So, you once loved me.
So, you once loved me.
So, you once loved me.
So I once had a happy childhood, a mother who loved me, someone who cared about me, and everything I once dreamed of but couldn’t reach.
I once gnawed peaches in a peach tree. I once crawled into my mother’s bed on dark nights when I was afraid. I was once cradled in her arms, watching stars and the moon, listening to her tell interesting stories.
A youth who obsesses over what he cannot have may struggle his whole life, but will one day be set free by a single event, a single moment.
Tears streamed down his face, mucus and tears flowing everywhere.
Su Bai was a bit at a loss from his sudden reaction. Her hand trembled slightly, but after a moment’s hesitation, she gently placed it on his back—just as she’d comforted the often-crying Little Black in the first round simulation, softly patting his back.
The air around them seemed to freeze in that instant, with only their interwoven breaths remaining.
“Wow~ So you two have made up?” Xue Ji’s voice broke the silence at the worst possible moment. She waved her chubby arms in delight, her face filled with excitement.
“So are we making dumplings now?”
Su Bai finally snapped back to her senses. She gently pushed away the man in her arms who was bawling like a little brat, crossed her legs gracefully, and lifted her chin.
“Brat, do you realize your mistake?”
“I know I was wrong.”
“Then hurry up and remove the seal from me. For the sake of our bond as father and son, master and disciple, I’ll spare your life.”
Zhou Xuan shook his head. “I can’t.”
“What do you mean?” Su Bai’s heart sank. Her delight vanished in an instant, replaced by a grave expression.
“I can’t remove the seal on you, Master. I know you too well. The moment it’s undone, you’ll either stab me to uphold your dignity as a master, or you’ll self-destruct and do another ‘simulation’ as you call it.”
Su Bai was exasperated.
Zhou Xuan continued. He extended his hand to Su Bai, his gaze earnest: “Master, Mother, let it go. I’ll bear it all for you. I know you want to embrace happiness. I know how tired your heart is. I know you long to taste what it’s like to be loved.”
“Let it all go. I promise you’ll become the happiest woman in the world.”
“Get lost!” The moment this little brat started trying to PUA her again, Su Bai exploded in anger. Especially seeing that other version of herself being charmed and PUA’d into a dainty little lady by this brat—it was enough to make her furious!
She kicked at him.
“I’m a man among men, a paragon among paragons! Trying to PUA me? Trying to make me fall, make me take the initiative? No way! When I was being a man, you hadn’t even been born!!”
Zhou Xuan didn’t care about Su Bai’s rudeness or violence. He just let out a sigh, “As expected, Master still cares about those worms, about the rules of the world, about the so-called differences between yin and yang.”
“If that’s the case, our bet continues. I’ll wait for your self-restrained heart to open up on its own.”
He gave a respectful bow to Su Bai sitting on the throne: “Please wait and see, Master. I’ll make you admit defeat, willingly and wholeheartedly.”
“Of course, if you try to go back on your word afterwards, I still remember the great truth you taught me—‘Might makes right.’”
With that, Zhou Xuan turned and left, leaving Su Bai with a proud and stubborn back.
Xue Ji glanced at Zhou Xuan’s distant figure, then looked at the Empress on the throne who was glaring at her, forbidding her from giving chase. She bit her lip, but in the end, she didn’t go after him.
[You simulated a thousand years and were once again put under house arrest by your own brat.]
[The good news: you now have a blood clone to talk to and kill time with. The bad news: you suspect this Xue Ji has been brainwashed and PUA’d, and now she’s siding with outsiders.]
[Your powers are sealed, but through Xue Ji you’ve still learned some intel about the outside world on this merged timeline: now, the Two Heavens have ended, the Five Domains are united, and the Azure Emperor Divine Palace suppresses both heavens and all five domains.]
[Because of you and your brat changing the past, all nine Great Generals of the Azure Emperor Divine Palace survived. Due to some minor shifts, new faces have appeared among the generals.]
[The outside world isn’t as stable as in the second round. The remaining sects of Central State and the families of the other four domains stir up trouble, both openly and secretly. An organization named [Mie Yang] works from the shadows against the Azure Emperor Divine Palace, sabotaging the construction of the Celestial Emperor Spirit-Sealing Array.]
[This time, the Celestial Emperor Spirit-Sealing Array hasn’t blanketed both heavens and all five domains like before—it barely covers all of Central State, with only scattered nodes in the other four domains.]
[Knowing all this, you nod to yourself. Gu Wanqing has done well. She’s developed [Mie Yang] into a force that, aside from lacking top-tier powerhouses, can already rival the Azure Emperor Divine Palace in many ways. Not a waste of your investment.]
[Of course, besides Gu Wanqing, you left several other contingencies, all seeded with psychological suggestions before your memory was sealed.]
[What man doesn’t have a little fire in him? That brat wants your heart? Fine! You’re all in on this bet!]
[You want his life!!]
“Main body, do you want to stroke my tail~?”
“Main body, can you lend me your Nascent Soul-level imperial robe? I’ll use a JK outfit to seduce him.”
“Main body
=
….“I’ll go get my cane!”
Fury surged in Su Bai’s heart. She kicked the seductive, enchanting young woman at her side away, her finger jabbing at Xue Ji’s nose in utter anguish: “Can’t you be a little more manly? Even if you’ve been charmed and feminized, you’re still me, aren’t you? I’m a man, damn it!!”
“But I’m a girl now~” Xue Ji blinked her innocent, pure eyes. Climbing up from under the bed, she patted her bottom, clambered onto the bed with every move exuding irresistible charm, showing off all her feminine allure.
Seeing this, a wave of pain welled up in Su Bai’s chest, and she gritted her teeth: “Do you know, seeing you like this, even I want to jump you.”
“Wow~ Yuri donburi~ So spicy~” Xue Ji seemed to completely misunderstand Su Bai’s meaning. Her eyes sparkled with excitement, her delicate hands propping up her cheeks. “That’s great! We’ll get topped together, that’ll be amazing! Plus, I remember, your ×…..”
“Scram!!”
Su Bai finally couldn’t take it anymore. She grabbed a pillow and threw it at Xue Ji. But Xue Ji was quick and nimble, dodging away. However, the pillow hit a little boy who’d just barged into the palace, smacking him right in the face with a pitiful “Awoo!” He clutched his cheeks, teary-eyed.
“It hurts~ it hurts~”
“Why are my two mothers fighting?”
Little Black got up, rubbing his cheeks, his big black eyes looking at the two of them: “Don’t fight, both my mothers are my wings. Let’s all sleep together. I want to sleep in the middle.”
A vein popped on Su Bai’s forehead. She grabbed another pillow and hurled it at the little boy.
“You get out too!”
Today, the Azure Emperor’s palace was noisy and chaotic as ever—another day of unrest.