Chapter 972: So Much Snow

Su Jingwen saw Ye Mo and quickly closed, then opened her eyes, murmuring, "This isn't a hallucination?"

"Jingwen, I didn't expect to see you here. It's real," Ye Mo replied, his heart aching. He imagined the hardship she'd endured, a stark contrast to her privileged life in Ning Hai. His guilt deepened; he knew why she was there but couldn't face the situation, unsure how to navigate their relationship. He'd pretended not to know.

"It's really not a hallucination?" Su Jingwen asked again. Then, as if awakening, she rushed into his arms and wept.

Ye Mo held her quietly, letting her release her emotions. After a while, she looked up, asking, "Why are you here? The snow… so much snow, so cold…"

Ye Mo wiped her tears. "There's no more snow," he said softly. "You won't be alone in the snow anymore. This is my flying ship; this room isn't cold."

Su Jingwen looked around, then at Ye Mo, surprised. She cried out again, hugging him tightly. "Ye Mo, I finally found you."

Relief washed over Ye Mo. He saw her complete recovery in her joy, holding her close. He let her express her emotions without asking about Yimo.

Eventually, she calmed down, blushing as she rose from his embrace. Sitting beside him, she whispered, "How did you find me?"

She hadn't understood his silent vigil in the snow that day, but now she knew: he had found her.

"After arriving in Jiang Chuan City, I saw this bracelet and followed it here," Ye Mo said, producing the bracelet.

Su Jingwen immediately took it, examining it before refastening it to her wrist. She looked down, silent. A quiet reunion settled between them.

Su Jingwen felt a pang of sadness. She'd met him before Song Yangzhu and Ning Qingxue; why hadn't he expressed his feelings then?

Then, the inability to cultivate struck her. She was no longer the naive Su Jingwen. She understood cultivation's promise of near-infinite life, a stark contrast to her own limited lifespan. A century later, Ye Mo would remain, but she would be gone. Loss and melancholy filled her.

Sensing her despair, Ye Mo took her hand. "Jingwen, this is my flying ship. I'll take you outside."

She didn't object.

As they stepped out, Li Jingwen exclaimed, "Brother Ye, you succeeded? You really used Du Lan Chun Xiao to cure her?"

Ye Mo nodded, smiling. "Thank you. I wouldn't have known what to do without your reminder."

Li Jingwen observed Su Jingwen, finding her even more beautiful alive, her sadness lending a unique fragility and beauty. He admired Ye Mo's choice. Su Jingwen, realizing Li Jingwen's assistance, thanked him profusely. He humbly demurred.

"So beautiful," Su Jingwen breathed, gazing at the clear sky from the ship's deck. Clouds drifted beneath them, lifting her spirits. Her worries vanished; she simply wanted to watch the peaceful sky. Perhaps her home, her mother, lay beyond.

Ye Mo stood beside her, silent. Li Jingwen and Yu Qiyang discreetly left them alone.

After a long while, Su Jingwen sighed, looking at Ye Mo. "Ye Mo, I want to go home."

He understood her longing for Ning Hai, but he couldn't fulfill it yet. He pulled her into his arms. "Sorry, Jingwen. I can't take you back yet, but I promise I will. You can stay with Luo Ying, Qingxue, Yangzhu…" He silently added Xiaoyun, then mentally rebuked himself.

Su Jingwen trembled, looking up. Was this his promise?

He kissed her slowly. Her lips were soft, initially cold, but soon warmed. When she came to her senses, they were alone. She felt safe only in his embrace.

"Jingwen, starting today, you can cultivate with me," Ye Mo said, sensing her lack of cultivation chi.

Su Jingwen stiffened, the implications hitting her hard.

"What's wrong?" Ye Mo offered her cultivation essence.

After a moment, she sighed. "Sorry, Ye Mo. I don't have a spirit root. I can't cultivate."

She looked for disappointment in his eyes, but found none.

"I can't cultivate…" she repeated, despair evident.

Ye Mo pulled her close, smiling. "I know. My sister couldn't either, but now she's in the Foundation Establishment stage. With me, not having a spirit root doesn't matter."

"You can really let me cultivate?" Su Jingwen was incredulous. Cultivation meant a future with him.

He was the only man she'd danced with, the only man she'd ridden with, the only man she loved. In her weariness and loss, the heavens had sent him.

Ye Mo nodded confidently. "Yes. I can concoct a Five Essence Pill that will give you a spirit root—a good one. Don't worry."

"Oh, by the way, how do you know you don't have a spirit root?" Ye Mo asked.

Su Jingwen started to answer, then stopped, grabbing Ye Mo. "Yimo was taken! Bring her back!"

"What happened to Yimo?" Ye Mo's calm shattered.