"Do you like it?"
Under Zhaoxue's questioning, Zhu Xu lowered her head and buried it in Zhaoxue's chest. "Don't say it, and don't laugh at me."
Zhu Xu's tone was soft and coy. Zhaoxue, who hadn't been smiling much, broke into a full bloom of a smile after Zhu Xu spoke, a beauty that outshone everything.
Ever since Zhu Xu learned that Zhaoxue didn't sleep, she had become even more direct in expressing her affection.
Sleep was the time when one was most relaxed, for gods and demons alike.
Perhaps Zhu Xu couldn't fully understand why Zhaoxue couldn't relax, but at least Zhu Xu would provide an environment filled with love and relaxation for Zhaoxue.
From that night on, whenever Zhu Xu's hands were free, she would reach for Zhaoxue's hand. If a lingering glance at Zhaoxue became too much to bear, she would cover Zhaoxue's eyes and initiate a kiss.
Zhu Xu probably didn't realize how special, how important she was to Zhaoxue.
It was only a few days later that Zhu Xu, placing her hand on Mu Qi's heart again, was incredibly surprised to find that Mu Qi had fallen asleep.
"My treasure is so easy to coax," Zhu Xu murmured, kissing Zhaoxue's forehead.
Zhaoxue's hand, which was around Zhu Xu's waist, tightened unconsciously as he sank deeper into sleep.
As days passed, Zhaoxue's主动 closeness to Zhu Xu became more natural, his gaze increasingly gentle and harmless.
Of course, during this period, Zhaoxue's heart was not always so calm. There were many times when he woke up and Zhu Xu was not there.
The first time Zhaoxue woke up and Zhu Xu was absent, his phoenix eyes instantly turned red, and the demonic bones, no longer suppressed, began to rampage through the demon palace, wreaking havoc.
The immense power of the demonic bones caused the demonic energy of the entire demon realm to tremble and chaos, as if various phoenixes were clashing in different directions.
Zhu Xu, who already needed her own spiritual energy to purify the demonic energy to stay in the demon realm for long, felt her heart clench in pain from the chaotic and trembling demonic energy, almost instantly.
Zhu Xu, who was in the sea of flowers, clutched her chest in unbearable pain, then collapsed to the ground. After a short while, when she had slightly adapted, she forced herself to stand and teleported to the demon palace.
"Zhaoxue..." Teleporting back, Zhu Xu looked at the flattened remains of the entire sleeping quarters, then turned with a helpless yet doting gaze towards Zhaoxue, who was back to her and about to blast another wall.
Hearing Zhu Xu's voice, Zhaoxue paused for a moment, then continued his "destruction" with even more force.
Zhu Xu sighed and, with a gasp every three steps, approached Zhaoxue.
Only when Zhaoxue smelled the familiar scent did the crimson in his eyes gradually fade. He stopped his "destruction," turned, and pulled Zhu Xu into a tight embrace.
"If you don't like this sleeping quarter, you should at least discuss it with me before tearing it down. Every brick and tile here was hard-earned."
Zhu Xu looked at the ruins, where it was impossible to distinguish the bed from the tables, and her first thought was where they would sleep tonight.
Zhaoxue held Zhu Xu with immense force. Fortunately, Zhu Xu was accustomed to Zhaoxue's occasional tightening grip and didn't mind.
After Zhu Xu spoke, Zhaoxue remained silent, and Zhu Xu didn't rush.
After all, she would be sleeping with Zhaoxue, so she would be content wherever they slept.
After an unknown period, Zhaoxue's heartbeat gradually stabilized, and he finally spoke, "I thought Xu Xu didn't want me anymore."
Zhaoxue rarely spoke in such a low, pathetic tone. When he did, Zhu Xu's heart instantly ached.
"Never. I like Zhaoxue very, very much. I won't leave."
Zhu Xu had initially wanted to use the fact that she had stolen Zhaoxue's clothes and held them every night as proof, but after the words turned in her mouth, she swallowed them.
What if… what if she was mistaken for a pervert?
"In the future, you can come find me when you wake up. I'm easy to find," Zhu Xu said, raising her hand to stroke Zhaoxue's head, and added.
"Look at today. I went to the sea of flowers to pick the most beautiful one for you, but the way you destroyed the palace not only made me fall but also meant I didn't bring back a single flower."
Where Zhu Xu couldn't see, Zhaoxue pursed his lips and slightly lowered his head.
"See, my arm is scratched by a vine."
As Zhu Xu finished speaking, Zhaoxue quickly released her, grabbed her wrist, and began to heal her wound.
Once the small scratch on Zhu Xu's arm had healed, Zhaoxue looked up and met Zhu Xu's resentful yet pleading gaze.
Zhaoxue's gaze remained steady. He silently recited a incantation, and the ruins before them instantly reverted to their original state, even more exquisite and beautiful than before.
"Xu Xu, let's go pick flowers." Zhaoxue took Zhu Xu's hand, his eyes filled with gentle affection.
"Okay."
"Let me tell you, I saw a super magnificent flower. You wouldn't believe its root system..."
...
Neither of them used teleportation. Along the way, Zhu Xu excitedly recounted the scenery she had seen while Zhaoxue was asleep.
Zhaoxue listened, his eyes soft, occasionally looking at Zhu Xu and smiling gently. However, the demonic bones, which shifted with Zhaoxue's emotions, still stirred restlessly.
Ever since Zhu Xu learned that Zhaoxue would become anxious if he woke up and couldn't find her, she had secretly decided to leave more often while Zhaoxue was asleep.
Zhu Xu's understanding of security was that no matter what, no matter if she was in sight or not, Zhaoxue should believe that she would always return to him.
Immortals had long lifespans, and accidents always happened. Zhaoxue needed to always hold this belief in his heart.
The second time Zhaoxue woke up without Zhu Xu was a few days later.
Since that day, Zhaoxue had returned to his habit of not sleeping every night. Zhu Xu had quietly cast a sleep spell on him.
This time, the demonic bones were just as agitated as the first time, but Zhaoxue suppressed them just as fiercely.
Zhaoxue went to the sea of flowers Zhu Xu had visited last time.
There was no trace of Zhu Xu there.
Then Zhaoxue went to the treasury, the altar...
Until he had searched every corner of the demon realm, he couldn't find Zhu Xu.
Zhaoxue's phoenix eyes flickered between red and black. Finally, he clenched his fists with restraint, not destroying a single blade of grass or tree in the demon realm. He transformed into a black dragon and broke into the human world.
Upon seeing Zhaoxue's form, the mortals cried out in alarm and rushed towards him. Only Zhu Xu, standing in front of a pastry shop, beckoned to Zhaoxue with a smile.
The red in the black dragon's eyes slowly dimmed. In an instant, he transformed back into a human and stood before Zhu Xu.
Zhu Xu worried that the commotion in the human world would be too great, so they didn't linger for long. She took Zhaoxue's hand and teleported back to the demon realm.