"You're right. I like you," Shen Li suddenly said when they found a quiet place.
These words hit Xuan Yuanjue like a huge stone dropped into a pond, setting off a thousand - foot wave. Time seemed to stand still at this moment.
He couldn't hear the rustling of the leaves in the wind or the chirping of the birds in the forest.
The words Shen Li had said to him kept repeating in his mind.
"I like you... like you... you..."
The unbelievable had happened. Xuan Yuanjue had already prepared himself for rejection from Shen Li, but he never expected that Shen Li would actually echo his feelings. These were the very words he had only heard from Shen Li in his dreams.
Xuan Yuanjue was just about to speak when he found his throat choking up. His voice trembled as he said, "Little one, am I hearing things?"
Shen Li looked at Xuan Yuanjue calmly with a smile and shook her head.
Xuan Yuanjue's fingers trembled slightly. He stared fixedly at Shen Li. For a moment, he even thought that the person beside him wasn't the real Shen Li.
"So... you," Xuan Yuanjue didn't know how to continue at this moment. "I... Are you really serious?"
Seeing Xuan Yuanjue so flustered and at a loss, Shen Li couldn't help but laugh.
"Xuan Yuanjue, I'll repeat it. I, Shen Li, like you!" Shen Li said seriously, looking directly into Xuan Yuanjue's eyes. A sense of solemnity radiated from her, proving that she wasn't lying.
"I've been waiting for this day for so long..."
Suddenly, Xuan Yuanjue hugged Shen Li tightly, pulling her into his embrace. His arms unconsciously tightened as if he wanted to meld her into his very being.
At this moment, Xuan Yuanjue no longer had his previous carefree and joking demeanor. He was like a shy young man, always blushing in front of the girl he loved.
Fortunately, Shen Li had good martial arts skills. Otherwise, with Xuan Yuanjue's strength, she would have been strangled.
"But there's one thing I must tell you. I hope you'll make a decision after hearing this. Don't worry. Even if you leave me because of this, I won't mind," Shen Li thought for a while and then summoned the courage to say this.
Originally, Shen Li could have ignored this matter, but she thought that two people should be honest with each other when they were together.
But if she didn't tell this, Shen Li would feel uneasy for the rest of her life. She would be no different from the sinister villain Xiao Hanzhi.
"Tell me. No matter what you say, I won't leave you. Since you've already agreed to me, I won't let you leave me no matter what," Xuan Yuanjue said seriously. He didn't seem to be lying at all.
Shen Li broke free from Xuan Yuanjue's embrace and stood in front of him expressionlessly. "I don't know if you believe in the theory of past lives and present lives," she said.
This question made Xuan Yuanjue a bit confused. He thought Shen Li would ask him something else. What did past lives and present lives have to do with anything?
Shen Li didn't care if Xuan Yuanjue answered her question. She just continued on her own. "In my past life, I married Xiao Hanzhi. I, Ye Yousi, helped him ascend to the throne, but he and Shen Miao deceived me... They ruined my family. My child had his legs broken and was raised by Shen Miao. He was made into a human pig. I didn't even have a chance to take a look at my child before I died, but they got away with it..."
This was the first time Shen Li had told her story to someone else, but the sadness she had imagined didn't come. When she said these words, it was as if she was telling a very simple story.
But when she mentioned her child, her heart still twitched. That was the flesh and blood that had come from her own body! The only companion in the huge palace! The child she had painstakingly raised!
She hadn't even had a chance to look at him before he died...
Xuan Yuanjue didn't say a word. He just stared at Shen Li quietly, putting away his joking expression.
But Shen Li thought Xuan Yuanjue didn't believe her. She gave a bitter smile. "Just take it as a story!"
Xuan Yuanjue looked at Shen Li seriously. A look of pity flashed in his deep, black eyes. He took Shen Li's hand.
"Little one, I believe everything you say. If all those things really happened to you, I really regret it. I regret not meeting you earlier and not protecting you earlier! Don't worry. I will never let these things happen again. Xiao Hanzhi, right? Don't worry. He will be punished!"
At this moment, Xuan Yuanjue's promises finally broke through the last line of defense in Shen Li's heart. Maybe it was really too tiring to fight alone.
After all, Shen Li was just a young girl. She also wanted a shoulder to lean on in the dead of night.
Shen Li didn't want to live her whole life just for revenge. There were still many beautiful things in the world waiting for her to discover. She shouldn't live in hatred for her whole life.
Xuan Yuanjue was like a bright light shining into her heart, disrupting her original plan. He made Shen Li, who had vowed never to get close to men again, believe that maybe Xuan Yuanjue was someone she could rely on.
So Shen Li risked her last bit of dignity to get an answer.
"Thank you, Xuan Yuanjue. I didn't expect you to believe me."
"I've said before. Don't say thank you to me. You should say you like me."
"I like you."
"I love you."
...
The sun gradually rose, bringing a glimmer of light to this small world. But the expected heat didn't come. Maybe this was the wonder of this small place.
Or perhaps it was because there were trees and water here, which lowered the temperature in the desert.
Han Yue and He Lianyun were walking along the edge, trying to figure out how big this small desert oasis was.
But they had walked from night to day and still didn't seem to reach the end.
Han Yue wasn't the type to show her emotions on her face. So she walked in silence all the way, only replying to He Lianyun's words from time to time.
"Little miss, don't you think this desert oasis is extremely strange?" He Lianyun looked around and asked suspiciously.
Han Yue said expressionlessly, "What's so strange about it?"