“Sir,” she laughed in his arms, “earlier you wouldn’t even let me touch you, but now you can even hold me.”

“Shut up.” He quickly left the manor, stuffing her into his carriage and saying in a deep voice, “You’re being unreasonable, so don’t blame me for being unreasonable too.”

“Going to use force?” She licked her lips.

Shen Qiyuan froze, his ears suddenly reddening: “What are you thinking? I’m just taking you back to the Immortal Meeting Inn.”

“Oh.” Ruyi pouted in disappointment.

The murder case at Prince Pingbei’s manor required reporting to the palace, so it made sense for Shen Qiyuan to rush to the palace after sending her back to the inn.

But.

Ruyi incredulously cleaned out her ears: “What do you mean the deployment order was canceled?”

Wei Zijue arrived hurriedly, sitting across from her with a deeply furrowed brow: “Originally, I volunteered to go to Huizhou using the excuse of bandits there, and His Majesty agreed. But on the very day Lord Shen entered the palace, the palace suddenly issued a decree saying that since I’m still in mourning, the Marquis of Ningyuan would lead troops there instead.”

Ruyi scratched her eyebrow after hearing this, looking somewhat guilty: “What a coincidence.”

“Where’s the coincidence? Lord Shen did it on purpose.” Wei Zijue was somewhat frustrated. “He won’t investigate it himself, but he doesn’t want me to investigate either.”

“It’s fine.” Ruyi said, “If you can’t go, Yanning and Fuman can still go. They’ve been complaining that Lin’an City has been full of supernatural matters lately and want to go out for a change of scenery.”

“You’re not going either?” Wei Zijue looked rather dejected.

Ruyi spread her hands: “No choice. I have so many shops on God Worship Street, I can’t just abandon them.”

She had clearly said earlier that going once would be perfect, but now she’d changed her mind? Intuition told Wei Zijue this had something to do with Shen Qiyuan.

He narrowed his eyes: “Sister, have you been visiting the Shen manor frequently lately?”

“No.” Ruyi said righteously, “Only that one time when I sent little Heye there to study. I haven’t been since.”

It was all Shen Qiyuan coming to her on his initiative.

Considering the Clan Justice’s status, the two couldn’t associate too openly. Shen Qiyuan always avoided prying eyes after finishing his daily duties, climbing onto her windowsill.

Thinking of this, Ruyi rolled her eyes again.

He’d done something as thrilling as secretly meeting his lover, yet when he climbed up, he’d only sit at the table drinking tea. No matter how she tempted him, he wouldn’t yield, righteously telling her that everything must proceed step by step.

Step by step my ass, she thought. This old lady didn’t lose her memory.

But the amnesiac Shen Qiyuan was truly naive. Every time he came, he’d bring her something—sometimes an ugly flower, sometimes a brilliant pearl, sometimes snacks bought from the street, sometimes a dagger he’d forged himself.

“Today in court, Elder Wen and General Chen got into an argument. General Chen was so angry that he pulled out several of Elder Wen’s whiskers.”

“The Empress’s matchmaking attempt for Wei Zijue fell through, so now she’s giving me pearls as hints. What a headache.”

“A new stall selling jade bean cakes opened on God Worship Street.”

“Little Heye has good talent. She learns to read faster than others and helps the steward run errands when not in class.”

The two seemed to have switched roles—Shen Qiyuan talked endlessly while Ruyi just propped up her chin and watched him with a smile.

Feeling somewhat uncomfortable under her gaze, he pursed his lips: “If you don’t like listening, I won’t talk next time.”

“I love listening.” Her eyes sparkled. “Tell me more.”

Preferably enough to make up for all the words owed over these thousands of years.

The candlelight flickered, reflecting on his moist lips, making them even more vivid. Ruyi stared at them opening and closing, her gaze gradually darkening.

“—Do you know what Song Zhenshan said?” Getting excited, he leaned closer to her.

Without thinking, Ruyi stood up and covered his lips with hers.

His words stopped abruptly.

Shen Qiyuan stared at her in a daze, his ears belatedly reddening. The person before him showed no trace of embarrassment, sitting back down and asking as if nothing had happened: “What did he say?”

“You can’t just do that.” He pursed his lips and muttered.

“Oh~” Ruyi nodded. “So Song Zhenshan only said ‘you can’t just do that,’ and the Empress Dowager agreed to let the princess move to the Clan Justice’s separate courtyard?”

“No!” The embarrassment he’d just suppressed was stirred up again by her. Shen Qiyuan suddenly stood up. “I’m leaving.”

She raised her eyebrows teasingly: “Didn’t our Qidou Mountain ever produce deserters?”

They didn’t produce deserters, but that didn’t mean people weren’t allowed to feel shy.

Shen Qiyuan’s figure suddenly disappeared outside the window, as if staying a moment longer would set his tail on fire.

Ruyi curved her lips upward.

Being a thousand years old couldn’t be considered young, but when first experiencing love, everyone was a youth, green as a plum yet coming and going like the wind.

“Sister.” Wei Zijue waved his hand in front of her eyes with a complex expression.

Ruyi snapped back to attention and coughed lightly: “What?”

“You haven’t fallen for Lord Shen, have you?” He asked gravely.

“How could that be? Lord Shen is a dragon among men, while I’m merely a merchant’s daughter.” She waved her hand dismissively.

Wei Zijue nodded: “It’s good that sister can think clearly.”

What she should think clearly about wasn’t this, though.

Ruyi turned her head to look at the gradually melting icicles on the eaves.

What she should think clearly about is whether to dispel that resentment from two thousand years ago.

…

Her incomplete memories had basically returned. The last time they’d met two thousand years ago was in the God-Slaying Valley.

At that time, she had followed the Demon King’s orders to lead people in blocking the divine cultivators from reaching the Ten Thousand Demons’ Cave. He had also followed the divine cultivators’ army to exterminate demons. Companions of many years stood on opposite sides for the first time.

Ruyi could tell with just one glance that this person’s cultivation was overflowing—he only lacked one great merit to become a god.

Shen Qiyuan could also see that her demonic power was strong—she only needed one achievement to rightfully become the heir to the Ten Thousand Demons’ Cave.

So in that battle, both had to give their all.

That was the most difficult battle Ruyi had ever fought. By the time they’d fought to the end, rain had started falling from the sky.

Through the curtain of rain, she suddenly remembered the past.

A thousand years was both heavy and long. The person now crossing swords with her had once lain at the edge of Purgatory Valley and said to her: “May years pass together, and we remain long friends.”

May years pass together, and we remain long friends…

“Shen Qiyuan.” She asked, “Will you become a good immortal?”

A good immortal could hear everyone’s prayers, could fly over to rescue her and her innocent clansmen hanging from the city walls.

That way, she wouldn’t have to become a demon.

Shen Qiyuan didn’t answer, or perhaps he didn’t have time to answer before she turned sideways and suddenly collided with his sword point.

Consider it a final gift to him, she thought. After all these years, becoming a god was his only wish.

White light shot up from the battlefield, and suddenly thunder and lightning flashed across the sky.

Shen Qiyuan looked at her with a pale face. As she lost consciousness, his lips moved, saying something.

What had he said?

Ruyi concentrated on remembering.

“Love between god and demon will bring divine punishment.”

In the heavy rain, he knelt beside her, his spine trembling slightly.

He said hoarsely, “Why did you make me become a god?”