Chapter 956: Contentment

After arranging for a few people from Yue Ke Cheng to rest, Qin Ge called out to Xinong, since besides letting her return this time, there were other matters to attend to.

The two walked toward Zhongying Cottage while talking.

"How have you been getting along with the few from White Eagle? Any discomfort?" Qin Ge asked with a smile.

"Everything's fine; the White Eagle ladies are warm, and I feel no discomfort. Besides, Evening Shower is with me, so the return trip was fine."

Xinong looked at Qin Ge and said, although their relationship isn't as intimate as his with Guanghui, since she was summoned, they've remained very close; otherwise her name wouldn't appear among the first Oath Fleet Girls.

"That's good." Qin Ge nodded, "This time it's not your Sakura Empire's affair that I'm bothering you to make a trip for; I actually feel a bit guilty about it."

"It's fine; as long as it's your matter, or anything concerning the Gangqu, I bear full responsibility." Xinong shook her head.

"Hmm, have you been dreaming lately?" Qin Ge asked with a smile.

"Yes, most of the time they're pleasant dreams, and I'm happy." Xinong said gently; previously she had been entangled by fate's misfortune, each sleep an ordeal, yet she could not avoid facing fate.

Now when she dreams, although not every dream is good, whenever she sees hope arriving and the misfortune entwining her begins to fade, the joy released from her heart still makes her utterly enamored.

"That's good; then who is it that appears in those pleasant dreams? Have you dreamed of me?" Qin Ge laughed.

"Yes, it's because each time you appear, my dreams become beautiful. With you by my side, even the shackles of fate seem less important." Xinong whispered.

Qin Ge smiled, reached out and took Xinong's hand; this classically beautiful woman, though clearly beside him, gave a feeling of not being tightly held, as if she might drift away—like a thick fog at sea, elusive and illusory.

Yet Qin Ge could clearly sense this feeling—a warmth transmitted between their fingers that made his heart leap a little.

"What prophecy do you have for our upcoming battles?" Qin Ge asked with a smile.

"The road ahead is shrouded in too much mist, seeming to hold countless possibilities. Yet I always feel that behind this mist lies only one possibility, and that possibility has been calculated countless times."

"Although I don't know why I feel this way, the feeling isn't bad, nor is the outcome; it's just that we remain bound by fate, unable to break free." Xinong said slowly.

Qin Ge chuckled; he instantly understood Xinong's reply, and indeed, as she said, everything seems shrouded in mist, hard to fathom, but in fact the ending has been fixed from the start.

The unknown is merely the process from beginning to end, and he himself enjoys this process.

Yes, although he knows the ending, more importantly it lets Qin Ge be free of worry, able to face the coming battle with a calm mindset, to better display and improve himself, without resorting to a careless, indifferent attitude.

Qin Ge has always done this, so he is full of confidence in the final battle.

"Hehe, actually sometimes I think following fate's arrangement isn't bad at all; this isn't about yielding to fate, because fate is essentially a straight line, and sometimes trying to break fate, doing things that go against one's choices, merely creates a ripple on that line."

"But fate will eventually return to its proper course, just as after being apart for so long, one of us will return to the other's side—this is our shared fate; do you think such a fate is bad?" Qin Ge looked at Xinong and smiled.

"I don't think such a fate is bad; I just, when encountering struggles, might still hold other hopes. But now I've let go; as long as I stay by your side, fate seems either happy or unhappy, which no longer matters, for those are our fates, and I cherish our fate." Xinong tightened her grip on Qin Ge's hand.

"Hmm." Qin Ge nodded, "I think the same."

Gazing at Zhongying Cottage just within reach, Qin Ge reached out and pushed open the gate, "Although your Sakura Empire's main force is outside now, people still come here often to clean, so you can rest here tonight."

"And you?" Xinong asked, "Can you stay? If you're by my side, I'll surely have a good dream tonight."

"Hehe, I won't leave, and I need you to stay by my side these few days, because the upcoming matters all require your action." Qin Ge laughed.

"Just let me know wherever you need my strength, and I will give my all." Xinong's tone visibly relaxed, becoming cheerful.

"Ha, for matters like this I certainly won't hold back." Qin Ge said, "Besides, you've been on that ship for so long; you must be exhausted—why not rest a bit?"

"No problem; as long as I stay close to you, I like this feeling." Xinong said.

The two came to their usual resting spot, leaned in and sat down, gazing at the cherry blossoms constantly drifting outside the window, their expressions full of relaxation and joy.

Although Xinong had said she wasn't tired, after they leaned together and chatted for a while, she soon drifted into a drowsy sleep in Qin Ge's embrace.

Just as before, she lay in Qin Ge's arms, her large tail wrapping tightly around them like a thick blanket.

This feeling is not bad; the buildings of Zhongying Cottage are protected by a barrier, keeping the temperature comfortably suitable, allowing the cherry trees to bloom year-round, and Qin Ge felt neither overheated nor uncomfortable.

Moreover, in this leisurely setting, Qin Ge began to feel drowsy, so he held Xinong and slightly narrowed his eyes.

He drifted in a hazy sleep, unsure how long; when Qin Ge finally awoke, he noticed the outside sky had darkened at some point, a sliver of sunset still lingering on the horizon—only a matter of time before it set.

He glanced at Xinong still asleep in his arms, and a smile spread unbidden across his face: "With you by my side, time seems to have become leisurely—how nice."