A Man-Eating Beast Lurked at His Side

Qin Wangchuan stepped into the carriage, his gaze casually sweeping over the interior furnishings, but he paused slightly when he touched a corner of the soft couch.

There, several hand-sewn Cloth Doll stood side by side.

The fabric is soft, and the stitches are fine. Although it looks a little naive, it reveals a unique kind of care.

What bothered him even more was that the outlines of the dolls' eyebrows and eyes were six or seven parts similar to his own.

They sat there quietly, as if in silent companionship and remembrance.

Li Qingluan followed him into the carriage. Following his gaze, a blush suddenly rose on her cheeks. She hurriedly stepped forward, somewhat flustered, to put the doll away.

"It's just... something I make in my spare time," she explained softly, quickly tucking the doll into her sleeve.

The carriage was spacious and comfortable, with a faint, elegant fragrance that enveloped the two like a gentle net.

After Li Qingluan finished tidying up, she turned around and met Qin Wangchuan's smiling eyes.

That gentle smile made her heart skip a beat. She hurriedly raised her hand to tuck a stray strand of hair behind her ear, her fingertips inadvertently touching her burning earlobe.

He then slowly stepped forward and sat down close to Qin Wangchuan.

The soft rustling of fabric against fabric was particularly clear in the quiet carriage.

The atmosphere inside the carriage became subtly quiet for a moment, with only the faint sound of Li Qingluan unconsciously rubbing the hem of her clothes, as if she were brewing some unspeakable topic.

They wanted to know both the meaning behind the hairpin and the details of the Secret Realm.

She had just opened her mouth, before she could even utter the word "you," when she felt a slight weight on her shoulder.

Qin Wangchuan turned his head and leaned directly on her shoulder, his eyes closed, his long eyelashes casting a faint shadow beneath them, his expression carrying an indescribable weariness.

This sudden intimacy made Li Qingluan stiffen, and she swallowed back all the words that were on the tip of her tongue.

As if sensing her hesitation, Qin Wangchuan closed his eyes and let out a muffled sound from his throat:

"Um?"

His voice had a slightly nasal tone, like that of a very tired big cat.

That nasal sound instantly shattered all of Li Qingluan's doubts and shyness, leaving only overflowing concern and heartache.

She softened her voice and asked softly, "Are you very tired?"

"No, not really." Qin Wangchuan's voice was somewhat low. He didn't open his eyes, but simply adjusted to a more comfortable position. "It's just that I realize how heartbreaking it is for lovers to turn against each other."

His voice was flat, as if he were stating something that had nothing to do with him.

But Li Qingluan keenly sensed the oppressive heaviness beneath that calm surface.

Simulation is not simply about watching someone else's life, but about experiencing the emotions involved.

In the simulation named "Ma Hongchang," everything was initially under control.

However, when her childhood sweetheart, who should have been the love of her life, appeared wielding Cold Dagger, everything spiraled out of control.

The instant their eyes met, a sharp pain originating from the depths of Ma Hongchang's soul—the pain of being betrayed by his beloved—transcended the Illusory Boundary, crashing into Qin Wangchuan's consciousness like a torrent bursting its banks.

It was a heart-wrenching pain that left him speechless.

Unable to resist, and unwilling to resist—feeling the sharp blade piercing my heart, feeling life slip away like sand in an hourglass, until that familiar handkerchief falls like a butterfly wing, covering my eyes.

It also covered all the light in the world.

Recalling that desperate and dark moment, Qin Wangchuan finally slowly opened his eyes.

His eyes remained as deep as night, but now, reflecting the faint light from the carriage ceiling, they appeared somewhat empty.

He spoke instinctively, as if asking her, but also as if asking himself:

"When love reaches its deepest point... is there only pain?"

The question, posed by the seemingly omnipotent Qin Wangchuan, carried a strange blend of purity and bewilderment.

After all, we've already experienced far too much in the simulations.

Upon hearing this, Li Qingluan's heart trembled.

She turned to the side, carefully lifting his head off her shoulder, then gently cupped his cheeks in her hands, forcing him to look at her.

"What did you see this time?" Her voice trembled slightly.

Qin Wangchuan's gaze finally focused on her concerned eyes, and he answered truthfully, "I saw lovers killing each other."

Lovers kill each other.

Four words, yet they carry immense weight.

Li Qingluan was speechless for a moment.

She didn't know how to comfort her.

He possesses the Immortal Bone, and what he sees and experiences may far exceed his own imagination.

But some things, perhaps, don't need words.

The next moment, Li Qingluan leaned down and gently pressed her soft lips to Qin Wangchuan's lips.

This time, there was no one else present, and it wasn't a superficial attempt like a dragonfly skimming the water.

With a hint of clumsy determination, the girl sank her knees deep into the seat, pressing most of her weight onto him without reservation, and then leaned on him.

The warm kiss followed his lips, lingered over the corners of his mouth, brushed across his cheeks, and finally landed on his slightly cool earlobe. It then moved upwards, leaving a solemn and burning mark between his eyebrows.

The series of movements left the girl slightly out of breath, her beautiful face glowing with a captivating rosy light.

She looked down and met Qin Wangchuan's seemingly dazed eyes, and her body trembled for no reason.

'It's not the right time yet...'

The thought flashed through her mind, but Li Qingluan quickly regained her senses.

But she gently pressed her forehead against his, their noses almost touching, feeling each other's breath.

She whispered in a voice only the two of them could hear, as if making a most sacred promise:

"It doesn't matter."

"The future is still long."

"We... will not kill each other."

Qin Wangchuan gazed at the determination and purity in the girl's eyes, nodded gently, and remained silent.

She simply rested her head back on Li Qingluan's shoulder and closed her eyes.

But one thing was certain in his heart at that moment.

'I will most likely be killed by Li Qingluan in the future.'

That is the unchangeable future.

His Future Self told him how to change several key moments and how to reverse the tragedies that should have happened.

However, he was not told that he would eventually die in Li Qingluan's arms.

He wouldn't have known this if it weren't for that Special Simulation presented by the system.

Either this is a given fact and cannot be changed.

Alternatively, the Future Self might believe that this ending is "perfect" in itself and needs no change.

Qin Wangchuan believed the latter more.

But the girl who made the promise was unaware of all this at that moment.

This is an ending that cannot be told to anyone.

It was a fate he had to bear alone.

Thinking this, Qin Wangchuan leaned on Li Qingluan's shoulder, slowly closed his eyes, and buried all his surging emotions deep in his heart.

Li Qingluan leaned against him and slowly closed her beautiful eyes.

As dusk settled, light and shadow shifted inside the carriage.

Li Qingluan could clearly feel the rise and fall of the chest of the person beside her. The warmth of his body seeped through the thin fabric of his clothes, like a cozy fire in winter, soothing the last trace of unease in her heart.

An unprecedented sense of peace and contentment washed over my heart like spring water.

It is unknown what secrets of Heavenly Secrets he glimpsed during his spiritual journey.

But she inexplicably believed that with this person by her side, all the storms would eventually pass, and the road ahead would only get better.

That carefully treasured jade Jade Hairpin, one day, he will personally place it in his own hair.

Thinking of this, a faint smile unconsciously appeared on the girl's lips.

At the front of the chariot, two guards from the Li Clan were intently controlling the Spirit Beast.

Suddenly, Dao Ji light yet incredibly clear breath landed quietly beside their ears, like a snowflake.

What followed was a calm yet undeniable voice:

"Slow down."

The two guards exchanged a knowing glance—the young lady wanted to spend a little more time alone with the man in the carriage.

One of them understood and gently tugged the reins. The two snow-white Spirit Beast pulling the carriage let out low moans, and the originally brisk hoofbeats immediately slowed down.

Inside the carriage, time seemed to stretch out as well as the deliberately slowed pace, flowing gently and silently.

Only--

Unbeknownst to anyone, when Li Qingluan's gaze fell upon the sleeping Qin Wangchuan's face, a flash of crimson light flickered deep within her eyes, only to vanish instantly into her gentle gaze.

That's a regret from the future.