The last night, Xie Yingying slept clinging to Su Min like a koala, deep within the core of the Xuantian Mansion.
Blanketed in soft spirit silk and the warmth of each other's presence, the mansion felt quieter than usual—subdued under the glow of twin moons filtering through the carved windows. Though the world outside had changed, this feeling was something they hadn't lost. Even after everything, even with the long silence between them, they still fit.
Su Min didn't sleep. She rarely needed to anymore.
Instead, she held Xie Yingying through the night, sensing the faint stir of her Lunar Sovereign Physique beneath fragile mortal skin. That same old rhythm. Gentle. Calm. A tide beneath moonlight.
By the time morning arrived, Xie Yingying blinked awake to the soft scent of tea and the faint sound of simmering soup from the inner hall.
She sat up, still drowsy, finding Su Min seated calmly by the low table—robes smooth, hair already brushed and flowing like cloud silk.
"You cooked?" Xie Yingying blinked.
Su Min looked up with a small smile. "Only a little. You still need to eat proper meals, after all."
Xie Yingying padded over barefoot and sat across from her. The steam rose from a light breakfast spread: spirit grain porridge, dried lotus slices, and a warm red date soup.
"…You've really gotten good at this," she murmured after her first bite, then added, teasing, "Don't tell me you mastered cooking while battling fallen immortals."
"I had time," Su Min said simply, eyes gentle. "And I knew you'd be waking up eventually."
Xie Yingying paused, spoon halfway to her lips, and then set it down.
"Let's talk about my re-cultivation."
Su Min nodded. "Alright."
Xie Yingying drew a breath. "You know that I use your modified version of Yao Xian'er's technique. Since I've already severed everything and sealed myself, the next step is rebuilding from zero. I've looked around, and… the spiritual density here is far beyond the Heavenly Continent. Even just breathing, I can feel the energy stirring."
"With this plane and the sect's resources," she continued confidently, "I can reach the Qi Refining stage within a year."
But Su Min didn't respond with immediate approval.
Instead, she reached for a small jade vial beside her, sliding it across the table. "Take this first."
Xie Yingying glanced at it. Her eyes narrowed slightly. "The Life Extension Pill?"
"You don't need to rush," Su Min said. "You're not racing against death anymore."
"But I could still make it."
"I know you could." Su Min's voice softened. "But you shouldn't have to."
Xie Yingying's gaze lingered on her for a long moment. Su Min's tone wasn't one of doubt, but quiet insistence. She wasn't trying to slow her—she just wanted her safe. And comfortable.
"…Alright," Xie Yingying finally said. "I'll take it. No point gambling when the odds are already stacked in our favor."
Relieved, Su Min nodded. "Once you recover from the transition, we'll begin."
"Before that…" Xie Yingying turned her head toward the open veranda, where light spilled over the jade-tiled roofs of the sect below. The air was fresh, tinged with spiritual mist. Far in the distance, the great divine rivers shimmered between peaks.
"…I want to see it," she said. "The Immortal Plane you forged. And the hidden continent."
Su Min's expression softened further. "You want to travel?"
"Not far," Xie Yingying said, smiling. "Just see what you've built. All those years I slept… I want to know the world you waited in."
"Then we'll go," Su Min said immediately. "Anywhere you want."
Without warning, she stepped forward and slipped her arms under Xie Yingying's knees and back, lifting her with ease.
"Wha—Su Min!" Xie Yingying's cheeks flushed as she instinctively looped her arms around her neck.
"You're still a mortal," Su Min said lightly. "I'm not letting you walk up that many stairs."
Then, with a soft hum, her flying sword responded to her call—silent as moonlight—rising just outside the open terrace.
She stepped onto it effortlessly, the blade stabilizing beneath her feet, and they lifted into the morning sky.
Wind swept past them, cool and fresh, tugging at their sleeves as the entire sect came into view below. Dozens of towers, courtyards, and training fields stretched across a floating landmass suspended within layered cloud belts. Pillars of starlight poured down from the heavens, nourishing fields of spirit herbs that glowed with soft hues.
And further beyond that, hidden behind the veils of sky-sealing formations—was the continent Su Min had built in secret.
—
The wind carried them gently, high above the clouds.
Cradled in Su Min's arms, Xie Yingying gazed out across the endless horizon, her hair tousled by the breeze. Below them, the peaks and towers of the Immortal Gate glittered like constellations scattered across land. Streams of spirit energy flowed between mountains like rivers of light, and vast fields of spirit grass shimmered in iridescent waves as they passed overhead.
For a long while, Xie Yingying said nothing. She just stared.
"…You really built all this," she murmured, eyes wide in quiet awe.
Su Min glanced down at her with a soft smile. "I had time. And I wanted a place for us. One that no one could touch."
The sword dipped slightly as they descended into one of the floating gardens—a vast terrace of moonflowers and star-shaped spirit herbs blooming in slow, gentle cycles. When Su Min set her down, Xie Yingying took a few steps on her own before spinning in a slow circle, arms half-raised, soaking it in.
There was no looming pressure. No rushing enemies. No ancient seals waiting to be broken.
Just morning air, the scent of herbs, and Su Min's hand resting lightly in hers.
Xie Yingying let out a breath, smiling. "This almost doesn't feel real."
Su Min stepped behind her, brushing a few strands of hair from her cheek. "It's real. Every bit of it. You're here."
"And I get to finally enjoy it," Xie Yingying added. "With you."
The next few hours passed in quiet exploration.
They wandered the upper gardens, hand in hand. Su Min pointed out the sacred trees she'd grown from fragments of world roots, while Xie Yingying tasted fresh spirit berries that glowed faintly blue and puckered her lips at the unexpected sharpness. Su Min chuckled and fed her a sweeter one to make up for it.
In one corner of the garden, a lake reflected the sky with such clarity it looked like they were walking above the heavens. Xie Yingying knelt beside it, trailing her fingers through the water while Su Min sat beside her, watching her with a gaze that hadn't softened in thirty thousand years.
"I used to dream about this," Xie Yingying said softly. "You and me. Somewhere without battles or missions. Just… breathing."
Su Min's hand found hers again. "Then let's keep dreaming."
Eventually, Xie Yingying's stomach reminded them she was still very much mortal.
They found shelter beneath a floating pavilion where Su Min had prepared in advance—of course she had—an entire traveling kitchen. A small cauldron hung over a quiet flame, releasing a savory scent of lotus root stew and red spiritual grains.
"Did you make all this before you woke me?" Xie Yingying asked, eyeing the setup.
Su Min gave her a look. "You think I wouldn't prepare everything for our first trip together?"
"…You've really turned into a spoiling type," Xie Yingying teased.
"I always was. You were just too distracted by battles to notice."
They ate slowly, with Xie Yingying occasionally sighing at how good real food tasted again, and Su Min quietly feeding her a sweet dumpling with her chopsticks. The moment was slow, easy. It didn't need anything more.
After lunch, Xie Yingying lay down on a sun-warmed blanket, using Su Min's lap as a pillow. She closed her eyes, half-drowsing, feeling the soft warmth of Su Min's fingers brushing through her hair.
"You should sleep more," Su Min said. "You've just been unsealed. No need to push yourself."
"I want to see everything," Xie Yingying mumbled.
"And you will. But there's no rush. We have time now."
"…Hm."
Xie Yingying didn't respond after that. Her breath evened out, and she drifted off, tucked against the one person she'd always trusted to hold the world steady for her.
They continued traveling over the next few days.
Su Min never let her walk too long without rest. Whenever Xie Yingying grew tired, Su Min would pick her up without asking, carrying her in a gentle princess hold or letting her lean against her side as they flew.
They explored glowing crystal caverns carved into the undersides of floating islands. They visited spirit beast nurseries, where baby qilins and flame-scaled birds followed Xie Yingying like she was their long-lost mother. They bathed in a quiet hot spring under the stars, Su Min keeping her aura suppressed so low she was barely detectable.
But even without spiritual pressure, her presence wrapped around Xie Yingying like a second skin.
At night, they shared a single bed beneath the sky dome of the mobile manor Su Min had designed just for the two of them. No disciples. No sect elders. Just quiet moonlight, the scent of pine, and fingers interlaced in the dark.
One night, as they lay curled together, Xie Yingying murmured, "I wish we had this back then."
Su Min pulled her closer. "Now we have more."
She didn't just mean time.
She meant freedom. Peace. A future.
And this time, they would hold it with both hands.
—
The next morning, they didn't rush to move.
Xie Yingying stirred slowly, cocooned in blankets made of cloud silk, the scent of Su Min's warmth still lingering on her skin. When she blinked open her eyes, she found Su Min already awake, brushing her hair idly with one hand while reading something from a floating jade slip.
"Morning," Xie Yingying said, voice still husky from sleep.
Su Min looked down, setting the jade aside. "You slept well?"
"You're warm," Xie Yingying muttered, eyes already fluttering again as she pressed her face into Su Min's shoulder. "I didn't want to move."
"You don't have to." Su Min leaned down, brushing her lips against Xie Yingying's forehead. "I'll carry you again."
"…I'm not that fragile," she mumbled into her robes.
"No," Su Min agreed, resting her chin gently on top of her head. "But you're mine. So let me spoil you a little longer."
By the time they emerged from the manor, the sun was high and the sky was painted a rich cerulean, dotted with spirit birds coasting through the clouds. Today's destination was one of Su Min's personal favorites—a hidden glade tucked between crystal mountains, where time flowed just a little slower and every flower bloomed in rhythm with the seasons of the soul.
The glade was filled with glowing trees whose leaves shimmered between silver and gold. Beneath one of them, Su Min laid down a picnic mat woven from fire silk and frost thread. Xie Yingying, still slightly sleep-hazy, sat down and sighed.
"…It really does feel like we're on vacation."
Su Min smiled. "We are. A very delayed one."
"And you prepared all this?"
Su Min lifted the picnic basket and opened it—carefully arranged trays of warm spirit fruit tarts, chilled lotus milk, and fresh golden peaches still dusted with dew.
"I made everything this morning. I wanted something sweet."
Xie Yingying looked at her suspiciously. "You don't even like sweets."
Su Min plucked a tart and held it out. "You do."
Xie Yingying took it with a snort. "Honestly, how are you still like this after becoming immortal?"
Su Min's expression remained serene. "You're the only constant I brought with me through everything. My instincts stayed the same."
They ate under the trees, side by side, while gentle winds stirred the flowers around them.
Later, they wandered through the glade, stopping by the shallow river that sparkled with scattered star crystals on the riverbed. Xie Yingying crouched to splash her fingers in it, then looked back at Su Min.
"Can I—?"
Before she could finish, Su Min was already there, kneeling and holding her sandals.
"I'll carry you across."
"…You really don't trust me to cross shallow water?"
"I trust you," Su Min replied. "I just enjoy holding you."
Xie Yingying's ears turned pink, but she said nothing as Su Min lifted her again and stepped across the cool, shining stream.
By dusk, the sky began to darken into lavender hues. They set up camp near a gentle slope covered in moonflowers, and Su Min created a protective formation that let in the breeze but kept out wild spirit beasts.
Wrapped in a shared blanket, Xie Yingying leaned her head against Su Min's shoulder and looked up at the twin moons rising overhead.
"…I really needed this," she said quietly. "After everything. I didn't realize how much I missed just… being."
Su Min kissed the top of her head. "Then let's stay in this moment. As long as you want."
And just like that, the years between them dissolved. No more regrets. No more what-ifs.
Just them. Here.
Together.