For the first time, panic flashed across Shen Wuyi's usually impassive face.
She had never been held like this before—so intimately, so protectively—in any moment of her memory. Since arriving in the Abyss, she had never experienced physical contact with a man.
"Don't touch me!"
With a flash of cold fury, her sixth-level Divine Extinction Realm aura erupted in full force, instantly blasting Yun Che away before he could react.
"Ugh… that hurts." Yun Che winced as he tumbled back, rubbing his shoulder. "Why are women always so fickle? A moment ago you looked like you were in pain, and I was just worried about you…"
Yun Che's expression was one of innocent helplessness, but beneath the surface, he had noticed something important—Shen Wuyi's momentary struggle, her subtle hesitation. That was more telling than any words. Clearly, something had stirred in her—an echo of the past, perhaps even a buried memory of Xia Qingyue.
She hadn't fully remembered, but… maybe fragments were beginning to surface.
Still, he had to admit—holding her again, even briefly, was like touching a dream he'd long lost. The feeling hadn't changed… no, it was even more vivid than before.
There was no embarrassment in his expression—just regret that he hadn't held her longer. Their time apart hadn't been that long in the grand scheme of things, but the pain it caused… was deeper than time could measure.
He wanted to protect her now. Hold her, shield her, make sure she never had to bear anything alone again.
"You dare touch the Goddess of Eternal Night… You deserve to die!" Shen Wuyi's voice was cold as frost.
But her trembling heartbeat and her flushed cheeks beneath the veil betrayed her. His arms had wandered to places they shouldn't have during the hug. If it had been a simple gesture of concern, she might not have reacted so fiercely.
"It's not like I haven't touched you before…" Yun Che muttered under his breath. Still, his body was honest, and he kept a respectful distance now, not wanting to risk further trouble.
"Oh right—there's something very important I haven't told you yet," he said with a mysterious glint in his eye.
"…What is it?" Shen Wuyi had regained her composure, her tone icy and distant once again.
"But first," Yun Che said, pointing at her veil, "you have to take that off."
"This veil was given to me by the Mother Goddess," she replied without hesitation. "She warned me never to remove it without her permission. I cannot grant your request."
A flicker of conflict crossed her face, but her tone remained firm.
"This is the Sea of Fog," Yun Che said gently. "Even a True God can't see through everything here. Besides, you already lifted the veil in front of me once. As long as neither of us speaks of it, it won't violate the will of the Nameless Divine Venerable."
He paused, then added with a faint smile, "Don't you want to know what I have to say?"
"…I did," she said, turning her back on him. "But not anymore."
With that, she walked away, not sparing him another glance.
"…Eh?" Yun Che blinked, stunned. This wasn't how the script was supposed to go.
He had expected her to resist at first, then gradually give in. He thought he could coax her step by step, but she had shut him down at the very beginning. This wasn't like the Xia Qingyue he remembered at all.
He stood there frozen, watching her silhouette recede into the fog, still struggling to process the unexpected turn.
"Wait!" Yun Che suddenly called out. "You can forget me if you want. You can even forget everything between us… but what about them?"
He waved his hand, and several figures appeared in the mist: Yue Wuya. Yue Wugou. Xia Hongyi. Xia Yuanba.
The people closest to Xia Qingyue in her past life.
Even if she had been forcibly reshaped by the Ancestral God, those bonds of blood, of soul, still existed. They couldn't be erased.
Shen Wuyi stopped in her tracks. She turned, and her gaze lingered on the images.
Her heart wavered. To her, Yun Che might not have been more important than her blood kin. The deep emotional entanglements—ties of flesh and soul—these could not be replaced, even by Yun Che.
Back then, Xia Qingyue had felt a heavy burden of guilt toward Yue Wuya and Yue Wugou. She had vowed to protect the Moon God Realm for life… but in the end, she had failed that promise. One betrayal could be endured. A second would shatter the heart. Such is human nature.
She had few memories of Xia Hongyi, her father, and their relationship had always been distant. As for her brother, Xia Yuanba… she had owed him more than she could ever repay.
The Nine Profound Exquisite Body and Ice Glazed Heart that were part of her constitution had been forcibly transferred from Xia Yuanba by the Ancestral God.
Shen Wuyi turned back toward Yun Che, her steps slow but resolute. In her eyes, a glimmer of crystal light began to gather.
"Tell me about them," she said. "I want to know everything."
There was no longer any hostility in her voice. Nor did she feel disgust or disdain for the man before her. His voice sounded pleasant—almost soothing. It had been so long since she'd felt such warmth.
"Then take off your veil first," Yun Che said with a mischievous grin, folding his arms across his chest.
If anyone from the Kingdom of Eternal Night had seen this, their jaws would have dropped. Who would dare speak to the Goddess of Eternal Night this way? And to think, the one doing so was a man—a man from the lowest world!
Shen Wuyi frowned. Her expression turned conflicted. But after a moment of hesitation, her fingers reached up, and she slowly removed the black veil covering her face.
"Tell no one about this. If word gets out… I will kill you."
"Don't worry, my beloved Qingyue," Yun Che grinned. "I always do what you say. But if you want to know the full truth, you must feel it with your heart. Close your eyes."
Shen Wuyi didn't resist. Her eyes slowly closed. Deep inside, she truly did want to remember… to retrieve what she had lost, to right what she had wronged, to find the truth of who she was.
Yun Che gazed at her face.
It hadn't changed.
The same beauty. The same grace. And yet, seeing her again now stirred emotions that surged wildly through his heart.
He thought he was prepared. But the moment he saw her face—truly saw it—his soul trembled.
Guilt. Regret. Yearning. Joy. They flooded him all at once, overwhelming every rational thought.
Driven by impulse, by emotion, Yun Che leaned forward and kissed her.
No words. No explanation. Just pure feeling.
He simply wanted to kiss her. And so he did.
Shen Wuyi's eyes flew open at the sudden warmth. They widened in shock. Just a moment ago, she had been drifting in the stillness of her mind—and now, she was suddenly plunged into heat and intimacy.
But… she didn't push him away.
She stood there, lips pressed gently to his, quietly accepting the moment. She didn't understand why. But her body, her soul, responded with honesty.
Somewhere in the fog-shrouded distance, a figure emerged—Pan Buwang. As he cut down Abyssal Beasts, he slowly advanced deeper into the Sea of Fog...
....
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