Chapter 114 p3
The Soul-Chasing Secret Art relied heavily on the Pearl; its damage had unknown consequences.
Could they still travel through time?
Surrounded by enemies, with no other escape route, Chi Lin kissed Lou Mi, a deep, desperate kiss. Lou Mi understood.
“No!” Lou Mi held on tight. “We promised, never to be parted!”
“I’ll protect Your Majesty until my soul dissipates.” Chi Lin smiled. “I kept my promise.”
Chi Lin pushed Lou Mi into the pond. Lou Mi felt an irresistible force pulling her downwards.
She struggled, but it was useless.
The sounds of battle faded as she sank deeper.
She woke up back in her own time. Perhaps the damaged Pearl had destabilized the abyss, pulling her back like a magnet.
Just before returning, she managed to grab her modern body, switching back.
But without Chi Lin’s blood, she couldn’t open the abyss.
She waited for Chi Lin all night, then the next day, and the next, but she didn’t return.
“You’re saying Little Lin can’t come back?” Lou Lixing was in disbelief.
“Shhh,” Peng Ziyuan pulled him aside. “Don’t let Mi Mi hear you. I asked her, but she wouldn’t say anything, it’s just my guess. Little Lin was so attached to her, they went together, only Mi Mi returned, so I think…”
Lou Lixing’s face was grim.
“We have to prepare for the worst.”
They thought Lou Mi would be devastated, but four days later, she returned to work, spending her days at the club, returning home late, checking every corner of the apartment, hoping to find Chi Lin.
A month passed, then two. In the third month, news broke of a new archaeological discovery related to Dayuan, extending its reign by 110 years.
Lou Mi, seeing the news, knew it was the result of their efforts.
Even if nothing lasted forever, they had to fight for the best outcome while they were still alive.
Lou Mi went out and bought a ring.
Xie Buyu and Fu Tu, visiting her at the club, saw her cheerful demeanor and were immediately suspicious.
“Sister Mi, where are you going?” Xie Buyu asked, sensing trouble.
“To buy a ring,” Lou Mi said, smiling.
“A ring? For whom?”
“Little Lin. We’re getting married.”
They were stunned into silence. Everyone knew Chi Lin had been gone for three months.
Lou Mi had been burying herself in work, but she clearly wasn’t happy.
Now, suddenly announcing her marriage… They couldn’t bear to think about it.
Lou Mi got in her car, and they followed: “Don’t do anything stupid!”
Fu Tu: “Can we even stop her if she tries something?”
“We can’t take her in a 2v1?”
“Remember her strength?”
Xie Buyu: “…We can knock her out, right? Quietly.”
Fu Tu: “HighTowerMiyuki never misses first blood. We’ll be the ones getting knocked out.”
Lou Mi, however, wasn’t suicidal. She bought a ring.
At the same jewelry store where Peng Ziyuan had bought their matching rings.
She knew Chi Lin’s ring size.
On her way home, she sent them a message:
“Stop following me, I’m fine. Go and be lovey-dovey. Save the date.”
“Huh?”
“For my wedding.”
Xie Buyu and Fu Tu exchanged glances.
“We should still follow her home.”
“Yes… just to be safe.”
Lou Mi went home. They waited outside for half an hour, then left.
Lou Lixing and Peng Ziyuan were home. They were surprised by Lou Mi’s cheerful demeanor.
They watched her silently.
She hummed as she checked the fridge, making sure there was fish.
Steamed fish for Little Lin when she returned.
And whiskey, her favorite.
Beef and vegetables too. And all the love letters she had written.
The previous ones had been ruined, she would make it up to her, double.
And flowers, how could she propose without flowers?
She ordered a large bouquet of hibiscuses and placed them by the bathtub.
She locked Chi Lin’s bedroom door; no interruptions.
She sat by the bathtub, waiting.
As soon as Little Lin returned, she would propose.
Then, fish, whiskey, and their wedding night.
This time, she wouldn’t wait, she wouldn’t forget.
Lou Mi waited, even though it seemed foolish.
She waited until midnight, then until dawn, but Chi Lin didn’t come.
She was numb with cold, still waiting.
Little Lin was late.
Lou Mi kicked the bathtub: “You abandoned me, and now you’re late for our wedding, how could you do this to me?”
The kick hurt her toe.
Sigh.
Lou Mi lay in the bathroom, watching the sunrise.
Was Little Lin punishing her for forgetting, for making her wait so long?
If she was angry, she should come and yell at her.
She had done it before, although it wasn’t very intimidating.
Lou Mi laughed, then started crying.
Little brat, did you really leave me?
You found me across lifetimes, in a world of billions, and now you’re not coming back?
Lou Mi cried herself to sleep. When she woke up, she was in Chi Lin’s bed, the blanket neatly tucked around her.
She sat up abruptly and rushed out, seeing a half-empty bottle of whiskey and a plate of finished steamed fish on the dining table.
Hibiscus petals were scattered everywhere.
She saw a figure practicing swordsmanship in the courtyard and, her heart pounding, walked towards it.
The figure’s back was unfamiliar.
Hearing her approach, the figure stopped and turned around.
A delicate oval face, deep-set eyes, a beautiful and refined appearance with a touch of ancient elegance, and the distinctive red moles under her eyes.
It was… Chi Lin, in her true form.
Lou Mi was speechless.
“Your Majesty is awake?” Chi Lin smiled and stepped forward, but Lou Mi instinctively took a step back.
“Your Majesty?”
Lou Mi rubbed her eyes, but Chi Lin was still there.
“How…”
Although Lou Mi had regained her past life memories, her present life memories were still dominant, the image of the high school student Chi Lin more familiar.
Seeing the Chi Lin from her past life before her, Lou Mi thought she was dreaming.
Chi Lin said: “The rebels have been defeated, Shangjing is safe. I followed Your Majesty’s instructions and passed the throne to the eldest princess. I should have returned last night, but the Blood Essence Pearl was damaged, and I couldn’t enter the abyss. I knew you were waiting, so I tried infusing it with more blood, and it seemed to stabilize, so I rushed back. But the abyss’s balance was still disrupted, I saw my original body, and yours, but I didn’t have time to switch, so I appeared here in this body. It seems I’ll have to wait three months to return to the abyss and switch back… Your Majesty? Your Majesty?”
Chi Lin had explained everything, but Lou Mi’s gaze was still unfocused.
“Did you carry me to bed last night?”
Chi Lin nodded, her eyes filled with longing, and took Lou Mi’s hand:
“I’m sorry for making you wait three months. I’m back, safe and sound. From now on, we’ll live in this era together.”
Lou Mi’s heart, which had been frozen, slowly thawed under Chi Lin’s warm smile.
Tears welled up in her eyes, but a sense of resentment lingered.
“What about you pushing me away at the last moment?” Lou Mi sighed and shook her head. “All those vows, completely worthless, you pushed me away without a second thought. I still remember our promise…”
She turned to go inside, but Chi Lin quickly followed:
“Are you angry with me, Your Majesty? I’m sorry, I had no choice. Were you hurt when you fell into the pond? Did you miss me?” Chi Lin’s voice was filled with emotion.
“Of course I missed you, but what’s the point, you pushed me away.” Lou Mi continued walking, and Chi Lin hugged her tightly:
“Don’t go… What can I do to make you forgive me? Punish me however you want, just don’t ignore me…”
Chi Lin’s words tumbled out, her voice choked with emotion.
She had promised herself not to cry, but seeing Her Majesty’s anger, her own inability to express herself properly, made her frantic.
Tears streamed down her face, and then she saw a ring.
Chi Lin: “?”
“Then marry me.” Lou Mi’s expression softened, and she suddenly tackled Chi Lin, knocking her to the ground.
“Careful!” Chi Lin, ever the skilled warrior, controlled their fall, ensuring they landed safely on the carpet.
“Your Majesty, that was reckless, are you hurt?”
“I’m fine with you here. This is a proposal ring.” Lou Mi said, looking at her earnestly. “In this era, we give rings when we propose. Our wedding in the past was rushed, I’m making it up to you now!”
Chi Lin was stunned: “You’re not angry anymore?”
“I was just teasing. You made me wait three months, can’t I be a little upset?”
Seeing the sunlight illuminate Lou Mi’s face, her smile brighter than any diamond, Chi Lin’s heart finally settled.
“Will you marry me?”
Chi Lin nodded vigorously.
“Come on!” Lou Mi excitedly took Chi Lin’s hand and tried to put the ring on her finger.
It wouldn’t fit.
Lou Mi: “?!”
Chi Lin, embarrassed: “…Sorry, Your Majesty, my knuckles are a bit thick from martial arts training.”
Lou Mi hadn’t anticipated this!
“Just wait three months, I’ll switch back to my other body!”
“No! I can’t wait that long!” Lou Mi pulled her up. “We’re going out now, to get the ring resized, then we’re registering our marriage, right now!”
As they rushed out of the elevator, they ran into Lou Lixing and Peng Ziyuan.
“Mi Mi? Where are you going?”
“To get married!” Lou Mi pushed Chi Lin into the car and sped off.
Lou Lixing and Peng Ziyuan exchanged glances, their faces turning green.
“Who is that woman?”
“She’s beautiful…”
“Did Mi Mi find someone new?”
Peng Ziyuan yelled, “No way!” and jumped into her car, chasing after them.
She almost rear-ended Lou Mi at the community gate.
Midway there, Lou Mi remembered. Chi Lin, in her current body, had no ID, she couldn’t register their marriage.
Lou Mi wanted to bang her head against the window—they really had to wait three months!
Peng Ziyuan caught up and demanded an explanation. Lou Mi introduced Chi Lin:
“Auntie, meet your new daughter.”
Peng Ziyuan: “???”
Winter, 2045.
“Did you bring your thermos? Your scarf? It’s cold outside. And your uniform… oh, you don’t need a uniform anymore.”
Lou Mi looked at the South Lake Third High uniform with a hint of regret; Chi Lin had looked so good in it.
Chi Lin, back in her original body, looked at Lou Mi:
“Your Majesty, you sound like you’re taking care of a child.”
Lou Mi hugged her and nuzzled her head: “My baby is all grown up and going to university… Mommy is so sad!”
Chi Lin: “Your Majesty, I can’t breathe…”
Lou Lixing, passing by, coughed.
Lou Mi: “Stop coughing, our new apartment near Little Lin’s university is almost ready, you won’t be blinded by our love for much longer.”
“Really?!”
“Yes, Old Lou, you’ll be lonely soon…”
Lou Mi was about to comfort her father when he turned to Peng Ziyuan and shouted:
“Yuan Yuan! They’re moving out! When are we getting married? Freedom!”
Lou Mi: “…Are you my real dad? Did you get body-snatched too?!”
Chi Lin, after a year of retaking the exams, had been accepted into a top university’s history program. Today was her first day.
The university was in the city, and they had chosen an apartment nearby, just two kilometers away.
Since they were married, Chi Lin could apply for off-campus housing, which Lou Mi had insisted on from day one.
“How can you live on campus? You’ll make your wife die of loneliness!” Lou Mi draped herself over Chi Lin’s shoulders. “At least universities are still somewhat humane.”
As she dropped Chi Lin off at school, Lou Mi said:
“There are many attractive people at university, what will you do if someone hits on you?”
Chi Lin, knowing she was being playful, kissed her.
“Your Majesty, you already know I’ll only love you, in this life and every life to come.”
“I know,” Lou Mi kissed her back, “but I need to hear it every day.”
They kissed passionately in the car, almost losing control, until Chi Lin stopped them.
“See you tonight, Your Majesty.” Chi Lin said, reluctant to leave. “I’ll miss you…”
“My sweet baby.”
Lou Mi kissed her forehead, applied lip balm, adjusted her scarf, and watched as she got out of the car.
“Dinner at Pengpai Plaza tonight, I’ll pick you up.”
“No need, let’s meet there.”
“What if you can’t find me? It’s a big place.”
Chi Lin smiled: “Your Majesty, I can find you anywhere in the universe.”