CHAPTER 362: 0229 WHOSE DREAM (TWO-IN-ONE)_2

Shaking his head.

This is something for the future. At least for now, Xu Chang’an hasn’t shown any signs of being tired of her. On the contrary, he’s very clingy and dislikes even a brief separation.

——

On the path, Xu Chang’an drew nearer to Yun Qian, his smile becoming more evident. But as he passed through the path and took in the view of the Cold Spring and blue stones, he froze. Goosebumps rose on his skin, and his ears turned slightly red.

A faint fragrance drifted by; the afternoon sun reflected off the snow, instantly filling Xu Chang’an’s senses. Accompanied by the warm breeze, he saw a beautiful scene.

In the corner, there were Mei Hua.

Thousands of Mei Hua smile on the branches, white snow falling gracefully by the flowers, contrasting beautifully, charming like a lovely maiden.

He saw that Yun Qian was no longer soaking in the Cold Spring. Instead, she had somehow obtained a bamboo chair and was lazily lying on it, staring at the sky in a daze.

Just as before, just as expected.

"Miss, aren’t you afraid of catching a cold?"

Xu Chang’an covered his face, then walked over and gently draped a towel over Yun Qian, concealing the beautiful scene comparable to spring in March.

The lady truly isn’t shy about others.

But since the island originally only had the two of them, there was indeed no need to be shy.

"Feeling a bit tired." Yun Qian yawned, noticing Xu Chang’an’s slightly hurried breaths. She thought... absence truly makes the heart grow fonder; he wasn’t as calm as before.

"Very tired, what should I do?" Yun Qian lay on the bamboo chair and gently turned over.

Xu Chang’an’s eyelid twitched, then he tucked the corners of the towel and said helplessly, "Miss, now that I look at it, this place is where the island’s Spiritual Qi concentrates, with warm springs and cold springs, warm in winter and cool in summer. To feel tired here... I really don’t know what to do."

"Is it that good?" Yun Qian responded, picking up a small pebble by the chair and gently tossing it into the nearby Cold Spring, causing slight ripples.

Amid the ripples, Yun Qian gestured for Xu Chang’an to come over.

"Miss?" Xu Chang’an was confused by Yun Qian’s actions.

"Come over and see if you can see clearly."

"?"

Xu Chang’an walked over, he could only see his own reflection shattered by the ripples and said, "Can’t see clearly."

"In dreams, the people you meet always have unclear faces." Yun Qian said, "So it’s you I met."

"Miss, are you saying this is your dream, not mine?" Xu Chang’an was stunned, and in silence, he realized once again that this was indeed his dream—nothing could escape Miss Yun’s eyes.

From the start, Yun Qian was trying to make him feel like he was the dreamer, to let down... his guard and follow his heart.

"You can clearly see my face, but not your own." Yun Qian said.

"Whether it’s a dream or not, I could never forget your face." Xu Chang’an said calmly.

Yun Qian blinked, about to speak, but Xu Chang’an interrupted her by stepping back, "Miss, this isn’t just sweet talk, I’m absolutely serious."

"I understand." Yun Qian responded, her intended words scattered like the surface ripple, her heartbeat quickening, momentarily unable to piece them back together.

High offense and low defense appear thus.

"That said, tossing a pebble to disrupt the Water Mirror so I can’t see my own face..." Xu Chang’an smirked, "Miss isn’t the kind of person to use little tricks like that; you’ve shown a flaw in this dream."

"Really?" Yun Qian thought deeply.

Xu Chang’an: "..."

Lies.

At this moment, he felt that Yun Qian hadn’t shown a single flaw in front of him. Everything about her was exactly like Yun Qian, a hundred percent real.

"By the way, Miss, weren’t you hurt earlier?" Xu Chang’an asked. These warm stones were very slippery; he often fell accidentally.

"Injured?" Yun Qian’s long eyelashes trembled, turning away: "I... I wasn’t hurt, I was careful."

"Really?" Xu Chang’an’s eyes narrowed slightly.

"Didn’t fall." Yun Qian nodded.

She was injured, but not falling was also true.

Unrelated to Miss Guan Yun.

Xu Chang’an: "..."

See, even this adorable little insecurity mirrors Miss Guan Yun exactly, making it impossible for Xu Chang’an to find flaws in her?

Clearly exactly alike.

Therefore...

Xu Chang’an looked at the still unsettled spring water, his thoughts becoming more chaotic.

Zhuangzi dreams of butterflies in confusion.

If this is Yun Qian’s dream, then the lady being incredibly real makes sense, doesn’t it?

Am I the fake one?

Yet how to understand the thought that he himself might be the dreamer made Xu Chang’an feel immensely curious.

At this moment, Xu Chang’an realized the lady truly was a remarkable person. He had been drawn in, starting to doubt his own existence’s reality—

After all, he was unwilling to doubt Yun Qian, preferring to doubt himself, which was quite reasonable.

Since the springs bubbled slowly from the stone cracks, evaporating into mist, just standing here felt warm... Yun Qian felt more drowsy. She stretched languidly and softly said, "Let’s go back."

"Go back? Where to?" Xu Chang’an said instinctively.

"To see you." Yun Qian got up from the bamboo chair, walked to Xu Chang’an, and they gazed at each other for a moment. Then the lady gently embraced him and whispered in his ear, "I’m very tired, what should I do?"

She’d already asked once, this being the second time.

Yet warm springs are naturally a place to resolve tiredness; is there any better place than this?

Xu Chang’an felt the lady’s breath fall on his shoulder and said with resignation, "Miss, I’m not clever, you tell me what to do."

"When I’m exhausted, you carry me away." Yun Qian said calmly.

His embrace was more refreshing than the springs.

Yun Qian, like a blade emerging from its sheath, fearlessly stabbed the steel edge into Xu Chang’an’s heart.

Who knows why, for things that were once routine, now stirred his heart so.

If the lady was tired, he’d carry her, such was the natural order.

Xu Chang’an gazed at Yun Qian’s lowered ponytail, reached out to rake a strand of her long hair, and cleared his throat: "...Alright, let’s head back."

"Mm."

As she nestled into his embrace, Yun Qian naturally wrapped her arms around Xu Chang’an’s neck.

Her fatigue was genuine; just the sight of him filled her with a languid air.

Yet... leaning against her husband’s shoulder, the breeze falling upon her brow, where was the sleepiness?

The lady seemed a gentle cat, as soft as the clouds above.

Xu Chang’an lowered his head, observing the smile on the lady’s face, and sighed: "Weren’t you saying you were sleepy?"

"Not sleepy now." Yun Qian stated matter-of-factly, then surprisingly reached into the void to fetch a piece of candied fruit and placed it in her mouth.

To Xu Chang’an, this way of realizing wishes was something he taught Yun Qian. Speechless, he didn’t know what to say.

"Miss, am I a power bank?"

"What’s that?"

"Nothing at all." Xu Chang’an’s voice carried Yun Qian outward. While passing the warm spring, his steps faltered for a moment.

Honestly, the stones here were very slippery; if he accidentally fell with the lady into the water, that would be bad...

Hmm?

Actually, that doesn’t sound so bad.

"What a pity." Xu Chang’an sighed.

If he hadn’t undergone cultivation, he would’ve fallen without a care, but now... he couldn’t bring himself to deliberately take the lady underwater.

Yun Qian could hear Xu Chang’an’s heartbeat.

She was very pleased.

Because he never disappoints, showing just after their reunion that undeniable fervor.

Is this what absence makes the heart grow fonder means?

Indeed very effective.

Yet it hasn’t reached a temperature capable of burning her out completely, which requires effort.

Still, Yun Qian was delighted when Xu Chang’an suddenly paused by the water, halted for a moment, and took a deep breath.

"Miss, here... whose dream is it, yours or mine?"

"..." Yun Qian blinked.

Should she respond to such a matter?