ETR | Chapter 105

In the Fifteenth Heaven, they returned to Frostwind City, the place where Xiao Xueman and Xiao Wan once stayed.

Of course, Luo Yinyin and the so-called President Luo, who bullied Xiao Wan back then, couldn't continue their tyranny. After two hundred years, they had long disappeared, as people in the Fifteenth Heaven generally don't live that long.

Xiao Xueman hadn't bothered to learn about the situation after he left, but when Madam Luo was beaten back by Qin Lou with so many people, the loss was enough to make him unable to hold onto his position as president. A hasty downfall was inevitable.

Frostwind City is still one of the largest cities in the Fifteenth Heaven, bustling as ever. Xiao Xueman chose the same inn as before, but after two hundred years, it had changed hands, and the decor was almost entirely different. When Qin Lou moved in, it didn't evoke any reaction from him.

What happened here was unpleasant, and Xiao Xueman would rather not remember it.

Back then, when he met Qin Lou, they hadn't even finished a few sentences before he tied him up and took away their tokens of love. Qin Lou was utterly devastated at that time, and Xiao Xueman himself didn't want to recall it.

But pretending nothing happened was never Xiao Xueman's choice.

Strictly speaking, they had three tokens of love: two interconnected storage spirit instruments, a heart's blood necklace made by Xiao Xueman, and Qin Lou's Eternal Heart Lotus. These items silently expressed their hidden feelings and were an important part of their relationship.

Xiao Wan returned the heart's blood necklace to him, but it was eventually left with the two storage spirit instruments in the Layer, and they couldn't be found anymore. What Qin Lou gave to Xiao Xueman was also lost. Anything with spiritual power on him was considered external and had left his body at that time.

The Eternal Heart Lotus hadn't completely disappeared; it was Qin Lou's life-bound spirit instrument. It had now fully integrated into his talent, no longer having a visible form, but it would appear as a fire lotus when using spiritual power, becoming part of Qin Lou's strength.

It seems that none of the three meaningful items remain, with the Eternal Heart Lotus barely counting as left, but now it's neither visible nor tangible.

No worries, they can start anew. Xiao Xueman can give Qin Lou other tokens of love.

He actually started preparing when he was at the Cosmic Tree. Although Xiao Xueman could make another heart's blood necklace, it seemed to lack novelty.

His power had upgraded, so naturally, the gift should change too. Now that he took it out, there was a bit of thought behind it.

He had thought about replacing bad memories with good ones. Since he took away their token of love here before, he would return it here too, even if Qin Lou had already forgotten.

When Qin Lou was led by Xiao Xueman into the woods again, he thought it was another special story between the two of them, feeling both anticipation and excitement.

Deep in the mountains, the cave where Xiao Xueman had tied Qin Lou hadn't changed much. It was very hidden, so not many people went there.

The closer they got to this place, the more Qin Lou felt an inexplicable discomfort, different from last time.

He seemed to reject this place, with vague fragments flashing in his mind, but even his own mind didn't want to recall this past.

"Xueman," he tugged at Xiao Xueman's sleeve, expressing his feelings, "I don't really like it here."

But he didn't leave because Xiao Xueman brought him here, and unless Xiao Xueman said otherwise, he wouldn't leave even if he felt uncomfortable.

Xiao Xueman stopped; they had reached the cave. He didn't go inside, feeling a bit heartbroken.

"Qin Lou," he caressed his face, "Today, I want to give you something here."

Qin Lou's mood, affected by the environment, suddenly brightened. Looking at Xiao Xueman, his eyes were filled with him. As long as Xiao Xueman was there, nothing else mattered.

What was he going to give him?

He felt both anticipation and a bit of embarrassment.

Since waking up, Xiao Xueman had already given him many things.

"We used to have tokens of love, but now they're all gone," Xiao Xueman said, "I've made a new one."

A token of love!

Oh my gosh!

Qin Lou was completely caught off guard, his attention entirely captured by this. He was a bit embarrassed before, but now he was at a loss.

Was this such a big deal?

Xiao Xueman ended up making a necklace and placed it around Qin Lou's neck.

It was a small white sphere, seemingly unremarkable, but upon closer inspection, you could see faint green threads emanating from within.

It carried a strong aura of Xiao Xueman, as if he was always by his side.

Qin Lou couldn’t help but love it, reaching out to touch it.

The small sphere felt slightly warm, and when touched, a warmth spread from his fingers throughout his body.

Back when he was in the Cosmic Tree, taking advantage of the opportunity to create a clone, Xiao Xueman extracted this from his own power.

"I can't quite explain what this is," Xiao Xueman said, "Some people call it a divine core, others have their own names, like a personal core or something. In short, it's a part of me. Giving it to you is like having me by your side. Qin Lou, don't lose it."

Unlike heart's blood, which regenerates after healing, this does not.

When someone breaks through and achieves further transformation of their abilities, they generate this "mark," somewhat similar to the spirit source of a spirit cultivator, though much more stable.

In the Cosmic Tree, some couples exchanged parts of their divine cores as the most steadfast vow.

Qin Lou didn't have a divine core yet, so Xiao Xueman took the lead.

The divine core holds great significance and power, far surpassing the auxiliary role of the heart’s blood necklace.

It’s something no nine-star spirit instrument on the Spirit Realm Continent can compare to, and it can’t be taken away.

It’s only for those acknowledged by Xiao Xueman; anyone else using it would face overwhelming pressure.

"I won't lose it," Qin Lou said seriously, "Even if I lose myself, I won't lose it."

He hadn't expected the necklace to be so precious. He wasn't prepared for such a significant gift today. Xiao Xueman watched his face turn pale with regret and disappointment, asking, "Do you not like it? Or is it the environment here that's uncomfortable? Then we can..."

"No, I really like it," Qin Lou quickly explained, "But I didn't prepare a return gift."

He lowered his head and pulled out a small bag of dried fruit from his pocket.

"I heard someone say it was delicious last time I went out, and I thought you might like it, so I prepared it. It's all I have right now," he said, embarrassed to offer it, "I'm sorry, Xueman. I should have prepared something. I'm sorry I can't give you such a good gift right now."

Even as Wang Tian Dijun, he couldn't immediately give an equivalent gift.

He truly cherished this gift, especially as a token of love, and naturally held it dear. But amidst the joy, he couldn't help but feel sorry for Xiao Xueman.

Why couldn't Xueman have it? If only he could experience the overwhelming joy and happiness he felt when receiving the token of love.

"As long as you like it," Xiao Xueman smiled, "Your return is the best gift for me."

What he had received from Qin Lou before was already enough.

When Qin Lou slowly embraced Xiao Xueman in his arms, the discomfort caused by the cave completely vanished.

He felt nothing but happiness, feeling more content with each passing day, all because of Xiao Xueman.

"Qin Lou, I've told you before, not all our experiences were good," Xiao Xueman quietly nestled in his arms, hesitating for a moment before adding, "If you ever remember something, will you tell me? Don't keep it to yourself."

"I know," Qin Lou replied, "Don't worry, Xueman. If the hardships I endured before were for this moment, no matter what I remember, it will all be worth it."

As he spoke, his eyes and brows were filled with smiles.

During their stay in the Fifteenth Heaven, news of Wang Tian Dijun's return had gradually spread to the Sixteenth Heaven. Discussions about it were lively, and some people from the guild said the news was starting to spread upward, indicating that the effect was quite good.

Recently, Qin Lou and Xiao Xueman had become inseparable. His memory had begun to return, and as his cultivation progressed, he recalled more and more.

To him, Xiao Xueman in his memories was perfect, the greatest treasure he had gained in his long life. Both the present and the memories were shining brightly.

Qin Lou was no longer as cautious as before. He slowly shared his memories with Xiao Xueman, who found it interesting to view their past from another perspective.

Qin Lou recounted his purest days of secret admiration during his youth, always striving to get closer to the person he loved, feeling a step closer with each cultivation session. No matter how much hardship he endured, he felt happy.

He once only dared to kiss a strand of Xiao Xueman's hair, quickly pulling away like a thief, not daring to hope that one day this person would belong entirely to him.

Now, with memories and reality intertwined, Qin Lou found it even more wondrous.

In his memories, he longed for this person so much that even a glance of attention would excite him for days. Now, Xiao Xueman was as he had wished, lying in his arms, saying he liked him and would never leave.

There was nothing better in the world than this.

Listening to these words, Xiao Xueman silently added in his heart.

That's not necessarily true; there might be more.

Your son is probably about to find you, and when a family of three suddenly appears, I wonder if Qin Lou will be more surprised or shocked.

Now that Qin Lou's memory was gradually recovering, it was only a matter of time before Xiao Wan found them. It was time to find an opportunity to tell him.