng and Ling? Aren't they with you?"

"They went to the training room," Yang Xian replied.

The wolf sisters' strength had long since reached the peak of the third realm, and they were only one step away from breaking through to the fourth realm.

They should have broken through long ago, but because they had to go back to their parents' home a few days ago, they would not be able to pass through the secret realm passage once they reached the fourth realm, so they have been suppressing their realm until now.

"Wow, so diligent..."

Xia Ming sighed, then glanced at the time. "Oh dear, it's getting late! I need to find a part-time job. Let's talk again next time!"

After saying that, she waved hurriedly to the two of them and left in a hurry.

part time?

As Yang Xian watched her departing figure, a hint of doubt flashed through his mind.

Would a martial artist with considerable skill be short of money?

Moreover, Chengwu University waives tuition fees for all students.

However, this was someone else's private matter, and out of respect, Yang Xian didn't think much of it or ask any further questions.

He snapped out of his thoughts, took Luo Bingyan's hand, and walked into the cafeteria.

As soon as the two stepped inside, the once noisy cafeteria hall fell silent for a moment.

Countless gazes were cast upon them, converging on them.

"Look! Luo Bingyan... is holding a boy's hand!?"

"Am I seeing things? The Ice Queen is actually in a relationship?"

"My God! Who has the ability to win her over? She looks so... well-behaved!"

"This news spread all over the school forum yesterday, and you still don't know? I heard that the handsome guy next to her is a freshman this year, and Luo Bingyan personally waited for him at the school gate for a long time yesterday!"

"Really? That freshman already snagged our school's aloof beauty before even enrolling?"

"Look at them standing together, they're such a perfect match, a handsome man and a beautiful woman!"

The discussions were mixed with envy, jealousy, and pure gossip.

"What's the use of looking good? As martial artists, we are burdened with the curse of 'the extinction of martial arts lineage,' and we are simply incapable of doing such things."

"Take away that pretty skin, and it's just 206 bones. What's there to be so sour about!"

"Let's disperse, let's disperse..."