Chapter 70: Tides of Warmth Surge (IV)

When Sui Ning woke up, the first thing she saw was Xie Changzhou’s elegant and gentle face.

He looked somewhat childish in his sleep, like a child who knew nothing of the world.

Sui Ning propped up her arm and looked at him, her eyes soft and affectionate. She reached out and lightly stroked his long eyelashes.

Up close like this, she couldn’t help but sigh. Xie Changzhou’s skin was really good—smooth and almost poreless—and his eyelashes were dark and thick, casting a faint shadow on his face.

He truly had a handsome appearance, elegant and warm, like an immortal.

As he held her hand, he gently kissed it.

Xie Changzhou opened his eyes, a smile in the corners of his eyes. He hugged her into his arms.

Caught off guard, Sui Ning felt a bit embarrassed and buried her head in his embrace, not daring to look at him.

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“Txx?” Fwk Lkdt oyp y ckv pwarakple yde zkqvle bla blye qasx bkp lxcaynl. “Ebyv’p oasdt? Ebu es ol pweeldzu byhl vs ts vs Qwpw?”

Fbl alxlxclale psxlvbkdt Dkl Ubydtgbsw bye pyke clqsal yde bye y xkpwdelapvydekdt. Fbl bwaaklezu lmrzykdle, “R eked’v vbkdj vbl Nkxkvzlpp Fosae Flnv oyp cye.”

Dkl Ubydtgbsw bwttle bla oykpv yde obkprlale, “Rv’p xl. R esd’v oydv vs pvyu kd vbl Nkxkvzlpp Fosae Flnv.”

“Gwvwxd kp nsxkdt pssd, yde vbl spxydvbwp kd Qwpw kp ycswv vs czssx. Pslp Fwk Lkdt oydv vs ts pll kv?”

Fwk Lkdt oyp vyjld ycynj yde alynble swv vs bsze bkp byde. “Dkl Ubydtgbsw, es usw oydv vs zlyhl vbl Nkxkvzlpp Fosae Flnv?”

Tl pxkzle, bkp zkrp nwahkdt wroyae yp bl zktbvzu jkpple bla qsalblye. “Txx, R esd’v oydv vs pvyu kd vbl Nkxkvzlpp Fosae Flnv yduxsal.”

“R’hl clld kd vbl Nkxkvzlpp Fosae Flnv qsa shla vball bwdeale ulyap, yde R oydv vs pll vbl osaze swvpkel. Eldfkyd Vlyj kp vss nsze.”

He held Sui Ning close, lowered his head to smell the sweet fragrance on her body, and his heart melted.

“Sui Ning, let’s go to Gusu. These years have been too tiring.”

Sui Ning’s nose became sore, and she hugged his thin waist tightly, muttering, “Okay, let’s go to Gusu.”

Let’s go back to our lives and leave behind all these complicated matters.

She could always straighten him out and make him the Xie Changzhou who was still on the right path.

He held her quietly and lightly kissed her forehead.

“Sui Ning, love me.”

“I only have you.”

His kisses gradually moved downward, and Sui Ning hugged his neck and kissed him back, her slender hands helping him undo his clothes.

She responded to him passionately, revealing her heart to him without reservation.

She told him how much she loved him.

She would love him forever, whether she was with him or not.

Sui Ning would love Xie Changzhou forever.

***

Xie Changzhou had found a place to stay on the outskirts of Gu Su earlier, with towering mountains just outside his door and several tall osmanthus trees planted in front.

When he carried her to take a bath, Sui Ning couldn’t count how many times she regretted agreeing to come to Gu Su with him in the first place.

Ah Yan was left with Lu Guan in the name of cultivation, leaving only the two of them in Gu Su.

He became more and more unrestrained.

She lazily leaned against the edge of the bath while Xie Changzhou massaged her tired waist from behind.

Sui Ning’s consciousness became somewhat blurry, and she felt as if she were in a fog.

She was a little confused, shouting Xie Changzhou’s name as she walked.

But there was no answer.

The white mist was all around her, and she couldn’t see anything clearly except for the white expanse.

“Xie Changzhou, Xie Changzhou!”

“Xie Changzhou, where are you?”

Her voice echoed, and Sui Ning’s heart was a little panicked.

“Stop.”

Sui Ning abruptly halted her steps. Who was speaking? 

“If you take another step forward, all of you will die today.”

The voice sounded familiar. 

“Persist in your delusion, seeking death!”

The cold voice remained emotionless. 

Sui Ning remembered who the voice belonged to. 

Yanheng!

She looked forward in astonishment as the white mist gradually dissipated. She met a pair of pitch-black, cold eyes. 

Elegant eyebrows and features were concealed beneath a veil, and a gorgeous long dress outlined her slender waist. The sword in her hand was covered in frost. 

That was Yanheng. 

Her cool gaze swept over Sui Ning, paused for a moment, then withdrew. 

Sui Ning’s eyes fell upon the corpses littering the ground before her, and the stench of blood filled the air. 

Yanheng’s left hand, which held the sword, dripped blood. The blood slid down the sword and dripped onto a nearby stones. 

Without even looking at the bodies, Yanheng turned and began to leave. 

Sui Ning quickly called out to her, “Yanheng!” 

But there was no response. Yanheng kept walking and grew further away. 

Sui Ning lifted her skirts and tried to catch up. 

A familiar voice came from the void. 

“Sui ning, Sui ning!”

She abruptly opened her eyes; her chest heaved violently, and her long eyelashes trembled lightly.

Xie Changzhou was in front of her, his glassy eyes fixed on her, with obscure emotions lurking in their depths.

He brushed away the messy hair on her forehead and asked, “Ningning, what happened? What did you dream about?”

Sui Ning’s voice was tense as she said, “Yanheng, I saw Yanheng. I saw her holding a long sword and standing in front of many dead demons. She was injured, and blood was dripping from the sword onto the nearby stones.”

Xie Changzhou’s hand paused, and a deep chill spread in his eyes. There was a hint of frost at the corners of his eyebrows.

Sui Ning’s black eyes were watery, and she held his hand tightly, feeling nervous. “Xie Changzhou, what is the relationship between me and Yanheng?”

Recently, she had always felt that she had forgotten something. She remembered Yanheng, but she had forgotten many things that had happened between them.

She only remembered this person, knew that they looked alike, and knew that she was an ancient goddess.

She vaguely remembered that something seemed to have happened between them, but it was as if it was covered by a veil, and she could not see through it.

Xie Changzhou’s throat rolled dryly, and a smile curled his lips as he embraced her and gently patted her back to comfort her.

“You have no relationship with Yanheng. You two just look alike.”

His voice was gentle. If it were the past, she would have felt at ease, but now she felt that something was wrong.

She calmly asked the system, “System, are you there?”

The familiar mechanical voice did not sound, and Sui Ning felt her heart sink.

“System?”

The system still did not respond.

Her heart began to beat faster, and an inexplicable panic swept over her.

The system has rarely been unresponsive to her for such a long time. If you calculate it, the system hasn’t spoken since she got married.

Their last conversation was nine days ago.

For the past nine days since her marriage, Xie Changzhou has been constantly clinging to her in bed, occupying all her attention and completely ignoring the existence of the system.

She thought the system was avoiding her.

But now it seems that’s not the case.

The system seems…. to have disappeared.

In front of her is Xie Changzhou’s warm embrace, his hand gently patting her back.

Now she can be sure that she has forgotten many things, and the system has also disappeared.

She has never been so panicked before. Without the system, she is alone in this world, and she doesn’t belong here.

Sui Ning’s back feels cold, and she gets goosebumps all over her body.

Xie Changzhou notices her abnormality, and a hint of darkness flashes through his shallow eyes.

He pins her against the edge of the bathtub and kisses her.

“Xie Changzhou…”

Sui Ning weakly tries to push him away, but he holds her wrist and pulls her into his arms.

He easily makes her drop her guard.

As her consciousness began to fade into chaos, she heard Xie Changzhou murmur something in her ear.

“Ningning.”

“……Hmm?”

His voice was hoarse and scorching, and her consciousness grew even more blurred.

“You are Sui Ning…”

That was all she heard. After that, all her attention was occupied by him, and she could only sense his reckless behavior.

***

When Sui Ning woke up at noon, the bed next to her was already cold, and Xie Changzhou had already left.

She propped up her weak body and put on the clothes that Xie Changzhou had prepared for her.

She now felt more and more that she had been blind before. How could she have thought that Xie Changzhou was a pure and gentle high-quality flower without any desire or demand when he was obviously a black-hearted person at heart?

Fortunately, she was a nascent soul cultivator. Otherwise, she wouldn’t want to reincarnate, even if she died on the bed. She would just destroy herself.

She always felt like she had forgotten something. Her brain was blank, and no matter how hard she tried to remember, she still couldn’t recall anything.

She slapped her head hard, but her mind was a mess, and the system was also…

No, the system was missing!

“System, system, are you there?”

She tried to call the system again, but the voice she longed for didn’t come to her mind.

Her throat tightened, and her heartbeat gradually quickened.

The system that had been with her for more than a year was really gone.

But she hadn’t completed her mission yet, and she hadn’t gone home. How could the system disappear for no reason?

Or was there something wrong with the system agency?

She remembered the time when the system disappeared for seven days before, and it said that most of the data in the system agency had been destroyed, so it went to help at the system agency.

Was it the same this time?

If so, it would be the best outcome, which meant that the system had left for a reason.

But what if it wasn’t?

She clenched her hand, which was resting on her knee, and her fingertips trembled slightly.

“Ningning!”

Suddenly, a familiar voice in the courtyard broke her thoughts, and Sui Ning quickly regained her senses.

It was Tang Tang.

Why would Tang Tang come here?

Sui Ning adjusted her emotions and carefully tidied her collar in front of the mirror, covering the dense marks on her delicate white neck and making sure there were no abnormalities before getting up and walking outside.

In the tranquil courtyard, Tang Tang was dressed in bright red, with her ponytail high and swaying behind her, showing off her elegance and stunning features.

Behind her…

Sui Ning’s eyes flickered as she looked over, and then she raised her eyebrows.

Behind Tang Tang was a tall and handsome man with prominent features, dressed in a blue robe, standing tall and straight, exuding a youthful aura.

Meeting Sui Ning’s gaze, he slightly bowed and saluted her, saying, “Thank you, Miss Sui Ning, for saving my life. Huai’an is very grateful.”

Sui Ning shook her head and said, “Master Mo is too kind.”

She stepped towards them, and Tang Tang walked up with a bright smile, hugging her.

Tang Tang whispered in her ear, “Thank you, Sui Ning.”

Sui Ning was taken aback but then laughed softly, embracing Tang Tang’s slender waist and gently patting her back.

Tang Tang hugged her quietly, then withdrew from her arms.

Sui Ning asked softly, “Why did you suddenly come?”

Tang Tang smiled mysteriously, took out a delicate wooden box from her bag, and opened it.

Inside the box was a jade hairpin, exquisitely crafted and gorgeous, with excellent quality, and it looked very valuable.

Tang Tang handed the wooden box to Sui Ning, saying, “Sui Ning, a wedding gift.”

She smiled at the corner of her lips and said, “When you married Jianzun, I was still in the Jing Chan Sect and didn’t have time to attend the banquet. So, I’m here to make up for the congratulations to Ningning.”

Sui Ning took the wooden box and was surprised when she saw the carvings on it: “This is from the Spiritual Treasure Pavilion?”

Tang Tang raised her eyebrows and said,” Yes, it can be used as jewelry and also as a weapon. It can withstand the full force of a Mahayana cultivator’s attack.”

Sui Ning felt her hand burning as she held the wooden box. The Spiritual Treasure Pavilion only produces one treasure each year, which is priceless.

Tang Tang was so generous.

“Tang Tang, this is too precious…” Sui Ning pushed back, wanting to return it to her, but Tang Tang held her hand.

She shook her head and said, “No, Ningning, you saved Huai’an and killed the beast. You are a lifesaver for me and Huai’an. How can this be considered precious?”

“Whatever you want, I will do my best to repay you.”

Tang Tang lightly patted Sui Ning’s hand and said with a smile, “Take it. This is your wedding gift.”

Her eyes were firm, and Sui Ning had no choice but to thank her and accept the gift.

Mo Huai’an looked at her behind her, and his eyes sank as he asked, “Miss Sui Ning, where is Jianzun?”

“He left earlier and should have returned to the Limitless Sword Sect.”

Mo Huai’an and Tang Tang looked at each other with cold, solemn expressions.

Tang Tang said coldly, “We need to hurry back and ask Jianzun for help.”

Sui Ning’s heart sank. What happened outside?

She furrowed her brows and asked, “What’s the matter with looking for Xie Changzhou?”

Mo Huai’an was surprised and asked, “You don’t know?”

Tang Tang looked at her with surprise. The outside world was in an uproar, but Sui Ning seemed to know nothing?

Sui Ning frowned tightly. “What happened?”

Tang Tang looked serious and said in a cold voice, “The human world has been in chaos for seven days. Many people have gone missing and been captured by demons. Disciples from the major sects have gone to investigate, but people are still disappearing one after another.”

“Until three days ago, Huai’an and I saw something even more bizarre.”

She paused, and her face suddenly became icy. Her eyebrows twisted tightly.

“The sky cracked!”

Sui Ning’s eyelashes trembled slightly. After realizing what she had just heard, she asked in disbelief, “What did you say?”

The sky cracked?

Mo Huai’an stepped forward, and his face, which was full of vitality, suddenly became solemn: “As Tang Tang said, the sky cracked.”

A blood-red giant crack opened in the void, sweeping away many people. Even they narrowly escaped death from being swept away.

Mo Huai’an’s face was cold, his eyes chilly and sharp as he met Sui Ning’s gaze, causing her heart to tremble.

She asked in a tense voice, “Has this happened recently?”

Both of them nodded. “Yes, even people in Gusu City have gone missing.”

If people were missing in Gusu City, Xie Changzhou must have known. Why didn’t he tell her? Was he deliberately keeping it from her?

What exactly happened that he had to hide it from her like this?

Tang Tang said, “Ningning, the crack in the void may be related to the Upper Realm. Haven’t you been to the beast’s–“

“Tang Tang.”

Before she could finish her sentence, a clear and cold voice suddenly came from behind her.

Tang Tang and Mo Huai’an turned around to see a person standing silently at the gate of the small courtyard.

Sui Ning’s eyelashes trembled as she looked over. Xie Changzhou stood tall in a white robe, his hair not tied up but rather loosely pinned up with a jade hairpin behind his head, making him look even more warm and jade-like.

However, his now azure-colored eyes were full of coldness, and there was a hint of anger in his gaze as he looked at Tang Tang and Mo Huai’an.

The two of them quickly bowed and said, “Greetings,Jianzun.”

Xie Changzhou walked past them without responding to their words, and the fragrance of cold pine and incense floated by.

The two of them were a little embarrassed and stood up straight, looking at Xie Changzhou with a puzzled expression.

Was it their imagination, or did Xie Changzhou seem to have some inexplicable hostility toward them?

Xie Changzhou walked slowly and steadily towards Sui Ning and handed her a box of osmanthus cake, saying, “Ningning, I took care of some things at the Limitless Sword Sect this morning and bought this on my way back. Try it.”

Sui Ning looked at him with complex eyes and did not reach out to take the pastry.

The smile on Xie Changzhou’s lips faded slightly, and he said coldly to the two people behind him, “You can return to the Limitless Sword Sect and report to Elder Lu Guan.”

“But-” Tang Tang furrowed her brows.

Xie Changzhou looked at her indifferently—only one glance—and she felt a chill down her spine.

She had never seen such a look from Jianzun before, with an icy and indifferent gaze containing a hint of killing intent.

It seemed that if she said one more word, he would kill her without hesitation.

But what did she say wrong?

Tang Tang’s scalp was numb, and her feet seemed to be nailed to the ground, unable to move a step.

Mo Huai’an’s face turned cold; he pulled Tang Tang behind him, his tall figure firmly blocking her in front of him.

He arched his hand slightly towards Xie Changzhou and said in a cold and angry tone, “Then we won’t disturb you; we’ll take our leave.”

As soon as he finished speaking, he pulled Tang Tang away, his footsteps revealing his anxiety.

Xie Changzhou suppressed the darkness in his eyes without a sound and turned around to hand the osmanthus cake to Sui Ning with a helpless expression.

“Are you angry that I didn’t say goodbye when I left this morning, Ningning? There are some things to deal with in the sect.”

As Sui Ning’s hand was placed on the osmanthus cake by Xie Changzhou, it seemed to still be warm, probably just out of the oven.

She felt a sourness in her heart as she looked at him and asked, “Xie Changzhou, what are you hiding from me?”

Sui Ning’s eyes were slightly red, and she said, “I seem to have forgotten something. I feel like those things really happened, but I forgot.”

“Tell me,” she looked up at him and asked, “Did I forget something?”

She whispered, her voice soft and hoarse.

Xie Changzhou’s eyes darkened, his gaze cold and icy as he met Sui Ning’s stubborn eyes. His heart trembled, and he clenched the hand that hung in his wide sleeve.

Sui Ning said slowly, “Xie Changzhou, I only trust you.”

Xie Changzhou’s Adam’s apple rolled, his jaw slightly tightened, and his sharp features became more pronounced.

He was silent for a moment and said, “No, you didn’t forget anything.”

“Ningning, there are some things that I have my own reasons for not telling you right now, but please trust me.”

He took her hand and held it tightly, saying in a soft voice, “I will never harm you. Even if I die, I will never do anything to betray you.”

Sui Ning’s breathing became slightly erratic as she was gently embraced by him.

His cool hand held her waist, pulling her closer to his chest.

In a corner where no one was around, there was a hint of chill in Sui Ning’s eyes. The smile on her lips completely disappeared.

The full moon hung high in the sky, and a cool breeze blew.

Sui Ning gritted her teeth and clenched the edge of the table beneath her, leaving red marks on her fair palms against the hard and sharp edge.

Cool hands covered her hands and gently separated them from the intertwined fingers.

A hoarse voice whispered in her ear, “Ningning.”

His movements were completely different from before, warm and gentle, and Sui Ning’s consciousness gradually became hazy.

Xie Changzhou’s lustrous eyes were dim, and the corners of his eyes were tinged with a thin redness. He tightly stared at Ningning on the wooden table.

His long black hair was scattered, and his fair skin appeared even whiter under the moonlight. His eyes were crimson, and he held her hand tightly.

Sensing Ningning’s consciousness beginning to disintegrate, the shimmering spiritual energy in their clasped hands began to circulate along her meridians, carefully and cautiously heading towards her dantian.

“Ningning?”

He whispered softly to her, but Sui Ning’s eyes had become scattered and confused, unable to hear what he was saying.

Xie Changzhou’s expression sank, and he increased the delivery of spiritual energy, circulating it through her meridians and directly towards her chaotic mind.

“Forget it, Ningning.”

A low whisper dissipated.

T/N: Xie Changzhou’s action may seem suspicious, but believe me, he has a very valid reason to do it, and it is also a very heartbreaking reason… Huhuhu, Xie Changzhou really love Sui Ning…