Hearing Qin Chuan's words, the woman looked at him with a half-smile and said, "Do you know that saying that actually means you have feelings for me?"
Qin Chuan was taken aback. Thinking about it carefully, it was true. If he didn't have feelings for her, he could just say so directly, directly say he didn't like her.
Saying that would be cowardly and not manly enough. But Qin Chuan genuinely didn't want to get close to her.
"It's quite surprising that you say that. So, what do you hope to do?" Qin Chuan said with a wry smile.
The woman seemed to have a side that wasn't like a goddess, even giving Qin Chuan a slightly annoyed look: "I'm telling you this because I want to tell you that you are my friend."
She sighed, "Regardless of whether I've regained my memories or not, I'm certain that I'm a lonely person in this world. I only have myself, and you are the person I'm most familiar with right now."
Qin Chuan hadn't expected that she hadn't found a close person after all these years, but then he thought it wasn't surprising. For someone like her, finding someone truly like herself was incredibly difficult.
Whether it was a man or a woman, it was truly hard for her to consider someone as one of her own.
Qin Chuan hadn't thought about anything, and had even forgotten about her before seeing her this time. After all, he hadn't expected anything, so naturally he didn't remember her.
But a woman like her was too dazzling. Although her presence in his memory was brief, like a shooting star streaking across the night sky, it was impossible to completely forget her. So no matter how much time had passed, seeing her would instantly bring her back to mind.
For her to say this was a statement, an attitude, even comparable to a woman's confession.
Perhaps it wasn't entirely pure; it was a way of telling Qin Chuan that he was her only one, her friend, her only friend.
This carried significant weight; it was almost like saying they were family, which suddenly put a lot of pressure on Qin Chuan.
If this woman hadn't said anything, Qin Chuan would still have done many things for her, even if it was just for the simple act of liking her.
Qin Chuan wasn't lying. He liked this woman. After all, they were a match made in heaven. Liking her was the most normal thing to do. But liking someone doesn't mean you have to do anything about it. Just because you like the world doesn't mean you have to possess it. If you like many people, do you have to possess them all?
But now that the woman had said those words, Qin Chuan felt he couldn't be as nonchalant as before.
"Can I like you?" Qin Chuan asked softly, his tone seemingly calm, but he was actually very nervous inside.
He hadn't been this nervous in a long time. Nervousness is also a kind of enjoyment, especially in front of a woman, a young woman. Nervousness, to a certain extent, indicates that he cares about her and likes her.
It's hard to feel this kind of nervousness from an insignificant woman. He didn't even dare to look her in the eye.
She had slept for ten thousand years; she was a goddess of heaven, a true phoenix goddess. Qin Chuan felt insecure in front of her.
At least not now. The gap between them could shatter your confidence. For Qin Chuan, it was more of an admiration.
Every man has a woman he admires. Such women are usually unattainable. Qin Chuan had one before, like Chu Shi Qingzhu.
Qin Chuan had already understood many things, but he still felt they were unattainable, yet he didn't want to let go. Letting go, even in his heart, would be incredibly painful.
Seeing Qin Chuan's reaction, the woman couldn't help but smile. Seeing her stillness, Qin Chuan nervously looked up, just in time to see her bright, divine smile.
He was slightly mesmerized. Her smile was too beautiful, a smile difficult to describe. Chu Shiqingzhu's smile was pure and ethereal, like a fairy, like a snow lotus.
This woman's smile was like rising from the clouds, high above the heavens, a goddess, an empress—the most powerful aura Qin Chuan had ever seen.
This smile had a magical infectiousness, a feeling that made one feel cool from head to toe, eyes unwilling to leave that divinely beautiful face.
Unconsciously, the phoenix had stopped.
This was still Tongtian City, but Tongtian City was vast, far from the City Lord's Mansion. The mansion below was also magnificent.
Not as grand as the City Lord's Mansion, but far more luxurious, clearly not belonging to an ordinary person.
The Overlord's Mansion!
Qin Chuan thought of Ba Wang City and a woman named Ba Qingcheng. He hadn't seen her for many years, and wondered if the Ba family still had any connection with her.
Qin Chuan only learned of the Ba surname after arriving in the Ba Dynasty, and now that another Ba family had appeared, it was certain that the people here also shared the Ba surname.
A giant phoenix hovered in mid-air, its intense pressure spreading outwards, as if a hurricane had swept through the surrounding world.
This wasn't just wind; it was an aura, and the stronger the martial artist, the clearer they felt it.
Soon, the people of the Ba family emerged.
In fact, some of the Ba family knew that the day was coming as soon as the giant phoenix appeared; it was bound to happen sooner or later, especially since they hadn't seen this woman before.
The woman calmly looked at Qin Chuan and said, "Let's go down and take a look!"
Qin Chuan smiled and nodded, walking down with the woman to the gate of the Ba family.
"You've finally come!"
The speaker was a middle-aged man from the Ba family, who looked slightly older than average.
However, Qin Chuan saw many things. This man was not as simple as he appeared, because like the woman, he was from ten thousand years ago.
The woman had slept for ten thousand years, while the man had truly lived to this day.
Ten thousand years—living for ten thousand years still left Qin Chuan utterly shocked. What kind of strength could grant such a longevity?
"You seem to have been waiting for me all this time," the woman said softly.
"Girl, I watched you grow up. So much time has passed, and now you're old. Girl, back then I was your respected Uncle Ba..." the man said nostalgically.
"Why did you do that?" the woman asked.
Although Qin Chuan didn't know the answer, he understood that the woman was asking why the man had betrayed and framed the Nine Heavens Divine Phoenix Clan.
"Why? For profit, I was the head steward of the family. Your father said I was his brother, closer than blood brothers, but after all these years, what have I gained? Your father never treated me like a brother. In his eyes, I was just a servant, nothing more."
The man first laughed, then became angry and furious.
"An excuse? No matter what, you were the head steward of the Nine Heavens Divine Phoenix Clan, but you betrayed your master for personal gain, and even put the Nine Heavens Divine Phoenix Clan to the brink of destruction. Even being torn to pieces would be too lenient for you."
It was Qin Chuan who spoke.
The man's piercing eyes fixed directly on Qin Chuan.
In that instant, Qin Chuan felt a chill run down his spine. The fact that a single glance could send a shiver down his spine meant the man's strength far surpassed Qin Chuan's.
This is only because Qin Chuan's physique and supernatural abilities are strong. If it were someone of the same level, just one look from him would have made them collapse and unable to stand up, or even lose control of their bladder and bowels.