"Zhaoyue! Come quickly, our son just walked!"

A man’s voice echoed through the courtyard as a tiny boy stumbled forward on shaky legs, arms waving wildly before crashing straight into his chest.

——

"Zhaoyue! Look at her, she’s exactly like you."

Under a peach blossom tree, the man held a baby girl wrapped carefully in his arms.

The infant blinked sleepily with a beautiful crimson eyes.

Tiny fingers gripping his sleeve tightly.

He stared at the child for a long moment before suddenly sighing.

"It’s over."

"What is?"

"She’s really just like you."

"You wanna die?"

——

"Zhaoyue! Hurry and look at this."

The man sounded far too excited for someone his age as he pulled his wife into the room.

Inside, their firstborn was crouched beside his younger sister, his movements clumsy.

Slow, yet careful. 𝘧𝘳𝘦ℯ𝓌𝘦𝒷𝘯𝑜𝑣𝘦𝓁.𝒸𝘰𝓂

"There," he declared proudly. "Now nobody can bully you."

The little girl lowered her head to look at the bell on her wrist before immediately wrapping her arms around his.

He watched the scene quietly for a moment before speaking in a low voice.

"...We did well."

——

This time, the man was nowhere to be seen.

All that remained was a cold, lifeless corpse... and two children standing before it.

"Dad!"

"Papa!"

Their voices overlapped into panicked cries.

Unable to believe what she was seeing, the younger child rushed forward and grabbed the body, small hands pushing against him desperately.

"Wake up!"

"Papa, wake up!"

Her voice broke into sobs as she shook him again and again, as though refusing to accept the silence.

Beside her, the eldest stood stiff, his fists clenched so tightly they trembled.

He shut his eyes and turned his head away, teeth gritted hard enough to hurt, yet tears still slipped uncontrollably down his face.

"Fang Yuan!"

Lin Zhaoyue jolted awake.

Her breathing was uneven as cold sweat soaked the back of her robes.

For a brief moment, her eyes were filled with panic and fear.

The room was silent while moonlight quietly poured through the window, illuminating the empty side of the bed beside her.

Lin Zhaoyue’s fingers instinctively reached toward it and her chest tightened slightly.

She quietly got out of bed.

The nightmare still lingered faintly within her heart, leaving behind a strange emptiness that made sleep impossible.

Without making much noise, she walked toward the table nearby and casually picked up a bunch of fresh grapes before stepping outside.

The night greeted her softly.

A cool breeze drifted across the mountains, carrying the faint scent of flowers and wet grass through the air.

Lin Zhaoyue slowly rose into the sky and flew toward the spatial crack in the distance.

Above her, the heavens were breathtakingly clear.

ountless stars shimmered across the endless night sky like scattered fragments of crystal, glowing quietly within the darkness.

The silver moon hung high above the clouds, its pale light cascading gently across the world below.

Occasionally, streaks of drifting spiritual mist floated through the mountains, making the entire realm feel dreamlike and distant.

The cold night air brushed softly against her face strangely comforting.

Not long after, Lin Zhaoyue arrived before the enormous spatial crack.

The distorted space continued to swirl slowly overhead like a giant scar carved into the sky itself.

Below it, two enormous figures stood guard silently.

Xuanwu and Xiao Bai.

The moment they noticed her arrival, both beasts immediately lowered their heads respectfully.

Lin Zhaoyue gave them a small nod.

Then, without hesitation, she lightly jumped upward and landed atop Xiao Bai’s massive head.

The beast’s snow-white fur was unbelievably soft and warm beneath her.

Xiao Bai immediately lifted its head proudly.

Then it deliberately glanced toward Xuanwu with a smug expression, looking unbearably pleased with itself.

Xuanwu merely stared back silently.

Meanwhile, Lin Zhaoyue slowly laid down atop Xiao Bai’s head while holding the grapes loosely in one hand.

Her long hair scattered softly against the white fur beneath her as she quietly gazed upward at the spatial crack above the heavens.

The moonlight reflected within her calm eyes.

Her gaze never left the massive spatial crack above.

For a moment, she simply remained there in silence.

Then softly in a whisper carried away by the night breeze she wished.

"I wish you were here... my husband."

The words disappeared quietly into the night.

But the very next second, the spatial crack suddenly trembled violently.

RUMBLE!

The distorted space rippled violently as two figures slowly stepped out from within the portal.

Lin Zhaoyue blinked.

Then her eyes widened slightly.

"...Fang Yuan?"

The moment she recognized him, the faint loneliness in her expression instantly melted away.

But that warmth lasted for less than a second.

Because beside him...

Was another woman.

A young, beautiful girl, standing close to him.

Lin Zhaoyue froze completely.

The grape in her fingers burst silently.

Juice slowly dripped down her hand.

Her eyes instantly turned bloodshot and the atmosphere around the mountain changed without warning.

The previously calm night breeze suddenly became cold.

Even Xiao Bai, who had been acting smug moments ago, stiffened instantly beneath her.

An overwhelming pressure quietly spread outward.

Lin Zhaoyue continued staring at Zhu Huan without blinking.

Fang Yuan noticed the atmosphere shift the instant he walked in.

The pressure in the air became strangely heavy, as though the very world itself was rejecting his presence.

"...Am I being suppressed by the world will?" he muttered under his breath.

Then he turned his head and saw her.

And the moment he did something inside him moved.

His figure vanished instantly.

The next moment, he appeared directly in front of Lin Zhaoyue.

Without hesitation, he opened his arms toward her, the exhaustion in his eyes quietly melting away.

"I’m home."

Lin Zhaoyue stared at him silently.

Her crimson eyes trembled faintly as they locked onto his face, almost as though trying to confirm he was truly standing there.

Then she wrapped her arms around him with frightening force.

Fang Yuan felt his ribs creak slightly from the pressure, yet before he could even speak, fingers suddenly grabbed the back of his robes tightly.

"You came back..." she whispered softly.

"You left for three years... I thought you forgot about me."

Fang Yuan blinked in confusion.

"Three years?" he repeated. "I was only gone for two months."