Unknown Memories

Xia Lun remained silent.

He finally began to understand how the Goddess felt.

“Is there anything I can do for you, Goddess…?”

“You don’t need to do anything.” The Goddess’s smile was like an epiphyllum blooming beneath the moonlight—pure, yet carrying a hint of unreality. “As long as you live happily, that will be enough. That is my only wish.”

“I still feel that this is terribly unfair.” Xia Lun sighed, an indescribable bitterness welling up in his chest. “You don’t have to…”

“If you keep going, I’m going to get angry.” The Goddess raised one slender finger and gently pressed it against Xia Lun’s lips, smiling tenderly. “This is my own choice.”

She knew what Xia Lun wanted to say.

There was no need to remain bound by the past. If the clan leader were still here, he certainly wouldn’t want her to choose extinction over something like this… But this was a decision she had made of her own free will, both as the Goddess and as herself.

“All right, I should send you back.” The Goddess’s tone grew lighter as she tried to dispel the heavy atmosphere.

“There’s still some time before dawn. I can stay with you a little longer, Goddess,” Xia Lun said sincerely after letting out a quiet breath. “It’s rare to have an opportunity like this.”

Earlier, he had been hoping the Goddess would send him back as soon as possible… Now, the situation had completely reversed.

The Goddess rarely had anyone to talk to. She had probably been keeping all those feelings bottled up for quite some time.

“Ah, Xia Lun, you really are too kind… But it’s all right. I can come find you again tomorrow night.” The Goddess waved at him with a beaming smile. “Now, I’m going to erase your memories. You learned quite a lot today, and I can’t let you take that out of the dream…”

“Wait, Goddess. What did you say?” Xia Lun suddenly froze and asked again, as if he hadn’t heard correctly. “You said you’ll come find me tomorrow too?”

“Yes. Actually, I often come to chat with you in your dreams. I just erase your memories afterward, so you never remember any of it.” The Goddess stuck out her tongue adorably, looking like a girl who had just successfully pulled off a prank.

“What did you say?” Xia Lun’s eyes widened in disbelief.

The countless fragments of dreams that vanished moments after he woke each morning, those vague feelings of warmth—all of them suddenly had an explanation.

“You can’t just erase my memories whenever you feel like it!” Xia Lun protested vehemently.

At last, he understood where his sense of familiarity with the Goddess came from.

Could it be that every time he encountered the Goddess in a dream… it was, from his perspective, their first meeting?

“No, Xia Lun… The next time we meet, I can return the memories from your dreams to you. I forgot to do that today because an uninvited guest interrupted us.” The Goddess smiled apologetically. “When you see me in your dreams next time, you’ll be able to remember what happened today.”

Xia Lun breathed a sigh of relief, then gave her a helpless look. “You were reading my thoughts too…”

But the Goddess immediately changed the subject. “Oh, right! Before you go, let me show you something interesting…”

With a casual wave of her hand, the Goddess conjured a water mirror before them. Ripples spread across its surface, and the image gradually sharpened, revealing the scene outside—

Aina was sprawled over his body like a spoiled little cat, rubbing her cheek affectionately against his sleeping face again and again. A satisfied smile lingered at the corners of her lips.

Seeing this unexpected side of his wife—Aina enthusiastically cuddling against him—Xia Lun was instantly petrified. A blush slowly crept across his face.

The shocking sight completely diverted Xia Lun’s attention.

“Hee hee hee… Interesting, isn’t it? Every night, she plays with your body out there while I pull your consciousness here to chat…” The Goddess covered her mouth, her shoulders trembling with laughter. “Though she hasn’t noticed anything yet… If she ever finds out, she’ll definitely scold me terribly…”

Xia Lun stared at the Goddess in stunned silence, completely at a loss for how to react.

“All right, that’s enough for today, Xia Lun…” The Goddess gently fluttered her wings and drifted closer, planting a soft kiss on Xia Lun’s forehead. “See you next time…”

Xia Lun’s consciousness immediately sank into a daze. Moments later, his figure slowly faded away within the forest.

…

Morning arrived as scheduled.

This was the most comfortable time in the Savage Wilderness. The bitter cold of night had passed, while the warmth brought by the rising sun had yet to reach the oppressive intensity of noon. The oasis, too, revealed the rare vitality that could be found amid the wilderness.

Xia Lun slowly opened his eyes. The first thing he saw was the unfamiliar domed ceiling of the bedroom.

His wife was sleeping beside him.

A ray of golden sunlight slipped through the gaps in the shutters and happened to fall across Aina’s delicate profile, coating her skin in a soft radiance. Her long eyelashes cast fine shadows beneath her eyes.

So cute…

Unable to resist, Xia Lun leaned forward. He lowered his head until their cheeks touched, then gently rubbed against her.

Soft, springy, fragrant… Absolutely wonderful!

Moreover, he could feel the skin pressed against his own gradually growing warm.

“You’re taking advantage of me while I’m asleep and secretly doing this to me?” Aina asked, her eyes still closed, her voice full of disdain.

“Er…” Xia Lun froze awkwardly and stopped moving.

“Disgusting…” Aina’s little face turned cold as she gave a soft snort.

Of course, she actually wished Xia Lun would openly cuddle against her. But to preserve her dignity as the Demon King, she would first put up a token struggle, fiercely condemn his behavior, and then reluctantly accept it. After all, this was her husband…

“You do it too…” Xia Lun instinctively began to retort, but suddenly stopped.

A blurry image seemed to flash through his mind, disappearing too quickly for him to grasp.

What was going on? He couldn’t remember what he had been about to say.

Yet those words caused Aina’s entire body to stiffen, and a faint blush slowly spread across her face.

How could that be? Had this guy discovered what she did at night?

Impossible. After he fell asleep, she had used both a calming spell and hypnosis on him. There was no way he could have woken up.

Could it be his body’s memory? As a warrior, his body might instinctively remember what had happened…

Fortunately, Xia Lun seemed to have said it offhandedly. He didn’t appear to truly realize anything.

Damn it. She would have to be more careful next time.

“What were you going to say?” Aina quickly regained her composure and asked in an outwardly calm voice, still pretending to be stern.

“Ah… Nothing.” Xia Lun rubbed the back of his head.

What was going on?

Just now, he had felt as though he was about to remember something, but his thoughts were shrouded in mist and refused to take shape.

It couldn’t be senility at such a young age, could it?

Seeing Xia Lun’s troubled, confused expression, Aina felt a slow wave of relief well up inside her.

Thank goodness. He didn’t know.

If he found out what she did to him at night, who knew how smug this guy would become? Just imagining the consequences was enough to make her so embarrassed and furious that she wanted to crawl into a hole and hide.

That was really... far too embarrassing.