When Embracing Became a Habit

"You're awake."

A woman's voice rang out softly, like dewdrops tinkling on bamboo leaves.

You Su opened her eyes groggily, only to smell the fragrance of lotus blossoms lingering at the tip of her nose, and her stunning beauty seemed within reach.

"Master... Madam..."

He Shutong sat upright in the chair, looking at the awakened boy, a slight smile playing on her lips. The smile was faint, yet deeply moving.

"Um."

She answered softly, secretly relieved that her wait had not been in vain, so that You Su.

In the past, the Third Elder would always bring her beautiful clothes of various colors, saying that she would look even more beautiful in them, but she would always politely refuse. The Third Elder then said that a fledgling bird regards the first living creature it sees after birth as its mother, and by extension, to humans, this illustrates the importance of first impressions in interpersonal relationships, but she was still rendered speechless by saying that she did not need interpersonal relationships.

Of course, that was in the past.

Her first impression on You Su must have been bad, but fortunately, in this memory that shouldn't exist, she has more opportunities to make up for it with her first impressions.

You Su was still a little dazed, and shakily sat up.

His mind was not yet free from the tense standoff with the young man in white, which made him look somewhat nervous and lingering fear.

Judging from the excruciating pain he felt at the time, he had clearly suffered a severe blow and lost consciousness, and then ended up in his Mistress's mental block.

But who knocked me unconscious?

But what surprised You Su even more than this question was that his physical body was already extremely strong, capable of knocking him unconscious directly, which meant that this person's strength was far beyond that of ordinary people.

At that moment, only Bai Ze was behind him. Bai Ze's senses were exceptionally sharp in the snow, which is why it was able to detect the white-clad youth's approach earlier than he did. If Bai Ze had seen someone attacking him from behind, it certainly wouldn't have remained silent...

You Su's pupils widened slightly, and he quickly understood the reason! This meant that the attacker's strength had even exceeded Bai Ze's sensing range!

What are you thinking about?

A gentle and reassuring female voice rang out, bringing You Su back to her senses.

"I'm wondering... just who exactly is my Mistress..." You Su tried to change the subject.

He Shutong raised her eyebrows slightly, and said with a hint of sadness, "So, you can lie to me too."

You Su looked at He Shutong in surprise. He thought that talking about this topic would make his Mistress hesitate to reveal her identity, but his Mistress easily saw through what he was hiding.

In his memory, even though his Mistress had lived for three hundred years, she was not good at reading people's expressions or understanding their hearts. After all, these were things that were worthless to a sword immortal who cultivated the Ice Heart Technique.

"Curious how I figured it out?"

He Shutong's tone revealed a hint of smugness, and her unintentional display of cleverness captivated You Su.

Seeing You Su's dazed expression, the Fairy in the white dress frowned slightly, her eyes sparkling as if holding a thousand stars. She tilted her head slightly, a strand of her dark hair gently brushing against her fair cheek, like a spring breeze caressing a willow, exuding boundless tenderness. She seemed curious about what You Su was looking at, or perhaps trying to understand his thoughts. That fleeting moment of charm was like the first rays of dawn, making everything around her pale in comparison.

"Can you see me?"

You Su's heart tightened, and he immediately came to his senses. Fortunately, he reacted quickly and did not make any move that would expose his guilty conscience. Instead, he continued to stare intently, as if reluctant to look away. However, he unconsciously glanced at You Su's eyes, causing his focused gaze to become slightly less intense.

"You can really see it?!"

He Shutong's joy was evident, but along with the joy came an extremely complex feeling, a mixture of shame and regret.

She recalled what the Third Elder had told her about the importance of first impressions. If You Su Fuming could see her, that would be a true "first impression." But she was completely unprepared for this and couldn't help feeling a little awkward and even flustered.

But she was not an ignorant girl after all, and she realized that even if the You Su in front of her could see her, he was just the You Su from her false memories that should not exist.

Thinking of this, she paused, as if she had thought of something unbelievable.

If Su'er had already regained his sight when he was in Chuyun City... then all those times I talked to him naked in the Lotus Birth Pool, even bathed with him in the same pool, and even gave him...

"Mistress, you must be very beautiful for Master to have chosen you as his dao companion..."

You Su's sudden praise left He Shutong with mixed feelings, making it difficult for her to accept, but it also helped her to extricate herself from her complicated emotions.

Wait, what does Su'er mean by that...? It seems like she can't see me?

You Su was seen with her head bowed, eyes closed, seemingly lost in thought and sorrow.

"You... still can't see?" He Shutong cautiously, afraid of touching a sore spot for You Su.

You Su shook his head silently, which made He Shutong feel a pang of sympathy.

"My master's Mistress used to be strict and cold, but I never felt anything was wrong with her. Since Mistress regained her cultivation, she has treated me extremely well, and I am deeply grateful. But all these changes were somewhat predictable, yet the tone of her voice when Mistress spoke those words just now was as if she had become a completely different person. I felt truly uneasy. At that moment, I thought to myself, if I could see, I wouldn't have to worry about guessing the true identities of those around me anymore..."

His words came from the bottom of his heart, and were so True Intention that He Shutong's heart melted. She realized that the young man had been doubting her true identity, which was why he had been looking at her so intently.

She desperately wanted to confess to the boy, but that would undo all her efforts. Without regaining her Void Realm, she couldn't help You Su, whose whereabouts were unknown in reality. Torn between conflicting emotions, she didn't know how to prove her identity. She opened her mouth several times, but couldn't utter a single word.

"However... I think I might be overthinking it." It was You Su's muttering to himself that pulled He Shutong out of her dilemma.

What does that mean?

"My master once comforted me, saying that many people in this world, even if they can see, cannot distinguish the various things around them. Sometimes, those who cannot see are better able to discern what is important. I relied on this sentence to overcome a difficulty that I thought had no chance of success, so I will always adhere to this sentence. My Mistress is my Mistress. No matter what you become, you will always be my Mistress, because I have no other Mistress in this world."

He Shutong's clear eyes rippled slightly, as if two clear springs were gently swaying within them, their shimmering light reflecting the boy's pure and resolute face. The usually aloof and icy Fairy seemed to understand why he was the one who could melt her icy heart.

"Do you know why I know what you were trying to hide with your previous statement?" He Shutong asked again.

You Su shook her head in confusion.

"It's precisely because I know you would never ask me who I am. You haven't asked even once in the past eight years, yet you've called me 'Mistress's Wife' time and time again. Clearly, to you, my other identities and who I am are unimportant; all that matters is that I am your Master's Mistress. Why would someone like that only ask today? So you can rest assured, I am your Master's Mistress, and I have no other disciple named You Su."

The Fairy was extremely candid; in truth, she had no idea what kind of person You Su was before. But she still remembered the conversation she had with You Su when he awoke after the events in Chuyun City. The boy must have been filled with questions about her, but he didn't ask a single one. Only then did she realize why he had knocked on an empty door for so long—because this blind boy was truly blind and stubborn to the extreme.

"Um!"

You Su seemed to regain her energy, the gloom on her face faded, and she nodded emphatically.

That tiny bit of doubt vanished in an instant.

"So if there's something you don't want to tell me, just be honest, I won't force you."

He Shutong's mood brightened slightly, and whether intentionally or unintentionally, she played hard to get.

You Su hesitated for a long time, as if hesitating whether to speak or not.

He Shutong's heart raced, feeling a sense of tension that her scheme was about to succeed, but also a pang of guilt.

She was secretly annoyed with herself. How could she have been so shameless as to scheme against You Su just because he was a fake, all in an attempt to uncover his secrets?

However, it seems to be a mother's instinct to secretly read her child's diary. Her mother had also secretly read her diary, which was filled with secrets when she was young, under the guise of supervising her child's growth.

Yes... my curiosity about You Su's secret is also for his growth...

In reality You Su has become a capable adult, and there was even a night when she was with him twice... The boy who used to hide everything from her and Heavenly Gang regarded her as someone to be protected was very different from the stubborn and adorable blind child she remembered most. This was entirely because she had no choice but to bring him to the sacred mountain and suffer greater pressure.

However, You Su was not yet... She wanted to protect the boy's growth and never let him repeat the same mistakes and become that stubborn adult who always went his own way.

Therefore, she needs to cultivate the habit of the boy opening his heart to her, so that he can trust her and rely on her in everything.

"I have no right to pry into your secrets, but if you encounter any difficulties, remember not to hide them from me, because the only person who can help you is your Mistress." He Shutong patted the boy's lowered head, offering him comfort.

These words seemed to finally pry open the tightly locked door to the boy's heart. You Su slowly raised his head, his face hardening.

"Mistress... actually, I've seen what you look like before."

He Shutong was slightly taken aback, and quickly asked, "When?"

"In... a dream."

You Su spoke hesitantly, but He Shutong knew that he wasn't making things up; rather, he himself felt insecure because he thought his words might be questioned.

"In a dream?"

"Not only my Mistress, but I also saw my junior sister's face in my dreams."

At this moment He Shutong was both secretly pleased to You Su's secret and quite confused, wondering whether You Su was actually blind.

"Is this dream the obstacle you mentioned earlier that seemed to offer no hope?"

"Hmm... that's actually why those people came looking for my junior sister."

He Shutong knew she had finally uncovered the core issue. She was the one who closed the case regarding the Chuyun City incident. In order not to disturb the two children who had escaped death, she did not pursue the matter further. However, she was certain that You Su must have experienced something else before that.

"Tell me everything, and your Mistress will help you."

"Actually, what I said just now was to deliberately please my Mistress."

"The 'Guess I'm Pretty' line?"

"Hmm... because the master's Mistress I've seen had a huge vortex on her face, surrounded by a ring of terrifying tentacles..."

You Su slowly recounted to He Shutong the strange dream she had caused by the Dream-Eating Ghost and the Grand Duke Jupiter.

He Shutong finally figured out the whole story, including the appearance of the Dream Centipede. It turned out that You Su had risked his life to protect her and Lingruo without her knowing.

She quickly figured out from the appearance that the one impersonating her was the Dream-Eating Ghost. You Su, who had just broken through to the Water Condensing Lower Realm, was not dealing with a Dream Centipede, but with an evil spirit that even she could not handle... As for the one that possessed Lingruo, it was that evil spirit whose name she did not know.

So he always believed that Lingruo and I were possessed by Evil Demon Lingruo, but he never thought of abandoning us; instead, he became even more determined to save us...

How could he be so stupid...?

Before anyone knew it, He Shutong had gently pulled You Su into his arms.

Relying on this soothing warmth, You Su originally wanted to confess to his Mistress about the matter of the true god, but he was unable to speak frankly because he had not yet come into contact with the conspiracies behind it.

Now he can only play the role of You Su in his Mistress's memory; otherwise, if this memory breaks down, he doesn't know what kind of impact it will have on his Mistress.

"Your blindness actually saved your life," He Shutong sighed softly. "If you had been so terrified at the first sight of them in your dreams, you would probably have been wiped out by them long ago."

He Shutong didn't know the whole story, and could only guess that You Su's stubbornness made the Dream-Eating Ghost think she had some value, which is why she was lucky to survive. It can be said that fools are lucky.

"So it was always me who was bewitched by the Evil Demon... not you?!" You Su feigned shock.

He Shutong secretly hugged the boy tighter, "Now that we've seen through the Evil Demon's ability to bewitch people, you don't need to fear it. In fact, it might never dare to come again."

"Is it because of Mistress?" You Su asked, still shaken.

He Shutong slightly curved her lips, enjoying the feeling of being admired and relied upon by a young man, and said confidently:

"Your Mistress will always be by your side."

In reality, she would only tell You Su run. But this was a fabricated memory, so she was confident that she could even defeat the three great Evil God.

Upon hearing this, the boy snuggled even closer, savoring the tenderness like a parent lovingly licking their child's wounds.

He Shutong was completely unaware that while she had struggled with the idea of embracing someone in her dream the last time, this time it had become a habit.

After an unknown amount of time, when He Shutong came to her senses again, she found that You Su had fallen into a deep sleep in her arms.

You Su slowly woke up. If he had been traveling alone, he certainly wouldn't have willingly woken up from that beautiful dream.

Since the attacker is that powerful, he's no match for him whether he wakes up or not, so he might as well linger in his dream a little longer.

But there's still Bai Ze, isn't there...?

He looked around and found himself in an unknown place. All around him were cold stone walls, and dim light filtered through the narrow window frames, casting dappled shadows like the faintest stars in the night sky.

The air was damp and musty, You Su quickly realized that this was a dungeon.

"If you want it to live, answer the questions properly."

A voice, neither clearly male nor female, suddenly rang out.