There were no tears of emotion upon reunion.
No surging waves of feeling.
It was sudden.
And it was calm.
Like a quiet afternoon, where one has a deep nap, only to be awakened from a dream.
When they woke, time remained unchanged.
The familiar people were still familiar.
The years had not altered them in the slightest.
Yes.
This was never a reunion after a farewell, but a dream that had lasted a little longer. That's why the girl called out naturally, and Xu Xi smiled gently.
"I'm awake, Yingxue," Xu Xi said.
At the turn of the year.
Xu Xi, the Great Master who had been in a deep slumber, finally opened his eyes to gaze once more upon the Princess.
She smiled, her smile radiant.
She should have grown more mature, yet in front of Xu Xi, she displayed the same lively demeanor as before, hopping and sitting beside him.
Under the dim night sky, they watched the stars that had been lit on the ground together.
And she couldn't help but tease Xu Xi about his habit of sleeping.
"Master, you slept for far too long."
"I was almost waiting to fall asleep myself."
Wu Yingxue said this, and made a fake yawn, her red and white robes stretching out as she did, still as fiery as Xu Xi remembered.
"Sorry, it's my fault," Xu Xi said with a smile, not offering any excuses.
He knew.
He had indeed "slept" for far too long.
Long enough for the soldiers of the Living Army and the Princess, who had worked so hard for this, to wait through countless days and nights.
Fortunately, the tragedy had ended.
Everyone had reunited in a beautiful reality.
After a pause, Xu Xi added, "Yingxue, thank you for waking me up. You've been working hard."
Xu Xi's gratitude came so suddenly.
It took the girl by surprise.
Her lips slightly parted: "Well, it's okay... I didn't do much."
Xu Xi's thanks were not only for her earlier call but also for the girl's efforts during Xu Xi's "sleep." She had led the Living Army and continued their tenacious survival.
Wu Yingxue understood this deeper meaning.
Somehow.
Her nose felt a little stuffy.
Her eyes felt a bit uncomfortable.
Why was that? The Princess thought it must be the warmth she felt from the firelight on this cold winter night, finally bringing her a sense of happiness.
She grinned, trying to appear unaffected, and asked Xu Xi about his recent life.
"Me?"
Actually, not much has changed. Just normal cultivation and living. Occasionally, I chat with everyone in Qingniu Town.
Xu Xi spoke softly with a smile.
What he said was just trivial daily life.
But the Princess listened closely, finding it engrossing.
When she heard that Xu Xi had given everyone New Year's gifts, Wu Yingxue teased, "Master, I want a New Year's gift too. You have to make it up to me, or else I'll get mad."
The girl laughed playfully.
Her tone was full of teasing mischief.
"Which one do you want?" Xu Xi's reply caught Wu Yingxue off guard once more.
Which one?
What did that mean?
Soon, she found the answer.
Xu Xi took out a spatial ring and poured out many items, including a bundle of folded paper flowers, a newly forged spear, and even a beautiful dress.
There were many.
The items were truly numerous.
They were too many for Wu Yingxue to not be stunned.
"Master, these are all... prepared for me?"
The girl's voice was filled with uncertainty.
Xu Xi nodded, "Since you weren't here, I didn't know what to give you. So I prepared a variety, just in case you didn't like any of them."
Night fell, and the stars reflected the gentle moonlight; everything silently waited in the darkness.
The still water surface rippled once again.
It had been engulfed in the deep embrace of the night moon.
Wu Yingxue had never imagined that even when she wasn't on Earth, Xu Xi had still prepared gifts for her, and such a large number of them.
Truly.
Wu Yingxue said to Xu Xi with a smile, "Master, you're such a big fool."
Only such a fool would do something this foolish.
Wu Yingxue chuckled, collecting all the gifts from the ground: "Of course, I want all the gifts from Master. Children make choices, but I don't."
"Don't worry, Master, I like these gifts very much."
She stuck out her tongue.
Made a silly face at Xu Xi.
The girl was full of mischievous charm.
Then, her gaze swept around, she quickly pulled a chicken leg from one of the gifts the villagers had given Xu Xi.
With glistening oil, she nibbled at it little by little.
Wu Yingxue's eating was much more refined than before.
As if she was deliberately maintaining some kind of image.
"Eat slowly, there's more if you need," Xu Xi said with a smile, watching Wu Yingxue eat.
He noticed a bit of grease at the corner of the Princess's mouth and used elemental force to gently wipe it away.
"Slow down, there's plenty more if you need," Xu Xi said with a smile, watching Wu Yingxue eat.
He noticed a bit of grease at the corner of her mouth and used elemental energy to gently wipe it away.
The night was so deep.
That faces appeared dark.
But the people from the Living Army had lit up a series of fiery stone towers, and the light reflected on their faces, giving them an orange glow.
Wu Yingxue's face was also tinged with a blush from the firelight.
"Yingxue, can you tell me what happened while I was asleep?"
After finishing the chicken leg.
Xu Xi showed curiosity and asked Wu Yingxue.
He had asked the people of the Living Army before, but they knew little, only remembering being revived by Wu Yingxue and not much else.
So.
Xu Xi decided to ask the direct source.
He wanted to know how Wu Yingxue had achieved greatness.
"Mo Li has been killing demon cultivators all along, and Krisha has been slaying gods. Both of their paths were anything but simple."
"I wonder what kind of path Yingxue took?"
Xu Xi was curious and waited for the Princess's answer.
"Master has asked me."
"I must respond."
Wu Yingxue did not refuse. After some simple organizing of her thoughts, she began to recount the story of after leaving the Ten Thousand Mountains.
Leading the Living Army out of the Demon Clan's heartland.
Forming an alliance with the human forces of the Martial World (Wujie).
Through hundreds of years of asceticism, leading the Living Army to slay the Azure Dragon, eating its flesh and drinking its blood.
...
As Wu Yingxue's story continued, Xu Xi's expression grew increasingly incredulous.
He hadn't considered it too far-fetched.
That Wu Yingxue's path would become so extraordinary.
But was it too ridiculous?
After slaying the Azure Dragon, Wu Yingxue's narrative became more and more outrageous: endless inner world swallowing, absorbing the principles of the universe, clearly a protagonist's template.
No.
Was this even reasonable!?
Did the world really need him to die to unleash everyone else's potential?
Xu Xi was overwhelmed. Upon hearing about Wu Yingxue single-handedly annihilating demons from the Martial Realm with a single spear strike, he silently compared it to the path he had originally forged through the Ten Thousand Mountains.
"Yingxue... your progress is simply incredible."
The girl's strength had surpassed even his own. Xu Xi was happy for her.
But in his happiness, Xu Xi felt the world was spiteful towards him.