Not to Become an Immortal, Only to Wait for Your Return in This Mortal World

.

Little Nannan's eyes were truly bright and pure.

Even though she had fallen into the mortal world and suffered who knew how much hardship in this mundane life, there was still light in her eyes, like an elf who had stepped out of an animated tale!

Reflected in her glistening eyes was the figure of a young man who seemed to be cloaked in the radiant glow of a blazing sun.

The gentle smile on Lu Zhou's face and his voice, warm as sunlight, gradually calmed her timid and aggrieved heart.

"Really? Big Brother is really going to take Nannan to eat something delicious?"

"Nannan doesn't need delicious food. Big Brother can just buy Nannan a bun."

Crystal tears welled in her eyes.

That horrible woman had frightened her terribly just now and made her feel so wronged!

Seeing her like this, Lu Zhou's heart truly ached.

A line echoed unconsciously in his mind.

Not to become an immortal, only to wait for your return in this mortal world!

Lu Zhou did not dare imagine just how deep that obsession ran.

Lu Zhou remembered that when he had first read the original novel Covering the Heavens, he had thought the Ruthless Emperor was the greatest hidden villain in that world.

Only later, as he continued reading, did he realize that the Ruthless Emperor was also someone to be pitied.

Her parents had died when she was young, leaving only her brother to depend on each other with her. Yet before long, the brother who had been her only support was taken away by people from the Feathered Dynasty.

At the time, she was only a few years old.

That day, she ran after them crying, stumbling all the way until even her little shoes had fallen off.

That day, the little girl completely lost every family member and every source of support.

There was only her left in this world!

She had merely been born with an ordinary physique, yet she ultimately grew into a peerless Great Emperor who suppressed the starry skies.

How much suffering and hardship had she endured along the way? How many tears and how much blood had she shed? How much loneliness and sorrow had she tasted?

Perhaps only she herself knew all that.

Lu Zhou believed there were many people in this world more pitiful than her.

But she alone dared to say, and dared to do, what she had done—not to become an immortal, only to wait for your return in this mortal world!

"A bun isn't enough. Whatever you want to eat, Big Brother will get it for you!"

Lu Zhou stretched out his hand, intending to take hers and head to Yan Emperor's palace, where he would have the imperial chefs prepare a delicious meal for Little Nannan.

As he reached out, Lu Zhou was still somewhat nervous.

Fortunately, nothing unusual happened.

This nearly confirmed one thing for Lu Zhou: the Empress's attitude toward Little Nannan was essentially one of complete noninterference.

Lu Zhou recalled that the original novel had mentioned how, during the years Little Nannan had spent wandering the mortal world, she had once been adopted by some kindhearted people.

It had also mentioned that Little Nannan had once fallen into the hands of the Yin Yang Sect.

Throughout that process, the Empress seemed never to have intervened!

On the streets of Yan Capital, a scene appeared that drew countless curious glances.

A young man with long hair draped over his shoulders, dressed in white robes patterned with mountains, rivers, and clouds, held the hand of a little girl covered in grime and dressed in ragged clothes as they walked through the streets of Yan Capital toward the imperial palace.

Before long, Lu Zhou and Little Nannan arrived at the gates of the imperial palace.

Armored soldiers holding spears moved to step forward and stop them.

But they only felt a gust of wind sweep past them. When they looked again, Lu Zhou and Little Nannan had already passed them and entered beyond the palace walls.

The armored soldiers were horrified and immediately rang the alarm bells atop the palace walls.

Squad after squad of palace guards sprang into action at the sound of the alarm. At the same time, some cultivators whom Yan Emperor had hired at great expense also began moving.

Some went to protect important members of the imperial family, while others rode divine rainbows into the air, wanting to see who had such audacity as to dare trespass into the heavily guarded imperial palace.

They soon spotted Lu Zhou and Little Nannan.

"Young man, halt! This is the imperial palace. Without a summons from Yan Emperor, you may not trespass—"

A cultivator flying in the sky called out to Lu Zhou.

But Lu Zhou merely glanced at him, and the word "trespass" that he was about to utter was forcibly swallowed back down.

A quarter of an hour later, three Life Spring cultivators with graying hair, accompanied by more than ten Sea of Suffering cultivators and Yan Emperor himself, waited cautiously outside a grand hall.

Delicacies flowed continuously from the Imperial Kitchen and were carried into the hall.

Inside stood a huge round table five meters in diameter, already laden with every kind of delicacy from land and sea.

Lu Zhou and Little Nannan sat at the head of the table.

Lu Zhou was sipping a cup of imperial wine, watching with a smile as Yan Emperor's empress, several consorts, and his most favored princesses continuously placed food in Little Nannan's bowl and attended to her meal.

At first, Little Nannan was somewhat restrained in the face of all this.

But the women of the imperial palace were masters at reading the room, livening the atmosphere, and currying favor.

After just a few words from them, Little Nannan relaxed. A sweet smile spread across her face, her eyes curved into crescents, and she ate the delicacies personally brought to her little mouth by these women, who were considered the most noble women in all of mortal Yan Kingdom.

Little Nannan was very polite and did not become spoiled by their favor. Even as she ate, she kept thanking them.

This made the women serving her feel overwhelmingly flattered.

Before long, Little Nannan could not eat another bite. She felt that she had never been so happy in her life.

After the meal, at Lu Zhou's signal, Yan Emperor's empress disregarded whether the filth on Little Nannan's body would soil her phoenix robe. She swept Little Nannan into her arms and took her to her private bath to wash and change clothes.

In less than half an hour, when Lu Zhou saw Little Nannan again, she had changed from a filthy little beggar into a delicate little fairy.

Everyone praised Little Nannan, pouring out compliments as though they cost nothing.

Praised so lavishly by them, Little Nannan became a little embarrassed. A shy flush appeared on her face, and even the tips of her crystal-clear pink ears were tinged with red.

She was truly sensible and sweet-tongued. She told them, "Big Sisters, you're all beautiful too. You're the most beautiful sisters Nannan has ever seen."

When Lu Zhou walked toward her, Little Nannan smiled sweetly at him. Her little legs carried her running over, her skirt fluttering as she spun around several times in front of him to show off her new clothes.

She took Lu Zhou's hand and said to him.

"Brother Lu, this is the dress Sister Empress gave me. Is it pretty? Nannan likes it very much!"

Seeing how happy she was, Lu Zhou smiled as well.

"It looks beautiful. As long as Nannan likes it, that's all that matters. From now on, Nannan will have beautiful little dresses like this to wear every day."

"Ah! Really?"

Surprise glittered in Nannan's large eyes.

"Of course! Brother Lu would never lie to Nannan!"

"Brother Lu promises Nannan that not only will Nannan have pretty new clothes to wear every day from now on, but she will never go hungry again. Whatever Nannan wants to eat, Brother Lu will get it for her."

"Then..."

For some reason, Little Nannan suddenly became a little downcast upon hearing Lu Zhou say this.

"What is it?"

Lu Zhou crouched down and asked.

Little Nannan looked at Lu Zhou. Slowly, a mist of tears rose in her large eyes.

Then she said to Lu Zhou.

"Brother Lu, why are you so good to Nannan?"

"Nannan is sick. Every so often, Nannan forgets everything from the past and has no memory of it at all. In a few days, Nannan might not remember Brother Lu anymore."

"Nannan doesn't want to forget Brother Lu."