On the way to Que Mountain with Xie Zhuo, I turned over the matter of the Evil God in my mind, and finally decided that I couldn’t tell Xie Zhuo and Principal God Ji about it at this time.

First, when it came to dealing with the Evil God, I truly couldn’t bear the consequences of failure.

Previously, after Xie Zhuo died, the Evil God returned. The gods gathered at the peak of Kunlun to learn from Xie Zhuo’s example, attempting to collect the world’s evil energy, but they failed. Xi Wang Mu therefore said that only Xie Zhuo could gather the evil energy.

But the Xie Zhuo they spoke of was the one from thousands of years later, who could use the Pangu Fu to cleave open the tunnel of time and space in his demon form.

The current Xie Zhuo might be just like the other gods, unable to accomplish this task.

And if he failed, there would truly be no more Xie Zhuo in this world.

Could I count on the gods to send me back to the past once more?

Second, I was being selfish.

Last time, Xie Zhuo sacrificed himself to kill the Evil God. This time, the best outcome would be for him to both eliminate the Evil God and survive.

But if killing the Evil God required Xie Zhuo to exchange his life…

Then I wanted that moment to come later, even later.

At least, after leaving that snow-covered forest, let him feel the warmth of the human world a little longer.

Don’t let him truly come as just a vessel and leave as just a container.

If that were truly the case, fate would be too cruel to Xie Zhuo.

Finally, the Evil God was cunning.

Previously, just because the black-robed Xie Zhuo had replaced Xie Xuanqing and briefly engaged with him, the Evil God knew that the visitor was the future Xie Zhuo.

From that moment, the Evil God began to prepare.

That’s why, after Xie Zhuo killed the Evil God, the Evil God returned to the human world.

This time, if I acted rashly, not knowing when I might do something that would affect the past, I might change the original course of events and lead to worse consequences…

After careful consideration, I decided to bury everything deep in my heart.

Until… the moment of my separation from Xie Zhuo arrived.

Originally, the plan I made with the gods was to prevent my separation from Xie Zhuo, and then, with Xie Zhuo at his “strongest state” and the gods, we would discuss how to slay the Evil God.

This was the most conservative approach, and also the most stable one.

So, my presence here was neither to change history nor to push it forward. I was simply here to accompany Xie Zhuo, to walk with him through thousands of years, and then reach that fork in destiny, facing a future neither of us had experienced.

I made my determination—a determination that might span thousands of years.

Looking at Xie Zhuo walking beside me, a wave of emotion suddenly surged in my heart.

I had only been married to him for five hundred years, yet now I was making a promise in my heart that would last thousands of years.

After everything I’d been through—separation, life and death, the passage of time…

In the end, I found myself… loving him even more.

When I first met him, I loved his appearance and gentleness. When we married, I loved his protection and companionship.

And now, having gone through tearing and breaking apart with him, having seen his brokenness and vulnerability, his dishevelment and unworthiness…

I seemed to have truly fallen in love with him only now.

All of him…

He held the small dog in his arms, his expression calm as he looked ahead.

Completely unaware of my thoughts.

“Xie Zhuo,” I called his name on impulse, “Can I hug you…”

He looked at me, his eyes showing confusion.

Principal God Ji, walking ahead of us, turned his head slightly to observe me upon hearing this.

So I forcibly added three more words: “…your dog?”

A surge of love, I held it back in my heart.

To be honest, it felt somewhat choking in my chest…

Principal God Ji turned his gaze away.

Xie Zhuo looked at the little yellow dog in his arms and answered with three words: “He is a wolf…”

I couldn’t stand this: “He’s a dog.”

Now that I had even become a dog, how could it possibly be a wolf? I corrected the misconception I had wanted to rectify for so long, but never had the chance to.

Xie Zhuo frowned, seeming somewhat displeased with my words: “No, he is the second little wolf.”

I had to seek outside help: “God Lord, please look, is what Young Master Xie Zhuo holding a wolf or a dog?”

Principal God Ji didn’t brush me off.

He very seriously walked over to Xie Zhuo’s side and said, “If I may.” Then, with Xie Zhuo’s permission, Principal God Ji gently lifted the coarse cloth covering the little yellow dog and carefully examined it:

“Two marks on the brow, short tail, thick paws, heavy bones, abundant fur…”

I was a bit speechless.

You’re a meticulous Principal God, aren’t you? It’s just about whether it’s a wolf or a dog…

“It’s a very good puppy,” he concluded.

I looked at Xie Zhuo: “See, it’s a dog.”

Upon hearing this, Xie Zhuo gazed at the little yellow dog in his arms, but remained silent for a moment. His expression seemed somewhat sad.

Seeing his demeanor, though not knowing why he was sad, my heart immediately began to ache. I quickly said, “Actually, it doesn’t matter much whether it’s a wolf or a dog; you can still call him a little wolf if you want.”

“Young Master Xie Zhuo,” Principal God Ji, also sensing his low spirits, spoke up to comfort him, “This is a very common four-browed little yellow dog from my Northern Wilderness. It can guard its master and is extremely loyal. Why do you not like it?”

“I thought it was a kindred spirit…” he finally said after a long while, “But it turns out, it stayed by my side because of its inherently loyal nature.”

Upon hearing this, I bit my lip in distress.

Principal God Ji couldn’t understand his words, but I did.

Xie Zhuo wasn’t talking about this dog; he was talking about me, the lame dog that had accompanied him for so many years.

He had treated the little wolf as a kindred spirit, thinking the little wolf stayed with him because it had chosen him. But it turned out to be a naturally loyal little dog. He felt that he was special to the little wolf, but that specialness now diminished considerably.

“Xie Zhuo…” I had just begun to speak when suddenly the little dog in Xie Zhuo’s arms perked up its ears. The dog, which had been lying comfortably, propped itself up on its front legs and stood on its hind legs.

The little dog looked around, then suddenly gazed in one direction and let out a “woof.”

It became excited, anxious, and continuously scratching at Xie Zhuo’s arm.

So Xie Zhuo placed it on the ground.

And the moment he set it down, the little dog took off, its four legs seeming to spring up as it raced into the distance.

It ran toward a little girl who was being led by her mother.

“Woof, woof, woof!” The joyful sound stood out so distinctly among the fleeing commoners.

The little girl heard the sound and saw the dog. She cried out in delight and embraced the little dog as it bounded toward her.

It had found its lost master.

Xie Zhuo stared in that direction, somewhat dazed.

I quickly said, “Dogs can choose too!”

I opened my eyes wide, looking at Xie Zhuo with the most sincere gaze, “It must be a very special connection that among so many dogs and so many people, they happened to meet that particular one.”

Xie Zhuo had been silently watching the direction where the little dog had gone, but I don’t know which of my words or which syllable entered his ears.

He looked down at me.

This body was about the same height as my original Immortal form, so I looked at him from the same angle as when we married five hundred years ago.

I gazed at him, my heart full of affection.

“A special connection…” he murmured the phrase, as if gaining some insight.

“Just like when I met you, it must also be because of a special connection,” I said.

Xie Zhuo just looked at me with clear eyes, his obsidian eyes distinctly reflecting my image.

He opened his mouth, seeming to want to say something…

“Young Master Xie Zhuo, Miss A’Gou.” Principal God Ji interrupted our conversation, “Que Mountain is just ahead.”

I glared at Principal God Ji with some dissatisfaction, only to see him examining me with an inquisitive expression.

My heart sank, and I immediately chided myself for being too unguarded.

If I were to conceal my identity, I would have to hide it from both Xie Zhuo and Principal God Ji.

Although Xie Zhuo had experienced such tragic events in the snow-covered forest, he was still inexperienced and had not yet seen the true complexity and variegation of human hearts. It might be easy for me to fool and deceive him, but Principal God Ji was different.

He was someone who could continually find bodies with compatible souls in the City of Undying. If he could empathize with others, he could also perceive their hearts.

In this time and place where evil energy was beginning to spread, a person like me, who had suddenly become strange, would attract his attention.

I immediately withdrew my hostility.

I’m sorry, God Lord, this little immortal has overstepped.

“Given the special circumstances, everyone entering Que Mountain must undergo inspection. I hope you understand.”

Xie Zhuo didn’t say anything. Seeing others lining up, he went over and obediently joined the queue.

I also obediently got in line behind Xie Zhuo.

When Principal God Ji saw me queuing properly, he shifted his gaze from me somewhat and walked to the side to discuss matters with the soldiers on duty.

In the crowd, Xie Zhuo was in front of me, and we quietly moved forward with the commoners.

He kept looking ahead, and I thought he wouldn’t turn to look at me or speak to me again.

I was trying hard to think of something to talk to him about when suddenly I heard from in front: “Everyone I’ve met, is it all because of a special connection?”

I didn’t know why he asked this, but I instinctively replied: “Of course…”

He didn’t say anything more. I turned my head to look at him and discovered that his clear eyes were observing the people in front—from the commoners to the soldiers to Principal God Ji—and finally, he turned back and his gaze fell on my face.

He remained silent, then lowered his head and quietly touched the stone around his neck.

I didn’t know what Xie Zhuo was thinking at that moment, but I vaguely felt that his connection to this world seemed to have grown a bit stronger.

“This young master.” Ahead, a soldier at the city gate called to Xie Zhuo, “Excuse me, we need to register your name.”

Xie Zhuo walked over.

“Young master’s name?”

“Xie Zhuo.”

The recording scribe paused his brush and looked at him: “Which character is that?”

I rushed forward, somewhat rudely and presumptuously, and directly seized the brush from the scribe’s hand.

I wrote two characters on the document—謝濯 (Xie Zhuo).

Xie Zhuo looked at me.

The scribe and soldiers reprimanded me: “Miss, it’s not your turn yet!”

“Give the brush back! I asked for his name, what business is it of yours?”

I simply said: “I observe that the young master’s eyes are clear and bright, like water washing clean. I think his name must be written like this.” I looked toward Xie Zhuo.

“Young Master Xie Zhuo, did I write it correctly?”

Xie Zhuo remained silent for a long time, seeming to be contemplating, or perhaps moved.

He reached out to touch the characters on the document, his fingertips stained with the still-wet ink.

“Correct,” he said, “That’s right…”

His eyes contained a subtle light, like clear water washing away turbidity, revealing the bright, clear moon.