"Will you abandon me?"
"Xuan'er…"
An Ming's eyes softened as he held Fu Xuan close. "I… think of the day Grandmother passed. One day, my life too will end."
"Yet you'll remain the Luofu's Grand Diviner, destined for a future brighter than the stars."
He couldn't bear to chain her. She deserved to soar—to lead the Xianzhou as its youngest Grand Diviner.
"This one cares nothing for titles!" Fu Xuan's gaze brimmed with sorrow. "If your life ends… this one will follow."
"Senior Sister!"
"Don't speak of death," An Ming cut in, voice trembling. "I've seen its face. Cold as snow, endless as night."
He'd tasted death once. Its bitterness lingered.
"Then marry me!"
Fu Xuan pressed her forehead to his, unwavering. "Does time negate thirty years of us?"
To Xianzhou natives, thirty years were but a breath. To her, they were eternity.
"Senior Sister… Who am I to you?"
Fu Xuan cradled his face. "The brother I swore to protect. The family bound at Grandmother's grave. The only love this heart has known."
Brother. Kin. Soulmate. Fate had woven their threads strangely.
"Xuan'er." An Ming captured her lips, their breaths mingling like intertwined destinies.
When they parted, he whispered: "Is this fair to you?"
"Fairness matters not. Only worth." Her finger grazed his mouth. "You are worth every star's fall. Are we worth it to you?"
[Age 31]
You chose early spring—peach blossoms in full bloom—for your wedding. No invitations were sent, yet gifts arrived.
The courtyard glowed with red lanterns and silk ribbons. Fu Xuan had insisted on secrecy; a Grand Diviner's nuptials would shake the Luofu to its core.
"General Jing Yuan… General Yaoguang… Qingque? How did she know?!" Fu Xuan stared at a bamboo Dihuang Qiongyu set, exasperated.
An Ming uncovered another parcel—unsigned, yet unmistakable. "Enna…" He prayed she'd found peace.
"Husband~ Thinking of another woman?" Fu Xuan peeked over his shoulder, teasing.
"Just an old friend."
He knew her mock anger. True fury would've pinned him to the lawn already.
"The hour nears. Change."
Fu Xuan's joy shimmered like dawn. She'd calculated the perfect moment—breeze, temperature, celestial alignment. Today, she'd claim her future.
In their chamber, she faced the mirror, shedding robes. A phoenix crown and embroidered bridal gown lay waiting.
Regrets?
Perhaps.
But greater regret lies in never trying.
As a short-lived species, An Ming's time was a flicker to her immortality. Yet she'd chosen this flame, even knowing its burn.
Across the hall, An Ming adjusted his Cloud Knight Lieutenant uniform—stiff, unfamiliar. At Fu Xuan's insistence, he wore it with a Blade Champion's Jade Abacus, though his title remained unofficial.
Let the world deny him. She'd wed the "ghost" Blade Champion anyway.
Red silk cascaded from doorframes. A double happiness character glowed at the courtyard's heart.
Firecrackers erupted. The door creaked open.
Fu Xuan stepped forth, veiled in crimson gauze, lips painted vermillion. Though her eyes were hidden, An Ming felt her smile—radiant, unshakable.
From the bamboo grove, a flute's melody drifted. Hua lowered her instrument, ink-black hair swaying.
"An Ming."
"This is your tale."
Some paths were meant to be walked alone. To interfere would unravel heaven's script.
"Like fate itself," she murmured, tucking the flute away. An ancient Xianzhou ballad hummed from her lips—a blessing for the pair defying stars.