Chapter Sixteen: Nuwa's Thoughts

  Nüwa bit Zhuang Xiong's shoulder, although she felt that something was slightly off, but being in a fit of rage, she didn't say anything. She let out a cold hum and jumped down from Zhuang Xiong's back, turned around and walked away, with tears streaming down her face.

  Nüwa's face, however, was ashen with fear, and Hongyun had indeed fled extremely quickly. At this point, pursuing her further would not only enrage Nüwa but also likely prove futile. So he hastily stepped forward to grab hold of Nüwa, seeing that she was about to shake off his hand, yet he didn't dare use force for fear of hurting her. He took a step closer and tightly wrapped his arms around her, asking: "Nüwa, little sister, what's wrong? Have I upset you?"

  Nüwa struggled fiercely for a while, but couldn't break free, so she buried her head in Zhuang Xiong's arms and muttered: "Go chase your Hongyun, what do you want with me?" As she spoke, she started struggling again.

  Zhuang Xiong hurriedly hugged her tightly and said in a soft voice, "How could I not care about you, Nüwa? That Hong Yun ran away, although it's a pity that he wasn't killed this time. Even if he cultivates for another few tens of thousands of years, what can he do to me? You, Nüwa, are the most important one to me."

  Nüwa was still nestled in Zhuangyong's arms, and she whispered tenderly: "Don't be ridiculous, I think you don't care about me at all."

  Zhuang Xiong was stunned, his eyes wide with wonder. The phrase "outer crisp and inner tender" was all too familiar, yet it seemed like something only young lovers in the 21st century would say. Could it be? Did Nüwa's sister have a crush on him? Zhuang Xiong felt as though a giant pie had suddenly fallen from the clear sky and landed on his head with a loud thud. He was skeptical, wondering if he was dreaming, and didn't dare believe it was real. He stood there in a daze for a while before finally coming to his senses and quickly pulling Nüwa out to take a look.

  Nüwa had already reacted, feeling embarrassed and annoyed, but she refused to lift her head, burying it in Zhuang Xiong's chest. However, she was no match for Zhuang Xiong's strength, and he easily pushed her away, revealing her face. Still, she refused to look up, her face burning with shame, as if she wanted to hide it again.

  Zhuang Xiong saw that Nüwa's eyes were welling up with tears, her face bright red, and her beauty was almost palpable. Her shy expression only added to her charm, and Zhuang Xiong couldn't help but feel overjoyed. "Nüwa, my sister," he exclaimed, "you said you wouldn't pursue me, but now that you have, do you know how happy I am? I'm so happy! I'm so happy!!!" He was so excited that he threw his head back and let out a loud whoop.

  Nüwa glared at him and scolded: "Foolish boy, what are you shouting about?"

  Zhuang Xiong saw that Nu Wa's face was as lovely as a pear flower in the rain, with a hint of shyness on her face, but she also rolled her eyes at him, as if giving him a flirtatious glance. Her already beautiful face became even more charming and captivating, leaving Zhuang Xiong momentarily stunned.

  Nüwa saw Zhuang Xiong's infatuated expression and couldn't help but feel secretly delighted, yet also felt a little annoyed and scolded: "Foolish boy, what are you staring at? What are you so happy about? Anyway, I didn't say anything just now, it was all your own imagination. Why don't you go chase after Hongyun instead? Didn't you have an eternal vendetta against him, vowing not to rest until he's dead?"

  Zhuang Xiong snapped back to reality, grinning from ear to ear: "Sister Nüwa, don't be angry. To be honest, I was chasing that Red Cloud because it's not often that I get to hug Sister Nüwa, and this hug feels just right. But then that thieving Daoist interrupted us. However, Sister Nüwa is magnanimous and doesn't stoop to the same level as that Red Cloud, and you're still willing to let me hold you. So, let's listen to Sister Nüwa and spare him this once."

  Nüwa blushed and said, "It wasn't that I wanted to hug you, it was you who insisted on hugging me." She also said, "You said you would listen to me, but just now you didn't care at all and had to chase and kill. I think you don't care about me at all."

  Zhuang Xiong's heart suddenly cleared up, and he realized that the root of the problem was here. He hurriedly said: "Of course I care, how can I not care? I care about Nüwa the most, so I insisted on holding onto her tightly."

  Nüwa hummed and scolded, "You're being unreasonable and deceitful. Let me go quickly!" She then pretended to be nonchalant and said, "I saw you were quite happy just now, tell me what's making you so happy? Anyway, don't lean on me, I haven't said anything." But Zhuang Xiong just smiled and didn't speak, nor would he let go of her hand. She felt a bit embarrassed and annoyed, saying, "Let me go quickly, your smile is so annoying!"

  Zhuang Xiong couldn't help but smile slightly, and instead hugged her even tighter, his face filled with a pleased smile: "Nüwa's sister's embrace is so warm and comfortable. From now on, whenever I get angry, if Nüwa's sister doesn't like it, just give me a hug like this, and I'll calm down immediately. Even the greatest hatred can be dispelled."

  Nüwa was about to persuade him when she suddenly jumped onto Zhuang Xiong's back, but he didn't stop his hand. She wanted to retort, but then heard Zhuang Xiong let out a long sigh, and immediately sensed the sorrow in his words. Her heart softened, and she said softly: "What are you still worried about? Hongyun?"

  "Ah, what's there to worry about with that Red Cloud? Even if he has friends all over the world, I'm afraid only Zhenyuanzi can help him out. As for me, I don't have anything to fear either. It's just that I never thought Red Cloud would be such a despicable and cunning little man. Luckily, I used to sympathize with his plight, but if I had known earlier, I would have killed him long ago.

  But then he smiled and said: "What am I worried about? That insignificant Red Cloud is nothing to fear. It's just that my lifelong dream has suddenly become a reality, and I've finally gotten to hold Nüwa in my arms - it feels like a dream come true. But thinking about letting go, Nüwa will definitely not let me hold her again, so I'm a bit melancholic.

  Having experienced this sweet feeling, I'll probably find every day dull and uninteresting from now on. Where's the fun in life? Should I just not let go? But then Nüwa might not be happy. If I do let go, I'll definitely regret it later. What should I do?"

  Zhuang Xiong's words were almost a confession, and Nüwa was so embarrassed that she scolded: "Indeed, you are using strong words to take advantage of me, with your oily mouth and slippery tongue. I won't bother with you. You might as well go die."

  "Where is the strong word and robbery, the oily mouth and slippery tongue? After being together for tens of thousands of years, don't you know my thoughts, Nüwa sister? Even if I have an oily mouth and a slippery tongue, isn't it just towards Nüwa sister alone? How can you be so ruthless and tell me to go die?"

  Nüwa's face turned even redder with shame, and she coquettishly said: "I didn't really tell you to go die, can't you take a joke?"

  Zhuang Xiong laughed and said: "I knew that Nüwa wouldn't bear to see me die, Nüwa, you also know what kind of person your brother is, let's be together forever, okay?" But actually Zhuang Xiong was at a loss for words, his heart anxious, and he couldn't help but speak the truth.

  Nüwa's eyes flashed with a hint of playfulness as she said, "Aren't we always together? As long as you don't leave, my brother and I won't drive you away."

  Zhuang Xiong's face turned red with anxiety, his hands grasping Nuwa's fragrant shoulders, staring into her eyes: "You know I didn't mean it that way, what I want is..." but he was so anxious that he didn't know how to express himself.

  Nüwa smiled and said: "What is it that you want? If you don't say it, how can I know?"

  Zhuang Xiong only now realized Nüwa's serious teasing, and couldn't help but say: "You know what I mean, Nüwa sister. I really like you. In these tens of thousands of years, haven't you seen it clearly? It's rare to have such an opportunity, and Fuxi isn't around to disturb us. Can't you just give me a straightforward answer?"

  Nüwa thought for a moment, then smiled and said: "Brother Xiong? Not bad. As for whether I like him or not... originally I thought I saw things clearly, but yesterday I suddenly realized that what I saw might all be fake, so for now I'm still unsure whether to believe you or not."

  Zhuang Xiong couldn't help but roll his eyes and said, "You say, where did you not see clearly?"

  "You see, you were originally warm and gentle, with a good temper, always lazy and careless, and told me everything without reservation. Although you were mischievous and playful, you also had boundaries." Zhuang Xiong couldn't help but roll his eyes again, was "mischievous and playful" used to describe him? Nüwa continued, "Look at you yesterday, secretly hiding the fact that you have a companion spirit treasure, and when you broke through, you were overbearing, arrogant, and unscrupulous. You told me that once you reached the Dàluó realm, it should be the time for enlightenment, is this your true nature? Were all your previous behaviors fake? And your expression during the breakthrough was very complex, did you have many secrets in your heart? Or did you become like that because of the many things in your heart? It seems like you hid all these from me. Also, look at how fiercely you fought just now, don't you know it's scary? You didn't listen to advice, do you know someone might worry about you? Most importantly, I found out that you're very disobedient."

  Zhuang Xiong listened to Nüwa's detailed account of his mistakes, but he was actually very moved. Perhaps in many places where he hadn't noticed, he had easily caused trouble for Nüwa. He spoke softly: "Nüwa sister, I know I was wrong, and I made you worry. From now on, I'll listen carefully and behave well, don't be angry anymore, okay?"

  Nüwa wrinkled her small nose and hummed: "I don't have time to be angry with you."

  Zhuang Xiong couldn't help but laugh and said: "Tell me, Nüwa's sister, do you like the old me or the me who has returned to my true nature?"

  Nüwa sank into thought for a moment, then said in a low voice: "The you who has returned to your true nature is still quite impressive, but the one I'm familiar with is the old you."

  Zhuang Xiong looked at Nüwa, who was still circling around him, and couldn't help but scratch his ears and cheeks in frustration. He sighed bitterly and said: "Nüwa, no matter if it's the old me or the new me, I've only changed a bit in terms of personality and behavior, but I'm even more clear about my own nature now. Haven't I remained unchanged towards you? Can't you just take pity on Xiong Ge and give me a straight answer?"

  Nüwa gently shook off Zhuang Xiong's hand, took a step back, looked at him thoughtfully for a moment, and said: "You're the kind of person who loves to argue, has a glib tongue, and hides many things from me. You don't listen to advice and are untrustworthy." After pausing briefly, seeing that Zhuang Xiong was on the verge of tears, she continued: "However, considering your attitude in acknowledging your mistakes is sincere, and you've made me happy before by sending me gifts, which shows some effort, and after all, we've known each other for a long time and have some friendship, I can consider giving you another chance."

  Zhuang Xiong saw that things still had a turning point, patted his chest and said: "Nüwa sister, what do you want? Just say it, even if you want the stars in the sky, I, your brother Zhuang, will pick them for you."

  Nüwa hummed and said, "What do I want those stars for? Alright, let's give you a probation period, set at 100,000 years. If during this time you're still obedient, then we can consider it. Also, tell me all the things you've been hiding from me before, and you need to have a reason that I can accept, otherwise, I won't even give you the chance for a probation."

  Zhuang Xiong couldn't help but roll his eyes, knowing that Nüwa's queen attribute was at play. Although she spoke seriously, it wasn't necessary to take her words literally. Of course, he also couldn't just brush it off casually. As long as the threats were removed and the demands were met as much as possible, this matter could be considered settled. However, Zhuang Xiong still opened his mouth wide in exaggeration and shouted: "A hundred thousand years?!"

  Nüwa frowned and said: "What? You think it's too long?"

  Actually, for their cultivation level, 100,000 years is not a long time. However, they should take advantage of the opportunity to get some benefits, right? Zhuang Xiong said dejectedly: "No, I know that 100,000 years is already a great concession from Nüwa's sister. It's just that thinking about spending 100,000 years in a dull and uneventful life is unbearable. Does Nüwa's sister think she can give us some benefits occasionally?"

  Nüwa's eyes flashed with a hint of panic, pretending to be unaware: "What benefits? I don't know what you're talking about."

  "For example, touching your little hand, hugging..."

  Nüwa hastily interrupted him, shouting "Stop!" Then she lowered her head in embarrassment and whispered: "If you behave well, it's still possible to hold hands, but as for other things, let's not mention them again."

  Zhuang Xiong felt that it was possible, but he also knew to stop while ahead. He smiled and said: "Alright, I've decided to make a good impression now and tell everything about my past. Who knows if I can hold Nüwa's little hand and walk with her?"

  Nüwa frowned and said: "It's been so long already, why hasn't my brother caught up yet? I don't know what will happen."