Snow fell like drifting feathers outside the mouth of the cave.
Inside, nestled upon a bed of gathered furs and the soft powder of melted snow, two figures lay entwined. Their breath fogged the cold air, but neither shivered. The warmth between them had long surpassed what the fire could offer.
Mo Tianzun rested on his side, hair disheveled and spilling like silk across the white snow, his bare shoulder exposed as he pulled the blanket closer around them. A faint blush lingered on his cheekbones, and the mark of passion still clung to his collarbone. Beside him, Zhao Longxuan gazed at him with a lazy smile, fingers idly tracing Tianzun's waist.
For a while, neither spoke. There was no need to.
They had reunited. Held each other. Touched each other. Kissed, wept, and kissed again. And at last, beneath the quiet snow of this forgotten island, they had loved like they were the only two left beneath the heavens.
"…You're staring again," Tianzun muttered, not opening his eyes.
Longxuan chuckled. "I'm making sure you don't vanish again."
"I'm real. I'm not going anywhere."
"You say that now," Longxuan teased, but his voice was gentler than the wind outside.
Tianzun opened his eyes at last. His silver lashes were still damp, and his gaze lingered on Longxuan's face. The moment stretched. Their noses brushed. Their foreheads touched.
It could have stayed that way forever.
But then Tianzun spoke. Quiet. Measured.
"…It was Liu Shengjie, wasn't it?"
Longxuan blinked, smile fading slightly. "What?"
"Who spread the lies. Who turned the gods and mortals against me. Who's twisting the world into his gameboard." Tianzun's voice was sharp beneath the softness now. "It was him."
Longxuan's heart thudded once. And then his eyes widened.
"…The others."
Tianzun tilted his head slightly, puzzled.
Longxuan shot up from the fur-covered ground, pulling the blanket with him as his heart began to pound. "The others! Liu Shengjie—he told the gods I was your hostage! He twisted everything! I—" He shook his head, trying to remember. "I created the portal to save you… but Fenglie, the Twins, Shuiyun, Huayin—what if he—"
He didn't finish.
Mo Tianzun sat up slowly, placing a calming hand on Longxuan's arm. "You didn't forget them on purpose. The portal separated us. The moment was chaos. And Shengjie… he used it."
Longxuan closed his eyes, guilt flooding his chest. "I let them fall into his hands."
"No," Tianzun said firmly. "He forced your hand. But if I know the Liu Twins, and if I know Huayin…" He allowed himself a small smile. "They're alive. And probably raising hell somewhere."
A brief silence passed.
Then Longxuan turned to Tianzun and grabbed both his hands. "We have to get back to them."
"We will," Tianzun said. "But not yet."
"Why not?"
Tianzun looked away.
"…Because if I face him now, I might kill him. And right now, I want to save you more than I want to fight."
Longxuan didn't speak, but his fingers tightened over Tianzun's.
Outside the cave, the snow fell on.
Inside, two hearts, bruised and battered, slowly began to synchronize again—not just in love, but in purpose.
And above the island, where the mist curled and the wind danced around the mountains, the faint cry of a serpent echoed—watching, waiting.
The battle was not yet here.
But it would be.