With his passive ability to sense emotions, Ren Zu could more or less perceive what Feng Xue'er was feeling at that moment. Not because his ability was flawed, but because certain emotions simply didn't fit into words. They were sensations too complex, too confusing, as if the heart were saying things that not even the mind could translate.
It was as if his emotional reading failed whenever the feeling approached the indescribable.
Even noticing that limitation, he didn't give it much importance.
In the end, emotions weren't something that could be described completely.
In his opinion, human emotions were complicated, and honestly, he didn't understand them that well. But he also didn't think he needed to understand. All he needed was to feel.
After all, feelings and emotions were what made someone human. Feeling was what made life rich. It was what made everything more alive... more interesting.
It was the true charm of existing.
That's why, at some point, he simply ignored the feedback from his own passive ability and turned his gaze back to the girl, feeling a familiar sentiment sprout in his chest. It wasn't because of her smile, almost offensively pure, as if that girl had never tasted the world's cruelty. It wasn't even because of the evident happiness on her face, that childish joy that made the surrounding snow seem lighter.....
It was because of the look she directed toward him.
That look loaded with emotions too confusing to fit into a single name... still moist with mourning, still fragile... but now mixed with gratitude, fascination, and a dangerous kind of hope that was beginning to bloom in the wrong place in her heart. And the blush... that delicate blush that was no longer just shame, along with her appearance as perfect as a fairy, left him a bit lost....
Ren Zu didn't say anything for an instant. He just observed, as if reading an open book... and at the same time, as if silently accepting that this chapter had already been written in her destiny from the moment he decided to "spare" her, after all, his charm was truly too great for any woman to resist...
But setting aside his thoughts and feelings, noticing that she had stood still for a few seconds too long, he broke the silence by speaking casually:
"Enjoy it." His voice was low, firm... and strangely gentle: "I'm not in a hurry."
Feng Xue'er blinked.
As if she needed to confirm that this was real.
She squeezed her fingers on the hem of her sleeves for a second, and then, as if an invisible seal had been broken inside her, all that restraint disappeared.
"C-can I...?" she asked, already knowing the answer, but still needing to hear it.
Ren Zu simply nodded, as if it were obvious.
"Of course, make yourself comfortable. I didn't take us both directly to Frozen Cloud Asgard and brought you here to enjoy...."
Hearing his words, Feng Xue'er turned on impulse and ran a few steps ahead, light, almost floating over the soft snow. Her dress danced against the white like a delicate flame in the midst of winter, and her dark hair swayed gently.
She knelt down and grabbed a handful of snow with both hands. The immediate cold made her fingers shudder, and yet, she smiled even more, as if that sensation were proof that the dream wasn't a lie. She squeezed the snow slowly, carefully... as if molding a small jewel.
And then she lifted her face to the sky, letting the flakes fall on her eyelashes, shining on her white skin like small stars.
"...It's so beautiful..." she murmured to herself.
For an instant, she forgot everything. Everything became distant, buried under the white and pure silence of the snow, along with the joy of being in that place.
And in the midst of that sudden joy, as if it were something inevitable... Feng Xue'er formed a little snowball. She looked at her own hand as if holding a treasure. And then, with a timid courage born from happiness, she turned to Ren Zu and raised the snowball... hesitating for half a second, as if unsure if she had permission to be so close to him.
But when she saw that he was just watching her, a mischievous glint appeared in her eyes.
A rare, innocent, almost childish glint.
"Husband..." she said, with her heart beating too fast for such a simple word.
And before she could regret it...
Pof!
The snowball flew, hitting Ren Zu's shoulder.
Silence.
Feng Xue'er froze.
Her eyes widened as if she had committed a crime.
"...I-I...!"
Her face turned red immediately, more than before, and she took half a step back, in panic and shame.
"I... I didn't mean to disrespect you! I just... I just..."
She didn't know how to explain.
Because even she didn't understand how she managed to do that.
But then...
Ren Zu looked at his shoulder, where the snow was slowly sliding down his dark clothing, and he laughed softly.
That reaction was so unexpected that Feng Xue'er was breathless for a second.
"So that's how it is," Ren Zu said, without haste: "You want to play."
Feng Xue'er opened her mouth, but couldn't deny it.
Fear and shyness mixed with pure happiness, and she just nodded weakly.
Ren Zu took a step forward.
He picked up snow from the ground with one hand.
The snow gathered in his palm, molding perfectly, a smooth, impeccable sphere, as if sculpted by an artist.
He looked at her.
"Run."
Feng Xue'er widened her eyes.
"W-what?!"
Pof!
The snowball hit near her feet, exploding into flakes.
Feng Xue'er let out a small sound, half surprised, half indignant... and then ran, laughing at the same time, as if her own soul were finally breathing after years trapped in a cage.
"You... you're mean!" she said, even while laughing: "How dare you attack a princess!"
Ren Zu followed her, without haste, but always close.
And no matter how much she ran, no matter how much she tried to hide behind a snow-covered tree or behind a dark rock... he always seemed to be nearby.
Feng Xue'er crouched behind a pine covered in snow, breathing heavily, her cheeks flushed, her eyes shining. She squeezed snow in her hands and formed two snowballs, trying to mimic his gesture.
When Ren Zu appeared beside her, she threw both at once.
Pof! Pof!
One hit his chest.
The other grazed past.
And in that instant, seeing the snow stuck to him, Feng Xue'er laughed, a laugh so beautiful it seemed part of the landscape itself.
Ren Zu stood still for a moment, casting a peculiar look in her direction.
And Feng Xue'er realized too late... that he was looking at her in a different way, the kind of look that showed deep attention... silent... as if he were etching every expression of hers into his memory, that look of his left her completely "lost".....
Without realizing it, she ended up noticing that her new life was much better than the old one. And in a frightening way... every time she laughed, every time she looked at Ren Zu and saw that he didn't seem irritated, saw that he let her be free, her heart betrayed her a little more, like snow covering blood, like silence covering mourning. Without her realizing it... the name "husband" was becoming less bitter and increasingly seemed more certain.
Because, deep down... she began to desire something she shouldn't desire yet. She began to desire that Ren Zu would continue looking at her that way, desire that he wouldn't leave her alone, and that every day would be spent that way by his side.
..... A snowball flew suddenly.
Pof!
It hit Feng Xue'er's face squarely, exploding into cold, white flakes right on the tip of her nose, scattering snow over her flushed cheeks and her still-parted lips. She blinked a few times, snapping out of her reverie, and then... realized.
Ren Zu was there, a few steps away, with his hand still raised and a smile on his lips, a rare, lazy, almost amused smile... the kind of expression that made him seem not like a powerful demon, but just a man teasing his own wife for pleasure.
And, worse... he laughed softly, gently, with that tone that had no cruelty at all, just genuine fun.
"Xue'er," he said, as if it were obvious: "If you keep wandering in your own thoughts in the middle of battle..."
His smile grew a little.
"...you'll end up being defeated easily."
Feng Xue'er's face turned red, not a shy red, an indignant red. She wiped the snow from her nose with the back of her hand in a quick and offended movement, like a humiliated princess before an entire army. Her blue eyes shone like ice.
"D-defeated?!"
She took a step forward, her dress swaying, her dark hair whipping against the snow.
"Husband... you... you...!" She seemed to be searching for a word terrible enough to condemn him. And then she found it: "You're so mean!"
Ren Zu simply raised his eyebrow slightly, as if that were a compliment.
And it was exactly that carefree, satisfied, almost arrogant expression... that made Feng Xue'er's blood boil. Without hesitating for another second, she knelt down and grabbed snow with both hands, molding it too quickly for someone so "pure," as if the anger itself had given her skill, quickly making three snowballs. She narrowed her eyes as she stood up..
And then she fired.
Pof! Pof! Pof!
The first hit his shoulder.
The second hit his chest.
The third... exploded on his chin, scattering flakes over his neck and dark hair.
Ren Zu stood still for an instant. The smile on his lips seemed to freeze along with the snow.
Feng Xue'er breathed heavily, staring at him as if she had just declared war on the heavens.
And then...
Ren Zu slowly raised his hand, calmly wiping some of the snow from his chin.
He looked at her.
A dangerous and amused glint appeared in his black eyes.
"...Ah."
That was all he said.
But the tone... made Feng Xue'er shiver from head to toe.
And before she could think of running, Ren Zu knelt down and grabbed snow from the ground. The snow gathered in his palm perfectly, as if obeying the will of the world.
And he threw it.
PAAAF!
The snow exploded on Feng Xue'er's chest, and she let out an indignant squeal, losing her balance for half a step.
"Hey, Big Brother Ren, that's not fair!"
He laughed again, softer, more beautiful, and this time he didn't even try to hide it.
"Now yes," he said. "You're paying attention."
"Hmph! You'll see!" Feng Xue'er shouted back; from her mouth, it sounded like an angry child trying to be cruel.
Ren Zu tilted his head.
"You can try."
It was like throwing oil on the flame.
Feng Xue'er widened her eyes, as if he had committed the greatest insult possible.
"You...!"
She ran.
Ren Zu didn't move in a hurry, dodging her attacks.
The war resumed.
Snowballs flew nonstop, exploding into flakes upon hitting trees, rocks, shoulders, and faces. Feng Xue'er laughed and complained at the same time, trying to maintain her princess dignity, completely forgetting about it and just running through the white, jumping, hiding, attacking from behind like an adorable "coward."
At a certain point, Feng Xue'er hid behind a pine, holding back laughter with her hands over her lips, her chest rising and falling.
Ren Zu passed nearby.
She waited.
Waited one more second...
And then jumped from behind the tree like a little beast.
"Got you!"
Pof!
It hit right on his face.
Ren Zu stopped.
Feng Xue'er froze.
"...I again—"
Before she finished—
Pof!
A snowball hit her face, then another and another. In three consecutive perfect attacks.
Feng Xue'er was covered in snow like a white sculpture, with her dark hair full of flakes.
She blinked, dazed.
And then, slowly... she began to laugh adorably. The only thing going through her mind was that moment; she seemed happier than she had ever felt in her entire life. Somehow... as wrong as it seemed... that was the most alive moment she had experienced in years. So, she dove headfirst into that sensation.
The war continued for longer than either of them had planned.
Snowballs flew like small white meteors, bursting into flakes upon hitting trees, rocks, shoulders, hair... and sometimes faces. The snow no longer just fell from the sky; it was lifted by the running, the spins, the laughter, and the hurried steps that sank into the soft white as if that entire world were made to be stepped on with joy.
Feng Xue'er ran with her dress fluttering like a flame trapped in winter, her cheeks ruby red and her laughter loose, crystalline, so light it seemed to make the breeze itself gentler. But she ran too much; the cold air entered her lungs, and her throat burned slightly. Even so, she didn't stop laughing until her feet sank into a softer, more treacherous part, and she lost her balance.
"Ah...!"
She tried to steady herself but couldn't, ending up falling on her back into the snow with a soft poof, as if swallowed by a white mattress. She lay still for a second, the world spinning slowly above her.
Then she let out a weak giggle.
"...Ouch..."
Ren Zu arrived right after, stopping a few steps away. He looked at her, lying there like a fairy knocked from her own dream, her dark hair spread in the snow, her blue eyes shining with emotion and exhaustion, her face flushed... and her chest rising and falling as if her heart were finally truly alive.
He stayed quiet for half a second. Then, with total naturalness, he said:
"...You lost."
Feng Xue'er widened her eyes.
"What?!" she protested, offended, still lying down. "I didn't lose! I just... just... was betrayed by the snow!"
Ren Zu let out that soft laugh again, as if she were something rare and too interesting not to tease.
"Blaming the battlefield is typical of the defeated."
"You—!"
She tried to get up to attack him.
But her tired body betrayed her; after all, she had spent the entire night crying and suffering. The extreme sadness she felt had affected her body despite her profound strength being in the Sovereign Profound Realm. When she lifted her torso a little, she felt the gentle dizziness of exhaustion... and collapsed back into the snow with an indignant "hmpf!"
Ren Zu observed.
And then, as if he had made a lazy decision... he threw himself down too, right beside her.
The snow sank with his weight, lifting a small spray of flakes.
Feng Xue'er froze for an instant.
Her heart skipped, not from shame, but from that absurd sensation of closeness.
She turned her face a little, slowly.
Ren Zu was lying with one hand behind his head, looking at the sky as if nothing else existed under the heavens besides that infinite blue and falling snow.
The flakes landed on his hair, his eyelashes, his shoulder... melting slowly and disappearing.
Feng Xue'er kept looking.
He was so beautiful, it was unfair....
"...Husband," she murmured softly, almost without realizing she said it.
Ren Zu didn't turn his face.
But his voice came gently:
"Hm?"
Feng Xue'er hesitated, feeling her throat tighten in a strange way....
"...Thank you...." she whispered again, as if that word were too small for what it meant.
Ren Zu stayed silent for a few moments.
Then he simply said:
"You already thanked me."
Feng Xue'er squeezed her fingers a little into the snow, feeling the cold pierce her skin like a reminder that this was real... and not a dream about to vanish.
"...Even so." Her voice came out low, almost hoarse, as if rubbed raw by too many tears: "If it weren't for you... I'd still be lost in mourning for Big Brother Yun."
She closed her eyes for an instant and swallowed hard, as if the name were a blade too sweet not to cut.
"I... I'm still sad." She admitted, and the tone was so sincere there was no way to contest it. "Because I cared about him. A lot. Maybe... more than I myself understood at the time."
Her eyelashes trembled, and a snowflake landed right on the tip, melting slowly.
"But... now that sadness isn't swallowing me anymore." She turned her face slightly, looking at the sky, but it was as if she were speaking to her own heart. "Yesterday I felt like I was going to die drowned from the inside. As if everything I was had been ripped away... and what was left was just emptiness."
Her throat tightened; her voice faltered for half a second.
"And then, in all your kindness, you brought me to a place I've always dreamed of."
She opened her eyes again, and for an instant... Ren Zu saw clearly: there was still pain there. There was mourning. There was loss. But there was also something new being born, something timid, dangerous, because it was too beautiful.
"I know what happened... can't be erased." Feng Xue'er said, with a kind of fragile maturity that didn't match her innocence. "I know I can't go back to being just... the princess of the Phoenix Perching Valley, living as if the world outside didn't exist."
She took a deep breath and, finally, let out what was trapped in her chest:
"But when I look at you... I... I feel peace."
Her face flushed slightly, not from shame, but from confession.
"It's like you're... a place where I can breathe." She pressed her lips together and lowered her gaze, as if hating herself for it. "And that scares me, because... it seems wrong. I'm still in mourning... and even so, I..."
She stopped, as if not daring to finish the sentence out loud.
But Ren Zu understood; he wasn't good with emotions, but that he comprehended.
The human contradiction.
The heart that doesn't ask for permission.
The feeling that is born even in the deepest despair or sadness, like a flower blooming in a dump.
Ren Zu stayed silent for a few seconds. Then... he smiled faintly, his eyes that hid a deep indifference becoming a bit turbulent. As if her words had touched a place he normally didn't let anyone reach.
"Xue'er..." He spoke calmly, without looking directly at her, as if not wanting to pressure an already confused heart. "You don't need to blame yourself for being alive."
She turned her face to him, her eyes widening a little.
Ren Zu continued, his voice tranquil, like snow falling without haste:
"Sadness and joy aren't enemies. They just... take turns. Sometimes, they even exist at the same time."
He let out a short exhale, almost a laugh without sound.
"I don't know your Big Brother Yun the way you did." His expression didn't change: "But I know he wouldn't want you to rot in pain."
Feng Xue'er swallowed hard.
Ren Zu turned his eyes to the sky, letting flakes land on his face without caring.
"And, to be honest..." he murmured, as if it were something too silly to admit. "...I've never done this before."
"This...?" Feng Xue'er asked softly.
Ren Zu shifted his eyes to her for an instant.
"Play like this." He said. "In the snow. Like two idiot children."
The corner of his mouth curved a bit more.
"In my entire life, I've seen snow a few times." He spoke, without exaggerated emotion, but with a discreet nostalgia. "It was beautiful. But I never had someone with whom... to share."
Feng Xue'er stayed still.
Ren Zu continued, as if it weren't a big deal:
"And when I decided I had to reach the peak of this world, I was always too busy climbing." He made a subtle gesture with his hand, pointing upward, to the sky. "Ambition, plans, and desires of my heart, everything was considered more important. I didn't stop to do useless things."
He turned his face to her, and for the first time, his gaze didn't seem distant.
"But today..." He said softly. "...it was fun."
Feng Xue'er's heart skipped.
The word "fun" in his mouth sounded... absurd. As if Ren Zu weren't the type of man who admitted that kind of thing. She felt a warm wave cross her chest. And suddenly, that entire world—white mountains, ice-covered pines, infinite sky—became small compared to what she was feeling. Because she realized, with frightening clarity... that her husband wasn't just "giving" something to her. He was also receiving.
And, in that instant, she understood that his loneliness was deep and silent.
And that, perhaps... for some inexplicable reason... she wanted to fill it.
Even if the idea scared her. Even if it was too soon. Even if it was wrong... she still wanted it.
"...Husband," she whispered again, with a voice softer than ever.
Ren Zu raised an eyebrow, amused.
"Hm?"
Feng Xue'er hesitated for a second... and then, in a small gesture, she extended her hand to him and picked a snowflake that had fallen on his hair, as if touching something precious.
"Then..." she said softly, blushing. "...let's play again... more times."
Ren Zu stared at her hand for an instant.
Then, his lips curved into a discreet smile that seemed capable of erasing the entire winter.
"Of course...."
And the way he said that...
Made Feng Xue'er feel, for the first time... that this political marriage might not have been made by her choice and was completely forced by his overwhelming strength, but she was beginning to want it as she had always wanted to see the snow...
__________________
(A/N: To be honest, folks, this was one of the best chapters I've ever written about romantic development; I captured Feng Xue'er's personality really well and also wrote the feelings between the two very nicely. For Ren Zu, she would be like Xue Ning Xiang to Zhao Yi Fan (Magic Emperor) with a more romantic aspect; it's that thing where someone "bad" is always attracted to someone "pure." As for Feng Xue'er, she ended up letting herself be carried away by her heart's emotions for Ren Zu; as you must have seen, although she hasn't forgotten Yun Che, she's starting to have feelings for her "husband." I hope you liked this approach between the two; the next chapter will have a bit more development, and they'll go to Frozen Cloud Asgard, there will be Ren Zu's reunion with Xia Qingyue and everything else. I believe that exactly in chapter 100, he returns to the Illusory Demon Realm and deals with Yun Che.
Did you enjoy the chapter? Then you should know that over on my Patreon you can read up to 18 chapters ahead for just 5USD! And yes—for that price, you also get full access to all of my content. That's right: cheaper than a snack… and with way more drama, action, and guaranteed emotional damage.
The link is right below. See you there!
My Patreon: patreon.com/Adam_Kadmon
Thank you so much for your support — you make all of this worthwhile.)