In truth, Ao Chi and I met as enemies, right from the start, with a tension that could have sparked a fight at any moment.

  When we first encountered each other, he was still that rebellious, trouble-causing dragon, a scourge to the world because of his unruly nature. I, on the other hand, was just beginning to take human form, a naive and willful little tree yaokai following Zi Miao.

  I ughed at him for being ugly, and he called me stupid. From the very beginning, we were in a deeply hostile retionship. At that time, he didn't hesitate to sp me, and I, without hesitation, spped him back. Our gazes collided in the air, nearly sparking a fire. He said I was the first woman bold enough to strike him, and that I would have to spend my entire life repaying that sp.

  Life is strange. I never imagined that his harsh words would come true. After that long period, when the person who had once left a deep impression on me vanished from my life, Ao Chi was the one who remained by my side.

  Despite his constant disdainful words, he pulled me back from the brink of death time and time again, using his own methods to mend my shattered soul. He would often scold me while teaching me powerful spells and the essence of cultivation. To be fair, the reason I now have a thousand years of cultivation is rgely due to him. He was my teacher, my friend, and my enemy—our retionship was tangled, but we could never cross that final line.

  To anyone else, we should have seemed like a couple. But in my heart, I have always denied it, always resisted it. This indefinable retionship stood between him and me, stretching across countless centuries.

  I don′t know when it started, but every year, Ao Chi would, following human customs, give me a proposal ring, saying that one day I would finally wear it. The rings, pced in baskets, grew in number, but I never wore a single one.

  Yet Ao Chi continued this habit. His personality seemed never to change—he always followed his own desires and obsessions, never caring whether I agreed or not. The arrogance and pride embedded in his bones, I suppose, came from his inherently noble status.

  Yes, Ao Chi was not truly a "cursed dragon," as people might think. If you call him cursed, it′s because his actions were too unconventional, his character too stubborn. He was originally the direct grandson of the East Sea Dragon King, born of royal blood, looking down upon the world.

  The East Sea Dragon Cn was not only skilled in water and fire but also had the power to subdue Yaokais and vanquish evil. As guardians of their domain, their status was as honorable as that of gods or Buddhas. Ao Chi could have soared across the skies and roamed the world freely, but instead, he was tethered by me—a mere tree yaokai of little significance.

  It′s been a thousand years, I think. I can′t even count how long we′ve been together.

  When some things become habits, even forgetting becomes a habit. Over these thousand years, we′ve argued countless times, always holding our ground, yet how could I deny that we′ve always relied on each other?

  We often dislike someone because they remind us too much of ourselves.

  We also like someone because they remind us too much of ourselves.

  But some words, I′ve never been able to say. And neither has he.

  I still remember that night when I was organizing my wardrobe and realized one of my garments was missing—the green silk dress that I had always kept carefully stored in a brocade box.

  It was the first piece of clothing Zi Miao had ever given me when I appeared in this world in human form.

  Even though so much time has passed, every thread in that dress still carries traces of yesterday—indelible memories, both sad and beautiful.

  Honestly, I didn′t mean anything by it. I just wanted to keep a memory reted to someone from my past. Zi Miao is someone I can never forget, not even until the day I die. But by now, my longing for him is no longer tied to love or hatred. If it weren′t for Zi Miao, there would be no "Sha Luo." Without him, I would still be the tree standing atop the Fulong Mountain, alone with my solitude, with no name. He is my most precious memory, and I′m thankful for him.

  Losing that dress felt like losing the past. Suddenly, my life seemed incomplete, as if it had been severed. That′s how I felt.

  I searched frantically, almost tearing the house apart, but I couldn′t find it. Then Ao Chi came back and casually said that he had bought me a whole new set of clothes. He noticed there wasn′t enough space in the wardrobe, so he had thrown out all the old clothes, including the brocade box.

  He was always so confident, always so eager to make decisions for me.

  I forced myself to suppress the anger that was rising in my chest, maintaining a cold expression as I told him to go find it for me.

  He responded dismissively, "It's just a worn-out, old piece of clothing. Why keep it around? What's the point of looking for it?"

  I repeated, "Go get it back for me." As I said this, my gaze shifted back in time to the moment when we first cshed face-to-face, a thousand years ago.

  He paused for a moment, then simply plopped down on the sofa, shrugging helplessly and saying with indifference, "It's just garbage. I forgot where I threw it. Probably in the downstairs trash can, but the garbage truck just came by. Why don't you go look for it yourself?"

  Trash!

  His words and actions finally pushed me to the edge.

  We started to argue, and every harsh word that could strike the other's most vulnerable spot exploded from both of us—two people who had never known how to give in.

  He mocked me for holding onto the past and for treating a dead man′s belongings like treasures, calling it utterly foolish.

  I retorted, calling him nothing but a reckless brute, shallow in his understanding, with no sense of emotion or respect. After all these years, he hadn′t changed at all.

  According to astrology, I was born under the sign of Sagittarius in the dead of winter, while he was born under Leo in the height of summer. Both fire signs, have explosive tempers; once a conflict arises, it's like thunder and lightning.

  In the end, he pointed at my nose and shouted, "You just can't forget that man!"

  It turns out, this was how he had always seen me.

  My heart froze in an instant.

  All these years he had been by my side, these days spent together—were they truly wasted?

  He had never truly understood me.

  When I am truly furious, I become the quietest.