The night was deep, yet accompanied by the clear breeze and bright moon, it did not feel lonely.
A deep blue flood dragon stretched its long, slender body, slowly cruising through the clouds. Its scales reflected the moonlight, shimmering with a cold, fragmented glow.
Cangshu Bai, dressed in green, had white hair like frost and snow cascading over his shoulders. His posture was tall and straight, his robes gently lifted by the night wind. He sat quietly on the dragon's back, his features bearing their usual indifferent detachment. Yet, when he lowered his eyes to look at the girl in his arms, his gaze melted into tenderness under the bright moonlight.
Mu Ran sat in his embrace. With just an upward glance, she could see his falling white hair and handsome profile. The dragon flew steadily, and the wind brushed past their robes, tangling a few strands of their hair together.
She caught a lock of their intertwined hair, black and white mixed together with no clear boundary between them, and suddenly laughed aloud.
"Jinzhi, doesn't this look like when we tied our hair together at our wedding?"
Cangshu Bai held her hand, lowering his head to nuzzle her cheek. "Yes, it does."
Mu Ran nestled in his warm embrace, slowly intertwining her fingers with his. All she could feel was a comforting warmth.
"Jinzhi."
"I am here."
For some reason, Mu Ran's heart felt heavy with sheer contentment. She lifted her face, pressing closer to his chest. "In the future, before you go out to do anything, could you tell me?"
She added, "Even though I don't want to pry into things you don't want to talk about, I will still worry. You don't need to tell me what you're going to do; just telling me where you're going is enough. I don't want to find myself not knowing where you are when I want to look for you."
Cangshu Bai's Adam's apple bobbed slightly, his voice a bit hoarse. "Alright, I promise you."
Mu Ran's eyes curved into crescents, brimming with smiles. "Jinzhi, you're so good to me."
No, he wasn't good at all.
Feeling the emptiness of his sleeve on one side, Cangshu Bai bent down, resting his chin on the top of her head, quietly taking in her scent.
Surrounding them was a sea of clouds and mist; below were mountains, rivers, seas, and the twinkling lights of ten thousand homes.
He had looked upon this world for over a thousand years. The cycle of day and night, the shifting of landscapes—he had long found it all dull and tasteless.
But with her in his arms, the wind was still the wind, yet it had become softer; the clouds were still the clouds, yet they had become gentler.
Her cheek pressed against his slightly cool robes, and the wind blew her hair against his neck, tickling him softly.
The thousand years of indifference in Cangshu Bai's eyes were slowly shattered by the warmth of this mortal world.
It turned out that the mountains, rivers, and seas he had seen millions of times suddenly became worth cherishing, all because she was by his side.
So, the one who was truly good was her.
Yet Mu Ran was completely unaware. Playfully, she reached out to touch the sea of clouds beside them. With a flick of her fingers, the flowing mist gathered in her palm, forming a delicate flower of light.
She was completely immersed in the boundless scenery of the sky, completely oblivious to the gaze of the man beside her, which was a thousand times more lingering and affectionate than the moonlight below.
She turned her head, her black hair flying in the night wind. "Jinzhi, let's travel around and see more of the world's scenery in the future, okay?"
Cangshu Bai nodded. "Wherever you want to go, I will accompany you."
Mu Ran smiled. "Of course you have to accompany me. You are my husband, after all."
She leaned lazily into his embrace, her beautiful eyes lit up by the lights below. Then, she let out a comfortable sigh.
"This is so nice."
Cangshu Bai's fingertips gently touched her temple. "What is?"
"No scheming between cultivators, no plotting against each other. Just us, and Little Fish. The three of us together, flying through the sea of clouds in the night, heading in the direction of our home."
Not expecting to be mentioned, the flood dragon raised its deep blue head, its breath softly puffing out a warm cloud of mist, as if expressing its joy.
Mu Ran patted the top of its head, but her hand was quickly caught and pulled back by Cangshu Bai.
The dragon rolled its eyes, cursing inwardly: Stingy.
Cangshu Bai completely pulled her back into his embrace. Although his movements were gentle and affectionate, they also felt like a cage, confining her to a small world where she could only touch him.
He asked softly, "Are you cold?"
Mu Ran originally wanted to shake her head and say no, but when she looked up and met the bottomless tenderness and possessiveness in his eyes, her heart softened. She deliberately curved her eyes and cooed softly, "Yes, I'm cold."
Thus, as if given the most justified reason in the world, Cangshu Bai tightened his arms slightly, pressing her even closer to his chest.
His green robes wrapped around her, bringing layers of warmth, not letting even a sliver of wind through.
He lowered his head, his voice husky and satisfied. "Then like this, you won't be cold anymore."
Beneath them, the blue dragon seemed to understand human romance. It quietly slowed its pace, carrying the embracing couple through the bright moon and sea of clouds, slowly heading toward the light shining just for them.
Mu Ran grew bolder, propping herself up to kiss the corner of his lips.
The corners of Cangshu Bai's lips curled upward, unable to hide the joy spreading from his very soul.
Mu Ran said, "I learned how to make mung bean cakes from Xiaobao's mother. Tomorrow let's go to town to buy ingredients, and I'll make some for you to try."
He replied, "Alright."
She added, "I also learned how to brew sweet wine. When the weather gets warmer, we can build a little shed in the courtyard, and drink it while basking in the sun."
He lowered his head to rest against her forehead, softly answering again, "Alright."
She laughed out loud. "Next time there's a full moon, let's take Little Fish to the mountain peak to look at the moon. And then, I want to hear the story of The Green-Clad Guest."
This time, Cangshu Bai did not immediately follow up with "Alright."
A faint trace of panic flashed through his eyes, and his expression revealed a rarity of awkwardness never seen on a normal day.
In front of Mu Ran, he had always been a dignified and self-restrained gentleman, perfect in his words and actions, never overstepping boundaries.
But under the title of The Green-Clad Guest, he had once resorted to any means necessary to achieve his goals, doing so many wicked deeds that even he didn't want to count them.
Mu Ran watched his troubled expression with great interest, deliberately teasing him in a mocking tone, "What's wrong, is it hard to say? Could it be that the rumors of The Green-Clad Guest owing many romantic debts are—mmph!"
He covered her mouth, his expression turning even more complicated. "Those rumors cannot be taken as true."
Mu Ran blinked.
As if defeated, Cangshu Bai lowered his hand. "If you want to hear it, I will tell you."
Rather than letting her hear those exaggerated rumors, it was better for him to personally tell the story of The Green-Clad Guest.
The arrogant and unyielding Cangshu Bai was actually at a loss!
The dragon wagged its tail, gloating over his misfortune.
Mu Ran's little mischievousness was satisfied, putting her in a very good mood. She leaned lazily back against Cangshu Bai's chest and pointed at a small light below. "Jinzhi, that's our home."
Cangshu Bai lowered his eyes, following her fingertip.
That faint yet steady light among the thousands of lights, separated by the vast sea of clouds, was so incredibly bright.
He had once been all alone, watching the rise and fall of the mortal realm, feeling only that the world was dull.
Until this moment, with her in his arms, home beneath them, and the rest of their lives ahead.
Cangshu Bai gently closed his eyes, his voice so soft it melted into the wind. "Yes, we are home."
From this moment on, there would be no more lonely journeys, only the way home.
