Chapter 30

The snow kept falling, and the messy footprints in the snow by the lake were soon smoothed over.

Tanyin floated far outside the small building, watching Yuan Zhong wake up, watching him get up to look for her, then watching him slump his shoulders in despair. Eventually, all the lights in the building went out, plunging everything into darkness, with the wind howling like it was weeping.

She didn’t return to his side; she didn’t stay with him forever, never leaving his side, as she had once said.

Right now, she couldn’t face him, whether it was the intense eyes he had in his dream, insisting she admit she liked him, or his furrowed brows and dull eyes in this moment.

She really had no talent for interacting with people and didn’t understand others’ hearts or her own. If everything could be as straightforward as making a mechanical man, where as long as each part was perfectly fitted, there would be no mistakes, how simple would that be?

Tanyin descended to the mortal realm to find Yuan Zhong for the sake of Taihe’s left hand. Yes, her goal was as clear as creating those tools: guard Taihe’s left hand. Whether it took hundreds or thousands of years, that would be just a brief moment, ultimately retrieving the hand and awakening Taihe flawlessly.

And things did develop that way, but she felt she had made a big mistake. What exactly went wrong? She didn’t understand, or maybe she did but didn’t want to think about it.

A human heart isn’t like those cold, lifeless rivets and bronze tools. When she used her body to shield Yuan Zhong from the violent attacks of the war ghost, what was she truly thinking at that moment? Was it Taihe, or something else? She couldn’t say. That mortal body was already shattered; divine crystal spread through her limbs and was no longer usable. At the moment she released her divine consciousness, she suddenly felt her connection to Yuan Zhong was no longer so simple.

She couldn’t say she liked him, wouldn’t say it, and didn’t deserve to say it.

Facing each other for a thousand years and “until death do us part” are just eight simple words. She once thought it was easy, but now she suddenly feels the vastness, depth, and fickleness of time.

This long, fine time made her feel panic and guilt, towards Taihe and towards Yuan Zhong.

She made a big mistake that couldn’t be remedied.

Tanyin floated quietly alone for a long time, finally looking back at the huge crack in the distant green mountain’s life gate and waving her long sleeves to fill the crack in an instant.

This was Yuan Zhong’s home. The life gate was broken, and he must be upset. She was also one of those with ulterior motives, and all she could do for him were these small things.

Now, she should go back to find Han Nu. Unlike last time, when she was anxious and impulsive, she feels very calm inside now. It was a resolute, cold calm. She didn’t know what to say to Han Nu when she saw her or what she would do. She had no plans and didn’t want to think about it.

She never really understood Han Nu; no, she didn’t understand anyone, including herself.

Everyone she knew seemed to have a huge disparity between their outward appearance and inner selves. Some were obviously angry with her on the surface but were good to her in their hearts; some appeared harmonious but hid needles of poison inside.

Han Nu, Han Nu…

These gods and goddesses, when they were mortals, all had such sincere and even defiant obsessions. Like her, she was a dedicated craftsman; there were also warriors crazy for combat and scholars of unparalleled talent.

Han Nu also had an obsession. Her embroidery was unmatched, and even when mortals wanted to burn her as a witch, she couldn’t put down her needle and thread.

At that time, Han Nu and she were very close. She had been a goddess for two hundred years, and Han Nu had just become one, still nostalgic for the mortal world. They often talked about various interesting things in the mortal realm. She wasn’t good with words but often stumbled through many things, while Han Nu listened with a gentle smile.

Han Nu never proactively mentioned her time as a mortal, and she only knew a little about it. For instance, Han Nu was passionate about embroidery, and if she embroidered a peony, a peony would bloom on her windowsill the next day. After it happened enough times, ignorant mortals thought she was a witch and wanted to burn her to death. Though they didn’t actually burn her to death, they nearly did, and she suffered greatly for a long time before finally passing away.

Thinking back now, no one knew exactly where Han Nu was from, who was in her family, or if she had ever married.

She seemed never to have lost her composure or said anything wrong; she was always gentle and understanding, making others feel as if they were bathed in a spring breeze. Among a group of deities who were not good at social interactions, she was so different.

So, Han Nu’s current actions were even more shocking and bewildering.

Returning to Tianya Platform once more, the Milky Way was still dazzling, and Taihe still slept in that huge divine crystal.

Tanyin didn’t know why, but she didn’t want to see his face, feeling guilty and timid as she hurried past, calling out, “Han Nu.”

No one answered her.

Tanyin floated directly toward the east corner of the hall. Han Nu’s body was still in its old place, but her divine consciousness was nowhere to be found.

As Tanyin approached the person-high divine crystal, she saw that Han Nu’s body, sealed within it, had stopped disintegrating. Strangely, though, the divine crystal hadn’t restored her divine power. Tanyin clearly remembered that when she descended to the mortal realm, Han Nu’s limbs and the left half of her body had become semi-transparent. Yet now, her body has fully returned to its original state.

Why was this? Tanyin couldn’t fathom it. But if Han Nu’s disintegrated body could be restored, did it mean that Taihe no longer needed to remain asleep? Could it be that other deities in the divine realm also no longer had to worry about falling?

Instinctively, Tanyin wanted to dissolve the divine crystal. Suddenly, she saw Han Nu open her eyes and smile at her from within the crystal. This startled her greatly, and she stepped back several paces, shocked to see Han Nu’s divine consciousness gracefully emerge from behind the crystal.

“I knew you would come,” Han Nu said with a gentle smile.

“I helped you. How will you thank me?”

“Help?!” Tanyin was enraged by her pretense of kindness.

“Deceiving the war ghost and even involving the Fox clan to kill Yuan Zhong, is that helping?! Making me drink the divine crystal, is that helping?!”

Han Nu sighed, “You silly girl. They had already guessed your identity. I just gave them a little push. Otherwise, would you have pretended to be a mortal until he died?”

Tanyin quietly watched her and shook her head.

“Han Nu, you’re not doing this for Taihe. You don’t care whether he wakes up or not. If you cared even a little, you wouldn’t have done this.”

Han Nu looked up at Taihe’s body, sealed in the divine crystal, her voice soft. “You’re right. I never loved him. You’ve finally figured it out, although a bit late.”

“I’ve never wronged you. Why do you keep doing things to make me suffer?”

Tanyin pressed on.

Han Nu laughed heartily, “Are you really in pain? Truly? When I took Taihe, you didn’t seem to care. But when I wanted to kill that priest, you finally reacted. I thought you, this silly girl, would come and tear me out of the divine crystal and shred me to pieces!”

Tanyin finally sensed something off in her words. “…You were waiting for me to come looking for you? Waiting for me to go crazy in anger?”

Han Nu laughed even more joyfully.

“Yes, silly child. Just realized it? I’m helping you overcome your tribulation!”

Before she could finish speaking, she saw a brilliant golden light burst before her eyes. A dazzling golden talisman in Tanyin’s palm struck Han Nu without mercy. Han Nu screamed as her divine consciousness was bound by dense, enormous golden thorns, immobilizing her. The barbs on the thorns inflicted excruciating pain on her divine consciousness, a soul-crushing agony that was unbearable with even the slightest movement.

Tanyin, pale-faced, stared at her and said coldly, “Then let me help you through a tribulation first.”

With a wave of her long sleeve, large swaths of black mist emerged, enveloping the divine crystal that encased Han Nu. The person-high divine crystal rapidly shrank at a visible rate. Tanyin could have used a gentler method to handle the precious divine crystal, but that would take several days. In her anger, she could no longer care for that. Within the time it took for an incense stick to burn, Han Nu’s body slumped to the ground. The left side of her body and her limbs, which had originally been restored, suddenly emitted a blood-red glow and then rapidly disintegrated like foam.

Most of Han Nu’s body had already turned into emptiness.

Shocked, Tanyin turned to look at Han Nu’s divine consciousness trapped in the golden thorns. “…What’s happening?”

Han Nu stopped struggling, quietly curling up within the thorns. The gentle smile was gone from her face, and her voice was indifferent.

“This is what happens.”

Tanyin had countless questions in her heart, but the thought of Han Nu’s cruel methods filled her with immense disgust. She swept her sleeve dismissively and said, “I told you, if you interfere again, you will be left to your own fate. Take care of yourself.”

Han Nu sneered, “Wushuang, do you really want me to die?”

Tan Yin did not answer.

“If I die, aren’t you afraid something will happen to Taihe? He loves me.”

Tanyin shook her head, her tone indifferent.

“Taihe would never love a woman like you. Even if he did like you, he would feel ashamed for having misjudged you.”

A sudden silence fell behind her, leaving only Han Nu’s heavy breathing, growing louder and louder. Tanyin didn’t want to look back at her and continued walking towards the exit of the hall. Suddenly, she felt the ground of Taihe Hall begin to tremble gently. The divine power surged and fluctuated violently behind her, highly unstable. Alarmed, she turned around immediately, only to see Han Nu struggling madly in the golden thorns like a fish caught in a net. The thorns pierced deeply into her divine consciousness, tearing it apart, yet she seemed oblivious to the soul-crushing pain, as if it didn’t exist.

Tanyin was shocked by her madness, wanting to say something but not knowing what to say. As Han Nu released divine power in a wild struggle, she suddenly lifted her head and stared intently at Tanyin. Her gaze was so intense that it seemed almost tangible, as if it could pierce through Tanyin’s body. Tanyin had never seen such an expression before. It felt like Han Nu was looking at her, yet not at her, making her heart race with unease.

“Wushuang, you still want to treat me like this!” Han Nu’s voice was hoarse, and her eyes were strange and bright, like they held a burning star. After a long while, that star seemed to spill out of her eyes, tears glistening faintly on her face.

Tanyin was stunned. Since Taihe fell into slumber, Han Nu has cried countless times, but never with such madness or such strange tears and expressions. It was something she had only seen once, when Han Nu first became a goddess.

“You still want to treat me like this!” Han Nu’s mutilated hands clung desperately to the thorns. She tried to force her head through the gaps, looking deranged.

“Why?! Why?! Why do you want to kill me?!”

Tanyin suddenly closed her mouth, took a deep breath, and whispered, “You… brought this on yourself.”

Han Nu’s voice turned sharp, “I am unwilling! I am unwilling! Why didn’t I kill you back then?! You all caused my death! Why didn’t I kill you?! I shouldn’t have become a goddess! I shouldn’t have become a goddess! Wushuang! I am unwilling!”

Tanyin exclaimed, “What are you talking about?! Do you have me confused with someone else?!”

Han Nu suddenly quieted down, her body curling up within the thorns. After a long while, she slowly wiped away her tears, looking up at Tanyin with a strange expression.

“I am unwilling.”

Her eyes suddenly turned blood-red, and her graceful, light body twisted in an extremely bizarre way, gradually becoming a semi-transparent mist. The surging divine power also disappeared instantly. Tanyin stared in horror at this human-shaped, semi-transparent mist, feeling as if a huge hammer had struck her heart—she seemed to have seen this somewhere before!