Life

Why should I tell you?

Tianyan's bright eyes stared at the man's face, which was so close to his own, then he looked away. "You... you just need to know that I'm older than you."

Xu Yuan straightened up with a smile, looked at the girl floating in mid-air, and murmured softly:

"You don't want to talk about it? Then you must be an old woman."

"Old woman?"

"After all, you can't tell someone's real age from their appearance."

"Xu Changtian! Is it so funny to make you angry at me?"

"Then tell me how old you are."

I won't tell you.

"Fine, then don't tell me, you childish old woman."

As the two bickered, a makeshift matchbox was quickly built.

Due to the surplus of materials, Xu Yuan chose to construct a three-story tenement building in one go.

The exterior is square, each floor is about 200 square meters, and the interior has no beams, partitions, or supporting columns, making it empty and spacious.

Besides that, this tenement building looks really ugly.

Because of the wood grain inside the Thousand-Thorn Ghost Willow, the entire tenement building looks strange.

Looking at the ugly house, Tianyan's eyes showed some disgust:

"This is the house you were talking about?"

"Is it ugly?"

"It's ugly."

"Indeed, it won't be ugly anymore once we turn it into our home together."

Tianyan's heart skipped a beat. He opened his mouth to say something, but found that Xu Yuan had already pushed open the wooden door and walked into the wooden building without turning his head.

Watching his figure disappear, Tianyan silently looked up at the simple wooden building in front of him for a few moments, then let out a soft hum, and a helpless smile unconsciously appeared on his lips.

Days without anyone chasing you are always leisurely and uneventful.

The Ghost Mist can greatly affect the detection of the Will Soul and the Source Qi. Even if the pursuers go deep into the All Swords Valley, they will almost never be found unless they are extremely unlucky.

During this leisurely time, Xu Yuan resumed his good habit of sleeping, since his physical cultivation level would increase on its own over time, and he didn't need to cultivate at all.

Every day, I fall asleep to the gentle murmur of the waterfall outside the attic, and wake up to Tianyan's disapproving shouts.

They work at sunrise and rest at sunset.

It must be said that although Tianyan has a somewhat eccentric personality, she is indeed a truly good woman.

On the first day of her stay, while Xu Yuan laid out a blanket to sleep and rest, she began to work with materials to engrave patterns on the interior walls of the house.

Although both of them had high cultivation levels, staying in the Ghost Mist for a long time would still cause them to develop symptoms of ghost-like transformation.

Moreover, Tianyan needs to cultivate.

Although the Source Qi in All Swords Valley is also extremely abundant, after being constantly tainted by the Ghost Mist, the Source Qi here can almost be called "ghost energy".

It can indeed be used for cultivation, but it will greatly accelerate the process of becoming a demon.

Therefore, they need to use array patterns to isolate the Ghost Mist.

The day after the house frame was erected

Xu Yuan was lazily lying on the old chair reading a book when he saw Tianyan silently disappear into the Ghost Tree Forest.

They went out at dawn and returned at dusk.

She was carrying a small bag of flower and grass seeds, and she carefully planted them in the brown soil beside the waterfall and pool.

Seeing this scene from the side, Xu Yuan couldn't help but Wan'er.

Back when he was still at the Qionghua Sect, Tianyan seemed to enjoy planting flowers and plants.

Next year at this time, when the flowers are in full bloom, this pavilion will surely be beautiful.

On the third day, when Xu Yuan woke up from his sleep, Tianyan had already begun "renovating" the interior of the pavilion by himself.

Xu Yuan wanted to help, but she told him to get lost.

The reason given was that his aesthetic sense was too ugly, and she was still responsible for taking care of their house.

In the days that followed, Xu Yuan completely became a couch potato, lying around doing nothing.

Because he always unconsciously attracts all sorts of evil spirits, Xu Yuan, to be on the safe side, almost never went out again. Every day, besides cooking for Tianyan, studying the Dao essence and the two Cultivation Method within his body, he read all sorts of books he had collected over the past seven years.

Meanwhile, Tianyan had been diligently renovating the little nest she shared with Xu Yuan, her petite figure constantly busy inside and outside the attic.

The cascading waterfall splashed white spray, painting the entire summer day, while the coolness of late autumn gradually seeped into the All Swords Valley through the thick fog.

It was sunrise again.

Xu Yuan stood by the lake, the spray from the cascading waterfall refreshing and gradually waking him from his drowsy state.

Looking back suddenly,

The simple tenement building by the lonely lake has been transformed into an exquisitely carved pavilion with upturned eaves. Next to it, a stone pavilion has been added for him to read, along with several bluestone paths and a sea of budding flowers. In that sea of flowers, a young girl in a purple gauze robe is bending over and carefully tending to the flowers, a faint smile on her face.

A few strands of long hair fell naturally to her temples, which she gently tucked behind her ears, exuding a virtuous and dignified air.

Seeing this all-too-familiar scene, Xu Yuan's heart skipped a beat.

If life could continue like this

At that moment, Tianyan suddenly looked up at him.

With his clear, golden eyes, Xu Yuan instinctively looked away.

Upon seeing the other party's actions, Tianyan slightly surprised, then a wicked smile appeared on his lips.

He straightened up and instantly teleported to his front.

Her long hair danced in the wind as she looked down into his eyes, a slight smile playing on her lips.

"Xu Yuan, were you spying on me just now?"

Xu Yuan regained his composure, raised his eyes, and rolled his eyes at her:

"Do you think you need to peek?"

Tianyan's phoenix eyes gleamed with even greater joy. He raised the watering can in his hand and asked with a beaming smile:

"Then why were you feeling guilty just now?"

Xu Yuan casually laughed:

"It's probably because I'm attracted to it."

"Oh?"

Tianyan wasn't embarrassed by the direct question. He drew out his words, his eyes curving into two bright crescent moons. "What's it that's making your heart flutter?"

"."

After a moment of silence, Xu Yuan looked up at the lingering mist in the sky, smiled gently, and looked directly into her eyes:

"I suddenly felt

"Living here with you for the rest of my life would be great."

His gaze shifted to the flower field she had planted:

"Watching the flowers bloom and fade together—this kind of life is far superior to the cutthroat world outside."

"."

Tianyan's smile faltered, and his red lips parted slightly.

Xu Yuan raised his hand and gently stroked the girl's delicate cheek, then cupped the back of her head, closing the distance between them.

So, what do you think?

"."

A rustling autumn wind swept through the withered treetops.

His golden eyes blinked rapidly. Tianyan instinctively wanted to break free, but he restrained himself and met his gaze with a slightly teasing look.

"You're asking me? What about your Ran Qingmo? She's probably still outside waiting for you to leave."

Xu Yuan remained silent upon hearing this, not answering immediately. After a few breaths, he asked in a low voice:

"Tianyan, do you think we can still get out?"

"What if we get out?"

"You yourself said 'what if,' do I need to explain it to you?"

"."

Tianyan's expression became complicated, and he asked in a low voice:

Is there really no way to get out?

Xu Yuan shook his head and whispered:

No, at least I don't know.

The silence seemed especially profound amidst the roar of the waterfall.

After arriving at All Swords Valley, the two of them rarely discussed the topic of breaking illusions.

It's partly an escape, but more so because they've exhausted every means possible over the years.

The source of the illusion is scattered among all living beings in the world. Unless they slaughter the entire world, getting out will be an unsolvable problem.

To slaughter the entire world with one's own strength is an utterly impossible task.

In silence,

Xu Yuan suddenly chuckled:

"Alright, let's stop discussing this."

Before the words were finished,

Buzz--

The barely perceptible buzzing sound made Xu Yuan stop speaking abruptly, his pupils contracting as he looked eastward.

As far as the eye can see, there is a gently drifting white mist and the shadowy, ghostly forest.

However, according to Qi Ji, the area to the east of the secluded pool was enveloped by a massive, vortex-like fluctuation.

Tianyan reacted even faster, turning his gaze to the side with a serious expression:

"Xu Yuan, this is the result of your sound channel exploration."

Several months later, the pursuers finally arrived.