Pei Yubai mistakenly thought he would always be an ordinary person, and Yuanyuan told him not to worry

Pei Yubai was caught off guard by Qiguan Yuan's words, but he didn't show any emotion. Instead, he tightened his arms around Qiguan Yuan's waist and pulled him closer to his own.

Qiguan Yuan was pulled forward half an inch by his grip, their chests pressed together, and they could feel each other's heartbeats through the two thin layers of clothing.

Pei Yubai buried his face in Qiguan Yuan's neck, his nose brushing against his collarbone, his voice muffled, slightly nasal, and drawn out a beat slower than usual. " Yuanyuan."

Qiguan Yuan's ears went weak at his voice.

Pei Yubai usually speaks in a low voice, but when he's serious, his voice has a strangely soothing quality.

This is also why a large portion of the Imperial Fans are voice-obsessed.

Some of his fans are drawn to him specifically because of his voice.

But every time Pei Yubai acted coquettishly, he would draw out the last syllable, lowering the volume just enough for the two of them to hear, and lean his entire weight against him, like a large dog that refused to get off the sofa.

It's simply impossible to refuse.

"When Yuanyuan in a good mood, can I often enter her sea of consciousness to absorb the little fox?" Pei Yubai's lips brushed against the skin on the side of Qiguan Yuan's neck.

He would lightly touch the glass after each word he spoke.

After saying that, she pecked his chin lightly, just a quick touch of her lips, then moved to the corner of his mouth and pecked again, then to his face and pecked again, finally returning to his earlobe, where she held the small piece of soft flesh in her teeth and nibbled on it.

He liked every part of Yuanyuan's body.

Qiguan Yuan's nine tails twitched simultaneously from the series of light, delicate kisses.

He reached out and pushed Pei Yubai's face, pressing his fingers against Pei Yubai's forehead and pushing outwards, but he didn't use any force, so it was as if he didn't push at all. Pei Yubai's lips then came up and pecked at his fingertips.

"You," Qiguan Yuan's voice was laced with suppressed laughter, his eyes narrowed, the redness at the corner of his eye still lingering, "You're just so wicked. You know I have no resistance to your tricks, yet you still use them every time."

"My sea of consciousness isn't a tourist attraction; it's good enough that it doesn't charge an entrance fee. You want an annual pass? Is that what you're saying now?"

"I want one." Pei Yubai's nose brushed against his jawline, his lips close to his ear, his voice a little lower than before, "I want a lifetime card. One-time purchase, come and go as you please. Come in whenever you want to see Yuanyuan, come in whenever you want to see the little fox, come in whenever you're in a bad mood and want to pet a fox."

He paused for a moment after speaking, then said, " Yuanyuan, would you let me do it? I can give you my entire life savings as payment for the annual membership."

Qiguan Yuan couldn't help but chuckle, " Pei Yubai, when did you learn to act cute? You weren't like this when you were in Yun Yin."

"The past is the past." Pei Yubai tightened his grip, holding him even closer.

"We weren't officially a couple before, Yuanyuan, so I have no right to make any demands of you."

All I can do is stay by your side.

Qiguan Yuan rested his chin on Pei Yubai's shoulder, his nine tails squeezed between the two of them, piled loosely on Pei Yubai's knees, the tips of the tails gently brushing against his calves.

After a while, as if bringing up something he had been thinking about for a long time, Pei Yubai asked, " Yuanyuan."

"Um?"

"Am I now merely possessing the memories of the Yun Yin?"

Pei Yubai's voice was close to his ear, "But in reality, I'm still just an ordinary person. My body is a mortal body, and my lifespan is a mortal lifespan."

"I remember things from the past, I know how to untie the red thread, I remember how to brew osmanthus wine for you, I remember you like Longtuan Shengxue but don't like bitter flavors."

"But I'm still just a normal person, right?"

Qiguan Yuan was silent for a moment, then gave him an affirmative answer, "Yes. You are indeed just an ordinary person right now."

Pei Yubai was not surprised by this answer.

He guessed it from the fact that Lu Zhao didn't react in any particular way when facing him.

He held Qiguan Yuan quietly for a long while. There was no wind in his mind, and the red threads on the Tree of Fate were still. The red threads on the tree hung motionless from the branches.

The moonlight cast the shadows of the two people onto the boulder, one high and one low, overlapping each other.

"If one day, my life comes to an end," Pei Yubai's voice was calm, yet tinged with sadness, " Yuanyuan, cast a spell on yourself: before I find you in my next life, forget me."

Qiguan Yuan was being held in Pei Yubai's arms, paused upon hearing his words.

The nine tails behind him stopped swaying simultaneously, and the silver luster at their tips dimmed for a moment.

After a few seconds, he spoke, his voice a bit hoarse than usual. "Why?"

"Because I don't want to find out again, the next time I see Yuanyuan, that Yuanyuan's waited for me for so long again."

Pei Yubai's palm rested on Qiguan Yuan's back, and he could feel his body temperature through the thin fabric. "This time, I was able to remember thanks to Yuanyuan. Yuanyuan, you've waited for me for so long."

"If I am destined to leave first, then perhaps you won't have to wait so long, Yuanyuan, if you lose all memories of me before our next reunion."

Qiguan Yuan remained silent in his arms.

Pei Yubai felt Qiguan Yuan's fingers gripping his clothes at the waist, not tightly, his knuckles trembling slightly.

"I promise I'll come find you as soon as possible. No matter what identity I'm reincarnated as, or where I am, I will find you Yuanyuan."

"You just need to remember me when you see me. But until you find me, forget me and you won't be sad." Pei Yubai's lips were pressed against the top of Qiguan Yuan, each word spoken slowly, as if he wanted to engrave these words into the depths of Qiguan Yuan's consciousness.

Qiguan Yuan remained silent for a long time, so long that Pei Yubai thought he wouldn't answer, before finally saying, "Aren't you afraid that after I forget you, I'll fall in love with someone else?"

"If Yuanyuan falls in love with someone else, it's because I haven't done enough." Pei Yubai's voice was unwavering, and his answer was swift.

"However, I will most likely choose to fight with all my might to win Yuanyuan back. No matter who that person is, no matter if you remember me or not, I will pursue you."

"Because I can't imagine what it would be like without Yuanyuan."

Qiguan Yuan chuckled softly, a very faint sound, like a breath escaping from deep within his throat, his voice low as a murmur, "But I can't do it, Pei Yubai."

He raised his hand to stroke Pei Yubai's face, tracing the contours of the face again with his fingers.

"Forgetting itself is a kind of pain. So, I will never forget you, Pei Yubai. To spare me from so much sorrow, please don't utter such a agonizing and painful word as 'forgetting.'"

Pei Yubai grasped the hand that was pressed against his face, turned it over, and pressed his lips against the palm of the other hand.

Qiguan Yuan's palm had several faint lines, and its temperature was slightly lower than his lips, feeling cool.

Qiguan Yuan looked at him but didn't say anything more.

Because I have truly endured it. Thirteen times forgotten over eight hundred years.

Each time I forget and then remember, my longing for you only deepens, and the pain of forgetting itself accumulates again and again.

So even now, I find it hard to say: Long time no see, Xiu Yun Yin.

I must confirm it again and again, through kisses and touches, that you have truly returned to my side.

Pei Yubai pulled Qiguan Yuan into his arms.

He noticed it; even though Yuanyuan didn't say anything, he could still sense his sadness.

Qiguan Yuan rested his chin on Pei Yubai's shoulder, inhaling the scent emanating from him.

Feel his real presence.

"You won't die like an ordinary person, Pei Yubai. You must stay with me, always stay with me."

Qiguan Yuan's voice came from under his shoulder, muffled, "Soon. Trust me."

Pei Yubai, his lips pressed against the top of Qiguan Yuan, and finally the kiss stopped on his eyelids.

Qiguan Yuan closed his eyes and felt Pei Yubai's lips lightly touching his eyelids, lingering for a longer time than usual.

Then it moved to the bridge of his nose, the tip of his nose, and finally landed on the corner of his mouth, where it stopped without moving further.

" Yuanyuan, don't be sad." Pei Yubai said, his lips brushing against Qiguan Yuan's as he spoke, "I don't want you to forget me. I just don't want you to be sad alone."

"I was just thinking, if I had remembered sooner, if I had found you sooner, you wouldn't have waited so long. I'm sorry, I won't make you wait anymore."

"I don't know what you're going to do, Yuanyuan. If I recover, it might hurt you. Yuanyuan, please don't do it."

"I wish for immortality because I want to be with you forever. But more than immortality, I wish that nothing can hurt you."

Qiguan Yuan shook his head. "This matter won't harm me, Pei Yubai. What I'm doing is simply reclaiming the divine status that rightfully belongs to you. Trust me, it will happen soon."

"We will not be separated again because of lifespan. You will stay with me for a very long time."

Only after receiving Qiguan Yuan's promise and confirming that what Qiguan Yuan and Lu Zhao were doing would not harm Qiguan Yuan did Pei Yubai feel relieved.

He held Qiguan Yuan, and the two enjoyed this rare time alone together.

After an unknown amount of time, Qiguan Yuan suddenly opened his eyes.

He sensed something.

A familiar Power of Marriage emanated from outside my consciousness; the fluctuations were small but very clear.

It was Lu Zhao. He must have finished his Enter Dreams to Inquire about Marriage and was now retrieving the scattered Power of Marriage. That power was returning along its original path and gathering again under the Tree of Fate. Qiguan Yuan was all too familiar with the frequency of the fluctuations.

" Lu Zhao should be finished." Qiguan Yuan sat up straight from Pei Yubai's arms, nodded as he clung to Pei Yubai, and his nine tails loosened from his body, spreading out behind him again. "It's time to go out."

A flash of white light passed over Qiguan Yuan, and the little fox reappeared, squatting down Qiguan Yuan him.

Pei Yubai nodded. Qiguan Yuan reached out and touched his forehead, a faint red light appearing at his fingertips.

Pei Yubai felt that pulling force reappear, this time pulling him outwards.

He closed his eyes, his consciousness passing through the film of water. After a brief feeling of weightlessness, the coolness of the stone bench in the Zen temple returned to his back.

The little fox circled around him, and after Pei Yubai's figure disappeared from his mind, it rubbed against Qiguan Yuan's leg, then turned and walked to the Tree of Fate.

Lie down.

I closed my eyes again and tried to sleep.

After a brief period of excitement, the sea of consciousness returned to silence.

The desert night wind blew in from the corridor, carrying the dry scent of sand and ancient wood, completely different from the warm moonlight in my mind.

Pei Yubai opened his eyes.

Qiguan Yuan opened his eyes at the same time, reached out and tidied his silver hair that had been blown by the wind, and returned to his usual calm demeanor.

It seems they really just sat there waiting for Lu Zhao for an hour, and nothing happened.

Under the Tree of Fate, Lu Zhao happened to open his eyes.

His face was paler than before, and there was a thin layer of sweat on his forehead. The pages of the Marriage Register lying on his lap were slowly closing, and the light on them went from strong to weak and finally went out.

He rubbed his temples, his eyes showing obvious fatigue, but the corners of his mouth were turned up.

It's done.

However, his strength was not as unfathomable as Senior Qiguan's, so he was struggling somewhat.

I'm feeling a bit exhausted after finishing, so I don't look too good.

"Senior." Lu Zhao's voice was hoarse from overuse. He stood up from under the tree, brushed the grass clippings off his robes, and walked to the stone table.

After plopping down, he first gulped down a cup of ice-cold tea before speaking, "It's done. In this area of the Northwest, spanning five hundred li, I interviewed over thirteen thousand seven hundred people in my dreams."

"Of those, 30% are willing to entrust their marriage to the Yue Lao of Marriage."

"Of the remaining 70%, half are Buddhists who don't intend to convert, and the other half simply don't believe in marriage. But 30% is enough. As long as 30% of them offer their support, this Tree of Fate can sustain the marriage network in the Northwest."

He flipped through a few pages of the Marriage Register for Qiguan Yuan to see. New names appeared densely on the pages, line by line, the handwriting varying in size, some neat and some messy, the ink still faintly glowing.

These are the people who voluntarily entrusted their marriage to the Old Man Under the Yue Lao in their dreams tonight. Their names will be forever recorded in the Marriage Register, with the Old Man Under the Yue Lao personally arranging their union.

"Next, all we need to do is spread the Power of Marriage along these 30% of the wish power channels."

Lu Zhao counted on his fingers, "Using this Tree of Fate as an anchor point, we can expand westward to the border, northward to the grasslands, and eastward and southward to connect with the marriage networks of the Central Plains. Once we've done all of that, we can restore the divine essence."

Lu Zhao did not say whose divine status it was, because he still firmly believed that Brother Pei was the substitute of that senior Moon Official.

If Brother Pei finds out, he'll definitely be very upset.

"Well done." Qiguan Yuan took the Marriage Register, flipped through a few pages, confirmed the coverage of several main lines, and then returned the register to Lu Zhao.

Lu Zhao stole a glance at Pei Yubai as he took the book.

Sigh, what will Brother Pei do if he finds out that he's just a substitute for Senior Moon Official?

If he supports and cooperates with Senior Moon Official to compete for Senior Qiguan, what are the chances of success?