Mu Ran's eyes grew red, tears swirling in them as she fought hard to keep them from falling.
"Are we not husband and wife? We are supposed to share our burdens and our blessings, but you always shut me out of your storms."
"We have made many vows, but the one I remember most vividly is what you said when we married: that we would grow old together and share life and death."
"But you refuse to even give me a chance to share your burdens. How can we be considered... people who share life and death?"
As soon as she finished speaking, her tears finally fell silently, so hot that they made his hand tremble slightly.
Cangshu Bai hurriedly wiped away her tears. "I'm sorry, Ranran. It's my fault, it's all my fault."
Without him realizing it, the iron-cold edge of his youth and the restrained composure of his adulthood slowly merged and overlapped in this moment.
The young Cangshu Bai, who once only knew calculation and was full of murderous intent, still instinctively clenched his fists, wanting to block all danger from her and carve out a bloody path on his own.
Yet the adult Cangshu Bai, who guarded his wife, had tasted warmth, and learned to yield and be gentle, was gently unclenching his knuckles, willing for the first time to lay his vulnerabilities bare before her.
Two appearances, one soul.
His sharp edges were softened by the heat of her tears, and his cold, desolate heart burned from their touch.
The arrogance of the youth and the restraint of the adult shattered together into a pool of tenderness the moment her tears fell.
He was no longer the man who would only shoulder everything alone, nor was he the youth who acted arbitrarily and did whatever he pleased.
At this moment, Cangshu Bai was merely an ordinary man who feared his wife's tears, feared her grievances, and feared her unhappiness.
He held her tightly, his voice incredibly hoarse. "I was wrong. I shouldn't have hidden it from you... I should, I should learn to be honest with you."
Although being honest was very difficult for him, he had to try to learn.
Cangshu Bai had walked his path alone for a very long time. His upbringing dictated that he would habitually hide everything in his heart and then rely solely on himself to solve it.
As for the person he cared about, he only wanted to place her in the safest greenhouse, where storms could not invade and all dangers were kept at bay.
But just as Mu Ran said, they were husband and wife. Sometimes, Mu Ran also wanted him to rely on her more.
The little blue fish trapped in his sea of consciousness shook its head. Evidently, as its master no longer rejected his own soul, the memories bound by the Realm of Reincarnation were also released.
It recalled everything, thought of the various events in the Realm of Reincarnation, and raised its head again, looking around nervously.
The black mist that originally covered everything, threatening to swallow the soul at any moment, was now silently beginning to recede.
Strand by strand, like ice and snow meeting warmth, it melted away on its own the moment its master finally became honest and accepted himself.
Where the black mist retreated, the sea of consciousness gradually became clear and translucent, rippling with a faint, stable blue light.
Han Yu happily wagged its tail.
Sure enough, the master could not do without the mistress!
"It's a promise, then. From now on, if there are any problems, you are not allowed to hide them from me."
Her voice was light and lively, which felt somewhat off.
Cangshu Bai raised his eyes to look at her.
Mu Ran's lips curled up in a light and lively smile, her eyes sparkling, as if the grievances and tears from just a moment ago were entirely an illusion.
Where was the trace of the woman from moments ago, speaking with a sob, ready to drop tears at any second, looking as though she were carving a piece out of his heart?
Cangshu Bai: "..."
Mu Ran looked triumphant. "What, are you the only one allowed to scheme against people? Can't I scheme against you just this once?"
He was silent for a moment before saying, "No."
She pinched his cheek. "Today I made you fall into my hands for once, just to take you down a peg."
Mu Ran smiled too brightly, too eagerly, as if afraid he wouldn't believe her, desperately hiding all her fragility deep in her eyes.
Her eyelashes were still wet with undried tears, trembling slightly when she smiled. Beneath that lightness lay a careful, overwhelming fear that he would blame himself again.
Cangshu Bai's throat tightened. No matter how cold and hard his heart was, it ached at her forced smile.
He raised his hand and gently covered the hand she was using to pinch his cheek. His thumb brushed across her palm, which was beginning to turn transparent and fade away, and his voice was terribly hoarse.
"Falling into your hands... I do so willingly."
The smile remained on Mu Ran's face, but her silhouette was now veiled in a very faint mist of light. With a gentle touch, she seemed ready to scatter into dust and smoke.
She was still trying desperately to hold on, smiling easily, though the force pinching his cheek was as soft as a feather.
"Don't be sad... I am just... going ahead to wait for you."
The scene of her sacrifice in Zhenyue Mountain City many years ago flashed before Cangshu Bai's eyes again. He felt his heart being brutally torn apart. His fingers pressed desperately against her fading palm, and even his breathing trembled.
"Ranran..." He was so hoarse he couldn't form a complete word, his eyes once again surging with a nearly collapsing sorrow.
Mu Ran smiled gently.
"Jinzhi, don't be afraid. I won't die. I'm just going home."
"We agreed before, you have to make the best cradle in the world for our child."
"So, you have to come home quickly too."
Mu Ran found it increasingly difficult to speak, yet she still struggled to maintain her smile.
"You know, I love you very much. If you never wake up, I will be very sad... very sad."
"Come back quickly. Come find me quickly."
"I will wait for you."
As these words fell, a very faint, soft light suddenly emanated from her body. Her figure rapidly became transparent. From her fingertips to her wrists, from her sleeves to her shoulders and neck, she gradually turned into fine dust of light, swept away by the winds of the Realm of Reincarnation.
The next moment, the motes of light completely scattered.
His embrace was left empty; there was not a trace of her shadow before his eyes.
Cangshu Bai froze in place. He reached out and grasped repeatedly, only catching a handful of cold nothingness.
Just then, Han Yu slowly swam out. It raised its head, its sparkling blue eyes looking at him quietly. It made no sound, but it seemed to be asking him over and over again.
Master, what should we do now?
Cangshu Bai's hands hanging by his sides slowly clenched, his knuckles turning white and veins bulging slightly. That stiff, cold body finally stood up straight, little by little.
His green robes fluttered, and his white hair was like frost. The sharp edge of his youth and the profound grief of his adulthood completely merged within him, no longer divided.
He raised his eyes and looked out of the cave at the thick, ink-like darkness that devoured everything.
"Ranran is still waiting for me to come home."
The next moment, a long spear with flowing dark patterns and a piercing chill appeared in his hand out of thin air. The tip of the spear trembled, pointing straight at the end of reincarnation.
"This realm is not worthy of stopping me."
A pitch-black spear light tore through heaven and earth, shattering the sea of consciousness, reincarnation, illusory time, and imprisoning demonic energy.
All restraints crumbled entirely under this single thrust.
Time flowed endlessly in the mountains. Protected by a formation, it was filled with the songs of birds and the fragrance of flowers all year round, brimming with vitality. Even the wind carried a gentle warmth.
On the bed, the white-haired young man suddenly opened his eyes, the piercing coldness and murderous aura in them yet to dissipate. His gaze abruptly froze when it touched the familiar canopy above.
He pushed himself up almost immediately, stepping barefoot onto the cool floor. His voice carried the hoarse panic of someone who had lost and found something precious: "Ranran?"
No one answered.
Cangshu Bai left the room and walked briskly across the courtyard. It was not until a very faint, incredibly sweet fragrance drifted into his nose that his figure flashed, and he appeared at the kitchen door.
Mu Ran was standing quietly in front of the stove. With her sleeves rolled up to reveal her slender, fair wrists, she protectively held her swelling belly with one hand while slowly lifting the lid of the steamer with the other.
White mist curled upwards, carrying the sweet and refreshing scent of beans, filling half the kitchen.
Sunlight slanted in through the wooden window, falling on her lowered brows and eyes, looking as soft as an unbreakable painting.
Hearing his footsteps, she looked back. Seeing it was him, her eyes instantly melted into a pool of spring water. She smiled softly, You are awake? The mung bean cakes are just done steaming.
Cangshu Bai stood at the door, his empty chest suddenly filled to the brim.
He walked over slowly. An arm formed of black spiritual energy propped up his empty sleeve, and together with his other hand of normal skin tone, he gently embraced her from behind, also touching the light and lively aura emerging from her belly.
He buried his face in her neck, breathing in her reassuring scent. His voice was hoarse, but incredibly grounded.
Ranran, I am home.
Mu Ran relaxed into his embrace, picked up a warm pastry, and brought it to his lips. She looked up at him with a shallow smile, I deliberately added more sugar this time. Taste it and see if it is good.
Cangshu Bai opened his mouth slightly and swallowed the warm mung bean cake.
The sweetness spread almost instantly, so rich it was almost cloying, yet it strangely overpowered all the bitterness in his memories.
He buried his face deeper into her neck, his breath scalding, his Adam's apple bobbing gently.
Mu Ran asked, Is it not good?
He shook his head and said, It is delicious.
Then why do you look like you are still unhappy?
He did not say a word.
Mu Ran sighed, Jinzhi, we agreed. You are not allowed to hide anything from me anymore.
His lips pressed together slightly, ...Will you despise me?
Mu Ran, Ah?
The youth in the Realm of Reincarnation is younger than me, more... more vigorous than me... He involuntarily tightened his arms around her body, greedily breathing in the scent of her neck, afraid to look up at her. My body... is no longer that vibrant.
The youth in the Realm of Reincarnation was afraid he was inferior to the grown man.
And how could the grown man not be afraid that he could not compare to the youth?
He felt like a dying, withered tree, exuding an aura of decay from head to toe.
Oh no.
Back then, Mu Ran had not been able to resist a moment of passion with her husband in the Realm of Reincarnation, but it ended up making him sensitive and insecure.
She had to find a way to coax him.
But she could not think of any good ideas!
In her panic, Mu Ran blurted out, Actually, being young is not necessarily that great. He was done in just one go.
Yes, the youth was too sensitive; it was only on the second round that he performed normally.
Cangshu Bai's body trembled, however, and his voice was exceptionally low. Just one go... it really is something that makes people dislike it.
On the night of their reunion five hundred years later, had he not also surrendered his armor and weapons in an instant?
Mu Ran sweated profusely.
Oh no, she said the wrong thing again!
Han Yu secretly took a bite of a mung bean cake, its eyes darting back and forth between the male master and the female master, its mind full of curiosity.
What was this about one go or two goes? What were they talking about?
As expected, the human race was just hard to understand.
Han Yu sorrowfully jumped back into the water vat and gloomily blew bubbles.
It was so witty, smart, handsome, and dashing, why had no little female fish taken a fancy to it!
