Chapter 33

Was it a dream? Was it not a dream?

Yuan Zhong stared in a daze at his goddess. She did not hide her divine light; it enveloped her, making her look like a small moon amidst the vast white snow.

Her features were entirely different from the mortal woman she used to be. She had long eyebrows and a round forehead, with delicate features that appeared even younger than the seventeen-year-old mortal girl. However, her cold aura made her seem untouchable. Only her eyes remained unchanged, burning with a focused and intense flame.

Sixty years of time seemed to rush past him, and he felt as if he could hear the sound of its flow.

Should he kneel down to kiss her snow-white shoes or confess his longing and reverence for the goddess?

He suddenly moved, slowly walking towards his goddess. Just like in the dream, he reached out his hand.

She seemed to hesitate for a moment, but then extended her hand as well.

Surprisingly, she wore white gloves. As their fingertips touched, Yuan Zhong suddenly grasped her hand tightly—she was real, with flesh and bones.

Her soft hand curled in his palm, and through the silk-thin glove, he could feel the warmth of her skin.

He looked down at her, bewildered and fervent, with countless words in his heart, but in the end, he only smiled and said softly, “Why are you wearing gloves?”

Tanyin thought for a long time before hesitantly replying, “Because… it’s cold.”

“What a poor excuse,” he laughed.

Tanyin didn’t want to continue on this topic. She raised her hand to touch the mechanical man behind Yuan Zhong. Looking at its comically clumsy features, she couldn’t help but smile.

“This… is not well-made,” Yuan Zhong felt rare embarrassment and said, “Don’t laugh.”

“I like it very much,” Tanyin said, gently adjusting the mechanical man’s crooked hair bun.

“…Really?”

She nodded seriously, “Really.”

Yuan Zhong let go of the mechanical man’s hand, and it continued its clumsy walk toward the shore. The wooden feet made creaking sounds on the ice and snow. Although its movements were awkward, it walked quickly, leaving only a string of footprints in the blink of an eye.

“Then we will go back too.”

He gave her a strange smile and suddenly opened his arms, lifting her up.

He jostled her a bit and then held her high. Her soft and cold hair fell beside his cheek, wrapping him in her familiar fragrance.

Yuan Zhong looked up at her shocked face and squinted, “Hmm… the goddess is indeed heavier.”

Tanyin, still shocked, stammered, “Th-th-then why are you still h-holding me?”

He replied earnestly, “You don’t understand. This is the etiquette of our fox clan when meeting a deity.”

Clearly lying, Tanyin looked suspiciously at his serious face and his now-bright eyes. Somehow, she ended up laughing.

“Let’s go back home!”

Yuan Zhong tightened his grip around her waist and slowly walked back to the small building.

If Little Yuan Zhong’s disorganized body hadn’t been blocking the way, he might have carried her all the way upstairs.

“Big Yuan Zhong, you heartless one! How dare you bring a woman back! How can you face the master?!”

Little Yuan Zhong, with his broken arms and legs, angrily glared at them, struggling to lift his head.

Seeing his pitiful state, Tanyin quickly jumped down to pick up his hand and foot lying by the door. Her hand touched sticky glue, and she looked back at Yuan Zhong in surprise.

He shrugged, “His craftsmanship is too advanced; I could only glue him together.”

“Let go of my hand and foot! You wicked woman! You… you..you..huh?”

Little Yuan Zhong’s indignant voice suddenly stopped. He suspiciously eyed the Qiankun bag at Tanyin’s waist as she took out familiar tools—a wooden hammer, nails, a bronze rod, and a piece of camphor wood used for his body.

As she skillfully filled the missing parts of his limbs with camphor wood and reattached his hands and feet with nails, Little Yuan Zhong’s wooden jaw nearly dropped. He stared wide-eyed as Tanyin straightened his head, twisting it forcefully until it stopped spinning. He was delighted to find it back in place!

“Take a few steps,” Tanyin said with a gentle smile, putting away the tools in her Qiankun bag.

Little Yuan Zhong hugged her, screaming, “Why am I a mechanical man! Ah, I’m made of wood and can’t cry! But I really want to cry now! Master!”

Yuan Zhong kicked him away disdainfully, pulling Tanyin upstairs. He asked angrily, “Can’t you change his face?! Next time, cover his face with a cloth!”

On the third floor, they found the mechanical man Yuan Zhong had made standing at his bedroom door. The snow on its feet had melted, leaving a large puddle of water on the floor. The door was closed, and it couldn’t get in, so it kept repeating its clumsy walking motion. Yuan Zhong removed the spell on the door, and it immediately rushed inside, walking around wildly before finally stopping.

Yuan Zhong coughed and looked at Tanyin with a smile. “I gave it a name, Little Erji (little second chicken).”

Little Second Chicken… Tanyin couldn’t help but recall the days when she first met him. This mischievous, suspicious, and cold high priest would jokingly call her “Little Chicken.”

(T/N: the Ji in Ji Tanyin name is 季 (jì), where the Ji for chicken is 鸡 ( jī).. so Yuan Zhong actually playfully called her little chicken in the previous chapter… and he called the mechanical man that he created as Little Second Chicken or Little Erji.)

Back then, he wasn’t likable at all, wearing countless fake masks and appearing friendly but cold inside.

At that time, she held the pride of a goddess and ignored all his feelings and suspicions. Their relationship was quite terrible.

Thinking about these past events, Tanyin couldn’t help but smile. Playfully, she politely bowed, “Yes, Your Highness, the high priest.”

He deliberately put on a stern face, pulling her arm.

“Bold maid, I command you to come to my room and teach me to make little Mistress more beautiful. No refusal is allowed.”

Fortunately, his skills were quite clumsy, and there were many areas on Little Erji that could be improved. However, he refused to let Tanyin do it, insisting on making the changes himself. She had no choice but to cut the wood into head-sized shapes, teaching him how to carve the features more delicately, one cut at a time.

The night passed in the blink of an eye, and when the first rays of dawn fell on the window, Little Erji’s face had become much more beautiful. Although still rough, it now bore a six or seven out of ten resemblance to Tanyin’s current features.

Yuan Zhong was still holding the carving knife but had fallen asleep on the wooden table. Despite being immortal, it was clear he hadn’t had much rest lately, as faint dark circles appeared under his eyes. He slept like a child, his lips innocently slightly pouting and his long, thick eyelashes trembling slightly, holding the carving knife tightly as if dreaming.

Tanyin squatted in front of him, carefully observing his face. He looked completely different from Taihe. Taihe’s eyebrows and eyes were gentle, even delicate, always smiling, while Yuan Zhong’s face initially appeared cold and unapproachable. However, his eyes were soft and alluring, initially filled with coldness but later melting into a warm smile, making them very captivating.

Tanyin coughed lightly, stood up, and gently covered him with a quilt from the bed. He stirred slightly but did not wake.

She blew a breath, and the curtains silently fell, blocking the harsh morning sunlight reflected off the snow. The room fell into silence, with only the soft sound of Yuan Zhong’s breathing.

Tanyin leaned against the wall and slowly sat on the floor. At that moment, she did not feel lonely; at least Yuan Zhong was by her side.

She took off her gloves, revealing her fingertips, which had turned into transparent light particles. No miracle occurred; the semi-transparent fingertips did not return to their original state. She was not mistaken; this divine body was indeed perishing.

Weary, she put her gloves back on, rummaged through the Qiankun bag, took out the divine crystal, hesitated for a long time, and then put it back.

A thick fog obscured her vision, and Tanyin felt as though she was desperately searching for something, but she couldn’t see anything, only running endlessly.

Suddenly, a red light flared before her, and the fallen demon Han Nu appeared. She was enormous, holding a flawless crystal in her left hand, within which Taihe lay peacefully asleep.

“Wushuang, Taihe is mine now,” Han Nu said softly, gazing at her with red eyes. “His left hand is gone forever. If I want him dead, he dies.”

Tanyin opened her mouth to speak but found she couldn’t make a sound.

She watched in horror as Han Nu crushed the crystal, and Taihe’s body turned to dust.

Han Nu’s right hand then appeared, holding another person: Yuan Zhong, who seemed to be in a deep sleep with no sign of waking.

“This lowly immortal of the mortal realm, dying at my hands, is his honor,” Han Nu’s enormous hand closed, and Yuan Zhong’s body also turned to dust.

Tanyin felt herself trembling all over. She tried to release her divine power to stop Han Nu’s madness, but was horrified to find her body could not move. Looking down, she saw her entire body had become transparent light particles, scattering in the wind.

Han Nu laughed loudly, “Wushuang! Your calamity has come! You can’t survive this! Be annihilated!”

Tanyin suddenly opened her eyes, drenched in cold sweat. She was back in her divine body but still dreamed, perhaps because her body was beginning to perish.

She panted heavily, looking around in confusion. This was Yuan Zhong’s bedroom, dimly lit, with Yuan Zhong still sleeping soundly at the wooden table, breathing softly.

She couldn’t help but shiver, feeling cold all over, curling into a ball.

Calamity… She was sure she had heard those words before. Han Nu’s demonized body, she knew she had seen it, but she couldn’t remember. It was as if someone had deliberately blocked her memory, leaving her powerless.

Her calamity… Tanyin, too tired to think anymore, closed her eyes again, soothed by Yuan Zhong’s peaceful breathing.