This was an old acquaintance.
Su Cheng thought in a daze, almost unable to stop herself from smiling.
Though she wasn't sure if this was due to genuine joy, the influence of divine power, or perhaps a mix of both.
Amidst the long tables filled with guests, in the brilliant, dazzling glow of the lights, right in the center of the hall echoing with song and orchestral music—
A slender, graceful figure appeared at the banquet.
That extraordinary hair color, impossible to be born of the mortal realm, made her feel as though she were looking at molten sunlight mixed with silver foil pouring into the moonlight.
It was like a flowing waterfall of liquid metal, yet also like starlight twinkling through a mist.
He was draped in a translucent, plain-colored gauze garment, its light hem fluttering with His dance steps. His lean limbs, with their smooth and defined muscles, were adorned with exquisitely carved gold rings and bells.
That intense presence instantly overwhelmed everything.
As He turned, He tilted His face up slightly, revealing a delicate jawline. His thin, rosy lips curved upward, as if smiling at every single spectator.
Even though almost everyone in the entire hall was already so drunk they couldn't tell left from right, left only to stare blankly at this descending miracle.
He continued to dance.
That body, possessing elegant curves and an agile posture, made every movement feel completely natural, transcending the rules of worldly art.
It was the embodiment of pure joy, intoxication, and vitality; it was also the incarnation of fragrant wine and sweet-scented flowers.
When He stretched out His arms, ripples spread through the air, and the fine nectar in the cups undulated.
The musicians watched Him, spellbound, yet their hands never stopped playing. They even adapted to His dance, turning the originally melodious and gentle tunes into something increasingly unrestrained and cheerful.
Some of the guests stood up with silly grins and began to dance in an erratic, spontaneous manner. The calculation and worry in their eyes faded away, leaving only a childlike, innocent happiness.
No one knew if they would ever return to normal.
Su Cheng leaned against a pillar, silently watching this scene.
Until the beautiful figure spinning to the music gradually drew closer, stepping with a light and casual dance, filling her entire field of vision.
Su Cheng: ?
Did He recognize her right now?
She had originally wanted to say something.
Those unparalleled gold and silver curls flew and tumbled wildly, brushing past her forehead and delivering an incredibly sweet and refreshing fragrance.
Su Cheng looked into His eyes.
The color of His irises was hard to summarize with specific words—it was like mead and honeydew glowing in the morning light, rippling with pure delight.
She stared at Him in a daze, as if plummeting into that mellow and rich spring of sweet nectar.
Everything around her became blurry and distant. The stone pillar behind her transformed into light, floating clouds, softly wrapping around her and lifting her to heaven.
He half-knelt before her and reached out to cup the young woman's flushed cheeks. The burning warmth in His palms seemed to dispel the last of her gloom and anxiety.
Come, my little bird—
That pleasant voice, crisp and sweet as ice wine, carried a certain wonderful rhythm as it echoed deep within her soul.
Your Highness, Su Cheng curled her lips into a smile and held His hands, let me ascend to absolute bliss—
The two of them leaned in simultaneously and kissed each other.
Unlike the previous kiss that made one feel as if falling into a dream, this time she felt as though she tasted sweet honeyed fruits and fragrant floral dew.
This was not the taking and giving of lust, but the purest kiss born for the joy of communion.
That extreme happiness was like flowing, fragrant nectar, carrying the sweetness of wild grapes and citrus, the warmth of sun-baked wooden barrels, and the joy forged through hundreds of billions of happy days and nights. It poured into her lips and tongue all at once, then bloomed within her body.
In this moment, this happiness felt like the very source of life, the pillar of support through all torments, the warm current that melted the hard ice of pain.
Confusion, hesitation, worry—everything she had experienced in the Lightless Ruins began to blur. The terrible parts seemed to vanish, leaving only the distilled joy of reuniting with an old friend.
Her fingers slipped into those cascading curls of intertwined gold and silver, greedily absorbing the world's finest vintage.
Moreover—
The sensation didn't actually feel like kissing a person, nor did it feel like drinking real wine, because there was no harshness and no aftertaste, only intense sweetness and joy.
She liked this.
For a moment, she felt it was like a sweet spring where one would willingly drown; even if she died like this, it wouldn't matter.
But this thought only lasted for a brief instant.
In a sense, this way of dying might be the most beautiful, but she still wanted to live a little longer.
At a certain moment, Su Cheng seemed to see the half-human, half-tree ancient god, gazing at her with eyes that harbored tens of millions of springs and summers.
...Ah, the God of Joy slowly straightened up, I will not take you away, my dear...
He was like the lightest morning mist at dawn. His body seemed weightless as He stepped back, an eager light swirling in His mead-like eyes.
There is no need to be sad about this...
His voice was ethereal yet clear in the hall echoing with music.
I shall take you to see...
Just as Su Cheng felt the stone pillar behind her harden, no longer that soft and floating illusion, the entire world before her abruptly changed.
The intricate crystal chandeliers, the ancient oil murals, the tables full of fine wines and delicacies, and the impeccably dressed yet thoroughly intoxicated crowds—
All of it was like a rippling water surface, smudged and shattered in the undulations. The light lost its source, transforming into a pervasive, flowing iridescence.
Reality itself seemed to dissolve, replaced by a more ancient, vast plane brimming with emotional depth.
She took a step back and found herself standing at the edge of a massive pool. The water in the circular pool carved from white jade was crystal clear, yet it refracted ever-changing, indescribable, and magnificent light and shadows.
Su Cheng saw countless shifting images: birds of prey carefully feeding their chicks, wild beasts nuzzling their mates, close friends weeping and embracing as they parted ways, soldiers on the battlefield lifting their fallen comrades, and scholars rejoicing under a solitary lamp over a new discovery.
All the complex, pure, subtle, and grand emotional vortexes that the intelligent beings of the world could enact were converging and circulating here.
Su Cheng watched blankly for a while, then raised her head to look at the deity before her.
The God of Joy was still slowly stepping back in a fluttering posture. The gauze garment rolled up like wings, revealing those long, shapely legs.
However, the golden bells on His ankles no longer made a sound.
Now He stood within a dreamlike, towering palace. Rose-colored crystals and iridescence formed the base and stairs, with a hazy golden mist diffusing everywhere.
Petals fell slowly like a gentle rain, silently spinning and dancing in the air.
A harmony that transcended the realm of what vibrating strings could produce—perfect and soft—filled the entire space.
She saw the deity ahead turn around and, with an indescribably flawless and graceful posture, reverently open His arms to bow toward the heights.
In the center of the entire space, within the dense mist where the iridescent light gathered, someone turned their head to look over.
It was a reef in the boundless sea of intoxication, a lighthouse in the storm of emotions—
It was the master of emotion itself.
Su Cheng's gaze landed on His face.
In that instant, she understood where the God of Joy's transcendent charm, which surpassed the bounds of mortal creatures, originated.
Perhaps it was merely the lingering afterglow of the radiance emanating from the being before her.
It was a face that could no longer be described with words like gorgeous, beautiful, or perfect; rather, it was a supreme sense of harmony that could make time stand still and leave the soul speechless.
In her eyes, the contours of that face were stern and cold, the lines sharp and distinct, like a master sculptor's lifelong pursuit of a masterpiece.
He had curly hair as black as ebony, skin as white as snow, and deep, sharp facial features.
The brilliant gold of his eyes was like gold tempered in the morning sun, his nose straight as a mountain range supporting the heavens, and his lips as red as blood-soaked coral.
Yes, this was naturally her preference.
It was the result of the manifestation of the deity's power, and also His response to her gaze.
After all, even though she was nearly dizzy with infatuation, she knew the God of Love had no true appearance; all manifestations were merely the faces pieced together by the human mind.
After all, that was love.
It was every emotion that intelligent beings could broadly possess: friendship, familial love, romantic love, as well as all sorts of mixed, detached, and unspeakable feelings.
Su Cheng gazed at Him earnestly, watching that face reveal various subtle changes within the iridescent light.
Sometimes, those cold and sharp features would reveal a boundless, ocean-like tolerance and doting, like parents looking at their child.
Occasionally, deep within those golden eyes, a childlike, pure yet mischievous curiosity would surge.
The God of Joy half-knelt to the side, watching her with great interest.
He leaned over to pour wine for His divine lord, His movements so elegant they defied description, every action filled with ultimate charm.
He seemed to say something.
It was likely not a language that anyone other than a deity could understand.
Su Cheng only felt that His tone was as beautiful as a song.
The God of Love did not respond, but simply looked over quietly, sharing an earnest gaze with her.
The entire world seemed to collapse and reconstruct in an instant.
Su Cheng felt as if she had fallen into a vortex, seeing the joys, sorrows, angers, and happiness, the partings and reunions of all intelligent beings since the birth of the world, surging and churning within it.
That was all kinds of love.
It was the ecstasy of regaining what was lost, the irreversible farewells, the unforgettable yearning, as well as the resolution to live and die together, and the uncomplaining, regretless devotion.
It was all the bonds that could not be let go, and all the musical scores performed by souls under the gravity of love.
Su Cheng saw the deity wave to her.
She stood up and walked over. If it is because I carry the aura of Her Highness Euphoria...
Su Cheng spoke the God of Joy's awkward-sounding name, which she had read from a book.
Although in a sense, these ancient gods did not seem to have proper names; people just gave them some, and the deities would occasionally respond depending on their mood.
So as time passed, those seemed to become their names.
The deity with gold and silver hair looked at her with a smile, seemingly tacitly accepting this address.
...I can tell the truth about this matter, as long as you believe it.
Su Cheng said, somewhat unsure.
Anyway, they had thousands of ways to see a person's memories; although they usually would not do so, mainly because they were not interested.
However, this phrasing was not quite accurate.
After all, using the word interest was too anthropomorphic.
They probably were not that humanized.
Your journey is not yet over...
The deity sitting in the seat of honor spoke softly, If you... afterwards, you can come find me.
That voice was like the trembling of lute strings soaked in dew wine, carrying an incredibly natural and bizarre rhythm; the pronunciation of every syllable made one feel utterly soothed.
Su Cheng tried to hear clearly what He said in the middle, but nearly became intoxicated by that celestial music-like voice.
And then...
The ancient deity in the iridescent light slightly tilted His head back and softly sang a gentle ballad.
She was not even sure if that was the case.
Perhaps He was just speaking.
But it was not any language she could distinguish; it was the resonance of time and space, the trembling of emotions. It was like a laser tearing through the night sky, and also like a storm whispering in the abyss.
Su Cheng could not understand its meaning.
The boundaries of language were crushed and reconstructed, every syllable stuffed with a multitude of information: countless ordinary or special moments, those insignificant or great creatures, the moments of birth and death, the moments of sorrow or joy.
Su Cheng listened blankly to that song.
It was a melody free of worldly distractions; fiery possessiveness turned into boundless bonds, desolate sorrow turned into understanding and tolerance, and frantic joy turned into a tranquil torrent.
A warm, relaxing sense of tranquility slowly permeated her mind and body.
As her consciousness scattered, the deity's face gradually blurred in the mist of light, slowly revealing more forms.
In a trance, Su Cheng saw countless overlapping faces, their eyes like rifts that devoured the mind.
That softly glowing skin tore apart, transforming into thousands of intertwined fine threads, resembling countless flailing tentacles.
