Chapter 189: Narrow Encounter

More and more people crossed the valleys and wilderness to reach this vast expanse of white ice.

Just as the legendary Saint Child was said to have created the world with a single stroke of his hairpin, the boundary between the ice plain and the wilderness was strikingly clear. Black and white sharply contrasted in their vision, and the boundless snowy expanse delivered an unparalleled visual impact. The footprints on the snow, though inconspicuous, were glaringly obvious.

More and more footprints appeared on the snowfield.

Flags were planted in the thick snow, fluttering in the biting wind. The world seemed to have undergone a sudden shift; moments ago it was a steaming grassland, but in the blink of an eye, breath turned to frost.

People trod across the snow, filled with awe for the unknown.

After an unknown period, the dark land behind them was no longer visible. This snowfield was not truly desolate; during their long trek, they encountered various creatures in the ice and snow: cocoons encased in snowy armor, centipedes moving through the frost, and fish that had developed rudimentary limbs, burrowing through the snow as if navigating ocean currents.

Further ahead, the deep roars of colossal beasts echoed.

The scattered team of Xingyuan began to tighten their formation. They moved forward in a triangle, like a hiltless throwing knife, with the crisp sound of their footsteps on the snow resonating uniformly.

Soon after, they encountered their first ambush.

It was a snow tiger with silver-gray spots and exceptionally long fangs. Its soft paws trod slowly on the snow, but when it suddenly pounced, it was like a colossal siege boulder, momentarily disrupting Xingyuan's entire formation.

The giant snow tiger raged across the ice plain. Unlike the ugly monsters from the valleys, its physique was agile, possessing a powerful beauty, with its robust muscles rippling like waves.

Fortunately, the members of Xingyuan were ultimately top-tier experts. After a brief moment of panic, they formed a solid defense, drawing their swords and blades. Some created formations to defend, while others lunged at the charging tiger. The sounds of impact reverberated continuously. The beast's body was much stronger than they had imagined; if it had been a one-on-one fight, no one there could have killed it.

Eventually, the giant tiger, outnumbered and wounded, fled. The Xingyuan members did not dare to pursue. Soon after, they saw even larger creatures.

They were a herd of snow elephants, covered in extremely long fur and possessing tusks like enormous, curved scythes made of white bone. Their bodies were ponderous, resembling towering hills, and even the incredibly thick ice vibrated with their thunderous movements.

"What in the world is this place?"

The appearance of the colossal elephant herd overturned their imaginations. They had never seen such incredibly huge creatures; even the largest spirits found in the Abyss of Time were only half their size. The elephants moved along the edge as if they were guardians of the place, compelling all who passed to stop and not dare to act rashly.

No one dared to make a move.

The hide of the giant elephants was so rough and thick that they knew, without even trying, that blades and spears could not penetrate it.

"Let's go back first," suggested the one who had planted the flag on the snowfield earlier. "We need to tell the people in the royal city everything that's happened here."

"No, these monsters don't seem to attack people. We can try to go around them."

"It's still too dangerous..."

"How about this: we'll advance in separate groups. Those who wish to go with me, join my team. Those who don't, join his."

The people quickly divided into two lines, with only one young man kneeling in the very center.

"What about you?" someone asked.

The young man clutched his head and said in anguish, "I'm not going... It's hell ahead, it must be hell. These creatures, they're the divine pillars guarding the gates of hell."

One by one, large red lanterns lit up in the imperial city.

On the empty, silent streets, a white-clad figure suddenly appeared.

Ning Changjiu walked slowly down the long street, the red glow of the lanterns falling upon him, flickering and intertwining with each step he took.

Pedestrians were sparse on the street.

Ning Changjiu entered the royal palace unimpeded.

Perhaps it was due to Siming's prior arrangements, but today the palace gates were wide open, and there were no guards.

Ning Changjiu passed through the long, silent stone path beneath the palace gates and walked towards the deepest part of the royal palace.

In the deepest part of the royal palace, as Siming had described, there was a massive Eight Trigrams and Yin-Yang hexagram chart. Each of the sixty-four hexagrams had its own meaning, representing heaven, earth, wind, thunder, water, fire, mountain, and swamp. The entire chart, based on the Eight Trigrams and Four Phenomena, had been repeatedly deduced and elaborated, forming this intricate and profound mural. The center of the Eight Trigrams array pointed to an equally complex star chart.

Ning Changjiu's gaze swept over the mural. He took out the prismatic white jade long stone and inserted it into a missing hexagram line.

The array diagram was now complete.

The constellation chart, like a multitude of illuminated eyes, watched Ning Changjiu.

Then, an ethereal door opened.

Ning Changjiu did not hesitate, stepping directly into the hall through the doorway.

The world spun.

Ning Changjiu landed firmly on the ground. He looked up and around, finding himself in a completely dim world.

This dimness lasted only briefly.

Streams of crystalline light, like sparks rising in the night, appeared one after another, illuminating the entire hall with a subdued glow.

This was a crystal-clear hall.

The floor tiles appeared to be made of glazed, almost completely transparent bricks, beneath which faint traces of flowing water could be seen, making it feel as if one were treading on air. The upper part of the hall was a deep, vaulted ceiling. At its very center, a large, ethereal, bluish-white lotus bloomed. Light from the lotus fell like feathers, gently landing on Ning Changjiu's shoulders with each step he took.

He walked on a long, narrow path. After being illuminated by the light, water could be clearly seen on both sides. There were no candles displayed in the pools, yet candlelight was reflected beneath the water's surface.

They appeared to be burning underwater.

Ning Changjiu continued walking forward through the hall.

At the end of the hall stood a colossal sundial.

The sundial, having endured long ages, was badly broken. In this crystalline, subtly lit palace, it looked like a block character in a flowing cursive script, appearing completely out of place.

A faint light shone upon the sundial.

At its center, the long gnomon was intact, piercing the stone dial. Seated sideways on this long gnomon was a woman with cascading silver hair. She wore a long black dress, her fair feet bare, her toes like strung pearls before the soft, supple arches of her feet.

Her legs gently swung, as if stirring water. Her gaze rested on the broken sundial, and her graceful silhouette was reflected upon it.

The sundial, half-broken, now resembled a crescent moon, and she, a celestial maiden serenely seated in the moon palace.

The woman stretched languidly, then, propping herself up with her arms on the slender gnomon, she slowly turned her head and looked towards Ning Changjiu.

It was Siming.

Ning Changjiu watched her calmly.

"You don't seem surprised at all?" Siming said with a faint smile.

Ning Changjiu remained silent.

Siming said mockingly, "Indeed, how could I possibly fool such a shrewd person as you?"

Ning Changjiu asked, "Why did you pretend to be a maid?"

Siming replied, "That night on the street, it took me three moves to subdue you. That was rather embarrassing, so I had to use the excuse of being a maid to save a bit of face."

Ning Changjiu simply hummed in acknowledgement, saying nothing further.

Siming looked at him, her smile rippling like moonlight. "I'm very happy you came today. Hmm? Did you bring the item?"

Ning Changjiu asked, "What item?"

Siming covered her mouth and chuckled, "I thought you were a dashing rogue, but you're unexpectedly honest. Originally, since I'm happy today, I wouldn't have minded playing a little game with you, but unfortunately, you lack the daring for it."

Ning Changjiu paid her no mind.

Siming said, "Come closer, let me see your face."

Ning Changjiu stopped on the glazed path above the water, refusing to move an inch. He simply stared silently at Siming and asked, "Why did you summon me here?"

Siming explained, "My reason for seeing you is simple: you are not a spirit, but a human—the first human to emerge from the Abyss of Time in over seven hundred years. So I am very curious to know what secret allows you to ignore the erosion of the laws of time. The Abyss of Time is a place even I cannot enter freely."

Ning Changjiu did not reply, merely stood with his hands behind his back, silently observing her.

Siming said, "Although I still don't know the secret to how you escaped the Abyss of Time, I have discovered something even more intriguing about you."

Ning Changjiu asked, "What?"

Siming's lips curved into a smile. "The Golden Crow."

"Hmm?"

"You mean you still don't know what it is?" Siming countered.

Seeing Ning Changjiu's lack of response, she softly said, "That is one of the primordial divine artifacts that formed this world. Although I don't know which of the Ten Sons it corresponds to, it might even be the true form of the Sun Goddess Xihe... So, who exactly are you, to possess such a divine artifact born at the creation of heaven and earth?"

Ning Changjiu replied, "I don't know."

Siming laughed, her body shaking with mirth. "So you really have forgotten everything... When you died, I was just a small adjutant in the Astral Spirit Hall. Who would have thought we'd meet again? Come with me. I am willing to take you to our divine kingdom and make you a true ruler, transcending all others."

Ning Changjiu, somewhat woodenly, said, "No."

Siming's dark brows furrowed slightly. On her incomparably serene face, a smile bloomed like a snow lotus.

"Look at this sundial," Siming said. "From dawn until dusk... all the daytime hours are shattered. My world has no sun, and I have waited over seven hundred years for your arrival. You are my sun."

Ning Changjiu said, "You want to kill me?"

Siming looked at him calmly and said, "You won't die. You will become a true deity, and then I will be with you forever, living eternally together in the grand hall of the divine kingdom."

Ning Changjiu said, "You're lying to me."

Siming's bare feet touched the ground, her body gently descending from the sundial. As her toes tapped the floor, a clear, tinkling sound like a spring echoed.

She said, "I know you've already met Ye Chu. Before the divine kingdom collapsed, we were second only to the ruler in the divine kingdom; he was the Heavenly Monarch, and I was the Divine Official. Now that the ruler is dead, we have lingered until now, waiting only for an opportunity. The moment you stepped through the city gates, you sealed your fate."

Ning Changjiu stood silently.

Siming slowly walked towards him.

Killing intent permeated the hall.

Over seven hundred years ago, before the divine kingdom collapsed, both she and the Heavenly Monarch were figures of legend, in the third realm of cultivation, second only to the ruler.

But now, with the world in decay and all things lost, she had fallen to this state, restricted by the laws of this place, unable even to enter the Violet Court.

What torture this was.

She had been waiting here bitterly, waiting for the Heavenly Monarch to die so she could devour him, or waiting for a miracle to emerge from the Abyss of Time.

Now, she was close to getting what she wanted.

Everything she had done beforehand was to trick Ning Changjiu into this Astral Spirit Hall.

A weasel sending an invitation to a chicken would never be trusted by the chicken. But after months of persistent coaxing and wearing down, the chicken might eventually think, "I can't beat the weasel anyway, so if it's willing to be nice to me, why not just accept its overtures?"

Especially when it was such an exquisitely ethereal beauty?

And the Astral Spirit Hall was a fully prepared cage to imprison Ning Changjiu.

Today, she could obtain everything from Ning Changjiu, seize the Golden Crow, immerse it in the liquid of time, dissolve it into true sun radiance, and then repair the shattered corona of this divine kingdom, finally ascending back to the realm above.

Seven hundred years of waiting...

She raised her hand, and all the light in the darkness gathered towards her; everything seemed desolate.

Yet, at this moment, Ning Changjiu, who had clearly become a trapped beast in a cage, still showed no reaction.

Siming merely thought he was feigning composure. She smiled faintly and said, "Actually, I still want to know: did you come here believing I wouldn't harm you, or did you genuinely become infatuated with my face?"

Ning Changjiu, who had been silent for a long time, suddenly spoke. He seemed to have lost his spirit, his voice utterly mechanical: "I don't want to be your sun. I want to—"

His last word was cut short.

Siming's previously serene face had transformed into one of demonic terror and fury.

Amidst the surrounding specks of light, Ning Changjiu's voice abruptly shattered into dust.

On the ground, a scroll quietly burned. On it was painted a white-clad young man.

It was a painted figure.

"A fake?"

Siming stared intently at the scroll, her gaze burning like fire, her silvery hair wildly swirling. On her dark robes, the intricate silver threads gleamed brightly.

She walked to the scroll, picked up the black sword lying on it, and said coldly:

"Did you think you could escape?"

One hour earlier.

"Boss, I'm going to bathe and change now."

As night fell, Shao Xiaoli turned back to her room. She didn't understand why her boss suddenly told her to bathe. Drawing on her mother's past lessons, she figured that if someone urged a bath late at night, they surely intended something improper.

She rummaged through the cabinet and found her mother's old clothes. They were well-preserved, wrinkle-free, and as vibrant as new.

Hot water was poured into the wooden tub in the bathroom, rising in white steam.

Shao Xiaoli slowly removed her clothes, unfastened the tightly bound chest wrap, and, rising on her tiptoes, gradually stepped into the steaming water.

It had been a long time since she had bathed so leisurely.

The snowy white steam wafted onto her face, reddening it as if she were slightly tipsy. Her hair, too, was beaded with water, thoroughly damp.

The young woman leaned against the side of the tub, her entire body almost submerged in the water. Through the surface, she gazed at her rising and falling figure, and it suddenly dawned on her that she was already seventeen this year... an age for marriage.

Shao Xiaoli's body was mostly submerged in the wooden tub, her long hair completely immersed and fanned out like water weeds.

After a while, Ning Changjiu's urging voice could be heard from outside the door.

Shao Xiaoli reluctantly pulled herself from the warm water, dried her body, and picked up her chest wrap. After a moment's hesitation, she gently set it aside. Then she put on her mother's beautiful clothes and went alone to the mirror to draw her brows and arrange her hair.

Ning Changjiu stood patiently outside the door, waiting for her.

Shao Xiaoli emerged from behind the rolled-up curtain.

She wore a simple and elegant undergarment, topped with a red, front-fastening jacket. Her lower body was adorned with a graceful red skirt, from beneath which peeked small, embroidered shoes with pointed tips adorned with pear blossoms. Her long hair was unadorned, tied only at the end with a red string, allowing the tips to float gently down with the fine strands.

Ning Changjiu stared at her, genuinely stunned, feeling as though an emperor had scoured the world for beauties, only to realize that the young girl living with him daily in his own courtyard had been the one who slipped through his net.

"You look very beautiful today," Ning Changjiu said, not holding back his praise.

After several months, this was the first time Shao Xiaoli had meticulously dressed herself. She vaguely sensed that something significant would happen tonight, so she wanted to present her best self.

Shao Xiaoli asked, "Boss, where are we going?"

Ning Changjiu replied, "Out of the city."

"Out of the city?" Shao Xiaoli was slightly surprised. "Aren't we going to meet that Sister Siming?"

Ning Changjiu said, "We'll meet her eventually. There's no rush right now."

"Oh..." Shao Xiaoli thought that her boss must have his reasons, so she asked, "Do we need to bring any luggage?"

Ning Changjiu said, "Go call that red-headed chicken. Nothing else is needed."

Shao Xiaoli grabbed Bloodfeather Lord and instructed him, "We're leaving the city, so you absolutely mustn't be a burden to Boss, okay?"

Bloodfeather Lord rolled his eyes and said, "I don't need a little girl like you worrying about me."

Before leaving, Shao Xiaoli, sharp-eyed, glanced at his waist and asked, "Boss, where's your black sword?"

Ning Changjiu replied, "This broken sword is more convenient to use."

Shao Xiaoli asked, "Are we going to kill someone?"

Ning Changjiu sighed, "I hope I'm just mistaken."

The courtyard gate closed.

Bloodfeather Lord soared into the night sky, following them from a distance, while they, cloaked in black, silently left Duanjie City.

"Boss, where are we going?" Shao Xiaoli asked.

Ning Changjiu replied, "To a place where no one can find us."

Shao Xiaoli asked, "Are we... going into reclusion?"

Ning Changjiu said, "Temporary evasion is just for our return, like a deity's."

Listening to him, Shao Xiaoli only felt that her boss was becoming increasingly awe-inspiring.

They exited the city gates and walked down a path with no apparent end. Shao Xiaoli found this scene very grand, like immortal partners riding their horses with long whips, traveling alone through the world, their solitary yet not lonely silhouettes visible to all.

"Boss," Shao Xiaoli suddenly asked, "was it you who cured my illness?"

Ning Changjiu did not answer.

Shao Xiaoli said, "When I was little, my body always felt cold. They say it's a curse on Duanjie City. Legend has it that every few years, a spell descends upon Duanjie City, choosing the most beautiful girl to bear the city's sins."

Ning Changjiu said, "Innocent people should not have to bear such burdens."

Shao Xiaoli said, "Thank you, Boss... but I don't like wearing it at night..."

"I didn't see anything," Ning Changjiu said casually.

Shao Xiaoli tilted her head up slightly and suddenly said, "Actually, Boss isn't some spirit, right?"

Ning Changjiu was slightly stunned, unable to comprehend how she, with her intelligence, could have figured that out.

Shao Xiaoli said, "Boss, you're actually a true god, aren't you?"

"..." Ning Changjiu sighed, helpless. "I'm just an ordinary cultivator."

Shao Xiaoli, however, didn't believe him in the slightest. She said, "Actually, our books contain another legend, one even older than Duanjie City. It's said that two or three millennia ago, a true warrior emerged from our tribe. That warrior slew a demon with a bow and arrow and created a unique method of cultivating spiritual power. But later, that warrior was ambushed and killed by an even more powerful demon. Before he died, however, he said that every hundred years, a warrior would appear in our tribe!"

Shao Xiaoli spoke with increasing fervor: "I believe his prophecy is true, because every hundred years, a warrior truly does appear in our tribe. Every time our people were on the brink of extinction, we managed to snatch victory from the jaws of defeat, which is why, no matter how difficult things got, we've survived to this day. Now it's another hundred years. Boss, if the prophecy is true and a hero is to be born in this generation, I think that person must be you."

Ning Changjiu looked at her, suddenly feeling a little unfamiliar, and he smiled faintly.

Shao Xiaoli also smiled faintly, her elegantly made-up face exuding a noble grace.

She looked at Ning Changjiu's young face and, on a whim, asked, "Boss, you must have lived for a very long time, haven't you? How old are you this year?"

Ning Changjiu honestly replied, "Sixteen."

Shao Xiaoli just assumed he was pretending to be younger and laughed, "Then I'm only three years old this year."

Ning Changjiu smiled.

Shao Xiaoli had an exceptionally large number of questions today: "Boss, why do you always like to wear white clothes?"

Ning Changjiu gave her an unexpected answer: "Because it's easier to draw."

However, even if it was simple, the painting he used to deceive Siming had taken him two months of intermittent work.

Along the way, the two chatted idly.

"Boss, what's your ideal wife like?"

"Boss, do you like that Sister Siming?"

"Boss, if one day we leave this place, where should we go?"

"Boss, what's on the other side of the ice plain?"

Ning Changjiu was unwilling to answer the first few questions, and while he knew the answer to the last one, he didn't really want to give it.

One night, he had ventured onto the ice plain and crossed it.

Ning Changjiu asked, "What do you think it's like there?"

Shao Xiaoli replied, "I think there must be a path to the outside world. Once we cross that ice plain, many of Duanjie City's secrets should be revealed."

Ning Changjiu let out an almost inaudible sigh.

He said, "Let me tell you a story."

Shao Xiaoli's spirits lifted, and she nodded immediately.

Ning Changjiu said, "In this world, there is a tall wall. On the left side of the wall, people live a hellish existence daily, tormented by hunger and plague, finding no peace day or night. Among them, there is a legend that by climbing over this wall, one can reach paradise. But the wall is so incredibly high that most of those who try to climb it die, leaving behind piles of bones at its base, stacked very, very high."

He paused in his narration.

Shao Xiaoli thought, *Isn't this just the history of Duanjie City over the centuries?*

Her eyes firm, she said, "Then we'll just keep piling up bones, keep piling them up. One day, our bones will be stacked high enough to form a platform beneath our feet, allowing us to climb over."

Ning Changjiu shook his head with a bitter smile. "Do you know what's most sorrowful?"

"What?"

"The people on the left side of the wall will never know that on the right side of the wall, the pile of corpses is even higher than on the left..." Ning Changjiu sighed deeply. "This world isn't black and white; it's not that if there's hell, there must be heaven. It's far more likely that both sides are hell... That's what's truly despair-inducing."

This was the first thought that flashed through his mind when he crossed the ice plain and saw the scene there.

Soon after, some from Xingyuan would likely cross the ice plain as well, witness that scene of piled bones, and then fall into deep despair.

Shao Xiaoli fell silent as well.

After a long time, she finally spoke: "Then how can we get out?"

Ning Changjiu shook his head. "I don't know either."

The night, too, became silent.

They crossed one tall mountain after another, traversed countless valleys and rivers, yet still saw no end.

At some point, snow began to fall.

Ning Changjiu led her to the entrance of that snowy gorge.

He knew that inside and outside Duanjie City, a constant game of strategy was being played.

It was a contest between the fallen Heavenly Monarch and the Divine Official from a former divine kingdom. This game had lasted over seven hundred years, and many of the records of battles outside the city that he had read in ancient books were perhaps left by them.

Both wanted to devour the other.

And Ning Changjiu needed to choose a side.

He ultimately decided to choose Ye Chu.

And in his spiritual perception, the spark of spiritual energy of the painted figure had been erased, further confirming his judgment.

He had never trusted Siming.

"Let's go," Ning Changjiu said, leading Shao Xiaoli towards the snowy valley.

But he still underestimated Siming.

The path into the snowy valley was a long, deep gorge, seemingly cleaved by a blade. Its walls were smooth as jade, yet very narrow.

Ning Changjiu entered the narrow snowy gorge.

The biting cold of the snowy valley assailed them.

He stopped.

At the other end of the snowy gorge stood a silhouette.

Her swirling black dress resembled a fluttering banner in a blizzard.

It was Siming.

"You came here after all," Siming said, her face obscured in shadow against the light, her smile hidden in the darkness.

They met in a narrow pass.

"Why did you deceive me?" Siming demanded, taking the initiative.

*Beautiful women truly are unreasonable,* Ning Changjiu thought silently, drawing out the pitifully broken Minglan.

Siming looked at his broken sword, seeming to understand. "It's so damaged, yet you keep it. Could it be a sword given to you by your wife?"

Ning Changjiu thought to himself that Lu Jiajia couldn't possibly hear him, and simply replied, "Yes."

Siming chuckled, "Is your wife more beautiful than me?"

Ning Changjiu said, "You once said, 'How can a firefly compete with the bright moon?' As a firefly lingering in this place, you must not have seen the moon for seven hundred years, have you?"

Siming, however, was not angered; instead, she laughed. "Are you really not afraid I'll kill you?"

Ning Changjiu said, "If you truly wanted to kill me, you wouldn't have wasted so much time talking."

Siming asked, "Have you figured out a way to break my time cage?"

Ning Changjiu nodded. "I have."

Siming looked into his eyes, and after a long moment, she smiled faintly. "You guessed correctly. The time cage is like a game of chess with only two players; it doesn't affect bystanders. So you spent three months training this young girl, hoping to use her to get you out of this predicament, right?"

Ning Changjiu said, "Not entirely."

Listening, Shao Xiaoli didn't feel exploited by her boss at all. Instead, she was surprised, thinking, *So I'm actually that useful?*

Siming smiled faintly. "Originally, I did intend to kill you, but now I've changed my mind. Come back to the city with me. I am willing to marry you. From now on, we can cultivate together, comprehending the Heavenly Dao side by side, just like the deities of ancient times. The world back then was more chaotic than it is now, yet they could cleave chaos with an axe and create heaven with a single stroke. Why can't we?"

Ning Changjiu said, "Why should I believe you?"

Siming smiled faintly. "Because Ye Chu is not a good choice. Look, I'm already outside the snowy gorge, yet he still doesn't dare to face me. All these years, he's relied on tricking ignorant cultivators to gain bits of temporal authority. But piecing it together like that, who knows how many years it will take to complete his authority? He cannot save you at all."

Ning Changjiu asked, "Then what is *your* method for piecing together authority?"

Siming did not answer directly but said, "You came from the Abyss of Time; you must have seen that painting, right?"

"The headless god?" Ning Changjiu asked.

Siming smiled and nodded. "The Abyss of Time is his head."

Ning Changjiu frowned, recalling the intricate, interconnected honeycomb structure and the grayish-white viscous fluid within it, a wave of disgust rising in his heart.

Ning Changjiu asked, "He's the Lord of the Divine Kingdom?"

Siming nodded. "Yes."

Ning Changjiu frowned. "One of the Twelve Lords?"

"Yes."

"How is that possible?" Ning Changjiu exclaimed in shock.

"Indeed," Siming said with a detached smile. "Even after all these years, I still cannot accept his death."

"Which Lord was he, and who killed him?" Ning Changjiu asked.

Siming shook her head. "That's a secret. I'll tell you once we are married."

Ning Changjiu shook his head. "How can I trust you?"

Siming reached her hands back, running them over her swan-like neck to gather her silky silver hair.

Then she lowered her hands, the dark silk ties creating tension as they cinched her spine and the curves of her lower body. Her fingers moved to her lower back, lightly undoing the silk binding her slender waist, and she said, "The hour of midnight has just passed, the heavens are radiant, the earth is beautiful. We could lie beneath the open sky and imitate what the Human Emperor and the Saint Child did in ancient times. What do you say, young master?"

And at this moment, the royal city was empty.

Su Yanshu sat by the window, gazing at the deep night. The most revered man in the entire royal city and the most powerful swordsman of the younger generation both deeply loved her, yet she had never truly smiled, her face always tinged with a faint sorrow.

"Ghosts never grow old with mortals. Don't you understand yet?" Su Yanshu sighed softly.