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The training grounds of the Lanling Jin Clan were rarely empty, so Jin Ling often went to the city's outskirts to train on his own.
Socializing with others had never been one of his virtues, especially when he had a tendency to answer without thinking and was quick to fall for the provocations of others. In that sense, being alone was always more productive than dealing with other cultivators.
However, there was one exception.
“You're late!”
Alina had entered his life like a storm of flowers, smashing everything in her path but covering all with colors never seen before. His first impression was that she was nothing more than a strange girl, but somehow, before Jin Ling could even notice it, he had already been totally captivated by her.
He had met girls of all kinds in both Lanling and Yunmeng, yet none of them could spark an interest in him like Alina. So after thinking about it for a long time, he finally decided to meet her that day to ask her out on a date.
“ I'm sorry! Some shixiong requested my help with something just before leaving!”
Alina's brown hair was more tousled than usual, reflecting the hurry she had been in to get there. One side of Jin Ling wanted to approach her and shamelessly brush her hair, but the other couldn't help but be annoyed after hearing the reason for the girl's delay.
He knew all too well how popular the girl was, both in her own clan and outside of it, and for others to try to steal her attention... It was annoying, enough to make him frown and snort as he withdrew his sword.
“Well, you're here now. Let's start training already.”
Sparring with her always made all the jealousy and envy he felt for those who got to see her every day melt away. In the moments where their swords clashed, he was the only one who existed for Alina, and in the same way Alina was all he had in his mind.
Their movements were precise and agile, as they were already familiar with training together, and yet that day it took only a single moment of distraction for Jin Ling to be defeated.
“Are you okay?”
Naturally, Jin Ling couldn't explain to Lina that he'd been distracted by the attention in her gaze, so different from her more playful self, and that was the reason why he had failed to dodge her attack, so he just nodded.
At the end of the day, meeting for training today was just an excuse.
“Did you hear there's a festival in the city today? I heard from a shidi that they're even going to sell some rare talismans, so...” Pretending to be indifferent, Jin Ling looked away from her. “Do you want to go together and have a look?”
The girl's initial reaction was confusion, because with how much they both enjoyed their training together, to stop so soon seemed simply weird, but she was quick to accept the offer.
Just for a moment, Jin Ling thought he saw something like a blush on her cheeks... but it must have been his mind playing tricks on him, right?
Paper lanterns marked the way to the festival, covering the whole city with a bright shine even after sunset. Many of the people walking around the area seemed to have dressed up especially for the occasion, but both Jin Ling and Alina wore only their yellow and purple uniforms respectively.
Maybe what caught the attention of a woman running a small boutique on the road was that, and she was quick to draw the attention of both of them.
“Are you going to the festival? I've got something you might like!”
Before he could refuse, the woman began to show them the most colorful silks and clothes she had on the shop. Jin Ling had no interest in these, but it was enough to notice a little sparkle in Alina's eyes to change his mind.
“Hmm... We'll call a lot of attention to ourselves if we walk around like this. Please choose something appropriate for her.”
“Of course, young man! Your girlfriend is in the best of hands!”
“W-What?!”
Before any of them could correct the woman, Alina was led inside the boutique to take a look at some of the options the woman offered her. With a red blush impossible to hide, Jin Ling stood outside trying to calm down, walking in circles for what felt like a full shíchén.
However, the wait proved to be worth it when the girl came back out of the boutique. She was now wearing a white gown that, as it descended down her legs, changed to a soft pink, like a peach blossom standing proud on a field covered in snow.
She looked beautiful, LinLin was always beautiful, but under the light of the paper lanterns and the full moon in the sky, she left him absolutely speechless.
“W-Well... Let's get going.”
Doing his best to hide his feelings, but at the same time not wanting to stop admiring the girl, both cultivators proceeded on their way. There were a lot of people around the festival, however Jin Ling was keeping an eye on Alina at all times to avoid losing her in the multitude. Likewise, he was alert to any sign of interest in the girl's face. He knew that there were many things new to her at that festival, and just as he enjoyed listening to her talk about the traditions and lifestyle of her homeland, he had no problem explaining anything unfamiliar to her.
After checking out several stores and making a few purchases, they both ended up in a small spot in the festival, sitting in silence while eating some bīng tánghúlu. Rare were the moments where they could both be this quiet, without arguing or screaming, enjoying the sweetness of the fruit with the moon as the only witness of the closeness between them.
Jin Ling had wanted to ask the girl out on a date for a long time, but he had finally gotten the courage to do it today... and he definitely didn't regret it.
“The moon looks beautiful today, don't you think?”
Breaking the silence, the cultivator's words made Alina turn to him with a curious expression, unaware that the one he actually wanted to compliment that night was her.
Only her, always in his mind like a storm that made his heart beat faster at each second, so special that he wanted to spend every day of his life with her, to know her more and more....
“W-We should go for walks like this more often. You're not that annoying sometimes- I mean…” Correcting herself before accidentally offending the girl and potentially ruining the entire night, Jin Ling met her gaze. “ I like… I would like to spend more time with you.”
For a moment all sound seemed to stop.
“Do you mean it?”
“Of course, I would never lie about something like this!”
Watching the boy's blushing cheeks, and the trembling emotions reflected in his eyes, so similar to her own, Alina felt as if a weight was lifted from her shoulders.
“Well, I would like that too.”
That was their first of many dates, some of them just as long and leisurely, others short where they could only share brief moments before having to return to their respective duties, but the image of LinLin smiling as she answered him never faded from Jin Ling's mind.
From that moment on he knew that no matter what happened, no matter what fights or misunderstandings might arise between them, he would strive to be worthy of being by her side.
Someday he would tell her that what he loved that night was not the moon.