The answer is that the heart beats.

The clear white day was gradually shrouded in a very light gray haze. Countless branches in the amusement park, stripped of their leaves and topped with snow, were dense and light, like a vast expanse of pure white stretching out like a sea, as if painted with scattered ink strokes on slightly raised paper.

The birds fluttered their wings, gazing at the submerged nests, following the direction of the branches, as if heading towards those abandoned, uninhabited facilities, or perhaps preparing to find another place and never return.

Su Qing'an watched as it gradually merged with the pure white snow falling softly, letting the cyclical barrier of the Heaven and Earth Qi dissipate, bathing in the same wind and snow. In his arms was the brown overcoat that was gradually hardening in this kind of weather, with a corner of the edge stained with snowflakes that looked like crushed Poria cocos paste, which were slowly shaken off or blown away with the rise and fall of the rocking horse under him and the cold wind.

The scattered sounds of falling snow and the whistling of the wind blended together to form the accompaniment of a piano piece. He looked away, still unable to discern whether this desolate melody that surrounded his ears had ever appeared in some corner of his memory.

The lights weren't particularly noticeable during the day, but they still emitted a warm glow.

Su Qing'an looked at the girl beside her. Her blinking eyes reflected the colorful lights, and her fair profile stood out even more beautifully against the backdrop of the gradually changing snowscape in the distance and nearby.

This is a two-person rocking horse specially designed for parents to watch over their children.

The boy sat on a large brown horse symbolizing his parents, while Fu Hua sat on a slightly smaller white horse. In front of them were the other empty wooden horses that would never touch each other, their undulating figures appearing even more solitary amidst the melodious piano music.

The amusement park with only two people seemed too lonely and desolate, with the faint murmur of snowflakes falling or melting on the skin's surface.

Su Qing'an gently caressed the girl's soft, jade-like hand, his fingertips lightly rubbing from the knuckles to the thin nail polish, giving it a touch of warmth.

He gazed at the smooth, polished nail polish and found the little blue bear quite adorable.

These little trinkets, which are usually favored by young and fashionable girls, surprisingly complement each other perfectly when worn, adding a touch of coquettishness and a slightly aloof girlish charm to the otherwise cool and aloof aura.

Su Qing'an, having memorized every aspect of her that he had discovered, and sensing the meaning of this frozen time, softly asked:

"Will Hua find it boring?"

The girl turned her head to look at the person's face, her gaze sweeping over the soft, dark hair clinging to their cheek, and the pale lips that contrasted sharply with their delicate skin. Her eyes finally settled on those clear, black and white pupils, eyes that seemed eternally calm, and she smiled in response:

That's good.

About fifteen minutes later, the two of them walked off the ride on their own, which seemed to never stop spinning.

The smart car continued to circle around the area, repeating the same unchanging phrase used to attract customers.

"Beep beep beep, dear child, would you like to ride the White Horse Sightseeing Car?"

Su Qing'an watched the smart car circle around the carousel and then stop in front of her. She felt that she had nowhere else to go for the moment, so she might as well go to the next attraction.

The boy savored the emotions that had welled up in his heart, but he was unwilling to immediately dismiss this turmoil. He vaguely understood that he could still retrieve the rest of his past memories here.

Directly devouring this Imaginary World might lead to the same result, but like St. Freya's island, this amusement park might be a place worth remembering for one's former self. If it is allowed to disintegrate, there may be no chance to see it again in this life.

Su Qing'an gazed into the distance, where he could vaguely make out the hundred-meter-high, spokeless Ferris wheel from his current vantage point.

He suddenly asked:

"Have we ever ridden a Ferris wheel?"

Fu Hua answered while teasing the White Sparrow in her palm:

"Hmm, I remember it was Headmaster Theresa who tricked us into going there; it's the only HOMU- themed amusement park in Canghai City."

She read this aloud, paused, and then smiled and said:

"It feels pretty good."

The boy brushed aside those ambiguous memories and answered:

"Then when the opportunity arises, let's visit a few different ones. After all, theme parks are the headmaster's own hobby."

"Perhaps we can find a place that suits your preferences better."

Su Qing'an tossed the White Sparrow from the other girl's palm onto his own head, took the girl's hand again, took out a fifty-yuan note from the change slot and put it in the fare box, got into the carriage and sat down, saying:

"Let's go to the Ferris wheel."

The cheerful melody of the smart car quickly drowned out the desolate piano music of the carousel, and it responded:

"Kids, sit tight! The White Horse Sightseeing Car is off!"

The tour bus sped along the winding, empty avenues, and the attractions along the way seemed to start automatically to maintain a continuous cycle, all in an effort to create as much excitement as possible.

The wheels left clear tire tracks under the thin layer of snow.

The toy house was illuminated by orange lights, and next to it stood ceramic dolls fixed in the wind and snow. Nearby, an automated patrol robot was carrying flyers for the White Horse Amusement Park and several balloons to be given as gifts.

--Only red, no blue.

The boy took in this scene, then gazed at the distant mountains that appeared as thin, layered shadows.

The snow is still falling, accompanied by the wind.

Everything here is so silent and lonely. Even the deliberate attempt to create a lively atmosphere only makes this impression more profound and unsettling, accompanied by the piano music that seems to still linger in your ears.

And suddenly.

The endless snowfall, like fine lines drawn on rice paper by a pencil, is being resolutely and irreversibly erased by an eraser.

Su Qing'an stretched out his palm, but could no longer feel the delicate touch of snowflakes slowly melting on his skin. He looked up at the sky, which seemed to be fixed on the ripples of a lake. The tiny ripples then spread out again, carrying a crisp sound, and spread completely.

It looked like ten million snowflakes falling to the ground.

The distant mountains are pulled into a single plane, returning to the same brushstroke, stepping into a silent void.

The foam was about to dissipate on its own, and the boy was forced to devour the Imaginary World, feeling the overwhelming, dense, and rain-like memories surging in at once, and he unconsciously gripped the hand of the person next to him.

He murmured:

"Seele... Fulei?"

This is such an unfamiliar name, yet in the instant it slips from the lips, it evokes an extremely complex mix of emotions.

The meeting in the secluded alley; her slender arms covered in needle marks, and that wary, fearful gaze; the first Soul Burn to break the barrier of the Sea of Quantum; the girl's choice to leave the stove in the snowstorm, and that Time Cutter that cleaved through the Clouds coaster tracks...

The intelligent car slowly came to a stop, its blurred texture spreading across the road ahead like ink seeping into a glass.

The boy looked up and saw the familiar White Horse Eye, like a ring falling from the sky, slowly crumbling amidst the endless, shimmering colors.

The tightly fitted steel structure crumbled and blurred, its smooth and beautiful lines now distorted.

Immediately, it vanished like a drop of water falling into the ocean, turning into a wisp of foam that no one could find.

That fleeting glimpse of deep blue was ultimately just a reflection in the water, shattered completely.

The images and memories in his mind seemed so crowded in a single breath. The coat in the boy's arms became more and more wrinkled with his uncontrollable strength, and his dark eyes did not blink, filled with a chilling coldness.

The basic experiment in the Sea of Quantum.

The Herrscher of Death.

Born with Stigmata.

The hazy and ambiguous memories of the previous era are being gradually filled in and completed, and along with them, memories of the Previous Civilization Fu Hua are also returning.

The Manas consciousness will smoothly and completely accept it.

If the tides sweep across the land because of the moon's presence, then the recollection of memories arises because of the fall of the White Horse Eye.

"Return."

The boy's whisper was tinged with panic, and he almost instinctively reached out his hand in that direction.

[Stigmata] leveraged the power beyond the limits of the entire Ephemeral World, like a storm that crushed the heavens and earth or like the Polar day that arrived in an instant, enveloping the original and even deeper realms of the White Horse Eye. But even when the five fingers were completely closed and clenched, they still only managed to grab a piece of nothingness and a distorted spectacle.

He managed to grasp nothing.

This is the expected outcome; foam can only be foam.

Before this Imaginary World was completely annihilated, the girl's gaze remained focused and gentle, as if she were looking at a god who had pulled her from the abyss into the world, revealing pure piety.

This blessing, though illusory, is undeniably real.

In the final seconds before the world vanished, the girl embraced Su Qing'an, giving her real warmth.

She lowered her thick eyelashes, her eyes reflecting the man's wistful expression, their depths shimmering.

From being an ordinary person to where she is now, how much suffocating despair and sorrow has Su Qing'an experienced?

If she could, she would like to share all the joys and sorrows they have experienced so far.

Reincarnation, reincarnation.

Even if there is a glimmer of hope, it is still too cruel in such a world.

If only I could do more for him.

September 3, 1112.

Mount Taixu, Cloud Dragon Waterfall.

Jiang Rongyue sat alone by the lake, immersing her feet in the icy water, feeling the deep, chilling depths. The faint blue veins on her thin insteps became even more clearly visible, making her skin appear as white as snow.

Before March, who could have imagined that these feet, and even the entire body of this person, would be reduced to nothing but a handful of reddish-black [Ashes]?

The price of Ascending Tower State is too heavy.

Even though Jiang Rongyue had not yet truly understood the secret behind it, the side effects alone were enough to bother her. In order to avoid arousing Li Shishi's suspicion, she had no choice but to travel alone to Mount Taixu, a rare occurrence.

She silently removed her clothes, revealing a slender and beautiful body. Her skin, which should have been weathered and scarred, had been completely shed after that rebirth.

Nowadays, she is not much worse off than Li Shishi, who was once the Courtesan and lived a life of luxury.

Yet this consistent attention to detail still instinctively instilled a sense of sorrow and unease in the girl. She subtly stretched her body, selecting a section of movement from the [Immortal Decree] to test her physical fitness, muscle strength, reflexes, and other data...

This is a training method that coordinates with the circulation of Heaven and Earth Qi, but using only one part of it is extremely energy-consuming.

In the time it takes to drink a cup of tea, Jiang Rongyue, before she had even fully stepped into the cold pool, looked as if she had been pulled out of the water. Beads of sweat, steaming like mist, evaporated and swirled around her, obscuring the pleasing expanse of spring scenery along with the abundant moisture. One could vaguely glimpse the waistline extending upwards from her hips, which was rather hazy under the slight reflection of the light, outlining a smooth curve.

The girl's fair face flushed slightly, and even her peach blossom eyes, which carried a hint of coldness, gained an irresistible charm.

She was in the shallowest part of the icy pool, the frigid water just covering her rounded thighs. However, because her blood energy had been refined to its limit in just a few minutes, even without reversing the Honkai Energy formula left by the immortal, the nearby lake water still felt noticeably warmer.

The data obtained this time is no different from the data obtained using this training method in the past.

At least it's a difference that I can't discern instinctively.

Jiang Rongyue remained silent, but even if she could discern the difference, what could she do?

Once a phenomenon like resurrection after death occurs, it's not surprising that any changes might happen.

But the girl stubbornly chose to waste her energy to prove this trivial matter, as if she needed many details to prove that she was no different from before.

Under her will Heaven and Earth Qi manifested the Gene Ability of immortals.

The icy pool instantly transformed into a soothing hot spring.

Jiang Rongyue slowly walked to the depths of Cloud Dragon Waterfall. Behind the waterfall curtain, which resembled Milky Way, there was an even deeper and higher water level. She had tried to use the Heaven and Earth Qi to help her body swim quickly to explore the connection and end. Later, she arrived at the Chuyun Pavilion.

Deeper still, there are tributaries that extend into the rest of the mountain range.

As for the main vein, it is of course Cloud Cliff Sea.

Like a mermaid, she sank her body into the deep, dark, yet incredibly warm water, letting the long-suppressed anguish rage and erupt within her Sea of consciousness.

That was... the complete experience of repeatedly Ascending Tower State and dying as a result, almost dozens of times.

Jiang Rongyue kept replaying that dull and unremarkable memory in her mind. She could clearly sense that every muscle, bone, nerve, cell, and even deeper part of her body was being broken.

--A continuous and perpetual destruction.

Externally, the crimson, blood-red Stigmata continuously overlapped and extended to the skin, causing a burning sensation akin to being scorched by fire and doused with alcohol.

In that scene, I repeatedly drew the [Demon Slayer] sword, only to die again and again in this unforgettable way.

It's as if the girl used stolen power to fulfill her inner desires, and thus had to suffer unconventional punishment; or as if the fairy godmother's magic had ended, and Cinderella's true nature was revealed, forcing her to bear the malicious accusations of others.

Jiang Rongyue, who had been orphaned and destitute since childhood, was not able to play the role of a prince in her life. As always, she gritted her teeth and bore everything alone.

The soft, graceful body convulsed silently underwater. The restraint of holding one's breath quickly became disordered. Warm water rushed into the nasal cavity, bringing the person back to reality in a daze just as they were about to suffocate, allowing them to escape the pain for a moment.

Her head popped out of the water, her blinking eyes filled with confusion.

But it quickly came to its senses and chose to dive down again, only to be pulled down by the relentless waves, creating a cycle that repeated itself endlessly.

Ascending Tower State, Ascending Tower State.

They climbed to the top of towering buildings, but the higher they climbed, the deeper they would fall into the abyss.

Only after fully experiencing this lingering feeling can she continue to handle the many matters of [Chaoxian].

During this process, Jiang Rongyue considered suicide. She thought about completely succumbing to her inner turmoil, turning herself into a sharp sword, ignoring all suffering.

But unwavering willpower shattered all expectations.

This wasn't the first time the girl had borne the "price" of Ascending Tower State, but this time the extraordinary state she had accumulated was much stronger than before, so the consequences were also much greater.

In the initial Ascending Tower State, the Stigmata will only extend to twice or a single-digit level, and the same applies to other enhancements.

Although death is still inevitable, at least the suffering experienced afterward is only a few repetitions of that process.

Now, Jiang Rongyue can hardly count how many times she has experienced this cycle, and the despair she has encountered in each complete cycle is even more unbearable than before.

She once thought that after what happened in the mountains, her life would be relatively uneventful, which was the answer given by the [foresight]. However, she never expected that just a few years later, her initial imagination would be completely overturned.

Jiang Rongyue was still willing to do it, but the numbness brought about by this painful cycle was not fake.

Even now, she still doesn't regret this foolish decision.

Is it wrong to want to be kind to someone?

She has always been an inflexible person who would rather break than bend, and even the slightest bit of kindness can leave her battered and bruised.

Even when they suffer unforgettable hardships, they silently bear them, much like a sword blade that will only break when it is hacked away.

But why be so nice to that person?

Amidst an unending torment, the girl fell silent when faced with the answer to this question.

She didn't know.

Unlike Li Shishi, who had been exposed to these things since childhood, Jiang Rongyue could not understand what the emotions surging in her chest were. She could only regard them as family members, like her master Grand Martial Uncle.

Even so, she ultimately understood that there were differences between the two.

As for where the differences lie...

"Rongyue!"

"Jiang Rongyue!"

This question, which had been shrouded in ambiguity, received a definitive answer through a warm, refreshing touch, as if the clouds had been parted.

The girl's eyes reflected the red dress swaying like a veil in the water, and the man's anxious expression. Her lips unconsciously curled slightly, but then the last thread of her will snapped, and she fell into a coma.

The answer is, the heart can move.