Dream

He certainly understood what Huo Wu meant. Normally, he would have teased her, but today, seeing Yu Tianshuang Wu's Huo Wu clothes and her once vibrant red hair covered in dust, Yu Tianshuang knew how hard she had worked, participating in the war of the gods as a mere mortal.

Huo Wu, who had initially turned her head away, kept glancing back at Yu Tianshuang, but seeing that he was actually coming over, her heart still raced a little. She blushed and took a step back, reaching out to block him. "What are you doing..."

Looking into Yu Tianshuang's eyes, which were full of heartache and love, she suddenly wanted to run away for some reason, especially since she was now dressed in rags and covered in dirt. But when Yu Tianshuang gently placed her hand on her head, her beautiful eyes curved into crescents. After realizing what was happening, she snorted and ran away.

Qian Renxue actually had a lot to say to him, but for some reason, she chose the question she least wanted to ask, "Ahem... Yu Tianshuang, what kind of god have you become? Just now, I probed with my divine sense and didn't sense any energy fluctuations similar to the Five Great God Kings. How... how did you become so strong..."

Yu Tianshuang turned around and looked at the stunningly beautiful Qian Renxue. At this moment, her appearance was even more miserable. Her long golden hair was in a mess, and most of it was stained red with dried blood. The congealed blood scabs covered almost her entire body except for her hair. It was heartbreaking to see her like this. One could only imagine the fierce battle she had gone through.

Yu Tianshuang didn't answer her question, but silently walked over, patted her shoulder, and a warm energy enveloped her hand, wiping away the dust and scabs on her body before speaking, "Actually, strictly speaking, I haven't become a god, because I don't have Godhood, but..."

"What's wrong?" Qian Renxue was puzzled. Yu Tianshuang had only said half of what he meant. She was a little embarrassed because he had swept her disheveled clothes off earlier. When she heard him hesitate, she looked up and met his eyes. His complicated gaze, especially the undisguised disappointment in them, made her realize why he was hesitant to speak.

"As expected, you care more about 'me.' I had thought about it—no, I should say, when 'I,' a mere negative soul separated from you, chose to sacrifice myself to save you and fulfill my own destiny, I realized that perhaps one day I would face the same look in your eyes as you do now..."

"But even knowing the outcome, I still don't want to believe it. I've known you for ten years, and your relationship with 'me' was nothing more than a few days of pleasure. At first, I didn't understand, but seeing that look in your eyes, I think I understand..."

Yu Tianshuang shook his head, the disappointment and self-reproach in his eyes impossible to conceal. He looked at Qian Renxue and slowly said, "You understand... Yes, it has nothing to do with time. Resonating with her soul and merging our bodies, even if it's only for one night, is enough for us to give everything for each other. Actually, I was a little afraid to look at you just now. After all, I've already heard from the Snow Empress about what happened after I fell into a coma. The fact that you were able to become a god so coincidentally and in such a timely manner to save me, I already have the answer in my heart."

"I just regret why I was so confident and arrogant back then, thinking I was invincible and looking down on everyone. Can she... ever come back?"

Hearing Yu Tianshuang's words, Qian Renxue felt immense torment, an unspeakable pain. She nodded, "It's alright, another separation is fine, but is this new Qian Renxue still 'me'? Is she the one you've been longing for?"

Yu Tianshuang shook her head, looking at the face before her that was both incredibly familiar and strange, and finally smiled with relief, shaking her head again.

Qian Renxue closed her eyes, recalling their first encounter ten years ago, the curiosity she felt, the excitement when he promised to return in three years, and the love she felt when she saw him in her true form three years later, fighting alongside him, and how he risked his life to protect her and turn the tide.

And there were fragments of memories from the God Trial Illusion—a dream, yet also the reality she longed for. Did she love him? Undoubtedly. But what about him? Did he love her? No, he loved "me." Lucky yet tragic, she retained that memory, but she was no longer herself. She couldn't help but shed two lines of tears, her expression sorrowful, and she murmured in a low voice, "I may have dreamt of being intimately close to you, only to wake up and find that we are like strangers, still stuck here."

"Qian Renxue..."

Yu Tianshuang watched her retreating figure, reaching out his hand but unsure what to say. Shui Bing'er, standing beside him, grasped his arm and shook her head at him.

The desolate figure gradually disappeared into the sunset. Yu Tianshuang didn't know how to react for a moment. She could only sigh deeply. She thought of the method of physical body shaping that she had specifically asked Uncle Mingde for advice before returning. She watched Qian Renxue's figure disappear and stared blankly for a long time until she heard Shui Bing'er's cold voice beside her.

"You shouldn't have treated her like that. Even though I know why, she's already given everything for you, and you know that in your heart."

Yu Tianshuang was well aware of Qian Renxue's feelings and sacrifices for him. He knew that what he had just done was hurtful, but he still did it. Perhaps he had spent so much time with her, and that one wrong step was broken by another woman. He was able to be reborn because of her sacrifice, which was why he felt so guilty and disappointed. But he really shouldn't have passed on these emotions to the person who cared about him.

"Yes..."

Yu Tianshuang agreed, then looked at Shui Bing'er and smiled, "But Senior Sister, I haven't congratulated you on becoming the Ice God yet, hehe!"

Shui Bing'er smacked his head in annoyance. "Alright, you and I both know what my becoming a god means. No need for that expression. Your smile is uglier than a grimace."

As Shui Yue'er's older sister and Yu Tianshuang's senior sister, Shui Bing'er had always been exceptionally strong since childhood. But now, her sadness and pain were greater than anyone else's. However, she couldn't show it on her face like him. But seeing Yu Tianshuang's face, where the corners of his mouth were turned up, yet his face and eyes were filled with sorrow, she knew she couldn't hug him and cry with him. She was the older sister, the senior sister.

"Senior Sister!"

Yu Tianshuang pulled the seemingly nonchalant woman in front of him into a tight embrace. How could he not know that Shui Bing'er's sadness was no less than his? It was just that this woman, who always referred to herself as his older sister or senior sister, wanted to keep everything to herself. This was just a facade she had created for herself.

"Tick-tock."

Feeling the damp touch on her shoulder, Yu Tianshuang hugged her tightly again. There was no sound of crying, but when Yu Tianshuang pulled Shui Bing'er into his arms, the unvented sorrow turned into tears. The two embraced quietly until night fell.