"But I like being with you," that single sentence made Ye Jingyu's previously strained smile blossom radiantly once more.

In truth, even Luo Ling'er herself didn't know why she uttered those words. Logically, she and Ye Jingyu had only met two or three times, yet she simply enjoyed seeing him, even if it was just watching him quietly?

When she first heard the Destruction Lord announce her betrothal to her elder brother, Yuan, her heart held neither joy nor disgust. Yuan treated her well, and she had never felt any aversion toward him, so she held no dislike for the arrangement.

Furthermore, she understood that even if she felt revulsion, protesting would be futile. No one could alter a decision made by the Destruction Lord—not Yuan, and certainly not her.

It was just that, at that time, she suddenly felt utterly bewildered, as if something heavy was pressing down on her heart, making her deeply uncomfortable. She struggled to understand the origin of this feeling until that one night—the very night she was supposed to be married—when this man appeared before her. Only then did she realize that she had been waiting, waiting for this man’s arrival.

Waiting? Why wait? She didn't understand. She only knew she had to wait for him; that was all...

At that moment, he only said one thing to her: "Will you come away with me?"

A simple question, yet she inexplicably agreed. Even now, thinking back, she found it baffling. Just because of a man she had only met a few times, she had abandoned the brother she had lived with for years and the man deemed her adoptive father.

However, she felt no regret whatsoever. She just loved being with him, even if it was just watching him quietly—just looking at him was enough.

"Then shall we be together forever?" Seeing Luo Ling'er's innocent expression, Ye Jingyu said with a smile.

"Yes..." Without any thought, Luo Ling'er immediately replied, and inexplicably, crystalline tears welled up in her eyes, hanging precariously in her lashes.

Why? Why was she crying? Was it happiness? Luo Ling'er truly didn't know why hearing that sentence made her weep. She genuinely did not know.

"Do we have some kind of history between us? Why do I want to be with you so much?" Luo Ling'er asked, looking at the smiling Ye Jingyu with some confusion.

"Mmm, we have many, many stories between us. Would you like to hear them?" Ye Jingyu spoke softly, extending his right hand to gently wipe away the trace of tears at the corner of her eye.

Gazing into Ye Jingyu's dark eyes, Luo Ling'er gently nodded.

Ye Jingyu said no more. With a surge of Bayuan Li circulating within him, the crescent moon emblem on his forehead once again emitted a silver radiance. That emblem began to spin, casting down silver streams of light that sank directly into the center of Luo Ling'er’s brow.

Luo Ling'er felt a warm energy flow into her body—an energy so profoundly comforting that it made her want nothing more than to close her eyes and drift into a deep sleep.

Yes, she quietly closed her eyes and fell into a deep slumber, where she had a dream—a beautiful dream.

In the dream, she seemed to see herself transformed into an innocent young maiden, happily seeking out her Third Brother. Then she saw a group of robust warriors. Just as she was about to ask her Third Brother for a few such warriors to carry her sedan chair, she suddenly saw her Third Brother speaking with a boy.

It was a fair-skinned boy, quite handsome, but when he saw her, his expression was somewhat dazed and foolish.

He called her 'Princess Ling'er'? Anyone who called her Ling'er would never call her Princess; anyone who called her Princess would certainly not dare call her Ling'er. Yet here he was, addressing her as Princess Ling'er. She remembered teasing him about it then, didn't she?

And he was far too pale. She thought she had even called him a 'pretty boy' (Xiao Bai Lian)...

Wait, what did she finally call him? Xiao Ye Zi? Yes, that was it—Xiao Ye Zi. They wandered Temple Street together, paid respects to the Matchmaker God together, traveled through mountains and waters together. That fellow even seemed to sneak into the Imperial Palace to find her?

He was such a big rogue, a clumsy and foolish big rogue...

While indulging in such a beautiful dream, a faint smile touched Luo Ling'er's lips. But as the dream progressed, she witnessed war, felt the agony of separation, and watched him repeatedly rush into danger for her sake. And it seemed she had never done anything for him in return? She hadn't even managed to keep the child she was carrying for him in the end...

A child? Could it be that I...

Suddenly, Luo Ling'er felt an overwhelming pain in her heart. Everything from her previous life flooded into her consciousness...

When she opened her eyes again, they were already brimming with tears, and those tears were flowing uncontrollably.

Looking at the familiar yet unfamiliar face before her, at those somewhat wicked yet intensely earnest eyes, Luo Ling'er threw herself directly into his embrace...

"Xiao Ye Zi... Wuwuwu..."

Gathering Luo Ling'er tightly in his arms and feeling the warmth of her soft body, Ye Jingyu's eyes too became filled with tears.

A thousand years of searching, a thousand years of guarding, a thousand years of waiting—it had finally culminated in this reunion. His Ling'er, the Ling'er who spared no sacrifice, even of her own soul, for him, was finally back...

Without any hesitation, his mouth descended upon Luo Ling'er's rosy lips, kissing her fiercely. His tongue invaded her mouth without restraint, while his large hands naturally roamed over her body. Even the reserved Luo Ling'er became passionate in this moment; her hands clamped tightly around Ye Jingyu's neck as they kissed and embraced with desperate fervor...

Though ages pass and all things change, Heart to heart, our affection remains! A song of love, a long, beautiful melody! (YY Voice Channel ID: 221924, tonight at eight, Star will be online sharp to discuss Battle Souls with everyone. Brothers who are free, please come!)D