Extra six

Zhan Yunwei regained her breath and hurriedly picked up the things she had bought and dealt with the body of the Black-armored Guard.

Fortunately, the snow was heavy, so it didn't take much effort to clean everything up thoroughly.

Given the current state of Yue Zhi Heng, she knew she couldn't escape with him, nor could they flee to the human realm. They were left with no choice but to stay in this place, taking each step as it came.

She returned with some dry food, glanced at Yue Zhi Heng sitting by the fire. His cold and indifferent nature made it hard to read his thoughts, but now, he was a truly孤家寡人 (lonely soul), with no refuge in the world. It was almost worse than the years she had endured.

Strangely enough, the most peaceful time she had in the past eight years since the fall of the Immortal Sect was during those three years when she was imprisoned in Yue's manor. At first, she hadn't realized it, but now, she was somewhat embarrassed by this realization.

"Eat something," she said as she handed him food. Yue Zhi Heng's time in the snow had exhausted him, and the slight improvement in his condition from the medicine she had given him earlier had been undone. She wasn't sure where Yue Zhi Heng had found the strength to drag his injured body so far.

In the past, when she had fed him, she hadn't thought much of it, but now, knowing his feelings, she couldn't help but feel embarrassed and uncomfortable.

Yue Zhi Heng was much more composed. His expression hadn't changed since coming back from the snow.

For several days, Yue Zhi Heng focused on healing his injuries. The snow continued to fall, likely affected by the battle between him and the Spirit Emperor. In the past century, the Spirit Domain hadn't been this cold. No wonder everyone was cursing him.

Zhan Yunwei asked, "How is the Spirit Emperor now?"

"Severely injured, his energy is greatly damaged. It will take him a century to recover."

Zhan Yunwei was somewhat surprised. She hadn't expected the Spirit Emperor to be so badly hurt. Over the next hundred years, the situation was uncertain, and perhaps the Immortal Sect might have a chance to overthrow the Spirit Emperor.

"How did you... suddenly betray the Spirit Emperor?"

He stared out the window at the snow, not answering her. He couldn't see anything, but his eyes were still strikingly beautiful, sharp and cold as they reflected the snow outside.

Yue Zhi Heng didn't want to explain.

If Zhan Yunwei knew the reason, she wouldn't have abandoned him before his death. But Yue Zhi Heng, with his prideful nature, would rather die painfully than let her stay out of sympathy or some foolish shared ideal.

He didn't care for the pity she offered.

In fact, Yue Zhi Heng had been thinking these past days about why she hadn't left yet.

The joke was over, the things were obtained. What else did she want?

Did she have to wait until he was utterly humiliated, with not a shred of dignity left, before she would leave satisfied?

The more he thought about it, the uglier his expression became.

In fact, Zhan Yunwei was also uncomfortable these past days.

Firstly, she couldn't help but recall the three years in his manor, the time that had once been unpleasant, and even maddening at times, now seemed to take on a different flavor.

Take the matter of having to sleep on the same couch, for example.

Yue Zhi Heng had really no way around it, or was it intentional? When he held her wrist and mocked her with that cold tone, did he have other thoughts in his mind?

No wonder when Pei Yujing came to save her, Yue Zhi Heng had been so ruthless.

Thinking back on it... many details now seemed suspicious.

Secondly, what bothered her more was the awkwardness in her current interactions with Yue Zhi Heng. Feeding him was one thing, but brushing against him... she would rather avoid that if possible. Zhan Yunwei's solution was to buy some cinnabar; if necessary, she could draw a talisman to solve the problem.

But the issue that had troubled her from the start—the matter of using the restroom—came up again in the past few days with an unexpected twist.

In truth, Yue Zhi Heng was easy to take care of. His cold nature meant he rarely spoke, and when he wasn't talking, he remained aloof and silent. He could endure pain and discomfort and didn't have any special demands about food or clothing. He was an easy patient to care for.

However, with the freezing weather and the pervasive sinister energy, even strong cultivators were prone to be affected by evil energy or succumb to illness in such conditions. And Yue Zhi Heng was no exception.

When he didn't know who she was, Zhan Yunwei had been irritated when she had to remove his trousers, but there had been no real barrier in her heart. Now that he knew who she was, and with his feelings for her, things had become awkward. She couldn't help but be conflicted.

Over the past two days, Yue Zhi Heng had alternated between periods of unconsciousness and wakefulness.

In the morning, Zhan Yunwei helped him to the restroom. The knot she had tied in his waistband the previous day had become a tight dead knot.

Standing outside, she shivered for a while, her hands frozen stiff, leaning him against the wall, she squatted in front of him, but still couldn't untie the knot.

The sight before her was something she shouldn't be looking at. The more she struggled to untie it, the more nervous she became.

If it had been before, their relationship wouldn't have been so awkward, but now... she was near tears.

"Wait, it'll be done soon."

She glanced up, and Yue Zhi Heng's face was pale and looked terrible. How could she explain that she wasn't trying to make fun of him?

Yue Zhi Heng's lips were pressed tightly together.

When she finally managed to untie the knot and get his trousers off, she saw something unbelievable. Something... had woken up in front of her.

It raised its head and gave her a greeting, visibly changing.

"..."

He gritted his teeth and said, "Let go."

She hurriedly released her hand, and Yue Zhi Heng fell into the snow, groaning in pain.

That day, neither of them spoke to each other.

Now, Yue Zhi Heng hated her, and hated himself even more. He could speak and hide his emotions, but some things were separate from reason.

Zhan Yunwei buried her head in the blankets.

This scene undeniably overlapped with the dream, repeating that which both of them desperately avoided—their hidden feelings.

The next day, she tried to brush past the incident seriously: "The current situation is not good. If this continues, you won't survive the winter. How can I save you?"

Yue Zhi Heng didn't want to talk about it. After a long silence, he coldly replied, "Since you've obtained the Longevity Herb, why still try to save me? I don't need your help."

Zhan Yunwei pouted secretly.

Fine, this time, the words seemed somewhat credible.

She hadn't thought about lying to him, but aside from his strange attitude towards her, Yue Zhi Heng had always been shrewd and calculating, and she wouldn't be able to deceive him.

"Someone told me that you can create the Wheel of Time and Space."

His expression was indifferent as he replied, "Did you believe it?"

Zhan Yunwei had no choice but to believe it. She looked at him with hope, "Can you, Yue Zhi Heng?"

Yue Zhi Heng coldly responded, "No."

In the end, it was all about exploitation.

She didn't even leave him with that last bit of time to walk alone. The little dignity he had left was shattered by her.

Zhan Yunwei knew full well why Yue Zhi Heng was angry. Honestly, if someone tried to exploit her when she was near death, she wouldn't feel any better either.

In the eight years since the fall of the Immortal Sect, this moment made her feel more like the villain who had been bullying him.

But she desperately wanted the Wheel of Time and Space. Not just for herself, or for the Immortal Sect, but for all those who had died over the years in the chaos of war.

Including the mute girl, and the innocent people of the Yue family. Perhaps they all deserved a second chance.

"Why are you so certain it can't be done?"

Yue Zhi Heng raised his eyes, his cold, deep gaze fixed on her.

"The Wheel of Time and Space... an item from ancient legend. Historical records say that only one divine-level weapon master ever touched the threshold of creating it. Do you know how long he took?"

Zhan Yunwei wasn't well-versed in crafting weapons. "How long?"

Yue Zhi Heng curled his lips mockingly. "One hundred and twenty years."

Even so, he still couldn't create it.

"Miss Zhan, you are greatly overestimating me. Are you crazy, or am I? Forget whether it can be created—do you think I can live much longer?"

Zhan Yunwei fell silent. In fact, she knew that Yue Zhi Heng's current condition—she didn't know why, but his vitality was fading away.

Even if the spiritual elixir was found, he wouldn't survive for more than a year.

One year. Even if Yue Zhi Heng was willing to cooperate with her in his confused state, creating the Wheel of Time and Space within that time would be nothing short of a miracle.

She lifted her eyes and gazed at the endless snow outside, unsure of where the way out was.

But she knew that Yue Zhi Heng wasn't lying to her. He had no need to deceive her in this regard.

That night, for the first time in a long while, she couldn't sleep, tossing and turning.

At dawn, she glanced at Yue Zhi Heng before leaving the ruined temple.

Yue Zhi Heng opened his eyes, his gaze hollow and empty.

She had finally left.

In truth, he didn't have any strong emotions. He wasn't sad, nor was he disappointed. He had never held any expectations for Zhan Yunwei as a man might for someone he loved.

Eight years ago, from the moment he took the Spirit Emperor's orders and married her, he had never hoped for any affection from her.

During those nights when they slept on the same bed, as long as he kept silent and avoided thinking about it, that was all he could have.

His life had been long, tiring, and dark. He had walked for so long that he couldn't continue any further.

When he lost his usefulness, it was only natural that Zhan Yunwei would leave. It was like five years ago when he saw the empty courtyard.

She had always been the kind of person who could leave without a word, without hesitation, in his fleeting life.

If he had any feelings left, it would be his fault for being heartbroken.

Fortunately, since he had no illusions about her, he didn't need to feel pitiful or degraded.

Water and food were not far off. His expression was cold and resolute, without a trace of self-destructive thoughts.

Zhan Yunwei had never stayed in his life. For a cultivator, in the short decades of his life, he had never received anything he didn't deserve.

Yue Zhi Heng touched the last trace of the lotus mark on his wrist. It was the only reason he was still alive.

He had his own path to walk. He ate, drank, and planned to rest for two days before leaving the ruined temple.

Once he removed the last lotus mark, even if he only had a breath left, he could find Yue Qingluo's remains and take her away from the dirty Spirit Domain.

Zhan Yunwei hurriedly went to Qiyang County.

When she returned and saw the ruined temple was empty, she was almost stunned.

In such heavy snow, with Yue Zhi Heng's severe injuries, where could he go? Where could he possibly go?

Then it struck her. Yue Zhi Heng didn't think she had left, did he?

But she hadn't intended to leave. The place wasn't far from Qiyang County. She had run out of medicine and planned to get some Longevity Herb.

She didn't explain before leaving. First, because she saw he was still asleep, it wasn't a good time to wake him. Second, when she initially got the Longevity Herb, it was for Pei Yujing. She was afraid that if she brought it up, Yue Zhi Heng would become more upset.

After all, there were times in the past when she had left without saying anything. She had been alone all these years, and with her past animosity with Yue Zhi Heng, she wasn't used to explaining everything to him.

She never expected that, in the blink of an eye, the person she had been trying so hard to save these past few days would disappear.

Instinctively, she felt anxious and worried.

She was afraid he might have encountered the Black-armored Guards, that his body might not be able to handle it, or that something bad had happened. At that moment, her concern had nothing to do with the Wheel of Time and Space.

Even though Yue Zhi Heng had become more unpleasant over time, she knew in her heart that he had silently watched over her for three years, even if he would never admit it.

Zhan Yunwei followed his trace in the snow, eventually catching up to him halfway up the mountain.

In the endless snow, he didn't know when he had regained his sight. Though his clothes were thin, his broad shoulders and narrow waist made him look like a cold, exiled immortal.

He was still the same Yue Zhi Heng, looking at her with that distant, indifferent gaze.

She ran up to him. "Can you see now?"

Snowflakes rested on his eyelashes as he raised his eyes coldly. "Mm."

"Where are you going?"

He didn't answer. He only said, "Don't follow me."

His tone was calm, almost chilling. After understanding his thoughts, Zhan Yunwei understood why he said that.

Don't follow him.

Don't come and go as you please. Once he lost his value, just leave him. Let him keep some last bit of dignity.

He was a human, not a heartless monster with no emotions.

Faced with his lover's ambivalence, love and hate intertwined, and being used over and over again, he wasn't incapable of getting angry.

Zhan Yunwei trembled and could only watch him walk away.

He didn't look back even once.

At midnight, Zhan Yunwei saw him staying at a farmer's house, and she perched on a tree, letting out a sigh.

Her past with Pei Yujing wasn't exactly sweet or overly affectionate. She truly had no experience in such matters.

She would risk her life to save Pei Yujing, and though Pei Yujing would often get angry and disappointed, she could feel when her senior brother was upset, yet she didn't know how to comfort him.

Perhaps this was the reason why Ming Xiu had always found ways to exploit her in the past.

No one had taught Yue Zhi Heng how to love a woman. No one had told him not to be cold and harsh, not to be ruthless.

Yet, no one had taught Zhan Yunwei how to handle love either.

The winter night in the Spirit Domain had no moon.

Her heart was heavy, almost able to feel the deathly aura growing stronger around Yue Zhi Heng. She didn't know what had happened, but she was sure of one thing:

She hadn't saved him.

She had come with the opposite intention of seeing him face a terrible fate, but at this moment, a feeling of discomfort grew in her heart.

Where was he going?

She knew he no longer had a home, and was even more miserable than she was. She still had her clan, but he was all alone.

The Longevity Herb in her hands was warm. Yue Zhi Heng hadn't lied to her. He never lied to her, except when it came to his feelings for her.

She couldn't help but wonder—should she try again at dawn to talk to him? Ask him what he wanted to do. Even if she couldn't save him, after all this time, and after what he did for the Immortal Sect, creating such a huge opportunity for them, she was willing to help him in whatever way she could.

She didn't know when she had fallen asleep.

In her dream, a woman wondered aloud, "Was I like this back then? It feels like I almost unintentionally hurt someone to death."

"You took my Wheel of Time and Space, and this is what you do?"

The voice was familiar. She was startled—was it Yue Zhi Heng?

"It's really my regret. Though I understand that in the vast world, there is no intersection, I still want to see what would have happened if I had walked a different path back then."

The sweet voice smiled at Zhan Yunwei. "Just comfort him. He's really easy to soothe, it'll only take a moment."

"I'm leaving now, but you can change everything. He can still be saved, don't give up, just like you shouldn't give up on Mountain Lord Father."

"Just comfort him, Yang Yang. Even if you lie to him, he won't hold it against you. Today's kindness will prevent him from making you regret it in the future."

Zhan Yunwei trembled, almost falling off the tree.

This time, the "other self" showed her even more. Many years later, they would live together on Changya Mountain.

She had been so good to him, even building the world's most magnificent weapon hall for him. She had never seen such a version of him before—putting away all the sharp thorns that could tear people apart, becoming a divine-level weapon master beyond anyone else.

He finally lived in the light, in the legends of others.

But he also needed a lot of love to become the person he would later be.

She half-understood, yet suddenly seemed to have some kind of breakthrough.

Now she knew how to save him. All she needed to do was go back to the old site of Changya Mountain and retrieve her sealed half-soul. That was the power of life, and it could heal the wounds caused by the ice lotus in Yue Zhi Heng's body.

But how could she heal his heart?

Comfort him? She looked at the door in front of her, paused for a moment, then gritted her teeth and pushed the door open.

Inside, he lay with his eyes closed.

Zhan Yunwei didn't know if he was asleep.

The voice seemed to still be urging her: Don't you want the Wheel of Time and Space? No matter if it's real or fake, just try to comfort him.

You're not afraid of dying, so why fear his love?

She looked at Yue Zhi Heng. He was lying with his eyes closed, his features hard and cold.

She wasn't very skilled at this. Hesitantly, she raised her hand to touch his face. His skin was cold, almost making her retract her hand.

Yue Zhi Heng could no longer tolerate it. He opened his eyes and grabbed her slender wrist. "Zhan Yunwei, what do you really want to do?"

"If you touch me again, do you believe I'll kill you?"

She wasn't very experienced. She knelt by his bed, feeling incredibly nervous. "I haven't done anything. I just wanted to apologize."

He stared at her coldly, as if wondering what kind of trick she was trying to pull, or if she was planning to humiliate him again.

But she quietly said, "I'm sorry, it's my fault. I shouldn't have left without saying anything, making you feel suspicious and uneasy. I didn't mean it. I went to Qiyang County just to bring back medicine and the Longevity Herb. I never thought of leaving you or abandoning you."

She carefully watched his expression.

Yue Zhi Heng stiffened his face, tightly pressing his lips together.

She continued, "I won't do this again. In the future, if I need to leave for something, I'll either go with you, or I'll tell you. Is that okay?"

In the winter night, in the farmer's house, there was no candlelight, just her bright eyes, like blazing fire.

Yue Zhi Heng found it absurd. Hearing the meaning behind her words, he remained silent for a long time before coldly saying, "There's no need."

She couldn't help but laugh softly. "Mm."

The hand that had been gripping hers tightened, then suddenly loosened.

But she grasped his hand back, imitating the woman in her dream, gently placing it on her face.

"Don't be angry, Yue Zhi Heng."

His fingers were cold, and as soon as they touched her, he wanted to pull them back. Zhan Yunwei, feeling cornered, had no choice but to go forward.

It didn't matter. She had seen it. He really could create the Wheel of Time and Space!

Yue Zhi Heng wanted to pull his hand back.

As he left the ruined temple, even if he had considered the possibility of death on the road, he never expected Zhan Yunwei to be like this.

He knew it was wrong, but when a person is about to die, if they could have such a dream...

Even if it was fake, even if what awaited him was humiliation, he couldn't resist.

He helplessly closed his eyes. The skin beneath his palm was warm and delicate.

"Zhan Yunwei, are you crazy?" he said coldly. "You know that I..."

Zhan Yunwei felt his cold, long fingers caress her face. "Yes, I know."

She let her cheek's temperature rise as his fingers gently moved across it. "You asked me earlier whether I wanted you dead or alive. I still want you alive. Tomorrow, we will go find something that can save your life."

He didn't ask her why she had changed her mind, nor did he ask what could save him.

He didn't pull his fingers away but coldly stared at her, tracing the contours of her face.

His fingertips were cold, and the movement was light, yet somehow, it was unbearably overwhelming.

She struggled to hold back, but eventually, she couldn't stop herself from glaring at him. "How long are you going to touch me?"

Yue Zhi Heng glanced at her, withdrew his hand, and then said something that nearly drove her mad.

"I can't make the Wheel of Time and Space."

"…" She hated smart people! Then why did he touch her for so long!?

Yue Zhi Heng turned his back to her. Outside the farmer's window, it was unclear when, but dawn had arrived.

Outside the Wheel of Time and Space, Zhan Yunwei held a small mirror, smiling.

A hand stretched out from behind her.

"Don't look."

"Tell me, if you had that expression back then, would you have been happy?"

Yue Zhi Heng remained silent.

However, the Mountain Lord in her arms, looking at the spring flowers all over the mountain, urged him, "Hurry up and say!"

"…Happy."

She couldn't help but curve her eyes in a smile.

She knew it. She knew that the person she was back then would succeed.

He had walked through a long darkness, spreading his scarred wings to protect the world she loved, enduring endless pain for years.

After that, every step she took towards him was destined to melt the snow and bloom the summer flowers.

Master Yue, you are not buried beneath the royal city's ground as a silent, forgotten white bone.

You are the embroidery on my heart.

When the snow melts next year, the mountains and rivers will bear witness.