Chen Qingyuan was enjoying a delicious meal, as if he was on vacation in the death domain.

On one side, Murong Wenxi was meditating to heal her injuries. The pieces of spirit stone in front of her were being absorbed, their light dimming as they turned into ordinary stones.

A month later, Murong Wenxi’s injuries had greatly improved, so she temporarily stopped healing and opened her eyes to see Chen Qingyuan leaning against a stone with his eyes closed.

Seeing Chen Qingyuan so relaxed, Murong Wenxi felt inexplicably annoyed. She picked up a stone from the ground and threw it at Chen Qingyuan.

Crack!

The stone hit Chen Qingyuan’s leg, and he lazily glanced at Murong Wenxi. “What are you doing?”

“Nothing,” Murong Wenxi snorted. “Just don’t like the look of you.”

“Plenty of people don’t like me, you’re not the first.”

Chen Qingyuan didn’t care.

If he had been greatly affected by others’ words, Chen Qingyuan would probably have died of anger long ago and wouldn’t have lived to this day.

“I’m really curious, have you never suffered any setbacks in your life?” Murong Wenxi asked.

“If you don’t count special circumstances, then no.”

For a moment, Chen Qingyuan remembered the many resources he had given to Bai Xixue back then, and it was a real loss. Apart from that, Chen Qingyuan had never made a bad deal.

“What special circumstances? Tell me about it.”

Murong Wenxi was curious.

“Why should I tell you?” Chen Qingyuan rolled his eyes, then suddenly changed his tone and joked, “If you’re willing to pay a fee to hear my story, I might reluctantly chat with you.”

“Why are you acting like a rascal? How did the Mystic Azure Sect raise you?” Murong Wenxi asked.

Unable to leave here for a short time, Murong Wenxi was a little bored and wanted to know more about Chen Qingyuan’s past. After all, Chen Qingyuan used to be a very famous figure in the Northern Wilderness.

“Raised like a wild animal,” Chen Qingyuan answered truthfully.

“Are you a cow that’s been let loose?”

Hearing this, Murong Wenxi couldn’t help but laugh.

The two sat ten meters apart, facing each other. The fire in the stone cave had long since gone out, and a dark white spiritual pearl was floating in mid-air, illuminating every corner of the cave.

“If you’re free, just close your eyes and meditate. Don’t disturb my sleep.”

The spiritual pearl naturally belonged to Chen Qingyuan. He had forgotten where he had obtained the small object and didn’t care to remember.

“I won’t listen to you. What can you do to me?” Murong Wenxi pouted.

Suddenly, Chen Qingyuan stood up and walked slowly towards Murong Wenxi.

Seeing Chen Qingyuan approaching, Murong Wenxi instinctively leaned back and prepared to defend herself, her eyes sharp and her expression serious. “What do you want?”

Suddenly, Chen Qingyuan reached over Murong Wenxi and picked up a long, flat stone behind her. Then he returned to his original position, leaning his head against the stone in a very comfortable manner.

After lying down, Chen Qingyuan couldn’t help but mock, “What’s with the big reaction?”

“You…” Murong Wenxi was once again fooled by Chen Qingyuan. She thought he was going to do something to her, and she was so angry that her cheeks turned red and she was a little annoyed.

It was just a stone, couldn’t he have taken it from a distance? He had to make such a big fuss, it was definitely intentional.

“Let me remind you, even though I’m handsome and charming, don’t fall for me, or you’ll definitely be unlucky.”

As he said this, Chen Qingyuan turned to look at Murong Wenxi, raising an eyebrow and smiling.

“…” Murong Wenxi said angrily, “How can you be so narcissistic?”

“It’s a fact, and you can’t change it.”

Chen Qingyuan’s ears seemed to automatically filter out any sarcastic remarks and turn them into praise.

“Don’t worry, even if I fell in love with a pig, I wouldn’t have any thoughts about you.”

In Murong Wenxi’s words, Chen Qingyuan was not even as good as a pig.

“That’s good.” Chen Qingyuan didn’t care about the sarcastic words, and a faint smile remained on his lips.

“By the way, if you’re so charming, why did Bai Xixue leave you?” Suddenly, Murong Wenxi thought of this and used it as a way to counter Chen Qingyuan.

At the sound of this, the smile on Chen Qingyuan’s lips slowly disappeared, and his expression became somewhat complicated. After a long silence, he said, “It’s fate without destiny!”

“If she really loved you, even if something happened to you in the Sky Abyss, she shouldn’t have found a new love within a short hundred years. Perhaps, from the beginning, she didn’t admire you much, it was more about self-interest.”

Murong Wenxi had finally found a topic to deal with Chen Qingyuan and couldn’t stop now, so she continued to press on.”I know.” Chen Qingyuan slowly sat up, turning his head to lock eyes with Murong Wenxi, his gaze profound as if it came from the very end of the river of time, carrying an inscrutable sense of vicissitude.

In that moment of eye contact with Chen Qingyuan, Murong Wenxi felt as if her consciousness was dragged into a tumultuous river of yellow sand, somewhat blurred, her mood inexplicably heavy.

The mocking expression on Murong Wenxi’s face had disappeared at some point, replaced by a look of solemnity, curiosity, and confusion.

This was the first time she had seen another side of Chen Qingyuan, his eyes filled with stories, weathered by time. The Chen Qingyuan she knew was cheeky, extremely narcissistic, and somewhat crafty.

“Do you know why you still decided to become Dao Companions with her back then?”

At this moment, Chen Qingyuan seemed like a completely different person, making Murong Wenxi feel a sense of unfamiliarity.

“She looks a lot like someone from my past.” Chen Qingyuan turned his head to look at the sky outside the cave, dark and oppressive.

“A person from the past?” Curiosity sparkled in Murong Wenxi’s eyes.

“She’s the beauty of my dreams, so real, yet so illusory. Sometimes I let my thoughts wander, unsure if the experiences in my dreams ever truly existed.” Chen Qingyuan murmured.

“What are you talking about?”

Murong Wenxi was utterly confused.

“Do you believe in past and present lives?”

Chen Qingyuan suddenly asked very seriously.

“I do.” Murong Wenxi nodded: “Powerful figures with immense strength can live a second life, reincarnate, and cultivate anew. Such events are rare, but they are recorded in ancient texts. However, looking at you, you don’t seem like a reincarnation of a Powerful Figure! Don’t think about fooling me, that trick won’t work anymore.”

“If I were a reincarnation of a Powerful Figure, would I have ended up in such a state today?”

Chen Qingyuan said with self-deprecating humor.

“That’s true.” Murong Wenxi replied: “From what you’re saying, Bai Xixue looks a lot like the beauty from your past life, and that’s why you treat her so well?”

“Something like that.” Chen Qingyuan hesitated for a moment, then nodded: “It’s just a pity that they are ultimately not the same person, only similar in appearance. My karmic bond with Bai Xixue has already ended.”

Memories from the dream were like bubbles, easily shattered with a touch.

Chen Qingyuan didn’t dwell on these thoughts. When he first learned that Bai Xixue was to marry someone else, he didn’t feel much anger or sadness, but rather a strange sense of relief.

From the beginning, Chen Qingyuan should not have agreed to Bai Xixue. However, since he had made a promise, he intended to stick to it, even daring to offend the Red-Dressed Girl from the Sky Abyss Restricted Zone.

But in the end, it wasn’t Chen Qingyuan who didn’t hold on, it was Bai Xixue.

“I’m sorry.” Seeing Chen Qingyuan’s sorrowful appearance, Murong Wenxi expressed her apology.

“Apologies with just words have no sincerity. If you really feel sorry, give me something to show for it!”

Suddenly, Chen Qingyuan’s expression changed, his smile ambiguous.

“…” Murong Wenxi’s sympathy vanished in an instant, and she cursed inwardly: “Damned man.”