The Aloof Cold Autumn Who Knew Everything, The Final Days

Late at night.

The world was silent in the depths of the darkness.

In the underground city where humanity now resided,

aside from the martial artists standing guard, everyone else had fallen into slumber.

In a certain room,

Leng Qingqiu tossed and turned in bed, her mind

suddenly flooded with countless dreams.

The dreams stretched endlessly, so long that she began to forget whether she was in reality or a dream.

At times, she fought alongside Gu Yan against divine beings.

Other times, she was transported back to the urban world, forming a band with Gu Yan and touring the globe.

Then, in another moment, she found herself in a fantasy realm, transformed into a crimson-clad vengeful spirit, dying in Gu Yan’s embrace.

...

...

Until the final dream appeared.

Leng Qingqiu understood everything.

The schemes of the Heavenly Dao, the wars of the gods.

The fate of a million lifetimes of reincarnation...

All the efforts Gu Yan had made in secret, the sacrifices he had endured...

And... Xiao Leng’s final choice...

!!!

Leng Qingqiu’s eyes snapped open. She sat up, leaning against the headboard.

Her breathing quickened, her expression a mix of shock and disbelief.

"What... what is all this...?"

Her voice trembled as she recalled that today was the anniversary of the day she and Gu Yan had met.

In the evening, Ling'er, Gu Yan’s parents, and the rest of the family had shared a meal with her.

After a rare moment of relaxation, she had fallen asleep early.

But now...

She had indeed slept, yet...

"Xiao Leng, Xiao Leng?"

"Xiao Leng, are you there?"

Leng Qingqiu called out softly, but...

there was no response in her mind. She couldn’t even sense Xiao Leng’s presence anymore.

It was as if Xiao Leng had vanished without a trace, like a stone sinking into the sea.

How could this be...?

Leng Qingqiu’s heart sank to the depths. She... understood everything now.

It turned out that she and Gu Yan had known each other since their very first lifetime. Back then, they had used the power of forbidden scriptures to initiate this million-cycle reincarnation,

all for the sake of finding even the slightest chance to defy the Heavenly Dao.

And this lifetime... was their final opportunity.

Both Gu Yan and she had to become the strongest in the world.

So...

Xiao Leng... was another version of "Leng Qingqiu," born solely for this lifetime.

Her sole purpose was to sacrifice herself so that Gu Yan could break through his limits and become the world’s strongest.

How could this be...?

Leng Qingqiu bit her lip, fists clenched tightly.

Xiao Leng hadn’t been born from her negative emotions in the past...

Instead, she was a fragment of her soul, separated from the very first lifetime—a vessel to store all her and Gu Yan’s memories,

only to willingly give her life in this final cycle.

Xiao Leng...

No wonder... No wonder Xiao Leng had known all of Gu Yan’s plans.

They had prepared everything in secret.

Xiao Leng had always intended to sacrifice herself, which was why she had kept it hidden from Leng Qingqiu.

The last glimmer of hope... had been Xiao Leng.

Tears streamed down Leng Qingqiu’s face. After all these years together,

even though they had often bickered, during the darkest days after her family’s destruction,

Xiao Leng had been the only one who stayed by her side, speaking to her in her mind.

Now that the plan had reached this point,

and Xiao Leng had given her life to return to her original form...

Then...

"Should I... kill you...?"

"Gu Yan..."

Leng Qingqiu lowered her head, her voice choked with sobs.

By the window in the room,

a figure sat, seamlessly blending into the world—Gu Yan.

His expression was solemn, his voice heavy. "I’m sorry... for keeping this from you for so long."

Gu Yan’s heart was weighed down with sorrow.

He had never wanted to sacrifice Leng Qingqiu, nor Xiao Leng.

Even before he knew the truth, when he had thought Xiao Leng was merely Leng Qingqiu’s second personality,

he had never considered sacrificing her.

His plans had never involved sacrificing anyone close to him.

In this lifetime, he had wanted to achieve a perfect ending.

But...

"......"

Leng Qingqiu shook her head, wiping away her tears.

She took a deep breath and looked at Gu Yan with determination. "No, I’m the one who should apologize."

"Xiao Leng sacrificed herself for me. This burden should have been mine to bear..."

"If I had been the one to sacrifice, the same result could have been achieved. Xiao Leng would have inherited my memories and become the true self..."

Gu Yan’s breathing grew slightly uneven.

Whether it was Xiao Leng or Leng Qingqiu,

they were, in essence, the same person.

Xiao Leng held the memories of all past cycles, while Leng Qingqiu was the original self of this lifetime.

But one of them had to perish.

Only if both became Heavenly Dao-level powerhouses could they defy the Heavenly Dao.

So...

Was there truly no way to have both...?

"Gu Yan, since Xiao Leng has already made her choice..."

"I won’t hesitate anymore."

Leng Qingqiu spoke softly as she stood and walked toward Gu Yan.

She reached out, pulling him into an embrace, her voice laced with quiet resolve. "Gu Yan... I understand what you meant."

"You wanted me to become humanity’s hero, to shed the identity of the Night King forever."

"Gu Yan... I accept."

"In this lifetime... we must succeed."

Gu Yan closed his eyes, resting silently in Leng Qingqiu’s arms, savoring the moment.

Soon, the final step of their plan would arrive.

Leng Qingqiu held him tighter, her voice tender. "Though we’ll soon have to part again..."

"Before that..."

"I want you to make up for all the time you’ve missed with me these past months."

"Stay by my side, just for a few days..."

"Consider it a gift for our million-cycle anniversary."

"Will you?"

Gu Yan nodded slightly.

"I will."

......

......

The next day,

news of Gu Yan’s return spread throughout the Gu household.

Friends who had known and cherished him rushed to the first floor.

Leng Ling'er was the first to arrive, chattering excitedly around Gu Yan. "Brother-in-law! Where have you been all this time?"

Her face was alight with joy, unwilling to let him out of her sight.

Ning Qian observed Gu Yan, sensing something strange.

Hmm... She could no longer perceive his aura. He seemed like an ordinary person now...

Where had he gone all these days?

Gu Yan’s parents, Gu Tianming and Su Murong, finally breathed a sigh of relief.

"You brat! Where have you been all this time?"

"You had Qingqiu worried sick!"

Liu Jianxing, now a pillar of the Sword Holding Department, grinned broadly and clasped his hands. "Brother Gu, you’ve finally returned!"

"We all thought you were—"

"Hey! What kind of nonsense is that? My brother-in-law isn’t going to die!"

"Cough..."