Chapter Thirty-Five: A Change of Heart

Chapter Thirty-Five: A Change of Heart

It did not take long for Shen An to notice something different inside. He saw there was a stone bed, and lying upon it was none other than He Zhouzhou.

What?

Shen An turned to look at the brown bear.

He saw the bear had covered its eyes with a paw, as if embarrassed.

Could this bear have taken a liking to Zhouzhou?

Shen An thought with a hint of mischief.

"Future, let me ask you something—Is Zhouzhou really my wife?"

A chuckle came in response.

Future did not answer, only laughed softly.

Shen An felt a twinge of disappointment.

When those close to you refuse to share secrets, it gnaws at the heart. It was like knowing someone had candy, and even though you’d guessed as much, they refused to admit it—you'd have to snatch it for yourself if you wanted a taste.

That was exactly how Shen An felt now.

"If you won’t tell me, so be it. After all, the future is in my hands now; the future you speak of may have already changed," he said.

He was not wrong. Ever since Future had connected with him, his destiny had started to shift.

"Indeed. Now, everything feels like it’s veering off from the path of my previous life—even this entrance to the demon realm. Back then, I heard nothing of it; as I recall, it only appeared a year later," he mused.

"Never mind, I’ll take things as they come," said Shen An.

He quickly moved to wake He Zhouzhou.

Her eyes fluttered open, and upon seeing the man before her—

"Shen An!"

Overjoyed, she suddenly stepped forward and embraced him.

At moments of danger, people instinctively yearn for those who give them a sense of safety, especially women. Often, when faced with peril, a woman’s first thought is of her family, then her boyfriend, or whoever has lately been by her side—provided that person feels dependable.

Dependability is not so easily defined; it might be strength, or a gentle heart.

When the bear had taken her away, the first person He Zhouzhou thought of was Shen An—the man who, from their very first encounter, had carried an air of mystery.

From that moment, her curiosity about Shen An only grew.

Then came that fateful event, and afterwards, when Shen An arrived at Wanyuan Village, He Zhouzhou’s heart finally, unreservedly, confessed its fondness for him.

She spent her nights pondering the messages Shen An had sent, unable to sleep, and so she wandered outside. The place she went happened to be the noisy back mountain.

By then, Mount Wanyuan had already begun to change, the ground trembling. Though it had no real impact on the village, He Zhouzhou still felt uneasy.

Glancing toward her family and seeing her parents were safe, she set off toward the mountain, anxiety tugging at her heart.

She could not say how it happened, but suddenly she spotted a massive dark shape on the mountain.

He Zhouzhou had never seen such a thing before. Driven by curiosity, she edged closer for a look.

That was when she saw the great brown bear.

Never in her wildest dreams did she expect to find a brown bear here. In all these years, the mountains behind the village had long been stripped of wild beasts—either hunted to extinction or driven away by outsiders. Now, not even a bird was easy to find, let alone a brown bear.

He Zhouzhou wanted to scream, but before she could, the bear seized her and dashed deeper into the mountains.

The bear kept moving, carrying her to a place even she did not recognize.

For she had never heard of such a place on Mount Wanyuan, shrouded in swirling mist and resembling a fairyland she had never seen before.

The brown bear, moving with great care, brought her into a cave. Then, after it extended a paw, He Zhouzhou lost consciousness.

Now, seeing Shen An appear, her heart finally settled.

Overcome with relief, He Zhouzhou suddenly noticed the bear behind her.

"Ah!"

She screamed and tried to retreat, but Shen An quickly stepped in and pushed her aside.

"It’s alright, there’s no need to be afraid," he said gently.

He shot a stern look at the brown bear, which immediately became docile, gazing at Shen An with a pitiful whimper.

"This one is mine. Don’t touch," Shen An said, pointing at He Zhouzhou.

He had no idea if the bear could understand, but it was all he could do.

To his astonishment, after he spoke, the bear patted its chest and then, with a strangely human gesture, gave him a thumbs-up. Shen An stood there, dumbfounded.

So the creature truly was a spirit after all.

He could only marvel.

Then, as if it had performed a good deed, the big bear lumbered over, dragged Shen An to sit before He Zhouzhou, and flashed a toothy, ingratiating grin at them both.

This scene was so comical that He Zhouzhou, who had been frightened, burst out laughing.

The tension eased, and Shen An briefly explained to He Zhouzhou what had happened outside. He also mentioned some of the recent changes.

He did not say much; these matters would take time for her to digest and understand. The rest, he hoped she would discover and ask about on her own. Telling her too much at once might overwhelm her.

"So you’re a cultivator now?" He Zhouzhou blinked, her curiosity piqued.

Shen An had not expected her to be so unfazed. Instead, her curiosity drove her to ask one question after another.

"You could say that," he replied.

"Did you defeat the big brown bear just now? Can you tell me about it—I didn’t sense anything happening outside!"

"Can you fly? Or shrink and grow at will?"

Faced with her barrage of questions, Shen An could only smile wryly.

"Come, your family will be worried," he said, cutting her off before she could ask more. Otherwise, he did not know how many questions she would have.

The big brown bear waved goodbye as they left.

"Ever since I was taken by the bear, I’ve been thinking about it. After that earthquake, a lot of people talked about it online, but much of the news vanished almost instantly," He Zhouzhou said as Shen An carried her, picking up speed.

She naturally wrapped her arms around his neck, recounting the inner changes she had experienced during this time.

Part of the reason she wanted to go home was because of all this.

Not everyone is oblivious; anyone paying attention could sense something was amiss. Those who realized the world was changing early on were already at the forefront of awakening. Some had even passed the first stage.

Now, Shen An was already stepping into the third stage.

With this newfound stability, his strength would reach the third rank, advancing him into the third stage.

These were things Future had told him.

Soon, Shen An and He Zhouzhou reached the village.

She still hadn’t let go. As she spoke, her eyes grew moist.

She had once harbored fantasies about this man, but now, knowing his great strength, a sense of inferiority and distance began to bloom in her heart.