NOVEL NEXT Chapter 284:
Chapter 284:
“Do I have to be happy forever, Brother Xu?”
“Yes, always.”
The proposal had begun.
Ah Niu carried large bags of gifts—some homemade pastries, some fresh fruit he had bought from Yan Mountain City. His arms remained steady, utilizing his martial arts to support the heavy load as he made his way toward the house on the other side of the city outskirts.
Ah Niu and his mother walked in front, while Xu Xi and Wu Yingxue followed behind.
“Sir, does this make us matchmakers?”
As they walked, the county princess curiously posed the question. She clasped her hands behind her back, leaning forward slightly to peer at Xu Xi’s face.
Her bright, crystal-clear eyes reflected his silhouette.
“I think…”
“We both are and aren’t.”
“Rather than matchmakers, we’re more like witnesses.”
Xu Xi thought for a moment before giving a vague answer.
The most important part of a proposal was the intermediary arranging the match, but Ah Niu had already taken care of everything himself.
All that remained was the final confirmation.
“In a way, Ah Niu is surprisingly efficient,” Xu Xi said with a chuckle.
—
Before long, they arrived at the bride’s home.
A proposal was not a wedding and should have been a quiet affair. However, since the one proposing was the well-known “Mr. Ah Niu,” the event was anything but silent.
“Ah Niu, you better be happy!”
Someone shouted.
“Have 108 kids in the future!”
Another teased.
Xu Xi accompanied Ah Niu, witnessing the formalization of his marriage. The girl, flustered and overwhelmed, was visibly nervous at all the attention. To ease the atmosphere, Xu Xi also presented her with some medicinal pills—a blessing from him, from the esteemed Mr. Xu.
“I hope you both will always live in harmony and happiness,” Xu Xi said with a smile.
Amid the warm calls for him to stay longer, Xu Xi remained until the sky darkened before finally taking his leave.
But he did not depart immediately.
Instead, he stood atop a quiet hill, overlooking the rising fireworks and the beaming faces of Ah Niu and the others.
“Sir, what are you thinking about?”
Light footsteps approached, stopping beside him.
The girl crouched down, sometimes glancing at the joyful people below, sometimes looking at Xu Xi’s familiar face.
“Nothing much,” Xu Xi said with a smile. “I just feel happy for Ah Niu.”
He also crouched down, gently placing his hand on Wu Yingxue’s head, ruffling her hair in a soothing motion. His voice was soft, like the warmth of memories long past.
“Yingxue, do you remember what the Survival Army used to be like?”
“Of course I do. Back then, no one even had enough to eat.”
Wu Yingxue began listing all the hardships they had endured.
The Survival Army had faced unimaginable suffering.
Life had been unbearably hard.
No one wanted to go through it again.
“Yes. Back then, whether it was the Great Qian Army or the monsters of the Great Ten Thousand Mountains, they were all obstacles we couldn’t overcome,” Xu Xi said.
“Everyone suffered so much, especially Ah Niu…”
“But now, everyone has enough food, and Ah Niu is starting his own family.”
“Without realizing it…”
“They don’t need my guidance anymore.”
Xu Xi crouched there, his voice drifting through the crisp, cool air. A gentle breeze passed by, slightly distorting his words.
All the suffering from the simulation…
Was being rewritten into happiness in reality.
Not long ago, his master, Li Wanshou, had rebuilt the Heavenly Sword Sect in the capital and finally had a home again.
And now, the people of the Survival Army, including Ah Niu, had truly settled down, forging their own new lives.
For a brief moment, it felt as if a voice echoed in his mind, whispering to him that the third simulation had officially ended.
The people who had fought to survive had finally made it past the mountains, stepping into a world filled with light. They no longer needed Xu Xi to worry for them.
“Sir…”
Listening to his words, Wu Yingxue wanted to say something.
But as she looked down at the happy and fulfilled people below, her words faded into silence.
The villagers of Green Ox Town.
The people of the Survival Army.
Their laughter filled the air, adding warmth to the flames burning around them.
Tiny specks of dust floated in the firelight, illuminating the path to a future of happiness.
The scene was so touching that Xu Xi smiled and decided against dismantling a certain sacrificial simulator.
“A good life should be like this.”
“Let’s go home, Yingxue.”
Xu Xi stood up, no longer watching the people below.
He glanced up at the night sky. The stars twinkled brightly, signaling the late hour—it was time to return to the courtyard.
Just like when they arrived, Xu Xi took out his Jianmu staff, preparing to teleport them directly to the city center courtyard.
But just as he was about to activate the spell, he felt a delicate tug at the hem of his robe.
“What is it, Yingxue?”
“Sir, carry me back.”
Wu Yingxue stood up, suddenly grinning mischievously. “I’m feeling a little tired. I want to lie on your back and rest. But you have to walk slowly, okay? Don’t leave me behind.”
Wouldn’t teleporting be more efficient?
Xu Xi hesitated, opening his mouth to speak, then closing it again.
Faced with her bright, blinking eyes, he eventually gave in.
“…Fine.”
“Hold on tight and don’t move around.”
“I know~~ Oh wait, no, I’m too exhausted~~”
With Wu Yingxue dramatically feigning weakness, Xu Xi bent down and carried the “completely drained” girl on his back.
Step by step, they walked along the quiet night road.
Silver moonlight rippled beneath their feet.
They headed toward the sleeping city.
Perhaps because it was winter, the sky was exceptionally clear tonight. The stars shimmered like countless tiny diamonds, decorating the heavens in a dreamy glow.
“One, two, three, four…”
As Xu Xi walked, Wu Yingxue’s voice drifted from behind him.
Her arms were loosely wrapped around his neck, fingers intertwined, as she rested her full weight against him.
Looking up at the sky, her half-lidded eyes traced the endless river of stars. Like a child, she counted them one by one.
In truth, with her current power, she could have easily counted them all in an instant.
But she didn’t want to.
She simply wanted to lie on Xu Xi’s back, using only her fingers and her eyes to count, slowly, one at a time.
And at some point, after counting too many, she suddenly declared it was too difficult and gave up altogether.
“So tiring~~”
“Sir~~”
She laughed playfully. The endless starlight illuminated her, highlighting her fair skin and her restless little hands.
Her fingers, curled around Xu Xi’s neck, kept making shapes and gestures.
She was becoming more and more like a child.
“Can’t you just stay still?” Xu Xi sighed, his voice filled with helplessness.
“Yes, Sir~~”
She obediently stopped moving, quietly resting against him as his steady steps carried her farther and farther away.
Farther and farther…
Until they reached the silent edge of the stars.
“Sir.”
Beneath the vast night sky, the girl on his back suddenly spoke again.
“Even if they no longer need you, I still do.”
“Always, forever.”