Frozen Cloud Asgard Profound Ark — Imperial City Arkport
Within the heart of the great ark, nestled inside a quiet, dimly lit chamber, an exquisite woman stirred upon a silken bed.
"Urghhh…" a soft groan escaped her lips as her long lashes fluttered open. Her violet eyes slowly adjusted to the familiar ceiling above.
This place… she realized with a blink. My room on the ark.
"You're awake… Qingyue."
The voice was calm and warm, yet tinged with concern. Xia Qingyue turned her head toward its source and found herself gazing into the eyes of Gong Yuxian, the Mistress of Frozen Cloud Asgard.
"Asgard Mistress…" Qingyue murmured. Her body ached, but she sat up slowly with the help of an attending healer. The profound light around her dimmed as the last healing techniques faded—her broken ribs were mended, but not her pride.
Her mind was already chasing answers. Why did I lose? How did I fall unconscious?
Fragments of the final moments came flooding back—her duel with Yun Che. The pressure he exuded. The relentless assault. The terrifying ice arts that seemed to surpass everything she knew.
She clenched her hands tightly, eyes lowered in silent shame.
"I… failed," she finally whispered.
Gong Yuxian sighed softly, her expression unreadable. She had seen the entire battle unfold. Xia Qingyue had given her all, drawing upon every ounce of her strength, every refined technique of the Frozen End Divine Arts. But none of it had been enough.
Yun Che had overpowered her—completely.
Yet what disturbed her most was not just the defeat itself, but the way he fought. His ice was not of their lineage. He wielded powers she did not recognize—arts that mimicked the Ice Qirin, a beast of legend. Ice dragons soared and howled with a will of their own, chasing Qingyue with intelligent ferocity. And then… that form.
Half-man, half-dragon. A transformation that combined terrifying strength with unmatched control. Not even the Domain of the Tree of Frozen End—a trump card unique to Qingyue—had been enough to stop him. She had sealed them within, unleashed the ancient cold that could halt time itself… and yet, he walked out, while she collapsed.
"What happened in there?" Gong Yuxian asked quietly, though it was more to herself than to Qingyue. "What did he do… to your heart?"
Xia Qingyue remained silent, her eyes still lowered.
But deep inside, she felt it—that faint, unfamiliar warmth within her chest. A subtle shift. Something inside her had changed in that frozen domain… something far more profound than just a defeat.
It was a new heart—subtle yet undeniable.
A heart that longed for him.
Gong Yuxian sensed it, though she said nothing. Instead, her voice was soft, trying to offer comfort.
"It was unavoidable… If you'd had more time—"
"No," Qingyue interrupted, shaking her head slowly. "Time wouldn't have changed anything. I could never defeat him."
Her voice was quiet, but laced with bitter conviction.
"I lost before the match even began… I couldn't even defeat that woman. She let me win out of pity." Her hand trembled slightly, memories of Unohana Retsu's calm, merciless power flashing through her mind.
Gong Yuxian's gaze darkened with concern. "Qingyue…"
She hesitated, then added, "Yun Che and the other victors… they gave all their prizes to you. Isn't that something to take heart in? You could use them to break through to the Emperor Profound Realm."
For a moment, Qingyue stared in disbelief.
"They… gave them to me?" she echoed, her voice sharp with incredulity. She grit her teeth, fists clenching tightly beneath the sheets.
"So… I've fallen so low that they pitied me?" Her tone cracked with suppressed emotion.
Gong Yuxian's eyes widened. Qingyue's mask—the elegant, composed serenity she always wore—had slipped. The calm disciple she had known was now filled with turmoil. Anger. Shame.
A long breath escaped Qingyue's lips as she lowered her head. "Forgive me… Asgard Mistress. May I be alone?"
Gong Yuxian looked at her in silence for a moment before nodding solemnly.
"As you wish, Qingyue…"
She turned and signaled the healers to follow. The chamber door closed quietly behind them, leaving Xia Qingyue alone in the silence.
Alone… with her emotions.
Her fingers moved slowly to the center of her chest.
A new heart…
Warm. Alive. Stirring. No longer the frozen void it once was.
And it beat with a quiet, persistent rhythm—echoing the name of the one who had broken through her ice.
As the doors quietly shut behind the Asgard Mistress and her attendants, silence settled over the chamber like a winter mist.
Xia Qingyue drew her knees to her chest, resting her chin upon them. Her arms wrapped around her legs—an instinctive motion of someone not used to feeling small. Yet that was exactly how she felt.
Insignificant.
Her mind replayed the battle again and again—each memory like a blade carving at her pride. Yun Che's mastery of hand-to-hand combat had dismantled her defense with ease, his strikes precise, fluid, unrelenting. She had managed to transition into her swordplay, hoping to shift the momentum—but he adapted, flowing into his own blade techniques with an elegance that surpassed her own.
She had spent two years in relentless pursuit of perfection. Every breath, every step, every technique was honed to overcome him.
Yet the moment he unleashed his Bankai, her confidence had shattered.
Overwhelming. Inescapable.
She remembered the cold weight of her own helplessness when she activated her domain—The Domain of the Tree of Frozen End. She thought it would buy her time… give her the advantage to unleash her final strike.
But then… his second Bankai.
That form. That power.
She had been nothing in front of it.
Her hands clenched into fists. Her knuckles whitened.
Why…?
Why was the gap so wide?
Why did it feel like no matter how far she reached… he would always be out of grasp?
"I worked… so hard…" she whispered, her voice nearly cracking as she looked at her hands—hands that had built her strength, her techniques, her pride. "And still… he defeated me like I was nothing…"
The warmth in her chest pulsed again—the strange, foreign feeling that had only grown stronger since the duel. Her heart… the new one… reacted not with cold, but with aching warmth.
Longing.
It wasn't just the defeat that left her shaken. It was the knowledge that he had seen through her—not just her skills, but her walls. And worse… part of her didn't mind.
The room remained still, yet her heart raced. She closed her eyes, breathing deeply to hold herself together.
She was no match against him.
Not even close.
It hadn't been a fair fight—not truly. Yun Che could have ended it swiftly had he unleashed that dragon form from the very beginning. But he hadn't. Whether out of mercy or because his body couldn't sustain it for long, he had held back.
That stung even more.
Xia Qingyue leaned her head against her knees, her long silver-violet hair cascading like a curtain around her face as she let out a soft sigh.
"You've surpassed me entirely…"
"I wanted to show you… that I've grown too. That I'm not the same girl who stood by your side on our wedding day. That I could walk beside you—not behind you."
She closed her eyes, retreating into her thoughts as her heart tightened. The ache wasn't from her injuries anymore—it was from something else.
"What am I even doing…? Wasn't this journey meant to find mother…? To grow stronger for her sake…?" Her fingers dug into the blanket. "So why… why does it feel like I'm chasing after you now?"
She gritted her teeth.
She had never meant to care. She wasn't supposed to. She had built walls, trained herself to be distant. She had accepted the marriage out of duty—out of her father's wishes and his promise to Yun Che's father. That was all it was supposed to be.
But now…
Now, that man she once barely acknowledged had become a storm in her thoughts. A light too blinding to ignore.
He was no longer the reckless boy she remembered. He was something else entirely—strong, mysterious, bold… someone she could no longer pretend to look down on. He had always walked his own path, and now, she found herself wondering if she wanted to walk it with him—not out of obligation, but choice.
She exhaled shakily.
"I don't even know him that well…"
But her heart beat faster anyway. And that traitorous warmth—the one born from the new heart—responded not with cold rejection, but quiet yearning.
A yearning that terrified her more than her defeat.
Her mind was saying different things however, her heart betrayed it.
"You woke up quicker than I expected."
Xia Qingyue's head snapped up, her instincts flaring despite her weakened state. Her eyes narrowed. No one should've been able to enter this place—much less approach her quarters without triggering the ark's countless barriers and alarms. Yet the voice came casually, as if it belonged.
She turned toward the balcony… and there he was.
Perched comfortably the ark balcony just outside her room, Yun Che sat as if the laws of the world didn't apply to him. He wore not the black shihakushou and haori from their duel, but his more relaxed, modern attire—an adventurer's outfit draped with a flowing white cloak. The contrast made him seem… unreal.
And worse, completely at ease.
With a lopsided grin, he raised his hand and gave her a lazy wave. "Yo! You know that weird tension between us when we fought? That gnawing pressure? It totally reminded me of that meme from The Boys. You know, the one with Homelander?" He paused, then laughed to himself. "Oh right, this world doesn't have the internet. Bummer. I should probably introduce Markiplier to this realm. That guy's equal parts annoying and legendary."
Xia Qingyue just stared, unmoving.
What… was he talking about?
Her mind raced as she watched him casually swing a leg over the balcony and step into her room like it was his own. Her heart pounded—not in panic, but frustration. Why him? Why now? She didn't understand his aim. No one should have been able to find her like this, let alone enter. And yet, here he was. As if called by her thoughts. Again.
Her expression hardened, the icy mask reforming like instinct. Cold. Controlled. Distant.
"You're trespassing," she said, voice low but sharp. "Why are you here?"
But even as she said it, she couldn't deny the truth clawing at her chest.
Part of her… wanted to know.
"Did you come here to mock me?" she spat, her voice laced with cold fury.
Yun Che blinked, unfazed, brushing off her venomous tone like an old joke. "Mock you? No. I came to visit…" He glanced around, then exaggerated a shiver. "Or did this room suddenly get colder, or is it just me?"
Her jaw clenched. Her hands gripped the sheets beneath her as she exploded, "I lost, Yun Che. I lost to you!" Her voice cracked with restrained emotion. "Did you come here to gloat? To show me how far beneath you I've fallen? To brag? Or maybe you're here to remind me that I'm not worthy to even stand beside you!"
He paused mid-step, taken slightly aback by the raw emotion in her voice. Slowly, he raised his hands in peace, his tone softening. "Whoa, whoa—hey. What's with the hostility? Did I say something wrong? Did I step on your pride again?"
"You…" Her voice trembled as her anger boiled over. "Do you remember that day? The day you chased me away?" Her eyes locked onto his, burning with wounded pride. "Now you appear before me like nothing happened—what, to prove I'm not fit to be your wife? To remind me I'm weak? Replaceable?"
Yun Che winced. This was a minefield, and he knew it. Time to disarm it—at least partially.
"You've improved," he said gently, his voice sincere for once. "You were stronger than the last time we crossed paths. That's not flattery—it's fact."
She scoffed bitterly and sank back onto her bed, refusing to look at him. "Spare me your sweet words. I don't need pity. Say whatever you came to say. Then leave."
A heavy silence fell between them. Yun Che looked at her, the real her—not the icy mask, but the storm underneath. The truth bleeding from her clenched fists and trembling voice. And when he finally spoke, his voice lost its usual teasing edge.
"Why are you like this?" he asked, not in irritation—but in pain.
Qingyue sucked in a breath and held it. Her lips trembled before she finally let the storm inside her burst free.
"You defeated me," she said softly, her voice wavering. "You hated me. You made it very clear."
She lifted her eyes to meet his, and for the first time, Yun Che saw not the prideful prodigy of Frozen Cloud Asgard… but a woman who didn't understand her own heart anymore.
"So why?" Her voice cracked. "Why are you here? Why are you not with her? Or them? Your lover. That princess. The ones who adore you. The ones who deserve you. Why are you here? With a lowlife like me."
She spat the last sentence like venom—and Yun Che didn't miss the flicker of jealousy that surfaced when she said the word lover.
He didn't answer immediately.
But his expression changed. The usual cocky grin faded.
And for once… he looked serious.
"Who says I hated you?" Yun Che's voice was steady, sincere. "I told you—I just came to visit." He smirked, but his eyes held a rare seriousness.
"I never hated you, Qingyue. Not once."
Her breath caught. "You… chased me away that night."
"I did," he admitted without hesitation, "because I knew we both needed space. You needed to focus on your path. I needed to walk mine. So I gave you a reason to push me away." He sighed, folding his arms. "Clearly, that didn't work out the way I hoped."
Xia Qingyue froze. His words struck something inside her she wasn't ready to confront. Her eyes narrowed, partly out of defense. "Then why now? Why come here?"
He took a step forward, gaze never leaving hers. "You wanted to find your mother… right?"
She stiffened.
That was a secret known only to a few—her father, Yuanba, and the closest Asgard elders. She never told Yun Che. Not directly. How did he know?
Did Yuanba tell him?
No, he wasn't there that day.
Did her father confide in him?
Maybe.
Before she could ask, Yun Che answered, cutting through her racing thoughts.
"I knew," he said, his voice quieter now. "I knew your mother wasn't from this world. I mean—not from here..." He repeated the word with careful emphasis, tapping his temple with a finger.
"Here, as in this world, this realm…"
Her eyes widened. He wasn't talking nonsense. His tone, his gaze—he was serious. And it chilled her more than any ice technique could.
"You're not the only one chasing shadows from beyond the sky, Qingyue. I know what it's like to search for someone who's not meant to exist here."
He took another step, no longer playful, no longer distant.
"That's why I came. Not to brag. Not to insult you. But because I thought… maybe you needed someone who understands."
For the first time since he entered, she didn't speak.
Because, for the first time, she didn't know what to say.
Yun Che's words hit like a silent thunderclap, shaking the foundation of everything Xia Qingyue built around her heart.
Her lips parted, but no words escaped. Just a whisper of breath, a flicker of disbelief.
"How…?" she finally asked, her voice quiet, brittle—almost childlike.
Yun Che simply stepped closer, unfazed. "Come on, Qingyue. You and Yuanba weren't exactly normal. Your cultivation? Sky Profound Peak in less than two years? Maybe less? Yuanba with veins that react to rage and grant him a body tougher than steel, a will that could lead armies—his golden aura, that transformation…"
He tilted his head. "You think something like that is native to this planet? Sorry, I mean star?"
She flinched at the word.
"Your father told me some of it," he continued, voice calm but cutting. "But I'm not dumb. I pieced the rest together. It wasn't hard once I saw how you and Yuanba changed. Especially you." His eyes softened slightly. "You always kept that part of yourself locked away, didn't you?"
Xia Qingyue looked away, clenching the sheets beneath her. The silence between them was now thick, electric.
"I'm not saying this to hurt you. I know who you're trying to find. I know who you mean when you talk about 'her.'"
Still, she said nothing. Her eyes burned now, not from anger—but from a crack in her wall.
Yun Che continued, gently, "Your mother… she probably returned once her memories came back. I've seen it before. That amnesia, that celestial echo... it doesn't stay buried forever. When she left you that phrase—it wasn't love, it was a mission. That single sentence was all it took to send you chasing the stars, wasn't it?"
He stared at her, unwavering.
"And now here you are. Ice in your veins. A blade in your hand. A storm behind your eyes." He leaned forward. "But I'll ask you again, Qingyue… is the Realm of the Gods what you've been chasing all your life?"
Her hands trembled slightly in her lap. Her voice, when it came, was almost a whisper.
"…Yes."
But even as she said it, she wasn't sure anymore.
Because somehow… now he stood in front of her again—and suddenly, she didn't know if that goal was still the only thing she wanted.
Yun Che let out a breath, his gaze narrowing slightly as he spoke with a calm laced in exasperation.
"Your brain's probably too frozen to catch up, so let me break it down for you… I was raised by those people ever since Uncle Ying died. Divine Cultivators, Realm of the Gods, all of it—I've lived that life. I know more than you think. I acted weak all those years just to keep eyes off me while I cultivated in peace. It wasn't glamorous. It was exhausting, dangerous, and painfully frustrating. My master? Yeah, one of them, too. So let's skip the 'Divine Cultivation 101'—I could teach the damn course."
Xia Qingyue blinked, a flash of confusion in her usually calm expression. Her voice was soft but sharp.
"Uncle Ying? You… you're not his son?"
It was the first time she'd ever questioned his lineage. She had always assumed—especially after hearing he came from the Xiao Clan—that his identity was rooted in that small village life. But then came the wedding. He signed his name with Yun, not Xiao. She had noticed. She even changed the surname on the certificate without thinking. Why had she done that?
Yun Che chuckled lightly, but there was a trace of bitterness beneath it.
"Obviously not. I was adopted by the Xiao Clan. Raised by them, not born from them. Why do you think I kept the surname Yun?"
He glanced away for a moment, then back to her, his tone shifting—less sardonic, more grounded.
"Then, why did you said you're not the man I suppose to marry? Isn't Yun Che your name? Or it is not…"
"But this isn't about me. Today's not my story. It's yours."
Qingyue lowered her gaze, the storm in her eyes settling into silence. He was avoiding it again.
"…."
"So, in conclusion… I just wanted to help you bring her back—"
CRACK.
Before Yun Che could finish, the air exploded with an icy surge. In a flash, frost coiled around him like chains. The floor beneath his feet crystallized, and jagged shards of ice shot up, locking his hands and legs in place. His breath caught as he instinctively reached inward—thank the heavens he had Shirayuki and Kuroyuki equipped. Without them, the frostbite alone would've been enough to shred his nerves.
Standing before him was Xia Qingyue, no longer the composed, distant beauty he once knew. Her eyes burned with fury, her voice cold enough to freeze steel.
"Stay… out… of… it. This has nothing to do with you."
Yun Che blinked. It was the first time—ever—that she looked at him like that. If her eyes were swords, he would've been cut into a thousand pieces.
"Wow…" he muttered as he shattered the ice around him with a faint surge of spiritual pressure, Shirayuki radiating a soft blue glow as she cleansed the cold from his limbs. "You really haven't learned. You forget what happened in the arena? That this kinda thing doesn't work on me anymore?"
He looked around. No one burst in. No alarms. Not a single spiritual ripple outside the barrier.
"Good thing I put up a Kido barrier earlier. Didn't want to wake the neighbors."
Qingyue staggered slightly—she had poured what little recovered energy she had into that outburst. Her body trembled from the backlash, but her voice remained sharp as a dagger.
"Why… Why can't you just leave it alone?! She's my mother! My family—my burden! This has nothing to do with you!"
Yun Che's eyes softened, but his voice remained steady.
"…And she's my mother-in-law."
Her breath caught.
Then, with venom in her voice, she snapped:
"She is not—"
"You're my wife, Qingyue. But I never stopped seeing you that way. You're part of my family. Your fight is my fight, whether you like it or not."
"I am not…." Qingyue whispered. She didn't see herself worthy to be called one of his family.
Yun Che stepped forward, his voice low but unwavering, each word piercing straight into her guarded heart.
"Then why don't you destroy it?"
He stared at her without flinching.
"Do it, Qingyue. Cut ties with me. Right here. Right now."
Xia Qingyue froze.
For a long moment, the only sound in the room was the soft hum of the icy wind, drifting through the half-open balcony.
Then—shhhk—she reached into her spatial ring.
In her hand, delicate yet trembling, appeared the very document Yun Che spoke of.
Their marriage certificate.
She held it up into the air, her gaze unreadable.
Her profound energy gathered at her fingertips. Ice crept along the edges of the paper, crystalizing it in a web of frost. A single pulse of her power would shatter it into snowflakes.
That would be the end of it.
She clenched her jaw.
Her heart pounded harder.
Just one second—just one word—and it would be over. All the confusion, the pain, the questions. She could reclaim the cold solitude she once prided herself on. Her pride was on the line. Her emotions, her identity, everything she built—balanced on the edge of that frozen sheet.
Yun Che said nothing. He didn't need to.
He already knew.
She gripped the certificate harder, her fingers whitening. Her mind screamed for her to end it.
But her heart… refused.
The more her mind told her to destroy it, the more her heart refused.
She couldn't do it.
Not because she was weak.
But because deep down—it meant something. Destroying it will make her regret it forever.
More than she was ready to admit.
That certificate wasn't just a symbol of a forced marriage. It was a memory… a thread. Of the boy who once smiled at her awkwardly in a red wedding robe. Of the man who now stood before her, stronger, bolder, and still… still here.
She had kept it hidden. Treasured it, even. Despite everything.
Even when her master once asked her to hand it over—to let go—she refused. It was the only thing she ever protected with a possessiveness she didn't understand. As if it were her reverse scale, the one thing no one was allowed to touch.
Now, here she was, standing on the edge of her pride and her heart.
And she…
Couldn't.
Do.
It.
Her hands slowly lowered, her grip still tight but her power fading.
The ice began to melt.
"…Why?" she whispered.
The question wasn't for Yun Che.
It was for herself.
Was it love?
Admiration?
Obsession?
Or the desperate hope that if she could just surpass him, she could make sense of what he meant to her?
She didn't know.
And that—that scared her more than anything else.
If she were the same Xia Qingyue from the novel—the woman of pure ice and unshakable resolve—she would have shattered that certificate without a second thought. No hesitation. No remorse.
But she didn't.
Yun Che watched her closely. Something had changed.
He saw the hesitation in her grip, the tremble in her hand—not of weakness, but of conflict. During the tournament, he noticed it. The shift in her aura. The moment of doubt. It wasn't just the loss that rattled her. It was something deeper. Something broken. Something unfrozen.
Did she lose her Ice Heart? The one Little Fairy spoke off before?
He recalled the moment Little Fairy—Chu Yuechan—changed. When his Bankai overwhelmed her, it destroyed her Ice Heart, melting the cold distance she'd wrapped around herself for years. But with her sister, Chu Yueli, it wasn't the Bankai—it was trauma, the brush with death that shattered her center and made her human again.
So what about Qingyue?
Then it hit him—Hakka no Togame. The final strike of his second Bankai. The overwhelming silence that followed as her world collapsed beneath the frost.
Had that attack cracked something within her?
Of course it did.
Her cold demeanor now… it felt like an act. A fragile mask she wore because she didn't know how to face the feelings beneath.
Now, that heart reassembled and become the Heart of the Crystal Dream.
Yun Che leaned against the wall casually, folding his arms as he kept his voice calm.
"That's what I thought. You needed help. You just don't want to admit it."
He looked at her firmly.
"You can't do this alone, Qingyue. No one can. Not when you're dealing with them."
He paused before adding:
"I've got history with those people too. Call it fate or a mission, but I'm not strong enough to finish it. Not yet."
Suddenly, she moved.
Qingyue was inches from his face, grabbing the collar of his coat with both hands. Her cold breath brushed against his skin, her amethyst eyes locked into his with a fire that contradicted everything her cold exterior projected.
"How do you know about her…?" she whispered, voice trembling with something between suspicion and desperation.
"Just who are you, really? Are you the Xiao Che I married… or someone else wearing his face?" She asked with desperation. "Please answer me... truthfully. This Qingyue is tired of asking herself this over and over again."
Yun Che smirked—classic panic interrogation. She was breaking.
And it was time to start bullshitting.
Yun Che gently pushed her hands away, giving himself a bit of space. His tone was calm, but his eyes carried the weight of a truth he had long kept hidden.
"The Divine Cultivators trained me," he began.
"They knew your mother well… but when she lost her memories, they decided to keep it that way. They always watched over her from a distance."
Xia Qingyue's breath hitched.
"Who are these Divine Cultivators? Where can I find them?" she demanded, stepping forward with urgency, eyes gleaming with desperation. "If they knew my mother—if they trained you—then I can ask them myself!"
Yun Che shook his head slowly, the weight of disappointment in his voice.
"Too late… They left this star years ago. Long before either of us were strong enough to stop them. By then, I was already hiding within the Xiao Clan, pretending to be weak."
Her voice turned sharper, more desperate.
"Then… you knew my mother?"
A moment passed before he gave her the name.
"Yue Wugou. That was her name… right?"
She froze.
Her silence was answer enough.
Yun Che's voice dropped slightly, filled with a strange mixture of reverence and regret.
"Yue Wugou was from the Moon God Realm. One of the Divine Realms beyond our reach—for now. That's all they told me when I was still a boy. I asked them if they could convince her to stay here… but they said the Moon God Realm wasn't a place they could afford to offend. So, they let her go."
It wasn't the whole truth.
But it was enough to satisfy the story.
An imaginary clan, hidden behind the veil of a greater truth.
Qingyue murmured the name under her breath, her voice barely audible.
"Moon God Realm…"
She repeated it as if clinging to the syllables would make the distance disappear. She finally knew where her mother was—but not how to reach her.
Not yet.
She glanced up at Yun Che. His presence, his techniques, his power… none of it felt native to this world. She had sensed it during their duel. He was stronger, yes—but not because of brute force. His power was foreign. From somewhere else. Somewhere higher.
Her eyes, which once stared at him with suspicion and resentment, now reflected something else.
Understanding.
And beneath it—respect.
Then Yun Che took a slow step forward, his voice soft but strangely persuasive—calculated.
"You know, Qingyue… I've known you—and your mother—since we were children."
He gave her a nostalgic smile. "We used to play together. You, Yuanba, and me. I was always around, visiting… but you were always so quiet, even back then."
Xia Qingyue's brows furrowed in confusion, her eyes narrowing as her heart stirred.
"That's… not possible. I don't—"
Her voice faltered as she met his eyes.
It was too late.
Yun Che's Sharingan had already activated—its spiraling red glow pulling her gaze deeper and deeper. The illusion was subtle, seamless. Not a rewriting of her past—just… a gentle insertion. A memory that felt like it had always been there.
Suddenly, she could see it:
Yun Che, or Xiao Che, as he was known then—running beside her and Yuanba through the streets of Floating Cloud City. She could feel the warmth of the sun, the laughter, the silly games. A presence that should've been forgettable, but now lingered like a familiar scent in spring.
"You…" she whispered, stunned. "You were… there?"
The illusion locked in.
It was subtle, not invasive. Not cruel. But effective.
He didn't erase anything—only added just enough to anchor himself into her life.
Just like he had done to Yuanba at New Moon Profound Palace.
This was his insurance. His way to ensure Qingyue wouldn't push him away the moment he offered help. A stranger could be doubted. But a childhood friend? A forgotten connection suddenly remembered?
That changed everything.
She stumbled back a little, confusion overtaking her expression. Her cold aura faltered.
Yun Che watched quietly. He wouldn't use this technique often. He couldn't—not until he fully awakened the Mangekyō Sharingan (Kaleidoscope Copy Wheel Eye) and gained access to Kotoamatsukami (Distinguished Heavenly Gods). Then, he wouldn't need to implant—he could reshape conviction itself.
But for now, this would do.
Even if he has Kotoamatsukami, he won't use it against Qingyue. Her heart right now is already vulnerable. A small insertion into her childhood will be enough to convince her to trust him.
It was enough to soften the ice in her heart.
Enough to plant a seed of trust.
Xia Qingyue stared at him, her voice low, almost trembling.
"I remember you…" she said, slowly—carefully, like she was trying to fit together pieces of a puzzle that had long since faded with time. "But how? You… You were always a cripple. I remember. You didn't have a speck of cultivation. I saw you get bullied over and over again…"
Yun Che gave her a lopsided smirk.
"Ever heard of a Shadow Clone?" he said, with the straightest face in the universe. "That was a decoy. A weak puppet they sent to the Xiao Clan to take all the beatings while I trained in secret." He spread his arms. "Pretty good acting, right? I'd drop by now and then to play alone with you and Yuanba—just enough to keep up appearances without drawing suspicion. Once my training was complete, the clone 'mysteriously vanished,' and I went back to pretending I was garbage."
It's called 'Bullshit-no-Jutsu.' Very advanced. Don't try it without chakra control and a death wish.
Qingyue was stunned into silence. Her eyes searched his face, but the memories whispered to her in harmony with his words. She remembered the scrawny, bruised boy, curled up behind the clan wall, bloodied and alone. She remembered offering him her hand. Bandaging his wounds. Leaving food where no one would see.
Had she… really done that?
The memories felt real. Too real.
But… she could never remember his face from back then. It was always blurred, always distant, like the fog of cultivation had pushed him out of her mind without her even noticing.
"Why… can't I remember what you looked like?" she whispered, almost to herself. "Was it… because of my cultivation? Or… because I wanted to forget you…?"
Her eyes flickered with guilt.
The logic didn't fully line up. But her heart—the warmth blooming deep within—told her it must have been true. There was a strange comfort in thinking he had always been there, just hidden behind shadows and secrets. Always watching. Always waiting.
Yun Che didn't push the moment. He leaned back against the wall, arms folded, watching her with a calm, almost knowing look.
"It doesn't matter if you forgot," he said gently. "What matters is that you remembered now."
And in her heart, Qingyue didn't know what was real anymore.
But in that moment…
She wanted to believe.
Yun Che leaned casually against the wall, his arms crossed, voice uncharacteristically gentle.
"I know it's a lot. I get it. You've carried this burden alone for so long, hoping one day to bring your family together again. That's why I want to help."
He glanced toward her, smiling faintly.
"Aunt Wugou was one of the kindest women I ever met. Honestly, she was probably my first childhood crush." He chuckled, trying to lighten the mood. "Did I ever mention she looked exactly like you? Just, you know… older and without the deadly ice glare."
Xia Qingyue blinked. Her mind froze.
He had a crush on my mother…?
A strange pang struck her heart. Sharp. Cold. She didn't want to acknowledge it, didn't want to admit it bothered her. But it did. Somewhere beneath the layers of frost she'd built around her emotions, something cracked.
She swallowed it down.
"She'd probably faint if she knew I married you, huh?" Yun Che added with a grin.
She looked away, lips tightening. Why does this man speak so casually after dumping a mountain on my shoulders…?
In the span of a single night, her entire world had shifted.
Her mother wasn't just missing—she was in the Moon God Realm, a divine place far beyond her current reach.
Yun Che, the man she thought she knew—and resented—was now inexplicably her childhood friend.
He was trained by Divine cultivators. Had met her mother. Knew things even her own father kept hidden.
And her ice heart, the very core of her cultivation, was splintering under the weight of it all.
Xia Qingyue sat on the edge of her bed, curling her knees up slightly. Her long hair flowed like a curtain down her shoulders, veiling the storm behind her eyes.
Her voice came out as a whisper, brittle and hollow.
"I don't know what to do anymore…"
The truth hung heavy between them. She had the will, but not the strength. She had the purpose, but not the path.
And Yun Che was offering to walk that impossible road beside her.
Yun Che sat down in front of her, the icy floor barely bothering him as he looked her in the eye—serious, unflinching.
"Qingyue… as your husband, I intend to shoulder your burdens. Not because I want to win your heart, melt it, dip it in a pie, or any poetic nonsense like that. I have a mission too. I'm going to the Realm of the Gods… and I want payback from the ones who abandoned me here."
He leaned forward slightly, voice lowering.
"But you— you can't go alone. You won't make it. And if you try… it won't just destroy you. Your mother, your father… even Yuanba might suffer."
His words weren't just a warning. They were a plea.
Qingyue studied him. This wasn't the reckless, arrogant Yun Che she knew. This version of him… had seen something. Knew something. His eyes burned with resolve, the kind that came from knowledge of things yet to come.
"You speak like you know the future," she murmured.
Yun Che exhaled through his nose. Because I do.
But instead of confirming it, he gently waved the thought aside.
"Let's just say I know how these things play out… and I want to change that. For your sake. For hers."
Qingyue opened her mouth to ask more, but he cut in again.
"She didn't just leave because she wanted to."
He looked up at her now, eyes softening. "She went back to keep you and Yuanba from being taken. To protect your father. That's what the people who trained me believed."
"But why? What were they after?" she asked cautiously.
"Her body," Yun Che said bluntly. "The Divine Stainless Body."
Qingyue froze. Her breath caught.
"Divine… Stainless Body?"
He nodded. "It means her body was pure—untainted by karma or corruption. A body so rare it could birth children with unnatural talent. Like you. Like Yuanba."
"Only women can possess the Divine Stainless Body," Yun Che explained, his tone becoming more solemn. "Like your mother."
"What makes it so special…?" Qingyue asked, though she could already feel the answer would change everything she knew.
"Because no one else—man or woman—can absorb primordial energy the same way. But within a Divine Stainless Body… that energy isn't just absorbed—it's nurtured. If a child is conceived in such a body, it will coexist with pure primordial energy from the very moment of its existence." He paused, letting the weight of his words settle. "It won't be like the celestials of this dimension, of course… but its nature would resemble them."
Qingyue's eyes widened as she tried to grasp the scope of what he was saying.
"In simple terms," Yun Che continued, "a child born from a woman like your mother would have potential beyond anything in our world. Its body, life force, profound meridians—all would be influenced by the ancient, primal aura. Its innate talent would be astonishing… even unnatural."
He stepped closer, lowering his voice.
"And more than that—there's a high chance such a child might be born with a variant physique… maybe even one that was thought extinct. Something the modern realms haven't seen in tens of thousands of years."
Qingyue's breath caught. Suddenly, everything—her talent, Yuanba's overwhelming strength, their meteoric growth—made sense. The whispers in the dark corners of her memory, the questions she never dared to ask… all connected now.
"That's why they wanted her," Yun Che said, his gaze hardening. "Not for who she was… but for what she could give them."
She stared, stunned.
"The whole process," Yun Che continued with quiet gravity, "is similar to how divine powers and divine physiques were born from the primordial energy during the ancient era. When that energy still flowed freely through the Primal Chaos."
He looked at Qingyue carefully, as if measuring how much truth she could bear.
"The first generation born from a woman with the Divine Stainless Body… their talent and physique would be extraordinary. Beyond comprehension. Even after the primordial energy faded, that potential wouldn't vanish—it would just diminish little by little with each generation. But even then, their descendants would still be far beyond ordinary cultivators."
Qingyue's eyes flickered, but she said nothing.
"You were the first," Yun Che said, locking eyes with her. "And then came Yuanba. He inherited the Tyrannical Emperor Profound Veins—another divine-level trait that shouldn't exist in this era. His strength… his transformation… his body—it all comes from that bloodline."
He stepped toward her.
"If they ever found him… they would use him. And if your mother had more children, their talents might diminish slightly, but they'd still be terrifyingly gifted. A line of living weapons. But…" Yun Che paused, voice lowering to a murmur, "…the most powerful of them all… is you."
Qingyue's breath hitched. Her voice was almost a whisper.
"Me…?"
Yun Che nodded slowly. "You are the eldest born of the Divine Stainless Body, the first to awaken under this star's sky. You're the foundation. The pinnacle of her legacy."
She looked down at her trembling hands. The frost clinging to her sleeves had started to melt.
"All this time… I thought I was just… chasing her. Trying to be strong like her. But I… I am her legacy?"
Yun Che didn't say anything. He didn't need to.
His voice darkened. "I've seen what they do to women like her. I won't let that happen."
Silence thickened between them.
Qingyue, normally composed and unshakable, now felt the weight of it all. Her mother hadn't abandoned her and her family—she'd sacrificed everything to protect them. And this man before her, the one she once pushed away, was fighting for her family as if it were his own.
Yun Che's gaze hardened as he knelt slightly, leveling himself to Qingyue's eye. His voice was low, deliberate.
"You carry the Nine Profound Exquisite Body… and the Heart of Snow Glazed Glass. No ordinary person could even withstand the power of Hakka no Togame. But you did. You endured it and survived. Why?"
He raised his hand and tapped lightly against her chest. "Because of this. Your heart. Should it ever falter… should it ever be corrupted, even for a moment… Shirayuki would freeze you from the inside out. That's the burden you carry."
Qingyue's lips parted, but no words came. She could still feel the aftermath of that fight—how close she came to breaking. But she hadn't. And now she knew why.
Yun Che's voice dropped further, laced with a bitter edge.
"You are your mother's firstborn. And the firstborn of a woman with the Divine Stainless Body… is always the most blessed. The most powerful. That's why you received such divine talents. Yuanba inherited the veins, the raw strength. But you—you inherited everything else. Body, talent, spirit… will."
He paused. His eyes narrowed.
"But Qingyue… if the wrong people ever got their hands on your mother…"
His jaw clenched. The thought made his blood boil.
"They would turn her into a tool. A breeding vessel. A prize locked in chains. They'd use that sacred body of hers to give birth to armies of prodigies. Children not out of love, but function."
Xia Qingyue's shoulders trembled as her fists clenched tightly by her sides. Her lips quivered, but she forced herself to speak.
"So… me and Yuanba… we're the reason she left?"
Her voice cracked slightly—anger, grief, and guilt tangled together in her chest like ice splinters piercing her heart.
Yun Che nodded slowly, his expression calm yet serious.
"Part of it, maybe. But I don't think that's the only reason."
He looked away for a moment, eyes narrowing in thought. "There's more to it. Things I don't remember clearly. The story I read from the divine cultivators was fragmented, incomplete. But I know she had to leave. For your sake. For Yuanba's. Maybe… for someone else too."
Qingyue's breath caught. The idea that her mother had endured all that alone, to protect them... it was suffocating.
"Then how can you be so sure she's still safe?" she asked, almost desperately. Her voice was laced with emotion she couldn't contain any longer. "You're acting like you know what they're thinking. That she's not in pain. That they're not—"
"Because I do know," Yun Che cut her off, gently but firmly. "I've dealt with people like them. Manipulative, calculating. They won't harm her—not yet. Because she's more valuable intact. They'll use her… as leverage. And the second they reveal what she truly is, she'll become a target for everyone."
His voice deepened, eyes cold as ice.
"They'll keep her hidden. Isolated. Because if anyone else finds out she has the Divine Stainless Body, she'll be hunted down. Enslaved. Used to birth an entire generation of monsters. But right now? They're being careful. Because the moment she has another child… that child becomes another beacon. Another threat. And they know that."
Qingyue's breath became shallow, her mind racing. The walls of her world were cracking—everything she believed about her mother's disappearance, her own strength, even her identity—were being shaken down to their core.
She sat and slumped on the bed, overwhelmed. Her voice barely came out.
"She left… to protect us."
Yun Che stepped closer, kneeling beside her once more.
"Yes."
He stood now, his silhouette cast in the fading icy glow of her failed attack. His tone was absolute.
"I won't let that happen."
Qingyue stared at him, her heart a swirl of confusion, dread… and something else. Something warm she hadn't felt in years. Tonight, she found out where her mother was, the nature of the Realm of the Gods, the truth about her mother's action and her talents. She even found out about her own talents and Yuanba's. Moreover, she found out about Yun Che being her childhood friend.
All in the same day.
"Why are you telling me all this…? Why now?"
Yun Che stepped forward again, unflinching.
"Because this isn't just your burden to carry anymore. It never was. You're not alone, Qingyue. Not anymore. Her blood is in your veins. You must square with it someday soon."
She looked at Yun Che again. Not with suspicion this time… but with something else. Something warmer.
"Those people who trained you? They knew about her?"
Qingyue's voice was low, guarded—almost afraid of the answer.
Yun Che nodded, calm as ever. "They knew. But they're not the kind to meddle in personal matters unless it directly affects them. They're ancient… samurai clans. Bound by code and silence. Unless the Moon God Realm becomes their enemy, they won't act. That's why we need to prepare. Train. Hone ourselves until the day comes when we can act."
His words held an eerie conviction, as though he could see the war-torn future already.
But Qingyue wasn't listening to half of it.
Her mind was reeling.
The truth about her mother, her own origins, and now this strange revelation about ancient warrior clans—all layered over the implant of memories she'd never questioned until now. Everything felt like it was shifting under her feet, too much too fast.
Part of her still wanted to push him away. Refuse his help. Continue her path alone. It was the only way she'd ever known.
But… then came that voice.
That quiet seed of familiarity in her chest.
The childhood friend who was always there.
The memory of warm summer days with him and Yuanba. The bruises she cleaned. The laughter they shared. Even if fabricated, it felt real.
And that hesitation betrayed her.
Yun Che caught it instantly. Before she could utter a word or shape a glare, he leaned forward with a casual smirk.
"Don't give me that 'it's none of your business' look."
He tilted his head. "I've got history with them too. So this is my business, whether you like it or not."
Her eyes narrowed. "History? What kind of history?"
For a second, Yun Che's gaze flicked to the side.
A beat passed.
"…I'll tell you someday," he said, waving her off with a hand. "It's honestly petty. Nothing compared to what you've been through. But enough to keep me invested."
Qingyue stared at him. Deep down, she knew he was hiding something.
But for once… she didn't feel the need to press. Like her friend said, forcing him to reveal his secrets won't end well for her.
Xia Qingyue inhaled slowly, her breath misting faintly in the icy room.
So much had changed in a single night.
Yun Che… the man she once dismissed, the husband she never fully accepted, had just shattered the walls around her reality. With a few words and secrets, he revealed the truth about her mother—the Divine Stainless Body, the threat of exploitation, the cruel politics of the Realm of the Gods. And he spoke them not with arrogance or pity, but as someone who had waited—waited—until the time was right.
How long had he carried this burden? How long had he known?
He could've told her at the wedding… but they both knew how broken and cold that night was. No hearts opened then. Only distance.
Now, for the first time, she faced the undeniable truth:
She could not do this alone.
Not in the world they lived in. Not against the forces arrayed against her family.
Her gaze rose to meet his—sharp and composed, yet behind those amethyst eyes, Yun Che saw something he had never seen before.
Hope.
Faint, fragile… but burning.
"Can I trust you with this secret?" she asked, her voice like the soft chime of ice breaking. "Can I pin my hopes on you? Can you bring my mother back… to me? To us? To Father and Yuanba?"
A spark ignited behind Yun Che's gaze. He didn't smile—he didn't need to.
But inside, he knew this was it.
The first crack in her ice. The turning of her story.
The first step toward turning her from a tragic figure into his equal.
A true queen at his side—unbound by fate of the previous novel, guided by a new fate by god.
He kept his voice steady, solemn, sincere. "Yeah… You can count on me. No matter what it takes, we'll face Aunt Yugou together—and we'll bring her home."
Qingyue didn't respond right away. She didn't need to. The room was quiet, but the storm within her had calmed for the first time in years.
She had spent so long holding the weight of everything alone. The silence, the burden, the unanswered questions—they no longer had to be hers alone.
And suddenly, that unbearable burden?
Felt just a little bit lighter.
She lowered her eyes, a breath she didn't know she'd been holding finally released.
In that moment, she didn't just accept Yun Che.
She began to believe in him.
Perhaps… this marriage was not a mistake.
Perhaps… it was the heavens' way of telling her that she was not forsaken.
Perhaps… Yun Che was all along, the answer she had always longed for.