Kunlun Mountain.
As the pillar of light faded, Su Miao stood at the entrance of the Small Palace and looked toward Jade Purity Peak across from her.
Above the snow line, the mountain glowed with a warm white radiance, like jade thoroughly steeped in moonlight.
Wind poured down from the summit, carrying the scent of ice and snow. It slipped into her nose, cool and crisp, washing away all the messy accounts, tasks, and mineral veins cluttering her mind.
She stepped onto the Jade Bridge and headed toward Jade Purity Peak.
At the entrance of Jade Purity Peak's cave abode, Yuanshi stood with his hands behind his back, as though he had been waiting there all along.
The moment Su Miao saw him, the emotions she had held back for so long burst through their banks and surged from her throat, carrying her forward as she threw herself at him.
"Second Master—I missed you—"
Yuanshi's arms had already opened before she crashed into him.
It was not deliberate. His body had moved faster than his mind.
By the time she had thrown herself entirely onto him, his hand was already pressed against her back, steadying her momentum and holding that warm little bundle close.
"You're not a child anymore."
There was no reproach in his tone, as if he were mentioning something insignificant, yet the strength in his hands did not ease. The warmth of his palm soothed Su Miao through her clothes.
Su Miao buried her face against his chest, her nose brushing against the cool Jade Purity Immortal Light.
She raised her head, her eyes reflecting Yuanshi's sharply defined jaw.
"No matter how old I get, I'm still your disciple."
Outside, she was the Sect Master of the Prehistoric World's foremost sect, commanding hundreds of millions of disciples