In the vast sky.
As if sensing the turbulent aura around Xiao Yuyan, the scattered threads of Heavenly Dao power, which had previously been fleeing in panic, now stirred restlessly, gathering around him.
Yet before they could even draw near, they were instantly devoured and annihilated by the spiritual energy swirling around him.
Even gravely wounded, he remained a being surpassing all else between heaven and earth.
Step by step, Xiao Yuyan walked toward the swirling vortex of time and space.
Wherever he passed, the chaotic void and Heavenly Dao forces were swept away and consumed without even a chance to escape.
Only then did they realize—
An unrestrained Xiao Yuyan was far more dangerous to them.
It wasn’t until his figure disappeared into the vortex that the tumultuous sky finally quieted.
The surviving remnants of Heavenly Dao power cautiously shrank into the corners, not daring to move.
They slipped away, strand by strand, from the heavens, then lay dormant, attempting to use their own power to guide the proper workings of the cultivation world.
Not far away, a delicate Rain-Blooming Ephemeral—crafted from spiritual energy and so fragile it seemed it might be swallowed by the void at any moment—swayed in the wind. Yet nothing dared approach it.
Not long after Xu Wanci returned to the Sword Summit, drowsiness overtook her.
When she opened her eyes again, she found herself in a dream.
Before her stretched a clear lotus pond.
Vast clusters of Serene Jade Lotuses bloomed in unrestrained splendor—pale red, soft pink, deep crimson—all blending together in layers of breathtaking beauty.
Xu Wanci stood before the pond, her gaze forcibly calm.
Her eyes swept past the direction of Falling Jade Peak without lingering.
In this dream, she couldn’t afford to lose control like last time.
The best course was to wait here—for sleep to deepen, for the moment she would wake in reality.
She suppressed the faint flicker of joy that arose upon realizing this was a dream.
Recalling the memories in her mind, she slowly blinked.
Three months had passed since her last dream.
Just as in the original story, her original self had obtained the Inkfrost Sacred Orchid, enhancing both her talent and cultivation.
Her gaze finally settled on the lotus pond ahead, and she stepped forward.
The original owner had come here to complete a sect mission: gathering lotus seeds from the Serene Jade Lotuses.
The task wasn’t difficult, merely tedious.
The seeds were sensitive to spiritual energy. Cultivators below the Foundation Establishment stage—especially those at the Qi Refining level who hadn’t yet mastered concealing their aura—could only pluck them one by one by hand.
Though her control over spiritual energy was exceptional, this body’s cultivation was only at the sixth level of Qi Refining.
So, she had no choice but to extract the seeds manually.
Xu Wanci waded into the pond, bent down, and brushed her slender fingers over a lotus heart. A single seed appeared at her fingertips.
Under the moonlight, a lone figure stood amidst the sea of Serene Jade Lotuses, patiently plucking seeds one by one.
Even as the task grew monotonous, not a trace of impatience crossed her face.
It was as if nothing else existed—not even the familiar presence nearby that she had long since recognized.
The moment Xiao Yuyan saw Xu Wanci, the desire in his heart surged like a tidal wave, refusing to be quelled.
Everything within him screamed to draw closer, to trap her—
To make her eyes see only him in this moment.
The spiritual energy around him condensed into icy, bone-chilling cold, yet he restrained it perfectly, not allowing a single wisp to escape.
His fingertips tensed to the extreme.
In the end, his spiritual energy spilled forward uncontrollably—yet it merely brushed past Xu Wanci’s stray strands of hair like a gentle breeze, never letting her feel even the slightest pressure.
He watched quietly as she bent over the lotuses, her expression focused and serene. Gradually, the energy around him receded.
Just… seeing her was enough.
Xiao Yuyan’s gaze swept over the countless lotus seeds in the pond. He lifted his right hand, pale spiritual energy swirling at his fingertips—only to dissipate into the wind moments later.
Then, without a ripple disturbing the water, he stepped into the pond.
He didn’t use spiritual energy. Instead, like Xu Wanci, he began carefully extracting seeds from the lotus hearts, one by one.
Even for something he had never done before, his movements flowed with effortless grace.
His fingers traced each lotus heart, depositing the seeds into his palm before gently placing them into a storage pouch woven from spiritual energy.
When he glanced up at the figure not far away, his expression softened.
As long as she was near, even the simplest actions filled him with quiet joy.
Even the relentless hunger in his heart seemed to settle, if only slightly.
Xu Wanci had noticed Xiao Yuyan’s presence the moment he entered the pond.
Yet she gave no reaction, continuing her task as before.
Everything in the dream was too easy to lose oneself in.
Even someone as self-disciplined as her had instinctively chosen to retreat the moment she felt control slipping.
That was why, this time, she hadn’t gone to Falling Jade Peak.
She knew he would be there.
But she hadn’t expected him to come to such a remote place.
In the dream, given his status, a pond of third-grade Serene Jade Lotuses wouldn’t even warrant a second glance from him.
And she certainly hadn’t imagined he would spend two hours beside her, silently harvesting seeds—
Without a word, without using spiritual energy.
He had simply… stayed with her.
As if he were just another ordinary cultivator, quietly completing a mundane, tedious task.
There was only one reason he would do this.
Her.
Xu Wanci’s hands stilled.
Had he arrogantly used his power to complete the task for her, or casually leveraged his status to clear her mission with a word—
She wouldn’t have felt much at all.
Those actions would have been too effortless, something anyone around her in reality could do.
But this…
He had simply stayed.
As long as she remained silent, he would have stayed with her until the dream ended.
The realization finally made her look up—
Just in time to see Xiao Yuyan pluck the last lotus seed.
His moon-white sleeve brushed against the pale red petals, and in the next moment, a glistening seed rested in his jade-like hand.
With the same solemn care as if handling a priceless treasure, he placed it into the storage pouch, his gaze utterly focused.
In that instant, the untouchable, revered Immortal Venerable Qingyan seemed to carry a trace of mortal dust about him.
Xu Wanci stared, transfixed.
Before, she hadn’t wanted to leave the dream because he matched the idealized figure she had imagined—a powerful, gentle Immortal Venerable who always put her first.
But now…
Watching him frown slightly as he counted the seeds in the pouch, she found herself unable to look away.
At that moment, her heartbeat slowed as if time around her had frozen.
She realized with startling clarity:
Her pulse quickened only because of him.
Nothing to do with her imagination.
Xu Wanci exhaled softly:
If she were to walk away now, would she regret it?
If the dream ended at this very moment, would she regret it?
The instant the question formed in her mind, she already had her answer.
Forget it.
She resigned herself:
It was just a fleeting dream, destined to fade.
Even if she lost herself in it, how long could it last?
She would try not to lose control—but she didn’t want to turn away either.
Amidst the lotus pond, Xu Wanci stepped onto the water’s surface, her pace slow but unwavering as she moved toward the figure ahead.
Xiao Yuyan watched her approach, his breath and heartbeat suddenly thrown into disarray.
At that moment, the whispers of desire in his heart were silenced, and the spiritual energy around him softened.
He extended a storage pouch toward her:
"Are these lotus seeds enough?"
Xu Wanci took it, her voice carrying a sigh yet laced with quiet amusement:
"Just right."
Xiao Yuyan noticed the faint warmth in her tone and stiffened imperceptibly.
Almost instinctively, he spoke:
"Then, Wanci, is there…"
Anything else you want?
Before he could finish, she seemed to guess his words and shook her head:
"Nothing."
Then, seeing the flicker of disappointment in his gaze, she blinked and teased:
"Next time we meet, how about a different question?"
"Like… 'Have you missed me?'"
"Yes."
Xiao Yuyan answered without hesitation, his eyes fixed on her with unwavering sincerity.
Hearing his response, Xu Wanci’s hands instinctively clenched—only to force herself to relax the next second.
She averted her gaze, looking instead at the tranquil lotus blossoms filling the pond, and murmured as if surrendering to fate:
"What a coincidence."
She didn’t answer directly, but her silence was confirmation enough.
It was as if Xiao Yuyan had never guarded himself against her.
Once again, she heard his heartbeat with startling clarity.
The moment it quickened, the wintry aura around him deepened—cool and distant, yet carrying the lingering tenderness of early spring frost, intoxicating enough to lose oneself in.
Abruptly, Xu Wanci spoke:
"Xiao Yuyan."
Feeling the energy around her enveloping her completely, she lifted her head and said earnestly:
"Since the day we met, you’ve helped me so much."
"This time, you’ve even helped me complete my task far ahead of time."
As she spoke, she gathered spiritual energy in her palm:
"I have nothing of value to offer, so let me give you a lotus instead."
To shape an object from spiritual energy as a gift—this was her unspoken acknowledgment.
Even in a dream, she couldn’t bring herself to take without giving.
Xiao Yuyan froze at her words, then watched as she painstakingly molded a lotus blossom from energy.
Perhaps still unpracticed, her movements were clumsy; the energy dispersed several times before taking shape.
His own energy surged, an instinctive urge to assist her—but seeing her focused expression, he simply cupped his hands beneath her half-formed lotus, cradling it with infinite care.
His gaze softened as he watched her, and in the quiet, the voices in his heart threatened to rise again.
Half a cup of tea later, Xu Wanci stared at the lopsided lotus in her hand, a wry smile tugging at her lips:
No matter how skilled she was at manipulating energy, her current cultivation was still too weak.
Just as she considered dissolving it to try again, a pair of jade-like hands gently enclosed the fragile blossom.
Xiao Yuyan’s energy shielded it completely:
"I love it."
Xu Wanci eyed the awkward, misshapen lotus, now dwarfed by his elegant fingers, and reached out stubbornly:
"It’s not pretty."
Xiao Yuyan evaded her grasp, contradicting her for the first time:
"It is."
Seeing him guard the lotus with an almost wary expression, Xu Wanci suddenly found him more vivid, more real.
She sighed in surrender:
"Fine."
But she couldn’t resist adding:
"When my cultivation improves, I’ll make you the most beautiful lotus in the world."
Her smile was bright, as if the unspoken thought didn’t exist:
If this dream lasts until then.
Xiao Yuyan’s hands stilled imperceptibly.
The word "when" from her lips pierced him like a blade, leaving him bleeding inside.
Their… when.
It was his future with her—not his own.
In that instant, the desires he had forcibly suppressed surged back with a vengeance.
Everything he had tried to ignore came crashing down.
If only it could be just him.
If only there were no "him" from a century ago—just the two of them, now.
His lashes lowered, shadows pooling in his eyes.
"Besides this lotus…"
Xu Wanci studied the blossom in Xiao Yuyan’s hands and couldn’t help mimicking his earlier tone:
"Is there anything else you want?"
She mentally inventoried her lack of treasures and cleared her throat:
"As long as it’s within my power."
Xiao Yuyan stared at her—lively, unrestrained, as if willing to grant any wish—and heard the last threads of his restraint snap.
His energy coiled around her recklessly, his cool aura twining around her like a possessive embrace.
He watched as strands of his power brushed against her lips, her neck, her waist.
And then he heard his own voice, tender yet coaxing:
"Wanci, don’t go to Luoyu Peak anymore, all right?"
"I dislike that place."
She had given him the right to be bold.
If she never went to Luoyu Peak, she would never cross paths with the "him" of the past.
There would only be him.
And he heard Xu Wanci’s reply—puzzled but sincere:
"All right."
