Gou Jun Island.
A pavilion on the mountaintop.
Ye Bing waved a hand and set up a barrier to prevent outsiders from prying, then removed her bamboo hat, revealing a stunning face as cold as frost.
Her eyes, deep as the night sky and brimming with anger, glared straight at Song Wen.
Song Wen seemed utterly oblivious to her displeasure. His face showed only the excitement of a reunion after a long separation.
"Twenty years have passed, and your beauty surpasses even what I remember, Fairy. Like the Mystic Maiden of the Nine Heavens descending to the mortal world, you are without equal. Over the years, whenever I thought of you, all the beautiful sights in this world seemed to lose their luster..."
"Enough!" Ye Bing suddenly interrupted his honeyed words. "Back then, you promised me you would return within a few years. Why were you gone for twenty? Had you come back a few years later, I might already have left this place."
"Ah!" Song Wen sighed, a trace of helplessness in his voice. "I wanted to return sooner and see you too, Fairy. Unfortunately, danger lurked at every turn on this journey. I hovered between life and death several times and nearly perished. Though I was fortunate enough to survive, I suffered grave injuries. I had no choice but to enter seclusion to recover. The moment my wounds healed, I hurried here to see you."
Ye Bing looked him over several times, doubt in her eyes.
"You really were gravely injured?"
"How could I deceive you, Fairy?" Song Wen said with an utterly candid expression.
Ye Bing gazed at him, then seemed to suddenly remember something. The frost on her face vanished, replaced by a trace of desolation.
"Whatever delayed your return no longer matters. I fear our