Happy reading, folks!

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Silence reigned as Feng Jiu waited for Dong Hua to answer her. Feeling a little bit awkward with the situation, she tried to free herself from his hold. But his grip was tight, though not that painful.

Dong Hua, on the other hand, continued to stare at her face and observed her movements. He was confused internally with her question, but he thought that this is one of the other after-effects from just waking up.

She sighed. "Dijun, where is Zhe Yan? Is he back here?" She asked when she remembered the promise Zhe Yan made before he left her here.

"He already left a while ago, but he gave me the tonics he concocted that should help you recuperate faster." He said softly.

Shocked that Zhe Yan left without seeing her, she couldn't help but exclaim, "What?! Where else would he go?" Her brows furrowed as she waited for him to answer.

Dong Hua was slightly shocked at her sudden outburst. He paused for a while to think of the best response that would calm her down. Zhe Yan reminded him earlier not to stress her out. He internally sighed as he thought of an excuse.

He lightly squeezed her hand. "I told him that I've been having headaches for the past two days, and he offered to make a medicine for me. He said that he needed to go to Mount Taibai since there's a herb there that works best as a cure."

The look of worry immediately showed on her face after hearing his words. "You're also not well, Dijun? What happened to you?" She couldn't help but ask.

She knew that she didn't have the right to ask him those questions, given the fact that they already ended things between them after she received the gift he sent during her coronation. She bit her lip and looked down on her free hand.

Dong Hua faintly smiled at her concerned expression. He knew it was a dirty trick, but it was enough for him to shift the issue away from Zhe Yan's missing presence. He watched her lower her head as though embarrassed after she asked him those questions.

Despite looking indifferent earlier, she immediately looked the opposite after he mentioned his current state. His Xiao Bai has always been very understanding that he couldn't help but feel moved every time. And to be honest, he did have massive headaches for the past few days, but the current situation seemed to have relieved the pain.

He lifted her chin with his index finger. And softly said to her, "I'm okay. It is just a slight headache that has been pestering me for a few days. You don't have to worry too much about it, okay?"

She seemed lost in his eyes when he said those words to her softly. Why was Dijun behaving differently towards her today? Was he really that worried after she fainted in front of him last night that he brought her to Taichen Palace to rest?

She went still.

Is she in a dream? The last time her dream felt too real was when she dreamt that Dong Hua visited her on the night after she cut off one of her tails for him to attempt to write their names in the Stone of Destiny.

Her eyes immediately reddened at that thought. The pain that she tried to conceal away was slowly coming back. For the past years, she has been trying so hard to accept that they can never be together because the responsibility placed on his shoulders, as the protector of the world, weighed heavier than the love he has for her.

Tears finally fell from her eyes. Though the love he has for her was not enough to make him choose her, she still felt a bit happy that she has a tiny place somewhere in his heart.

Dong Hua's eyes widened in alarm when he saw his Xiao Bai's eyes reddened and when tears started to fall. He was about to ask her what's wrong when she beat him to it.

"Am I dreaming? Why do you feel unreal?" She asked as tears continued to fall from her eyes. She noticed that even his eyes looked different today because she saw many emotions flashed through them as he watched her cry in front of him.

He reached for her face and slowly wiped her tears away. His inner eyebrows lowered and pulled together. Seeing her cry and ask him those questions almost broke his heart. But he willed himself to remain calm.

He looked deeply into her eyes as his free hand held her cheek. "You're not in a dream, Xiao Bai. I'm real." He softly caressed her cheek.

Feng Jiu slowly stopped crying, but the corners of her lips were still drawn downwards. "Really?" She asked.

He faintly smiled before he nodded in reply. He then pulled her into his arms and locked her in an embrace that he always wanted to do the moment she opened her eyes earlier.

Feng Jiu's eyes widened when Dong Hua pulled her for a hug. He said earlier that she wasn't dreaming, yet he's now hugging her. Something doesn't sit well with those two things together. The Dijun she knew would go through all lengths just to keep her away from him.

Was he really that worried?

A few moments later, he broke the hug and then observed her face. "Do you want to stay in the pavilion for a while? It would be good for you to catch some fresh air." He asked.

A lot of thoughts clouded her mind, and she felt so down at the moment. A change of scenery might help her feel better, so she nodded at him.

He then helped her up, and they finally made their way out of the chamber. On the way, Feng Jiu noticed that there were not that many servants around Taichen Palace. The whole surrounding felt completely quiet except for the chirping of the birds.

"Dijun, why do I feel like we're the only people in Taichen Palace right now?" She finally asked him.

Dong Hua, whose one arm was wrapped around her shoulder as he guided her, looked around and noted the same thing. He remembered that he instructed the servants to stay temporarily at Yuanji Palace the other night as a means to contain the bizarre situation.

"I sent them to do some tasks for me, Xiao Bai. They'll be back by tomorrow." He replied.

Feng Jiu nodded and didn't ask any more further questions. She instead shifted her attention to the familiar-looking places inside the palace. And when they turned another right, she noticed a different path leading towards an unfamiliar-looking pavilion that faced the sky which was colored with a pale tint of orange.

The last time she was here, this pavilion wasn't even built yet.

Dong Hua helped her sit comfortably in one of the chairs when they finally reached their destination. He then sat opposite her. Earlier on their way, he noted that his Xiao Bai remained quiet the whole time of their walk. He let her be as she seemed too absorbed observing everything they passed by.

He decided to open the conversation. "The air feels refreshing in this spot, right?"

Feng Jiu turned to him and faintly smiled. "It is, Dijun." She then looked back to the vast sky in front of her. "The sky also looks calming."

Silence blanketed them once more as they enjoyed the moment. His eyes were focused on observing his Xiao Bai; her eyes were staring at the horizon.

"It's been a while since I last saw you look like this. I never thought I'd miss it so much not until I almost lost you." He said to himself.

On the other hand, Feng Jiu's mind was once again full of thoughts she knew she couldn't ask Dijun. "The pavilion looks great, and it's a perfect spot to watch the stars at night. Would Dijun come here to do exactly that? What would he think of when he looked at the stars? Did I cross his mind at least once?" She let out a sigh.

Dong Hua, whose eyes focused on her, saw her sigh. He then remembered that she hadn't eaten lunch after the medicine she drunk this morning lulled her to sleep.

He called the bird that was stationed not far away from them. He gave it some instructions to have their dinner delivered. The bird flew away after it was dismissed. Surprisingly, Feng Jiu, who was too lost in her thoughts, didn't notice the said interaction.

A few minutes later, the silence that surrounded them broke when the sound of footsteps could be heard coming towards them. Feng Jiu turned in the direction of the noise, and she saw a male immortal with a big basket in his hands. She frowned since it was her first time to see him. She gave Dong Hua a questioning look.

"I remembered that you haven't eaten anything since breakfast, so I instructed Zhong Lin to bring the dinner here." He explained gently.

"Dinner?! I'll be sharing dinner with Dijun? This day is truly bizarre!" She internally remarked. She's a bit excited since it's the first instance that she'll share a meal with him in the immortal world. The last time this happened was back in his mortal trial. "Who would have thought that this would happen?"

Zhong Lin finally reached them and carefully placed the basket on the table. He then bowed and greeted Dong Hua and Feng Jiu, much to the latter's surprise.

"It seems like this retainer knows me." She said to herself as she watched him place the different food in front of them. When he was finished, he quietly bid goodbye and left them.

She looked at the food displayed on the table, and she suddenly felt hungry.

Dong Hua had an amused look in his eyes as his Xiao Bai looked at the different dishes prepared for dinner. Earlier this afternoon, he instructed Zhong Lin to prepare healthy food that are also Xiao Bai's favorite.

"Let's eat now." He said, and they began to eat.

He slowly chewed his food as his eyes focused on his wife. He felt relieved that she didn't lose her appetite to eat, which was a good sign that she's on her way to full recovery anytime soon.

Feng Jiu noticed that Dong Hua wasn't eating that much. When she looked up to ask him why, she almost froze at the intensity of his eyes. She cleared her throat before she spoke. "Why are you eating less, Dijun? Do you not like the food they served for us?"

He faintly smiled and shook his head. "No, I like the food. See." He then placed strips of meat in his bowl before he ate them.

Feng Jiu was momentarily stunned once more at the faint smile Dong Hua gave her, but this was instantly replaced with relief after seeing him eat more.

When they finished their meal later, Feng Jiu thought that they would immediately return inside Dijun's master chamber but it seemed like Dijun was still in the mood to enjoy the now dark sky. The table was also now clear of the traces of their dinner.

A cool breeze touched her cheek, and she let out a soft sigh at the comfortable feeling it left. Feng Jiu felt that this night was a magical one since she's here in this pavilion with the man she deeply loves, watching the shining stars scattered in the black sky.

A genuine smile finally rose to her lips. She then closed her eyes and thanked the stars for this moment. She wished that tomorrow would be less harsh on her after she finally goes back to the reality of a world without him by her side.

Dong Hua turned to Feng Jiu and saw her close her eyes with a smile painted on her lips. His stare softened upon seeing his wife happy.

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It's already been a few hours after she returned to the master bedchamber. Dong Hua said that he would sleep for the night in the other spacious chamber of the palace. And before he left for his room, Feng Jiu thanked him for the help he lent her.

She subtly bid goodbye also since she planned to leave the Taichen Palace before dawn. She wrote a letter for Dong Hua, which she would leave in case he'd wonder why his room would then be empty.

It was still dark outside, so she took the opportunity to prepare herself to leave. She then slowly and quietly exited the master room and made her way out.

She continued walking towards the gate when she didn't notice anything uncanny. But when she was about to step out of the gate, a transparent ward suddenly appeared out of nowhere that made her step back.

She let out a soft, involuntary squeal after that. "Why is there a ward here?" She muttered to herself.

"You're planning to leave?" A voice asked behind her.

She made another startling sound at the unexpected voice. Her jaw dropped when she saw Dong Hua in front of her when she turned around. "Wha- what are you doing here, Dijun? Shouldn't you be sleeping inside your room?" She asked in disbelief.

He made a step forward, and his face was painted with a solemn look. "I should be asking you that. It's still dark, and you're supposed to be in bed at this hour. What are you doing here, Xiao Bai?"

Feng Jiu's eyes widened a bit as she tried to come up with an excuse.

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Hola! I hope you enjoyed this new update.

Just a question, do you want this story to have a happy or sad ending? Lol.

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Thank you! 🦊💜