Ye Xiao looked at his surroundings. All he could see here was tall bamboo everywhere. However, there was something off about these bamboos.
“Aren’t they have too much vitality for bamboo?”
Other than too much vitality, Ye Xiao also noticed purple sparks flashing on these bamboos from time to time. Whenever these sparks flashed, they seemed to carry a special rule. However, because they stayed only for a mere moment, Ye Xiao could not tell what kind of rule it was. But he was sure that this rule was very special.
He started walking forward while carefully observing the bamboo forest.
A while later, Ye Xiao’s steps froze. A dazed expression could be seen on his face as he kept looking ahead.
Not far from him, an extremely beautiful girl could be seen looking at him with a smile.
A bamboo chair was floating in the air and she was sitting on it. She was in simple clothes, however, her charm was something else. She easily captivated Ye Xiao with her allure, making him stop breathing for a few seconds.
“Cough!” “Cough!”
As if she could sense what Ye Xiao was feeling, she coughed a little, bringing Ye Xiao back to his senses.
Ye Xiao was not stunned just because of her beauty, he behaved like a fool because this beauty was none other than Queen. Even if someone placed their sword on his neck and asked him, he would say she is Queen, the Queen he knows, the Queen he brought out of the Heavens.
“Queen?”
The moment Ye Xiao spoke “Queen?” it was as if time had folded upon itself. He was utterly shocked to see someone he thought he would never see again standing there. For all these years, he had heard rumors about her, but their paths had never crossed again. And now, here she was.
However, there was something very different about her. It was as if she was not the one he knew, she was a completely different person.
As he gazed upon her familiar face, a flood of memories surged within him. He remembered the days they had spent together within the Heavens, training side by side, sharing some dangers and fortunes together. They had been more than friends. Those memories felt like treasures now, cherished and preserved through the long, arduous years.
Ye Xiao couldn’t help but reflect on the shock of this unexpected reunion.
Nevertheless, every familiar feeling disappeared in the next instant. It was as if he was standing in front of someone else, not Queen. However, their faces were exactly the same. How could this be a different person?
All of a sudden, Ye Xiao recalled the voice he heard in his mind a few years ago when he came across Heavenly Seal Divine Tortoise. At that time, he had the same feeling. It was as if that voice belonged to Queen, and at the same time, it didn’t.
As Ye Xiao looked closer, he couldn’t ignore the unsettling feeling that something was drastically different about this ‘Queen’ than the one he knew. At the same time, he had a feeling that she was crushingly strong, far stronger than him.
He, even as a Chaos Sovereign, could not shake the profound sense of inferiority that washed over him in her presence. It was as if she possessed power beyond his comprehension, as if she could extinguish his existence with the mere flick of a finger. He felt as insignificant as an ant before her.
Every aspect of Queen seemed different from the person he remembered. Her aura, once warm and familiar, now exuded an otherworldly energy that sent shivers down his spine. Her strength was palpable. The force that pulsed around her was like a living entity. Even her charm had transformed into something magnetic and enigmatic.
But it was her eyes that held the most unsettling change. The windows to her soul no longer bore the gentle, understanding gaze he recalled. Instead, they were cold, inscrutable, and filled with unfathomable wisdom. Her gaze seemed to be capable of piercing the depths of his very being, leaving him exposed and vulnerable.
The silence between Ye Xiao and Queen seemed to stretch into eternity. Finally, breaking the stillness, Queen spoke, her voice like a melody laced with an unexplainable gravity, “Xiaolong, it has been a long time.”
“Xiaolong?”
Ye Xiao raised his brows in surprise. If she is really Queen, then she should not know his name after rebirth. She should call him Ye Xiao instead of Xiaolong.
However, because he also has the feeling that she is not Queen, he does not ask how she came to know his name.
With a deep breath, Ye Xiao spoke, though it felt small and insignificant compared to her presence.
“Yes, it has been a long time,” he replied, struggling to gather his thoughts. “I never thought I’d see you again.”
‘But… Are you really her?’
Ye Xiao could not help but question in his heart. But he did not dare to ask aloud because he was afraid of being killed in an instant by her.
But if she is really not Queen, why did she come to him? .
And if she is Queen, then why did she call him Xiaolong instead of Ye Xiao?
As if knowing what was running in Ye Xiao’s mind, a faint smile played on Queen’s lips. However, for some reason, Ye Xiao felt that her smile was a smile that held a touch of sadness.
Queen muttered, “Fate has its own plans, and here we are, standing in this peculiar place.”
Although her voice was low, it was loud enough for Ye Xiao to hear. He could not help but wonder what exactly is going on. In the end, his curiosity got the better of him.
“Queen, you’ve changed. Your strength, your aura… everything about you is different. What happened to you after separating from me?”
Ye Xiao not only asked what he was curious about, but he also baited her with this question. If she is really Queen, she would know that they separated after leaving the boundary (Cosmic Membrane) of the Heavens.
And if she is not her, then she would be puzzled. All Ye Xiao has to do is catch the moment of surprise that might emerge at any moment on her face.
However, nothing like what Ye Xiao expected happened. There was no expression of surprise or puzzle on Queen’s face.
Instead, her gaze softened for a moment as if reminiscing about a distant past. She looked into Ye Xiao’s eyes, her gaze seemed to be looking directly at his soul.
Feeling her gaze, Ye Xiao’s heart beat out loud. This heartbeat brought a tinge of redness to his face as well. Ye Xiao felt like hugging Queen at this moment all of a sudden. He, from the bottom of his heart, felt as if he had missed Queen for a very very long time. And now that Queen was in front of him, he wanted to hug her, caress her head, kiss her, and do something more.
‘What the f*ck?’
Ye Xiao soon came back to his senses. He could not help but shout in his heart, ‘What the f*ck is happening? What is wrong with me? Why did I suddenly feel like that?’
Ye Xiao almost took a step forward to hug Queen. Fortunately, he woke up soon enough.
Back in the Heavens, he had feelings for the Queen, but many things happened between them, causing their relationship to experience ups and downs. After so many years, his feelings for Queen were not exactly what it used to be. Moreover, he was now sure that his feelings for her were not as strong as they used to be, to the extent that he would want to hug and kiss her.
Why did I feel like that?
What was that strange feeling?
Why is my heart aching?
Why am I feeling so dazzled to see her again?
What the fuck is wrong with me?
Countless questions started pouring into Ye Xiao’s mind in waves. Even if he wanted to, the situation was such that he could not stop these thoughts from appearing in his mind. His subconscious was constantly thinking of the moment before when he felt very strange.
“You must be puzzled!”
At this moment, “Queen” spoke. A smile formed on her face, causing Ye Xiao’s heart to beat hard once again.
Her voice peered inside his heart, his soul seemed to have been stirred by her question.
Why?
Why is this happening to me?
Why is her voice affecting me so much?
Ye Xiao was confused too much. He knew that only Queen could answer him for that. And so, he nodded in his head, took a deep breath, and spoke, “I am indeed puzzled. I’m puzzled over…”
Before Ye Xiao could complete his sentence, Queen spoke, “Over your feelings for me that almost overflowed just a moment ago, right?”
Seeing that Queen understood him so well, Ye Xiao again raised his brows in surprise. In the end, he nodded, indicating that that was indeed the case.