"A dream... it's been so long since I last had one..."

Autumn leaves turned yellow.

Drifting down like snow.

In a courtyard of Yanshan City, a girl awoke in her room.

Her eyes opened, her breath light, dark hair cascading across the bedding in a way that mirrored her dazed state.

Her thoughts lingered in the dream.

In the past.

Within it were childhood days spent with her elder brother, the bloody path she walked alone, and later, all the sorrows and joys that belonged to her.

Gifting her teacher an immortal pill to spare a loved one from aging.

Shattering the heavens of the immortal realm just to reunite with her brother.

Battling four Thieving Gluttony Supremes to steal their first date.

The fantasies of childhood.

The lost beloved.

The gray, spiderweb-like regrets remained etched in her mind, never forgotten.

But thankfully, it was all over now.

Her brother had returned.

Everything was as beautiful as their childhood days—no, even more so.

"Drip—drip—"

The sound of dripping water outside drew Xu Moli's attention. She turned her gaze and saw raindrops falling amidst swirling leaves, a gloomy curtain of rain stretching across the courtyard.

This was an autumn shower.

The coolness that should have been pleasant now carried an inexplicable chill as the wind and rain grew urgent.

"I should go meet Brother."

Under the girl's watch, the rain quickly soaked the entire city.

Accompanied by thunder and lightning, mist formed in the streets, dreamlike and hazy.

Her fingers lightly grasped the edge of the blanket.

Pushed it aside.

Rose from the bed.

The moment her feet touched the ground, her face and clothes became immaculate.

Xu Moli stepped out of the courtyard, opening an oil-paper umbrella as she headed toward the outskirts of Yanshan City.

Xu Xi wasn’t at home today.

He had left early to visit Little Ox’s residence as a guest.

"By my estimate, Brother should be back by now," Xu Moli murmured, walking through the swirling rain, the mist parting effortlessly before her.

With each light step, an intangible joy radiated from her.

The joy of soon seeing the one she loved most.

Drip, drip—

The rain grew fiercer.

The slightly tilted umbrella became an impenetrable barrier, shielding the girl from all moisture. The umbrella remained the same, but the one holding it had changed.

"Brother~~~"

The girl giggled.

Before her stood Xu Xi, who had taken the umbrella handle from her.

The opened canopy repelled the raindrops like a cheerful melody, matching the girl’s mood perfectly.

"Moli, why did you come?"

"Hmm... Because I missed you, so I came."

Xu Moli leaned in closer.

Closing the distance between them.

Now, the raging rain isolated them from the world.

Now, the two walked in their own little space, pressed close together.

Xu Xi wanted to say something, but couldn’t bring himself to scold her. Instead, he shook his head with a helpless smile and let it go.

The wind rustled the leaves.

The streetlights illuminated passersby.

The lights on either side of the road cast long, blurred shadows behind Xu Xi and Xu Moli.

"Ah, Brother."

Midway, the girl suddenly looked up at Xu Xi and asked curiously, "About the wedding... have you thought it through?"

The question seemed to trouble him.

A visible hesitation appeared on Xu Xi’s face.

"Well... about that..."

"I’ve mostly figured it out."

"But Krisha and the others all have their own ideas. They said they’d handle everything."

Listening to his words, Xu Moli nodded thoughtfully, hugging his arm and leaning against his shoulder.

"That sounds good, doesn’t it? Brother can rest a little more."

"...With something like this, I don’t think I’ll be resting at all."

Xu Xi sighed.

His words were filled with terms like [wedding], [guests], and [betrothal gifts].

Xu Moli couldn’t help but smile.

Ever since her brother’s cycle of reincarnation ended, it had been a long time since she’d seen him so flustered.

A strange warmth filled her heart as she tightened her grip on his arm, walking with him through the rainy world, eyes closed as she savored the quiet moment.

The faint smile at the corners of her eyes Said everything without words.

"By the way, Moli."

After rambling about the wedding for a while, the man suddenly remembered something and asked in confusion, "We have so many umbrellas at home. Why do you only use this oil-paper one?"

"Well..."

Outside the umbrella, the rain had lightened.

Like fine sand slipping from the sky.

The girl raised her head, glancing at the umbrella above before turning to her brother with a soft smile.

"Sister Dantang gave it to me."

In 108 Strategies to Capture a Man’s Heart, $2ne of the tactics stated:

A gentle woman holding an oil-paper umbrella is more likely to win affection.

"Brother, that’s pretty much it."

Step by step, $2he two had already returned to the courtyard.

The girl blinked her lively eyes and took the umbrella back from Xu Xi.

In the misty drizzle, $2he spun the umbrella lightly.

Her lips pressed together, her smile curling, her eyes crinkling as she twirled gracefully in the sparse rain.

Finally, she stopped.

Letting the umbrella rest against her shoulder at a slight angle.

The courtyard lights, unusually bright in the rain, shone upon Xu Moli’s figure—only for half of her face to be obscured by the tilted umbrella.

Only the lower half of her face, her pearly teeth and vermilion lips, were illuminated clearly.

Curved upward.

Full of delight.

"Brother, do I look pretty?"

The rain outside had thinned so much that the shimmer in her eyes seemed to glow even brighter.

She stood there, waiting for Xu Xi’s answer.

And his answer made her very happy.

"Pretty. Very pretty. Exceptionally pretty."

A smile appeared on Xu Xi’s face as he gave his sincere praise.

Of course, $2e also made a mental note to settle things with that Pill Hall disciple later.

"Alright, come inside now. Don’t catch a cold."

"Understood, Brother~~"

Xu Xi glanced at the overcast sky, took the umbrella from his sister’s hands, and lightly shook off the remaining raindrops before opening the door. The two stepped inside together.

Unlike the chill outside, $2he interior of the courtyard was warm.

Xu Xi thought the heating measures played a part, but the real reason was the presence of the girls living there.

Ever since Earth’s ascension, it had grown increasingly adept at avoiding misfortune.

A fact that left Xu Xi endlessly amused.

"Moli, come here. Let me dry your hair."

"Mm!"

Xu Xi beckoned, gesturing for the girl to sit in front of him. He took a clean towel and gently patted away the tiny droplets of water that had somehow made their way onto the Supreme One’s hair.

The girl stayed quiet, eyes closed as she enjoyed the gentle rubbing atop her head.

Memories of her dream—scenes of her childhood with her brother—flashed through her mind once more.

The door and walls shut out the rain outside.

The room was silent.

A sudden impulse surged in Xu Moli’s heart. She raised her head and met Xu Xi’s gaze. Without thinking, the words spilled out:

"Brother."

"What is it?"

"I really, really love you the most."