A Gentle Black [Part 2 – Present]

[A/N: Warning – super long extra ahead. It ended up being longer than five chapters combined, just a heads up. This author's fingers weep in misery...]

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When Xie Xingye opened his eyes, all he saw was a blinding white. The bright afternoon light was flooding the room through the large open window. Xie Xingye squinted his eyes as he slowly rose up into a sitting position.

The hectic memories of the last few days slowly filtered into his mind.

After he had ended up getting sealed in the Castle of Echoes and lost consciousness, the next time when he opened his eyes, more than three years had already passed, and he was now in a well-furnished prison cell with Zheng Xuan keeping him company. It was then that Zheng Xuan told him of the choice he'd made at the last moment to side with Chunyi's son and his lover, who turned out to be Zheng Xuan's former queen's son.

Though Xie Xingye had felt confused at first about why his beloved would switch sides so abruptly, he soon understood after Zheng Xuan explained everything.

In his mad quest to devour the world, break into Heaven, and meet Chunyi, Xie Xingye had failed to consider the aftermath. Even if he succeeded in meeting his sister again, Heaven would have punished him brutally for what he'd done. And even if Zheng Xuan had tried to dissuade him, they both knew that Xie Xingye, with his single-minded focus at that time, would not have listened. He wouldn't have been able to see past finally meeting his sister again.

And so, Zheng Xuan weighed the various options available and tried to choose the best for his lover, fully knowing that Xie Xingye might get furious at him for it. But understanding the reason behind Zheng Xuan's choice and knowing that there was a chance he could still see his sister despite having lost in that final battle, Xie Xingye did not feel all that angry or dissatisfied at all. After all, he firmly believed that his lover only had his best interests in mind.

Zheng Xuan was first surprised at his beloved's calm acceptance of the matter, then his heart warmed as he understood how much trust Xie Xingye had already placed in him.

Once that was out of the way, Xie Xingye had simply cuddled into his lover's hard and muscled body, taking comfort from his steady presence as his case continued being processed by the Offices of Judgment. And with the Deity of Judgment Feng Huixin himself personally overseeing their condition, except for the lack of Xie Xingye's freedom, they were treated very well. And though he didn't need to, Zheng Xuan also chose to accompany his beloved in the prison cell.

Throughout the process, Xie Xingye cooperated openly, surprising Feng Huixin. But Xie Xingye's reasoning was simple—the sooner he finished undergoing the trial and his punishment, the sooner he would be freed and the sooner he would be able to meet his Chunyi. And this time, he would try to curb his excitement and talk everything over with her with a rational mind.

But fate had different plans for this pair of siblings.

A few days after he woke up, Xie Xingye was put on trial at the heavenly court itself. Usually, trials of this sort took place in the courtroom in the Offices of Judgment while being presided over by the Deity of Judgment or one of his qualified subordinates. But since Feng Huixin himself chose to represent Xie Xingye's case, the only one with enough authority to preside over it now was the Heavenly Emperor. And so, the trial took place in the heavenly court, in front of Heaven's courtiers, the Heavenly Emperor, and the Throne.

The trial went on for almost an entire day, but in the end, with Feng Huixin's help, Xie Xingye received a somewhat lenient sentence: mandatory service to the heavenly armies for the next ten thousand years.

The entire heavenly court immediately felt pity for this demonic deity. After all, the one who commanded the heavenly armies was none other than the Heavenly General Feng Chunyi! And as someone whose son and husband Xie Xingye had endangered with his actions in the lower realm, Feng Chunyi was bound to take special exception to him and torment him to take revenge!

However, after hearing this, Xie Xingye was beyond overjoyed. He didn't care how much suffering his sister would put him through or even that she might view him with nothing but animosity due to her lack of memories. All he cared about was getting to meet her again.

Now that his verdict was decreed by the Heavenly Emperor, Xie Xingye was allowed to leave. As long as he faithfully went to receive his punishment, all would be considered forgiven.

After the trial, Zheng Xuan succeeded in quickly acquiring a large and well-furnished house near the outskirts of the capital using the monumental wealth he had carelessly accumulated in his storage space during his service to the dragon queen. And so, Zheng Xuan and Xie Xingye quickly moved into the house and made it their home.

Exhausted after the trial, Xie Xingye had slept through the night and into the afternoon of the next day. But now after waking up, he felt quite refreshed.

Tomorrow morning, Xie Xingye had to report to duty to his general, which meant that he was going to meet his sister. And though the thought made nervous butterflies flutter in his stomach, Xie Xingye was surprised to find that there was also a sense of steady calm. After all, no matter how this meeting turned out, he knew that he would still have his Lord Zheng with him.

Speaking of which… Xie Xingye looked at the other half of the bed he was lying on, where Zheng Xuan had been resting yesterday night, and wondered. Where was his lover?

Before he could wonder for long, however, the door to the bedroom opened and Zheng Xuan strode in. Seeing Xie Xingye awake and sitting upright on the bed, he moved over to the bedside and asked, "Did you…sleep well?"

Xie Xingye turned to look at him and smiled. "Yes, I did." After a moment of hesitation, he continued, "Lord Zheng, do you remember what we decided on before?"

Zheng Xuan looked at him puzzled. "Before?"

Nodding, Xie Xingye elaborated, "Yes, before everything. That long time ago in the cave, the night before we set off to meet Chunyi, do you remember what I said?"

Seeing Xie Xingye's half-lidded eyes and sultry smile, Zheng Xuan swallowed. He suddenly remembered what Xie Xingye had proposed that night before they left the cave:

'Lord Zheng, after we meet Chunyi, no matter the result, I want us to consummate our relationship.'

Zheng Xuan felt his heart thudding faster. Was his lover asking to do it right now? Despite his attempts at controlling himself, a surge of eager anticipation shot through him at that thought, igniting his desire.

Xie Xingye's smile widened and his gaze deepened as he looked down at a certain part of Zheng Xuan's that had produced a conspicuous bulge. In a husky voice, he remarked, "I can quite clearly see that you remember what I said back then, Lord Zheng. And I also just woke up, so I'm feeling a bit…aroused. Shall we have our first time now?"

Before the stunned Zheng Xuan could reply, Xie Xingye's fingers had already begun moving to remove his own robes. Casually tossing them aside, he got up to his knees while staying on the edge of the bed and reached out his hands to begin undoing Zheng Xuan's clothes as well.

Snapping out of his daze, Zheng Xuan cooperated and the couple was quickly facing each other with bared bodies.

Xie Xingye placed his palms on his lover's scarred and muscled chest, then slowly slid them upward, over his shoulders, behind his neck, and into his dark grey streaked hair. Pulling Zheng Xuan's head down, Xie Xingye met his lips with his own.

Zheng Xuan lifted his hands to hug Xie Xingye close, one arm winding around the younger man's waist and the palm of the other hand pressing between his shoulder blades. Meanwhile, their lips were teasing and playing with each other, suckling and licking, before their mouths finally opened to meld together.

As Xie Xingye breathlessly held onto his lover's broad shoulders and eagerly indulged in the hot mouth pressing over his, he could feel Zheng Xuan removing his hands from his body for a moment before holding him again. A warm palm slowly slid down his back, following his spine, then a rough yet slick finger slowly slipped between his buttocks.

Xie Xingye made a surprised sound and disengaged from the kiss, panting with his red lips parted and his face flushed. "L-Lord Zheng, I have to say…it seems that you're more eager to begin than you let on."

Zheng Xuan gave a low growl and used his free hand to pull Xie Xingye towards him again. "Enough…talking."

As Xie Xingye felt his lover's mouth trailing over his throat and making its way back up to nip and suck at his lips, he gave out a shuddering laugh and commented playfully into the corner of his lover's ravenous mouth, "Hmm, Lord Zheng, who knew you could be so overbearing~"

Zheng Xuan closed his lips over Xie Xingye's laughing ones and thrust his tongue deep inside the moist heat and softness of his beloved's mouth. At the same time, Xie Xingye felt a large and rough finger slickened with liquid rub at his entrance before gently, slowly pushing in.

Xie Xingye gasped as his body lightly trembled, but his lover's mouth eagerly sucked the surprised exhalation into itself as a flexible tongue continued to relentlessly explore his mouth. Meanwhile, the large finger kept steadily forcing itself inside his tight passage that had remained unused for too long. Xie Xingye widened his knees on the bed and arched his bottom backward to encourage the finger to enter him deeper. He felt the long and slick digit accept his invitation, pushing in carefully yet with an increased force.

Clutching at Zheng Xuan, Xie Xingye leaned into him limply. Feeling both his mouth and back passage being relentlessly invaded at the same time, one by a slick and hot tongue and the other by a slick and rough finger, Xie Xingye could barely maintain his stability. Before he could get accustomed to these sensations, he felt another large finger slowly entering him, joining the first one and forcing his entrance open wider.

Xie Xingye groaned helplessly as he tried to keep his inner muscles loose and accept the slick digits into him. The stimulation of those rough and scarred fingers, each of them thick and long, pushing into him with steadiness and dragging across his vulnerable inner walls like this, made him want to writhe uncontrollably and plead for more.

Pulling his mouth away from his lover's, Xie Xingye buried his face into Zheng Xuan's shoulder. His chest heaved as he tried to regain his breath. The two fingers sliding in and out of him felt too large and prominent, the feeling of them filling his passage occupying his entire attention.

Once Zheng Xuan felt that Xie Xingye's passage had loosened enough, he added in a third finger. He felt his younger lover's body shudder once as he let out a soft moan that almost sounded pleading.

Xie Xingye hugged Zheng Xuan tighter and tried to widen his legs even further to accommodate the extra width. He struggled to regulate his breathing and manage the discomfort of being forced open this much, taking reassurance from the warm and firm body in his embrace.

Sensing this, Zheng Xuan's free arm unwound from Xie Xingye's waist and began lightly rubbing his back as if trying to comfort him. The strained trembling of Xie Xingye's body slowly eased as he felt his beloved's soothing touch.

Removing the three fingers after Xie Xingye's passage had widened enough to easily accept them, Zheng Xuan asked, his voice deeper and gravellier, "How do you…feel?"

Feeling the rumble of his lover's voice through his chest, Xie Xingye wanted to groan with pleasure. One of his hands slid down Zheng Xuan's chest, his abdomen, down to his belly and further below, and encircled his lover's rigid length. As his fingers massaged the large member, Xie Xingye let his thumb rub over the moist slit at the tip. Zheng Xuan sucked in a breath.

Chuckling, Xie Xingye opened his reddened mouth and replied hoarsely, "Lord Zheng, I'm fine for now. But if you want me to still be fine after inserting this giant dragon of yours into me, then you better add in another finger and prepare me properly."

And so, as Xie Xingye continued to use his hand to torment him, Zheng Xuan dutifully tried to push four fingers into Xie Xingye's entrance, his motions slow and steady as he attempted to minimize any pain or discomfort.

By the time Xie Xingye's passage was suitably prepared to an amount satisfactory to them both, Xie Xingye and Zheng Xuan were panting with flushed faces as need desperately flowed through them. Zheng Xuan's member in his lover's hand was stiffer than before as it dripped thick liquid, while Xie Xingye kept restlessly clenching his buttocks, feeling that his passage that had previously been filled with four large fingers was now too empty.

Not willing to wait too long, Xie Xingye let go of his lover and went to lie down on the bed. His feet rested flat on the sheets as his legs were pulled up and parted suggestively. His hands with curled fingers were placed on either side of his head. As Zheng Xuan stared at him enchanted, Xie Xingye blinked his long-lashed eyes at him lazily, the dark grey irises smoky and deep. His mouth curled up into a playful smile as his whole body exuded a beguiling, seductive charm.

In an evocative voice, Xie Xingye called, "Lord Zheng, here I am, fully prepared for you to enter…so won't you come and quickly fill me up?"

Zheng Xuan's gaze darkened. Deep inside him, his gnarled, ancient beast snarled a single word possessively: Mine!

His eyes focusing intently on his mate, Zheng Xuan stalked to the bed, his gait smooth. Climbing on top, he positioned himself between his lover's open legs, a hand resting on the smooth swell of Xie Xingye's hip as he bent down.

Xie Xingye felt Zheng Xuan's lips rest softly on his forehead, then move down to press against his lips briefly before sliding down his throat and to his chest. Before Xie Xingye could urge his lover to hurry up, he felt a hot mouth settling on one of the perky little points on his chest, sucking at it strongly. At the same time, he felt a pair of rough fingers pinching the other tip then rolling it between them, sending sharp sensations shooting through him.

Xie Xingye's breathing grew deeper and deeper, each lungful of air feeling more and more fuller, heavier, and hotter. He felt like he was melting, his joints turned liquid as his body grew pliant under his lover's touch. Xie Xingye swallowed his words and groaned throatily, his chest rising of its own volition as if demanding more. And Zheng Xuan naturally complied. He nipped and licked, pinched and pulled, teased and played with the velvety brown buds until they were sore and swollen, then finally raised himself up.

His eyes dazed as he gasped for breath, Xie Xingye asked in an unsteady voice, "A-Are we finally going to begin then?"

Zheng Xuan growled a response, "Yes."

Xie Xingye closed his eyes and swallowed. The color in his cheeks darkened as he spoke, his voice small and bearing hints of shyness, "Lord Zheng, this might not be my first time, but…can you still be gentle?"

Zheng Xuan's heart clenched with affection as he slowly nodded. "Yes…I will never…hurt you. I will care for you…to the best…of my ability."

A layer of wetness covered Xie Xingye's eyes as he opened them to look up at his lover's solemn expression. Smiling softly, he said simply, "Thank you."

Until now, except from his sister, Xie Xingye had never received unconditional affection or care. But even his Chunyi had seldom shown her care obviously or stated it openly. She preferred to tease and bully her brother while working behind the scenes to make sure that everyone who even thought of hurting him would pay. And as long as Xie Xingye was allowed to stay beside her, that form of affection had been enough for him.

But Xie Xingye wanted something more from his lover.

During their first time, he wanted his Lord Zheng to show him the kind of care that Xie Xingye hadn't felt often before. Even though he didn't mind rough sex usually, and even though he thought it would be fun, especially when done with his trustworthy beloved, Xie Xingye still craved gentleness and the feeling that he was being cherished and cared for. And seeing how Zheng Xuan showed his affection for him so openly and without reservations—be it through his words, actions, or expressions—Xie Xingye felt as if some deep thirst inside him that he hadn't even recognized before was being quenched.

Xie Xingye let out a long and happy sigh. Since his lover promised to take care of him and be gentle, he was eager to lay back and enjoy the experience.

Seeing his lover suddenly relax into the bed and understanding that Xie Xingye was ready for him to begin, Zheng Xuan reached down with a hand to hold his beloved's hip in place while the other hand held his own stiff member, guiding it towards the scrunched little entrance that really looked too small to be able to take in such a huge organ.

Xie Xingye felt the large and blunt tip of Zheng Xuan's hard member press against and begin to push inside his opening. He tried to make sure that his passage would be as unresisting as possible as he accepted that giant length into him. His breathing turned deeper as he shifted restlessly on the sheets, his brows furrowed as his entire attention was focused on the intrusion.

Suddenly, Xie Xingye felt the press of lips against his cheek and opened the eyes that he seemed to have closed at some time. "L-Lord Zheng?"

"Is it too…uncomfortable?" Zheng Xuan asked in a soft voice.

Xie Xingye swallowed and shook his head. Then he spoke playfully, "Though I did ask you to be gentle, you don't have to hold yourself back this much either."

But Zheng Xuan simply placed a small peck on the tip of Xie Xingye's nose and said with a smile, "I want to…cherish you…and treasure you…so I want to go slow…so that you don't…get hurt."

Xie Xingye's eyes widened as he felt his face heat up even more. Then closing his eyes and turning his face to the side, he whispered unsteadily, "A-Alright then…th-thank you for caring for me this much."

Seeing his lover trying to hide his bashfulness, Zheng Xuan let out a soft chuff of laughter even as he continued to slowly press his member into Xie Xingye's slickened channel.

Whenever Zheng Xuan felt Xie Xingye jerk or stiffen suddenly under him, he would stop and draw back a little. Only after he felt his lover relax again did he continue pushing forward. And though doing it this way took a long time, by the time Zheng Xuan was fully seated inside him, Xie Xingye could honestly say that despite his lover's large girth, this was the most painless penetration he had ever experienced. Lifting his legs to lock his ankles behind Zheng Xuan's waist, Xie Xingye panted breathlessly as he tried to steady himself.

Zheng Xuan leaned back, his member still snugly buried inside his beloved and his hands on Xie Xingye's waist lightly squeezing and releasing as if to offer comfort. As he looked down to study his enchanting lover, Zheng Xuan suddenly felt his breath stutter to a stop.

He was bewitched by the sight of Xie Xingye's long and smooth legs spread wide open to accommodate him, cradling his body in between them while his ankles were locked behind his waist as if loathe to let him go. He watched with satisfaction at how the rim of his beloved's entrance was stretched wide and tight around the girth of his member, those firm cheeks clamping onto him from either side. He could feel the warm and soft walls of his lover's passage twitching and squeezing his shaft as if instinctually attempting to expel the giant object that had forced its way inside, but all its struggling did was succeed in stimulating his sensitive member even more.

His gaze moving upward, Zheng Xuan saw his beloved's vein-corded shaft straining and erect, small drops of liquid already gathering to spill from the tip and onto his heaving belly. As his body shifted restlessly, the muscles on Xie Xingye's abdomen flexed and relaxed again and again in a mesmerizing rhythm. His chest moved up and down as his body shuddered with deep breaths, the two little stiff dots on his upper half pushed up as if eager to draw Zheng Xuan's attention.

Zheng Xuan's appreciative gaze continued over to the long column of Xie Xingye's throat that was stretched taut as he arched his head back into the pillows, the defined bump of his Adam's apple rolling up and down as if in agitation. Resting on either side of Xie Xingye's head, his hands had curled into fists so tightly that they trembled, seemingly as if in reaction to some unbearable torment. His reddened lips were wide open and gasping desperately for breath, his eyes squeezed closed and the sweeping arches of his brows lowered. The strands of his satiny black hair were spread around him in disarray as if reflecting the chaotic thoughts swirling in his mind.

In a deep voice, Zheng Xuan finally observed, "Xingye…you're so…beautiful."

Xie Xingye felt his heart thump wildly, the color in his cheeks deepening even more. Without opening his eyes, he confessed in a soft whisper, "Lord Zheng, you are the most kindest and handsomest being I've ever had the fortune of meeting. So you see? We make a good match together after all."

Zheng Xuan smiled warmly. His lover was the only one who would look at him so highly. His mate was truly a treasure worth spending the rest of his life cherishing.

Resting a hand on the bed for stability with the other holding Xie Xingye's hip, Zheng Xuan slowly drew out before thrusting back in. Xie Xingye shuddered and arched back in response. A breathless moan slipped out of him, long and drawn out. His hands automatically rose up, resting on his lover's broad shoulders as he raised his hips up by his legs still clamped around his beloved's waist.

Zheng Xuan's leisurely pace gradually increased as he determined that Xie Xingye's channel had become completely accustomed to his girth by now.

Xie Xingye panted and groaned helplessly as he felt the entire surface of his lover's length being drawn against the slickened walls of his sensitive passage, his inner muscles firmly wrapped around the huge organ as it thrust in and out relentlessly. He felt it push deep into his gut, its gigantic length ruthlessly parting his tight inner walls, sliding and rubbing against the soft channel and making him shake with the force of every thrust.

"Ah, L-Lord Zheng…it feels…so good…mn…so big…"

As his hips continued to work and sweat dampened his brows, Zheng Xuan raised a hand to tenderly cup his beloved's cheek. With obvious concern, he asked, "Does it…hurt?"

Xie Xingye looked up into the gentle black of his lover's eyes, wanting to drown in that gaze and let all that affection and care wrap around him and soak deep into his soul. In a haltering voice gone too husky from crying out, he replied, "N-No…it f-feels very pleasurable."

Zheng Xuan bent to peck him on his lips lovingly. "Then tell me if it…gets even a bit…uncomfortable."

Jerkily nodding, Xie Xingye moaned out a command, "Uhn…y-you should go…ah…faster…now…"

Zheng Xuan's eyes darkened as his need throbbed harder. Yes, he needed to go faster, plunge in deeper, he needed to claim his mate with everything he had…

Xie Xingye suddenly felt his world roll over as he was flipped onto his front. He felt his lover's broad and rough palms pull up his hips as the large organ lodged within him began to move, thrusting in and out madly. Burying his face in the soft pillows, Xie Xingye curled his fingers into the sheets and cried out without holding anything back.

Seeing how his lover's waist and back flexed as his muscles temptingly shifted and rolled under his skin, Zheng Xuan couldn't help but push away the obstructing stretch of hair and bend down, using his teeth to take a few nips from between his lover's shoulder blades before licking the reddened skin.

But the more he touched and tasted his lover, the more the urgency of Zheng Xuan's movements increased, low growls rumbling in his chest as his hands slid up from his beloved's hips and traced over his skin. They looped to the front to fiddle with the pair of erect nubs on Xie Xingye's chest before sliding down the firm and taut abdominal muscles, then slipping further down. One hand encircled the thick and straining member while the other dipped even further below to massage his balls.

Xie Xingye shuddered again as waves of liquid heat washed his veins and suffused his entire body. He impatiently thrust up his hips in offering as he began to move back and forth in keeping of his lover's violent rhythm. His eyes squeezed closed as his lips stayed open to let out an unending string of wordless shouts and hoarse moans. His body trembled with strain as he uncaringly pushed it to its limits to keep up with the fast motions of the large man working on top of him.

Slickened with sweat, their skin made wet slapping noises as their bodies collided and separated, again and again. The sturdy bed shook as the sounds of their coupling filled the room. Their need and hunger wound desperately tighter, urging them on to go as fast as they could, their bodies sliding and pushing frantically against each other. The raw and primal need took control of them and forced them into a mad frenzy.

As he finally reached his limit, Xie Xingye felt a bright hot spark flaring at the base of his spine before a flood of blissful warmth seared him from the inside. Hot liquid spurted out of his shaft as waves of ecstasy filled him, wringing a helpless groan out of his overexerted throat. As the waves of pleasure receded to give way to the peaceful bliss of the afterglow, Xie Xingye powerlessly slumped into the bed even as Zheng Xuan's hands moved to grip his hips, frantically driving his large member in and out of his beloved's slick channel.

A few moments later, Zheng Xuan stiffened, a thunderous rumble vibrating his chest as he bent over his lover. Xie Xingye felt the deep sound reverberating through his back as he sensed streams of burning liquid fill his tender insides thoroughly. A soft moan slipped out of his sore throat at the sensation.

Spent, Zheng Xuan took a moment to regain his breath before he carefully lowered himself onto the bed, Xie Xingye still held securely in his arms. A feeling of peace and contentment claimed them in the aftermath of their climax as a harmonious silence filled the intimate space surrounding them.

Xie Xingye closed his eyes and panted silently for a while before retrieving a set of pills from his storage space. He unceremoniously shoved them into his mouth and sighed happily as the soreness in his muscles receded under the spread of the gentle healing warmth. Though Zheng Xuan had taken care not to hurt him even in that final frenzy, Xie Xingye himself had ended up pushing his body too hard, uncaring of the aftermath, and so he had ended up with various pains and aches throughout his body.

A few minutes later, after Xie Xingye felt that he could move without hurting, he slowly turned on the bed to face his lover. Zheng Xuan's spent member slipped out of Xie Xingye's passage with a wet sound. Xie Xingye tightened his entrance out of habit to not allow anything to spill out as he focused on the man in front of him.

Xie Xingye and Zheng Xuan's eyes met as they held each other's gaze, unspoken words and inexpressible affection swirling in them.

Opening his creaking jaw, Xie Xingye was the first to break the silence. "Lord Zheng… Zheng Xuan, I love you very much, so will you please stay with me forever?"

Zheng Xuan's gaze darkened, his expression melting into a soft smile. "Yes…of course. Xingye…I too love you…too much."

Xie Xingye felt stirrings of shyness again and turned his face away. He had lived so many years with wild shameless abandon, and here his beloved kept making him blush like an innocent young man experiencing his first love. But how was he supposed to have any resistance at all in the face of all these sweet words and gentle gestures? His lover was really too unfair!

A soft kiss landed on his reddened cheeks, pulling Xie Xingye out from his thoughts. A rough voice prodded him in a rarely teasing tone, "Xingye, are you…feeling bashful?"

Xie Xingye embarrassedly huffed. "Lord Zheng, you're getting too naughty! When did you learn my bad habit of teasing other people like this!"

With a gravelly laugh, Zheng Xuan replied, "It was probably…transferred to me…when you…stuck your tongue…down my throat."

Xie Xingye's eyes widened as his face stung with heat. His lover had really learnt too well from him!

Not willing to take this lying down, Xie Xingye lifted himself up onto his hands and knees as he trapped his beloved under him. In a playful voice, he scolded, "Lord Zheng, your mouth really became very naughty!"

But Zheng Xuan's attention was fixed on something else.

From his position on the bed where Xie Xingye hovered over him naked, Zheng Xuan was faced with the enticing front view of his beloved's flushed, sweaty body marked with hickeys. Xie Xingye's two swollen buds stood prominently erect as they faced downwards from his chest. As Zheng Xuan's gaze slipped further down, he could see white liquid splattered on his lover's tightly muscled belly, left over from his release. And sliding down from behind his member, a thin trail of translucent fluid slowly made its way down Xie Xingye's smooth leg, tracing the firm muscles under the soft skin of his inner thigh and ponderously dripping further down.

Zheng Xuan thickly swallowed as he felt lust rear his head again.

Sensing his lover's arousal, Xie Xingye raised his eyebrows. "My, what an insatiable appetite you have, Lord Zheng! Am I really that desirable?"

Zheng Xuan growled and reached up to grip his lover's hips, pulling them towards his own in a silent indication of what he wanted. Xie Xingye leaned back to let out a carefree laugh, his eyes sparkling with cheer as he happily obliged. Holding Zheng Xuan's huge member steady under him, Xie Xingye slowly sank down onto it without delay, feeling it pushing past his already expanded opening and sliding into the depths his tender passage that was still dripping with his beloved's release.

The pair of lovers groaned softly as their bodies connected once more, and then they lost themselves in the whirlwind of passion. And until deep in the night, the sturdy bed in their room didn't stop rocking.

…

The next morning, Xie Xingye once again stuffed his mouth full of pills to heal his sore body before rushing to bathe with his lover in a small manmade pond in their backyard, where Zheng Xuan carefully helped him clean his passage. After dressing up, combing his hair, and getting ready, Xie Xingye reluctantly declared himself prepared to face his sister once again.

All this while, Zheng Xuan could only watch his beloved's flustered flittering with helpless affection and amusement from the side.

Meanwhile, Xie Xingye was letting out an endless stream of nervous chatter–

"Ah! Lord Zheng, I don't remember where their house is! What do we do?! Should we…ask someone on the way? No, no, no, it's better to be as prepared as possible now itself… Maybe I have a map of the capital somewhere in my storage left over from the last time we visited. Ah, I forgot to prepare any gifts! Wait, since Chunyi's now my employer, would it be considered bribing if I gave her any gifts? But I didn't even give her a wedding gift before! But talking about gifts, I suppose I should prepare one for belatedly congratulating them on the birth of their brat as wel― Aha! I found a map! Now, where is the Feng residence here? Eh? Why is there no Feng residence here at all? Is this an older version? Then how will we find―?"

"Xingye…enough," Zheng Xuan finally interrupted his beloved with a hand firmly clamped over his mouth. "You don't…have to worry. I remember…the route. I'll…take us there. If your sister…accepts us as family…then we can…bring gifts when we…visit next time."

Xie Xingye froze, then nodded. His lover was right, he should probably stop worrying over all these small things. And yet…the fear and tension churning in his stomach refused to abate that easily.

Not letting his beloved ponder over it any longer, Zheng Xuan pulled Xie Xingye along and left the house. Taking a discreet and deserted path at the side, the couple soon entered an ancient forest with large and healthy trees, fresh air smelling of peat and moss, and open spaces dappled with mild sunlight. The breeze was pleasantly cool as it brushed over their faces, lifting up tendrils of their hair.

As they walked, Xie Xingye felt his panic slowly calming down in this serene scenery. That combined with the company of his lover who was holding his hand and soothing him with his presence alone made Xie Xingye's frantic heartbeat finally settle down.

After a few minutes, Xie Xingye suddenly remembered something and asked, "Lord Zheng, is there a transportation array in the direction we're going?"

After all, since they didn't know the route, wouldn't they need a transportation array to get to the Feng residence?

But Zheng Xuan merely smiled. "No…need."

Xie Xingye blinked in confusion, but soon understood what his lover meant.

A few minutes more of walking later, the forested path they were following bisected another similar one, and Zheng Xuan unhesitatingly led the way as he went right. Before long, they reached a pair of large, wrought iron gates that looked neatly elegant and very sturdy. A few ways away beyond the gates laid a large, sprawling house, its lines simple and graceful, yet holding a homey charm.

Xie Xingye tilted his head. Why did this scene look vaguely familiar?

Beside him, Zheng Xuan extended a hand and let his fingers lightly brush over the barrier extending from just in front of the gates. Most powerful households in the heavenly realm had strong protective wards and spells around their homes. Unless they were a part of that household or were trusted enough to be given the key formation, they could not pass through the barrier. And so, lightly touching the barrier like this would let the people inside know that someone was waiting at their gates, and it was the equivalent of knocking politely.

Not even a full minute later, the door to the house opened and a young man walked out, his posture leisurely as his white robes swayed along with the rhythm of his silent steps. His dark eyes gleamed with intelligence while his ethereal face showed hints of cold aloofness.

Looking at this familiar person, Xie Xingye suddenly felt as if a bolt of lightning had struck him. That's right! This was the Feng residence!

Before Xie Xingye had the chance to do anything more than shoot an accusatory glare at his amused lover, Feng Qinghe had already reached the gate. In his clear and pleasant voice, he spoke matter-of-factly, "Uncle Xie, is this your lover? Is he the black dragon from before? And are you perchance here to see Mother about enlisting in the army according to the Heavenly Emperor's verdict?"

Xie Xingye opened his mouth, then closed it again. The last time he'd seen this brat, they had been fighting for their lives in the midst of a chaotic battlefield. Yet now, how could he act as if he was just casually greeting a relative who'd come for a visit?!

Opening his mouth again, Xie Xingye finally got out, "Feng Qinghe, so you're not dead after all. A pity."

Beside him, Zheng Xuan sighed. Of all the things he could speak about, his lover just had to start the conversation this way.

A flash of sharp amusement flashed in Qinghe's eyes as he replied, "Yes, I'm alive. As many have discovered, I'm quite difficult to kill off completely."

Xie Xingye sneered. "Like a roach."

The hint of amusement in his eyes blooming to full-fledged humor, Qinghe laughed. "I'm afraid I'm even tougher to get rid of than that."

Not waiting for Xie Xingye's reply, Qinghe opened the gates and stepped aside. "Uncle Xie and…Lord Zheng, wasn't it? Please come in."

And so, with a complicated expression, Xie Xingye stepped past the gates with Zheng Xuan close behind. Closing the gates again, Qinghe lead the way forward.

As the three people slowly walked towards the door, Zheng Xuan suddenly asked, "Feng Qinghe…were you the one…who suggested…that verdict to the…Heavenly Emperor?"

Xie Xingye almost stumbled on the smooth flagstone path as he blurted out, "What?!"

But Qinghe merely nodded as if it was of no big import. "Rather than saying I suggested it to the Heavenly Emperor, I suppose it's more accurate to say that I mentioned it once to the Throne."

In a shocked voice, Xie Xingye asked, "Wait. By Throne, you mean the Throne of Heaven?!"

Qinghe nodded once again and answered cheerfully, "Yes, and the Throne was kind enough to grant my wish." But the sharp and sly look in his eyes suggested that it might not all be solely because of the Throne's kindness after all.

However, Xie Xingye did not have the mind to pay attention to this subtle expression. All he could think about right now was why his former enemy would do this. Did he have any ulterior motives? Was he up to something sneaky again? Was this another trap?

But giving a helpless laugh, Qinghe suddenly cut into his pondering as if reading his mind, "Uncle Xie, do you really trust me so little? I only suggested that sentence for you because I thought that it would both be a fair verdict that would satisfy the heavenly court while also giving you a chance to bond with Mother. The sooner you and she straighten out the misunderstanding between yourselves and act as siblings again, the happier our family will be."

With that, Qinghe stopped speaking. They had already reached the door by now.

Hearing all this, Xie Xingye felt strange. He found it difficult to reconcile that sneaky and cunning little cultivator who was madly cutting through his ghouls with a happy expression with this seemingly wise and considerate deity. But before he could straighten out his thoughts, the sounds of running footsteps sounded from inside the house and the other side of the doorway, appearing to head straight towards the closed door.

Qinghe paused in his action of reaching for the door and quickly stepped to the side and out of the way of anything that might come barreling out of the doorway. Zheng Xuan held his beloved by the waist and drew him back to stay clear as well.

Sure enough, a moment later, the door banged open to reveal a furious woman, her cheeks red with rage and a wooden sword gripped tightly in her hand. "Where is he? Where is that bastard who hurt my son?!"

From behind her and inside the house, the frantic calls of her husband sounded, nearing quickly. "Wait, Chunyi, don't kill him yet! Let us listen to his side of the story first!"

As Feng Huixin hurriedly strode into view, he let out a breath in relief when he saw that Xie Xingye wasn't missing any limbs or bleeding from any injuries. Wrapping his arms around his wife and enveloping her from behind, he firmly held her in place. "Chunyi, please let him speak his bit. Also, by the Heavenly Emperor's verdict, he is now your subordinate. And murdering your subordinates is forbidden by law."

Leisurely walking from within the house, Wei Xiang casually strode past his mother-in-law who was puffed up with anger while struggling against her husband's hold and directly made for his little lover. In an amused drawl, he also added in support of his master, "Yes, Mother-in-law. If you kill him, your son will also feel very sad that he won't have any uncles left."

Qinghe's mouth twitched, but he still nodded solemnly. "Yes, I'll be very sad if you kill or hurt my only uncle."

In the face of all this, Feng Chunyi reluctantly stopped her struggle to get out of her husband's hold. She then narrowed her eyes and glared at Xie Xingye as if wishing she could skewer him with her gaze alone.

Meanwhile, Xie Xingye's eyes had never left his sister from the moment she appeared. He quickly determined that she looked healthy and just as sprightly as before. And it at least looked like her husband was treating her well. He eagerly drank in her appearance as if to make up for all these years he hadn't seen her, as if to burn her current image into his memory in case she kicked him out and said that she never wanted to look at him again.

However, Feng Chunyi couldn't help but feel strange at being studied with so much intensity by someone whom she only thought of as a stranger who hurt her son. Endeavoring to keep her fury in check, she carefully turned her face expressionless, containing all her anger with great effort.

Seeing that his sister seemed to have calmed down a bit at least, Xie Xingye took a deep breath and slowly released it. With a determined expression, he took a step forward and spoke with utmost sincerity, "Chunyi, you can be angry with me and you can hate me, but I'm willing to accept all of that as long as you don't push me away."

Hearing this, Feng Chunyi's eyebrow twitched in reaction as she tried to control her rampaging emotions.

But Xie Xingye's eyes suddenly widened as he accurately guessed her thoughts just from that small gesture. Raising his hands placatingly, he spoke, "I know, I know, I have no right to demand anything of you except a slow and painful death for hurting your husband and son. But won't you please consider my request?"

Feng Chunyi gave a short growl.

Understanding her once again, Xie Xingye winced and took a step back. "No, I wouldn't dare presume to read your mind, so there's really no need to threaten violence like that! I just spent so much time with you as we both grew up that I…ended up learning how to read certain visual cues, that's all, I promise!"

Her eyebrows lowering threateningly, Feng Chunyi struggled against her husband's hold to jerk forward by a step.

Xie Xingye quickly hid himself behind his lover and chided his sister, "Now, now, let's not make threats about shoving large things into uncomfortable places. Let's be calm and rational here. You wouldn't want to perpetuate graphic violence right in front of your kid, now would you? I already know my wrongs, so can't we just put this matter aside?"

Feng Chunyi finally opened her jaws that she'd kept tightly clenched till now and spat, "If you know what you did, then come here and let me give you a beating, you bastard!"

Xie Xingye's expression turned fearful, but he still obediently walked towards his sister. He stood before a furious Chunyi with his neck scrunched, shoulders drawn up, eyes squeezed closed, and his legs placed apart as if bracing for a blow. "Alright, go ahead and hit me then. You can even rip off a few limbs if it makes you feel better. Just…don't keep pushing me away, alright?"

For a second Feng Chunyi only looked at him with a blank gaze. Then she suddenly snarled, "You idiot! I asked you to come and take a beating and you really came? How stupid can you be! If you're really the brother I bought up, then is this the kind of foolish person I taught you to be?!"

Xie Xingye blinked at his sister and defended himself with an earnest and aggrieved tone, "But Chunyi… If I don't come to you to take a beating then you'll come to me and give a beating, and knowing you, that's honestly more terrifying."

Feng Chunyi's lips twitched, but the ire in her eyes couldn't help but reduce a bit. Sensing this, Feng Huixin also exhaled a breath in relief before letting his wife go and stepping back.

Trying to make herself sound angry and snappish, Feng Chunyi responded, "Hmph! Stop acting like you know everything about me! And what are you doing standing outside our house and blocking the way? Bring your lover and get your ass inside."

After all, this person was so ridiculous that she refused to waste her energy hating him!

And so, with that, Feng Chunyi stormed back in and headed to the table where she and her family usually sat together for meals.

The rest of them stared at her retreating back with surprised gazes, but everyone soon followed her inside as well.

And thus went the siblings' second reunion.

...

An hour later, all six people were comfortably settled around the table, a cup of cooling tea sitting in front of them each.

Feng Chunyi leaned back on her chair and asked tonelessly, "So that's what's supposed to have happened between us?"

For this past hour, Xie Xingye had very diligently detailed his and his sister's past together, along with a few bits he'd heard Chunyi tell about her experience in the caravan before and some bits about his own life after his sister left him.

Now that he was done reciting everything, the whole table seemed to be waiting with bated breath to see what else Feng Chunyi would say.

But unmindful of all the gazes, she lifted her cup of tea placidly and took a sip, her inscrutable gaze fixed inside the almost empty cup. With a small, worried frown creasing his brows, Feng Huixin lifted the enchanted teapot on the table that was spelled to keep its contents warm for a long time and poured some steaming tea from it into his wife's cup. Feng Chunyi silently raised the cup to her lips to take another sip, her gaze remaining shadowed with unfathomable thoughts.

A few moments later, she simply said, "I see. But unfortunately, I still don't remember any of that."

Xie Xingye sighed. Did this mean she didn't trust him? Or did this mean she was willing to try to regain her memories? Would she give him a chance or…would she really kick him out?

With a thoughtful expression, Qinghe suddenly asked, "Mother, have you ever tried any methods to regain your memories before?"

The attention of the entire table once again turned to fix on Feng Chunyi.

Shrugging, she absentmindedly rubbed her fingertips over the cup in her hands and answered, "I did try. After you…fell to the lower realm and Ah-Xin went after you, I spent a lot of time thinking about a lot of things. One of those things was related to the time this supposed brother of mine came to make a fuss about knowing me from before. It occurred to me that there was a possibility that since I forgot a few things, I might have also forgotten the events he spoke of at that time. If he really was someone close to me and if I really did promise him something, then I didn't want to go back on it. So I tried a few methods, including staying in the healing pool to fix whatever injury in my head was keeping me from remembering those memories. But…nothing happened. I didn't remember anything new at all."

The entire table of people digested this in silence.

"If even the healing pool couldn't fix it," Wei Xiang hypothesized, "then does that mean that the reason Mother-in-law doesn't remember is because of some knot in your heart?"

Feng Chunyi sighed. "I don't know. If it was anything related to a physical injury or even a spiritual wound, then the healing pool would have taken care of it. So I suppose that some unknown knot in my heart is the only reasonable explanation."

Qinghe frowned and tapped the table with his index finger, his mind racing through various options and finally settling on one. His frown relaxed as his finger paused. "Mother, do you wish to recover your memories?"

Feng Chunyi looked at her son with surprise. Though she hesitated for a moment, she still nodded definitively.

Qinghe looked into her eyes, his gaze serious and heavy. "There might be a way, but going through with it could mean that…you'd have to face some unpleasant or unwanted things about yourself that you've refused to face till now."

Feng Chunyi scowled. "Oi, son of mine, what sort of things are you talking about? Can't you be more clear? And what method do you know? Will it really work?"

Smiling, Qinghe shrugged. "I will have to discuss this with another person before giving any guarantees, but there is a possibility that this might work. Since the issue here is the knot in your heart, the only way to recover your memories would be to unravel it, and doing so will naturally mean that you will have to face some unpleasant things that you have been ignoring all this time. It might be mentally exhausting and painful. Mother, are you sure that you still want to use this method?"

Clutching his lover's wide and rough palm under the table, Xie Xingye anxiously waited for his sister's answer. His heart thumped erratically. Would his Chunyi consider the memories of their time together worth enough to face something painful in exchange?

Feng Chunyi cast a quick glance at the side towards Xie Xingye, then looked away before anyone could catch it. Then slowly, she nodded. Yes, she wanted her memories back. She wanted to know what this person called Xie Xingye meant to her and what kind of promise she owed him.

Xie Xingye stared at her blankly, then slumped into the Zheng Xuan sitting beside him with relief. So his sister really did consider it worth it. The joy bursting in his chest was really too difficult to contain.

Hopefully, if his sister recovered her memories, she would accept him and his lover into her family and Xie Xingye's wish would finally come true. After this, would he really have a family with his sister as he'd wanted for so long?

After getting his mother's answer, Qinghe smiled. "Very well, I'll go back to the lower realm and check if it's possible then."

Wei Xiang's brows rose. "Love, is the solution you are thinking of the same thing I just realized?"

Qinghe happily nodded.

Wei Xiang let out a helpless chuff of laughter. "Then I suppose we'll be bothering Sect Master Wu once again."

Chuckling, Qinghe spoke, "He did say that he would help me whenever I asked without expecting anything in return. So why would I not take him up on the offer?"

Wei Xiang could only shake his head in pity. Hopefully, Wu Xiao wasn't already regretting his well-meaning words.

At the opposite side of the table, Feng Chunyi stood up with a serious expression. "We'll continue this discussion later. For now, I'm running late for work. I have to go and start the morning drills. You bastar― I mean, Xie Xingye. You come with me as well. Your lover will have to stay back. As someone from the dragon clan who is a guest to the heavenly capital, he does not have the authority to see the heavenly armies while they are training and strategizing."

Xie Xingye looked at her dazedly for a moment, then turned to his lover. "Lord Zheng, do you mind staying in our house and waiting for me to come back?"

Zheng Xuan nodded. Then pulling Xie Xingye towards him, he gave him an affectionate peck between his brows. "Stay…safe."

Xie Xingye smiled softly and nodded.

Soon, Feng Chunyi departed with Xie Xingye in tow. Zheng Xuan also returned to his home after that, leaving behind Feng Huixin, Qinghe, and Wei Xiang in the room.

Tilting his head, Qinghe curiously asked, "I've never seen Mother set out for work so diligently. She usually says that she already trained her armies to take care of their daily training regimen by themselves and uses it as an excuse to laze around, so why does she seem to be in such a hurry to leave today?"

Feng Huixin's gaze sharpened as something suddenly occurred to him. He quickly rushed to the kitchen to check on something. A minute later, he strode back into the room, his expression mildly exasperated as he answered Qinghe's question, "It seems that today was your mother's turn to wash the dishes, and they haven't yet been touched at all."

All those present immediately understood that Feng Chunyi had acted all serious just now and used work as a means to leave quickly so that she could escape before someone remembered that it was her turn to wash the dishes today.

Realizing this, Wei Xiang let out an involuntary bark of laughter as Qinghe hid his chuckles behind the back of his hand. Even Feng Huixin's gaze lightened with a hint of amusement.

They really shouldn't have expected anything else from Feng Chunyi.

And so, Feng Huixin was left behind to wash the dishes as Qinghe and Wei Xiang descended to find and have a talk with Wu Xiao.

Meanwhile, Feng Chunyi wasn't going easy on Xie Xingye at all. Whether or not he was someone she claimed as her brother, he was still someone who'd wanted to hurt her husband and caused her dear son so much injury that he'd had to spend three years in the healing pool.

She still remembered that day when she had first seen her grown-up son return with her husband. As the three of them had lied down together in Qinghe's bed, Feng Chunyi remembered how exhausted her son had looked from up close, his face pale and sickly. She remembered studying the robe he'd shed and feeling her heart ache with sorrow at all the bloodstains and rips on it. She remembered the absolute rage she'd felt when her husband told her about how her son had cracked his core in the battle against the demonic deity.

And so, at least for her darling son, she'd take revenge!

But no matter how grueling or improbable the tasks she gave him, Xie Xingye merely smiled as he accepted them. He would earnestly try to finish them without caring for his own body, leaving Feng Chunyi no choice but to take back her unreasonable orders lest her newest subordinate kill himself while attempting it.

However, seeing her continuing to give Xie Xingye difficult tasks and knowing that he was here paying for past crimes against their general's family, some of the newer recruits tried to bully him, thinking that it would please their general. But it only made Feng Chunyi furious. She punished them ruthlessly and threatened to kick them out if they dared tried to hurt Xie Xingye. She was allowed to bully him in repayment for what he did, but no one else was allowed to even think of hurting someone who might be her brother!

This attitude of hers confused many of Feng Chunyi's troops, but Xie Xingye couldn't help but smile happily when he heard about this as he worked harder than ever to complete the tasks his sister gave him.

But because Xie Xingye spent his days working this hard, by the time he returned home every evening, his body would be painfully sore and aching all over. Zheng Xuan would concernedly give him healing pills, and after all the sprains and bruises had healed, he would massage his tired lover's body. Then he would draw him a warm bath to relax in, and sometimes even help him wash his body. After Zeng Xuan dried him off, Xie Xingye would quickly drop onto the bed and doze off while his exhaustion dragged him under.

Because of this daily routine, except for during the days off work, Xie Xingye and Zheng Xuan couldn't roll around on the bed as much as they wanted, though they still tried with enthusiasm.

In this way, a few weeks passed before Qinghe brought up the matter regarding his mother's memories again.

After hearing from him that the solution he had thought of was confirmed by Wu Xiao to be possible, all six of them decided to descend to the mortal realm and head off towards the Golden Sun Sect first to request for access to the Silver Moon Sect.

The group of six appeared at a transportation array in a deserted place before they used the shadows to transport themselves just outside the Golden Sun Sect's boundaries.

Feng Chunyi looked around with curiosity at the world her husband and son had stayed at all this while. It looked…ordinary, though this particular area belonging to this gold-whatever sect did look very neat and exhibited signs of wealthy opulence.

As she looked up at the sky that seemed to be the same blue in every world, Feng Chunyi suddenly saw a small speck that seemed to be growing large at a very quick rate. Squinting her eyes, she decided that it must be some person who was falling or a creature speeding towards the ground. She eagerly wondered if it would be something she could fight.

In a few moments, the others also noticed that something seemed to be descending from the sky. Soon after, as the figure grew larger, it was revealed that it was a big demonic beast with light yellow fur. Huge fluffy wings extended from its sides and flapped languorously as it slowly reached the ground, hovering for a moment before its wings were folded in and its short limbs and belly touched the earth below.

The beast looked like a strange, winged meld between a rabbit and a fox. Its face, ears, and legs seemed like that of a rabbit, but its body, neck, and bushy tail resembled a fox's. Its short fur was a buttery yellow that gleamed brightly under the sun, appearing well-groomed. Its wide and ruby-red eyes suddenly turned in Xie Xingye's direction before it twitched its nose as if in distaste, letting out short little sneezes one after another.

A familiar voice called out to the beast concernedly from its back, "Ah-Bao, what is it? Are your allergies acting up again? I told you to take care not to land near any dandelions, and yet you never listen. And you even go about sniffing at them without―"

The voice suddenly stopped as the speaker sensed the presence of a group of people standing in front of the beast's paws. A curious head suddenly peeked up from between the large beast's rabbit-like ears to take a good look at them.

Qinghe smiled up at the peeking head and greeted, "Hello, Brother Jing. This Yellow-furred Seeker seems well-groomed. Is it yours?"

Jing Shui smoothly slid down the side of the beast's body as if he'd done it a thousand times before and stood upright. "Yes, it's one of mine that I personally tamed and trained. Brother Feng, what are you doing here?"

Qinghe opened his mouth to answer when the beast sneezed yet again. Jing Shui looked up at the beast with worry, only to see it glaring at a certain person. As Jing Shui turned his attention in that direction, he felt his eyes widen in shock.

"Brother Feng, you…you brought that demonic deity with you?!" he exclaimed.

Xie Xingye rolled his eyes. All he did was try to destroy this world one time. Was such drama really necessary?

Tucking away his surprise and frowning, Jing Shui spoke, "Demonic Deity Xie Xingye, I don't know why you are here, but can you please restrain your demonic energy? My seeker beast is sensitive to spiritual energy, and your demonic energy is causing it to feel uncomfortable."

Its chubby forepaws lifting to irritably rub at its twitching nose and whiskers, the beast gave yet another sneeze as if to underscore this statement.

Xie Xingye smirked amusedly, but still put away his demonic energy, causing the beast to also thankfully stop sneezing. At Jing Shui's beckoning, a harried-looking junior disciple from the Golden Sun Sect quickly came over to take the beast away before it could aggravate its allergies any more.

Meanwhile, Feng Chunyi was staring at Jing Shui with shining eyes. This person seemed to be a friend of her son's, and he was so cute! And it looked like he'd show such interesting reactions if she bullied him!

And so, before Jing Shui even knew what was happening, he felt a pair of hands enthusiastically rubbing then pinching his cheeks until they went red. Jing Shui's eyes widened with shock at the suddenness of it. Even though he tried to pry away those fingers, they didn't move an inch.

At the side, Feng Huixin sighed and lightly massaged his forehead while Qinghe chuckled and walked up to her. "Alright, that's enough. You'll deform Brother Jing's face at this rate."

Feng Chunyi paused in her actions of cheek-mutilation and turned to blink her eyes pitifully at her son. "But he's so cute! Can't we take him home?"

Jing Shui's eyebrow twitched. Who the heck was this crazy woman?! More importantly, Brother Feng, get her away from me!

Qinghe stifled his laughter and replied, "Mother, Brother Jing is not a pet you can just adopt. And I doubt he'll be happy to leave his lover and come away with us anyway."

Feng Chunyi frowned. "He has a lover?"

A voice suddenly spoke from just behind them, "Yes, that would be me. Can you please unhand my Ah-Shui? His cheeks might not survive at this rate, and I am very fond of them."

Then leaning down, he whispered into Jing Shui's ear, "Of course, I'm very fond of your other set of cheeks as well~" Saying so, his hand crept down to squeeze Jing Shui's backside.

Anger and embarrassment glittered in Jing Shui's eyes, but he was left unable to speak due to the pair of obnoxious hands that were still pinching his cheeks.

However, Feng Chunyi suddenly let go of Jing Shui—who quickly put some distance between them while cradling his poor cheeks—and looked at Wu Xiao with sparkling eyes. Reaching out her hand, she lifted a strand of his silver hair and spoke, "Ooh, so shiny!"

Wu Xiao simply raised an eyebrow, but let her play with the strand of his hair.

Meanwhile, as he stood cupping his cheeks, Jing Shui felt incredulous. From the way his friend had addressed her just now, he gathered that this person was Qinghe's mother. But he failed to wrap his mind around how someone like this could have given birth to someone like Feng Qinghe!

Feng Chunyi turned to her husband and suddenly declared, "Ah-Xin, I'm taking them both home!"

Qinghe suddenly imagined himself pushing aside a bunch of mint plants in the patch growing in their backyard, only to find his friends tied and bound, just lying there and looking at him with wide and terrified eyes after being kidnapped by his mother so that she could pet them whenever she wanted.

Mentally shuddering at that image, Qinghe quickly spoke up, "Mother, forget it. We can have them stay over after they ascend. Until then, you can't bring them up. And if you try to forcefully get them into Heaven or do anything that will make them unhappy, then I'll be sad as well."

Feng Chunyi blinked at her son, then sighed. "No one lets me have any fun."

With a sad pout, she shuffled back to her husband. With a wry smile, Feng Huixin patted his disheartened wife's head. She'd probably forget all about this setback in a few minutes.

Beside them, Xie Xingye yawned and turned to his lover. "Lord Zheng, all this standing around is so tiresome. Will you let me rest on your back?"

Without a word, Zheng Xuan bent down and let Xie Xingye climb up on his back. Xie Xingye happily wrapped his legs around his beloved's firmly muscled waist, his arms looping around Zheng Xuan's neck as he comfortably settled his head on his beloved's broad shoulder. "Ah, this feels much better. And I can feel your nice body between my legs too~ What more can I want?"

Zheng Xuan let out a chuff of gravelly laughter at his lover's shamelessness, both amused and pleased.

Seeing this, Feng Chunyi's eyes suddenly gleamed. She looked at her husband expectantly.

And so, with a helplessly loving look, Feng Huixin lifted his wife up in his arms, easily carrying her and letting her snuggle into his chest as she usually liked.

Feeling her husband's heartbeat from the vibrations in his chest, Feng Chunyi sighed happily, already forgetting the previous matter about Jing Shui and Wu Xiao. Sure enough, for the necessity of comfortable cuddling, it was always essential to carry one's husband while traveling away from home!

Seeing these two couples' actions, Jing Shui felt his teeth itch. They were even worse than his friend and his Sentinel lover when it came to such blatant public displays of affection. How shameless!

On the other hand, Qinghe chuckled amusedly and turned to his lover. "Xiang, why does it appear that the older someone gets, the more childish they become?"

Clearly hearing this question meant about them, two 'Hmph!'s sounded out. Xie Xingye and Feng Chunyi then looked at each other before turning away, not acknowledging their similar sounds of derision.

Seeing this, Qinghe could only laugh. His family was so adorably strange.

Patting his little lover's head, Wei Xiang advised, "We should start moving soon. After all, we don't know how much time this might take."

The eight people thus quickly set out, walking through the Golden Sun Sect and over the railing-less white stone bridge connecting to the Silver Moon Sect.

Zheng Xuan walked with large strides while Xie Xingye had closed his eyes, resting relaxedly on his lover's back. Beside them, Feng Huixin walked with his back perfectly straight, his orderly steps seemingly light as he effortlessly carried his wife in his arms. Feng Chunyi seemed content to be silent for once, simply luxuriating in her husband's warmth and presence. Her fingers absentmindedly traced the character for judgment stitched on the left of her husband's chest, her face showing a soft smile.

In front of them, the two couples Qinghe and Wei Xiang, and Jing Shui and Wu Xiao made their leisurely way forward while holding hands with their respective lovers. Qinghe and Jing Shui walked beside each other while chatting along the way.

"Brother Feng, is there a reason you came here with your family?" Jing Shui asked.

Qinghe nodded. "Yes, I even came to consult Sect Master Wu about it before. My mother seems to have a knot in her heart that is blocking a few of her memories before ascension, so I thought it would help if she used the Inner Dream Corridor of the Silver Moon Sect to resolve any issues relating to that."

The Inner Dream Corridor was a mysterious place that was located within the territory of the Silver Moon Sect. Cultivators who had trouble advancing their cultivation due to knots in their hearts or any impending heart demons would go to the Inner Dream Corridor to resolve these matters and break out of their cultivational stagnancy. But even though Feng Chunyi did not need it for cultivation, the Inner Dream Corridor would still be useful to undo whatever knot plagued her heart.

Understanding this, Jing Shui frowned as he guessed astutely, "Is it related to that demonic deity as well?"

Qinghe smiled. "Yes, it does. He can be said to be the driving force behind this."

And so, Qinghe spent the next few minutes giving Jing Shui an abridged version of Feng Chunyi and Xie Xingye's past together and how it ended up resulting in the battle in the Castle of Echoes, as well as everything else that happened later after they returned to Heaven that day.

After hearing everything, Jing Shui looked back at the Xie Xingye who seemed to be peacefully dozing on the back of his large and scarred lover who turned out to be that large and scarred black dragon. Scowling to hide the sympathy and complicated emotions he felt, Jing Shui let out a hmph and looked away. "I still don't like him!"

Surprisingly, Xie Xingye's laughing voice sounded from behind them, "That's alright! I would feel strange if you actually liked me, water-boy. I'd rather you save all your liking for your own lover and leave mine to like me in peace as well."

Jing Shui stiffened as an embarrassed flush spread across his cheeks. "S-Stop eavesdropping on people! Hmph! No manners at all!"

Xie Xingye chuckled. "And who was the one talking about me behind my back?"

Before his friend could explode, Qinghe replied, "Uncle Xie, we weren't talking behind your back at all but right before you at your front. Don't worry, if we had to badmouth you, we will do it right in front of you as well."

Xie Xingye barked out a laugh and returned sarcastically, "And that's all I ever asked, dear cheeky nephew mine. The way you stick to semantics could put my sister to shame!"

Feeling too blissful while nestled in her beloved's arms, Feng Chunyi incoherently muttered, "Hmm, shame? What shame? When did I feel shame?"

Jing Shui balefully rubbed his cheeks that still seemed to feel a shadow of that woman's evil pinching fingers. In a disconsolate voice, he murmured, "Yes, she's pretty shameless."

Qinghe burst out laughing.

In this way, chatting and bickering, they finally reached the island housing the Silver Moon Sect and followed an overgrown path into the sparsely forested area that laid between the sect buildings and the shore.

"Sect Master Wu, where is the Inner Dream Corridor? How do people reach it if it's located in such an inconvenient place without even a path leading to it?" Qinghe asked curiously.

Wu Xiao could only sigh and answer, "Xiao Feng, the Inner Dream Corridor is not so easy to find. It's not like the other ancient wonders of our world. It has no fixed location. The direction I'm taking you in is vaguely where I feel its presence from. The distortion it causes in the space around it is mild, but someone attuned to it can find it with some effort."

Feng Huixin suddenly spoke up. "Sect Master Wu, are there any dangers to using it?"

Wu Xiao shrugged. "I will have to say that yes, there is certainly a possibility of that. But Grandmaster, I'm afraid I cannot tell you any more. The dangers depend on the people entering it, and only they can overcome it. I do not know of many cases where these dangers remained even after the person exited the Inner Dream Corridor, but it is also possible. It all depends on your wife's particular knot."

Feng Huixin frowned, worry darkening his gaze. But Feng Chunyi lightly giggled as if completely unconcerned. "Ah-Xin, he called you Grandmaster. Should I call you that the next time we're rolling in bed?"

Feng Huixin's line of thought was suddenly derailed as the tips of his ears turned pink. "Chunyi, this is not a talk to be had here. Let's discuss this later."

Chuckling, Feng Chunyi lifted a hand to trace her husband's jaw. "Ah-Xin, so you want us to discuss this later, when we are all alone, naked, rumpling up the sheets and moaning each other's name?"

Feng Huixin almost stumbled as a flush crawled up his neck.

At the side, Xie Xingye unabashedly laughed as he commented, "Chunyi, it turns out that your taste in choosing a husband is this good. I really shouldn't have doubted you. He seems like he would be so much fun to tease."

Feng Chunyi giggled and easily agreed. "Yes, he is! Especially during the night when I use―"

Resorting to using desperate measures, Feng Huixin directly bent down to press his mouth over his wife's since both his hands were currently busy carrying her. Leaning back, he pleaded, "Chunyi, enough."

Laughing happily, she agreed, "Fine, fine, I'll stop teasing you now, my dear sweet and shy husband."

Feng Huixin coughed to hide his reaction to the overly sugary endearment, but let it go.

In the front, Jing Shui and Wu Xiao showed looks of realization. So this is where Feng Qinghe got his mischievous nature from. No wonder!

In this way, the group steadily made their way deeper into the forest, cheerfully talking and teasing.

Suddenly, Wu Xiao stopped in his tracks, causing the others to also halt and see what was wrong.

In front of them was a small and perfectly circular clearing that looked so fresh and clean that it must have been recently created. In the middle stood a strangely made glass arch, its lines clean and simple. There seemed to be some sort of clear liquid rippling inside the pillars and beams of this arch, with small glowing organisms similar to fingernail-sized jellyfish floating within. The entire space stretching within the borders of the arch was a deep, soft black. Motes of silvery dust escaped the darkness and slowly floated outside, seeming to gradually dissolve into the air.

The group stared transfixed at this strange construct that seemed so displaced in their world.

In this awed silence, Wu Xiao spoke up in a low voice, "This is the entrance to the Inner Dream Corridor. Seeing how it has formed its own clearing in this place, it seems to have stably made its home here for a few days at least. Traversing it can take anywhere from a couple of hours to a whole day, though time might seem to pass differently inside."

Feng Chunyi's expression turned serious as she patted her husband's shoulder once, asking him to put her down. Feng Huixin obliged. In a somber tone, he asked, "Chunyi, are you sure? Do you really want to do this?"

Looking up and into her husband's worried eyes, Feng Chunyi smiled a small smile. "Yes, I want to know. Not just to understand what he is to me, but also so that I can remember everything that I need to. We do not know if my missing past might cause us any troubles in the future. Or maybe I have some important knowledge buried in my mind that might come useful sometime later. Unless I remember, I will never know."

Feng Huixin sighed, but still nodded. He would never cage his Chunyi, so he could only prepare himself for the worst and let her do what she thought was best.

Xie Xingye also got down from Zheng Xuan's back and approached his sister. "Chunyi, focus on keeping yourself safe, alright? Remembering the past is not as important as your life. You have a family who will be sad if something happened to you, so try not to act as reckless as you usually do."

Feng Chunyi rolled her eyes, but still acknowledged his concern with a nod. "I know, I know, but I'm not that easy to kill off!"

Xie Xingye's mouth twitched. This was almost exactly what her son had said before. Sure enough, though they might look different on the surface, this pair of mother and son were cut from the same cloth!

Qinghe and Wei Xiang also stepped forward and gave her a hug at the same time, saying nothing. But Feng Chunyi understood their worries all the same. Patting their backs, she reassured, "I'll be fine. I've been in much more dangerous situations before."

As Qinghe and Wei Xiang drew back, they quipped as one, "Of that, I'm sure."

Feng Chunyi let out a chuckle. Since there were people who cared about her so much, she naturally wouldn't risk herself! But if there were illusions inside that twisted things…

Taking a deep breath and letting it out, Feng Chunyi walked towards the arch and the Wu Xiao standing beside it. Her gaze remained steady and her gait valiant as if she were heading to battle. Looking up, she asked, "Is there anything else I should know about?"

Wu Xiao shook his head. "It shows different things to different people, so I cannot say anything for certain. But Madam Feng, just remember that whatever you see is borne out of your heart and the guidance of the Corridor's spirit itself. It might be real, something that happened before, or it might simply be a fabrication, but the more help you need to unravel your memories, the more difficulty you might have."

Feng Chunyi pondered on it, then nodded. "I will keep it in mind…if I am able to."

With that, she finally stepped into the arch and the darkness pooling within it.

The world faded to black, and with it went her awareness.

…Where was she? What was she doing?

Sensations filled her mind; the rough grip of a wooden hilt in her palm, the crackle of fire and the astringent smell of smoke, the sharp, metallic taste in her mouth and her vision covered in red, uncontrollable laughter vibrating her chest and pouring out of her mouth…it was all so familiar.

Ah, this was the chaos of battle that she missed so dearly.

But where were the warm bodies that she could cut into?

She looked left and right, then finally found them. At a distance from her, three people were clustered together, one clad in white and the other two in black, looking at her with wide and alarmed eyes.

Something prickled in her chest, a faint hint of remembered pain. She frowned. It seemed she didn't like how they looked at her. The laughter spilling out of her mouth turned low. Since she didn't like it, all she had to do was kill them.

With a single leap, she landed in front of the three people. As if with a will of its own, her gaze was drawn to one of them. He had an androgynous face and a plain black robe with a character stitched in his chest in gold. She didn't care what it said.

She simply lifted her sword, and the wooden tip easily pierced through that golden character.

As it sank through the unresisting flesh, she felt it rupture the tight sack of his heart. She grinned as she felt the vibrations of its frantic beat through her sword. Then she made the mistake of looking up into the person's eyes.

Shock, confusion, trust, acceptance…but there was no fear, and there was no vigilance.

So soft, she thought absentmindedly. This person was too soft.

But as the pierced heart finally stopped beating, the pain in her own chest grew as she felt…something. She didn't like it.

Turning her head, she saw the other two people looking at her stunned. The black-robed one was trying to pull the white-robed one away while shouting something. She didn't care to understand what. All she knew was that the expressions of caution, fear, and horror in the white-robed one's eyes made the pain in her chest deepen.

She didn't like it, so she swung her sword. Blood splashed, and two more people vanished into death.

She sensed movement behind her and turned. A pair of people, one scarred and large, the other smaller, stood there with shock stamped onto their faces.

She leapt towards them, but the larger one burst into a dragon. Black scales thickened with scars filled her vision as she sank into the chaos of battle against a larger being. She felt the scrape of its teeth and claws, the kiss of its fire as it flowed by her cheek, and she laughed.

Soon, the dragon fell under her blade, dead, its body tightly coiled around the other, smaller one. She hacked apart the giant black body and found the person who had been protectively enveloped within. As he looked up at her with haunted eyes, she hacked him to death too.

The pain in her chest was horrible, a raw thing scraping inside her chest.

With a growl, she continued to swing her sword, but the pain refused to go away. It twisted and writhed, a living, raging thing in her chest. It was horribly sharp and savage as it tore up the inside of her chest.

Why? She killed them all, so why did it still hurt? Why did she still feel?

Even the madness of battle couldn't answer her, and so she continued her rampage.

The flames danced all around her, crackling and laughing at her plight. She wandered aimlessly and killed any living thing that crossed her path, however, the pain only grew worse.

But the only thing she knew how to do was kill, so she kept killing.

Her body slowly bent forward, an arm curled around her hurting chest. The other arm dangled limply as it clutched the hilt of her wooden sword, the tip of the blade being dragged over the ground uncaringly as she walked with laden steps. Her laughter had long since ceased, swallowed up by the void inside her. She felt wet drops trickle from her blank eyes and paid it no mind. She felt so empty inside that even fighting couldn't fill it.

She walked and walked until she could see the edge of the battlefield. Tall trees with black bark and gleaming emerald leaves kept guard over the border. She huffed out a strangled breath and stopped. The pain in her chest was chewing at her as if wanted to gnaw its way out her body.

What was happening to her?

A silvery voice suddenly spoke, "That pain is called loss, and yours is borne of regret, guilt, and anger at oneself."

She looked up. Standing in front of her was a transparent being. His form slipped through her senses, indefinable. She could vaguely make out a body shaped like a young man's, with long hair, a piercing gaze, and many layers of swaying robes.

"Feng Chunyi," the being called out. "You are here for a reason, yes? You have already walked through your worst nightmare of killing all your beloved ones by your own hand and wandering with nothing but your madness to accompany you. And so, I will now fulfill your wish and free all the memories you seem to have buried to protect your brother from this fate. If you could, you would have probably forgotten your family as well in the name of protecting them from yourself."

But she only looked at him unblinkingly, not reacting at all. She didn't understand, and she had no wish to as well.

He sighed, lifted a hand, and placed his fingertips between her brows. "No one can live free of all earthly burdens, no matter how much you all wish to. Accept it and live. Your family awaits you, and for them, this burden of yours might be worth carrying."

With that, she felt something in her snap. She clutched her head a staggered back. Images poured into her head and she grimaced. Slowly, the pieces gathered and melted into her mind.

Memories flowed like an unleashed tide, washing over her.

She remembered the little boy she adopted and to whom she'd later promised that he'd always have a place in her home. She remembered leaving him so that she could deal with her mistakes alone, promising him that she would return…but she never did.

She remembered meeting the one person she eventually grew to trust completely, the one person she was sure would never cage her or impose his will on her. She remembered how happy she had felt, how much fun she'd had as she courted him, making him smile and blush and laugh and fall in love with her as she fell in love with him in return. She remembered ascending and having an adorable child with him.

That child, so small and full of surprises, so trusting and innocent as he looked at her worshipfully, reverence and admiration gleaming in those bright eyes. She remembered all the joyful days she and her husband had spent playing with, teaching, caring for, and loving their little son, watching him slowly grow up into someone wonderful and unique.

She remembered the piercing heartbreak and the unimaginable pain of losing that son, the long and lonely years spent waiting for her husband and child to return, the joy and sadness she felt when she saw that her son had matured into a young man on his own, that she and her husband had been unable to see him grow up or offer him the parental support he must have needed…

And she clearly remembered how she'd just now driven her wooden sword through their bodies, their looks of horror, their blood painting her blade, their bodies falling down.

She'd killed them, her brother and his lover, her son and his beloved, her own dear husband…

She'd really killed them all.

A long, sharp scream filled with despair cut through the air, ringing with an inexpressible soul-deep agony. She clutched her head and screamed and screamed, but yet she knew that it wouldn't bring them back.

Her mind slowly turned blank, exhausted due to the sudden shock. Her screams stopped, but she didn't move.

As he watched all this, the transparent being sighed. He had done what he was supposed to. He wouldn't interfere in the rest.

The scenery wavered and faded away. She was slumped down into a sitting position, her aching head cradled in her hands. Her mind furiously tried to once again hide away these memories that were causing her so much pain.

Her head feeling fuzzy, she slowly got up and surveyed her surroundings.

She was in a strange tunnel with walls and ceiling that curved like a semicircular canopy overhead. The floor was a stretch of smooth mirror, while the rest of the tunnel seemed to be made out of small, irregularly shaped, mirror-like facets. Each little facet reflected a different image back at her, displaying scenes from her past.

In either direction of the tunnel, there was an opening. The one on her right glowed with a bright, blinding white light that made her head throb even more. The one on her left enticed her with a soft and soothing darkness.

Without hesitation, she dragged her wooden sword and headed left, passing through the wall of gentle black.

As she came out the other side, she saw the dense line of trees surrounding her. The sky was clear and blue with only a few fluffy white clouds, floating carefreely. Standing in the clear space between her and the trees were several people. They turned to look at her and smiled with relief, their mouths opening and closing as they asked her something.

She gripped her sword tighter, killing intent rising up again. If she killed, will her headache and uneasiness go away?

A glint of silver caught her eyes and she immediately pounced in that direction.

But thankfully, already alerted by his precognition, Wu Xiao was able to evade in time. But his action of leaping in a certain direction caused Feng Chunyi to shift her attention to the people there. Without thinking, she leapt forward, the tip of her sword directly heading towards the golden character stitched on the chest of a plain black robe.

…Why did this feel familiar?

Alarm shot through her as she abruptly halted her charge, the tip of her sword lightly pressing into that golden character. A vague niggling in the back of her mind told her that she would regret it if she ever went down this road again.

Before she could push away her confusion and make a decision, she felt large black vines filled with concentrated demonic energy wrapping around her and holding her arms tight against her body.

She growled and struggled. She hated being confined!

A soft and soothing voice, familiar and comforting, spoke from behind her, "Chunyi, sister dear, it's alright. Calm down, you aren't in danger. You don't have to fight. Do you really want to hurt the husband who you must have taken such difficulty in wooing?"

Feng Chunyi blinked, and her mind slowly cleared. She was suddenly able to hear the alarmed cries of the others and see the worried expression on her husband's face in front of her.

Yes, this was her Ah-Xin. And those were her son and son-in-law looking at her with concern while asking questions. Turning her head, she saw the familiar smirking face of her brother. Opening her mouth, she got out with difficulty, "Ah-Ye, is this how you treat your elder sister? Take back your stupid slithering vines right now!"

Xie Xingye looked at her with shock, then quickly made his black vines withdraw. "Chunyi, you remember me again?"

Freed of the vines, Feng Chunyi stumbled forward and was supported by her husband. In a dazed voice, she answered, "…Yes."

Easily pushing away the scene of his wife pointing her sword at him, Feng Huixin rubbed her back and asked, "Chunyi, are you alright? What happened?"

Feng Chunyi wanted to say something, but felt as if her head was splitting with excruciating agony. She wanted to lift her sword and start killing so badly, but with her memories beginning to fill in the emptiness of her mind, she also regained enough sense to not give in to the destructive impulse.

Leaning weakly against her husband, Feng Chunyi finally stopped holding herself together and let her consciousness fade away.

Feng Huixin felt the weight in his arms suddenly increase as his wife fainted. He easily hefted her up and held her in his arms.

Looking up at the silver-haired man making his way towards them, he asked anxiously, "Sect Master Wu, what happened? What's wrong with my wife?"

Worried, the others also gathered around the unconscious Feng Chunyi.

Stopping in front of Feng Huixin, Wu Xiao shook his head. "I don't know what happened to her, but whatever it is should slowly lose its effect. She might be feeling some disorientation due to whatever she saw inside, combined with the sudden change of being outside. But from what I've seen about similar cases, she should be alright after a few days. Until then, please keep watch to make sure that she does not go about hacking at people."

Feng Huixin nodded, his concerned and thoughtful gaze fixed on his wife.

Xie Xingye looked at his sister with a complicated expression. It was because of him that she had to go through this. After she got well, Xie Xingye promised to himself that he would be especially good to his sister.

His brows furrowed as his gaze stayed fixed on his mother, Qinghe asked, "Should we go somewhere nearby to rest?"

But Wei Xiang disagreed. "It's better if she wakes up in a familiar place like the Feng residence. It might decrease her disorientation."

Hearing this, Qinghe and the others nodded. And so, they quickly set out to return to the heavenly realm.

The next few days, Feng Huixin spent all his time accompanying his wife as she pulled herself out of her strange murderous haze and assimilated all her memories. Gradually, she began to understand what had happened and redoubled her efforts to regain her mental equilibrium. Within the week, Feng Chunyi had completely returned to normal.

During this time, Xie Xingye often visited with Zheng Xuan. They had already been given the key formation to the barrier around the Feng residence so that they could enter and leave at will. Every time Xie Xingye came to visit, he faithfully reported about the various things happening in the section of the army he was assigned to and brought many pills and elixirs to help speed up his sister's recovery.

He would often sit with her on the back porch and chat about various things. Sometimes they talked about things they both experienced before, laughing while making fun of the Elders in the righteous sect or reminiscing about their time on the streets. Sometimes they talked about things that happened after they separated, catching each other up to speed on their respective lives.

Often, by the end of the day, an exhausted Xie Xingye would be found dozing tiredly, his head lying on his sister's lap as Feng Chunyi soothingly patted his hair, a soft smile on her face. Though she was still miffed at him for hurting her son, she also felt guilt at having made him go through all this. She would slowly make it up to him, and in the meantime, she would also bully her adorable younger brother as much as she could.

After all, that was how it had always been with them, and that is how it would be from now on as well.