Wu Long felt the first sign of her awakening, and sat up straight, bringing his foot down and leaning a bit forward.

Her eyelids slightly trembled, and the next moment her figure disappeared into black smoke, as did his, both of them reappearing a bit to the side, as he gently held her wrist, and then immediately let go at a speed not possible for her to catch, and gently called out, "Xinyi"

Her crimson eyes, although showing signs of being slightly disoriented, were nevertheless brimming with coldness, and extreme alertness, caution, and intense killing intent, her hands starting to glow crimson with thick black liquid-looking smoke coming off from them as she was about to attack the hand that grabbed her.

Having been freed, her figure was once again covered in black smoke but the moment before completely disappearing into it, her eyes widened.

"...W-Wu Long...?", she blurted out with disbelief.

But then her eyes narrowed again with suspicion as she did not stop the escape movement, disappeared again and appeared across the room, near the open window but not directly facing her back to it, near the wall next to the window, at equal distance to the door, her hands still giving off an intense feeling of danger as the battle skill was still active.

A chaos of thoughts filled her eyes, while Wu Long no longer moved or said anything, satisfied with just the result of getting her attention which made her stay in place for just a few moments.

Meanwhile, she was simultaneously discovering she lost - in her view - the entirety of her cultivation and left with nothing, assessing her immediate situation and surroundings, and scrutinizing the man who appeared to be someone she deeply cared for, but who should be dead.

Out of all these, despite her survival instincts screaming to prioritize everything else, as well as to start moving away right this moment and make a decision on it later, her heart compelled her mind to stay in place and focus on the last of these the most.

"When spring winds open peach and plum blossoms...", she whispered in a slightly hoarse voice, unable to be sure even though the man’s aura, voice, the look in his eyes, made her choked up with emotions inside despite none of it showing on her face.

Her words containing profound fluctuations of Spiritual Qi and Soul Power that not many would be able to detect, arranged in a unique pattern.

"When autumn rains bring down parasol leaves", he smiled, answering using the same technique but his pattern of arrangement was different, and her eyes showed intense shock and her whole body shuddered.

She then began shivering as if she was suddenly thrust into freezing cold, the corners of her eyes became redder and droplets of tears appeared in them, glistening in the air as they were left behind the next moment - her figure turning into a blur that flew into his embrace.

"Wu Long!!!", a cry full of joy, longing, tenderness, and sorrow, came from her along with a whimper as she felt his arms close around her, her own arms tightly hugging him and clinging onto him, all her worries about where she was, what happened, why her cultivation of a lifetime disappeared, everything completely fading to obscurity as her mind was filled with euphoria of meeting him again.

Her hands grabbed onto the fabric of his robes on his back, as if desperately trying to reaffirm this was real, her head leaning onto his chest as tears streamed down her cheeks, wetting his robes in front, while he hugged her tight with one hand while running his hand down the back of her head, over the silky midnight blue hair.

"I thought-... I thought y-y-yo-you w-were d-de-e-ad... I-...", she spoke through sobs but was unable to continue, crying in voice in his arms as he soothed her.

He then gently lifted her while still hugging, floating a bit up and then toward a comfortable armchair standing to the side, sitting and having her sit on his lap.

She cried for a few minutes, unable to calm down as every time her tears slightly subsided, she spoke up which made her cry again. But finally, the shock and grief gradually subsided, allowing her to eventually start calming down, quickly composing herself.

It was at this point that her mind began working a bit more again, asking in a hoarse voice, "Wh... what happened, Wu Long?"

"To answer that in a way you can understand, I have to first tell a slightly longer story...", he answered.

"Pfft!", she chuckled, wiping the last of her tears.

"It’s the story of what happened to me this time", he chuckled as well, knowing what she thought. This answer made her listen closely as he started, "I was preparing to undergo my Heavenly Tribulation when..."

He began telling her the events that unfolded in that small world of the Great Wilderness in the Boundless Divine World, and after the fateful meeting with Xun Yawen there.

As he told her about waking up in the Yin Yang Unity Palace, her eyes widened with shock and a bit of disbelief - not in him but still struggling to understand how what he was telling her was possible - but she did not interrupt as he explained his view of it and that he did not truly understand everything about it either.

As he continued, as soon as he got to the point of meeting first Ye Ling, and then later Hua Ziyan, a knowing smile appeared on her lips, since she recognized Wu Long.

However, that smile froze on her lips when he told her about discovering Ye Ling’s real identity.

"Wait... t-that Ye Ling?", she asked, interrupting this time.

"Mm", he gently nodded, attentively looking into her eyes that became clouded with intense storm of emotions, she moved to stand up and he let her as she walked a few steps away, stopping there.

She asked without turning back, looking away from him, in a slightly trembling voice, "A-and then...?"

He sighed, and gently spoke as he stood up, "Xinyi, you know what then"

"Y-You...", she turned around, an intense mix of emotions in her eyes. She was still happy to see him alive, but there was also pain and the look of being hurt, as well as a bit of resentment in her eyes now.

"I have a Dao Family, yes...", he nodded without hiding.

"After all that time...", she said as her voice broke a little, "After refusing me for so long..."

"I am sorry, Xinyi... for the time that I hurt you", he spoke in a somber, sincere tone, "I didn’t lie to you... no, perhaps I did... I was hiding behind beautiful and deep long-winded words, and philosophic look at life, but the truth is that I was a coward and a weak man"

Her eyes widened in shock hearing him say something she never would’ve heard anyone accuse him of being, instinctively wishing to refute that and state that he was no coward and anyone who said so was full of it. But she stopped herself, turning back to look away from him.

Meanwhile he continued, "I realised it only after becoming mortal again, and finding first Ye Ling, and then..."

He didn’t finish, but she knew that it was not only her from those words, her mind shaken by another storm.

But she still listened in silence as he spoke, "Losing those I cared about over and over truly did break me despite everything I said to the contrary. I... wasn’t able to get over it. I only wrapped that up in a good-looking wrapping of philosophical view. But it was that fear and insecurity, not anything else. The truth was that having genuine relationships scared me deep inside. That was why I never initiated relations with you, or Ruxue, or anyone I truly started caring for, only going for women who it wouldn’t hurt for me to lose, only initiating superficial relationships, transitory and ephemeral" 𝘧𝓇ℯℯ𝑤ℯ𝘣𝓃ℴ𝓋𝑒𝑙.𝑐𝘰𝑚

As he spoke, Hong Xinyi shuddered.

A storm was raging within her as she was still mad at him for not letting her too near for what felt to her like eternity, and was indeed an immensely long time objectively as well.

At some point, fairly early on, she learned to endure it, exactly because she started to understand that whoever he slept with was someone he didn’t truly care for.

On the contrary, the thought of spending a night with him became scary to her, as that would make her one of those countless women who only passed through his life and didn’t even leave a mark behind.

She was much more happy being one of the special few who he never touched, and yet cared deeply for. They all did, including even the famous Sword God.

Occasional teasing banter that flirted with the idea of intimacy was as far as they went, hovering on the edge yet never crossing the final line, and yet none of them were willing to even think about leaving this ambiguous relationship with him. None of them were willing to even look at other men since none came close to him.

But now, things have changed. Now, Wu Long had a Dao Family, not just some passing women that came and went through his life, but genuine relationships full of meaning.

What then this made her?

And yet, she could not bring herself to truly resent him. Hurt, yes, insulted, yes, furious, yes, but not hateful of him.

Her heart ached as she heard his explanation, willing to forgive him just for that alone.

And more than anything she was still deeply in love with him despite how much it hurt her.

He lowered his head in genuine heartfelt apology, ready to accept whatever her reaction would be, "I am sorry, Xinyi. I truly am. My cowardice is the reason, but not one that excuses what I put you through"

"And?", she asked in a hoarse, shaking voice still without turning back to him.

"And I am willing to accept your wrath, and make amends to seek your forgiveness, but even if it is extremely selfish and shameless of me, I still don’t want to lose you. I... ", he spoke sincerely, but felt like he was saying all the wrong things, or at the very least, was postponing the most important part, so he discarded the rest of a long speech he came up with on the spot, deciding to perhaps say it after, for now bringing the most important part first, "I love you, Xin-..."

His lips were sealed the next moment, her hands weaving around his neck. She moved so fast she turned into a blur as she turned around and leaped at him. The kiss was a bit forceful, as there was still intense fury and resentment, still raging strong within her, but they were no match for the joy at hearing the words she longed to hear for so long, and her love that exploded with intensity of countless stars going supernova at the same exact time, and the euphoria of her first ever kiss, and the realisation that the kiss was accepted and reciprocated, and then losing herself in the feeling of the kiss.

After a long time, their lips parted, and Hong Xinyi’s breathless voice reached his ears amid her rapid breathing, "I still haven’t forgiven you"

"I know", he replied.

And their lips reunited the next moment.

"I’m still mad at you", she then spoke after their lips parted again, still with ragged breathing.

"I know"

Another long and intense kiss.

"You still owe me an explanation"

"Yes"

One more kiss.

"I love you too, I love you so mu-....", she said resting her forehead against his while struggling for breaths, and then her lips were covered by his, this time not parting for so long she thought she would pass out from not having enough air.