“I don’t need to remember.” Hong Ning did not turn back, her tone eerily calm, almost numb. “Even if I don’t recall my past life, I must have had my reasons for choosing to be human. And in this life, I have even less desire to cultivate immortality. The paths of mortals and immortals are separate. Getting too entangled with mortals does no good. Zhong Tian King, you should return.”
Heavy winter rains were rare, yet she had managed to run into one. The downpour blurred her vision, obscuring the landscape around her until nothing was clear. In the hazy curtain of mist and rain, she could just make out a dense forest ahead. Shrouded in vapor like smoke and fog, the trees formed a dark, mysterious barrier, cutting off whatever lay within from the outside world.
Her soaked clothes clung to her body, yet Hong Ning felt no cold. She continued walking at an unhurried pace, recalling vaguely that the eunuch had mentioned several inns along the way where she could take shelter. But after half a day, she had yet to see a single one.
At this moment, only one thought remained in her mind: there was no rain inside the forest. She could go in and rest.
The closer she got, the heavier her steps became.
Suddenly, a pair of hands reached from behind, steadying her.
The rain above her seemed to stop, and her body was enveloped in a soft golden light. The air around her grew warm, carrying a faint, soothing fragrance.
Hong Ning turned her face, blinking away the rainwater that clouded her sight, straining to see the figure more clearly.
“You again.”
Her drenched blue robe continued to drip, dampening his clean, golden garments, yet he seemed unbothered. Instead, he pulled her into his embrace, one hand gently brushing away the wet strands clinging to her forehead.
She let him hold her without resistance, without anger. She simply stared at him for a long moment before suddenly laughing softly.
He lowered his gaze immediately, looking at her.
Hong Ning met his eyes, her expression serious. “Why does Zhong Tian King keep following me?”
Outside, the rain continued to fall, splashing into puddles of mud, yet the sound only made the silence between them feel heavier.
Only after a long pause did he finally speak, his voice quiet and ethereal, like the distant sound of rain blending into the vast sky.
“Even if you are angry with me, you shouldn’t be like this. Mortals should cherish themselves more.”
Hong Ning’s voice was icy. “Of course I’m angry with you. You threw me into this wretched place, harmed Bai Ling, sheltered Lu Jiu, and now you pretend to be a benevolent figure, using your power to arrange my path forward as if you’re doing me a favor. I chose my own road—I’ll bear the consequences myself. What business is it of yours?”
Because I cannot allow you to bear such consequences alone.
He did not explain. He only wrapped her in his wide sleeves, shielding her from the cold.
Her pale face, damp with rain, had taken on a faint blue tinge. Yet not once did she show any sign of weakness. Even the look in her eyes held a trace of hatred.
This little demon—everything she did was reckless, always putting herself in danger. She was willing to pay any price for revenge, to stand against the Northern Immortal Realm. But he could not allow her to walk this path alone.
Hong Ning studied him for a long time before suddenly smiling, her anger melting into something else.
“Zhong Tian King won’t let go of me… Could it be that you’ve fallen for me? That you can’t bear to part with me?”
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