Chapter 55: Beneath the Sky of Time, and Within the Heart of Ice
And so, time passed…
Between breakfast and gentle conversation, a warm thread of intimacy stretched through the room.
After we were done, I looked at her and said with calm resolve:
"Alright… now that we've finished breakfast, I want to take you somewhere you will greatly benefit from."
I took her hand, and with a flash of teleportation, I brought her with me into the Book of the Demon of Time.
And so…
Time passed there, within a dense fog of training… and of emotions that quietly continued to grow.
In the present, we now stand within a parallel timeline.
I looked at her and spoke in a deep voice:
"My wife… in this timeline, you can save your family, and you can also change the fate of your version in this time."
I paused, then continued with heavy honesty:
"But I… must return. I cannot stay by your side here. I am sorry for that."
I raised my hand to her shoulder and looked into her eyes.
"Either way, you will have enough strength… and all the information you need."
I pulled her into my embrace and held her tightly.
I kissed her cheek, then leaned down, kissed her neck and gently bit it, leaving a mark there, before kissing her forehead.
Her cheeks were flushed when she spoke in a warm voice:
"Alright, my dear… don't worry.
I know what I need to do.
I will wait for you."
I stepped away from her…
And in the blink of an eye, my body vanished from that timeline.
When I opened my eyes again, I found myself inside Zhang Lixuan's room.
I took a deep breath.
Then I activated the Flying Thunder technique once more and teleported directly to the Star Luo Empire.
By that time, Nannan's match had already ended.
I paid no attention to the rest of the tournament and returned straight to my hotel room to train.
After all…
I possessed an enormous amount of resources.
I sat cross-legged, closed my eyes, and plunged into the sea of consciousness.
And there…
I found Ice Empress Bing Bing standing before me.
I looked at her, and a faint smile formed on my lips.
This tsundere girl had not yet experienced my special massage technique…
Without hesitation, I stepped forward, pulled her into my arms, held her close, and kissed her cheek.
In the next instant, her body stiffened.
It was obvious she had not yet processed what had happened.
At the same time, my hand settled at her waist, moving in calm, steady massage motions.
I leaned slightly closer and whispered near her ear:
"There's no need to worry, Empress… just relax and let me take care of you."
She suddenly gasped, as if snapping back to her senses.
She spoke in an angry voice:
"Ji Lin! How dare you touch this Empress without her permission?! I… I will punish you!"
Yet despite the sharpness of her words, she did not use any real strength to break free from my embrace, and her body remained still,quietly accepting the movement of my hand at her waist.
I said calmly:
"Don't worry, Ice Empress… just let this young man serve you with sincerity."
She clenched her teeth and snapped more sharply:
"Let go of me immediately! Before I get angry! I swear I'll make you regret this!
You filthy human… how dare you take advantage of this Empress? Let me go!"
Yet despite her explosive tone…
she did not move even a single step away.
Within the Sea of Consciousness, everything seemed still…
A vast space of light from a golden luminous sphere, energy flowing like invisible currents.
But within that stillness, the Ice Empress alone was the storm.
Her body stiffened in my arms, her eyes widening sharply as she stared at me.
"What… what do you think you're doing?!"
Her voice was sharp, yet it trembled at the very end of the sentence, as if her anger were colliding with something else she did not want to admit.
She clutched her robe, trying to look composed,
but her shoulders were far more tense than they should have been.
"This Empress does not need your ridiculous massage!"
She said it harshly, and yet…
She did not push my hand away from her waist.
I could feel her tension traveling through her body, like a taut thread stretched between her pride and a strange, unwanted sense of comfort.
"Stop this at once!"
She said it—yet her fingers unconsciously gripped the sleeve of my robe.
Her face was slightly flushed, her eyes shining with a mix of anger and confusion.
"You scoundrel… how dare you come this close to this Empress…"
She spoke the words as if they were blades meant to strike me,but her tone was not nearly firm enough to match them.
Her body did not pull away.
Her breathing did not calm.
On the contrary…
Her breaths moved in rhythm with the motions of my hand, as if she were resisting something she did not want to admit even existed.
"N-no… don't misunderstand!"
She said it quickly, as though trying to outrun her own thoughts.
"This Ice Empress is only… only allowing you temporarily because you… because you're annoying enough!"
She lifted her head slightly, glaring at me with stubborn defiance.
"Don't think this means anything else!"
Yet her grip on my robe tightened.
And her voice, despite its harshness, carried a faint tremor that could not be hidden.
In the Sea of Consciousness—where words cannot conceal what lies in the heart—
the tsundere Ice Empress was fighting herself far more than she was fighting me.
Silence fell for a moment.
It was not an empty silence…
but a heavy one, filled with everything she did not dare to say.
Bing Bing was still lying there, her eyes fixed on the ceiling, as though she were waging an inner battle no less fierce than any war she had ever fought.
"S-stop looking at me like that…"
She said it sharply, yet the edge of her voice trembled.
She gripped the blanket, then whispered as if speaking more to herself than to me:
"This Empress… doesn't need anyone…"
But the words came out far weaker than they should have.
I moved a little closer—but this time, I did not touch her.
I only looked.
"Bing Bing…"
I said quietly,you are strong. I know that.
But that doesn't mean you have to be alone all the time."
Her eyelid trembled.
She did not answer immediately.
Then suddenly, she raised her arm and covered half her face, as if hiding something she did not want me to see.
"You…"
she muttered,you're annoying… really."
But this time, her voice did not carry anger.
It carried… confusion.
"Why…"
She stopped, then swallowed.
"Why don't you fear me like everyone else?"
I looked at her and, for the first time, saw a crack in the solid wall she had built around herself.
"Because you're not just the Ice Empress,"
I said simply.
"You're a person… someone who feels, who hurts, who fears like anyone else.
And you are also my partner—we are connected, our spirits linked."
She slowly pulled her hand away from her face.
Her eyes were shining, though she tried to keep her expression stern.
"S-stop saying stupid things…"
she whispered.
"This… this isn't your business."
But she did not turn her face away.
And in that moment, Bing Bing was not a proud Empress…
nor an angry tsundere…
but a girl who, for the first time, allowed someone to truly see her.
I gently moved her hand away from her face, then leaned in and gave her a brief, moist kiss—
just enough to make her breathing falter for a moment.
After nearly an hour…
I looked at Bing Bing.
She had buried herself deep inside the blankets, with only a few strands of her hair visible.
She spoke in a voice filled with forced anger:
"You… you really polluted this Empress's body!
I will never forgive you!"
I looked at her and gave a faint smile.
"Oh? I'm truly sorry about that.
But… I think I heard someone crying out in joy… and perhaps even more than that.
Did you hear it too?"
Her face flushed all the way to her ears.
"Y-you… Ji Lin!
I won't forgive you…!"
But her voice sounded more flustered than angry.
Suddenly—her body vanished from the bed.
She returned to the Sea of Consciousness, leaving behind still air and the lingering warmth of where she had been.
The tsundere Empress… had run away, but her heart had not followed her completely.
I let out a quiet sigh.
"Well… it really has ended like this after all.
I am truly glad that Bing Bing has obtained the family seal."