After returning home, Mu Ran climbed right into bed to catch up on her sleep.
Having made such a large sum of money, she slept exceptionally deeply and peacefully, and even had a dream.
In her dream, she slept a very long time in a place where the water met the sky. She sat up, stretching comfortably, and upon opening her eyes, saw sparkling, rippling water, as if she were in a fairy wonderland on earth.
She stood up in a daze, walking slowly forward in a world that seemed to have no end. In the blink of an eye, she saw a familiar figure.
The man stood at the edge of a hazy, luminous mist. His dark robes draped like spilling ink, fluttering without any wind, making the air around him seem heavier.
Most piercing to the eyes was his long hair. It was not an ordinary frosty white, but rather like eternal, unmelting snow, or crushed moonlight, cascading down his shoulders. Every strand was distinct, shimmering with a cold, clear luster in the dim, vast world.
He originally stood as still as a cold stone, an unmelting silence settling between his brows. The moment he saw her, the chilling aura around him shattered and melted away, like a suddenly pierced sheet of ice.
In those usually indifferent eyes, a silent deep pool suddenly churned, flashing with a trace of unbelievable shock. His gaze fixed upon her and could no longer look away.
Mu Ran asked in confusion, "Jinzhi?"
The black figure closed in like a phantom. A hand pressed her forcefully into his embrace with an intensity bordering on a loss of control. It was as if he wanted to crush her into his very flesh and blood, just to confirm that this was not a fleeting, fragile illusion.
The young man buried his face in the crook of her neck, desperately breathing in the air that carried her scent. His long-suppressed emotions seemed wrapped in tremors; his back and shoulders, usually as cold and hard as iron, were actually trembling slightly at this moment.
A scalding tear fell unexpectedly, burning the skin on the side of her neck.
Then came a second drop, and a third. The agonizing heat seemed to seep into her skin, burning so much that it made her heart ache.
Mu Ran was completely at a loss.
In her memory, Cangshu Bai was mature, steady, yet also very aloof. Let alone crying, she had never even seen him look sad or upset.
Although Cangshu Bai was not a cultivator with formidable power, in her heart, she inexplicably felt that he was very strong. How could someone with such a strong mind ever have a day where they cried?
She thought that this dream she was having was very strange.
Mu Ran subconsciously raised her hand and gently patted his back. Her fingertips touched his snow-white hair again, and she could not help but tremble slightly.
"Jinzhi, what is wrong with you?"
He pressed tightly against her cheek, his breath scalding hot, murmuring incessantly, "Do not leave me... Ranran, never leave me."
"I will not leave you," Mu Ran softly comforted him. "Did we not make a promise when we got married? For all eternity, through life and death, we will follow each other. You are the person I love; I could never bear to leave you."
The arms wrapping around her body tightened further, like an imprisoning cage. It was as if he wanted to lock her firmly against his chest, refusing to give her even the slightest chance to vanish again.
The body beneath the dark fabric was taut and trembling. The damp, hot breaths against her neck grew heavier, mixing with the moisture of undried tears to scorch her skin.
Mu Ran sensed something wrong beneath her hand. She suddenly grabbed his left sleeve; it was completely empty.
"Where is your arm?!" Mu Ran struggled to push away his suffocating embrace. Gripping his sleeve, she asked him, losing control of her emotions, "What happened? You are hurt. Jinzhi, where did your arm go? Can we still find it? We can go find a medical cultivator to figure out a way to reattach it. Jinzhi, stop just looking at me, say something—"
He kissed her, fierce and ruthless.
The force of their lips and teeth colliding was so heavy it made them tremble. It carried the frantic madness of regaining what was lost and a pain suppressed to its absolute limit. It was not tender and affectionate, but an almost predatory frenzy.
He locked her body in a death grip, allowing her no room to retreat. His tongue forcefully pushed past her lips and teeth, carrying a cool dampness and the saltiness of undried tears. He tangled with hers dominantly yet tremblingly; every grind of their lips was filled with the despairing fear that she would leave again.
"Do not go, I beg you, do not go."
"That was not me... I only have you. I only want you."
"You are my only wife."
Amidst the young man's endlessly unhinged murmurs, Mu Ran's breath was plundered by him like a madman. Her head spun dizzily, and for the first time, she felt an unfamiliar fear toward her own husband.
As the wind blew past, ripples formed on the water surface beneath their feet. The familiar scent of the woman vanished from the space where the sea met the sky.
The young man in black clothes with white hair found his arms completely empty, just as his heart, which had briefly resumed beating, fell back into a state of deathly stillness after losing its fullness.
A long, long time later, his figure swayed slightly, and he fell to his knees on the rippling water.
In his reflection on the blue water, that usually cold and aloof face had long since broken down. The corners of his eyes were red, his lips were pressed so tightly they turned white, and every inch of his features screamed of heart-wrenching agony.
His originally black pupils were slowly being swallowed by scarlet, turning from deep black to dark crimson, and then surging into a blazing blood-red.
This was the omen of falling into demonic deviation.
Mu Ran opened her eyes in a panic, met with the familiar canopy of her bed. Her breathing was rapid, and she sat up in bed almost subconsciously just as the young man from outside happened to walk in.
"Jinzhi!"
Mu Ran scrambled out of bed and ran into his arms.
Cangshu Bai caught her in his embrace and asked, "Did you have a nightmare?"
Mu Ran nodded, a hazy mist welling up in her eyes.
Cangshu Bai naturally swept her up into his arms, sat her down on the bed, and gently stroked the top of her head. "It was just a nightmare, do not be afraid."
Mu Ran, however, grabbed both of his hands as if terrified by the lingering fear. She carefully hugged and felt them, inspecting each one for a long time.
Cangshu Bai had exceptional hearing and had keenly noticed that Mu Ran's breathing was off, which was why he had entered the room.
He had just been preparing dinner. His cyan sleeves were rolled up, revealing strong, beautifully contoured forearms that still bore traces of moisture. These hands were perfectly fine; there was absolutely nothing wrong with them.
Cangshu Bai could not understand what kind of nightmare Mu Ran had experienced to make her grab his hands and refuse to let go. But he had a good temper and allowed her to fuss over his hands.
Finally, she pressed her palms against his. The girl's hands were soft and slender, while the young man's hands were broad and warm. As he closed his fingers, they perfectly and completely enveloped hers, as if silently cradling her shaken spirit.
Sitting on his lap and leaning into his embrace, Mu Ran gradually found a sense of security in his familiar scent, and her tense body slowly relaxed.
He asked softly, "Feeling better?"
Mu Ran pressed weakly against his chest, listening to his heartbeat, and slowly nodded.
Cangshu Bai slightly shifted his long, well-defined fingers, slotting them one by one between hers. Their hands intertwined, filling the gaps, palms pressed together, as if he were gathering all of her into his grasp.
He kissed the center of her brow.
"I am here guarding you. Do not be afraid."
