Episode 11 recap: Qingxue confessed her love to Hanmu but was rejected.
Hanmu asked Xuanli if she remembered what happened that day in the deserted village. Xuanli said she only remembered Hanmu covered in blood and she was afraid he would leave her like her mother did. In her moment of despair, a strange power suddenly emerged. Hanmu comforted Xuanli, promising that he would never leave her again. Xuanli didn't believe him because Hanmu had previously ignored her. Hanmu didn't know how to explain but apologized to Xuanli. He then held her hand and promised to protect her in the future. Xuanli was very happy, and Hanmu invited her to the market in a few days.
At the market, the two of them happily strolled around, and Hanmu even gave Xuanli a hairpin enchanted with a spell. When they returned, Xuanli shared her joy with her senior sister about the hairpin Hanmu gave her. Qingxue, who was nearby, overheard and became extremely jealous. Qingxue found Hanmu and confessed her feelings to him, but Hanmu only had feelings for Xuanli and regarded Qingxue as a senior sister. He had never had any other thoughts. He kindly rejected Qingxue's confession, and she questioned whether Hanmu's relationship with Xuanli was just that of junior and senior siblings. Hanmu didn't answer, and Qingxue sadly ran away.
While Xuanli and the others were practicing, Qingxue launched a surprise attack on Xuanli and even wanted to duel with her, claiming that today, either Xuanli would die or she would perish. Fortunately, Hanmu arrived in time and destroyed Qingxue's cherished sword. He even intended to retaliate against Qingxue, but Xuanli stopped him.
The emotional development between the male and female leads is pure and beautiful, but their interaction is mature. It's different from other sweet and fresh dramas. It feels like they have successfully combined "pure emotions" and "mature desires" between adults.
In the process of their emotional progression, there is also a playful dynamic between the two, which is quite interesting.