Qian Renxue had always believed she was long accustomed to loneliness.
Ever since she left the Worship Hall as a child and was sent to the Heaven Dou Empire as a spy, she'd learned to hide her real feelings behind a mask and replace warmth with calculation.
Until that white-robed youth cut through the disguise she'd worn for more than ten years.
Over seven hundred days and nights since their parting, she had finally learned what "yearning to the bone" truly meant.
Love was like the midsummer wilderness — no matter how much you cut or burned it, when the long wind blew, the wild grass joined with the sky.
Qian Renxue couldn't hold back any longer. Her figure flashed forward, throwing herself into that familiar figure like a weary bird returning to the forest.
Li Zhexian's lips curved into a gentle smile as he opened his arms.
Soft warmth filled his embrace;
a faint fragrance, mixed with the scent of blood, entered his breath.
His arms stiffened slightly, and after a brief pause, he slowly drew her closer, burying his face in her soft golden hair.
He closed his eyes and murmured in a voice soft as a dream:
"Qian Renxue… I missed you too."
For the past two years, he had been wound too tight.
Not a single day had he dared to relax, not a single night had he truly slept in peace.
Now, seeing Qian Renxue again, the taut string inside him finally snapped loose, and the exhaustion he'd been holding back came flooding out like a broken tide.
The woman in his arms stiffened slightly as he pulled her closer.
But when those whispered words reached her ears, the tears she'd been holding back finally fell.
Her flawless face pressed against his arm as she breathed him in, deeply and greedily, as if trying to fill the two years of emptiness in one breath.
They stayed like that for a long time, wrapped in silence, until Qian Renxue slowly looked up — only to see Li Zhexian's eyes closed, his breathing even and steady. He had fallen fast asleep.
She froze for a moment, then her beautiful eyes softened, full of tenderness and ache.
With a touch of gentle light Spirit Power,
she lifted the sleeping youth and carried him into the room,
laying him carefully upon the bed.
After settling him,
she sat quietly by his side,
her gaze fixed on his peaceful, handsome face.
His features were leaner than two years ago,
but still elegant and otherworldly—
the face she had seen every night in her dreams.
For a moment, it all felt unreal—like a fragile dream she feared might shatter.
Holding her breath, she carefully reached out a slender finger, brushing lightly across his brow as if touching something precious beyond measure.
Her fingertip withdrew the instant it made contact.
When she was sure she hadn't disturbed him, she dared to touch him again, tracing gently along the side of his thin, handsome face.
tracing the sharp line of his cheek
with infinite care.
Her vision blurred once more.
In that moment, Qian Renxue thought…
All the times she had bled and suffered
on the Stairway of Light—
it had all been worth it.
So very worth it.
…
Li Zhexian hadn't slept this soundly in a very long time.
In the northern lands, he'd had to stay alert at every moment, wary of mercenaries and their hidden arrows.
In the depraved Slaughter City,
he slept every night with one hand on his sword.
When he slowly opened his eyes, he glanced around the room. Seeing it empty, his heart tightened for a moment — until his gaze fell on the beautiful figure moving about in the side room.
Only then did he finally relax.
"You're awake?"
At this moment, Qian Renxue did not resemble the Angel Goddess residing in the clouds, but rather a deity exiled to the mortal world.
Her long golden hair was loosely tied behind her head, and around her slim waist hung Li Zhexian's old, seldom-used apron — adding a touch of awkward, endearing clumsiness to her grace.
She was carrying a plate of freshly cooked food.
When she noticed him awake, a soft smile bloomed on her flawless face.
"Come eat."
He couldn't tell whether it was that radiant smile—
or the simple, homely scene before him—
that made him lose focus for a brief instant.
Leaning against the doorframe, Li Zhexian found himself momentarily dazed.
Then he smiled and walked over.
"You made this?"
Qian Renxue bent down to place the dishes on the table.
Looking at the plates—slightly uneven, but still neatly arranged—
she patted her hands with a hint of proud satisfaction.
"Mm-hmm."
Then, meeting his eyes,
her confidence faltered and she twisted her fingers nervously.
"Ingredients in the Slaughter City are rare and precious," she said softly. "I only learned to cook after coming here. It might not taste very good…"
Li Zhexian gave a hearty laugh.
"The presentation alone is already remarkable."
"How could it possibly be unpalatable?"
A moment later, his neck stretched almost comically as he forced himself to swallow the food, grimacing all the way.
Meeting the pair of bright, expectant eyes watching him, he stayed silent for a while before finally saying,
"Xue'er, be good."
"From now on, don't trouble yourself with cooking."
"Those hands of yours were meant to wield the Angel God Sword, not a kitchen knife."
But Qian Renxue wasn't thinking about the food anymore.
That single word — "Xue'er" —
sent her heart fluttering like a startled deer,
a warm blush blooming across her flawless cheeks as she lowered her head shyly.
Time quietly flowed by amidst Li Zhexian's difficult swallowing and Qian Renxue's overwhelming shyness.
While clearing the dishes, Qian Renxue suddenly spoke.
"Li Zhexian, I want to move to the Southern District to be closer to you."
Li Zhexian took a sip of wine, wiped the corner of his mouth, and replied casually,
"Why bother renting another place?"
"There's an empty room in this courtyard. Just move in here."
"Ah—?!"
Qian Renxue's head shot up, her lips parting slightly. Surprise, shyness, and a trace of disbelief tangled together on her beautiful face.
Seeing her expression, Li Zhexian immediately realized what she was imagining.
He couldn't help but laugh, raising the end of his chopsticks to gently tap her smooth forehead.
"What are you thinking?"
"The east wing is empty. You can stay there — it'll be convenient for us to look out for each other."
"O–okay…"
Qian Renxue's face felt like it was on fire. Her heart raced uncontrollably.
When she looked up again and met his teasing, half-smiling gaze, she grew even more flustered.
Flicking the water from her hands, she reached out and gave his waist a quick pinch — not hard, but enough to make her point — then turned and hurried out of the courtyard like she was escaping.
"I… I'll go pack my things!"
"I'll be back soon!"
Li Zhexian watched her graceful figure disappear through the gate, smiling faintly.
Then—
his figure blurred,
and in the next instant, he was standing in the deep shadow beside the courtyard wall.
There, he sat cross-legged on a meditation mat
and began brewing his immortal brew— Forgetful River Blood Resentment Fragrance.
As his breathing steadied, faint streams of dark red mist seeped from his body, barely visible to the naked eye, slowly drifting and gathering into the vessel before him.
After roughly the time it takes for an incense stick to burn, Li Zhexian opened his eyes.
He looked down at the liquid inside the gourd — almost unchanged — and his brows furrowed tightly.
"The inner city of the Slaughter City
is filled with remnants of unextinguished obsessions,
lingering cries, unfinished dreams…
phantoms of every kind."
"But in density—
it's not even one percent of the arena."
"Yet my streak of victories is too long—
it'll be days before I can fight again."
"At this rate…
when will the Forgetful River Blood Resentment Fragrance ever be complete?"
He counted silently through the immortal brews he had made before.
This one—
was rarer even than the Ice Flame Immortal Dew,
the wine capable of forging the Molten Frost Spirit Vein Body.
And its effects—
even more astonishing.
"Not only the Forgetful River Blood Resentment Fragrance…"
"The sixth form of the Qinglian Sword Song—Swordof KillingIntent—
hasn't advanced either."
"There's still a distance to true mastery."
As Li Zhexian frowned,
turning over possible breakthroughs in his mind—
the gate creaked open.
Qian Renxue had returned.
But her face—
was as grim and troubled
as his own.