Ye Feng rented a small courtyard with Ice Empress and Bi Ji, planning to rest here for a few days until Ice Empress recovered from her injuries and could undergo shape-shifting.
Ye Feng arranged a separate room for Ice Empress so she could recuperate in peace. He and Bi Ji each took a room for themselves.
Exhausted, Ice Empress quickly fell asleep.
Unable to sleep in the middle of the night, Ye Feng decided to test his newly acquired Soul Skill—Star Eyes·All Creation—on Ice Empress .
To put it simply, he was creating a dream.
With his formidable mental power and the aid of his Soul Skill, Ye Feng effortlessly crafted a dream and gently placed it into Ice Empress 's embrace, allowing it to slowly merge into her body...
Next door, Ice Empress seemed to sense something, turning over in her sleep before sinking deeper into slumber...
Under normal circumstances, Ye Feng would have had no chance of influencing Ice Empress like this.
But now, while she was at her weakest, he could at least try.
Whether he succeeded or failed, he had nothing to lose.
Ice Empress was naive—she would never notice.
...
...
Meanwhile.
As Ice Empress slept, her dream journey began...
At the same time, Ye Feng extended a wisp of his consciousness into the dream, immersing himself in the experience...
...
Winter, Year 112 of the Mingchuan Era.
A baby boy was born in the Ye household, wrapped in swaddling clothes. He was named Ye Feng.
From childhood, Ye Feng excelled in both scholarly and martial pursuits, able to speak shortly after birth.
By age one, he could recite the classics fluently; by age two, he had begun martial training. His extraordinary talent made him the talk of the town, hailed as a prodigy.
The Ye family was on good terms with the Yun family. When Ye Feng was three, he was betrothed to the unborn princess of the Yun household.
Half a year later, the Yun family's little princess was born—Yun Bing'er.
From then on, Ye Feng always had a little shadow following him around.
...
...
...
Three years later.
Seven-year-old Ye Feng held Yun Bing'er's hand as they buried a peach pit on the sunny slope of South Mountain.
"The grown-ups say peach blossoms symbolize happiness. Let's make a wish together~"
"When the peach tree blooms, our wishes will come true~" Ye Feng smiled, squeezing Yun Bing'er's small hand.
"Okay~"
Yun Bing'er clapped her hands and giggled sweetly.
After making their wishes, Yun Bing'er tugged at Ye Feng's sleeve and asked, "What did you wish for?"
"I can't say—it won't come true if I do," Ye Feng replied with a laugh.
"Come on, you can tell me secretly~ It's just between us!" Yun Bing'er clung to his arm, pouting.
"Alright, alright… I wished for peace and prosperity, and for us to grow up safe and sound~" After answering, Ye Feng turned to her. "What about you?"
"Hehe, I won't tell you! It won't come true if I say it~" Yun Bing'er giggled before darting away.
"Hey, that's not fair…" Ye Feng was left speechless, quickly chasing after her.
...
...
...
The scene shifted.
The two had grown up—Ye Feng was now fifteen.
He lay beneath the peach tree, arms folded behind his head, gazing at the blue sky and white clouds, lost in thought.
Yun Bing'er came bounding over, playfully straddling him. She propped herself up with one hand while plucking a peach blossom with the other, lightly tickling Ye Feng's nose with it.
"Bing'er, behave…"
Ye Feng caught her small hand, sighing helplessly.
"Brother Ye Feng, when will you marry me~" Yun Bing'er tilted her head and giggled.
"You ask this every year. You're still too young. You have to wait until you grow up~" Ye Feng helplessly ruffled Yun Bing'er's hair, his eyes filled with affection.
"But I really, really want to marry Brother Ye Feng. Can't you marry me sooner? Please... I'm begging you..."
Yun Bing'er leaned down, hugging Ye Feng and acting coquettishly, her fragrant breath tickling his ear.
"Hahaha... Stop it, stop it, that's so ticklish~" Ye Feng quickly surrendered, laughing. "You're 15 this year, and next year you'll be 16. When the peach blossoms bloom next year, I'll ask my father to hold our wedding, okay~"
As he spoke, Ye Feng snatched a peach blossom from Yun Bing'er's hand and gently tucked it into her hair.
"Really? You can't lie to me!" Yun Bing'er exclaimed in delight.
"Really~"
Ye Feng nodded.
"Then it's a promise~"
"A promise~"
"Hehe, I'll tell you a secret. When I was little, I made a wish under the peach blossom tree—to grow up and marry you~" Yun Bing'er whispered into Ye Feng's ear.
"If you say your wish out loud, it won't come true. Why did you tell me?"
"Hmph, you just said you'd marry me next year. Are you going back on your word now?" Yun Bing'er pouted, grabbing Ye Feng's collar with a threatening glare.
"No, no, no, your wish will definitely come true. I will marry you~"
"Hmph, that's more like it~"
...
...
...
...
The scene shifted.
Year's end.
The border war grew urgent, and the nation enforced conscription. All youths aged 15 and above were forcibly drafted.
Ye Feng's family lived near the border, and he became one of the first to be summoned.
"Brother Ye Feng, don't go…"
At the Ye residence, Yun Bing'er clung to Ye Feng, crying uncontrollably. Behind him stood several solemn soldiers, clearly accustomed to such scenes.
"Don't worry, I'll definitely come back… When the peach blossoms bloom, I'll come to marry you." Ye Feng smiled reassuringly.
"Really…? You can't lie to me…"
"Mm, I won't lie to you~"
...
...
Ye Feng left.
Yun Bing'er moved her dwelling beside the peach blossom tree, waiting every day for the flowers to bloom…
...
...
Winter passed, and spring arrived.
The peach blossoms bloomed, but Ye Feng did not return.
All that came back was a letter stained with yellow sand—Ye Feng's diary.
It spoke of snowflakes beyond the frontier resembling petals from the south, along with Ye Feng's amusing anecdotes.
At the end of the letter was a single line: When the peach blossoms bloom, I will marry you.
"Liar…" Yun Bing'er muttered, wiping her tears before carefully tucking the letter close to her heart.
...
...
The second year, the peach blossoms bloomed.
Again, Yun Bing'er received only a letter.
It told of Ye Feng slaying eight hundred enemies and being promoted to captain.
Yun Bing'er felt proud of him, though a faint worry lingered in her heart.
...
The third year, the letter was stained with blood, but the handwriting grew even more forceful.
The fourth year, the same.
The fifth year, General Zhenbei Ye Feng, the youngest in the dynasty, became renowned across the land.
A messenger delivered a jade box containing a withered peach blossom from the northern frontier.
...
The sixth year, the peach blossoms bloomed.
Yun Bing'er sat beneath the peach tree, her heart brimming with anticipation—waiting for Ye Feng's letter.
She no longer expected Ye Feng to return. As long as she received his letters every year, she was content.
Because it meant he was safe and sound.
Once the war ended, Ye Feng should have been able to come back…
But this time, Yun Bing'er did not receive his letter.
A group of soldiers in military uniforms arrived at the Ye household, their expressions solemn, carrying an urn and an obituary.
Ye Feng had engaged in a duel with the strongest warrior of the enemy nation—a battle to the death. Both perished together.
Yet, it also brought an end to the years-long war.
The empire's youngest grand general had tragically passed away at the age of 21, plunging the entire nation into mourning.
Yun Bing'er held Ye Feng's urn and sat silently beneath the peach tree for three days, until she collapsed unconscious.
...
...
...
Time passed in a flash—60 years gone.
A maid pushed Yun Bing'er, now seated in a wheelchair, beneath the peach blossom tree.
Yun Bing'er was now 76 years old, her silver hair like snow.
Time had carved deep wrinkles upon her face.
The once-small peach tree now required three people to encircle its trunk.
After Ye Feng's death in battle, Yun Bing'er never married.
The Ye and Yun families had originally been ordinary households, but thanks to the blessings Ye Feng had left behind, both had risen to become prestigious noble families and relocated to the capital.
Yet Yun Bing'er had never left, staying here with just a few servants.
The peach tree she and Ye Feng had planted as children had grown into a towering giant, living far longer than expected.
Every year when the peach blossoms bloomed, Yun Bing'er would wait here.
But this spring, the flowers did not come.
"Madam… it seems the peach blossoms won't bloom this year…" the maid whispered, gazing at the bare branches.
"Yes… the blossoms won't come… and he will never marry me… liar…"
Yun Bing'er murmured so
ftly, her mind still echoing Ye Feng's words.
The warm sunlight bathed her body, yet she felt no warmth at all.
Her body, like the breeze, gradually grew cold.
"Madam… Madam… Madam!! Are you alright?!"
"Someone, come quickly! Madam is—"
...
...
...
"Ah! I don't want to die!!"
The Ice Empress gasped, bolting upright from the bed in an instant, utterly bewildered.
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