"In the future, this house will become a ranch because they will have more and more animals. There will be a fool who makes terrible meals every day and then spends the whole day nagging like a crow, bothering everyone. One day, in a flurry of panic, he'll help a horse give birth, and when he sees the newborn foal, she will ugh and cry at the same time." He looked at her with a dreamy expression and naturally took over the conversation, pointing ahead as he said, "Right there, she'll jump around as if she's gone mad." His tone was so casual, as if he had truly seen the scene he described.

  "My image would never be so ruined!" She shot him a gnce, then paused and said, "Hmm, these words don't sound like something the Jade-faced Ghost King would say, do they?"

  "This kind of life is good," he replied, lying back on the hay, taking a deep breath, and gazing contentedly at the sky. Though it was an answer to her, it felt more like he was speaking to himself.

  Along the way, under her persistent questioning, he told her many things, in bits and pieces. This included his identity, Ye Nishang, and the fact that they were about to get married. Who he married, she thought, had nothing to do with her. All she had to do was "stick" to him, retrieve the “Spiritual Rhino” sword, and return to her world. Everything here wouldn't leave any trace in her life. That should be the way it was. But why now? Some deep-seated thoughts, ones she had once believed would never change, seemed to melt away with the setting sun and began to waver. The life she had imagined—the cabin, the fence, the flock of sheep, and the person by her side—suddenly shifted from a light, airy fantasy to something tangible, slowly sinking into her heart.

  If she could truly live in a world of wide skies and high clouds, with horses galloping and peaceful days ahead; if she could truly be close, share joys and sorrows, and grow old together... then what did it matter if she found the “Spiritual Rhino” Sword or could return?

  She was startled by her own thoughts and quickly changed the subject. "You really love your fiancée, don't you?"

  "Before I was ten, I even hated her." After a long silence, he smiled. "My parents were old friends with the Ye family. After they passed away, Nishang's father found me from a pile of beggars. At that time, she was a rich young dy, proud and overbearing, always bossing me around. Later, maybe because of growing older, our feelings changed. She became kinder to me, and I always wanted to give her the best. Does that count as love?"

  She shook her head. "I don't know." He turned his head.

  When the tired horses were fed and watered, they would continue their journey. In truth, he wanted to stay, build a ranch, and live without boundaries, watching the clouds roll by, free and at peace—this was his truest wish. He had once told Ye Nishang about it, but she had mocked him, saying he had no ambition. What she wanted and what he wanted had never been the same.

  Ding Xiaocuo mimicked his actions, lying down to look at the sky, humming a few lines from an old song over and over again—

  "I remember the way you described your dream of paradise,Pointing to the distance and drawing house after house.Your silly smile was so sincere,All trust began from that moment."

  He had never heard that song before, but he found himself liking the lyrics, and he liked the way she hummed the tune so peacefully. What was strange, however, was that in the imagined life she described, the person riding beside him through the wind and snow was not Ye Nishang.

  In The Guide to Love by the Matchmaker, there was a line that said—when you fall in love with someone, you naturally begin to agree with and embrace their dreams, even if it's just a casual conversation.

  On the Endless Pin, towering, strange natural stone pilrs were scattered everywhere, dividing this barren nd into a maze of intersecting paths. They arrived at noon.

  Beitang Ken slowed his pace and rode between two massive, cw-like stones from the north. Ding Xiaocuo furrowed her brows deeply, something she had never done before. As soon as she entered this stone forest, an uncomfortable, suffocating feeling gripped her chest like a rough, rge hand, making it hard for her to breathe.

  The weather wasn't bad, but this pce was one where sunlight couldn't penetrate. The jagged, strange stone pilrs around them looked like lurking yaokais, hidden in a dull, lifeless color, exuding a dangerous aura. But Ding Xiaocuo's discomfort wasn't from fear; it was from sorrow. It spread like a drop of ink into water, starting from a single point and gradually enveloping everything in a gloomy haze. Especially when they emerged from the stone forest and came face to face with a towering mountain wall, shaped like a sword drawn from its sheath, pointing directly at the sky. In that instant, the sorrow became overwhelming. The sword-like mountain wall didn’t pierce the empty air; it pierced her heart! She quickly turned her head, unable to look any longer, cold sweat beading in her palms. Beitang Ken noticed her unease.

  "What's wrong?" he asked, noticing her uneven breathing as she trembled in his arms.

  "Ah... it's nothing." She quickly shook her head, offering an excuse, "Maybe I'm just a bit dizzy from the horse..." Only Ding Xiaocuo could come up with a term like "dizzy from the horse!" Beitang Ken chuckled. Ding Xiaocuo froze for a moment; it was the first time she had heard him ugh like that. She didn't look back and buried her head even lower, feeling increasingly uneasy the further they went.

  A grand mansion, built from stone sbs like a fortress, appeared domineeringly in their view. Who would build such a luxurious house in this barren wastend? Ding Xiaocuo clicked her tongue in surprise. In the distance, a figure was approaching them.

  Ye Nishang was indeed a woman of striking beauty—elegant and sharp. Even the way she looked at others seemed to carry the sharpness of rose thorns. She rushed into Beitang Ken's arms, pouting, "Why did you take so long to come?"

  "Are you alright?" He gently supported her arms, subtly pulling back to create a little distance between them.

  Ye Nishang shook her head, then turned her gaze to Ding Xiaocuo behind him, frowning. "Who is she?"

  "She's a friend. I promised to lend her the “Spiritual Rhino” Sword." He was always honest with Ye Nishang.

  Ding Xiaocuo gave Ye Nishang a perfunctory smile. She didn′t like this woman, much like how she didn′t like the entire Endless Pin. Jealousy?! The word was indeed scarier than time travel itself, but it wasn't exactly the same feeling. Beitang Ken, Ye Nishang... the two names suddenly felt like burning iron, sharply etched into her mind.

  Beitang Ken... Ye Nishang... That fish is mine! I know your name, Beitang Ken! And I know who you hate the most! Fragmented sentences echoed in Ding Xiaocuo's buzzing ears.

  In front of them, Ye Nishang was throwing a tantrum, firmly opposing Beitang Ken lending her the “Spiritual Rhino” Sword. Beitang Ken neither shook his head nor nodded.

  Behind them stood a man dressed in bck robes, his head wrapped in a cloth, standing respectfully. He had been the one to greet them outside, leading them through the winding hallways, passing through dozens of doors before arriving in this spacious, vaulted room. The room was vishly furnished, every corner adorned with a long-legged bronze crane mp, casting a warm glow.

  "The master has instructed me to carefully look after Miss Nishang and await the arrival of Lord Beitang Ken," the masked man lowered his head and said. "The master also mentioned that, due to the bad weather tonight, the guests should rest here for the night and continue their journey tomorrow morning."

  "No need for that. We will leave now," Beitang Ken said, cupping his fist toward the masked man. "Thank you for your hospitality. Farewell." Just as he was about to leave, his arm was grabbed by Ye Nishang. She furrowed her brow slightly, clutching her chest, and said, "Beitang ken, I..." Before she could finish, she colpsed into his arms.