Xiao Yuyan lingered on Xu Wanci’s form of address, his gaze resting on her still slightly unfamiliar eyes, as if realizing something—a flicker of emotion passed through his gaze.
This might be their second encounter since that day.
During this time, Xu Wanci still hadn’t recognized the ‘him’ from before.
Then—
Was it possible that the present him had left a trace in her past?
That a hundred years later, a fleeting thought of hers would be about him?
Even if he was merely a substitute.
A stand-in for the ‘him’ of the past, meeting her first.
Yet, when this realization struck, he felt no guilt—only a furtive, unworthy delight.
He watched as Xu Wanci stepped toward him, his gaze brimming with an almost obsessive tenderness.
Amidst the sea of blooming Rainlotus flowers, he stood there, as if straddling the boundary between dream and reality, leaving only truth behind.
Xu Wanci looked at the figure before her, her breath unconsciously softening. Her expression remained as it had been at their last parting—polite and distant, as befitting a mere acquaintance.
With each step forward, countless thoughts raced through her mind:
This dream might continue, or it might end forever after this moment.
Should she leave again, as she had last time?
Her unwavering steps forward already gave her the answer.
It was as if she had been convincing herself all along:
She could distinguish reality from illusion, but she wouldn’t run from her own desires.
After all, this was just a dream.
A harmless one, within her control, something she could withdraw from at any time.
There was no downside for her.
If she sensed danger, she could simply leave as she had before.
With this in mind, Xu Wanci stopped seven paces away from Xiao Yuyan.
Meeting his gaze—clear as melting snow, focused and tender—her heartbeat faltered for an instant, and her eyes softened with reluctant surrender.
It was just a dream.
How long could she stay, even if she lingered?
She lifted her eyes to the man before her and ventured softly,
“Does the promise Immortal Venerable made two months ago still hold?”
At her question, Xiao Yuyan felt as if a gentle breeze had brushed through his heart:
This truly was their second meeting.
Only their second meeting.
Without a moment’s hesitation, he replied,
“Of course.”
Xu Wanci had her answer:
So this really was a continuous dream.
The corners of her lips curled into a light, carefree smile as she said,
“Then I’d like to know… your name.”
Xiao Yuyan met her faintly smiling gaze, heard the intimacy in her request, and felt every last shred of restraint crumble.
He no longer wanted to hide his existence, no longer wanted to withdraw from her past.
He heard his own voice answer,
“Xiao Yuyan.”
In that moment, he realized with perfect clarity:
Their first meeting, their first acquaintance—it had all been him.
No matter how close she later became with the ‘him’ of the past, right now, it was only him.
Xu Wanci showed no surprise at his answer.
She blinked, but instead of using his name, she addressed him by his title:
“Immortal Venerable Qingyan.”
Hearing her voice, Xiao Yuyan finally snapped back to reality.
He noticed the cautious probing in Xu Wanci’s eyes, his fingertips twitching imperceptibly:
Of course. With her intelligence, she must have already sensed something amiss.
Now, as if fearing his anger, she dared only to voice her suspicions so carefully.
She shouldn’t be like this.
She should be free, unafraid of anyone or anything.
Threads of spiritual energy, belonging solely to Xiao Yuyan, silently enveloped Xu Wanci, wrapping around her in a gentle embrace.
Xiao Yuyan acknowledged the title softly:
“It’s me.”
Hearing his voice, even gentler than before, Xu Wanci blinked knowingly:
As expected. In her dream, this man’s favor toward her… wouldn’t waver over minor deceptions.
She tilted her head slightly, her explanation unconsciously laced with ease:
“This disciple had some suspicions. Since this is your spiritual peak, ordinary cultivators shouldn’t be able to appear here at all.”
Here, she coughed lightly and added,
“But I feared Immortal Venerable’s displeasure, so I pretended not to know, hoping to muddle through and leave safely.”
“I didn’t expect you… to be so kind and generous.”
“This disciple has misjudged you.”
Xiao Yuyan watched her steal glances at him as she spoke, his heart melting into warmth.
Unconsciously, he took two steps forward—but halted abruptly when he noticed Xu Wanci’s slight tension.
Instead of closing the distance, he said softly, “Just call me by my name.”
“We… are friends.”
“With me, you need no titles.”
“Never.”
His voice held no trace of the chasm-like gap in their cultivation, nor any hint of coercion.
He spoke as an equal—or even from a slightly lower position—expressing nothing more than his… hope.
Xu Wanci’s heartbeat quickened.
She saw his pause, heard his indulgence, and felt keenly the boundless favor he had shown her since their first meeting.
Though the man before her carried an aura as clear and icy as a glacier, she sensed an undercurrent of warmth.
A warmth that seemed meant for her alone.
In that moment, she realized:
No one would ever understand her better than herself.
And only she knew the kind of person who could make her heart stir.
Xu Wanci steadied her pulse, forcing down her thoughts with sheer competitiveness.
Why should she be the only one thrown into disarray?
Even in a dream, fairness mattered.
She took a step forward.
Now, the distance between them was close enough to hear each other’s breaths.
Lifting her head, she spoke with unprecedented solemnity:
“Xiao Yuyan.”
Now, the heartbeat thrown into chaos wasn’t just hers.
Xiao Yuyan’s eyes held nothing but the woman before him.
The tender sprout in his heart, nourished by the flood of his emotions, burst forth with dozens of new leaves in an instant.
His affection deepened with every moment spent in her presence.
Xu Wanci had always been sensitive to others’ emotions. Though she couldn’t hear his heartbeat, she noticed his daze.
A thread of secret delight unfurled within her—one she attributed to her victory over the dream.
Still looking up at him, she said earnestly,
“I don’t think I’ve introduced myself to you yet.”
“I’m an ordinary outer disciple of the Taiqing Sect—Xu Wanci.”
“You can call me…”
She considered many options before settling on one, using the dream as her excuse:
“Wanwan.”
A name no one had ever called her before.
Her own act of indulgence and favor toward this dream.
For a moment, the world seemed to pause—wind stilled, sound hushed.
Xu Wanci, whose cultivation was worlds apart from Xiao Yuyan’s, could somehow hear his heartbeat at this moment—completely disordered, utterly out of control.
The chilling frost and snow qi surrounding her did not press upon her in the slightest.
Then came a tender, hushed whisper:
"Wanwan."
Xu Wanci clenched her hands abruptly.
This time, even she—always so rational—felt herself teetering toward loss of control.
The vigilance ingrained in her soul snapped her back to awareness in an instant.
She took a step back, putting distance between them, pulling herself away from the presence before her.
Pressing her lips together, she forced herself to steady.
Even if this was a dream, even if she could stay, even if she could… let herself feel this way—she could not afford to lose control.
She had to maintain the self-discipline to leave the dream at any moment.
With a rationality that bordered on ruthlessness, Xu Wanci recalled how she had left the dream last time.
If she remembered correctly, it was when she had fallen asleep within the dream.
Upon waking, she had returned to reality.
Though she had already guessed the method of departure, for some reason, she hesitated to take that first step.
She lifted her head and saw the dream’s version of Xiao Yuyan standing not far away, looking at her with confusion and hesitation. Yet, as if attuned to her thoughts, he did not take a single step forward, careful not to trouble her.
Lowering her gaze, she surrendered to resignation and sat down amidst the field of Rain-Transforming Ephemerals.
Brushing her fingers over a blue blossom, she thought with self-reproach:
Where she slept didn’t matter—as long as she fell asleep, it would be enough.
Watching Xu Wanci sit silently among the flowers, head bowed, Xiao Yuyan raised his right hand. A wisp of spiritual qi drifted toward her but brushed past without touching her.
He did not step closer, only murmuring softly, a trace of loneliness in his voice:
"Wanwan."
The moment Xu Wanci heard him, her heartbeat faltered again.
Steadying herself, she exhaled slowly.
Even if this was a dream, she shouldn’t… disregard the feelings of the dream’s inhabitants just for her own peace of mind, leaving without a second thought.
The fault lay with her—her lack of self-control.
Not with the Xiao Yuyan of this dream.
She lifted her head and patted the space beside her.
"Standing is tiring. Why don’t you sit for a while?"
At her words, the uncertainty in Xiao Yuyan’s eyes faded slightly. He obeyed, settling beside her—though keeping a half-meter’s distance.
Gazing at her as she silently admired the scenery, he found himself at a loss for words that might bring her joy.
As before, his voice was almost tentative as he asked:
"Wanwan, is there anything you want?"
For some reason, Xu Wanci thought she detected a hint of pleading and eagerness to please in his tone.
The refusal on her lips circled once, then dissolved unspoken.
Perhaps it was the guilt of deciding to leave, or perhaps it was because the person beside her seemed utterly harmless. Or maybe, since this was just a dream, even if someone were listening, her answer wouldn’t affect her in the slightest.
As drowsiness crept over her, she made no effort to conceal her truest self.
Closing her eyes, her voice was as soft as a whisper:
"I want to become strong."
"I want to possess the finest talent, the highest cultivation, to have control over my own life."
"I want… to live freely."
The moment her eyes shut, a gentle surge of spiritual qi cradled her.
Xiao Yuyan watched as she drifted into peaceful slumber before him and answered tenderly:
"Alright."
Threads of spiritual qi infused with the laws of the heavens were ruthlessly stripped from his body. A treasure lost to the world for nearly a millennium slowly took shape before him.
He gazed at the Inkfrost Sacred Orchid but did not merge it directly into Xu Wanci’s being. Instead, he wove it into a pocket realm—one only she could enter.
Then, he placed it along the path she most often walked.
The Inkfrost Sacred Orchid waited silently in that realm, biding its time until Xu Wanci would one day discover it and fuse with it.
With this act, every last drop of spiritual qi was drained from Xiao Yuyan’s body, his form growing increasingly translucent.
This time, the alterations to the past had pushed him to the brink of what he could endure.
Yet he simply watched the sleeping figure beside him, the spiritual qi supporting her as gentle as ever.
His nearly transparent fingertips brushed her cheek without a sound:
Let her believe the Inkfrost Sacred Orchid was simply a stroke of fortune.
Let it have nothing to do with anyone else.
"Sweet dreams."
