Chapter 165: The Moonlight Is Beautiful Tonight
Late at night.
Washington.
Far from the bustling city center, in the quiet riverside park.
Only a few streetlights along the paths gave off a soft white glow. Most other places, like the small grove near the recreational facilities, had already been swallowed by the darkness of night.
It was so quiet here that the croaking of frogs and the chirping of insects could faintly be heard. Above the city sky, the moon spilled down a blanket of silver light.
A young man and woman walked hand in hand into the grove.
"Xi Nian, why did you bring me here…?"
The black-haired woman, usually calm and composed, showed a rare trace of unease on her flawless face. Her eyes, beautiful yet questioning, lingered on the boy beside her.
This kid… he wouldn't dare, would he?
She had only looked away for a few days, and already he had gone this bad?
"What else would we come here for? Of course, to do what couples do." Xi Nian grinned. "Aren't we lovers?"
Diana's brows knitted slightly, her voice cool. "I told you, we can't go too far. Besides… it wouldn't be good for your body."
"We're here!"
Xi Nian suddenly called out, letting go of Diana's hand and rushing forward.
Diana blinked in surprise as he led her through the grove, stopping before a massive old tree at the center.
The tree was clearly centuries old. Its trunk was so thick that three people together might barely wrap around it. Its branches spread like a giant umbrella above, while its roots twisted deep into the earth below.
"I found this online yesterday."
Xi Nian turned back and winked. "Couples find an old tree, bury their secrets at its roots, and then come back together to dig them up ten years later."
As he spoke, he pulled a small glass bottle, a folded slip of paper, and a pen from his pocket.
"So… you brought me here for this." Diana's cheeks turned faintly pink, though the darkness and shadows hid it well.
"What did you think I was going to do?" Xi Nian asked curiously. A trace of innocence in his eyes.
"Nothing. Let's just write."
Diana quickly changed the subject, taking the slip of paper and pen from his hand.
"No peeking at what the other writes," Xi Nian reminded as he pressed his paper against his palm and, by moonlight, scribbled a few lines of English.
The cool night breeze stirred, rustling the leaves, making the grove feel peaceful and serene.
"I'm done," Diana said softly.
"Me too."
Xi Nian tucked the pen away, folded his note, and slipped it into the glass bottle, nodding for Diana to do the same.
She folded hers neatly and placed it inside too, the two slips pressing together.
"Now we just bury it."
Xi Nian rolled up his sleeves, ready to dig a small hole.
But before he could move—
With a sharp metallic ring, a sacred-looking longsword thrust into the ground at the base of the tree, its blade buried deep into the earth with only its ornate hilt left visible, like the legendary Sword in the Stone.
"Uh…" Xi Nian froze.
"I think it should go a little deeper," Diana said matter-of-factly, as if facing Doomsday, and stepped forward. With ease, she pulled the Godkiller Sword free, the silver weapon vanishing into the ether behind her.
"…That works."
Xi Nian stared at the deep gash left in the soil, twitched at the corner of his mouth, and placed the glass bottle inside. He carefully pushed the dirt back over it.
When it was done, he and Diana stood side by side before the tree.
"Is that it?" Diana asked softly.
"Yeah," Xi Nian nodded.
"Then ten years from now, we'll come back together," Diana said, her eyes fixed on him.
But Xi Nian shook his head. "Not ten years."
"What?" Diana was caught off guard.
"One hundred years," he said with a bright smile. "One hundred years from now, we'll come back here together."
Diana's heart trembled.
Yes.
The difference between them had never been height or stature.
It was age.
Even a thousand years, ten thousand years from now, Diana, as a half-god, would still be as radiant as she was today.
But Xi Nian was human.
His lifespan—his whole life—was only a fleeting moment to her.
"Diana. One hundred years from now, no matter what, I'll be here," Xi Nian declared, gripping her hand firmly, calling her by name for the first time.
"…Alright. I'll remember."
Diana tightened her hand over his, meeting his gaze, her tone deadly serious.
This was the vow of a demigod with eternal life and a mortal boy.
…
For the first time, Xi Nian longed to grow stronger, to gain powers that could extend his life.
Not for himself.
But to stay with the woman beside him for as long as possible.
Yet extending one's lifespan was no easy feat.
So he left behind this time capsule, this promise, so that even if he failed, at least Diana would hold on until a hundred years later.
Of course—
If there was even a sliver of chance, Xi Nian would claw his way out of hell itself as a ghost to keep the promise.
That was his determination. His backup plan.
…
Diana glanced sideways at the boy holding her hand so tightly.
After living together for seventeen years, even without her Lasso of Truth, she could guess what was on his mind.
This child… really was as stubborn as she was.
She shook her head lightly, but her lips curved in the faintest smile, her heart already made up.
If she lost him, not a hundred years, not even a single day would she endure.
Without him, the world would mean nothing.
…
They walked out of the grove onto the gravel path.
Xi Nian turned to Diana. Moonlight wrapped around her black hair like silver silk.
Her lips, full and rosy, glistened like they had been kissed by moonlight.
"Tonight, the moon is beautiful," Xi Nian said quietly.
Without hesitation, Diana bent down gracefully. With the faint scent of violets, her soft lips brushed against the corner of his mouth.
"That's enough. Any more and you'll transform," she said calmly as she straightened, her face unchanged.
"I didn't even say anything yet…" Xi Nian muttered, touching the corner of his lips. Still, he didn't feel cheated.
The two continued walking along the path out of the park.
Then—
From a nearby grove came the faint cry of a woman for help, mixed with the rough, angry curses of men.
Xi Nian frowned. That voice… it sounded familiar!
It was someone he knew!
Before he could act, Diana's figure blurred. Her black hair whipped wildly in the wind as she raced forward at a speed no human could match.
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