Yun Che rose slowly, brushing snow from his hands. The frost clung to his clothes, but his voice remained firm, unwavering.
"It's still too early to trust me completely," he said, his tone honest, "but I'm gathering powerhouses for a reason. You and I alone can't take on the entire Realm of the Gods… not yet. But with time, and the right allies, we will. If words aren't enough… my actions will prove it."
Qingyue narrowed her eyes, her thoughts turning to the woman who haunted her pride—Unohana Retsu.
That woman… cold, graceful, deadly. She had bested her in their match. Not with brute force, but with overwhelming skill and quiet mercy. Retsu had clearly held back. She conceded on purpose.
Qingyue's fist clenched at the memory. She let me win. That wasn't respect—that was pity. And yet… it burned.
And what stung even more—Unohana Retsu traveled at Yun Che's side.
A flicker of emotion bloomed in her chest—tight and unfamiliar. Was it jealousy?
Was he meant to stand beside a woman like that… and not her?
She shook the thought away, burying it beneath layers of frost. But doubts remained. Doubts Yun Che hadn't addressed… and others she wasn't ready to face.
Her thoughts shifted to the woman who shook the entire tournament—Princess Cang Yue.
A noblewoman wielding three blades like they were extensions of her soul. A true dark horse… the one who defeated even Heavenly Sword Villa Ling Feiyu and Ling Yun.
And behind her? Yun Che. The one who trained her.
If he could turn Cang Yue into a swordmaster of that level… what heights would she reach with time?
What if… they faced each other one day?
Then there was the braided girl… quiet, unreadable, and completely ignored by the crowd.
Nemu.
Scouts had called her Unohana Retsu's little sister—no cultivation, no presence. But that was what bothered Qingyue most.
What if she was hiding it?
She dismissed the thought for now, but if Nemu remained under Yun Che's wing, it was only a matter of time before she bloomed. And Qingyue could feel it in her bones—this girl would become something monstrous.
Lastly… the one that truly unnerved her:
The Monarch Butterfly. Lady Mio.
A woman wrapped in mystery, known only by her silent grace and the delicate butterfly hairclip that gave her name. When a Monarch had disrupted the tournament in search of Dracule Mihawk, the rumors exploded.
Qingyue unconscious, but she was aware… her master, Gong Yuxian, spoke one chilling truth:
The Butterfly wasn't just a myth. She was a hidden Monarch.
And Yun Che… had been under her protection.
How?
Why would someone of her level walk alongside him?
What did Yun Che hide behind that casual grin and reckless boldness?
Then, like a sharp gust breaking through the fog, a single thought pierced Qingyue's mind:
Who is the man standing before me?
This man—who once stood as a cripple, mocked and discarded by the world—now walked with monsters. He tamed prodigies. He turned underdogs into legends. His companions were women of unimaginable strength—hiding in plain sight, others already shaking the heavens.
She, the strongest beneath the Emperor Profound Realm in her sect, had never felt this… small in comparison.
And yet… hopeful.
What if… under his guidance…
She straightened her back, eyes flickering with a mix of determination and humility. Her voice dropped to a softer, more sincere tone than he had ever heard from her.
"If I am worthy… would you train me?"
He blinked, caught off guard. "Train you?"
She nodded once. Slowly. Resolutely.
"I heard it all from Sister Yuechan. You gave her… a lot. In just three months of traveling together. You trained Princess Cang Yue to master arts that seems impossible. This Qingyue.. humbly ask…. Please… train me."
It wasn't begging. It was purpose.
She wasn't looking for shortcuts—she wanted a path forward. A real one. With him.
Unaware of how much the request meant to her, Yun Che answered casually—almost teasingly, but with that hidden fire he always carried.
"Don't overthink it. I've already helped your cultivation. Remember those veins I gave you? That was just a preview. You can't imagine what I've prepared next. When the time comes, you'll be stronger than ever. Stronger than even you believe."
Those words. That confidence. It made something stir within her again—the thing she thought she lost.
Without a moment's doubt, she accepted.
"Then I'm counting on you."
He smiled. Not arrogantly. But with conviction.
"Trust me. I promise."
She looked him in the eyes—clear, bright, unflinching.
"Then I'll hold you to that promise."
And so it began.
Yun Che stepped closer.
Qingyue's cultivation aura flared gently around her, a natural reflex, not an attack—just her instincts pushing back.
He slowed, then stopped just outside the edge of her aura. He bowed. Deeply. No pride. No sarcasm. Just guilt and truth.
"Qingyue… I'm sorry for how I acted back then."
She froze. The words stunned her more than a strike ever could.
"…" She stared. Words failed her. What was this apology for? Was he apologizing for defeating her? For leaving her? For humiliating her?
But his next words answered it.
"That night, two years ago… the wedding… I shouldn't have treated you like that."
He took a breath, voice quieter.
"I hated you for what you would become in the future. But that wasn't fair. You aren't her… but after tonight. And maybe, never will be."
Qingyue's mind finally clicked. That night… that night. He was apologizing for that. The day their lives were sealed together in marriage… only for him to vanish like a ghost in the dark and leave her to her master.
Her fingers tightened. The sting from that night hadn't faded—not even after two years.
He was strong now, yes. She respected that. But did he ever think about what she gave up that day? About the sacrifices she made? The promises she tried to uphold? Her sect, her father, her mother—everything she buried for a marriage she didn't ask for… and he spat on it with his silence. Not to mention, she lost to him after two years of sacrificial effort.
"I…"
Her voice cracked slightly. She wasn't ready to forgive.
"If you think a simple apology can erase that night…" She gritted her teeth. "Then you're wrong."
He stood still, eyes shaded. But his words were softer now.
"I knew it wouldn't be enough. You used to smile so much when we were kids… I didn't understand why you turned so cold." He paused. "I hated you for it. But I couldn't really hate you. Because I saw how much pain was buried in that ice."
She blinked.
"You hated me? For becoming… what, exactly?"
He raised his eyes, sorrow and memory flashing behind them.
"About what you'd become. Someone heartless. Distant. Trapped in a destiny that breaks everyone around her. But you're not there yet. You still have choices."
She felt her breath hitch. Her lips parted. So that's why he acted the way he did? That's why he pushed her away?
So what was she to him? A mistake? A tragic figure to be rewritten?
The bitterness in her surged again.
"I was wrong."
Qingyue's aura rippled unconsciously. The air between them thickened, not with hostility—but hurt. Raw, buried hurt.
"You left me… not for what I did. Not for who I was. But because of some shadow of a future that didn't even exist yet?"
She took a step closer, her eyes cold.
"Was I ever me to you? Or just a character from your story to change?"
Yun Che finally looked her straight in the eyes. No excuses. No retreat.
"Back then… I was angry. Confused. And scared of what I knew."
His hands curled into fists.
"I saw a future where you lost everything—including yourself. I thought if I pushed you away, I could stop it. I told myself I was protecting you…"
He exhaled.
"…but I was really just running."
Her heart skipped..
For a moment, neither spoke.
Then—quietly, bitterly:
"You could've told me."
It wasn't a scream. It wasn't cold. It was wounded. A whisper from someone who'd waited years for an answer she never got.
"You should've told me that night. We could've faced it together."
Her voice cracked. She looked away, lips pressed tight, trying not to show him that tremble in her chest.
But Yun Che stepped forward—not too close, not presumptuously—just close enough to be heard.
"You're right."
"And I'm sorry. Not just for leaving. But for thinking you weren't strong enough to handle the truth."
She clenched her jaw, breath catching.
"I thought I had to carry it alone. But I don't want to anymore."
He opened his hand again—not demanding forgiveness.
Just offering the truth.
"Not if you'll still walk this road with me. With us."
And in that silence, where her rage met his regret, something… shifted.
Not forgiveness. Not yet.
But understanding began to bloom. "So… what do we do now?"
He smiled faintly.
"Now?" He rose to his feet, dusting the frost from his cloak.
"Let's go on a date," Yun Che said, the words slipping out as naturally as breathing.
Xia Qingyue blinked. "Dee-to? What is this… 'dee to'?"
He nearly slapped himself right then and there. Right… this world doesn't even have the concept.
"A date," he quickly corrected, scratching his cheek. "It's… a moment. When two people spend time together. Not for training or strategy. Just… to understand each other." He extended his hand toward her. "Come with me."
She stared at his hand.
Hesitation flickered in her eyes. The last time she reached out to him—it had backfired. He'd turned cold. Distant.
Still… she didn't pull away.
Instead, she reached for him—not fully, not confidently—but just enough to touch the edge of his fingers with her own. Delicate. Cautious. Like a snowflake landing on a flame.
And for Yun Che, that was enough.
Behind Yun Che, translucent wings shimmered into existence—ethereal, like crystallized moonlight. Their glow pulsed gently with each beat of his heart, casting a soft radiance across the night sky.
Wings of Transient Dreams.
A gift from Nemu… for winning the tournament.
And a kiss.
Something he didn't mention to Qingyue.
Not because he was hiding it out of guilt… but because this moment wasn't about that. It wasn't about Nemu, or the prize, or the attention he'd earned. This moment—so rare, so still—was for her. The girl whose hand he held with care, as if even the smallest gesture might chip the fragile trust they'd just begun to rebuild.
Xia Qingyue noticed the wings immediately. Their delicate beauty was unlike any technique she had seen, more artistic than martial, more dream than weapon.
"Those wings…" she murmured, her eyes narrowing slightly. "Where did you get them?"
Yun Che kept his gaze ahead, the stars reflecting in his eyes. "A gift," he said simply. "Retsu's sister, Nemu gave it to me as a prize for winning the tournament. Be friends with her and you might have one of your own one day."
He didn't elaborate.
Without a word, he gently wrapped his fingers around hers and took off into the sky, lifting her with him under the cloak of night.
As they soared above the quiet city, the stars unfurled above them like an endless tapestry of diamonds. Below, lanterns twinkled in the darkness, reflecting in lakes and rooftops. The world, for once, looked peaceful—free of sects and politics and burdens.
Xia Qingyue found herself speechless.
"Why… did you bring me here?" she finally asked, her voice softer than the wind brushing her cheeks.
Yun Che didn't answer right away. He simply held her hand—the same way she held his—just by the edge, like a thread connecting two uncertain hearts.
"Because," he said at last, "you deserve to see something beautiful… without anyone expecting anything from you."
Qingyue turned to look at him. She should've pulled her hand back—anyone else's touch would've earned a frozen palm by now. But she didn't.
Because part of her… wanted to know where this would lead.
And for the first time in a long time, she didn't feel like an ice queen standing alone on a frozen path.
She felt like someone standing at the start of something warm. Something new.
"Don't think about cultivation. Don't think about anything," Yun Che said, his voice soft as the breeze that whispered through the night. "Just… enjoy the view."
Xia Qingyue furrowed her brows slightly. "The view?"
He nodded toward the horizon. "Beautiful, isn't it? Even in a world filled with cruelty and conflict… it still finds a way to be beautiful. Mother Nature doesn't abandon her grace, no matter how tainted the realm becomes."
She opened her mouth to reply but found no immediate words.
"…What are you—?"
"Sit here," he interrupted gently, motioning to the cloud beneath them. "It's fluffy. Ever sat on a cloud before?"
He channeled his spirit ki into it, solidifying the misty platform into something warm and supportive—soft as a feather bed. Without waiting for her answer, he laid back on the pillowy surface, hands tucked beneath his head as he gazed up at the stars.
Reluctantly, Qingyue floated down beside him, though she didn't recline like he did. She sat close, knees drawn slightly inward, her posture reserved. But she didn't leave.
Silence lingered—but not the awkward kind. It was a strange, comfortable quiet. The kind that didn't need to be broken.
She stared into the moonlit sky above, more stars than she had ever cared to notice. The gentle hum of night wrapped around them like a lullaby.
This… was new.
She didn't remember the last time she experienced something so simple. So… pointless.
No cultivating. No sword forms. No missions. No expectations.
When was the last time she stopped to admire the stars? To feel the wind on her face? When was the last time she felt anything at all that wasn't part of some grand ambition?
All her life, it had been about progress. About strength. About living up to the frozen pedestal Frozen Cloud Asgard demanded of her.
Cold. Stoic. Beautiful.
A porcelain statue molded by rules, not warmth.
And for what?
Strength, fame, admiration—none of it meant anything if she had no one to share it with. No one who saw beyond the title. Beyond the frost.
She glanced sideways at the man lying next to her. Noticing how he didn't pressure her to speak. Didn't try to teach her, impress her, or fix her.
He just shared the silence.
Maybe, for the first time in her life, she didn't feel so alone.
Was I doing it all wrong?
The question surfaced quietly in Xia Qingyue's mind, uninvited yet impossible to ignore. Her breath hitched for a moment as the thought settled deep in her heart.
When was the last time I simply… relaxed? Breathed?
Her gaze drifted sideways—toward Yun Che, lying there on the soft, spirit-forged cloud, eyes lost in the starlit canvas above. The same man who stunned the empire, who stole the tournament with ease and fire, who once shattered the sky the night he left her behind. The same man who now simply lay back, gazing at the heavens as if nothing else in the world mattered.
She had cultivated with everything she had. Pushed her soul through frozen torment. Climbed higher, colder, lonelier. And yet…
Why does it feel so empty?
She watched him in silence, the lines of his face softened in the moonlight, relaxed in a way she never allowed herself to be. She had worked so hard to become the best—and he simply was, as though life itself bowed before him.
Back then, she thought he was a joke. A weakling. A burden forced onto her by a betrothal born of obligation. But now, looking at him again—not just as a warrior, but as a man—it felt like she hadn't seen him in years. Not truly.
He had changed.
And then, the deeper question struck her: Why did I become like this?
Cold. Stoic. Untouchable.
Was it because of her mother? Because of the Ice Heart technique drilled into her? Or was it him? That night at the wedding when he left her without so much as a goodbye—had she built her cold walls because of that?
But hadn't he done it for her?
She clenched her hands in her lap. The bitterness still lingered, but the sting had dulled. In her heart, she began to wonder—maybe she had misunderstood. Maybe she had spent the last two years hating a ghost from a future that never came.
And now… her Ice Heart, the one she painstakingly rebuilt after he shattered it during their final battle, had cracked once more. No—transformed. In the wake of his final strike, something within her changed.
It wasn't like the old Ice Heart—frigid, suppressive, isolating.
No.
This one was… different.
Cold, yet warm. Fierce, yet soothing.
She had felt that power before—not in herself, but in others. Chu Yuechan and Chu Yueli… though dulled. But now, it awakened inside her—clearer than ever.
What is this? she wondered, touching her chest softly. This power…
Not just frost. Not just cultivation. Something deeper. Purer.
A rebirth.
She looked back at Yun Che.
Maybe he hadn't just shattered her Ice Heart.
Maybe he had freed it.
The moonlight shimmered softly on the surface of the cloud beneath them, casting an ethereal glow over the Imperial City below. Stars blinked in silent rhythm above, the world hushed as if holding its breath.
Xia Qingyue sat quietly, her knees drawn up slightly, arms resting gently on them. She cast a sidelong glance at the man lying just beside her, relaxed, hands behind his head as if the weight of the realm wasn't his to carry.
Her heart, once locked in frigid silence, was now… watching him.
Only him.
Other men? Her new Ice Heart still repelled them without mercy. No voice, no face could stir her. Only her father and Yuanba had been spared that silent judgment. But this man beside her… he had done what none could. He broke through the ice.
Yun Che stirred, breaking the comfortable silence. "You know… I just realized this is the Imperial City. Never seen it from up here before. It's beautiful at night."
Qingyue remained still, her silence not disapproval, just… unsure.
"There are four vanguard cities around it," he continued, casually. "One of them held that tournament a while back. I heard a new swordsman rose there. People say he might be stronger than me."
Still, she said nothing, but he caught the faintest flick of her eyes toward him.
He smiled. "Did you know the Moon Empress founded this place? Legend says her tomb lies beneath an island far off the empire's eastern reach."
Silence again.
He sighed softly, feigning irritation. "You know… you could liven the situation a little by talking."
That finally earned a response. Qingyue shifted awkwardly and looked away before muttering under her breath, "I… I don't know how."
He blinked.
"I never did this before…" she added, her voice quieter, almost ashamed.
Yun Che turned his head, watching her profile illuminated under the starlight. It was like seeing a rare flower bloom through frost. For a woman so revered for her cold beauty, this moment of honest vulnerability was the most human, most beautiful thing he had seen from her yet.
And it stirred something deeper than admiration.
"Then let this be your first," he said gently, "and not your last."
Her eyes turned to him again—truly turned this time.
And she nodded. Just once.
A small, uncertain gesture.
But for Xia Qingyue… that was everything.
"Make conversation," Yun Che said with a lazy smirk, hands folded behind his head as he lounged on the spirit-formed cloud. "Don't talk about the past. Don't talk about cultivation. Don't talk about sad things. Just… talk about something. Anything."
Xia Qingyue blinked. Anything?
She sat stiffly beside him, eyes flicking from the stars to her knees, then to the horizon—anywhere but at him. The silence stretched long, the only sound the distant whisper of wind dancing through the heavens.
Yun Che waited.
Ten minutes passed. Then twenty. Then thirty.
He counted the time not with a clock but by the subtle tapping of his fingers against his chest and the growing twitch at the corner of his eye.
Just as he opened his mouth to tease her again—
"Nice weather we're having."
His head turned slowly. "That's it?" He sat up with dramatic disbelief. "It took you thirty entire incense sticks' worth of time to come up with that?!"
He groaned and pinched the bridge of his nose, eyes closed in mock despair. "The great Xia Qingyue. Fairy of the Frozen Moon of the Frozen Cloud Asgard. Could probably split mountains with her sword aura… but it takes her half an hour to say 'nice weather.'"
Qingyue turned her face away, her cheeks tinged with a faint shade of pink. "I'm trying my best…" she muttered under her breath. "I never talked to anyone before…"
That soft confession cut through his sarcasm. Yun Che glanced at her sidelong, the teasing in his expression melting into something gentler.
He exhaled, lying back down again with a small, genuine chuckle. "Well, for someone who's never talked to anyone, 'nice weather' is a solid start."
She risked a peek at him, her brows furrowed. "Really?"
"No." He grinned. "It was terrible. But it was your terrible."
She blinked at him again, unsure whether to feel insulted or… proud?
"I'll get better," she said, voice firmer this time. "Eventually."
"I know you will." He gave her a thumbs-up without looking. "But next time, try something more advanced. Like, I don't know, 'Have you ever eaten grilled moonflower petals?' or 'Do clouds have flavors?'"
"…Clouds?"
He shot her a sideways grin. "Random things, remember?"
She looked back at the sky, biting back a faint smile.
Despite her efforts, Yun Che couldn't help himself.
"My goodness, you're bad at this," he groaned, dragging his palm down his face. "Seriously. You talk like a robot. No, scratch that. You're worse than a robot. Even Alexa and Siri can crack a joke. It's not even funny—at all."
He was already deep into his usual bad habit: modern-world ranting. Completely unaware that the woman next to him hailed from a realm where terms like "AI" or "Google" might as well be ancient scripture.
Qingyue tilted her head, brows knitting together. "…What is a ro… bot?"
He blinked. "Huh?"
"A robot," she repeated, intrigued. "You said I was one."
"Oh." He chuckled sheepishly, rubbing the back of his neck. "Right, uh. A robot's like a golem—but way cooler. It's a machine that talks, moves, thinks, but doesn't feel emotions. Basically, a heartless chunk of metal with a voice."
"I see…" Her voice grew curious. "Then… who are Alexa and Siri?"
Yun Che blinked again, this time more slowly. "Wait. You actually want to know?"
She nodded seriously.
"Well…" He sat up a little straighter, grinning like he just found someone to nerd out with. "Alexa and Siri are AIs. Artificial Intelligences. Alexa belongs to a big empire of knowledge called Google, and Siri works with Apple—which isn't the fruit, by the way. They live in tiny black slabs called smartphones. You just say their name, and boom—they answer. You can ask them anything. 'What's the weather?' 'What's one plus one?' 'Play me something sad and dramatic while I stare out the window.'"
Her expression became more confused the further he went, but she remained silent, drinking it all in.
"…What is an AI?" she asked softly.
He opened his mouth, ready to launch into another full explanation—but then he stopped. His eyes met hers. That regal, graceful face, completely serious and curious about words like iOS, coding, and voice modulation.
"…I'm doing it again, aren't I?" he muttered, sighing as he leaned back.
Qingyue blinked. "Doing what?"
"Ranting about stuff from another world to someone who probably thinks 'Wi-Fi' is a martial technique."
She gave him a light frown. "You're not making sense again."
He groaned, collapsing dramatically onto the cloud. "This is why I need a therapist. Or a translator. Retsu would smile sheepishly at me again since she doesn't even get any word I said. Right now, only her sister understood what I was saying."
Still confused, but a little amused, Qingyue scooted a tiny bit closer. "So… do these robots also gaze at the moon?"
He turned to look at her, caught off-guard.
"…No," he said after a moment, softly. "They don't."
She nodded thoughtfully. "Then I'm not a robot."
Yun Che stared at her for a second, then laughed—freely, for once.
"You know what? You're right. You're definitely not a robot."
She looked pleased at that, just slightly.
"You're worse."
Yun Che widened his eyes as he saw her huff and puff her cheeks for a moment.
Silently, he admits it was kind of cute.
"Oh, who am I kidding?" Yun Che sighed, leaning back against the soft cloud beneath them. "Why am I even talking to you about this? It's not like you'd understand any of it anyway…"
A flicker of embarrassment crossed his face. Back then, when he ranted like this, Retsu and Mio would at least humor him. Let him ramble until he cooled down. But Qingyue? Her icy gaze could freeze a thought mid-sentence.
Yet this time, something changed.
"…I am trying to," she said quietly.
He blinked. That caught him off guard.
Xia Qingyue, the woman who once treated anything beyond cultivation as a waste of time, was trying. Genuinely trying to understand him. There was something in her eyes—curiosity, laced with confusion and maybe, just maybe, a spark of wonder.
She looked at him differently now. Not like the trash she once dismissed, not like the weak husband she was forced to marry. No, this gaze was something else entirely. As if she were seeing Yun Che not as the man she knew, but as someone foreign. Someone new. The same face, but a different soul.
Her voice came softer this time, hesitant but honest. "Yun Che… just who are you? You're not someone I imagined you to be. How do you know all these strange words… these things I've never even heard of?"
He turned to look at her, a shadow of skepticism in his eyes. "How did you imagine me?" he asked, raising an eyebrow. "Better… or worse?"
The question hung in the air like mist.
She opened her mouth, then paused. Her eyes fell to her lap, fingers curling into the fabric of her sleeve.
She didn't answer.
But in that silence, Yun Che saw it—she didn't want to say "worse." She couldn't. Not anymore.
And that, for him, was enough.
"I'll take the latter then," Yun Che muttered with a smirk, his gaze drifting to the stars above. "Not the nicest response, but I'll let it slide."
He exhaled slowly, more to himself than to her. "Will you believe me if I said I came from a realm thousands of years ahead in time? A world built not on spirit stones and profound veins… but on something called technology?"
He wasn't joking. For the first time, he wasn't teasing or baiting.
Xia Qingyue went quiet again. Not in her usual cold indifference—but contemplation.
He took her silence as expected. "Exactly. That's why I don't mind saying it. Nobody believes that kind of thing anyway. If I say I'm from another world with knowledge far beyond this one, people will just think I'm drunk. Or crazy. Using words no one understands makes it easier to speak freely." He glanced at her. "Because no one ever takes them seriously."
"…I don't think you're crazy." Her voice was soft, but firm. "I do believe you."
Yun Che blinked. He actually blinked. "What happened to you?" he muttered under his breath. "Who are you, and what have you done with Xia Qingyue?"
She caught that look he gave her and narrowed her eyes in return. "My mother… came from another realm. So did you. It's not that strange to me."
"You don't even question it?" he asked, genuinely baffled. "You're not even remotely suspicious? A man appears with modern phrases, flying wings, strange powers, and you believe him?"
"You talk differently. You fight differently. You act like you know things no one else can. I've been around long enough to see truth in someone's eyes. You're not lying. Most likely…" Her voice trailed off before she added, "...you regained memories from a previous life. Possibly when you were poisoned."
Now he was the quiet one.
She had hit too close to home.
"…That's scary," Yun Che muttered. "You were just guessing, but somehow you got it right."
Qingyue raised an elegant brow. "Just because I don't speak much doesn't mean I don't observe and listened."
He gave a low whistle. "Huh… Look at you, actually talking."
She folded her arms. "Now, will you tell me what an AI is?"
He groaned playfully, rubbing his temples. "We're really doing this?"
"You brought it up."
He laughed under his breath. "Fine. If you can understand any of it. AI stands for Artificial Intelligence. In my world, it's like creating a mind… in a machine. Something that can learn, adapt, and respond. Not quite human, but it can talk, assist you, even make decisions."
Qingyue was silent for a beat, trying to wrap her head around it. "So… you built a spirit in metal?"
"More like making a golem to think for itself… without needing a soul. In other words, we inject thunder into a rock to trick it to think for itself."
Her eyes lit up, her curiosity bubbling beneath the surface. She wanted to ask more. Like what was a smartphone, or English, or what it meant to live in a world where stars weren't just cultivator metaphors but destinations.
But Yun Che stood up and stretched. "Alright, that's enough for now. We've been out here almost two hours. If your Asgard Mistress barges in and sees me with you sitting on a cloud… I'm going to get turned into an ice sculpture."
Xia Qingyue frowned. "She wouldn't—"
"She would."
He reached out a hand to her once more.
This time, she didn't hesitate as much.
For reasons she couldn't quite explain, Xia Qingyue found herself wanting to ask him things she had never cared about before—how his Little Aunt was doing, how his grandfather fared, how he went from being labeled trash to becoming the Empire's rising hero. She had heard whispers of divine cultivators training him, but the details remained a mystery. A mystery she never thought worth unraveling—until now.
When they returned, Yun Che landed quietly on the balcony of her quarters on the ark, the cool night air brushing past them. He didn't say anything at first, just stared at the horizon. Then, casually, he handed her two vials—one glowing red, the other shimmering blue.
The same ones Chu Yuechan gave her a few nights ago.
"The red one will heal your wounds and restore your stamina. The blue one brings your profound energy back to full. Just drink them." His voice was calm, almost gentle.
She looked at the vials thoughtfully. "I received some from sister Yuechan."
"Sister?" He wondered. It's not everyday Qingyue would call someone sister.
"We're friends." She revealed while looking down.
"I see." He nodded. "Anyway, it's the same thing. I brewed these myself. Stronger than most recovery pills around."
She gently accepted the vials, her fingers brushing against his. Her expression stayed stoic, but something flickered in her eyes.
"Hold still."
Yun Che raised two fingers from his right hand, pointing them at Xia Qingyue's forehead.
She flinched slightly—not out of fear, but instinct. Yet something in her chest, perhaps her heart—or whatever this new power blooming inside it was—told her to trust him. To let him in.
"This won't hurt a bit. Since it's almost midnight, might as well use it on you."
A soft glow formed at his fingertips. "Status Recovery."
A pulse of warm, silver-blue energy washed over her. In an instant, every ache, every fracture, every shred of spiritual fatigue vanished. Her profound veins hummed. Her soul stabilized. Her new, reconstructed heart—born from shattered ice and some unknown force—beat stronger than ever, pulsing with inexplicable joy.
"This…" Qingyue stared down at her hands, awestruck. "My injuries… my energy… all restored…"
He smiled gently, that infuriating and reassuring grin she was beginning to associate with him far too often.
"It's a special once-a-day skill of mine. Restores anyone—myself or others—back to full power. Doesn't work on lost limbs, though." He winked. "Think of it as my apology for going a little too hard on you today."
She remained silent, digesting not just the recovery, but what it meant. The ease with which he healed. The sincerity in his apology. The trust he gave her.
Then, Yun Che leaned slightly closer. "Well… don't tell anyone. I get enough trouble as it is. But you... you'd keep my secrets well. I know that."
She blinked, surprised at the implicit faith in his words.
"This Qingyue… will guard your secret well." she replied softly, placing her hand lightly over her new heart—no longer cold, no longer empty.
And it beat, not with ice, but with warmth.
"…Yun…" she began, almost testing the word on her tongue. But she hesitated, remembering the last time she had tried to speak to him like this—it hadn't ended well.
Yun Che picked up on it immediately. "You can call me whatever you wish. I don't mind anymore." He paused before adding, "And I'm sorry… for snapping at you before."
That made her look at him more directly.
"…Do you still hate me?" she asked, quietly.
He met her gaze, his expression unreadable for a moment. Then, a soft smile played on his lips. "No. I don't have a reason to hate you anymore. I'll admit… the grudge I held was petty. I was immature, and angry at things I didn't understand."
Xia Qingyue fell silent again. But not coldly. Thoughtfully.
And then… a small ember of something uncertain and new burned in her chest, nudging her to ask a question she never thought she'd care to ask.
"…Will you take me on this 'date' again?" she asked, almost awkwardly.
Yun Che blinked, then smiled. Not teasing. Just... warm.
"Only if you want to," he said, lifting himself into the night sky again. "I can come by tomorrow."
She didn't respond.
But she didn't look away either.
"….."
"Then, I'll see you tomorrow," Yun Che said gently, turning to take off into the night.
"…." She opened her mouth, hesitated. "…Hus—Yun Che…"
He paused in midair, turning back.
"Thank you… for…" Her voice trailed off. She didn't know what she was thanking him for exactly. The conversation? The comfort? The strange warmth he brought with him? As someone who rarely spoke more than a few calculated words, she suddenly found herself wordless.
Yun Che smiled softly, recognizing her intent anyway. "It's an honor."
Just as he turned away, she called out once more. "Can I ask you… one last question?"
He hovered in the moonlight. "Sure."
"…Who are you… really?"
There was a pause. He looked over his shoulder with a half-smirk. "A soul cultivator. And… your all-time sussy baka."
She blinked, tilting her head. "What is a… sus…sy ba..ka?"
He grinned. "Save it for our next date."
As he turned away, his voice floated back, quieter, but heavier with meaning. "Also—about your question from before… my name."
She held her breath. It was the question that she asked herself and him over and over again.
"All I can say is...Yun Che isn't my real name. It's just a borrowed one."
Before she could respond, he vanished into the night, streaking through the stars like a passing comet—leaving her on the balcony with nothing but the wind and her thoughts.
Unbeknownst to either of them, far above and cloaked in concealment, several figures silently watched the entire scene unfold.
As she watched his silhouette vanish into the stars, Xia Qingyue remained still for a moment, her thoughts chasing after him long after his presence faded. When the silence finally settled, she stepped back into her quarters, gently closing the door behind her.
Even the best healers of Frozen Cloud Asgard would need hours to produce this level of recovery. Yet here she was—whole and strong again.
"…Impossible…" she whispered to herself.
But there was no time to dwell on it. Her fingers moved before she could stop them, reaching for the blank journal tucked inside her desk. Something she hadn't touched in years.
She sat down and dipped her brush into ink, murmuring softly as she wrote:
------------------
Da…te…?
Soul Cultivator… Couch potato…?
Ro…bot… A.I…
A…lexa… Si…ri…
Arti…fi…cial… In…telligence…
English…
Goo…gle… I.O.S…
Smart…pho…ne… Tab…lets…?
-----------------------
She paused, tapping the brush against her lip, trying to recall more of his strange mutterings. Then it hit her.
---------------
The boys… Meme…?
In…ter…net…
Wi…Fi…
Mar…ki…plier…?
----------------
She hesitated before adding the final, most baffling one.
---------------
Sussy… ba…ka…
---------------
Her eyebrows twitched. These words… they weren't just foreign—they were absurd. No cultivation manual, no divine scripture, no ancient inheritance ever mentioned anything like this. Yet somehow… they mattered.
To him.
She leaned back, staring at the page now filled with barely legible fragments. To anyone else, it was gibberish. But to her, it was the first step toward understanding him.
She didn't realize it yet—but she had developed a new obsession.
Not cultivation.
Not power.
But the mystery that was Yun Che—and the odd, futuristic world inside his mind.
A step to understand his world and a step to understand him.
With a quiet exhale, Xia Qingyue looked out her window at the night sky. Somewhere out there, he was flying—rambunctious, reckless, ridiculous. Yet for the first time in her life…
She couldn't wait for tomorrow.
----------------
"Well, that was fun."
Yun Che landed lightly atop one of the tallest buildings in the city, gazing over the moonlit Imperial Capital. The night air was crisp. Peaceful.
Until it wasn't.
"And you four…" he sighed without even turning around, his senses flaring gently. "How long were you planning to follow me?"
A flutter of robes in the wind. Shadows coalesced around him—Retsu, Mio, Cang Yue, and Nemu stepped forward. Even Little Fairy followed close behind, arms crossed.
"Even you, Little Fairy?" Yun Che raised an eyebrow.
"I just wanted to make sure you didn't do anything… weird with my friend." she said sternly, folding her arms tighter.
"She is my first wife, you know," Yun Che smirked, leaning against the ledge. "Besides, we patched things up. It's a start."
"Is that true, rascal?"
Little Fairy's voice sliced through the rooftop breeze, her tone flat but sharp with curiosity.
Yun Che didn't flinch. He had expected this.
"About what you said to her…" she continued, folding her arms. "About Yun Che being a borrowed name."
He sighed. "Yeah. It's true."
"Then what's your real name?" Her gaze didn't waver.
He smiled faintly. "I'm not ready to tell you… or her. Not yet."
Just then, Cang Yue stepped forward, brows drawn together in surprise. "Your real name? This is the first I've heard of it. Why didn't you tell me?"
Yun Che gave a helpless shrug. "It's not something I can just throw around. It's a long story—and you both know I'm from the Dead Spirit Realm. Of course, I had a different name there. Yun Che is… a name I use here."
He smiled, but it didn't quite reach his eyes.
Little Fairy narrowed her gaze, then glanced sideways at Retsu, Nemu, and Mio, who stood quietly behind him.
"Then… they know?" she asked, already guessing the answer.
"Yeah," he admitted. "We grew up together in that realm. Of course they'd know."
Cang Yue pouted lightly. "Then tell us."
He smirked. "I'll tell you… once we're married."
"Mouuu! I swear, I'm going to peel that secret off you one day," Cang Yue said, half teasing, half dead serious.
"Good luck then," Yun Che chuckled, reaching up to adjust his cloak as the wind passed by.
Then Cang Yue asked the question lingering on all their minds:
"Did Qingyue know?"
Before Yun Che could answer, Little Fairy cut in gently.
"No, Little Yue. He didn't tell her."
Cang Yue frowned. "But she's your wife…"
Yun Che looked off into the distance, his voice calm.
"We're not close. Not yet. But yes… she's still my wife."
"Even if she is, she's still another woman," Retsu said, raising a playful fist, a tiny pout tugging her lips.
Yun Che let out a tired but amused sigh. "I know… but you girls are still my number ones."
"Three dates."
Cang Yue's voice was calm, but the edge was unmistakable.
"…Eh?"
"You took Retsu on a date first."
"Then Mio." Retsu added with a subtle smile.
"And now this Qingyue…" Mio suddenly threw her arms around him, squeezing tightly. "That's not fair-desu! I want to go again too!"
"You had your turn!" Cang Yue tugged at Mio's arm. "It's mine now!"
"Nooo! I want my second date!" Mio clung tighter.
"Che'er~!" Cang Yue latched onto his other side. "You promised me next!"
"Yuu-sama," Nemu said softly, stepping forward and wrapping his remaining arm. "I'd like a turn as well…"
Yun Che looked like a hero being crushed under the weight of affection. Little Fairy sighs. "Heavens… it's a good thing I already know what a 'date' is."
"Ara~" Retsu finally stepped forward, smiling warmly. "Yuu-kun, don't forget you owe Sister Yuechan one too…"
Yun Che slowly turned his head. "Don't tell me you too…?"
Retsu's cheeks pinked slightly, but her eyes held a quiet longing.
"Yes. One date wasn't enough for me. I want another. Just you… and me."
That day—they both remembered it clearly. No interruptions. Just hands held, smiles exchanged, hearts connected. A fleeting memory… but she wanted more of it despite it ended with them destroying an entire sect.
Yun Che exhaled deeply, as if bearing the weight of multiple universes—and fiancées.
"At this rate…" he muttered, running a hand down his face. "We might need to establish a schedule."
Xia Qingyue sat gracefully at the long, icy-blue dinner table aboard the Frozen Cloud Ark, her expression as serene as ever—if not slightly more thoughtful than usual. The ambient hum of the ark hovered in the background, accompanied by the soft sounds of distant fairies resting mid-air in quiet meditation.
Gong Yuxian, the Asgard Mistress, stepped into the hall and approached her disciple with a warm nod.
"Qingyue… are you well?" she asked, her voice gentle yet authoritative.
"Yes, Asgard Mistress," Qingyue replied with her usual calm demeanor.
"Good. Then we should begin planning your team to accompany you into the realm. I've drawn up a list of candidates for your review."
"I see…." Qingyue paused briefly, then tilted her head with the faintest trace of effort.
"…Asgard Mistress?"
"Yes?"
A beat.
"Nice weather we're having."
…
Gong Yuxian blinked.
"..."
Xia Qingyue looked away, the same way she did when she tried this line earlier with Yun Che.
"Forget I said anything." Her voice was barely audible.
The Asgard Mistress stared, mildly concerned.
"…Is that girl even well?"