Vast clouds stretched endlessly across the sky. A man and a woman stood on a small bridge, conversing.
“The Jade Pool Banquet is about to begin. Shouldn’t the Lord of the Central Heavens be heading over?”
“I must wait for someone. Goddess, you may proceed ahead.”
Hearing this, the woman smiled. “I wonder which immortal is so esteemed that even the Lord of the Central Heavens must personally wait for them. I’m tempted to stay and see for myself.”
The man’s voice remained gentle and courteous. “I wouldn’t dare delay the goddess, especially as I have important matters to discuss with her. It may take some time…” He trailed off.
His words made it clear that it was inconvenient for her to stay. Slightly disappointed, she huffed, “Fine, then. Tend to your business—I’ll go ahead.”
As soon as she left, a red figure suddenly leapt out from the corner of a wall, grabbing the sleeve of the man’s golden robe without any politeness. “Who was she?” she demanded.
“The daughter of Lord Dong Yue.” His voice carried a hint of amusement.
She glanced in the direction where the woman had gone, displeased. “You know far too many women.”
His tone remained soft. “Aren’t there plenty of women in Huachao Palace as well?”
She fell silent.
He took her hand. “The immortals have all gathered. Didn’t you come specifically to witness this grand event at the Jade Pool? Later, when the crowd grows, stay close to me and speak less—don’t cause trouble.”
She did not move. “When will I be able to become your divine queen?”
Silence.
He smiled faintly. “When you are officially registered in the celestial records, we shall talk about it.”
…
The scene gradually blurred, and eventually, even the voices dissipated, like a dream, yet not.
Her thoughts, however, only grew clearer.
That eternally youthful, handsome face, those gentle, smiling eyes, and even the ambiguous words that always left room for retreat—none of it had ever changed.
He had never given her a direct answer.
And in the end, she had never been recorded in the celestial registry, nor had she become his divine queen.
It seemed that all of this had been nothing more than a foolish infatuation on the part of a little demon. If he had truly liked her, how could he have let her leave without stopping her?
“Lord Divine stands too far beyond my reach.” Fortunately, she had finally come to understand that.
Since it was his own hands that had delivered the water of the Jade Pool to her, allowing her to transform into a mortal, why should she linger in regret? Out of guilt, he had treated her well, but that only led her to fall for him once again, which in turn caused the fiasco that followed.
He was an immortal. He had a future queen.
What was the point of dreaming about him now?
Hong Ning let out a bitter smile.
"Awake?" A cool voice sounded above her.
Realizing she wasn’t lying on a bed, Hong Ning opened her eyes and met a pair of beautiful yet indifferent eyes.
Yang Zhen leaned against the back wall of the carriage, his expression impassive.
The eyes in her memory, though cold, had once felt familiar. That slow, deliberate upward glance had mesmerized countless young women. But the pair of eyes before her now were sharp and piercing, an unmistakable reminder that they were two entirely different people.
Hong Ning gazed at him in silence for a long moment before lowering her eyes.
Beneath her, the carriage jolted along the road, the rhythmic creaking of the wheels filling the air. She quickly grasped her current situation and, without a word, shifted herself upright from his arms, discreetly putting some distance between them. Then, as if suddenly remembering something, she reached into her robe. Only when she felt the golden peach branch still there did she relax. Raising her hand, she lifted the carriage curtain to look outside, only to be momentarily blinded by the glaring sunlight.
A hand reached over from beside her and lowered the curtain.
A man and a woman traveling together in such close quarters—though there had been a reason for it, their earlier proximity had already crossed the bounds of propriety. Hong Ning frowned. “This is…”
“We’re on the road to Chong Zhou,” Yang Zhen replied, his expression as composed as ever. He casually brushed the dust from his robe and added indifferently, “You’ve been unconscious for two days. Leaving you behind alone didn’t seem appropriate.”
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