Hearing the soft rhythm of water droplets striking a solid surface, Zoe slowly awakened.
As his vision cleared, confusion crept into his eyes.
This wasn't his chamber. Nor was it anywhere within the sect.
He stood in the middle of a forest—one filled with blooming red dragon flowers, their crimson petals swaying gently in an unseen breeze. The sight felt achingly familiar. In countless dreams before, he had seen these flowers… and in this very place, he would always meet Xuan Yu and the real Chen Zoe.
But this time… he wasn't sure if they would appear.
"You're awake?"
A cold voice sounded right beside his ear.
Startled, Zoe spun around—only to freeze in shock at the sight of his own face staring back at him.
"Waaah—!"
He stumbled backward before quickly steadying himself, his heart racing.
"It seems my eardrums have burst," the real Chen Zoe remarked dryly, casually checking his ears as if nothing had happened.
"Hi…" Zoe forced out an awkward smile, still unsettled.
A soft laugh echoed nearby.
Turning, Zoe saw Xuan Yu standing not far away, watching the scene with amusement.
"After such a long time… how have you been, Li Xin?"
At the sound of that name, Zoe stiffened.
Li Xin—the name he had before he possessed Chen Zoe's body.
Xuan Yu stepped forward and offered him a hand. Zoe hesitated for a moment before taking it and standing properly.
"I'm fine," he replied.
"We can see that," Chen Zoe said mockingly.
Li Xin rubbed the back of his head, unsure of how to respond.
"Don't tease him," Xuan Yu said lightly before turning his gaze back to Li Xin. "So, tell us… how did you end up harming yourself this time?"
"I… tried an experiment."
"What kind of experiment nearly sent you to the afterlife?" Chen Zoe asked, raising an eyebrow.
"I discovered an ability hidden within my body," Li Xin explained, his voice hesitant. "So I… tried to use it."
"An ability?" Chen Zoe leaned in slightly. "What kind?"
"The same as yours, Xuan Yu… the ability to control things at will. But… it's not as refined as yours."
"No wonder you ended up here," Xuan Yu sighed softly. "Do you even know the price of using that ability?"
Li Xin froze.
A price…?
He slowly shook his head.
Xuan Yu stepped closer, his gaze calm yet heavy. Reaching out, he lifted a strand of Li Xin's hair—revealing a single white strand among the dark.
"Your lifespan," he said quietly. "Each time you use that power, it shortens. And when all your hair turns white…"
He paused.
"You die."
Chen Zoe inhaled sharply, clearly caught off guard. "Wait… I've seen you use that ability too…"
Xuan Yu let out a faint, humorless smile.
"It's a power everyone desires. Why else do you think the demons wanted me to become the next Demon Lord since I was young?" His eyes dimmed slightly. "But no one cared about the price I had to pay… except my brother."
Silence fell between them.
"I won't use it again. Don't worry," Li Xin said firmly. "After all… I want to live a long life—with Yuzhen and Yuan…"
At his words, the smiles on both Xuan Yu and Chen Zoe's faces faded.
"Li Xin…" Xuan Yu's voice softened, yet carried a quiet weight. "Do you really think that's possible?"
He paused, as if choosing his words carefully.
"Why not try… letting go?"
Li Xin froze.
"Yuzhen… Yuan… they all belong to the past now," Xuan Yu continued. "In this life, he's living well—with his parents, with a new identity… as the Crown Prince of the Demon Realm."
His gaze turned steady, almost piercing.
"Unlike you, he remembers nothing. To him… you're just a stranger."
The words fell heavily, forcing a truth Li Xin had been avoiding.
"Sometimes," Chen Zoe added quietly, stepping beside Xuan Yu, "letting go is the right choice… even if it hurts."
Li Xin clenched his fists.
"Why are you saying this?" His voice trembled. "He's my everything… how am I supposed to leave him behind?"
Chen Zoe met his gaze without hesitation.
"Then tell me… do you think this time will be any different?"
"I'll make it different," Li Xin insisted, though the confidence in his voice wavered. "I'll try—"
"Then why didn't you succeed before?"
The words cut through him.
"You knew everything," Chen Zoe continued, his tone firm. "And you still failed, didn't you?"
Li Xin fell silent.
"Didn't you once say," Chen Zoe went on, softer now, "that you'd be happy as long as he lived well? Then why ruin that with your own hands? Let him have a life filled with happiness."
Li Xin's eyes reddened.
"Are you saying… he could never be happy with me?"
"How could I say that?" Chen Zoe shook his head. "But holding onto a broken rope—even when you know it will snap—only leads to one ending."
He stepped closer.
"Tell me… do you really want to go through that ending again?"
Li Xin's voice dropped to a whisper.
"But… what if this time is different?"
"It won't be," Chen Zoe said firmly. "And you know that."
Silence pressed in.
Slowly, Li Xin turned to Xuan Yu.
"You think so too…?"
Before Xuan Yu could answer, Chen Zoe let out a faint scoff.
"You're asking the wrong person. Unlike me, he placed his faith twice… once in you, and once in me."
"I wasn't asking you," Li Xin muttered.
Xuan Yu finally spoke, his voice calm yet unyielding.
"What he said is true. No matter how hard we try… nothing changes. It only leads to a worse outcome."
He paused, then asked quietly—
"Do you know what happened to Yuzhen… after your death?"
Li Xin's breath caught. He had never thought that far.
Slowly, he looked up at Xuan Yu, unease filling his eyes.
"This time… he didn't go crazy or try to destroy the world," Xuan Yu said.
For a brief moment, hope flickered— Only for it to be extinguished. "Yuzhen… simply chose to follow you, even in death."
The words shattered something deep inside Li Xin. He couldn't breathe.
"Li Xin," Xuan Yu continued, his voice heavy, "no matter what we do, the outcome never changes. One way or another… the same hell repeats.
Living isn't so hard… but living with memories is the hardest. Cursing the past, fearing the future… why try another experiment?" His gaze hardened slightly. "Why go through it again? Why bring more misfortune to him?
Let him live… without knowing anything."
Tears welled up in Li Xin's eyes, blurring his vision.
"Li Xin…"
A broken laugh escaped Li Xin's lips. "…So I was the selfish one all along." His shoulders trembled. "I only thought about myself… I never once considered his pain…"
Tears slid down his cheeks, one after another.
"If this is how he can live happily… then so be it." His voice cracked. "I'll stay away from him. I won't cross his path again… never."
Chen Zoe stepped forward and pulled him into a firm embrace. "I know it's hard," he murmured. "But sometimes… leaving is better than staying and turning it into regret."
A moment later, Xuan Yu wrapped his arms around Li Xin from behind. "It's time for you to go back…"
...
Tears streamed down his face as Chen Zoe slowly woke from his deep sleep.
The room was quiet. Nearby, Rui had fallen asleep in a chair, his head slightly tilted, as if he had been keeping watch for a long time.
The dream lingered—clear, vivid, and impossible to ignore.
Zoe's chest tightened.
Before he could stop himself, more tears slipped down his cheeks.
A faint, broken sound escaped him.
Rui stirred.
Hearing the quiet sob, he blinked awake and immediately turned toward the bed. The moment he saw Zoe's tear-streaked face, all traces of sleep vanished.
He rushed to his side.
"Senior… what happened? Are you in pain?" he asked, worry evident in his voice.
Zoe didn't answer.
Unable to hold back any longer, he reached out and pulled Rui into a tight embrace.
"Stay… like this for a moment," he whispered, his voice shaking.
And then he broke down completely, crying without restraint.
Rui froze for a second, caught off guard. He didn't understand what had happened, nor why Zoe was in such pain.
But he didn't ask again.
Quietly, he stayed.
Sitting beside him, he let Zoe hold on, offering silent comfort as the storm of emotions slowly passed.
[Note to Readers:Li Xin and Chen Zoe refer to the same person.
The "real Chen Zoe" is the original owner of the body that Li Xin now inhabits, currently existing only as a soul.
Xuan Yu is connected to Li Xin's first life.]