Extra 2: Its Name
The tidal roar of the Starry Sea is the most constant background sound in this world, like the steady breathing of this newborn universe. In the courtyard, the Stardust Magnolia blooms and fades, fades and blooms again, repeating over and over again, each bloom taking a slightly different form, as if it were slowly evolving with the world.
Yinglong sat by the window, holding a "book" condensed from divine consciousness. Flowing across it were records of the birth and evolution of some of the natural spirits of this new world. These were not his deliberate creations, but rather the natural product of the laws of heaven. For him, observing them was a way to understand this world and his current existence.
He sat on the low couch across from her, his eyes slightly closed, not in deep sleep, but in a deeper state of "being." His consciousness might be encompassing every corner of the new world, sorting out its subtle laws, or perhaps he was simply "emptying his mind." At such times, the awe-inspiring majesty of the heavenly way around him would be minimized, leaving only an unfathomable tranquility.
Yinglong's gaze moved away from the book and fell on his calm profile.
Her long, dark hair was casually spread out, making her perfect yet lifeless face look less cold. She suddenly realized a problem that she had ignored for a long time.
What should I call him?
The name "Ao Guang" belonged to the Dragon King who had waited for a thousand years at the bottom of the East China Sea, lost in despair before the Jade Pool. That being, in a sense, had already "died," having, in the final battle with the old Celestial Emperor, become the cornerstone of this new heaven, along with the old Heavenly Court.
The existence before him was a fusion of Ao Guang's dragon soul essence, her war god blood, the laws of the Mysterious Armor of Annihilation, the primordial water, and even the entire authority of the old heaven... a brand new, supreme individual.
He is no longer Ao Guang.
But if he is not Ao Guang, then who is he?
New Heavenly Emperor? Lord? Or... simply "Heavenly Dao"?
These titles seemed to be separated by an invisible barrier, unable to touch the core beneath the calm appearance that she could vaguely sense, which belonged to "him" rather than "it".
Perhaps because her gaze lingered on him for too long, he slowly opened his eyes. His left eye, desolate, and his right eye, chaotic, looked at her with a hint of inquiry.
"What's wrong?" His voice broke the silence in the room, like the tapping of jade.
Yinglong hesitated for a moment, then asked, "What should I call you?"
He was visibly stunned.
The question of a name seemed to have never entered his mind. Since the reconstruction was completed and he took power, he was the sole will of this world, the root of all things. He was "Heaven", "Tao", so why did he need a specific name?
He looked at her, and the look in her eyes was not one of awe or alienation, but rather a kind of...confusion of confirmation and closeness.
Silence stretched between the two of them, with only the sound of the waves of the Starry Sea gently lapping against the rocks on the shore.
After a long moment, he finally spoke, his voice carrying a rare, almost measured tone: "The title... is meaningless."
"I know." Yinglong said softly, "But... there must be a name."
She didn't need a title that would shock the three realms. She just needed a name that belonged exclusively to "him" that she could call out when they were alone.
He fell silent again, his gaze cast out the window at the boundless sea of stars, as if searching for answers among those fading stars and the flowing chaos. His fingertips unconsciously tapped lightly on the edge of the couch, making a barely audible sound.
Yinglong didn't urge her, but waited patiently. She knew that this question might be even more "strange" to him than reshaping earth, water, fire, and wind.
Finally, he withdrew his gaze and looked at her again. Something seemed to settle in those empty eyes and become clear.
"A name is the anchor of existence, the starting point of cause and effect." He spoke slowly, as if stating a law, or perhaps sorting out his own understanding. "The old name 'Ao Guang', carrying the obsessions of the past, has passed away with the old world."
He paused, his eyes meeting hers. There was no longer the coldness of the law in his eyes, but her reflection, extremely clear.
"This body was born because of you, and this world exists because of you."
"If you need one..."
His voice was low and steady, yet it carried a certainty that was more solemn than the oath of heaven.
"Just call me 'Guixu'."
Guixu.
Legend has it that this is the end of the wilderness, where all rivers converge, and the place where everything ends and is born. Nirvana and chaos, endings and beginnings, are all contained within it.
It's not a name, it's more of a description of his nature.
Yinglong repeated these two words silently in his heart.
Guixu.
It encompasses the source of his power and also implicitly corresponds to the cause and effect between them that began with destruction and ended with rebirth.
She raised her eyes, looked into his deep eyes, and nodded gently.
"Okay." She replied, "Return to the Ruins."
When she pronounced the name, she saw that the corners of his lips, which usually had no expression, seemed to twitch slightly, almost imperceptibly.
It wasn't a smile, but it expressed more clearly than any other smile... recognition and peace.
He said no more, closed his eyes again, and returned to the deep tranquility.
But Yinglong knew that something was different.
From then on, on this eternal sea of stars, when the wind chimes rang, when the chess pieces were placed, when she wanted to call him, there was a title that belonged only to them, carrying all the past and future.
Guixu.
Its name is Guixu, and its meaning is... belong to her.
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