Just then, from below the cliff, a clear eagle’s cry echoed.

‘That sound…’

Shen Ningning lifted her tear-filled eyes, a little dazed.

‘Why does it sound so familiar?’

Fang Qingdai quickly looked down from the cliff. She saw a massive black figure flapping its wings, breaking through layers of swirling, thin clouds.

“Old Wang, it’s Old Wang!” Shen Ningning pointed at Hei Diao, her tears of sorrow turning into tears of joy.

Hei Diao always referred to himself with the royal “we,” so back at the border, her mother, Shen Siyi, had given him the affectionate nickname “Old Wang.”

Over time, Shen Ningning had picked it up too.

Everyone liked calling him that—everyone except Hei Diao himself.

“This king is not Old Wang! It is This King! You mortals, hmph!” Hei Diao flapped its wings, executed a beautiful turn in the sky, and then slowly landed behind Shen Ningning and the others.

It leaned over slightly, and the unconscious Second Master Xie rolled off its back.

A fall from such a height would indeed knock a person out. Fang Qingdai rushed over, cupped his face in her hands, and checked if he was breathing.

Fortunately, he was still breathing.

Fang Qingdai hugged Second Master Xie, her sobs a mixture of the joy of having him back and the panicked fear of what could have been.

Mo Lingwei helped Shen Ningning to her feet. She was deeply moved.

“Old Wang, you came at the perfect time! But when we left, didn’t you say you were going to live on Tianshan Mountain forever?”

The distance from Ling Mountain City to the Capital City was thousands of miles.

‘No matter how amazing he is, he’s still just a bird. How could he possibly find his way here?’

Hei Diao folded its wings and said arrogantly, “I brought my second aunt to Tianshan Mountain to retire. While her family was enjoying their happy reunion, I started wondering how you bunch of tiny humans were doing. So, since I had nothing better to do, I decided to fly over and take a look.”

“The annoying thing is that your summers here are too hot. It’s nothing like the refreshing freedom of Tianshan Mountain. Hmph. Go on and cry. If This King hadn’t been following you all the way up, your relative would be dead for sure!”

Shen Ningning threw herself forward and hugged Hei Diao’s fluffy wing.

“Thank you, Old Wang!”

Hei Diao gave a couple of unnatural huffs and even mimicked the sound of a person clearing their throat.

It pushed Shen Ningning away with its wing. “Go away, go away. You’re already betrothed. Not This King’s type. Keep your hands to yourself.”

Mo Lingwei’s brow furrowed. “You dare to be picky!”

‘Sometimes, even I have to wait for Shen Ningning’s mood to be right before I can hug her.’

‘This damned bird does one good deed and gets full of himself.’

Hei Diao shot him a sideways glance and, as if to deliberately provoke Mo Lingwei, spread its wings and gave Shen Ningning’s back a little hug.

Sure enough, fire blazed in Mo Lingwei’s cool eyes.

Suddenly, Hei Diao felt its tail feathers become a little damp, right near its rear end.

It turned its head to look and saw a chubby, wolf-like creature licking its tail.

“Hey!” Hei Diao jumped back with a start. “What are you? How dare you lick This King’s butt!”

The Black Wolf King was utterly humiliated. He let out an angry roar, and Wolf Three and Wolf Five quickly bit Lang Si’s tail and dragged him away.

Lang Si looked incredibly wronged, his chubby paws leaving two long drag marks on the ground.

“Let me have another lick! I’ve never seen such a plump and juicy bird…”

“Bird? You’re the bird! You fat dog!”

Nearby, the brown bear chuckled foolishly. He didn’t quite understand, but he found watching an eagle and a wolf argue rather interesting.

Hei Diao was fuming. “What are you laughing at! You silly bear, you look like a scarecrow! Look at your fur, it’s a total mess. This King can’t stand such an unkempt bear.”

The brown bear’s smile vanished. He looked down at his belly; his fur was indeed a bit messy.

In contrast, Hei Diao’s feathers were a lustrous black, and its two legs were strong and powerful.

No wonder Lang Si thought it looked plump and delicious.

…

When Second Master Xie woke up, he found himself lying in his own room.

His eyes were a little dazed. He looked around and slowly sat up.

Only then did he realize that Fang Qingdai was asleep, slumped over the side of his bed.

Seeing her haggard face, still stained with tears, he figured she must have been watching over him the whole time.

Second Master Xie froze for a moment. He couldn’t help but reach out, his heart aching at the sight of the tear marks on her face.

But as his hand drew near, Fang Qingdai, being a martial artist and naturally perceptive, woke up instantly.

Second Master Xie quickly pulled his hand back, exceptionally nervous.

Fang Qingdai, however, had a look of pure joy. “You’re awake!”

As she spoke, she suddenly threw her arms around Second Master Xie’s neck, hugging him tightly.

Second Master Xie froze. “General Fang?”

His hands were frozen in mid-air, unsure of where to put them.

Her choked sobs, accompanied by her warm tears, dampened his shoulder.

“You really scared me to death! Didn’t you promise me you’d bring yourself and Yici back safely? Do you have any idea how devastated I was the moment I saw the vine come loose?”

Second Master Xie pressed his thin lips together, unable to believe what he was hearing.

‘After all these years, Fang Qingdai… actually hugged me!?’

‘She was even heartbroken that I almost died.’

“Right… didn’t I fall off the cliff?” He had passed out midway through the fall.

He had thought his life was over for sure, and his very last thought had been one of regret—that he hadn’t properly said goodbye to Fang Qingdai on the cliff.

Now he was awake again, and Fang Qingdai was being so good to him. It felt just like a dream.

Second Master Xie pinched his own arm, hard.

He sucked in a sharp breath from the pain.

Fang Qingdai let go of him and couldn’t help but laugh, though she chided him through her tears, “What are you pinching yourself for?”

“I thought King Yan took pity on me for my miserable death and created an illusion for me. But since it hurts this much, it must be real.”

After Second Master Xie said this, Fang Qingdai couldn’t hold back any longer. With a “pfft,” she broke into a tearful smile.

It was just like when they had first fallen in love. The young man would only speak sincere, clumsy words of affection, but they made the young woman’s eyes fill with nothing but him as she smiled.

They looked at each other, a complex mix of emotions deep in their gazes.

Without realizing it, twenty years had already passed them by.

Fang Qingdai hugged him again.

This time, Second Master Xie responded, slowly wrapping his arms around her as well.

“Xie Dizhi.”

“Hm?”

“After Ningning gets married, marry me.”

“…”

Seeing his silence, Fang Qingdai immediately pushed him away. “What, you don’t want to? Don’t forget, you once said you would definitely marry me!”

“I’m a First-Grade Female General now, with a handsome dowry. Would you be getting a bad deal by marrying me?”

But Second Master Xie still seemed to be in a daze, staring at her in disbelief. “Slap me. Tell me this is real, that I’m not dreaming.”

‘Everything that could only ever happen in his dreams was actually coming true.’

‘Am I not really dead?!’

Fang Qingdai let out another “pfft” of laughter.

Then, she leaned in and pecked him on the lips.

A rush of blood flooded Second Master Xie’s senses. He stared at her in shock.

Fang Qingdai tilted her head, looking as playful and charming as the young girl she once was.

“Are you awake now? Do you believe it’s real?”

Second Master Xie could barely contain the storm of emotion in his heart. Just as he came to his senses and was about to pull Fang Qingdai in for a kiss…

…the door was thrown open with a BANG.

“Father!” Xu Jingxi’s shout shook the room, and Second Master Xie and Fang Qingdai instantly sprang apart.

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