Qianyuan stayed with Emperor Chongle until sunset.

Emperor Chongle still refused to return, and Qianyuan became somewhat anxious.

You'll catch a cold.

Even though Qian Yuan was pacing anxiously beside him, Emperor Chong Le couldn't sense her presence at all.

It was a palace maid who went to summon Ning Guanyan.

Ning Guanyan's single sentence made Emperor Chongle come down from the eaves.

He said:

"If His Highness saw you like this, he would be so worried that he would cry."

"Your Majesty, you may betray yourself, but can you bear to betray the young prince?"

Emperor Chongle felt as if Ning Guanyan had touched upon his deepest thoughts.

Ning Guanyan was a smart man; how could he not see that since the cub left, Emperor Chongle had been living entirely for the cub?

Emperor Chongle used to say that he "could not live without his cubs," but after his cubs really left, the thought of his cubs coming back and seeing him like this made Emperor Chongle hold on to hope and wait for them year after year.

One would normally think of death, but the tiny cub firmly separated death from Emperor Chongle.

Qian Yuan watched as Emperor Chong Le finally returned to the vast, empty palace, and his heart ached unbearably. He wanted to cry out for his father, but the person he could confide in couldn't hear him...

Qianyuan wiped away her tears, gritted her teeth, and continued walking.

But when Qianyuan pushed open the door that belonged to the monster family, and when she saw her father and brother, she could no longer hold back her grievances. Just like a cub, she rushed to her father's side, hugged his arm, and burst into tears.

Dad and brother both fell into a deep sleep along with the family. It seemed that they would remain frozen in time until Qianyuan returned, when time would be turned back to yesterday.

The father sleeps in the baby's crib, always in an embracing position.

Qianyuan crawled right inside and snuggled into her father's arms.

Even if her father didn't know, and didn't get up to comfort her, just being in her father's arms was enough to make Qianyuan feel at ease and want to tell him everything she had experienced along the way.

Because they are family.

Because they are the first parents the chicks see.

His father and brother reshaped him and raised him. No matter if it's an evil god or a natural disaster, Qianyuan will always be his father's child.

Qianyuan buried her head in her father's arms, intending to cry until she was done before getting up.

But the silly boy didn't notice that he had wiped all his tears on his father's clothes again.

He longed to remain forever a cub in his father's arms, a child who would never experience any sadness or obstacles.

But the cubs will eventually grow up.

After crying for a while, Qianyuan had to force herself to get up, reach over her father's arms which were lying on the bed, get out of bed, push open the door, and continue on her journey.

But the arms that the father unconsciously reached out were all embracing the non-existent child in his arms. Because there were too many arms on the bed, Qianyuan inevitably stepped on them.

Although she knew she couldn't affect her father in the illusion, Qianyuan was still startled. She quickly grabbed her father's hand and apologized, then clung to it for a while.

Then Qianyuan turned around.

He turned away resolutely because he was afraid that he would soften and want to stay if he saw his family, so he didn't notice that his father's eyebrows and eyes twitched slightly.

The next second, his eyes opened.

...

Qianyuan rushed into the mirror once again. Before he could even see where he was, he felt as if his eyes had been covered.

"Don't look."

"I am just an illusion; you don't need to look at me."

The other party's calm tone made him feel a little at ease. Although Qianyuan was now firmly held in his arms and completely under his control, she did not perceive any threat.

The other party was protecting him.

Qianyuan suddenly felt a cool strand of hair brush against his cheek. He was stunned for a moment, and then his thoughts suddenly came to mind.

"Nosius...?"

The other person did not respond to him, but instead placed a barely perceptible kiss on the back of the hand that was covering Qianyuan's vision.

Even in an illusion, he still loves Qianyuan.

I love you deeply.

Therefore, Qianyuan's lover will definitely lead her to break through the encirclement.

"Don't be afraid, don't be terrified. Wait a while, until the pursuers of the illusion leave, then you can go out."

The person who covered Qianyuan with wings whispered.

So Qianyuan, who was still trying to struggle, stopped moving.

He stayed obediently in Nosius's arms, listening to the other's heartbeat.

She didn't know how much time had passed, but Qianyuan remained nestled in the other's arms, feeling her neck stiff and uncomfortable. She could only ask in a soft voice:

"Nosius, have they not left yet?"

The person holding Qianyuan did not answer.

"Nosius?"

Feeling the other person unconsciously exerting force and hugging him tighter and tighter, Qianyuan struggled uncomfortably.

Only then did the other person release him, speaking calmly:

"Okay, I'm leaving."

Qianyuan realized that the person helping him had changed when he heard the voice. He opened his eyes wide, raised his head, and looked into a pair of heterochromatic eyes.

The other person was wearing a military cap, a heavy military uniform and medals, and seemed to carry a bit of the biting cold of the wind and snow.

Yet, it didn't freeze Qianyuan at all.

Zhou Jinze wrapped Qianyuan in a cloak.

Qianyuan seemed to be stunned, her gaze following the other person blankly.

Staring intently.

Zhou Jinze raised an eyebrow, and Qian Yuan realized that he had mistaken someone else for him on their first meeting after so long. He was instantly embarrassed and didn't know what to do.

But Zhou Jinze didn't say anything; he just lowered his eyes to his lover who had made a mistake.

But Qian Yuan understood that Zhou Jinze was waiting for him to kiss him.

This is a reason why Qianyuan cannot refuse.

He took the initiative to approach Zhou Jinze, stood on tiptoe, and kissed Zhou Jinze's lips.

Zhou Jinze deepened the kiss.

As Qian Yuan was forced into a retreat, Zhou Jinze placed a cold, sharp object in Qian Yuan's palm, then grasped her hand and raised it—

The only way to leave the illusion is to destroy it.

Even Zhou Jinze in the illusion was unwilling to let Qian Yuan harm his dearest loved ones.

Therefore, Zhou Jinze, with Qian Yuan by his side, guided him to plunge the dagger into his own heart, like a romantic dance, like a final love song at the end of a curtain call.

Qianyuan opened her eyes in a state of confusion and infatuation.

But Zhou Jinze didn't give him a chance to distract himself.

Zhou Jinze has kissed every part of Qian Yuan's soul.

I love you, see you tomorrow.

Zhou Jinze's faint sigh disappeared, and the warmth in Qian Yuan's arms also left. Only then did he come to his senses and realize that he had left the illusion.

However, Shi Qianxi and Ilya are still being chased by the monsters in the illusion.

It can continuously amplify the cowardice and fear in people's hearts, and even though Ilya and his companions are invulnerable, they are still inevitably affected.

Just then, a pale white arm suddenly attacked from behind, piercing the monster's abdomen.

Then a dragon imbued with golden dragon energy soared in, swallowing clouds and spitting out mist, causing the opponent to be wounded by blades formed from wind and rain.