Chapter 94 The precious thing is the flower that blooms for him.
As the leader of the cult, Hua Deng would never be seduced by beauty.
Even as their foreheads touched and their consciousnesses merged, Hua Deng remained steadfast in her belief.
She had absolutely no other intentions; she simply wanted to regain her memories.
The contact of their consciousnesses was like two pools of water merging together. This feeling was vaguely familiar. His primordial spirit was very gentle, softly touching him without making any further moves.
This made Hua Deng lower her guard and enjoy the feeling. Fragments of memories flashed before her eyes like fleeting shadows: she saw him wearing a mask, him bending down to lift her skirt, and how they had traveled to many places, seen the icy plains of the North and the sunset over the East Sea.
When the streetlights snapped out of their reverie, they realized the situation was already a bit dire.
Her clothes were unknowingly pressed down beneath her, their skin touching without reservation, and his arms wrapped around her tightly, making her tremble uncontrollably.
When he sensed that she was trying to escape, he slowly tightened his grip on her arm, and then his spirit chased after her, completely engulfing her.
Hua Deng: "...!"
She couldn't remember what their previous spiritual connection was like, and thought that what happened just now was normal. Now she realized that what happened just now was at most him teasing her, and this time it was a real spiritual connection.
She was swept away by the tide, and when his kiss landed, she didn't even have the strength to lift a finger.
Or perhaps she didn't want to stop him.
Reason told her to refuse, but her body and mind seemed to have already accepted it, letting him do whatever he wanted.
His kisses meandered downwards, growing deeper and deeper, until Hua Deng's calves were held in his hands, her toes tensing.
"Don't lick...don't bite...you're being insolent..."
"presumptuous?"
He tilted his head slightly and kissed the skin on her thigh, leaving it damp.
Sensing the change in her, he smiled and said, "This is how I used to serve the cult leader."
Hua Deng: "Nonsense..."
Shen Zhou: "If you insist on making me do this, there's nothing I can do."
Hua Deng: "Shut up!"
How could that be? She wouldn't...
Seeing that he was about to continue, she simply used her cultivation to press him down instead.
In her memory, he seemed stronger than he is now. Hua Deng wasn't sure if his current strength was real or not, but that didn't stop her from wanting to do it.
He watched her figure looming over him, raising an eyebrow slightly, showing no intention of resisting: "So this is what the leader likes now."
Hua Deng didn't understand what he was talking about; she was focused on binding him.
Then I heard him say with a smile, "Okay, you can come."
Hua Deng: "..."
She belatedly realized what she was doing and blushed deeply: "I didn't mean to do that!"
Shen Zhou grabbed her hand and asked again, "Are you sure you don't want to?"
He was clearly pinned down by her, powerless to resist, and should rightfully submit to her.
But those eyes, those eyes were so unrestrained, so full of intense aggression, that wherever his gaze swept, it felt like being burned.
Hua Deng shook his head: "Wait a minute, I haven't remembered yet!"
Shen Zhou grabbed her hand and pressed it down: "Do you remember now?"
The sensation in Hua Deng's palm made her feel terrible.
“I miss you so much, Hua Deng,” he said.
The title and the phrase made Hua Deng pause for a moment.
So much so that when he leaned in, she didn't push him away immediately.
This indulgence was like a signal; as he kissed her, he also took possession of her body.
Hua Deng's body tensed for a moment, and a few sobs escaped from her lips. The sobs gradually changed, forming a broken tone.
But he was still not satisfied. He knew everything about her too well and could easily find her vulnerabilities, plundering her insatiably.
"No... Chen Zhou..."
"Why not? Don't you love it when I touch you here?"
"I don't……"
Before he finished speaking, the force suddenly increased, and Hua Deng's mind went blank for a few seconds before she gripped him tightly.
“I clearly like it very much,” he said. “You’re not being honest, Master.”
Perhaps it was the overwhelming impact of tonight that brought back so many memories.
Those vivid, heartwarming scenes had deceived her. Now she finally remembered that this man wasn't always gentle; he enjoyed seeing her expressions different from her usual ones and often teased her in a brazen and malicious way.
She thought angrily, "How did I ever fall for this jerk in the first place?"
But in the dim light of the night, when she met his eyes, she suddenly felt it wasn't strange anymore.
After all, he was so infatuated with her.
This idea didn't last long, shattering with Shen Zhou's increasingly reckless behavior.
"You...stop!" she cried out.
But Chen Zhou said, "Don't be afraid, this is how we've always been."
Did he... did he used to put this kind of thing in there before?
The icy touch made her involuntarily tilt her head back; the thing, along with his warmth, filled the space. Hua Deng trembled, clutching his arm and sobbing, "Really?"
Shen Zhou did not answer the question. He used his primordial spirit to open her sea of consciousness and said, "I'll help you remember."
"Don't……!"
Shen Zhou brushed the hair from her face and lowered his head to kiss away her tears, but even so, he still did not restrain himself.
In the past, if he had gone too far, Hua Deng would definitely have kicked him out of bed.
But now, she can't quite remember it. No matter what he does, she convinces herself to accept it. When she can't bear it anymore, she looks at him and calls his name, looking pitiful because she's been overstimulated.
"Alas... Chen Zhou..."
He sighed and comforted her tenderly, "Alright, I'll let you off the hook today."
Hua Deng couldn't speak and fell asleep in his arms.
Whether it was because he was extremely tired or for some other reason, Hua Deng slept very well that night.
Ziyang Palace has been quiet lately, and all its subordinate sects are unusually well-behaved, including its leader, Hua Deng, who has nothing to do.
She began to get used to keeping Shen Zhou by her side, and in order to regain her memories, she even tolerated his many acts of spiritual communication.
The more memories she regained, the more she realized just how badly she had been deceived!
"When did I force you!" She glared at Chen Zhou, furious, and almost threw the howling pillow in her arms as a weapon.
Sensing the danger, Pillow jumped to the ground and fled in a flash.
Chen Zhou leaned against the couch by the window, lazily raising his arm to block the book she threw at him: "You don't have it? Then I can't remember."
The streetlights also threw the plush toys over.
"You lied to me last night too! When did I ever agree to you doing that? I said no!"
"You said you liked it last night."
"That's because you forced me to..."
Seeing his mocking look, Hua Deng shut up and threw the last cushion at him.
"Shen Zhou! You're so annoying!"
Shen Zhou was hit squarely and laughed loudly while lying on the couch.
Hua Deng was both annoyed and amused.
She used to think he was in no hurry at all, and that he didn't want her to remember. Now she understood; he just felt it was fine this way, and whether she remembered or not didn't affect their being together.
Now that she's thinking about more things, he is indeed happy.
Those memories are no longer his alone; there are others in this world who, through endless cycles of reincarnation, remember his existence and every little detail of their acquaintance.
After some time, whenever Hua Deng thought of something, Chen Zhou would be severely beaten.
That day, they lay on the bed, snuggling together. Suddenly, Hua Deng lowered her head and bit his shoulder hard, her tears falling with hers.
She bit down so hard, harder than she had ever done before, as if she hated him so much that she had to bite off a piece of flesh to vent her anger.
Shen Zhou knew that she had seen something again.
The streetlights were indeed visible.
She saw torrential rain pouring down, and the clouds burning like a sea of fire.
Camellias bloomed in abundance across Kyushu, their fragrance mingling with the terrified cries of the people and the gentle breeze—a time of both apocalypse and rebirth.
That day, she stood on a cloud, wanting to embrace him but not daring to, for he was already scarred and seemed about to vanish at any moment.
The sunlight broke through the clouds, and she faced the light, seeing her reflection in his eyes, her face streaked with tears, crying and shouting something, as if she had completely collapsed.
Hua Deng bit his shoulder until it bled, then slowly released his grip, saying in a hoarse voice, "Back then, you caused me pain."
She stroked his face, murmuring in bewilderment, "How dare you cause me pain?"
Chen Zhou stared at her for a moment in the darkness, then said, "It's my fault."
He took her hand and gently closed his eyes: "Forgive me, Hua Deng."
Hua Deng burst into tears, her head hitting his chest. After a long while, she shook her head.
"It's not entirely your fault."
You caused me pain, but you also gave me over a decade of happiness.
Looking back on those six years, Hua Deng now realizes how terribly wrong she was. She knew her life was coming to an end, yet she naively thought he was completely unaware.
However, he knew everything: every day they spent together was a countdown to the end of her life, and the same was true for him.
They shared a bed and slept side by side, accompanying each other day and night, yet each harbored their own secrets, and their emotions weren't always mutually understood. If they had been honest with each other sooner, would they have been happier during those six years?
But dwelling on these things is pointless now.
Hua Deng hugged him tightly and said, "Don't go anymore. As long as you don't leave, I will forgive you."
When you fall in love for the first time, there will always be things that don't go as planned. But as long as they stay together, they can overcome all difficulties and make their hearts one.
As long as they are together.
As always, Shen Zhou would not refuse any of her requests: "I agree."
Hua Deng nodded sullenly, then after a while, suddenly realized something was wrong and abruptly looked up: "How did you get back? What are you now?"
She initially mistook him for a ghost, but he clearly wasn't. If that's the case, why didn't he have the aura of a living person, nor a heartbeat?
“This is one of the fragments of my soul,” Shen Zhou said.
Hua Deng's pupils trembled slightly: "Then you..."
"In the East China Sea."
East Sea Heavenly Jade.
His soul was completely shattered before his death, and the Heavenly Jade was the only option to rebuild it.
Hua Deng calmed down a bit and asked, "What will be the consequences of letting the fragments of the divine soul leave the East Sea?"
Shen Zhou looked at her and replied, "I can't keep you waiting."
Hua Deng suddenly grabbed his collar: "I'm willing to wait! But if you dare to hurt yourself again, I will never forgive you!"
Shen Zhou was silent for a moment, then stroked the corner of her eye: "Okay."
“Go back, Shen Zhou. I can wait for you, for as many years as you want.”
"good."
At the last moment, he covered her eyes.
Don't look.
When the streetlights closed their eyes and opened them again, there was no one in sight.
This time, she didn't see him disappear.
She got up and stepped into the moonlight, suddenly realizing that she could not bear the cold and desolate room.
She conjured the Blazing Sky Sword and said, "Take me to him."
She had been to the East China Sea twice before, and this was her third time.
The Qilin Prison was dark and deep, with only a faint glimmer of light. She walked towards that light and saw a white jade coffin, radiating a chill, lying quietly in a simple wooden hut.
The streetlights illuminated the scene, and the footsteps came to a halt.
She remembered the coffin; when she returned after being away for seven days, she found him had placed her in it.
"This is……"
"Heavenly Jade".
Jinze's voice answered her.
"I guessed it was you as soon as I saw the barrier being opened, and I didn't expect it to actually be you," he said. "Do you remember everything now?"
"...most of it." Hua Deng turned back. "You've always remembered?"
"Yes, he told me to protect you well."
Hua Deng didn't ask any more questions. Her mind was now focused on Shen Zhou, who was lying in the coffin, so quiet, so quiet that he didn't seem like himself anymore.
She walked to the white jade coffin, knelt down on one knee, rested her head on the edge of the coffin, and asked in a low voice, "Has he always been like this all these years?"
Jinze said, "Yes. He preserved his soul using an array and reshaped his physical body using the Northern Plains Limitless Wood, so he did not completely disappear."
The array that repaired the soul and the Wuji Wood that reshaped the body—these methods used to revive Xue Zifei ultimately ended up being used on himself.
Hua Deng asked, "Will it hurt?"
Jinze: "...I don't know."
Hua Deng said dimly, "That means yes."
For the past ten years, he has not been unaware and waiting to awaken; he has been trapped in darkness, enduring countless painful experiences of his body and soul being shattered and reassembled.
Much later, the streetlights looked up and asked, "How long will it take for his soul to recover?"
Jinze opened his mouth, but chose to tell the truth: "Several hundred years, or thousands of years."
Hua Deng didn't react much; she only asked, "How can I help him?"
Jinze shook his head: "He should have a way, but he didn't tell me."
Hua Deng nodded and said, "You can go back now."
Jinze glanced at her a few times, then left in response.
The lanterns remained lit; time had no meaning in the Qilin Prison, and she had no idea how long she had stayed with Chen Zhou.
Shen Zhou should have known that she was there, but he had promised her that he would no longer damage her soul, so he had not separated the fragments of her soul.
One day, Hua Deng realized that she had become a little stronger, only to remember that the shackles on her soul were still there, and she had forgotten to remove this power.
Looking back, she finally understood why she had rejected this power for ten years. It wasn't hers; it was something everyone dreamed of, and it was also the source of her nightmares.
As usual, she tried to suppress the absorption of magic power, but then she suddenly realized something.
She almost jumped up instantly, waving her trembling hands at Lie Tian, and returned to that snow-white secret room.
This power was left to her by Shen Zhou. He could protect her with the Soul Lock, so she could use this power to repair his soul!
Fortunately, all the past efforts were not in vain.
She gathered the seeds of strength accumulated through years of perseverance and flew back to the East China Sea.
As she stood before Shen Zhou, bending down to implant the seed into his soul, she suddenly froze, tears falling onto his cheeks.
This power originated from him, so he must know best how to repair his own soul.
He didn't say anything.
Ten years later, one day, Hua Deng looked at his calm face, which seemed to be just sleeping, and belatedly glimpsed the thoughts in his heart.
He didn't say it because he wanted her to think it through herself.
If she loves him more than this power, then he will return to her.
If she desires power more than she loves him, then he will remain here, enduring centuries of suffering.
If she doesn't like this world, Lie Tian will take her away, and when he awakens one day, he will go after her.
The most precious thing he left her was not the perfect script of those ten years, nor the destructive power within the shackles.
Rather, it was the right to choose that he had never had before, and therefore wanted her to have.
Hua Deng touched his face, tears falling drop by drop, and whispered helplessly, "Fool, of course I want you back."
Without further hesitation, she planted the seed between his eyebrows.
She raised her hand to form a hand seal and cast a spell, causing the seed to take root in his soul and transform into thorns that entangled his spirit.
"These are the shackles you gave me, and now I'm returning them to you."
Amidst tears, the city lights revealed a smile.
Soon, very soon they will be able to truly meet.
By then, she will have completely stripped away her power, the thorns will no longer exist, and a flower will bloom in his soul.
A flower that belongs to her.
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