「That night」

Jiang Zuo and Su Qi were walking home.

"I heard from my senior sister that Sweet Potato is injured. It’s recovering at her place, but she said it’s nothing serious," Su Qi said.

Jiang Zuo said, "Yeah. It’s just a duck. Nothing to worry about."

Su Qi pouted. "My aunt said it’s a Holy Beast Descendant, not an ordinary duck. It just doesn’t look very majestic, that’s all. By the way, how did you find it? Your luck is almost too good, isn’t it?"

"I reached out and picked it up."

"..."

Su Qi didn’t dwell on it for long. Then she said, "My aunt said that for the next few days, I can come home to sleep at night and just go to the Holy Land during the day to prepare for the ceremony. Aren’t you happy about that?"

Jiang Zuo: "..."

’Am I happy?’

’Very happy, actually.’

Suddenly, Jiang Zuo’s brow furrowed. While one of his hands was holding Su Qi’s, the other was holding a coin. He was using it mainly to avoid running into Chi Xue Child and his group.

However, he seemed to have unexpectedly detected a different crisis.

With that, Jiang Zuo pulled Su Qi and turned down another street.

"Hey, what’s this for?" Su Qi cried out.

Jiang Zuo replied nonchalantly, "Taking a detour."

"Huh? We’re going for a long walk? You haven’t taken me on a detour on purpose since middle school. Are we trying to relive our youth today?" Though she said this, Su Qi showed no resistance.

What mattered to her was who she was with. A longer walk with Jiang Zuo was a welcome one.

They were both happy.

Jiang Zuo really was just treating it as a stroll. As for the other danger, since he was actively avoiding it, there was no chance they would encounter it.

The sky had already darkened. Jiang Zuo and Su Qi walked beneath the streetlights, stepping on their own elongated shadows.

Su Qi bent over, playfully stepping on Jiang Zuo’s shadow. She laughed. "I remember you kissed me while we were walking under streetlights just like this. You were so shameless.

There were people around back then, too. Weren’t you embarrassed at all?"

Jiang Zuo was speechless.

For the Jiang Zuo of today, who had walked through countless ages, life had not been a lighthearted journey.

What he had encountered was either blood or pain. And though it was the blood and pain of others, his entire life had been grim and serious.

So for someone to bring up his youthful romance now was like digging up his embarrassing past.

And that embarrassing past was like the cringey phase everyone goes through in middle school; the moment you recall it, you desperately try to make yourself forget.

If anyone else had dared to mention it, he might have drawn his Cold Moon on them.

But, coming from her, he could only sigh to himself.

"That’s ancient history..."

"Am I not allowed to talk about it?" Su Qi asked, hopping in front of Jiang Zuo and looking up at him.

Jiang Zuo could only nod. "You can."

"Then kiss me."

"..."

Jiang Zuo could only say, "We’re on the street. There are people around."

Su Qi glanced at the roadside and saw that some passersby were indeed looking their way. Her face immediately flushed.

’I guess I’m just too used to us being at home...’

Meanwhile, Jiang Zuo continued to fiddle with his coin, plotting the smoothest path home. It really wasn’t easy.

But not easy didn’t mean impossible. At this moment, no one could disturb them.

"Let’s go." Jiang Zuo tugged Su Qi’s hand and continued walking.

Su Qi followed Jiang Zuo all the way, surprised to find that even though this was her hometown, he was able to lead her on a meandering path all around before eventually heading home.

There were few people along the way, and the atmosphere was perfect. The only thing that wasn’t quite right was that the man beside her seemed to have lost his former romantic spirit.

Still, she loved the feeling of being with Jiang Zuo.

’So what was ever wrong with him being an ordinary person? I always thought he was wonderful, and now it seems...’

’It seems he’s matured and no longer understands a girl’s desire for romance.’

’That’s not good.’

Then Su Qi fell silent. She figured it must be her fault. Because she was a Cultivator, Jiang Zuo, as her husband, probably felt he had to act with a certain maturity.

If that was really the case, the thought made her miserable.

Sensing her change in mood, Jiang Zuo asked, "What are you overthinking?"

Su Qi answered directly, "I feel like you’ve become more mature. Is it because of me?"

Jiang Zuo stopped and looked at Su Qi.

Then, while Su Qi was completely unprepared, Jiang Zuo leaned in and bumped his forehead against hers. An instant later, he pulled her into an embrace and kissed her.

Su Qi, who had been about to cry out from the bump, froze, completely stunned.

But before she could even process what was happening, before the sting on her forehead had even faded, Jiang Zuo gently pushed her away and started walking again, pulling her along by the hand.

Su Qi was speechless for a moment. "...Hey! What was that all about?"

She said that, but she was delighted. A happy smile spread across her face.

That bump had reminded her of something from many years ago.

"It means you should stop overthinking. I am who I am. No matter how I seem to change, I’m still me. Others might not be able to tell, but you definitely can."

His attitude toward everyone else was different from before, but his attitude toward Su Qi was the one exception. Even after countless years, across an endless chasm of time, as long as he returned and saw her, that would never change.

The passing of ages had buried his heart for her, but it had never been destroyed.

The moment he saw Su Qi again, that buried heart burst forth from the ground.

Jiang Zuo would not deny it, much less reject it. This heart belonged to him and to Su Qi, and no one could ever take it away.

The Jiang Zuo of today was not good at expressing these feelings, but he refused to let Su Qi make wild guesses, and he certainly didn’t want her to feel down because of them.

Su Qi beamed, then happily grabbed Jiang Zuo’s hand and broke into a light run down the street.

She was moving at nearly eighty miles an hour.

She was like a gust of wind.

"Honey, let’s go home to bed!" Su Qi called out with a laugh from up ahead.

"..."

******

By the time Jiang Zuo woke up the next day, Su Qi had already rushed out the door. She was going to be late.

Once Su Qi was gone, Jiang Zuo opened the Perception No. 1 group chat.

He went straight to the point. "Did something happen last night?"

Blade Master Hai Bian was the first to reply. "Yeah. Ghost Cultivators attacked many Holy Land Disciples. I haven’t heard any follow-up, but I happened to rescue one. According to her, the Ghost Cultivators were trying to force her to tell them the location of the Holy Land’s Library Pavilion."

Liuyue Xue tagged Xiao Xiaomo: "@Xiao Xiaomo Fairy, you’re familiar with the Holy Land. Could you ask around and see what happened? I’m sure they’ll tell you."

Xiao Xiaomo: "Okay, I’ll ask around."

Xiao Xiaomo: "Also, stop calling me Fairy. Just use my name."

Demon Cultivator Mo Yan: "Fairy Xiaomo, you just have to get used to it. I’m perfectly used to it."

Xiao Xiaomo: "How are you not dead yet?"

Demon Cultivator Mo Yan posted a scornful emoji. "Tch. Who do you think I am? I’m Demon Cultivator Mo Yan. How could I possibly be done for? I’m a Nightmare Specialization major; my escape skills are first-rate."

Chi Xue Child: "That part’s true. I had to draw my Red Sword yesterday just to get her to give back my popsicle. She’s probably still lying in Fairy Liuyue Xue’s room right now."

Liuyue Xue: "These days, the person I end up treating the most is Demon Cultivator Mo Yan. I’m starting to suspect I woke up wrong."

Jiang Zuo was more or less used to their chatting style. The topic was always drifting.

After waiting a moment, a message from Xiao Xiaomo popped up: "Many Holy Land Disciples were ambushed last night. Of those captured, not many managed to escape. Every one of them was interrogated about different things: the Library Pavilion, the Forbidden Land, a list of Elders and their Cultivation levels, and even the altar for the Candidacy Saintess selection. Then there was one person who was asked for the details of the ceremony."

******