The howling autumn wind seemed to freeze at that moment.

Two figures, who had just emerged from the shattered golden cocoon, stood silently in place.

They lowered their heads, looking at their long, strong hands, feeling the surging life force and magical power within their bodies like a river bursting its banks, their eyes filled with deep bewilderment.

"I...aren't I already dead?"

Zhao Qingcang muttered to himself.

His memory was still stuck on that desperate battle in the Nagato Sea.

In order to completely seal away the Yamata no Orochi that had evolved into its complete form, he watched helplessly as his mentor Deng Qihe burned away his life force. Then, he himself resolutely poured his vast life essence into the 【Spirit Sealing Coffin】, using his flesh and blood to forcefully suppress the snake head that broke out of the coffin.

The pain of having my life force slowly drained away, my body rapidly aging and decaying, and the chill of my soul falling into endless darkness are still vivid in my memory.

But now...

Zhao Qingcang clenched his fists instinctively.

"Smack!"

A crisp, air-burst sound rang out from his palm, and the surrounding space rippled violently from this casual squeeze.

This feeling of explosive power, this perfect body without a trace of old ailments or hidden injuries...

This is something that an elderly marshal, nearing the end of his life and with a full head of white hair, could never possess!

Filled with astonishment and doubt, Zhao Qingcang slowly raised his head and scanned his surroundings.

The moment he looked up, he saw the woman standing not far from him.

At the same time, the woman in the white dress also turned her head and looked over with the same bewildered expression.

Their eyes met.

Time seemed to stand still at this moment.

Zhao Qingcang's resolute face, which remained unmoved even when facing hellish beasts, was now as if struck by lightning, leaving him instantly dumbfounded.

Lin Zhu, on the other hand, trembled violently the moment she saw Zhao Qingcang's face.

Memories surged like a tidal wave, instantly pulling the two back to that most innocent and unforgettable period of their lives.

That was the most turbulent and tumultuous era for {N•o•v•e•l•i•g•h•t} the Great Xia Kingdom, but also the era that produced the most geniuses.

On the tree-lined paths of the Imperial Capital's academy, a spirited and exceptionally talented young man always shamelessly followed behind a cool and aloof junior; during countless explorations of life-or-death secret realms, the two stood back to back, entrusting their backs to each other without reservation...

Lin Zhu stared intently at the man in front of her.

With sword-like eyebrows and bright eyes, his features were distinct, and he stood tall and straight like an ancient pine tree, exuding an air of unruliness and domineering power.

This is clearly the same young man who used to pester her every day, making her both angry and loving!

Where is there even a trace of the aged and dignified figure of the Supreme United Front Marshal of Great Xia?

Lin Zhu's eyes instantly reddened, and a layer of mist uncontrollably spread across her eyes.

At the moment she was instantly killed by that mysterious man and plunged into boundless darkness, her biggest regret was that she could never see that man again.

And now, he stands alive and well in front of me, and in the most beautiful form of my memory.

"Qing Cang..."

Lin Zhu's voice trembled slightly, tinged with disbelief and hoarseness. She took half a step forward and spoke cautiously, afraid that if she raised her voice even slightly, the dreamlike scene before her would shatter completely like a soap bubble.

"Is...is it you?"

This call, filled with longing and deep affection that transcends life and death, could melt even the hardest steel.

Chen Huaishuo and Wei Liao, who were standing to the side, also felt a lump in their throats, and were even prepared to witness a heart-wrenching embrace of the century.

However.

Looking at Lin Zhu, whose eyes were red and swollen, Zhao Qingcang on the other side subconsciously swallowed.

He blinked, and a strange and hesitant look appeared on his young and handsome face.

After a long pause, he managed to utter a sentence.

"Forehead......"

Who are you?

quiet.

A deathly silence.

The warmth and romance that had been filling the air between the two, enough to melt icebergs, shattered instantly with Zhao Qingcang's incredibly mood-ruining straight-man remark.

Lin Zhu wasn't the only one stunned.

Even Chen Huaishuo and Wei Liao, who were standing nearby, moved to tears, froze in place, their eyes wide open.

The deep affection and tenderness in Lin Zhu's eyes froze in a fraction of a second, and then transformed into a raging fury that could burn rivers and boil seas at a speed visible to the naked eye!

"Zhao—Qing—Cang!"

A roar that seemed to pierce the sky burst forth from Lin Zhu's mouth.

Her once stunningly beautiful face was now filled with shame, indignation, and rage. She gritted her teeth and pointed at Zhao Qingcang's nose: "Do you want to die?! You can't even remember what I look like?!"

"You heartless bastard! You blind, heartless bastard!"

Before the words were even finished!

"Boom boom boom!"

The wasteland within a radius of 100 meters trembled violently, and countless thick, dark green vines, as thick as pythons, smashed through the hard soil and burst forth!

These vines shimmered with the terrifying magic unique to SS-level wood-type professionals, like furious dragons, tearing through the air with sharp shrieks, as they lashed out at Zhao Qingcang relentlessly!

Holy crap!

Zhao Qingcang screamed in fright, his young face filled with terror.

Faced with this devastating attack, his body reacted instinctively.

"Buzz!"

The space twisted violently, and Zhao Qingcang's figure vanished from his spot in an instant, barely avoiding several giant vines that could turn a tank into a pancake.

The next second, he appeared in mid-air thirty meters away.

"Lin Zhu! Lin Zhu!"

While repeatedly using spatial jumps in mid-air to dodge the vine net that was chasing him like a leech, Zhao Qingcang waved his hands and begged for mercy loudly.

"Stop hitting me! Stop hitting me! I know you're Lin Zhu! Of course I know!"

"You're still as violent as ever! I was just kidding! Just kidding!"

He was filled with deep regret.

Originally, I just wanted to lighten the mood because it was getting too emotional, but who knew that this old lady's temper was exactly the same as it was back then, she would ignite at the slightest provocation and didn't give him a chance to explain!

"A joke? I'll teach you to joke!"

Lin Zhu was relentless. With a flick of her slender finger, the vines surged once more, weaving a dense, strangling net in mid-air, determined to hang this infuriating bastard upside down and give him a good beating.

"You're such a heartless bastard! Are you just waiting for me to come back to life and make me so angry I'll die?!"

Not far away.

Chen Huaishuo silently watched the chaotic, dusty scene unfold before him, his wrinkled old face twitching wildly, utterly speechless.

What kind of mess is this?!

Where is the pillar of stability that was promised for the Great Xia Dynasty? Where is the dignified and elegant vice-principal of the university?

How come they turned into two young people flirting on the street as soon as they came back to life?

Military Intelligence Minister Wei Liao was dumbfounded. He leaned close to Chen Huaishuo, lowered his voice, and said in a strange tone, "Old Chen... I feel like the Marshal has not only become younger, but it seems like... his mentality has also regressed to that of someone in their twenties?"

Marshal Zhao, who was usually imposing and could silence the entire army with just a glance, was actually being chased around by a woman.

If this scene were filmed and sent back to the military, the entire high command of the Great Xia would probably collectively question their existence.

"Shut up!"

Chen Huaishuo glared at Wei Liao, then lowered his voice and scolded, "Don't talk nonsense! How dare you discuss the Marshal's affairs?"

Although he said that, Chen Huaishuo couldn't help but smile slightly.

It's wonderful to see the Marshal so full of energy.

Just then, Zhao Qingcang, who was being chased and running for his life in mid-air, managed to create some distance between himself and the enemy.

He took a deep breath, and out of the corner of his eye, he finally caught sight of Chen Huaishuo and Wei Liao standing not far away, as well as a completely unfamiliar young man.

"Stop, stop, stop!"

Zhao Qingcang quickly shouted in mid-air, pointing downwards: "Alright, alright, stop fighting! Old Chen and Minister Wei are still watching over there! Don't let them laugh at us!"