One day passed in the blink of an eye.
The following morning dawned silently, enveloped in a pale light that spread across the Frozen Cloud of Asgard like a thin veil. The snow continued to fall with steady gentleness, covering everything with a fresh, immaculate layer.
Feng Xue'er was alone by the wide crystalline window of the courtyard that had been given to her for that night, but she hadn't slept....
The first rays of dawn reflected in her blue eyes, but her gaze was distant, lost beyond the white landscape that stretched to the horizon. Her hands rested lightly on the ice sill, cold... but she didn't even notice.
The entire night had been consumed by thoughts that gave her no rest. She had only discovered the war between her empire and her Big Brother Yun's empire almost by accident. During a seemingly trivial conversation, when her husband mentioned that the Frozen Cloud of Asgard had deliberately spread rumors that Xia Qingyue had invaded the Tyrant Profound Realm, something she had never actually done completely. All of that was part of a deterrence strategy: creating the illusion of a powerful practitioner, strengthening their position and serving as a form of protection. Meanwhile, behind the scenes, the Frozen Cloud of Asgard offered indirect support in the conflict that had been dragging on for months between the Divine Phoenix Empire and the Blue Wind Empire....
He mentioned it to ask how the relationship was between the Frozen Cloud of Asgard and the Blue Wind Empire, which had asked them to do something....
But that simple conversation brought revelations that echoed within her like thunder.
The Divine Phoenix Empire at war with the Blue Wind Empire?
The home of her Big Brother Yun.
Discovering that situation brought all those memories flooding back. She wanted to feel like she was doing something for Yun Che, anything. Even if it was small. Even if no one noticed or if it didn't matter much since he was dead.
But now...
Her father had lied...
She closed her eyes tightly for a moment.
The weight of guilt tightened her chest.
If not for her husband's intervention, which had forced the Divine Phoenix Empire into submission and, as a consequence, prevented the war, everything would have followed a very different path. If he hadn't decided to act... How many lives would have been lost? How many people from the Blue Wind Empire... would have died?
The weight of those questions silently tightened her chest.
Her fingers contracted slightly on the ice.
"Big Brother Yun, I'm sorry..." She murmured softly.
But, unlike what she expected, pain and guilt weren't the only emotions that emerged from that situation. Along with them came a deep gratitude for her husband, who had taken responsibility for fixing everything.
It was she who had asked him to make her father compensate the Blue Wind Empire for all the losses. He replied that he would handle the matter personally and kept his word. He did all that for her, even knowing that the root of the problem involved another "man." A dead man, yes... but that didn't erase the fact.
He probably felt, at the very least, uncomfortable.
And she knew that.
She could be naive in many aspects, especially when it came to more subtle emotions, but that didn't mean she was foolish. In matters like this, she understood very well the weight behind her actions and what they cost....
Even more so considering what she had discovered the previous night, before all this war situation had been exposed to her. When her husband left them alone, she and her sister had a long, sincere conversation without reservations. It was there that she learned many things about relationships. She felt deeply moved upon discovering that Xia Qingyue, just like her, had also been inexperienced in those matters until recently.
In the last few days, however, her sister had gone through a true "intensive course," learning and maturing in that aspect, almost like a collective effort involving a good part of Asgard. The idea was absurd enough to draw from her a mix of shame and disbelief, but it also brought an unexpected sense of closeness. She wasn't alone in her insecurities.
And, as if that weren't surprising enough, Xia Qingyue also revealed that she knew her Big Brother Yun.
What an enormous coincidence!
The world suddenly seemed much smaller, and the threads of fate much more intertwined than she had ever imagined. But it also wasn't something really important that stayed in her mind, both because of the discovery of her entire situation and her feelings toward her husband.
He didn't need to do all that for her.
But he did.
For her.
The thoughts that had once been confused finally began to align. Thanks to the conversation with her sister, which helped her face and understand her own feelings, she could organize what had, until then, seemed like a tangle of emotions....
She had always had a pure and direct heart; her feelings were born from gratitude and the instinct of protection. What she felt for Yun Che had been intense and luminous, a youthful love intertwined with admiration for someone who had saved her and fought for her. It was natural that she had gotten confused. However, when thinking of him now, what remained was a gentle pain, tied to the past. A delicate longing, made of memories that no longer evoked as many feelings as before.
With Ren Zu, however, it was different.
He possessed the beauty of an immortal, a presence that seemed to transcend the ordinary. His gentleness was soft like the snow she so loved to feel falling upon her, while his strength was firm like a mountain, silent, absolute, conveying security instead of turbulence. When she thought of him, her heart didn't stir in disorder; on the contrary, it found calm. It was like being inside a peaceful dream, but one she never wanted to wake from....
She loved him.
And she wanted to spend her entire life by his side.
That's what she understood.....
She also knew exactly what she needed to do to make up for everything she had put him through, selfish decisions that hadn't thought of him at all. Let's say the reason for her decision taking shape was influenced by her sister, who had explained several things about her husband that she didn't know, including the fact that he sought the peak of the Primordial Chaos and his unique body, which made her make a decision. Still, as resolute as she was, she couldn't avoid the nervousness that tightened her chest. She was apprehensive... but equally determined.
Feng Xue'er took a deep breath.
The cold morning air entered her lungs like delicate blades, awakening her completely. Her eyes, previously lost in the snow, became firm. The hesitation that had accompanied her throughout the entire night was still there... but now it came accompanied by decision. She couldn't change the past. She couldn't erase the war that almost happened, nor her father's lies. But she could choose what to do from now on....
And she knew exactly what she wanted to do.
She slowly stepped away from the window and left the courtyard.
Her husband had his own palace on the mountain behind the Frozen Cloud of Asgard.
The mountain that the disciples had come to call the Mountain of the Elder Slayer of Divinities, because he had crushed powerful enemies like dust who were like divinities to ordinary people, saving the Frozen Cloud of Asgard when all seemed lost.
Feng Xue'er left the courtyard and crossed the icy corridors with hurried but still graceful steps. Some disciples who passed by greeted her with respect, and she responded with a light distracted nod, without slowing her pace.
When she left the main limits of Asgard, the cold wind enveloped her immediately.
The mountain rose behind the main palace, covered in eternal snow and enveloped in a tranquil and imposing aura.
Without hesitating, Feng Xue'er propelled herself lightly into the air.
Her body rose with natural elegance, her light robes rippling softly as she advanced toward the top.
As she approached, the mountain revealed its true form.
It wasn't imposing like the peaks in the surroundings of the Frozen Cloud of Asgard. On the contrary, it was relatively discreet, almost hidden behind the larger formations. From the frontal panorama of the sect, or even from its inner courtyards, the mountain was barely noticeable. Only when someone actually approached was it possible to perceive that there was something different there.
At the top rested a small palace.
It wasn't grandiose nor excessively ornamented. Its structure was simple and elegant, built in crystalline ice and white stone, with refined details that reflected the morning light like threads of silver. The curved roof accumulated a thin layer of freshly fallen snow, and ice lanterns hung under the eaves, exuding a soft and serene glow.
Feng Xue'er landed softly a few meters above the front courtyard, slowing down before touching the ground.
It was then that the main door of the small palace opened.
Ren Zu came out as if he had just awakened. He raised his arms above his head and stretched, the movements slow, relaxed, completely at ease. His black robes fell loosely over his body, his black hair that fell to the end of his back and his black pupils contrasting intensely with the white landscape around.
Feng Xue'er stood still, silently while various things passed through her mind.
Ren Zu noticed her almost at the same instant. His eyes slid to her with natural calm, without surprise, as if he already knew she would come.
"Xue'er?" His voice still carried the light, tranquil hoarseness of someone who had just woken up. "Up so early?"
Feng Xue'er blinked, realizing she was just standing there looking. Too quickly, she straightened her posture.
"I... I didn't sleep..." She replied in a low voice, walking a few steps forward.
Ren Zu observed her face for a few seconds before speaking.
"I've already resolved everything between the Divine Phoenix Empire and the Blue Wind Empire." His voice was calm and indifferent: "The war is over. The compensations have been defined. There's no more conflict."
He took a step closer, the cold wind lightly rippling his black robes.
"Don't blame yourself for something that's already passed. Thinking about it repeatedly won't change the past." His dark eyes rested directly on hers. "Today and tomorrow, rest. After that, we'll travel. I don't want you to carry this guilt with you...."
The words were simple. But for Feng Xue'er, they were like a flame ignited inside her chest. The warm feeling that arose was so intense that it almost made her lose her balance.
She shook her head quickly.
"I-it wasn't just because of that that I couldn't sleep..."
Her voice came out low, but determined.
Ren Zu raised an eyebrow, curious.
"Hm?"
Feng Xue'er hesitated.
The memories came like snowflakes falling softly: the first time she saw that white world by his side... the way he let her play, laughing while they threw snowballs... the slow dance, the first kiss together... the shared meal, she would never forget....
Her heart tightened.
She took a deep breath.
"When I saw the snow for the first time, a whitened world that I always dreamed of... it was by your side." Her voice trembled slightly. "When I played... when I danced... when I ate that meal... everything was with you."
She lightly squeezed her fingers against the fabric of her own robes.
"I thought all night... and finally understood."
Her face began to turn red.
Very red.
"I... I love you, Big Brother Ren." The words came out all at once, too quickly. "It's not gratitude... it's not admiration... it's not like it was with Yun Che..."
The blush spread to her ears.
"I want to spend my entire life by your side. I want... to give myself completely to you."
Now her face was as red as a ripe pepper.
Ren Zu was visibly surprised for a brief instant.
He hadn't expected something so direct, but considering how pure the girl before his eyes was, it ended up making sense. In fact, he had a rough idea of what was happening. He would probably need to thank Xia Qingyue later for helping dispel the brief confusion that lingered in Feng Xue'er's heart. Still, it was unexpected that she herself would come to him... with the clear intention of giving herself.
Just as he had fallen in love with the Little Demon Empress and with Xia Qingyue, he had also fallen in love with Feng Xue'er. Otherwise... he wouldn't have done any of that. She was like a small light on his path paved by darkness. Now he understood why such an old cliché, that of a demon falling in love with an angel, continued to repeat in the stories from his past life. It wasn't just cheap romanticization. It was because, deep down, a demon could never resist an angel's purity for long....
He approached slowly.
Feng Xue'er felt her heart race, but she didn't take a step back. She just became even more nervous, her fingers trembling slightly.
Ren Zu stopped one step away.
His eyes studied her with depth.
"Are you serious...?" He asked, his voice low, different from his usual tone.
Feng Xue'er swallowed hard.
And, even trembling, she nodded.
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