Wife

[In the twenty-second year of the Simulation, you had sat motionless beside the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well for nearly two years. Like a stubborn rock, you had not budged.]

[That year, Ah Yin made up her mind. She embraced you from behind and confessed the feelings she suspected were love.]

[You remained seated, giving no response.]

[Ah Yin did not mind. She felt the two of you were alike, and perhaps heaven had taken pity on you by bringing you together.]

[Ah Yin stripped off your clothes and threw herself at you, but your body did not respond at all, as though you had never had any physical desires and the organs meant for them had ceased to function.]

[Ah Yin refused to give up. She tried everything, and through her tireless efforts, you lost the virginity you had kept for twenty-eight years.]

[After Ah Yin forced herself on you, you gradually emerged from that sense of emptiness. It was not because the physical intimacy had stirred anything in you. You simply felt that what Ah Yin had done was wrong.]

[Unfortunately, by the time you came to your senses, Ah Yin had already had her way with you. After that day, you managed to find a little meaning in life.]

[Whether by good luck or bad, you and Ah Yin conceived a child after that single encounter.]

[You and Ah Yin left the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well. You felt you were old enough to face certain things clearly. Though you knew this was only a Simulation, you looked at the small life growing inside Ah Yin and chose, for the time being, to be a good father.]

[You brought Ah Yin to the Dugu Residence in Heaven Dou City. Weeds had overgrown the entrance, as though no one had tended it in a long time.]

[You noticed nothing amiss and led Ah Yin inside.]

[The residence was deserted. Even the servants you used to see from time to time were nowhere in sight.]

[Hearing the main gate open, Dugu Yan slowly came out from an inner room to see who it was. She looked much more haggard, her hair a mess, but when she saw your familiar face, tears streamed down her cheeks.]

[She hurried toward you, running faster and faster before leaping at you, hoping to land in your arms as she had when she was little.]

[You did not let Dugu Yan have her way. As she landed against you, your body turned insubstantial, and she fell through.]

["Where's your grandfather?" you asked casually, your voice flat. You did not look at Dugu Yan's stunned expression.]

[Dugu Yan stumbled a few steps forward, then turned to face your back. "Su Ming, I was wrong. Please forgive me. Grandpa left. He abandoned me. You're all I have."]

[Dugu Yan tried to grab you again, but you said, "Dugu Yan, show some restraint. I already have a wife."]

[Disbelief crossed Dugu Yan's face. She shook her head numbly. "Impossible. That's impossible. Brother Su Ming, you're lying to me, aren't you? You must still like me. Why else would you come back for me?"]

["Dugu Yan, I never liked you. That was all in your head, and Dugu Bo wanted to bring us together. Now I have a wife, and our child will be born soon. Please show some restraint." You stood firm. You would not pity Dugu Yan over a little hurt and accept her because of it. Monogamy was deeply rooted in your view of relationships; you had no desire for a harem. Even with Ah Yin, you were not quite sure how to feel about her.]

[Dugu Yan's eyes reddened. She stared at the silent, beautiful woman beside you—Ah Yin. She wanted to say something cruel, but swallowed the words.]

["Brother Su Ming, I can be your second wife. I can bear your children too. Please forgive me." Dugu Yan pleaded. She had lost everything. Without Dugu Bo's protection, her talent, however great, was still undeveloped. When facing powerful factions, she had no choice but to keep her head down.]

[You said nothing about forgiving her. You had never hated Dugu Yan, nor had you ever loved her. You had come for two reasons: to fulfill your responsibilities as a husband and father, and to find Dugu Bo.]

[In the end, Dugu Yan gave you the letter Dugu Bo had left behind years ago, then went back inside, utterly dejected.]

[Ah Yin watched from the side, wanting to speak but holding back. She was touched that you had chosen her without wavering, yet she also felt a little sorry for Dugu Yan. Still, Dugu Yan had brought this on herself, so Ah Yin said nothing.]

[In the twenty-third year of the Simulation, your child with Ah Yin was born: an adorable little girl with rosy cheeks.]

[She inherited the full foundation of both you and Ah Yin and gained the status of Child of Nature at birth.]

[You and Ah Yin named her Su Yiner. Then you took your wife and daughter back to the Dugu Residence and paid to have it restored.]

[Dugu Yan watched your happy family of three with a mix of heartache and envy.]

[She approached you and Ah Yin and asked to be the child's godmother. You did not refuse outright, instead leaving the decision to Ah Yin. Taking pity on Dugu Yan, Ah Yin agreed.]

[After settling your family, you resumed your search for Dugu Bo. You contacted every West Wind Church on the Douluo Continent, but none had news of him.]

[Just as you were about to resort to less conventional methods, someone in Spirit Hall became a god. It was Bibi Dong. Freshly ascended, she gathered an army and prepared to attack the Heaven Dou Empire and the Star Luo Empire.]

[Over the years, events had largely followed the original story. A few minor changes had not altered the broader course of events.]

[Bibi Dong had long wanted to move against the West Wind Churches under your command. But with one of your clones guarding each church, she had held off.]

[Now that Bibi Dong had become a god, the West Wind Church was the first target of her revenge.]

[In less than a day, Bibi Dong destroyed every West Wind Church outpost within Spirit Hall's territory.]

[Seeing this, you felt you could not stand by and do nothing.]