Miao Ruoqing was already nearing the end of her life, and losing half of her inner core only compounded her injuries.

I woke up much later than I expected.

Xu Peilin stayed by her side the whole time, and only breathed a sigh of relief when she saw that she had woken up. With a mix of helplessness and heartache, he pulled her into his arms and said, "Why did you have to do this?"

Miao Ruoqing's expression changed instantly, and her voice was strained: "You knew everything?"

She didn't doubt Xu Peilin's feelings for her, but she didn't dare gamble on the outcome.

If he were scared to death, there would be no more Antarctic Immortal to steal the immortal herb for her.

Xu Peilin pulled her closer and gently kissed her forehead. "I know a little, but I don't know exactly what—" He paused, ""

Before Miao Ruoqing could speak, Xu Peilin looked into her eyes and said, "My Xiaoqing is beautiful in both human form and her original form."

"I'm not afraid."

Miao Ruoqing burst into tears.

Xu Peilin gently wiped her face, saying, "I'm just worried about whether this will have any impact."

Miao Ruoqing threw herself into his arms and said earnestly, word by word, "I won't let you go before me."

Xu Peilin chuckled softly and patted her back. "I'm just a mortal. After I'm reincarnated, will you come find me?"

Miao Ruoqing did not speak.

They don't have a next life.

Xu Peilin has been tied to her for so many lifetimes, that's enough.

Seeing that Miao Ruoqing didn't speak, Xu Peilin looked down and saw that Miao Ruoqing had already fallen asleep.

He gently put the person down.

After so many years as each other's bedmate, how could Xu Peilin not know whether Miao Ruoqing was pretending to be asleep?

He sighed inwardly: Is it that we don't want to be together in the next life, or that we can't be together at all?

Miao Ruoqing was still somewhat tired and hadn't woken up, while Xu Peilin was in excellent spirits, completely different from before.

Xu Peilin personally visited the Xu family.

Jiang Si asked with some curiosity, "Mr. Xu is no longer an ordinary mortal. May I ask what brings you here to see me?"

"What happened to Ruoqing?" Xu Peilin asked bluntly.

"What do you mean?" Jiang Si feigned ignorance.

Seeing Jiang Si's expression, Xu Peilin's unease deepened.

Jiang Si's rhetorical question clearly indicated that something was wrong.

“Master Jiang, let’s not beat around the bush,” Xu Peilin said. “If Ruoqing could have saved me from the beginning, she wouldn’t have waited until now. There’s only one reason: she couldn’t do it before.”

"Since she is a powerful demon, why can't she do it herself and instead has to rely on you?"

What happened to her?

Jiang Si hadn't expected Xu Peilin to be so meticulous, able to find almost all the answers based on just a few clues.

Demons are indeed not cunning.

She guessed that Xu Peilin probably knew Miao Ruoqing was a demon even earlier than he said, but he just turned a blind eye.

For him, having his lover by his side was enough; he didn't care whether she was human or demon.

“You and he still have a karmic connection in this lifetime,” Jiang Si said.

"And what about the next life?" Xu Peilin pressed. "Master Jiang, with your supernatural powers, surely knows this. Is the reason you won't tell me because there is no next life?"

"Being born into a wealthy family means I couldn't have done anything bad in my past life. I'm not a great philanthropist in this life, but I'm not a great villain either, so I won't be unable to be reborn as a human in my next life."

"So, Ruoqing is leaving, is that right?" Xu Peilin's voice wasn't loud, but it was firm and resolute.

Jiang Si: "..."

For the first time, he found a smart person terrifying; for the first time, she didn't know how to answer.

"Why don't you ask Miao Ruoqing?" Jiang Si pushed the question back.

Xu Peilin remained silent for a long time. He shook his head slightly, feeling a bit of a headache.

After a long silence, he finally spoke, “Ruoqing and I must have a love affair that lasts for more than just this lifetime, right? Although I am just an ordinary person, I always have a strange sense of familiarity with her. To tell you the truth, I once dreamed of living a life of mutual respect and happiness with her, growing old together, in another identity in ancient times.”

Jiang Si felt a pang of regret, but she knew that all good things must come to an end.

"In this world, relationships come and go, and there is no such thing as a love that lasts forever. You shouldn't be so attached to this. In the next life, after drinking the Meng Po soup, you will forget her and everything in the present. In the next life, she will have nothing to do with you."

Jiang Si does not believe that the reincarnated person will be the same person.

Different appearances, different experiences, lost memories—how could they be the same person?

Xu Peilin was a little unsteady on her feet, and her head was hurting even more.

Vague memories kept popping up in my mind.

When Miao Ruo woke up, she didn't look at Xu Peilin, but she quickly figured out that he had gone to find Jiang Si.

When she arrived, she saw Xu Peilin who was unable to stand, and she quickly went up to help her.

When he saw Miao Ruoqing's face again, those blurry memories became clearer.

He and Miao Ruoqing have known each other for a thousand years.

In that lifetime, he passed the imperial examination with flying colors.

During the Qionglin Banquet, I saw for the first time the little green snake taking a nap among the flowers.

The small green snake was no thicker than a thumb, and it was wrapped around the flower branch, so small that it was barely visible unless you looked closely.

He was composing a poem by plucking flowers, and had already recited one line when he was momentarily lost in thought when the green snake opened its eyes, almost causing him to lose his composure before the emperor.

The little green snake tilted its tiny head and suddenly darted over to bite him.

A top scholar was bitten by a snake—that was a serious matter! The imperial physician was immediately summoned, and the emperor ordered a thorough investigation of the entire imperial garden. Green snakes are highly venomous; what if they hurt someone else?

Xu Peilin wanted to say forget it, but he was feeling dizzy and couldn't speak. Besides, it might not make a difference if he did. He just prayed that the green snake would be clever and not get caught.

He was still a little aggrieved. He hadn't done anything to that little green snake, so why did it bite him?

Just as he was about to fall into a deep sleep, he vaguely saw a woman in green clothes walk over, feed him something, and he felt a cool sensation all over his body.

When he woke up the next day, he was completely unharmed.

Even the imperial physicians were amazed and could only offer their praise: "It must be Your Majesty's boundless good fortune that prevents Your Majesty from losing such a talented individual."

Xu Peilin himself felt somewhat ashamed after hearing this.

After that, he saw the green snake from time to time. Strangely, Xu Peilin himself was not afraid. Later, when they became familiar with each other, Xu Peilin would even prepare some food for the green snake.

The human and the snake forged an unusual friendship.

Later, the green snake grew bolder and even coiled itself around Xu Peilin's wrist, pretending to be dead as if it were a jade bracelet. It even dared to follow him to the main hall to attend the morning court session.

Now that the world is at peace, after listening to the memorials of his ministers and making decisions, the emperor began to concern himself with the marriages of his unmarried officials.

After all, people should start a family before building a career; these are the pillars of the nation, and we shouldn't let them suffer any injustice.

Just as the Emperor bestowed the marriage upon Xu Peilin, and Xu Peilin was still pondering how to respond, a slight pain came from his wrist. He looked down at the Green Snake, who was usually lazy and languid, and for the first time, a fierce glint appeared in her eyes.