Because you came.
Because you came.
Because you came.
For an instant, Gu Wanqing’s mind went blank, but in the very next moment, a faint, serene smile curved at the corners of his lips.
Yes — they came.
Because they came, the Mysterious Heaven Venerable did not, as he had in his previous life, turn the countless living beings of the five domains into livestock in a breeding farm.
Because they came, the cultivators of this era gained the freedom to pursue immortality.
And precisely because they came, the mortals of the five domains could live the vibrant, lively New Year they now enjoyed.
The thirty thousand comrades had not sacrificed in vain.
From the founding of 【Extinguish Yang】 until today, he had never let down those fallen cultivator comrades who perished in the flames of war, nor had he failed the group within 【Extinguish Yang】 that had always followed him loyally.
In Gu Wanqing’s dark eyes reflected the gradually receding figure clad in plain white. In a hazy blur, that silhouette faintly overlapped with the familiar figure deep in his heart. Unconsciously, he murmured:
“Mr. Bai…?”
He immediately snapped back to himself. His gaze followed the departing back, and he gave a slight shake of his head. A淡 smile dispelled the trace of bewilderment in his heart.
How could it possibly be Mr. Bai? It’s clearly Azure Sun Heavenly Venerable.
Looks like he was missing Mr. Bai again.
Hm? What’s that smell?
He sniffed lightly a few times. A rich aroma of meat wafted through the air. Gu Wanqing’s gaze quickly locked onto the bowl of tangyuan (sweet glutinous rice dumplings). Even though he had long since abstained from grain and ordinary food, his long-dormant appetite suddenly roared to life; saliva quietly surged in his mouth.
He scooped up one tangyuan and put it into his mouth. The dumpling instantly melted on his tongue, meaty fragrance flooding his entire oral cavity — incomparably delicious.
He never expected that not only was this Azure Sun Heavenly Venerable skilled at soothing the heart, but her culinary skills were also this superb.
With that thought, Gu Wanqing ate several more meat-filled tangyuan in quick succession.
Meanwhile, on the other side —
Su Bai returned to her room, collapsed face-first onto the bed. Exhaustion crashed over her like a surging tide. The moment her eyes closed, she sank into a deep, heavy slumber.
Su Bai felt as though she had turned into a wandering ghost — no destination, no purpose, just drifting… drifting… drifting on and on.
Suddenly, while drifting aimlessly, a string appeared attached to her — like a kite caught in chaotic heavenly winds finally being pulled by its line. She began to be reined in, pulled tighter and tighter, descending… descending… descending… until she finally fell back into the mortal dust.
After a very, very long time, she drowsily opened her eyes. The first thing she saw was the familiar palace ceiling. Then a familiar face suddenly popped into view.
A small boy in white robes was holding a steaming bowl of tangyuan. Wisps of hot vapor rose and blurred his little face, making him look even cuter. He grinned and leaned close to Su Bai, calling out in a crisp, bright voice:
“Mother! Happy New Year!”
“Try the tangyuan Little Black made for you~”
Su Bai froze for a second, then reacted. She reached out, pinched the soft flesh on the little boy’s cheeks, and growled fiercely:
“You little brat! You damned calamity! I can’t believe I’m even dreaming of you on New Year’s — you’ve harmed me deeply!!”
“Just wait until I break the seal — I’ll skin you alive one day!!”
After venting her emotions and leaving the little boy’s cheeks bright red from pinching, Su Bai finally picked up the bowl of tangyuan and devoured them in a storm of slurps, then smacked her lips.
Mmm~~ The taste is actually pretty good!
It’s about seventy to eighty percent as good as her own cooking level.
Having finished all that, Su Bai flopped backward, eyes tightly shut. In her heart she silently counted “3… 2… 1… wake up fast” — then forcefully opened her eyes again.
But the expected scene inside Bai Changsheng’s room did not appear. It was still the cold, unyielding ceiling of the Azure Emperor’s sleeping palace stretching overhead.
The little white-robed boy covered his painfully pinched cheeks and looked at Su Bai with an aggrieved, puppy-like expression — as if he had been abandoned by his owner, pitiful and forlorn.
Before he could even work up the tears to play the poor little victim, he saw Su Bai repeatedly opening and closing her eyes, her body doing sit-ups in perfect coordination, then suddenly — slap! slap! — giving herself two hard slaps, one on each cheek.
Little Su : ???
Is this some new New Year custom…?
Slap after slap — Su Bai’s face was already red from hitting herself, yet still —
Wake up! Wake up already!! I can’t keep sleeping!! Dreaming of this little monster on New Year’s means the rest of the year will be cursed with bad luck!!
“Mother… you wouldn’t think this is a dream, would you?” the little boy said in a soft, eerie voice.
Su Bai’s heart suddenly thumped hard.
“This isn’t a dream at all~~”
As he spoke, the little boy pulled out from his robes a slender azure incense stick entwined with several strands of hair. The incense was slowly burning, pale cyan wisps continuously sinking into Su Bai’s body.
“‘Soul-Guiding Incense.’ Little Black spent tremendous effort refining it.”
“Of course, Mother, don’t be afraid. Because Little Black has your hair, I could only temporarily pull Mother’s consciousness here through the dream. Your real body is still in the Eastern Sea.”
“Little Black just wanted to spend New Year with Mother.”
“Once the New Year is over, Little Black will immediately send Mother back.”
The white-robed little boy spoke with deep sincerity, his words earnest and touching.
But…
Su Bai didn’t believe a single word!!
You deceitful, master-tricking little monster! If I believe even one syllable from you, I’m not a man!!
Even though that was what Su Bai was thinking, the little boy knew her far too well. After a simple explanation, without giving her any chance to refuse, he pulled Su Bai out of the sleeping palace and toward a bamboo grove with a fish pond.
“Wuwuwu… Uncle Zhou, I beg you…”
“Please don’t torment Mother and Sister Xue anymore, I beg you…”
“Little White can take their place and become Uncle Zhou’s pet instead…”
Even from some distance away, Su Bai could hear the girl’s tearful pleading — that childish yet incomparably resolute tone. Her heart trembled.
Uncle Zhou? Pet?
What… what is going on here?
She had only been free for a year — what horrifying new stunt had this little monster pulled now?
As she drew closer, the figures of four people gradually became clear: three women and one man.
She saw the white-haired girl clutching a fishing rod, eyes red and brimming with tears that threatened to spill over at any moment.
She saw the handsome man holding two slender ropes in one hand while idly twirling jade walnuts in the other.
She saw Blood Consort and Gong Qianxue huddled together, their bodies trembling, dressed in extremely strange clothing.
The outfits were bizarre: pure snow-white from head to toe, yet with large heart-shaped cutouts carved over the chest and hips, leaving certain private areas completely exposed without any covering.
Around each cutout was a ring of soft fluff — not dog fur, but something closer to mink or fox, cool and silky to the touch.
Their knees and elbows were not only padded with fluff but had an extra thick layer of soft cushioning, presumably to prevent injury while crawling.
The palms and soles were embroidered with cute pink paw pads, unexpectedly adding a touch of playful adorableness.
Collar, wrists, ankles, hips, and shoulders were all carefully trimmed with more soft fur.
A pair of lively, elegant white dog ears sat obediently atop their heads, occasionally twitching lightly.
Wait… this is…
Su Bai’s expression suddenly became extremely strange.
“Master has arrived.”
Zhou Xuan seemed to have anticipated it. He walked toward Su Bai. Blood Consort and Gong Qianxue had no choice but to crawl after him on all fours, heads lowered in a posture of utmost obedience.
He gave the Empress a firm, heavy hug.
“Welcome home.”