Chapter 73 Happiness
Back to reality
Darkness, like a piece of silk soaked in ink, enveloped Yun Zhan from head to toe.
She looked up but couldn't see her fingertips; she looked down but couldn't see the top of her shoes.
The world was stripped of all light, leaving only the cold tide beneath my feet, creeping over my ankles inch by inch, like countless ice needles drilling into my bones.
She took a deep breath, the cold air rushing straight into her lungs through her nasal cavity, instantly stripping away the last bit of warmth from her chest.
I had to walk very lightly, but each time I landed, it still made a soft "crack" sound, like stepping on broken ice or crushing a bone.
In the darkness, a breeze brushed against my ear, its sound sticky and lingering:
"...Someone else has come to keep us company..."
"...You transmigrators are perfect for being used as tonics, hahaha..."
The whispers piled up in layers, like rusty iron scraping against glass, the final syllables drilling into the cochlea, swirling and amplifying in the brain.
Yun Zhan gritted his teeth and silently counted down the time.
1100 seconds, 1200 seconds...
Half an hour passed, and the darkness still showed no end, nor any sign of improvement.
She tried to quicken her pace, but was tripped by unseen ice shards and stumbled. Her palms touched the ground, and she was immediately cut by ice shards, blood gushing out and instantly freezing into tiny red beads that rolled into the darkness, swallowed even by their echoes.
The chill began to gnaw at his will.
She suddenly wondered, "Was the first step wrong? Is the path of light the only way to survival?"
The moment the thought crossed her mind, a sudden surge of cold air rose beneath her feet, instantly reaching above her knees, as if countless cold hands were grabbing her and trying to drag her into an abyss.
Yun Zhan staggered backward, but his back slammed into the ice wall, blocking his escape route.
Darkness rushed in, enveloping my mouth and nose; my breath turned into white mist, which I then inhaled back; my chest began to freeze.
"Looks like I made the wrong choice. Am I going to die here?"
Fear washed over her like a tide, rising layer by layer to her throat, and for the first time, she felt despair.
There was no time, no space, and no dimension here. She felt neither hunger nor weariness, only cold, boundless fear, and loneliness.
There is no light, and no hope...
Yun Zhan leaned against the damp, cold wall. She wanted to shout, but her throat was frozen solid, and she could only make broken, breathy sounds.
My steps grew heavier and heavier, as if I were filled with lead. Each time I lifted my feet, it felt like ice needles were tearing at my bones.
The darkness continued to stretch endlessly, with no light ahead, no end in sight, and no echo of a heartbeat.
Only her breath grew weaker and weaker, like the last embers forgotten by the world.
Yun Zhan closed his eyes, his eyelashes frosted with a fine layer of frost, still silently repeating in his heart: "Don't give up, just one more step... just one more step..."
Yun Zhan's eyelashes were covered with fine frost, and each blink tore at his skin, but suddenly Bai Jichen's low, gentle voice rang in his ears.
"It's because we have some kind of connection."
The voice was like snow falling on a jade plate, carrying a hint of nonchalant pity: "Do you want to say something last?"
Yun Zhan remained silent for a moment, then nodded very slightly.
She could no longer open her eyes; a chill crept up her veins to her heart, and even her jaw was shivering from the cold.
Bai Jichen asked, "Who do you want to talk to?"
In the darkness, three faces flashed through her mind.
Wen Sixue kneeling on the blood-stained steps, and Pei Yanxi who bought her roses, were finally frozen in time under a cold, clear moon: Shi Mingyue clutched her coat, her eyes red as she stood by the lake, her shadow stretched long and lonely.
"Shi Mingyue," Yun Zhan answered softly, his voice broken by the shards of ice, yet extremely firm.
Illusion
The night, like a smooth silk ribbon, gently covered the backyard.
Shi Mingyue held Yun Zhan's hand as they strolled leisurely in the backyard.
They're already married... Every time Shi Mingyue thinks of this, she can't help but smile.
Moonlight filtered through the wisteria trellis, sifting down like scattered silver fragments, falling at their feet.
Yun Zhan wore a plain-colored nightgown, the cuffs of which were lifted by the night breeze before gently falling back down. She held hands with Shi Mingyue, their palms dry and warm, their fingers interlocked.
Shi Mingyue wore a snow-white nightgown. She leaned against Yun Zhan's arm, her hair brushing against his collarbone, carrying a faint fragrance after her bath.
Shi Mingyue smiled, her eyes filled with stars, her steps as light as a cat's, occasionally tiptoeing to sniff the late-blooming jasmine on the trellis.
Yun Zhan suddenly froze.
It felt like ice needles piercing his spine and into his soul; his pupils constricted sharply, and a barely perceptible layer of red rose in his eyes.
In reality, "she" was forcibly placed into an illusion by Bai Jichen, who then took over her warm body.
Unaware of what was happening, Shi Mingyue continued to chatter, "Baby, shall we go see the flowers together tomorrow? Wenyuan said the crabapple blossoms in the backyard are in bloom, and... Grandma said she's coming over the day after tomorrow, should we prepare something?"
Yun Zhan lowered his eyes, his gaze falling on the two people's intertwined hands, where the veins on the back of their fingers were faintly visible.
She took a deep breath, her voice low and hoarse, yet filled with a smile, a smile like a flower battered by frost, barely maintaining its shape, its fragrance tinged with bitterness.
"Honey, do you remember what you said to me when I came to your house a long time ago?"
Shi Mingyue lifted her head from her embrace, blinked, and asked with clear eyes, "I've told you too much already. Which sentence are you referring to?"
Yun Zhan curled his lips into an increasingly unnatural smile, as if it were about to shatter at any moment.
You told me to wish you happiness.
Yun Zhan paused, and after a long pause, he continued speaking, his voice so soft it almost dissipated in the night breeze: "Shi Mingyue, I now... wish you happiness for the rest of your life and good health for your family."
As soon as the words were spoken, the night wind suddenly stopped, the vines and leaves ceased swaying, and even the moonlight seemed to freeze.
Shi Mingyue froze for a moment, then suddenly sat up straight, her pupils shrinking, her voice trembling: "What...what are you saying? Aren't we already married? Of course we'll be happy!"
Shi Mingyue looked frightened. Suddenly, she thought of something and hurriedly reached into her pocket. The small pebble, warmed by her body heat, rolled into her palm. The dark blue light was now extinguished as if by ice water, leaving only a dark and cold glare.
The color drained from Shi Mingyue's face in an instant.
"You're lying to me...it's fake." Her voice was hoarse, her fingertips trembling. "You didn't come back at all..."
A pebble slipped through her fingers and landed on the bluestone slab with a crisp sound, like a string finally snapping.
Yun Zhan stood still, the moonlight in the illusion was still gentle, but it made her figure look thin and transparent.
...
As his last wisp of consciousness was about to fade, Yun Zhan suddenly smiled softly. The smile was very faint, but it carried a satisfied curve: being able to touch the warmth of Shi Mingyue's fingers again and be able to personally send her blessings was enough.
I'm sorry... Shi Mingyue, until the very end, I never said "I like you".
Just as darkness was about to close in, a sharp "crack" rang out. Shi Mingyue's obsession with Yun Zhan shattered the illusion, and a beam of white light split open in the palace dome.
"Yun Zhan!" Shi Mingyue cried out, her voice trembling with sobs, echoing countless times within the Ice Palace.
"Don't sleep! Stand up! That woman is lying to you. You haven't gone the wrong way. The road has an end, and I'm right ahead!"
The darkness was cleaved open by that sound.
Yun Zhan's fingertips twitched. Was she hallucinating?
Even on his deathbed, he could still hear Shi Mingyue's voice.
But the sound pierced through the cold wave once again, clearly penetrating the eardrums.
"Don't sleep, I beg you... Keep going! I can't enter your path, I can only wait for you ahead!"
The chill still seeped into my bones, but a surge of heat exploded from my chest.
"Shi Mingyue? Is it really you?"
Yun Zhan gritted his teeth, gripped the ice wall with his fingers, and propped up his broken body inch by inch.
Her joints cracked under the strain, and she staggered to her feet, her voice hoarse but firm: "Shi Mingyue... I like you. I'm sorry for saying it so late."
"I was so slow to realize, I shouldn't have let you down..."
"If I could get out of here, I would like to marry you."
In the distance, Shi Mingyue's tears instantly rolled down her cheeks. She nodded heavily, her voice trembling with a sob, yet tinged with a smile: "I understand! Hang in there, we'll go home together!"
Yun Zhan took a deep breath and dragged his heavy steps forward.
The darkness was like a sticky swamp, each step draining her of her last strength; but whenever her knees were about to give way, Shi Mingyue's voice would pierce through the cold and reach her side.
"Just one more step! I'm right in front of you!"
"Honey, don't be afraid, I'm here!"
"There's still a little way to go, I'll wait for you! Just hang in there a little longer..."
One step, one sound; one sound, one step.
The darkness was torn apart by this persistent call, the icy ground began to crack, and faint light seeped out from the cracks.
Yun Zhan's breathing grew shallower and shallower, but his eyes grew brighter and brighter, a light given by the people on the other side of the river.
Finally, a white gate of light appeared at the end.
At the door, Shi Mingyue opened her arms, her tear stains still wet, but her eyes were filled with burning anticipation.
Yun Zhan used his last bit of strength to rush over, his body falling heavily into that familiar embrace, carrying both the chill of ice shards and the burning heat of surviving a catastrophe.
She cried for the first time, her tears falling on Shi Mingyue's shoulder like rain after a long drought, urgent and scalding.
After crying for a while, Yun Zhan choked out, "You... how did you end up here?"
Shi Mingyue knelt on the ground, holding the person tightly, her fingertips trembling as she brushed against the cold cheek, her voice low and choked with sobs: "Of course I've come to take my wife home."
Yun Zhan nuzzled against her neck, his voice soft and tearful: "I'm sorry... I was really scared. I thought I would die here and never see you again."
"Silly girl." Shi Mingyue lowered her head and kissed the top of her head, tears falling between their clasped fingers.
"On our wedding night, you promised to grow old with me. How could I possibly let you leave alone?"
The darkness slowly closed behind us, and the portal of light gradually closed in.
The two, embracing tightly, were lifted up by the soft white light, like the last snowflake of spring being held up, finally falling into a warm palm.
Let's go home. The road ahead is long, but we're already by each other's side.
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