“Xie Xuanqing?” Xiaxia called his name as she bounced over.

I watched Xie Zhuo’s back on the small slope. After a moment of disorientation, I felt another surge of annoyance.

What the hell! I got up early to disturb Xie Xuanqing’s sleep, while he leisurely slept in and even missed the opportunity to intercept Xiaxia.

What a useless teammate!

Xie Zhuo turned his head and glanced at me.

I covered my mouth, thinking he had heard the curses in my heart.

Xie Zhuo turned around and walked toward Xiaxia.

I crouched at the bottom of the slope, praying that Xie Zhuo had brought all the items from yesterday and would quickly smash those miscellaneous things to pieces in front of Xiaxia. If he did this, I guaranteed that Xiaxia would be angry, upset, and heartbroken!

With such an incident, even if Xiaxia forgave him out of love, if Xie Zhuo continued to be indifferent and verbally hurtful afterward, knowing myself as I did, I would certainly stop before entering the gate of marriage!

My plan seemed perfect; I could almost feel the joy of returning five hundred years later with the Pangu Fu in hand.

But in reality…

Xie Zhuo stepped forward, not having time to say anything. I only heard the sound of robes rustling, and then the footsteps of the two quickly moved in another direction, leaving only Xiaxia’s cheerful voice behind…

“I was thinking yesterday, and I feel there are still some other things I want to give you. Let’s go shopping again today, and then I’ll take you to eat with my friends. They’re really interesting…”

Xiaxia led Xie Zhuo away.

The pain in my chest and the weakness in my limbs instantly disappeared. I poked my head out from the slope, and the snow bamboo forest was empty.

Had Xie Zhuo just… been dragged away like that?

Useless!

All you had to do was smash those things when you met her! Why is this demon now as hesitant in his actions as he is in his speech?

I realized I couldn’t count on him; I’d have to make the effort myself.

I hoisted the snow bamboo from the ground and marched determinedly into the cave.

But when I returned to the cave, I saw Xie Xuanqing, pale-faced, clutching his chest and still slightly panting.

Almost instinctively, my heart tightened. I dropped the bamboo in my hand and crouched beside him: “You…”

As soon as I began speaking, I understood. His reaction must be because Xie Zhuo was outside just now, causing him discomfort.

I silently observed him, feeling an indescribable concern, yet also fearing his suspicion and wariness.

“What’s wrong?” I asked, feigning ignorance, to continue the charade.

Xie Xuanqing turned to look at me, remained silent for a moment, then shook his head. “Suddenly felt some palpitations…”

I probed: “Is it because your wound hasn’t fully healed?”

He fell silent…

I too fell silent then, feeling a bit panicked.

Xie Zhuo could split time and space with the Pangu Fu, wielding such great power. This couldn’t possibly be an ability he had suddenly developed during our five hundred years of marriage. He must have been this powerful all along, only concealing it from me.

He was very formidable and knowledgeable, so he should know that his sudden palpitations couldn’t be due to his wound not being fully healed.

But then I reconsidered…

It was just a sudden physical discomfort. No matter how powerful he was, he probably couldn’t guess that five hundred years later, he would be crazy enough to split time and space with the Pangu Fu just to sever our marital bonds.

After all…

At this point, Xie Xuanqing was still a demon who would reject my confession.

“You must be seriously injured,” I deliberately guiding him. “Who exactly hurt you?”

To be honest, even now, I didn’t know who had wounded Xie Zhuo back then. After all, I hadn’t previously thought Xie Zhuo was particularly strong…

But now looking at it…

I was stunned…

Belatedly realized that I might have asked a rather significant question.

If Xie Zhuo was this powerful, then what kind of formidable enemy had wounded him? Looking at all the immortals in Kunlun, perhaps not even Xi Wang Mu could have done it…

Such a powerful enemy lurking in the shadows…

I suddenly felt uneasy.

I observed Xie Xuanqing and, sure enough, saw his expression darken. He pressed his chest, seemingly lost in thought.

But a moment later, he seemed to notice my gaze, as if I had pulled him from his thoughts.

He stared at me, worried and anxious, then raised his hand and placed his fingertip at the corner of my lips, gently pulling upward. My lips were shaped into a curve by his touch. He said:

“Don’t worry, smile.”

Smile—such familiar words.

After every argument, Xie Zhuo would say this to me. At first, I couldn’t stay angry at his gesture, but later, as it happened more frequently, I became indifferent to both this action and these words.

And now, looking at his still pale face, I ultimately tugged at the corners of my mouth, cooperating with a smile.

Seeing my smile, his gaze softened slightly.

I steadied myself and truly let go of my concerns. After all, I had lived with him for five hundred years without incident. It seemed that the powerful enemy in the shadows must have been dealt with by Xie Zhuo.

But since such a person existed, I could freely blame his current physical discomfort on that person.

“Your wound must not have healed completely.”

He comforted me again: “It’s fine, I just need to rest for a while.”

He thought I was worried about his health, but I was only concerned about whether he would discover the truth. And… my purpose for coming today was to prevent him from resting…

I opened my mouth, but hesitated.

I wavered, yet in that instant, I suddenly understood…

I understood why Xie Zhuo had been dragged around eight streets yesterday, why he hadn’t smashed the items in front of Xiaxia, and why a demon as powerful as he could so easily be led by Xiaxia’s rhythm…

It was because… he couldn’t bear to hurt her…

Because neither of us had expected that after five hundred years apart, we would encounter again the tenderness and passion of those days.

“Jiu Xia,” Xie Xuanqing suddenly called my name. He pointed to the bamboo beside us. “Let’s make a bamboo flute together.”

He was still thinking about that…

After a long silence, I finally sighed in resignation: “No, you should rest first…”

He didn’t want me to feel disappointed: “I’ve rested enough.”

My heart stirred. Pretending to be relaxed, I smiled, caring not only about his physical well-being but also his mood. I showed him a level of care I hadn’t used in a very long time.

“Oh, actually, this bamboo isn’t good enough. I didn’t pick a good one today. Another day, you can accompany me to choose bamboo, and if we’re going to make a flute, let’s make one that won’t break when played!”

Xie Xuanqing took this to heart. He nodded seriously and agreed: “Alright…”

I…

Once again, I had failed.

I hung my head as I returned to the courtyard in the snow bamboo forest. Xie Zhuo hadn’t returned yet.

As soon as I walked through the door of the room, I froze.

On the table were all the items Xiaxia had given to Xie Zhuo yesterday, neatly arranged. Like troops in formation, it was immediately noticeable if one thing was missing. With a single glance, I could see that among all the items, apart from the yin-yang fish jade pendant that Xie Zhuo and I had split, only the small rattle drum with its missing drumstick was gone.

Now I understood why Xie Zhuo had been late this morning.

He had spent all that time in the room picking and choosing, not knowing which item to smash!

Nevermind…

I sprawled in the chair, waiting for Xie Zhuo to return.

He didn’t need to report back to me. I could calculate that today, he must have failed again…

Just like me…