Chapter 10

#Because He Couldn’t Bear To

“Xie Xuanqing?” Xia Xia called his name, bouncing over.

I stared at the receding figure of Xie Zhuo on the slope. After a brief daze, irritation surged in me again.

What the hell! Dragged me out of bed at the crack of dawn to disturb Xie Xuanqing’s sleep, while he himself slept in like a pig and missed the perfect window to stop Xia Xia.

Useless teammate!

Xie Zhuo turned his head slightly, casting a glance at me.

I quickly covered my mouth, worried that he had somehow heard the curses I just muttered in my heart.

Xie Zhuo turned and walked toward Xia Xia.

I crouched at the bottom of the slope, praying that Xie Zhuo had brought all the stuff from yesterday and would smash those damn things to pieces right in front of her. As long as he did that, I guaranteed Xia Xia would be furious, wronged, and heartbroken!

With that kind of blow, even if she forgave him for love, as soon as he showed even the slightest coldness or verbal jab again, knowing myself, I would definitely stop short of stepping into marriage!

I had it all figured out. It was like I could already taste the satisfaction of returning five hundred years later with the Pangu Axe in hand.

But reality was…

Xie Zhuo walked up, and before he could say a word, I heard the rustle of robes and the two of them quickly walking off in another direction, leaving only Xia Xia’s cheerful voice behind—

“I thought about it last night, and I still have more I want to give you. Let’s go look around some more today, and then I’ll take you to meet my friends—they’re a riot…”

Xia Xia led Xie Zhuo away, disappearing into the distance.

The ache in my chest and the weakness in my limbs vanished instantly. I poked my head up from the slope—Snow Bamboo Grove was empty.

Xie Zhuo… just got pulled away like that?

Useless!

You couldn’t even smash a thing? Just smash it the moment you saw her! Why is this monster so slow and indecisive all of a sudden?

Looks like I can’t count on him. I’ll have to do this myself.

I hoisted a snow bamboo over my shoulder, puffed up with determination, and marched into the cave.

But when I got back inside, I saw Xie Xuanqing looking pale, clutching his chest and breathing heavily.

I tensed up instinctively. Dropping the snow bamboo, I knelt down beside him. “You…”

The moment I spoke, I realized—his reaction must’ve been triggered by sensing Xie Zhuo outside just now.

I watched him silently, filled with a mix of inexplicable worry and fear that he might grow suspicious or paranoid.

“What’s wrong with you?” I asked knowingly, keeping up the act.

Xie Xuanqing turned to glance at me, paused for a moment, then shook his head. “Just… sudden palpitations.”

I probed, “Is it because your injury hasn’t healed completely?”

He went silent.

And so did I. Panic started creeping in.

Xie Zhuo can cleave open time and space with the Pangu Axe—he’s that powerful. He couldn’t have just suddenly become that strong during the five hundred years we were married. So, he must’ve been that powerful all along and just kept it hidden from me.

He’s formidable and knowledgeable. He should be able to tell his current discomfort isn’t just because he hasn’t healed.

But then I thought…

It’s just some sudden discomfort. No matter how strong or smart he is, there’s no way he could guess that five hundred years later, he’d go insane enough to cleave time and space just to sever the bond between us, right?

After all…

At this point in time, this Xie Xuanqing is still the monster who would turn me down even if I confessed.

“You must’ve been badly hurt,” I led him on. “Who exactly hurt you?”

Honestly, even now I don’t know who it was that injured Xie Zhuo back then. I never thought he was that strong before…

But now that I think about it…

I froze.

A delayed realization hit me: I might’ve just asked a really important question.

If Xie Zhuo is that powerful, then what kind of heaven-defying enemy could possibly hurt him? Among all the immortals of Kunlun, even the Queen Mother of the West might not manage that…

A terrifyingly strong foe is lurking in the shadows…

I suddenly felt uneasy.

I studied Xie Xuanqing’s face, and sure enough, his expression darkened. He clutched his chest, deep in thought.

But a moment later, he seemed to sense my gaze and snapped out of his thoughts like I’d pulled him back.

He looked at me—at my anxious and worried expression—then lifted his hand and placed his fingertip at the corner of my lips, gently tugging upward. My lips curved involuntarily. He said:

“Don’t worry. Smile.”

Smile… those three words, so familiar.

Every time we argued, Xie Zhuo would say that to me. At first, I’d be caught off guard and unable to stay mad. Later, after he said it too many times, I became indifferent to both the gesture and the words.

But now, looking at his still-pale face, I forced a smile.

Seeing my smile, his gaze softened.

I steadied myself and truly let go of the worry. After all, we lived through five hundred years together and nothing happened—so that hidden enemy must’ve already been dealt with by Xie Zhuo.

Since that kind of enemy exists, I’ll just blame this bout of discomfort on them.

“Your injury clearly hasn’t healed.”

He tried to comfort me again. “It’s fine. I just need some rest.”

He thought I was worried about his body. In truth, I was worried he might catch on. And besides… I didn’t come here today to let him rest…

I opened my mouth, wanting to speak but hesitating.

I faltered—yet in that instant, I suddenly understood.

I understood why Xie Zhuo let himself get dragged around for eight streets yesterday. I understood why he didn’t smash those things in front of Xia Xia. I understood how such a powerful monster could so easily be pulled along by her rhythm—

Because he just… couldn’t bear to hurt her…

Because neither of us expected that after five hundred long years, we could still find again the tenderness and passion we once shared.

“Jiuxia,” Xie Xuanqing suddenly called my name. He pointed at the bamboo beside us. “Let’s make a bamboo flute together.”

He still cared about that…

I was silent for a long time, then finally let out a sigh of resignation. “No, you should rest first…”

Not wanting to disappoint me, he said, “I’m fine now.”

My heart stirred. I forced a cheerful smile, caring not only about his body, but also his mood. I was putting in the kind of effort I once thought was useless on him.

“Oh come on, it’s actually just that this bamboo’s no good. I didn’t find a good one today. Next time, come with me to pick one. If we’re going to make a flute, let’s make one that won’t ever break!”

Xie Xuanqing took it seriously. He nodded and promised, “Alright…”

And so…

I failed again.

I slumped, dragging my feet back to the courtyard in the snow bamboo forest. Xie Zhuo still hadn’t returned.

The moment I stepped into the room, I froze.

On the table, everything Xia Xia had given Xie Zhuo yesterday was neatly arranged, like a military formation. If a single item was missing, it would stand out immediately. My eyes swept over it and instantly noticed—among all the items, aside from the little yin-yang fish jade pendant that symbolized our bond, the only thing missing… was the small rattle with its clappers removed.

I finally figured out why Xie Zhuo was late this morning.

Turns out he was in the room picking and choosing, not knowing which one to smash!

Forget it…

I slumped into the chair, waiting for Xie Zhuo to come back.

Honestly, he doesn’t even need to report it. I can already guess—he definitely failed again today…

Just like me…