Fate began when I first saw you in the crowd. Fate ended when I saw you lost among the crowd.
Li Xiaofei had never imagined that he would meet the one he had yearned for day and night under such circumstances, in such a strange realm.
Young lady Tan. This barefooted, snow-robed girl with hair flowing down to her heels, unparalleled in beauty, was none other than his long-lost lover. Li Xiaofei could no longer restrain himself. He leaped out from his hiding spot.
The moment he landed in the clearing, Tan Qingying was startled. Their gazes locked amid the swirling peach blossoms. Tan Qingying stood up from the swing, staring blankly at Li Xiaofei.
A thousand words surged in Li Xiaofei's heart, yet in that moment, he could not utter a single one. His lips trembled and his voice was lost. He slowly reached out a hand toward her...
Tan Qingying revealed a hint of confusion on her delicate face as she asked, "Young master, do we know each other?"
Li Xiaofei’s outstretched hand froze stiffly in midair.
She doesn't recognize me? Did she lose her memory? Or... is she simply not the same person?
Back then, Little Aunt had taken her away, promising to find a way to heal her. Could the cost of healing her wounds and restoring her appearance been the loss of her memories?
Li Xiaofei’s voice shook uncontrollably as he said, "You... you really don't recognize me?"
"I feel like you're very familiar," the girl said softly. "As if I've known you for a long time... but no matter how hard I try, I just can’t remember who you are. Can you tell me?"
Li Xiaofei’s heart slowly sank, as if plummeting into a bottomless abyss. Then, suddenly—
The girl burst into laughter. An expression of playful mischief appeared on her charming, delicate oval face, a clear sign that her prank had succeeded.
Without any hesitation, she rushed forward and threw herself into Li Xiaofei’s arms. She said, "Look how scared you were! I was just teasing you, hehe. My motorcycle knight, you finally found me."
When he felt the familiar warmth in his embrace, Li Xiaofei’s stiff arms slowly softened and wrapped tightly around Tan Qingying. It was as if he had embraced the entire world in that instant.
Breathing in the fresh fragrance from her hair and temples, Li Xiaofei murmured, "You really scared me. For a moment, I thought my heart had stopped."
Tan Qingying stood on tiptoe and planted a soft, tender kiss on Li Xiaofei’s cheek with her rosy lips.
"I’ve been waiting for you for so long," she whispered.
She pressed her ear against Li Xiaofei’s left chest, listening to the strong, steady beat of his heart. She said, "Little Aunt told me you would definitely come to find me. And you really did."
"Of course I would," Li Xiaofei said, kissing her smooth, fair forehead.
"Where is Little Aunt now?" he asked gently.
Tan Qingying took his hand and said, "Come, I’ll take you to her."
After a few steps, Li Xiaofei suddenly remembered and said, "I have two friends with me..."
He waved toward the distance. Then, Black Emperor and Luo Ge emerged from hiding.
Tan Qingying smiled warmly and said with a nod, "Hello."
Black Emperor immediately bounded over, wagging his tail around the young lady. Luo Ge returned the greeting, though deep inside, she couldn’t help but feel bewildered, How could there be a lover of Li Xiaofei within Heaven itself?
This man’s reach in matters of love was simply astonishing.
Tan Qingying quickly led Li Xiaofei to see her aunt.
Not far from the peach blossom clearing, several elegant treehouses were built in the crown of a towering giant tree that soared over a thousand meters high.
A white robed Little Aunt sat cross-legged at the entrance of one of these treehouses. Her hair was still cut short, and her expression was calm, serene like an ancient tree standing against the ages.
As Li Xiaofei and the others approached, the woman slowly opened her eyes.
"LIttle Aunt... can you see?" Li Xiaofei asked sharply, immediately noticing the subtle movement of her eyes.
A faint smile appeared on Little Aunt's face as she replied, "My eyes have not fully healed yet, but it can see for me."
She reached out and gently stroked a nearby branch. The giant tree seemed to come alive, its leaves rustling softly in response. The tree had become her eyes.
"Guests, please go and rest for now," Little Aunt said warmly. "Xiaofei, stay behind. I have something to speak with you about."
Just then, a plump, giant blue caterpillar wriggled across a nearby branch, stopping in front of Luo Ge and the Black Emperor.
The Black Emperor's throat bobbed as he swallowed hard, his eyes gleaming as if he had spotted a delectable feast. The caterpillar immediately began trembling in terror, its fuzzy body hairs standing straight on end.
Li Xiaofei slapped the back of the Black Emperor’s head and said, "Behave."
The Black Emperor had no choice but to pull back, obediently falling in line with Luo Ge. Led by the trembling caterpillar, they climbed along the sturdy tree trunk and temporarily left the area.
"Sit," Little Aunt said.
As her voice fell, a branch automatically extended toward Li Xiaofei and Tan Qingying, weaving itself into the shape of a long, narrow bench. Li Xiaofei and Tan Qingying sat down side by side.
He held the young lady’s hand, wanting to say something, when a sudden realization struck him. Li Xiaofei’s face changed as he blurted out, "Right, Little Aunt, there’s a horde of terrifying monsters outside the forest—"
"Don't worry," Little Aunt interrupted calmly. "Those Ruos are of a low evolutionary tier. They won't be able to break through for now."
Li Xiaofei felt a great weight lifted from his heart. If Little Aunt said so, he believed her without question.
Little Aunt gazed at Li Xiaofei's face and said, "I know you have many things you want to ask. Don’t rush. This time, I will tell you everything... But first, drink some water and recover your strength."
As she spoke, her thoughts stirred. A large leaf from the treehouse above slowly extended downward, forming a shallow hollow at its center filled with crystal-clear spring water. The rıghtful source is 𝓷𝓸𝓿𝓮𝓵※𝖿𝗂𝗋𝖾※𝙣𝙚𝙩
Li Xiaofei cupped the leaf and drank the spring water in one gulp. A sweet freshness spread across his lips and teeth, and a surge of energy coursed through his limbs and bones, sweeping away all the fatigue from his earlier battles. His spirit, too, became vigorous and full once more. Clearly, this spring water was no ordinary thing.
"Go ahead, what do you want to ask?" Little Aunt said with a gentle smile.
Li Xiaofei asked, "Is Uncle Tan all right?"
Tan Zhenwei had left together with Miss Tan under Little Aunt's care. Yet he had yet to see the elder Tan during this reunion.
"Father’s fine. He’s currently patrolling the various halls of Heaven. He’ll be busy for a few more days, but you’ll see him very soon," Miss Tan offered proactively.
Ever since the accident that granted him the ability to traverse space, Old Tan had made tremendous strides in developing his abilities. By now, he could pass through the restricted zones of Heaven without harm. Every so often, he would patrol the different areas to ensure that none of the critical locations had been overrun by Ruos.
Li Xiaofei felt a surge of encouragement upon hearing this. He was not fighting alone. Turning back to Little Aunt, he asked, "How did you return to Heaven? And what exactly happened here all those years ago?"
Little Aunt spoke slowly, "I was originally a member of Heaven and always knew the way back. Once I partially recovered my strength, I began looking for an opportunity to return. It just so happened that City Leader Tan gained the power of space-time traversal. With his help, I successfully made it back to Heaven. As for what happened here..."
She paused briefly, her expression turning somber, before continuing, "I only pieced things together after I returned. Roughly speaking, someone of high status within Heaven betrayed their own race and opened the gates to our enemies. This allowed a creature known as the Mother of All Beasts to pinpoint Heaven’s coordinates. It then forcibly invaded through subspace. Heaven was caught completely off guard and suffered devastating losses. The Lord of Doushuai Palace, who guarded Heaven, was defeated. The Eight Trigrams Furnace was lost. And eventually, Heaven was sealed away by a cursed artifact known as the Blood-Drinking Sword and banished into the starry void..."