Inside the dilapidated house, two figures held each other tightly.
Long Xuanye remembered something.
"We could make those sleeping bags again. They're really warm. Then at night, we can snuggle up together and look at the stars."
As soon as the words left his mouth, the expression on his face froze.
He suddenly realized that Cai'er's eyes...
But the smile on Saint Cai'er's face only grew brighter.
She wasn't the least bit disappointed. Instead, she was full of anticipation.
"Then can Xuan Ye remember all the stars?"
"When my sight comes back, you have to point them all out to me, one by one."
"I love looking at the stars!"
"But... after that, Mom and Dad never took me again."
"I only know a few constellations. I think there's Orion, Virgo, and the Silver Palace..."
A glimmer seemed to shine in Cai'er's pale gray eyes.
Long Xuanye felt as if something had filled his heart.
He nodded.
"No problem!"
"I'll take you to see them."
"I also know how to grind lenses. I'll make some when the time comes."
"Then we can learn all the constellations together."
Long Xuanye spoke as he did so.
Grinding lenses, of course, referred to the process of making telescopes in his previous life.
"Okay."
Cai'er leaned against Long Xuanye's shoulder.
After a while, she seemed to think of something.
"When my sight comes back, I also want to visit that garden we passed earlier."
"I'll use the prettiest flowers to make a wreath for Xuan Ye."
A wreath?
Long Xuanye was taken aback, imagining himself wearing one.
Hmm...
It was a little funny.
But after living two lifetimes, he'd never had a girl give him flowers—not even before he transmigrated, let alone a handmade wreath. Why did he feel... kind of excited?
The two of them chatted about this and that, dreaming of the future.
Until their stomachs rumbled at the most inopportune moment.
They looked at each other and laughed.
It was time to cook.
Long Xuanye's cooking was as lackluster as ever.
Fortunately, Saint Cai'er's skills had grown increasingly deft over the past few days.
Even simple ingredients could become a warm, delicious meal in her hands.
After talking themselves tired and eating their fill, sleepiness washed over them like a tide.
They didn't even make it back to the bed. Leaning against each other, they fell into a deep sleep by the kitchen wall.
Fortunately, their bodies were far stronger than ordinary people's, so they didn't need to worry about catching cold.
In the middle of the night.
Half-asleep, they seemed to open their eyes at the same time.
Their gazes met, but neither said a word.
Only a reassuring smile blossomed at the corners of their mouths. Then they drifted into an even deeper sleep together.
Until the first light of dawn.
A ray of sunlight slipped through a crack in the Thatched Hut.
Long Xuanye's eyelashes twitched, and he slowly opened his eyes.
For the first time in days, he woke before Saint Cai'er.
The girl beside him was still asleep, her breathing soft and steady. She lay on her side like a defenseless little cat, her peaceful face wearing a faint smile, as though she were lost in a sweet dream.
Warmth surged through Long Xuanye's heart.
He carefully slid his arm out from beneath her neck, moving as gently as possible so he wouldn't disturb her pleasant dream.
After gazing at her for a moment, Long Xuanye silently got to his feet.
He was in a wonderful mood.
The warm morning sun and the dewdrops at dawn.
They both gave him a feeling of utter serenity.
Since transmigrating, he had first helped Bai Yue and Hao Chen, shouldering responsibility at such a young age. Then he had faced Long Xingyu's hostility and swallowed his pride. Finally, he had been forced to hide in the forest just to survive.
Fortunately...
It was over!
With Cai'er by his side, the days ahead...
Long Xuanye's face reddened slightly. He felt embarrassed to admit it.
But...
Cai'er really had become my mother.
"The Assassin's Sanctuary probably anticipated that we'd be together for the time being."
"There'll be some pressure, but it won't be too much."
"If we move inland, the threat from the demons will be negligible too."
"Everything's going smoothly."
Long Xuanye's mood grew even brighter.
He even felt that staying with Cai'er like this... forever would be enough.
At least before he transmigrated... aside from his parents, no girl had ever truly cherished him or cared for him so much.
Most importantly...
They had even survived that life-and-death crisis earlier.
So what if the future didn't go smoothly?
He wouldn't have to face it alone like before.
He had... Cai'er.
He would cross mountains and rivers to show everyone what he could do.
It was time to make breakfast.
Or so he thought.
But just as Long Xuanye left home and headed into the wilderness to hunt a few small animals,
a deep blue screen unfurled before his eyes.
[Divine Choice triggered]
Long Xuanye stopped in his tracks.
"It triggered again?"
"I don't even know whether I should hope for a good reward or a bad one..."
In the next instant, the smile vanished from Long Xuanye's face.
[Choice One: Protect your "home" from tomorrow morning until the day after tomorrow. Reward: prototype Throne of Seal (freely add any materials and forge a supreme throne uniquely yours).]
Long Xuanye's pupils suddenly contracted.
He was utterly dumbfounded.
How was this possible?
The Throne of Seal?!
Was this a joke?!
What kind of demon would have to trigger a choice of this caliber? Seventh rank? Eighth rank?
Long Xuanye's heart began to pound wildly.
He'd believe it if someone told him the Demon God Emperor was personally leading an army here!
His gaze stayed fixed on the screen as he looked down.
[Choice Two...]
Meanwhile.
In a dense forest a hundred miles from the Thatched Hut,
three figures raced through the woods at a terrifying speed. The wind howled in their wake, and the trees shuddered as they passed.
The one leading them was the White-robed figure who had left earlier.
All traces of composure had vanished from his face, replaced by panic and alarm. His eyes even held an unmistakable hint of fear and unease.
The White-robed figure was afraid. He was trembling!
Even Emperor Assassin, at the peak of the eighth rank, had no way to deal with this terrifying existence!
"You two, go find Cai'er first. I'll go find that boy, Long Xuanye!"
He roared, and the two Assassins immediately changed direction.
The White-robed figure, meanwhile, swiftly summoned his Spiritual Power and turned into a blur.
The Thatched Hut was silent.
Two figures landed soundlessly in front of the door. They were the Assassins who had arrived ahead of the others.
Creak.
They pushed open the wooden door.
Inside, Saint Cai'er was alone.
She was sitting on the bed, holding a clean cloth and carefully wiping the gray dagger. Her movements were gentle, her expression focused.
A faint smile rested on her small face, still smudged with a little dust. It was sweet and serene.
The Sanctuary's people had already relented.
That meant she could take care of Xuan Ye forever and ever.
And besides...
This time, her decision wasn't made in a fit of impulse or hurt. She had made it after surviving life and death, thinking it through carefully, and weathering hardship alongside Xuan Ye.
She had entrusted her life to him.
No...
It would be more accurate to say that Xuan Ye had entrusted the rest of his life to me.
After all, I'm his mother...
But when she saw who had come, Saint Cai'er's brows furrowed slightly, and her smile faded.
She stood and blocked the doorway, her voice openly displeased.
"I told you, I'm not going back."
"Stop trying to persuade me."
"Even if Xuan Ye isn't here, I'm not afraid of you."
The lead Assassin's face drained of color. He shook his head in terror.
"No... Cai'er, this time it's different."
"You have to leave this time."
Saint Cai'er froze.
The Assassins continued:
"Do you... know who Xuan Ye is?"
"He's the son of Long Xingyu, a Seal Knight."
"We've confirmed it."
The Assassin lowered his voice, which trembled as he spoke.
"But what we found was... Long Xingyu has been secretly sending people from the Knight Temple to search for Xuan Ye's 'body.'"
"Officially, they're claiming he was killed by a demon beast."
"But what kind of demon beast could kill his child right under the nose of a Seal Knight?"
"Lord Xia Yingyihao also thought something was wrong. He'd thought highly of Xuan Ye before, so he went back to the place where you used to live to investigate."
"He found traces of Long Xingyu's aura on the damaged objects."
"What does that mean?"
Saint Cai'er froze.
Her small face was blank with confusion. She couldn't understand what it implied.
The Assassin took a deep breath, as if summoning every last bit of strength, and spoke the conclusion that could turn everything upside down.
"The one who tried to kill Xuan Ye was Long Xingyu himself."
"That man is a Seal Knight, one of the most powerful people in the world."
The Assassin's words fell, and the air inside the Thatched Hut seemed to freeze.
"Even the Assassin's Sanctuary can't stop a Seal Knight!"
"If you stay together, you'll die too!"
Saint Cai'er only looked at him quietly and spoke in a soft voice.
"I'm not afraid."
She sat on the bed as if none of it had anything to do with her.
Because...
She had already promised Xuan Ye.
We... would never part.
The assassin's voice grew urgent.
"Are you going to hide together for the rest of your lives?"
"If you're found, you'll be as good as dead!"
"Who knows what's gotten into Long Xingyu? What if he kills you both when the time comes?!"
Cai'er's body stiffened. She froze, and only after a long while did she slowly speak.
"So, Xuan Ye will die?"
Before you continue