As night fell, the round moon hung high in the sky, its pale light as white as snow.
Inside the room, it was very quiet, so quiet that only their breathing and steady heartbeats could be heard. The bed curtain had been lowered but not put away, and clothes were scattered on the small table beside the couch, blue and white intersecting with dark black.
Su Xuan glanced at the sleeping Sang Dai in his arms. She had long since fallen asleep.
When Sang Dai slept, she was very well-behaved. Due to her cold body, she would instinctively crave warmth and would curl into Su Xuan’s embrace. The difference in their statures also allowed Su Xuan to completely wrap her in his arms.
They weren’t wearing clothes. Su Xuan held Sang Dai, who was completely unclothed. Although the effects of the Jiexin Grass had only roughly alleviated his condition, and his spiritual power was suppressing his heat period, at this moment, he felt no desire at all, only the wish to quietly hold her.
Su Xuan kissed her forehead. Sang Dai was unaware.
He gently patted her back, his gaze calm.
He wasn’t mistaken. Just earlier, Sang Dai had been extremely panicked. Su Xuan had known Sang Dai for such a long time; when had he ever seen her break down and cry like that?
It was as if she had been trapped in a nightmare. Su Xuan couldn’t wake her up. Sang Dai had been frowning, covering her head, her lips moving as if speaking. No matter how Su Xuan called her, there was no response.
Until Su Xuan also became flustered and tried to use his spiritual power to probe her consciousness, but an unfamiliar yet familiar spiritual force blocked him from entering. He couldn’t access Sang Dai’s sea of consciousness and didn’t know what she had seen.
That spiritual force…
Su Xuan had seen it before. It was the Weisheng family’s contract seal.
The Weisheng family’s contract seal made Sang Dai see something, and she was very frightened, very panicked. She had clung to him tightly and wouldn’t let go, crying for a long time until Su Xuan had coaxed her to sleep.
The little fox gently brushed aside the hair at her temple. Sang Dai’s black hair was loosened, now hanging down in a messy tangle. Her brows were slightly furrowed, as if even in her sleep, she wasn’t at peace.
Su Xuan’s palm touched her protruding shoulder blade. He pressed his lips together, making his gentle pats even lighter, afraid that if he applied too much pressure, it would hurt the sword cultivator.
She was too thin. Even though she had gained some weight after coming to the Beast Realm, her figure was still slender.
Su Xuan’s chin lightly rubbed against Sang Dai’s head, his tail coiled around her waist.
Time passed, and the night deepened. The previous night had passed, and a new day had already begun.
Sang Dai woke up feeling hot. She was being held by a warm body, and a fluffy fox tail was wrapped around her waist, making her naturally feel warm.
She struggled a bit, carefully reaching for the fox tail around her waist, intending to release it, but the tail curled around the sword cultivator’s wrist and dragged her back into his arms.
The little fox embraced her slender waist, kissing her affectionately on the shoulder.
“Baby, what are you doing?”
Sang Dai shrank her neck, her forehead resting against his throat, feeling his Adam’s apple move up and down.
She whispered, “Can we put on some clothes?”
Su Xuan refused, “No, we’re sleeping.”
Sang Dai: “…Then can we put on undergarments?”
Su Xuan coquettishly said, “No, just hold me a little longer.”
The sword cultivator’s body was smooth and tender everywhere. Su Xuan liked her to the core, like a little fox cub licking her, tasting every inch of her body.
Sang Dai felt a little ticklish, amused by him, and she shrank further into the bed. Su Xuan followed and pressed against her.
“You… have you completely cured the poison from the Jiexin Grass?”
She pushed the little fox, who was kissing her neck, away.
Su Xuan continued kissing downward, his lips finding the softest part of her, and since his mouth was occupied, his words were muffled.
“It’s not completely cured. The residual poison has been temporarily suppressed. The heat period will return in a few days.”
Su Xuan kissed her and replied, “It’s fine, I won’t die. Just let me kiss you.”
“Will you not feel uncomfortable after kissing me?”
“Mm.”
Sang Dai, as expected, froze in place.
Su Xuan couldn’t help but smile inwardly. His sword cultivator was too innocent, repeatedly tricked by him, and would surely believe him again next time. She was too soft-hearted, too trusting of him.
Su Xuan would never deceive her in other matters, but when it came to this, he could.
Kissing her might hurt more, but it would make her feel better in her heart, and Sang Dai would like him even more and grow closer to him.
The little fox loved hearing Sang Dai’s sounds of comfort. She was no longer indifferent towards him like before; there were more emotions, more affection.
With how soft-hearted Sang Dai was, if he went back and acted a little spoiled and coaxed her, she would definitely become his wife.
The little fox kissed her for a while, but sensing that if he continued, things might get out of hand, he shifted to lie on his side and pulled her into his arms.
Sang Dai closed her eyes, and her long lashes were faintly wet. Su Xuan noticed her thick lashes; everything about her was beautiful, every brow and every glance flawless and without fault.
Su Xuan kissed her eyes and softly asked, “Dai Dai, did I hurt you?”
Sang Dai’s body stiffened, but she didn’t say anything.
Su Xuan apologized, “Sorry, I have no experience, I wasn’t prepared for you. During the mating period, I won’t be so reckless. If it hurts in the future, you must speak up, don’t grit your teeth and endure.”
He still remembered how she had bitten her lips and remained silent. If not for her hand unconsciously gripping his arm, and him being in a difficult position, Su Xuan had withdrawn the barrier and saw that she was suffering. He feared that if he continued, it would be too much for her, and she would definitely feel worse.
The little fox deeply regretted it, whispering apologies and coaxing her for a long time.
Sang Dai felt as though her ears were going to wear out from hearing his endless apologies. She didn’t say anything, just nestled into his embrace.
It was very quiet outside, and at this time, Linglong Town was already deep into the night. It wouldn’t be long before dawn. She still had to visit the Manxiang Pavilion at midnight.
“Dai Dai.” Su Xuan suddenly spoke, “What did you see during the nightmare just now?”
Sang Dai’s hands, which were holding his waist, slightly curled.
“Talk to me, don’t be mute. Tell me, please?”
Sang Dai lowered her eyes and happened to see Su Xuan’s chest.
The muscles there were firm, and there was no terrifying, bleeding wound.
Her fingertip touched his chest, and Sang Dai felt his strong and regular heartbeat.
She whispered, “I saw your fate, Su Xuan. In the hundredth year after my death, you came to the back mountain of the Sword Sect, standing right in front of my bamboo hut. It was snowing heavily, and Shen Ciyu came up behind you. I cried and shouted for you to leave, but you remained motionless, letting Shen Ciyu pierce your heart.”
“Then… heavenly thunder shattered your soul, and you died.”
Su Xuan remained silent, but his hand that was patting her back did not stop.
He seemed completely unconcerned, not surprised at all, remaining calm from beginning to end.
“Su Xuan, the last thing you said before you died, you said—”
“Dai Dai, I love you.”
This was something Su Xuan had never said to her before. Not just liking, but love—an especially serious and solemn confession.
Their gazes met, and Su Xuan could clearly see the fear in Sang Dai’s eyes.
Sang Dai didn’t know why she suddenly saw that event. Clearly, it was never written in the book that Su Xuan confessed to her. His ending was only briefly mentioned in a few lines, but she had seen his death with her own eyes and heard his confession with her own ears.
Because of this, Sang Dai was even more frightened. Words could not convey many images, and the impact of the ending she saw in the original book and the ending she witnessed with Su Xuan was incomparable.
Su Xuan embraced her waist and softly said, “Dai Dai, have you ever wondered why you can see my fate? Why can you see your own fate?”
Sang Dai’s gaze slightly dimmed. “I think… maybe because of my contract mark.”
Su Xuan gently kissed her forehead. “Yes, earlier when I was about to probe your Sea of Consciousness, a spiritual barrier blocked me. That spiritual energy is the Weisheng family’s contract mark. It was the one that awakened me to save you, the one that changed the Heavenly Dao and your fate.”
Sang Dai didn’t respond, her thoughts a bit chaotic.
She had changed after waking up from that battle. The Weisheng family’s contract mark had awakened Su Xuan, the fate had been altered, and both her and Su Xuan’s endings changed. She could even hear Su Xuan’s thoughts. Just now, because of Su Xuan’s thought, the Weisheng family’s contract mark had shown her a scene she wasn’t supposed to see, after all, Sang Dai had already died at that time.
Could it be… that being able to hear Su Xuan’s thoughts was also related to the Weisheng family’s contract mark?
Sang Dai didn’t understand how such an absurd thing had happened, or why the Weisheng family’s contract mark had the ability to change fate.
Su Xuan saw her silent expression and knew she was thinking about this matter. The little fox sighed softly. “Dai Dai, the Weisheng family won’t harm you. As for everything else, we’ll take it step by step. I’m always by your side, and we won’t end up in such a situation.”
Sang Dai raised her eyes to look at him.
The little fox from the past always pretended to be indifferent, as if he disliked Sang Dai. She had always been confused about why, if he hated her so much, he came to the Sword Sect to fight with her every few days.
Until she heard his thoughts.
Her sworn enemy really liked her, liked her a lot.
It seemed that the appearance of mind-reading was to prevent them from missing each other. Since she started hearing Su Xuan’s thoughts, they had never been apart.
Without mind-reading, Su Xuan would have continued to stubbornly act tough out of fear of losing her, and she would have kept rejecting his advances. They would have gradually drifted apart.
But everything had changed now.
Sang Dai hugged him, reaching out to touch his cheek, gently tracing along his eyebrow, and asked the question she had been meaning to ask: “Su Xuan, I was really scared that you would die. If I really die, would you really leave with me?”
Su Xuan’s Adam’s apple bobbed. The little fox held her and softly kissed her brows and eyes.
“Yes, if you die, I won’t be able to live either. So, Dai Dai, you must live well.”
From beginning to end, Sang Dai’s fate was never just hers alone. It was tied to another person’s life. If she truly walked the path the Heavenly Dao had set for her, and her life came to an end, Su Xuan would not survive either.
The sword cultivator’s nose felt sore, and she laughed softly, asking him, “Are you stupid?”