Without the Goddess's permission, the young boy could only stare longingly at the noodles on the table, not daring to make a move.
There was a hint of amusement in the Goddess's eyes. She shook her head slightly and tapped the table with her slender finger.
The meaning was obvious. It was telling him to eat.
The young boy beamed with joy. He immediately plopped down on the chair, ready to dig into the noodles with gusto.
He seemed to like the Goddess very much. He didn't even mind her cold demeanor. But just as he sat down, the Goddess stood up.
"Goddess... aren't you going to eat?" The young boy paused with his chopsticks in hand, a hint of confusion in his eyes.
The Goddess didn't say a word. She just glanced outside and suddenly opened the door for Ji Yunxi.
Ji Yunxi was startled. She immediately stood up. "Goddess..."
She spoke, but the other didn't answer. She didn't know if the Goddess had seen her or not. This vague feeling made her very uncomfortable.
After opening the door, the Goddess went back and sat down. Ji Yunxi could only follow in and sit down aimlessly, as quiet as a quail.
The Goddess still had a cold expression and didn't eat much. The young boy seemed extremely hungry. He gobbled up his food, being the only one enjoying the meal at the table.
"Um, this is so delicious," the young boy said incoherently, his chopsticks never stopping.
"If it's delicious, just shut up and eat quietly," the Goddess said casually, her gaze drifting towards the distant mountains.
"Hehe, Goddess, it's so quiet here. Can't I liven things up for you?" The young boy said shamelessly, looking a bit embarrassed after speaking.
Hearing this, the Goddess frowned. "I saved you once, but I can't save you every time. Leave after you finish eating."
"... but I have no home. Where can I go?" The young boy slowed down his eating, looking absent - minded.
"The world is vast. There must be a place for you."
"I want to stay by your side. I don't want to go anywhere," the young boy summoned up his courage, looking into the Goddess's eyes and saying firmly.
"Ask yourself. Have you really thought it through?"
"I..." The young boy frowned, momentarily at a loss for words.
The Goddess seemed to have expected this outcome. Her voice slowly rang out. "You're still young. You have your own destiny to pursue and infinite possibilities. You shouldn't be like a fish in a jar, blinded by temporary comfort. Do you want to be trapped in this small place forever?"
"I understand..." The young boy looked a bit disappointed.
Ji Yunxi didn't know how long she had been in. She just felt extremely hungry, with her stomach growling. But the Goddess ignored her, and no one gave her chopsticks. She could only sit there idly.
The two finished their meal in silence. The Goddess urged the young boy to leave, but the young boy was deeply conflicted and silently refused to go.
"If your heart is not at peace, you'll be like a floating duckweed wherever you go." Just as the Goddess finished speaking, suddenly there was an earth - shaking tremor.
Rolling dust and countless gravels crashed down on the small courtyard. Ji Yunxi couldn't dodge in time. The stones hit her body, and she could actually feel the pain.
She quickly tried to use her divine power to resist, but found that she couldn't use it at all. The Goddess and the young boy disappeared. The courtyard began to collapse, and a one - foot - wide crack appeared on the ground.
Ji Yunxi closed her eyes. The feeling of sinking was so clear. When she opened her eyes again, she was still in the room.
She quickly got up and lifted her clothes, only to find no traces on her body. It turned out that everything just now was a dream!
"Knock! Knock!" Suddenly, there was a knock on the door.
"Who is it?" Ji Yunxi looked at the door warily.
"It's me. I'm here to see if you're awake."
As soon as she woke up, Yue Chen came. She suspected that this so - called dream must be related to him.
Ji Yunxi got up. She wondered why Yue Chen had gone to so much trouble to let her meet the Goddess. If she became more and more like the Goddess, what would he do?
Thinking of this, Ji Yunxi put away her usual gentle expression. With a cold look on her face, she opened the door and stepped aside to let him in.
Yue Chen was momentarily stunned when he saw her face. It was as if he had seen someone through Ji Yunxi.
However, this feeling quickly disappeared. He snapped back to reality and asked, "How do you feel? Do you have any discomfort?"
"Do you know the Goddess?" Ji Yunxi asked him directly. She had many doubts in her heart now.
Why did the Goddess look similar to her? Was the young boy Yue Chen when he was young? And why had she lost her memory?
Yue Chen was stunned. He stared at her and said, "You finally remembered?"
Ji Yunxi slowly sat down and shook her head. "I don't know. I'm just guessing."
There was a hint of sadness on Yue Chen's face. His eyes flickered for a moment. "You are indeed the Goddess from that year."
Ji Yunxi wasn't overly surprised. She had already guessed when she saw the similar face in the dream, but she wasn't sure.
Even though Yue Chen said so, she couldn't be sure if he was lying to her.
"What are the stones placed in the palace?" Ji Yunxi asked Yue Chen.
"... they are a part of your divine power."
Ji Yunxi was shocked. She found it strange. Why did Yue Chen give her a part of her divine power? If she was really the Goddess and the young boy was Yue Chen, what exactly had happened between them?
Or was the tragedy of Yunqi Palace that year also related to her?
Thinking of this possibility, Ji Yunxi's heart ached suddenly. If this was true, wouldn't she be the real villain?
But why had Yue Chen tried every means to kill her before?
Now she had only seen a part of her previous memory. Was it because something else had happened later?
With so many thoughts in her mind, Ji Yunxi had many questions but couldn't ask them all. She knew clearly that even though Yue Chen had shown her so much, he wouldn't really explain everything to her.
The two were at a stalemate when suddenly there were footsteps outside the door.
"Your Majesty, the meal is here," the maid's gentle voice came in through the crack of the door.
"Come in."
Ji Yunxi stood up and looked at Yue Chen, a hint of surprise in her eyes.
"I thought you might be hungry, so I had someone prepare a meal. Let's eat first," Yue Chen said.
Ji Yunxi didn't answer. She just waited quietly. When the maid placed the food on the table, there were some side dishes, and right in front of her was a bowl of noodles.
Ji Yunxi tried hard to recall the details of the dream, but after all, it was just a fleeting dream. She couldn't remember clearly and had to give up. She quietly glanced at Yue Chen.
"Yue Chen, when will you let me leave?"
"Soon. Just wait for a while," Yue Chen said seriously as he ate, as if he was enjoying some rare delicacy.
How soon was soon? Ji Yunxi hated his pretentious look the most. Not in the mood for the food, she decided to test him.
"Do you want to trap me in this small place forever?" Ji Yunxi looked at him, imitating the Goddess's cold expression.
"Do you want to be trapped in this small place forever?"
Yue Chen widened his eyes and suddenly looked up at Ji Yunxi. Her figure overlapped with someone in his memory. That woman also had such a cold look. Although she was smiling, there was a faint sorrow between her eyebrows that couldn't be erased.
Suddenly, the white light collapsed, and the surroundings were plunged into darkness. All was silent.