Chapter 502: Small Worlds Offer Infinite Joy

Chapter 502: The Little World, Its Joys Are Endless

In the sweltering afternoon of high summer, amidst the dense forest and mountain valleys, the cicadas chirped incessantly.

Though sheltered beneath the shade of the trees, the heat was beginning to be felt, the earlier spring-like coolness gone.

Sisi had shed her grand court attire and changed back into the bare-waisted, barefoot style of a little enchantress, following step by step through the woods, leading Zhao Changhe by the way.

Zhao Changhe walked behind her, gazing at her slender waist and jade-like feet, saying not a word.

The burials of the Spirit Race in this era had a dedicated burial mountain, but the ancient tombs were scattered without much planning. The Spirit people of today no longer knew which tomb belonged to which ancestor, so they could not set up sacrifices. They could only concentrate their offerings in the sacred mountain and temple, and designate the areas where ancient tombs were relatively concentrated as forbidden zones, to prevent those driven mad by poverty from digging them up.

As for the scattered tombs elsewhere, they basically turned a blind eye; if someone accidentally dug one up, so be it.

In truth, the Spirit Race was self-sufficient. Even during the period of enslavement by the Forbidden Land, what was exploited was not money or grain, so it did not affect their livelihood. They were indeed not so desperate as to steal from their ancestors' graves. Over time, this ancient burial ground became a desolate mountain that no one approached, likely untouched for several hundred years.

The journey was quite long. The two trudged silently through the barren hills, not speaking a word for a long time, neither knowing how to break the silence.

“Roar—” From the forest ahead, a white-browed tiger leaped out.

Sisi’s eyes darted, and she “fearfully” burrowed into Zhao Changhe’s arms: “Master…”

“Growl—” The tiger pounced.

Zhao Changhe wrapped one arm around Sisi and extended the other to press down on the tiger’s head.

The tiger struggled, pawing wildly, but could not advance an inch.

Zhao Changhe suspected that with a single burst of his inner energy, he could shake this cute tiger to death, but he held back.

Because it was highly likely that the tiger had been manipulated by Sisi to come here, just to get into his arms… Thinking back to their reunion, this little wench had even controlled snakes before, but she hadn’t shown that trick since…

Sisi stole a glance at the tiger, which was on the verge of tears, and cooed, “Master is so strong…”

Zhao Changhe turned his palm into a finger and flicked the tiger’s forehead. The tiger tucked its tail between its legs and ran off, whimpering.

But his other arm remained wrapped around her, never letting go.

Sisi blinked, secretly glancing at his profile, then lowered her head: “Didn’t Master want Sisi to lead the way?”

“A lone man and a lone woman in a small forest… I’d rather do something else…” Zhao Changhe exerted a little force, pressing Sisi against an ancient tree beside them, looking down into her eyes.

Sisi’s heart pounded wildly, her breath quickening.

Between them, they had long played the game of maid and master, but if one traced it back, Zhao Changhe had never taken the initiative to do something like this. Even this time, after he had conquered the Spirit Race and could theoretically take whatever he wanted, the service in the sacred temple had been her own initiative… He had even once wanted to tell her to get up.

This was the first time Zhao Changhe had shown any intention of toying with her.

Was it because the service in the sacred temple had whetted his appetite and started to corrupt him? Or had he already learned of what happened in Ao Chi…

Zhao Changhe’s hand was already gently stroking her waist. Sisi’s body tensed, feeling strange.

Even in Ao Chi, it hadn’t felt like this… Why did just a touch on the waist cause such a sensation? Her whole body felt as if electrified, tingling and numb…

“Master…” Sisi finally couldn’t help but plead: “There are many wild beasts around here, don’t do it here…”

“Can we go somewhere else?”

Sisi could only say: “Sisi is already Master’s woman. Master himself didn’t want it yesterday, and now you come to tease me…”

Zhao Changhe lowered his head and gently kissed her cheek, then moved to her lips: “But Master wants it now…”

Sisi’s mind went blank for a moment, and her lips were sealed.

Ridiculous as it seemed, after all they had done, this was her first kiss.

Perhaps when she had pretended to be Hong Ling back then, and yesterday in Ao Chi, she had kissed him… but there had been no response, nothing like this.

Sisi felt all her strength drain away; only by being pressed against the tree did she keep from sliding down. Though her eyes were open, no image entered her mind—everything was hazy.

Finally, she closed her eyes in defiance, refusing to look.

If she didn’t think about anything, it was quite pleasant… His technique was good… Wait, no—was that something to praise?

Sisi grew a little angry and gently pushed him.

Zhao Changhe didn’t persist; following her push, he actually pulled back a little.

They panted, staring at each other for a moment. Zhao Changhe reached out and brushed her rosy lips, whispering, “Let’s stamp the seal first. The rest can wait.”

Sisi felt she didn’t even have the strength to stand up. After a long pause, she suddenly said, “Zhao Changhe, have you wanted to do this since Gusu?”

Zhao Changhe was silent for a moment, then said softly, “Yes.”

Actually, no. It only started today.

But since she liked to think so, then let it be.

Sure enough, Sisi immediately brightened, lowered her head, and clung to his arm: “I knew it… You never had good intentions. Not pretending anymore?”

Zhao Changhe smiled: “Not pretending anymore.”

He took Sisi’s arm and continued walking forward, then suddenly laughed: “Thanks to Buqi.”

Sisi snorted: “What does he have to do with it? If I hadn’t been willing, could he really have sent me?”

Zhao Changhe said, “So you were willing even back then, weren’t you?”

“No!”

“Wasn’t it that you already thought Master was handsome and clever?”

“How disgusting…” Sisi made as if to kick him and ran ahead.

Zhao Changhe grabbed her back: “Still daring to kick your master?”

Sisi’s eyes sparkled: “So what does Master want to do? Execute justice on the spot?”

“Punish the little maid by making her a walking stick for me.” Zhao Changhe took her hand: “Lead the way ahead.”

Sisi giggled: “Is this a walking stick, or a guide dog?”

Zhao Changhe winked.

Sisi whispered in his ear: “And this little dog is a female, you know…”

Zhao Changhe: >_<

Sisi chuckled softly, but she truly continued to hold his hand, swaying as they walked forward.

The sweltering mountain suddenly felt cool and refreshing, as if spring had returned.

Sisi roughly guessed that perhaps her clever master had already solved the puzzle, which was why he acted this way. But there was none of the awkwardness she had imagined. So why had she wanted him to remember it afterward? Wasn’t this better now… The joy in her heart was something she had never felt before.

He didn’t expose it, probably afraid to embarrass her… So she wouldn’t expose it either.

Sisi recalled that since her father’s death, when the Spirit Race had bowed to the Forbidden Land, she had never again felt such a delighted sensation as today.

That had been many years ago… Back then, Sisi was still very young.

Like a dream.

The ancient burial ground, which had seemed so far away, had taken them quite a while to reach. But when it finally came into view, Sisi suddenly felt that the road had been so short…

“Is that the place?” Zhao Changhe’s voice came: “It doesn’t look particularly special… The tombs are also quite primitive.”

Sisi snapped back to reality: “Some have suspected that there might be a true ancestral tomb inside the mountain, but no one dared to touch it, not even to approach.”

Zhao Changhe circled the burial mound for a moment, then cautiously made his way up the mountain, mainly sensing the reaction of the celestial book within the ring.

Halfway up the slope, the celestial book stirred slightly.

There was indeed a reaction.

He stopped, gazing thoughtfully at the overgrown mountainside ahead.

In the worst-case scenario, an ancient god or demon might be sleeping here, awaiting revival like the Sword Emperor.

It could be a supreme shaman of true life and flesh, and this page of the celestial book scattering in this direction was likely connected to that.

But there were no strange phenomena here, nor any detectable special energy—surely he wouldn’t have to dig in?

That felt truly unwise... and considering the Sword Emperor, even if the Spirit Clan allowed it, would you dare disturb such a slumber?

Zhao Changhe paced slowly around the area, until ahead he saw a flat stone platform, about a zhang in size. Amid the surrounding weeds and trees, this platform bore no moss, nor any signs of weathering from wind or sun—it was remarkably smooth.

He tried standing on the platform for a moment, then looked up at the sky.

The sun was slanting westward; from this angle, it seemed incredibly close, like a large plate right before his eyes.

The sacred mountain might be the center of this secret realm, so this could be the western edge.

A small world with a round sky and square earth, where the sun could be seen so near.

Sisi had been quietly holding his hand, following him around without interruption, until now she spoke with some surprise: “We’ve lived here for generations, yet never realized the sun could be this close without burning anyone to death.”

Zhao Changhe gazed levelly at the great plate ahead, and after a long while said, “Compared to other secret realms I’ve entered, this one is the closest to a complete world, with sky and sun. If humans seek the height of heaven, it’s impossible in normal places—here it’s like a miniature model... I want to cultivate here for a while, and also see if, at certain times, other phenomena might appear.”

Sisi looked around; from this spot, no graves or tombstones were visible, and a stream flowed nearby, as if this was a secluded pure land.

She found it intriguing and asked, “Do you want to build a hut here?”

“Mm...” Zhao Changhe glanced at Sisi, hesitating.

Indeed, women affected the speed of drawing a sword.

If he were alone, exploring the secrets of heaven and earth, he wouldn’t mind staying on a burial mound or in a sea of blood for any length of time.

But now, with Hongling still around and Sisi’s feelings just beginning, the idea of building a hut on a burial mound hundreds of li away to cultivate felt a bit odd.

As if reading his thoughts, Sisi reached out to straighten his collar and said softly, “Don’t rush. Aren’t you going to see the strange beasts? In a few days, I’ll have someone build a courtyard here, with all daily necessities prepared... Once everything is ready and the initial chaos of founding the Spirit Kingdom has settled, Sisi will come here to keep you company, tending the lamp and adding incense, serving as your little maid.”

Zhao Changhe looked into her eyes.

She was a newly crowned queen... yet her gentle gaze felt like being back in Suzhou.