Volume 3 - Chapter 420: Li Hao’s Departure (Part 2)
Li Hao’s emotions surged. He lowered his head, his hand pausing in midair before pulling her close, wrapping his arms tightly around her.
Everyone from the Su family watching from the air outside the courtyard froze.
There was no doubt—the primordial spirit girl whose appearance was identical to Su Muqing clearly knew Li Hao.
Yet her aura was unmistakably not Su Muqing’s, but someone else entirely.
Su Zhenyuan was stunned, as was his wife, Su Qingmei.
But with their breadth of experience, their swirling thoughts soon aligned, and they quickly began to piece things together.
“All these years… you’ve suffered.”
Ying Xiaoxiao’s voice was soft, her tone slightly choked. She swallowed it down, speaking to Li Hao with gentle affection.
Li Hao lightly shook his head and said quietly, “So long as I could wait for you… it was all worth it.”
Ying Xiaoxiao looked up. They gazed at each other, still embracing. Though they had spent little time together in the past, Li Hao could see it in her eyes—that timeless emotion, as if spanning countless years.
Back in the Southern Domain, he hadn’t had the chance to say much. But now, he finally asked:
“Are you Ying Xiaoxiao… or Shi Miao?”
Ying Xiaoxiao stared into his eyes, as though she could never get enough of his face. A smile curved her lips as she replied, “What do you think?”
Li Hao recalled their time together and said slowly, “Your true heart is Shi Miao’s. If you were really Ying Xiaoxiao… we did interact, but not to the extent where she’d sacrifice her life for me.”
Ying Xiaoxiao nodded lightly. “Back then, my true self had not yet awakened. I could only nudge things forward in secret, drawing closer…”
Her eyes locked onto his. “The one standing before you now is Shi Miao. Maybe you’ve never seen me before, but I’ve been by your side… for a very long time.”
“Shi Miao…”
Li Hao looked at her silently. The tenderness in her gaze was so pure, so sincere, he had no doubt in his heart.
He almost found it funny. Two people who’d never met face-to-face somehow carried emotions as deep as eternity.
“So… was it from a future across the long river of time?” he asked.
Shi Miao nodded faintly. A flicker passed across her brow, perhaps thinking of a future moment. She shook her head gently and said:
“I knelt before the Heavenly Lord for ten thousand years to seek guidance on this path… just so I could see you again. I’ll cherish it. I will never… never waste it like she did.”
She gently took Li Hao’s hand in hers. Her gaze, clear and luminous like tempered glass, was full of resolve.
Li Hao recalled Su Jiuzhe’s earlier words—how she had knelt for ten thousand years before the Heavenly Lord, all for this reunion. Just to see him again.
He didn’t know what the future held. But in this moment, he knew one thing—he could not let her down.
“What about her?”
Suddenly, Li Hao thought of Su Muqing and couldn’t help but ask.
After all, Shi Miao now existed only as a primordial spirit—she had no physical body.
When Shi Miao heard the question, she recalled the many memories she’d inherited from Su Muqing. A flicker of sorrow appeared in her eyes.
“She’s fine. Just asleep inside. As her vessel, I’ll leave her with a great opportunity… Think of it as my thanks for letting me meet you again.”
Li Hao was surprised. “You’re not taking over her body?”
Shi Miao shook her head. “She isn’t like Ying Xiaoxiao. The latter was my reincarnation, while Su Muqing was merely the second vessel. Two reincarnations cannot coexist in the same time and space. When I descended, I could only choose one between the two.”
Her gaze deepened. “She belongs to the Su family of the Northern Domain. If I chose her, I couldn’t have accompanied you. We would have been separated once more, only reuniting far in the future. But if I chose Ying Xiaoxiao… then I could walk this road beside you. I could be with you every step of the way.”
Li Hao froze. Reincarnation? Vessel?
Though he couldn’t fully grasp everything she said, somehow, he understood.
Her choice had been no different from his own during these ten-plus years in the Northern Domain.
Pursue the sword to ascend… and walk the path alone.
Or lay down the sword… and stay behind, yet be unable to protect.
Both paths bore the same weight. Both had made the same choice.
And it was that shared choice… that allowed this reunion to happen.
Understanding this, Li Hao also came to understand the depth of the girl’s feelings for him. Back in the Southern Domain, she had been willing to die by his side. And here in the Su family… if she had chosen Su Muqing’s identity, she would have soared to unimaginable heights under their protection.
But chasing that summit would have taken her far from him. Their lives would have diverged. And only after a long, long time—if ever—would they meet again.
Instead, she gave it all up just to wait for him… quietly at the foot of the mountain.
Li Hao said nothing more. He didn’t ask anything else.
He simply tightened his grip on her delicate hand.
Seeing the look in his eyes, Shi Miao understood.
He had understood her heart.
Her eyes grew misty. Perhaps this was what she had waited for—so many words no longer needed, so many explanations unnecessary. Her feelings had not been trampled. They had been treasured.
“Ahem!”
A soft cough suddenly interrupted them.
Su Jiuzhe’s voice echoed in their minds: “You two have no shame. I’m embarrassed on your behalf. Come to me.”
With that, Su Jiuzhe also sent a transmission to Su Zhenyuan, instructing him to seal off the news and keep it quiet.
Everyone finally snapped out of their daze. They had been overwhelmed, but now it was clear—Li Hao hadn’t come to the Su family for Su Muqing.
It had always been… for the girl standing before them.
“So it wasn’t Sister Muqing he’s been looking at all this time…”
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