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When Dugu Yan left, the expression on her face was completely different from when she entered.
It was a sense of relief after shedding a thousand-pound burden, even with a hint of sudden enlightenment.
She didn't say much, only cast a complex look at the waiting Hu Liena. That look contained concern, encouragement, and a knowing 'it's your turn'.
Hu Liena took a deep breath. Her charming face showed no hesitation, only a determination akin to burning her bridges.
When Gu Yuena opened the Castle gate for the third time and nodded slightly to her, she almost immediately stepped inside, her pace firm and without the slightest hesitation.
Unlike the previous two's hesitation and silence, the moment Hu Liena stepped into the room, her gaze fixed firmly on the figure by the window.
Xuan Ming had just watched Dugu Yan leave. When he turned around, he saw Hu Liena, like a burning flame, charging straight at him.
No words, no probing.
Before Xuan Ming even had time to fully turn around and see the expression on her face, Hu Liena had already pounced on him.
She stretched out her hands, gripped the lapels of his clothes tightly, stood on her tiptoes, and with a fervent intensity that had been suppressed for too long, almost despairing, she fiercely kissed his lips.
"Mm!"
This kiss was devoid of skill, only pure, brutal invasion and demand. Her lips were scorching hot, pressing hard against his cold ones, as if she wanted to convey all her five years of suppression, all her longing, all her unwillingness and pain, entirely to him through this kiss.
Xuan Ming's body stiffened for a moment, a trace of astonishment flashing in his ice-blue eyes. He could clearly feel the slight trembling of her body, and the torrent of emotions like a bursting dam between her lips and teeth.
Since the Soul Master Competition five years ago, that night in the Heaven Dou City hotel, after her clumsy yet bold first kiss, too many things had come between them—three years of life-and-death struggle and deliberate estrangement in Slaughter City, his almost self-destructive insane trials on Sea God Island, and her powerlessness to do anything but watch... She could only watch him hover on the brink of death, watch his back grow more distant, and watch more and more people gather around him.
She cultivated like a madwoman, desperately pushing her potential, not to surpass anyone, but merely to be a little closer to him, just a little closer, even if she could only share a tiny bit of his pressure.
This love had long taken root in her heart, grown, intertwined, and penetrated deep into her bones.
The so-called fourth trial, for her, never required hesitation.
As early as the night she absorbed the Nine-tailed Fox Heart Lotus and glimpsed her teacher Bibi Dong's equally hidden and fervent emotions, she had already made up her mind.
She loved him.
She didn't need him to reciprocate, didn't need his promises, and didn't even need him to understand.
She just loved him.
This love was her own choice, her motivation to live, her reason for existence.
Even if she could only cling to him like a shadow, she would never leave him for a single step.
Where he was, she would be. Whether it was Heaven or Hell, she was determined to follow him!
This kiss was long and suffocating.
It wasn't until Hu Liena felt the air in her lungs almost completely drained that she suddenly released him, staggered back a step, and gasped for breath. Her cheeks were flushed, her lips fuller and redder from the force of the kiss, and in her charming fox eyes, an undisguised, almost obsessive love and determination burned.
She looked directly into Xuan Ming's deep, calm, yet seemingly stirred ice-blue eyes. Her voice, hoarse from excitement and lack of oxygen, was clear and resonant, every word distinct:
"Xuan Ming, listen to me carefully!"
"I love you!"
"Not dependence, not gratitude, and not some damned camaraderie! It's a woman's love for a man!"
"I don't need you to respond now, nor do I need you to promise anything! You can continue to play dumb, you can continue to bear your responsibilities and shackles!"
"But you can forget about shaking me off!"
Her chest heaved violently, but her eyes shone astonishingly bright, like the most stubborn star in the night sky.
"Where you are, I will be. This life, next life, for all eternity, I am with you! If you want to become a God, I will accompany you to the God Realm! If you want to destroy the World, I will hand you the knife! If there's something you want to protect, I will protect it for you even if it costs me my life!"
"This is my answer!"
After she finished speaking, she no longer looked at him, as if she had used all her strength, suddenly turned, and almost ran out of the room.
The door slammed shut behind her, cutting off the inside from the outside.
Hu Liena leaned against the cold outer wall of the Castle, gasping for air. Tears finally streamed uncontrollably from her eyes, but a relieved, tear-filled, brilliant smile curved on her lips.
She had said it.
She had finally said everything that had been suppressed in her heart for five years!
Inside the room, Xuan Ming still stood in place, the hot and resolute touch seemingly lingering on his lips. He raised his hand, his fingertips gently touching his lower lip. In the depths of his ice-blue eyes, the perpetually frozen lake seemed to have a red-hot branding iron dropped into it, stirring up ripples that were difficult to calm.
He gazed at the closed door, remaining motionless for a long time... As the first ray of dawn pierced the horizon, painting the Ice Crystal Castle with a faint golden glow, this long night's conversation finally drew to a close.
After Hu Liena, Ning Rongrong, Zhu Zhuqing, and Ye Lingling also entered the room one by one.
Ning Rongrong shed her usual pampered demeanor and told Xuan Ming in an unprecedentedly serious tone that the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile School could exist without her, but she could not be without this "home" where he was.
Zhu Zhuqing's words were still concise, but carried the persistence of a Hell Civet locking onto its prey: "I'm with you."
Ye Lingling, with her gentle yet firm healing power, silently expressed her determination to use the power of the Nine Heart Begonia to forever heal his wounds.
They all gave their answers and received Xuan Ming's silent yet clear response—he did not reject anyone's closeness.
Finally, only Shui Bing'er and Huo Wu were left on the beach.
The two of them exchanged glances, seeing the complexity in each other's eyes. Unlike Ning Rongrong and Zhu Zhuqing, their bond with Xuan Ming was not deep.
In the Heaven Dou Empire, their impression of him was more of that astonishingly talented yet ruthless opponent in the Soul Master Competition, an unapproachable powerhouse to be looked up to.
That feeling was more like a maiden's admiration for a hero, an aspiration for the Peak.
Until they came to Sea God Island.
In these past few years, they had witnessed firsthand how he struggled on the brink of death time and again, how he bore unimaginable burdens, and how he grew stronger in an almost masochistic way.
They saw beneath his cold exterior, his almost obsessive adherence to promises, and his silent protection of those around him.
Only then did they gradually understand why Ning Rongrong would say that Xuan Ming was like a succubus.
Initially, one would be drawn to his powerful strength and extraordinary talent, like moths to the hottest flame.
But once one
Chapter 396 Hu Liena's Answer
When Dugu Yan left, the expression on her face was completely different from when she entered.
It was a sense of relief after shedding a thousand-pound burden, even with a hint of sudden enlightenment.
She didn't say much, only cast a complex look at the waiting Hu Liena. That look contained concern, encouragement, and a knowing 'it's your turn'.
Hu Liena took a deep breath. Her charming face showed no hesitation, only a determination akin to burning her bridges.
When Gu Yuena opened the Castle gate for the third time and nodded slightly to her, she almost immediately stepped inside, her pace firm and without the slightest hesitation.
Unlike the previous two's hesitation and silence, the moment Hu Liena stepped into the room, her gaze fixed firmly on the figure by the window.
Xuan Ming had just watched Dugu Yan leave. When he turned around, he saw Hu Liena, like a burning flame, charging straight at him.
No words, no probing.
Before Xuan Ming even had time to fully turn around and see the expression on her face, Hu Liena had already pounced on him.
She stretched out her hands, gripped the lapels of his clothes tightly, stood on her tiptoes, and with a fervent intensity that had been suppressed for too long, almost despairing, she fiercely kissed his lips.
"Mm!"
This kiss was devoid of skill, only pure, brutal invasion and demand. Her lips were scorching hot, pressing hard against his cold ones, as if she wanted to convey all her five years of suppression, all her longing, all her unwillingness and pain, entirely to him through this kiss.
Xuan Ming's body stiffened for a moment, a trace of astonishment flashing in his ice-blue eyes. He could clearly feel the slight trembling of her body, and the torrent of emotions like a bursting dam between her lips and teeth.
Since the Soul Master Competition five years ago, that night in the Heaven Dou City hotel, after her clumsy yet bold first kiss, too many things had come between them—three years of life-and-death struggle and deliberate estrangement in Slaughter City, his almost self-destructive insane trials on Sea God Island, and her powerlessness to do anything but watch... She could only watch him hover on the brink of death, watch his back grow more distant, and watch more and more people gather around him.
She cultivated like a madwoman, desperately pushing her potential, not to surpass anyone, but merely to be a little closer to him, just a little closer, even if she could only share a tiny bit of his pressure.
This love had long taken root in her heart, grown, intertwined, and penetrated deep into her bones.
The so-called fourth trial, for her, never required hesitation.
As early as the night she absorbed the Nine-tailed Fox Heart Lotus and glimpsed her teacher Bibi Dong's equally hidden and fervent emotions, she had already made up her mind.
She loved him.
She didn't need him to reciprocate, didn't need his promises, and didn't even need him to understand.
She just loved him.
This love was her own choice, her motivation to live, her reason for existence.
Even if she could only cling to him like a shadow, she would never leave him for a single step.
Where he was, she would be. Whether it was Heaven or Hell, she was determined to follow him!
This kiss was long and suffocating.
It wasn't until Hu Liena felt the air in her lungs almost completely drained that she suddenly released him, staggered back a step, and gasped for breath. Her cheeks were flushed, her lips fuller and redder from the force of the kiss, and in her charming fox eyes, an undisguised, almost obsessive love and determination burned.
She looked directly into Xuan Ming's deep, calm, yet seemingly stirred ice-blue eyes. Her voice, hoarse from excitement and lack of oxygen, was clear and resonant, every word distinct:
"Xuan Ming, listen to me carefully!"
"I love you!"
"Not dependence, not gratitude, and not some damned camaraderie! It's a woman's love for a man!"
"I don't need you to respond now, nor do I need you to promise anything! You can continue to play dumb, you can continue to bear your responsibilities and shackles!"
"But you can forget about shaking me off!"
Her chest heaved violently, but her eyes shone astonishingly bright, like the most stubborn star in the night sky.
"Where you are, I will be. This life, next life, for all eternity, I am with you! If you want to become a God, I will accompany you to the God Realm! If you want to destroy the World, I will hand you the knife! If there's something you want to protect, I will protect it for you even if it costs me my life!"
"This is my answer!"
After she finished speaking, she no longer looked at him, as if she had used all her strength, suddenly turned, and almost ran out of the room.
The door slammed shut behind her, cutting off the inside from the outside.
Hu Liena leaned against the cold outer wall of the Castle, gasping for air. Tears finally streamed uncontrollably from her eyes, but a relieved, tear-filled, brilliant smile curved on her lips.
She had said it.
She had finally said everything that had been suppressed in her heart for five years!
Inside the room, Xuan Ming still stood in place, the hot and resolute touch seemingly lingering on his lips. He raised his hand, his fingertips gently touching his lower lip. In the depths of his ice-blue eyes, the perpetually frozen lake seemed to have a red-hot branding iron dropped into it, stirring up ripples that were difficult to calm.
He gazed at the closed door, remaining motionless for a long time... As the first ray of dawn pierced the horizon, painting the Ice Crystal Castle with a faint golden glow, this long night's conversation finally drew to a close.
After Hu Liena, Ning Rongrong, Zhu Zhuqing, and Ye Lingling also entered the room one by one.
Ning Rongrong shed her usual pampered demeanor and told Xuan Ming in an unprecedentedly serious tone that the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile School could exist without her, but she could not be without this "home" where he was.
Zhu Zhuqing's words were still concise, but carried the persistence of a Hell Civet locking onto its prey: "I'm with you."
Ye Lingling, with her gentle yet firm healing power, silently expressed her determination to use the power of the Nine Heart Begonia to forever heal his wounds.
They all gave their answers and received Xuan Ming's silent yet clear response—he did not reject anyone's closeness.
Finally, only Shui Bing'er and Huo Wu were left on the beach.
The two of them exchanged glances, seeing the complexity in each other's eyes. Unlike Ning Rongrong and Zhu Zhuqing, their bond with Xuan Ming was not deep.
In the Heaven Dou Empire, their impression of him was more of that astonishingly talented yet ruthless opponent in the Soul Master Competition, an unapproachable powerhouse to be looked up to.
That feeling was more like a maiden's admiration for a hero, an aspiration for the Peak.
Until they came to Sea God Island.
In these past few years, they had witnessed firsthand how he struggled on the brink of death time and again, how he bore unimaginable burdens, and how he grew stronger in an almost masochistic way.
They saw beneath his cold exterior, his almost obsessive adherence to promises, and his silent protection of those around him.
Only then did they gradually understand why Ning Rongrong would say that Xuan Ming was like a succubus.
Initially, one would be drawn to his powerful strength and extraordinary talent, like moths to the hottest flame.
But once one got close and truly understood him, one would be infected by the insane obsession and heavy sense of responsibility deep within him, falling deeply into it, unable to extricate oneself.
He was like a bottle of potent liquor, known to be poisonous yet willingly consumed. Once one tasted that burning sensation in the lungs, everything else in the World became bland water.
Between them and him, there was no life-saving grace, no warmth of years of companionship, and hardly any memories of being alone. If one had to speak of affection, it was pitifully shallow.
But...
got close and truly understood him, one would be infected by the insane obsession and heavy sense of responsibility deep within him, falling deeply into it, unable to extricate oneself.
He was like a bottle of potent liquor, known to be poisonous yet willingly consumed. Once one tasted that burning sensation in the lungs, everything else in the World became bland water.
Between them and him, there was no life-saving grace, no warmth of years of companionship, and hardly any memories of being alone. If one had to speak of affection, it was pitifully shallow.
But...