Chapter 37

Tanyin couldn’t remember how long she had crouched by the lakeside. Slowly, it grew dark. The fierce wind swept across, scattering tiny snowflakes aimlessly over the lake’s surface.

The weather was changing; perhaps it would snow again.

She slowly put on her gloves, wistfully glancing back at the small building. Would everything here become her last memory of Yuan Zhong? Her gaze swept across the snow-covered little cave, finally resting on little Yuan Zhong’s bewildered and lost face. He seemed to be struggling to say something.

Tanyin stared at him for a long time. This face looked exactly like Yuan Zhong’s, with the same beautiful eyes and slightly pursed lips. Yet, she could immediately tell who the real Yuan Zhong was. It seemed that only now she realized how deeply she had remembered this person.

Should she explain something more? While Yuan Zhong was asleep, she could tell little Yuan Zhong everything in her heart and let him relay the message. That way, she wouldn’t have to see Yuan Zhong’s heartbroken expression, and she wouldn’t feel so bad.

Han Nu was right; she also had an incredibly frightening heart, deceiving others, deluding herself, and finally selfishly avoiding everything, so ugly that it was unbearable to face.

Tanyin gave a bitter smile, said nothing, and turned to walk slowly towards the cave exit.

Little Yuan Zhong, seeing that she was really going to leave, panicked completely. He looked around, scratching his head, unable to find anything to make her stay.

Suddenly, he slapped his thigh hard, deciding to risk it all!

He lunged forward, hugging her tightly. He had so much to say to persuade her! He couldn’t let her just leave!

Tanyin, caught off guard by his fierce tackle from behind, lost her balance, and they both rolled into a snowdrift, then continued to roll far across the slippery, frozen lake surface. Little Yuan Zhong’s ghostly wailing echoed in her ears, making her dizzy and disoriented.

When she finally came to her senses, she found Little Yuan Zhong still clutching her, rolling and shouting, and the situation was not looking good. They were rolling towards a hole in the ice. She tried to get up, but his force was too strong, and the ice was too slippery to find any leverage.

Tanyin’s eyes flashed with a clear light, and an ice wall instantly rose in front of them. Little Yuan Zhong crashed into it with a loud bang. She didn’t know if he was hurt. When she got up, she saw that the thick ice wall had several cracks.

What kind of brute strength was this!

Little Yuan Zhong lay under the ice wall, rolling back and forth, wailing like a ghost, “Broken! My spine is broken! It hurts so much! It hurts so much!”

Tanyin couldn’t help but laugh and cry at the same time—a mechanical man feeling pain!

Little Yuan Zhong rolled over and hugged her leg, crying more pitifully than a woman in labor, “Master! It hurts so much! Don’t leave! If you go, I won’t be able to live anymore!”

He rolled back and forth, sneaking a glance at her, seeing her covered in snow, her hair disheveled, and her pearl hairpin hanging by her ear, looking as wretched as could be. He lowered his head in shame, pressing his face to her foot, continuing to wail as if wounded, “Don’t go! Please don’t go!”

A hand gently patted his shoulder.

Little Yuan Zhong’s sharp, piercing cries suddenly stopped. He stared blankly as Tanyin squatted down to check if his body parts were damaged. She squeezed his shoulder and patted his back.

Finally, she smoothed his snow-covered, messy hair and smiled slightly, “Nothing is broken; you can walk.”

Little Yuan Zhong felt like he was going to shed tears from his mechanical eyes. He gripped her hand desperately, begging, “Please don’t go, okay?”

He looked exactly like Yuan Zhong, and at this moment, his eyes made of black gems seemed to hold Yuan Zhong’s soul.

Tanyin almost felt an illusion.

Little Yuan Zhong’s pleading expression made her shiver all over. The cold wind howled over the lake, and she suddenly felt a bone-chilling coldness, as if ice had formed in her throat.

The divine power between her brows suddenly began to pulsate. She knew that Yuan Zhong was emotionally stirred. She had left a mark on him, which proved her reluctance.

She always messed things up.

She had failed in her mission to find Taihe’s left hand in the mortal world; she had promised to stay with Yuan Zhong for life, but now she was leaving him.

She had thought that becoming a goddess meant she would never make mistakes again, but each mistake was more outrageous than the last.

Now, she wanted to selfishly escape after realizing her mistakes, but she couldn’t even leave cleanly, leaving a mark behind for what?

She no longer knew what she was doing.

The divine power between her brows was pulsating violently. What dream was Yuan Zhong having? Was he back on that high platform? She could feel the intense emotions that didn’t belong to her between her brows—both sorrowful and focused. His feelings for her were always mixed with sadness. Was he afraid it was all a dream?

Little Yuan Zhong saw her in a daze, not looking like she was determined to leave, and carefully crawled up, still holding her sleeve tightly. He wanted to use stillness to counter movement.

Suddenly, she moved, turned around, and walked slowly towards the small building. The sleeve in little Yuan Zhong’s hand slipped away like soft water, impossible to hold onto.

He hurriedly took a step forward, wanting to speak, but her expression left him speechless. He stopped abruptly, staring blankly as she went ashore, entered the small building, and never came out again.

Yuan Zhong was indeed dreaming, but not of the high platform from three decades ago.

He was walking slowly among flowering trees in full bloom, feeling like he was looking for someone, but he couldn’t remember what she looked like or who she was. The warm spring breeze brushed against him, soft and delicate. Instinctively, Yuan Zhong quickened his pace, but the tangled branches of the flowers blocked his view. She was just ahead, but he couldn’t see her.

Raising his hand, he parted a tree of crystalline pear blossoms.

Suddenly, a clear and cold female voice called from behind him, “Yuan Zhong.”

He turned abruptly.

The endless sea of flowers suddenly turned to dust, countless red and white petals falling like rain.

The goddess in white stood ahead, her black gem-like eyes avoiding his gaze, her head lowered like a wounded deer.

He hurried towards her, her name on the tip of his tongue—”Tanyin.”

He took her hand.

She was wearing gloves, her fingers trembling, trying to escape his grasp.

Yuan Zhong released her hand but quickly grabbed her wrist, pulling her slender, white figure into his arms. Her body was thin and fragile like glass, but her presence was gentle and endearing.

She spoke in a soft voice, “If I leave, what will you do?”

An unfounded terror gripped him. “…Why do you want to leave?”

“What if I really left?”

She looked up, her clear eyes no longer avoiding his gaze. She had never looked at him so directly before.

Yuan Zhong smiled, “I will come find you.”

She shook her head, “What if by then you have forgotten me?”

“I will not forget,” he whispered, “I will never forget.”

The person in his arms grew thinner and thinner. He felt like he was holding only a piece of clothing.

Horrified, he looked down. Her body suddenly turned into a mass of golden specks, scattering everywhere, the white clothes slipping through his hands like water.

Yuan Zhong abruptly opened his eyes, drenched in cold sweat.

Was it a dream?

He leaped up as if struck by lightning and immediately saw Tanyin. She was sitting by the bed, her hair undone, flowing down her back, quietly watching him.

Without saying a word, he opened his arms and somewhat roughly pulled her into his embrace. This real, thin body had weight, breath, warmth, and softness.

Still shaken by the nightmare, he repeatedly stroked her slender back, his voice low, “You’re still here…”

Tanyin gently smoothed his long hair, whispering, “Had a nightmare?”

He shook his head, saying nothing.

The window was tightly shut.

Outside, the sky was dark and gloomy, the wind howling like ghostly cries. It had started snowing again. Tanyin was tidying his long hair when she suddenly felt a lightness on her ear—he had removed the pearl hairpin hanging there.

“Why is it so messy?” He chuckled.

His little goddess was always immaculate in white, with her hair neatly arranged.

Seeing her disheveled appearance upon waking had truly startled him.

He let down all her hair and carefully combed it with his fingers. She wore no jewelry, and even the hairpin was a simple silver one with a thumb-sized pearl.

With a flick of his fingers, a drawer in the bedside cabinet silently opened, revealing several vermilion brocade boxes. The largest box opened to reveal a smaller lacquered wooden box inside.

Lined with purple velvet, the box contained a hairpin wrapped in platinum threads, shaped like a flower and inlaid with several amethysts. Though not ostentatious, it was exquisitely crafted. He took out this hairpin and placed Tanyin’s pearl hairpin in the box.

“This is mine now,” he chuckled.

Clumsily, he styled her hair into a bun and inserted the amethyst hairpin. After carefully examining it, he nodded with satisfaction, “This one for yours.”

Tanyin couldn’t help but laugh at his playful pretense.

She teased, “That pearl is very valuable, you know. It’s a ten-thousand-year-old gem from a deep-sea clam spirit.”

Yuan Zhong kissed her forehead and smiled, “Then I must have gotten a good bargain today.”

Just as Tanyin was about to speak, a thunderous noise came from the cave exit. Yuan Xiao Zhong was outside, wailing, “Someone’s pounding on the door again! Master! Big Zhong! It must be those red-eyed guys!”

She was startled, but Yuan Zhong patted her shoulder reassuringly, “It’s alright. They’re not breaking in; someone is delivering a message.”