"Then think of cheering you on," Mo Xing whispered, taking her fingers in his and pressing gentle kisses to her palm. "And hoping your beauty pills beco renowned across all realms. I'll support your every decision."
Li Hua's cheeks ward with color. She averted her gaze from his intense golden eyes, focused on the different colored flowers in the garden.
His hand moved to cradle the back of her neck, his touch both possessive and tender. "Tell what you need, my love. If you desire the moon and stars, I will find a way to place them in your hands."
Li Hua's vision blurred as unexpected tears ford. She t his gaze, recognizing the absolute truth behind his words—the Underworld Emperor would reshape reality itself for her if she asked.
"Okay," she whispered, the simple word carrying the weight of unspoken emotions between them.
"I'm sorry, not interested." A voice—cold, emotionless, yet disturbingly familiar—yanked Li Hua from her mories and back to the present.
She blinked, disoriented. The golden-leaved trees had vanished. Instead of the Forgotten Gardens, she found herself standing near the cultivation caves, nowhere close to the female residence where she'd intended to go.
What the hell? Her mind reeled as she tried to understand how her reminiscing had led her so far off course.
"Please... could you please tell why?" A young man's voice quavered with emotion, drawing her attention to the scene unfolding nearby.
Two disciples stood facing each other—a heartbreak in progress. The male disciple's face betrayed raw vulnerability, while the female kept her back to Li Hua, her posture rigid with finality.
Li Hua felt a flush of embarrassnt at witnessing such a private mont. She should leave imdiately, yet sothing rooted her to the spot.
"Not interested," the woman repeated, her tone flat and devoid of compassion.
Li Hua's instincts flared with recognition. That voice—why did it sound so eerily like soone she knows? And this scene... the positioning, the words, the emotional weight hanging in the air... it felt like watching a mont she had sohow lived before.
A chill traced Li Hua's spine as déjà vu settled over her like a shroud.
Before Li Hua could retreat into the shadows, the female disciple turned, her gaze fixed on the ground. In that mont, Li Hua's heart hamred against her ribs as a vivid mory crystallized in her mind.
"What can I do to make you like ?" A tall, handso man in gym shorts had asked, his voice carrying the sa desperate hope as the male disciple's.
The woman—Anna—had acted as if she hadn't heard him, her dismissal ice-cold as she spat out, "Not interested." She'd turned and walked away without a backward glance.
Li Hua's hand flew to her mouth as she rembered stumbling upon this exact scene after an exhausting eting with their board of investors. The parallel was uncanny—Anna rejecting yet another handso suitor who'd made the mistake of approaching her.
Back then, when Anna's gaze had t hers, Li Hua couldn't resist saying, "Aw, another heart joins your collection. Do you keep them in alphabetical order or by size?" The quip had slipped out before she could stop herself, earning a rare laugh from her usually stone-faced right hand.
Now, in this mirrored mont across worlds and lifetis, Li Hua found herself speaking the identical words as their gazes locked.
The female disciple stopped in her tracks, eyes narrowing with recognition. And just like in Li Hua's mory, her response was eerily familiar.
"Can't help I'm so charming. Admit it, that's why you keep by your side." The words hung in the air between them, a bridge spanning universes.
Sothing inside Li Hua shattered—a dam of loneliness she hadn't realized she'd been carrying since her awakening in this world. Tears flooded her eyes and spilled down her cheeks in silvery trails. Her legs, which had carried her through countless battles across lifetis, suddenly failed her.
"Anna," she whispered, the na a prayer, a confirmation, a hocoming.
Before she could collapse, the female disciple was there, strong arms catching her with the sa instinctive precision that had saved Li Hua countless tis in boardrooms and battlefields alike. Their eyes t—Anna's gaze, unmistakable the familiar face similar to her past life.
"Hey boss." Two simple words, spoken with that characteristic blend of irreverence and devotion that only Anna could manage.
Li Hua pulled her into an embrace so fierce it might have crushed ordinary people. She buried her face against her friend's shoulder, inhaling the scent that was sohow familiar despite everything—the ocean and steel, just as before. "You're here," she whispered against the silk of Anna's robes. "You're really here."
Anna's arms tightened around her, her own composure finally breaking. Silent tears dampened Li Hua's shoulder as Anna's body trembled with emotions rarely displayed in either lifeti. "Took you long enough to find ," she murmured, her voice thick with feeling. "I've been so alone."
They clung to each other, two souls reunited across impossible odds—their bond transcending every boundary of existence.
"I thought I was alone too," Li Hua confessed, pulling back just enough to study Anna's familiar and perfect features. "But how?"
Anna shook her head, "I'm still trying to wrap my head around this too." She sniffed and then continued, "But with you here, I feel like everything will be...ok."
Li Hua laughed through her tears as she pulled Anna into another embrace. "Everything is better than okay now."
A deep chuckle rumbled through Anna, the familiar sound vibrating against Li Hua's chest. "I trust you," she said with quiet intensity. "Always have and always will."
When Li Hua finally pulled back, she couldn't contain the excitent bubbling inside her. Her eyes sparkled with an almost childlike wonder. "Tell everything."
"Not a problem, boss," Anna replied with that characteristic half-smile.
Li Hua glanced around, suddenly aware of curious eyes watching their emotional reunion. She gave Anna's sleeve a gentle tug, her fingers brushing against a concealed blade—so habits transcended worlds. "We'll need so privacy. My quarters are better guarded against eavesdroppers."
Without releasing Anna's hand—as if afraid her friend might disappear if they broke contact—Li Hua led the way toward the female disciples' residence, her steps lighter than they had been since her awakening in this world.
Once they entered Li Hua's quarters, she activated multiple formation arrays with practiced gestures. The intricate formations glowed briefly before fading into invisibility, creating a sanctuary where words could flow freely.
Li Hua settled onto her bed, patting the space beside her. Anna joined her with familiar ease, their shoulders touching as they had countless tis before—during late-night strategy sessions.
"You're different," Anna observed, her perceptive gaze cataloging the subtle changes in Li Hua's deanor, posture, and emotions.
Li Hua smiled, the expression weightless in a way it hadn't been in any of her previous lives. "Yes. A lot has changed."
"For the better, right?" Anna's question carried layers of aning—concern for her wellbeing, readiness to eliminate threats, devotion that transcended lifetis.
"Yes," Li Hua affird, knowing Anna would detect any hesitation.
"Good." Anna's shoulders relaxed almost imperceptibly. "I'm glad I don't have to get my hands dirty." The statent—delivered with casual indifference—wasn't hyperbole. In both their shared lifetis, Anna had demonstrated unflinching willingness to eliminate anything that threatened Li Hua.
Li Hua laughed softly, but she recognized the deadly seriousness beneath Anna's words. "How long have you been in this world?"
Anna reached for Li Hua's embroidered pillow and placed it in her lap, fingers tracing the golden floral patterns with unconscious precision. "It's been three years now. I woke up in this body and have been in the Sect since." She shook her head, a rare rueful smile appearing. "The first six months were rough, but I'm thankful for the body's mories and Su Ning's love for historical dramas."
Li Hua laughed, recalling their shared viewing experience from their past. "You've only seen one historical drama."
"One too many," Anna retorted with mock severity, her eyes sparkling with genuine humor.
Their synchronized laughter filled her room—two souls who had traversed impossible distances to find each other again, sharing a mont of perfect understanding across the boundaries of worlds and lifetis.
"How about you?" Anna asked, bringing the conversation back to Li Hua's experience.
"I've been here for a while," Li Hua replied, tracing a pattern on the silk coverlet. "I entered this body when she was four. Now I'm nineteen."
Anna's composed façade cracked, genuine shock widening her eyes. "How is that possible? You've practically lived an entire life here, but it's been only six months since you died in our world."
"Six months?" Li Hua echoed, the temporal disparity sending her thoughts spinning.
Anna nodded, her expression growing somber. "Since we need to discuss this anyway, I should tell you what happened after your assassination."
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