Chapter 2081: First Time

Night had grown deep. On Jie Ming Shan, only Ming Di remained, rubbing his eyes in exhaustion. His vision was blurred from staring, yet he waited in vain, only overhearing the conversations between Ye Chen and Ji Ningshuang. As a great emperor, this was his first time feeling so awkward.

Since he hadn't seen what he hoped for, he secretly pulled out his treasured collection and watched it properly several times over. It was fortunate that Di Huang had left early; otherwise, these two supreme beings would have clashed fiercely, and the underworld realm would have collapsed because of it.

In Ye Chen's small garden, Donghuang Taiyi and Xie Mo were also feeling awkward. The two peerless empresses sat side by side, both resting their chins in their hands as they gazed at Ye Chen's room. One could say they had remarkable willpower—or perhaps dedication—but unfortunately, they had chosen the wrong targets. Ye Chen and Ji Ningshuang had no such intentions at all.

Inside the room, the conversation had ceased. Ye Chen was likely exhausted and had drifted into sleep, but he was restless even in slumber. One leg draped over Ji Ningshuang, and his hand wandered incessantly, always finding the softest spots with unerring accuracy.

Ji Ningshuang said nothing, her body tense with a tingling sensation spreading through her. As the Dong Shen Yao Chi, she had seen every kind of scene, yet her heart raced wildly now, her flawless face flushed with waves of crimson that never faded.

Only after some time did she turn her head slightly, her nose just half an inch from Ye Chen's face. Perhaps this was the closest she had been to him since their time in Cang Lan Jie.

Under the moonlight, her gentle smile carried the tenderness of a wife.

Over these one hundred and seventy years, her most precious gain wasn't fully comprehending the dream return technique, but seeing Ye Chen's feelings for her in those repeated dreams—the eyes full of longing and love. She had waited an entire great cycle for this.

Bathed in the moonlight, she quietly fell asleep, more peacefully than ever before. After enduring countless hardships and a full century, she had finally returned home. This time, it wasn't a dream; it was real. Compared to that other universe, this was where her soul found solace, with her child, her lover, and her loved ones, holding her most cherished memories.

By morning, the snow had stopped, leaving the world blanketed in white. As the dawn light broke, Ye Chen lazily opened his eyes, but Ji Ningshuang was no longer beside him. He sat up abruptly, scanning around, then jumped out of bed. He had thought the previous night was just a dream, but thankfully, she hadn't left. As he stepped out, he saw her preparing breakfast, dressed in simple clothes that hid all her immortal aura, like an ordinary wife.

"Wash up; it's almost ready."

Logically, at their level, they no longer needed to eat, but they enjoyed the process. As a wife, this was her first time cooking for her husband.

Ye Chen smiled, warmth flooding his heart.

Breakfast was cozy, just like an ordinary couple living in harmony. Otherwise, who would believe that they had shared a bed all night without doing anything?

This warmth was shattered by someone's arrival. The visitor was Xie Mo; Donghuang Taiyi hadn't come along—heaven knows where she had gone, or if she was still on this ancient star. She was probably searching for the sword god of the calamity.

Ye Chen was fine with her arrival, but Ji Ningshuang looked uncomfortable. After all, only one hundred and seventy years had passed, and she still recognized the Chi Mei Xie Shen.

Xie Mo didn't treat herself as an outsider at all. She casually pulled out a chair and sat at the table. Once seated, she didn't eat but took something from her storage bag.

The object was an instrument—a pipa, elegant and refined.

Xie Mo seemed to cherish it dearly. After taking it out, she blew on it gently, then wiped it vigorously with a white handkerchief, striving to make it shine brightly.

This made not only Ji Ningshuang but also Ye Chen's mouth twitch involuntarily.

They both remembered the pipa well. Back in Cang Lan Jie, Xie Mo had used it to play a strange tune that disrupted their minds.

After that, they had become intimate.

Not to boast, but that pipa melody was far more potent than Da Chu's special brews.

Now, with Xie Mo holding the pipa again, she might play another tune. We're a couple, sure, but bedroom matters we can handle ourselves—no need for your help.

Xie Mo ignored their looks and continued wiping.

Honestly, for a young couple to sleep in the same bed and do nothing improper—she didn't believe it at first. But after last night, she truly did.

"Stop staring at me; eat if you want to eat."

Ye Chen pursed his lips. "Waving that thing around—how can anyone eat?"

"This pipa is a treasure, you know."

"We can see that."

"So, don't cause trouble for this lady." Xie Mo glanced at him, then turned to look at Ji Ningshuang without a word, just staring intently, making Ji Ningshuang feel uneasy all over. As fellow beings from Zhu Tian, she had heard the legends of Chi Mei Xie Shen. This sister of the Hong Lian Empress had never done anything normal, not even her gaze, which always had an eerie edge.

"Young lady, you've got something special." Xie Mo chuckled, then went back to wiping her pipa. "Across all of Zhu Tian, besides the Dream Return Great Emperor, you're the first to turn illusions into reality. If you don't become an emperor one day, it would be against the natural order."

"You're too kind, senior; it was just luck." Ji Ningshuang replied with a soft smile.

"And whose wife are you?" Ye Chen transmitted with a laugh.

"What's it got to do with you?" Xie Mo kicked Ye Chen and vanished, leaving only a faint voice behind. "When I pass by Cang Lan Jie, come get the true fire and true thunder."

This perked Ye Chen right up. After a hundred years, Xie Mo must have gathered plenty of true fire and true thunder—a massive stroke of fortune for him.

Compared to him, Ji Ningshuang's expression was quite awkward, especially hearing the words "Cang Lan Jie," which reminded her of that time long ago. Without their divine senses, they had been completely exposed, fumbling through their first intimacy while Xie Mo watched from the side. How embarrassing.

She had no idea that if she knew others had been watching back then—like the reincarnated Xuan Nu, who was in Ye Chen's dantian at the time—what her reaction would be.

After breakfast, the two left the small garden.

The streets were quiet due to the snow, with no stalls in sight. Occasionally, passersby would glance at them in surprise, especially Ye Chen, who looked youthful again—it was quite novel.

They turned a corner and headed to the Yang residence.

The Yang family now had a new generation in charge—Yang Fan's son, Yang Shan, who was already in his prime, though in terms of seniority, he couldn't compare to little Yang Lan.

Little Yang Lan was still around, appearing only two or three years old. Despite her age, she held the highest status in the Yang family now, treated like an revered ancestor.

The Yang family members were very respectful toward Ye Chen. Ever since Yang Ge Lao's time, he had been their benefactor. Though Yang Ge Lao and Yang Fan were gone, their gratitude would be remembered forever.

In the main hall, Ye Chen stated his purpose.

"Today, I want to take little Yang Lan with me."

"Grandfather and Father both said that Aunt isn't an ordinary person and would leave someday." Yang Shan sighed, his tone laced with nostalgia and sentiment. His father and grandfather had passed away years ago, while Ye Chen remained as young as ever—a stark contrast that felt like a lifetime ago.

He felt that way, and so did Ye Chen. Watching Yang Shan was like seeing the old Yang Ge Lao and Yang Fan, but things had changed; people had moved on.

Ji Ningshuang stayed silent, simply listening.

From their conversation, she could sense the passage of time's weight. An immortal forming ties with mortals was destined for sorrow, witnessing old friends age and die one by one—a truly painful state of mind.

As they spoke, little Yang Lan arrived, skipping and jumping, her cheeks plump and rosy like a little sprite. She spotted Ye Chen at once and was as affectionate toward him as ever.

"Heaven's lone star." Ji Ningshuang murmured softly, as if she had seen through little Yang Lan's fate. Such a heaven's lone star destiny was extremely rare in the cultivation world.

"This is our future daughter-in-law." Ye Chen transmitted with a laugh.

"Heaven's curse with heaven's lone star?"

"A perfect match."

"Auntie, hug me." The little one had come closer, looking up at Ji Ningshuang with her hands raised, utterly adorable.

Ji Ningshuang's maternal instincts surged, and she bent down to pick up the child, gently stroking her chubby face. "From now on, I'll be your mother."

"Mother?" Little Yang Lan's eyes darted around, her small hand scratching her mouth in confusion. She hadn't heard that word in so long; it felt strangely familiar.

Ye Chen and Yang Shan both sighed. Yang Ge Lao and Xia Lan had been gone for over sixty years. A child with the mind of a two- or three-year-old—how could she remember? Having parents yet no memory of them was a sorrow in itself.

Ye Chen and Ji Ningshuang left, carrying little Yang Lan.

The Yang family members saw them off, standing at the door and waving farewell. Perhaps when she returned, none of them would be left. This was little Yang Lan's roots; coming back to find no familiar faces would be heartbreaking.

Little Yang Lan looked back silently at the Yang family, feeling an inexplicable urge to cry.

Outside the town, they stopped. Before them were two modest graves—those of Yang Ge Lao and Xia Lan. Before leaving and taking their child, they needed to pay respects to the in-laws. They had given birth to the heaven's lone star, doomed never to see their child grow up.

"Old Yang, I'm leaving." Ye Chen stepped forward, taking out incense and placing it in the burner. Like with Xie Mo before, the incense wouldn't light—or rather, Yang Ge Lao couldn't receive it.

Ji Ningshuang did the same, feeling a pang of grief even though they had never met.

"Lan Er, kneel and bow." Ye Chen said.

The little one was clueless but obedient, kneeling before the grave and copying the adults with three deep kowtows. At that moment, she didn't even realize that the ones she knelt before were her father and mother, who had been gone for over sixty years while she still lived on.