Chapter 179:

There was no emotional reunion, no tears shed. It happened suddenly, peacefully, like waking from a deep sleep on a quiet afternoon.

When he opened his eyes, time had not moved.

Everything remained as familiar as ever, unchanged by the passing years.

This wasn’t a reunion after separation—it was merely waking from a dream that had taken longer than usual to end.

The girl opened her eyes naturally, and Xu Xi greeted her with a gentle smile.

“You’re awake, Yingxue.”

As the world transitioned from the old year to the new, Mr. Xu, who had slumbered far too long, finally opened his eyes to see the princess standing before him once again.

Wu Yingxue beamed, her usual liveliness shining through. Despite her maturity, she couldn’t help but revert to her youthful self around Xu Xi. She jumped up, sitting beside him under the dim night sky. Together, they watched the fires illuminating the earth below, a constellation of man-made stars.

“Sir, you’ve slept for far too long,” she complained playfully, yawning and stretching. Her red-and-white robes flared dramatically, still as striking as Xu Xi remembered.

“My apologies. It’s my fault,” Xu Xi replied with a smile, not bothering to argue.

He knew he had indeed “slept” for too long.

The army that had fought for survival and the princess who had led it had waited for countless days and nights.

But now, the tragedy was over.

They were all reunited in a beautiful, real world.

After a brief pause, Xu Xi added, “Yingxue, thank you for waking me up. Thank you for everything you’ve done.”

His sudden gratitude left Wu Yingxue momentarily stunned.

Her lips parted slightly. “It’s… nothing. I didn’t do much.”

Xu Xi’s words, however, carried deeper meaning. He wasn’t just thanking her for calling him back but also for leading the survival army through endless hardship during his “slumber.”

Wu Yingxue understood this.

Inexplicably, her nose tingled, and her eyes stung slightly.

Perhaps it was the warmth of the fire on this cold winter night or the realization of finally feeling happiness after enduring so much.

She grinned, trying to hide her emotions, and asked about Xu Xi’s life with a lighthearted smile.

“Me?” Xu Xi said softly. “Not much has changed. I’ve just been practicing, living quietly, and chatting with the people in Qingniu Town now and then.”

He spoke of trivial everyday matters, but Wu Yingxue listened intently, her interest unwavering.

When she learned Xu Xi had prepared New Year’s gifts for everyone, she chuckled and teased him.

“Sir, I want a New Year’s gift too! You need to make up for it, or I’ll be angry,” she said, her tone playful and full of mischief.

Xu Xi smiled. “What kind of gift would you like?”

Her teasing demeanor faltered, replaced by surprise.

“What do you mean by that?”

Before she could gather her thoughts, Xu Xi took out a space ring and poured its contents onto the ground. A cascade of gifts spilled out—a bouquet of folded paper flowers, a newly crafted spear, a beautiful set of clothes, and countless other items.

There was so much that Wu Yingxue stood in stunned silence.

“Sir, is this… all for me?”

Xu Xi nodded. “You weren’t here, so I wasn’t sure what you’d like. I prepared a variety of things just in case.”

Under the silent, moonlit sky, Wu Yingxue stared at the gifts. The sleeping waters of her emotions rippled for the first time in ages.

She never imagined that even in her absence, Xu Xi would prepare so much for her.

“Sir, you’re such a fool,” she said with a smile. “Only a fool would do something like this.”

Her hands moved quickly, collecting the gifts as she added, “Of course, I want all of them. Only children make choices. Don’t worry, I love everything you’ve prepared.”

She stuck out her tongue and made a playful face at him, her mischievous spirit shining through.

Then, with a glance at the gifts Xu Xi had received from the townspeople, she reached out and pulled a roasted chicken drumstick from the pile. She began eating with small, deliberate bites, far more elegantly than before.

“Eat slowly, there’s plenty,” Xu Xi said, watching her with a smile.

Noticing grease at the corner of her mouth, he wrapped his hand in elemental energy and gently wiped it away.

The deep night cast shadows over the earth, but the blazing fire towers lit up the townspeople’s faces in warm orange-red hues.

Wu Yingxue’s face, too, was faintly flushed by the firelight.

“Yingxue, tell me what happened while I was asleep,” Xu Xi asked once she had finished her meal, his curiosity evident.

He had inquired with the Survival Army, but they knew little beyond the fact that Wu Yingxue had resurrected them.

“I’ve heard about Moli cutting down demon cultivators and Krisha defeating gods. Their paths were anything but easy. What about you, Yingxue?”

Wu Yingxue smiled at his question.

“When Sir calls me, I have to answer,” she said simply.

Without hesitation, she began recounting her journey after leaving Shiwanda Mountain.

She spoke of leading the survival army out of the demon clan’s territory, forging alliances with the human race in the martial arts world, and enduring centuries of relentless training. She described slaying the Green Dragon, feasting on its flesh, and drinking its blood.

The more Wu Yingxue spoke, the more Xu Xi’s expression shifted from curiosity to astonishment.

He had expected her journey to be extraordinary, but the sheer scale of her exploits was overwhelming.

After defeating the Green Dragon, her path took on a surreal quality. She consumed inner worlds, absorbed the principles of heaven and earth, and seemed to embody the very template of a legendary protagonist.

“Is this even reasonable?” Xu Xi wondered aloud, questioning the logic of her rapid progress.

Hearing that Wu Yingxue had annihilated the demon forces with a single strike, Xu Xi couldn’t help but compare it to the arduous path he had carved through the Hundred Thousand Mountains.

“Yingxue… your progress is truly incredible,” he admitted.

Though her strength now far surpassed his, Xu Xi felt genuine joy for her achievements.

But beneath his pride, a lingering thought surfaced—an unshakable sense that the world seemed unfairly stacked against him.