This was the real Twelfth Life Flower, blooming and withering once every two hours, only appearing in winter. Li Fei remembered she had only mentioned it casually to him once, never expecting Lei Xiuyuan would actually manage to obtain one.
She carefully rubbed the tiny glass bead with her fingertips and looked up into his eyes. For a moment, it was as if she saw the young boy from Shining Light Peak at No Moon Court again, handing her a peach blossom branch. His expression then was no different from now—as if hoping she would give him a genuine smile.
“This is the second time you’ve given me flowers.” Li Fei curved her lips into a truly radiant, spring-sun-like smile. “Thank you. I love it.”
The peach blossom from No Moon Court had been carefully preserved by her Wood Elemental Spiritual Energy, remaining fresh and vibrant. But now, it was likely gone. So this time, she would treasure the Twelfth Life Flower even more.
This was the most sincere and brightest smile she had ever given him since they met. Though she often smiled, most of the time it seemed like she smiled just for the sake of smiling. Lei Xiuyuan suddenly felt an unprecedented sense of fulfillment and joy. Unable to resist, he raised his hand to caress her cheek—her skin as delicate as a flower beneath his fingertips. Though it was the first time he had touched her like this, it felt strangely familiar and nostalgic.
Li Fei looked at him with a playful smile and asked, “You once told me the Twelfth Life Flower has an exquisite taste. Did you ever secretly try it?”
Lei Xiuyuan shook his head. “Though its flavor is unparalleled, those who consume it will experience hallucinations of twelve lifetimes in a single day. After waking, they may fall into confusion—mild cases babble nonsense, while severe ones may go mad or even die. It’s not something to try lightly.”
Li Fei gently spun the glass bead, watching the red flower inside bloom and twirl. Softly, she murmured, “Before, I thought that if I ever got the chance, I’d definitely taste it—to see what kind of twelve lifetimes I’d experience. But now that I see it, I don’t want to anymore. I already know what hallucinations I’d see. It wouldn’t be surprising at all.”
Lei Xiuyuan asked curiously, “What would they be?”
Li Fei blinked at him. “Guess.”
…Why did those two words sound particularly infuriating coming from her? He pinched her cheek, intending to leave a few red marks, but couldn’t bring himself to do it. What he truly wanted was to cradle her in his palms—this seemingly delicate yet unexpectedly resilient girl.
“Xiu Yuan,” Li Fei grasped his sleeve, her sparkling, hopeful eyes capturing his soul. “In the future, we’ll go to many, many places together and see countless sights. We’ll stay together, forever.”
She knew—without a doubt—that even in twelve lifetimes of hallucinations, she would fall in love with the same person twelve times. They had already reached the lands beyond the sea, where the skies were vast and freedom boundless. She would retrace the paths her Master once walked, while he and Ri Yan delighted in exploring all the unknown. From now on, their lives would surely be free of fear and tears.
Lei Xiuyuan took out a small silk pouch from his robe and poured out a broken horn—the very one he had snatched from her before.
“Now you’ll finally let me heal you, won’t you?” Li Fei asked. She could restore this Yaksha Horn to its rightful place, allowing his true Yaksa power to return. Surely, this was his wish as well.
Yet, to her surprise, he shook his head. “No rush.”With that, he poured out from the silk pouch a string of dazzlingly new glass beads, clearly a woman's hair ornament. Li Fei was slightly startled. She picked it up and examined it closely, exclaiming in surprise, "Huh? This is..."
This bead string seemed to be hers, didn't it? She remembered during the No Moon Court's Martial Competition Tournament, Lei Xiuyuan had snatched it from her hair. She had always liked this ornament, but later couldn't find another of the same style. Who would have thought that even after traveling overseas, he still kept it.
"After waking up, I found it always in my pocket. I figured it must have been something I treasured greatly before, so I didn't discard it," Lei Xiuyuan said with deliberate teasing, flashing a roguish smile. "You don't recognize it? Did some other woman leave it behind?"
"It's mine," Li Fei replied helplessly, shooting him a glance. What kind of awful joke was he making? With that arrogant, nose-in-the-air attitude of his, no woman would dare get close to him anyway.
Even if there had been secret admirers, given enough time, they would inevitably discover his utterly detestable habits—like how he never treated people he didn't care about as human beings. Most women in the cultivation world, regardless of their skill level, were too proud to resort to shamelessly chasing after someone. Over the years, Lei Xiuyuan had never once encountered any unwanted romantic advances. She wasn't sure whether to feel relieved or marvel at the coincidence.
"Then I definitely can't return it to its original owner," Lei Xiuyuan said, snatching the glass bead string back from her hand and tucking it back into the silk pouch. "It's still mine now."
This domineering, almost childish act didn't annoy her in the slightest. Li Fei smiled and cupped his face in her hands. Suddenly, without changing his expression, he dropped another bombshell: "My bed is quite large—one more person wouldn't be a problem. Will the Mountain Spirit lady strip naked and slip into my blankets tonight?"
"..." She was momentarily speechless. This was just like a man! At the height of passion, a single embrace—even a glance—could leave her breathless, yet his mind immediately jumped to such things.
"Have you spent these past two years hoping someone would strip and crawl into your bed at night?" Li Fei glared at him.
Lei Xiuyuan flicked her forehead. "I've said it before—it depends on the person."
"How flattering."
Li Fei had no patience to dwell on this topic. His gaze was like that of a wolf that hadn't tasted meat in years suddenly stumbling upon a juicy piece. She sighed and stood up, grabbing a handful of snow from the windowsill. Before he could react, she flung it all over his face, laughing loudly, "In your dreams! You think a single flower is enough to make the Mountain Spirit throw herself at you?"
Before the words had even left her mouth, she had already leapt up lightly, intending to jump out the window. But halfway through her leap, his arm wrapped around her waist, flipping her back around. The next moment, a handful of icy snow was smeared across her face. Li Fei shrieked with laughter, the snow on the windowsill now thoroughly scattered as she grabbed handfuls and flung them wildly.
The scene reminded her of their days at the Academy—the first time in her life she'd ever had a snowball fight, and it had been with Lei Xiuyuan. She tumbled off the windowsill into a snowdrift, quickly molding a large snowball. Spotting Lei Xiuyuan jumping out after her, she hurled it with all her might before springing up like a rabbit and darting far away.
He caught up to her in no time. Li Fei felt her body grow heavy as he tackled her into the snow. They rolled several times together before she, just like when they were kids, pinned his wrists to the ground and straddled him with a triumphant grin. "Do you yield?"
Lei Xiuyuan lay on his back in the snow, his eyes shimmering with an unexpectedly alluring glint."I don't accept this," he murmured, about to effortlessly counter her when he suddenly noticed her eyes reddening in an instant. She stared at him blankly, her voice trembling as she asked, "Have you remembered?"
Their conversation, this boundless snowfall—everything was exactly like that day, as if caught in a dream.
Lei Xiuyuan remained silent for a moment before raising his hand to pull her into his embrace. Once again enveloped in this familiar yet unfamiliar embrace, Li Fei couldn't help but take a deep breath. His scent hadn't changed at all, and for a moment, she couldn't tell which Lei Xiuyuan he was. Trembling with emotion, she kept asking him, "Have you remembered?"
"...Sorry, no," he said softly, soothingly stroking her slender back.
A wave of disappointment washed over Li Fei, her throat aching fiercely. She whispered, "It's alright. I'll tell you many, many things again."
Lei Xiuyuan pressed his hand against the back of her head. "No need to say more."
"You don’t want to hear it anymore?"
"That’s not it. It’s just unnecessary."
Why? Li Fei looked up at him.
Lei Xiuyuan smiled, his voice turning exceptionally gentle. "What difference does it make whether I remember or not?"
He was already in the palm of her delicate hand. Even if he couldn’t recall the past, it didn’t matter—he would still fall for the same person. This alone proved she hadn’t loved wrongly, nor was he merely putting on an act.
He gazed at her for a moment before suddenly frowning with a smile. "Since you said you’d stay with me, you’re not allowed to leave from now on. No matter what, you have to remain by my side."
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