The improved female villains regained their memories.

In winter, heavy snow fell, turning the entire formation white, as if it were covered with blooming white flowers. Song Panning waved her sleeves, finished her dance, landed, and smiled at Yang Pingsheng.

"how?"

The spiritual energy circulated continuously. Compared to the special effects of the "Flower Wine" performance, Song Panning's dance was far superior. Yang Pingsheng didn't understand dance, but he could at least distinguish between beauty and ugliness, so he couldn't help but exclaim, "Very beautiful."

"This formation is something I painstakingly researched and developed. Combined with my improved Dance of the Goddess, the effect is naturally excellent."

Song Panning said with a smile, "This dance is called 'Assisting Heaven'."

She suddenly approached, like a gust of wind, her face almost touching his, her fragrance filling the air. Yang Pingsheng was slightly stunned, and before he could react, the scene before him began to change.

High-rise buildings, crowds, and a girl waving to him.

Suddenly, someone grabbed his hand and pulled him towards the crowd.

"My formation can control the four seasons, and when combined with my Heavenly Dance, it can explore the soul of a person."

"What is your soul in this life?"

The crowd was gradually left behind. The person holding Yang Pingsheng's hand led him into a small alley. Yang Pingsheng didn't say a word and just silently followed the person.

A feeling of loneliness filled Yang Pingsheng's heart.

"I saw it: loneliness, aloofness, and endless solitude."

"This...why is your soul like this..."

The scene vanished in an instant.

The pink array shattered, leaving only fluttering flags. Yang Pingsheng recovered, looked up at Song Panning, and asked, "Panning, what was that just now?"

Blood seeped from Song Panning's mouth.

She wiped it, smiled nonchalantly, and said, "It's nothing. I just wanted to share my latest findings with Pingsheng. Now that I've shared, let's go back."

"it is good."

The two walked back side by side. On the way, Song Panning, who had been lively and talkative before, became noticeably quiet. When they parted, she asked Yang Pingsheng one last question.

She asked, "In my life, what is loneliness?"

At night, Yang Pingsheng lay in the Song family's guest room, staring at the dark ceiling, his eyes wide open, unable to fall asleep.

The system's voice finally sounded: "Today was really dangerous. Song Panning's formation seems to have touched on the essence of things. We almost found out your past."

"By the way, don't talk to me yet, I'm afraid Song Panning is monitoring you." After the system finished speaking, it hurriedly added this sentence, then pondered for a moment and said again: "The Heavenly Dao's plan has changed. You should do your best to help Song Panning obtain the position of Goddess, and I will tell you what to do later."

Yang Pingsheng listened silently.

As he listened to the system's rambling words, his mind was filled with Song Panning's dance and the question she asked at the end.

What is loneliness?

He didn't answer, or perhaps he couldn't answer. A traveler of time, passing through every world, is but a passerby, bringing nothing into this world and taking nothing away, ultimately illuminated by his own wounds.

Yang Pingsheng thought for a moment, sighed, closed his eyes, and fell into a deep sleep.

----------

With Song Panning's interference, the other goddess candidates were all dragged into the mess.

However, this did not prevent Song Panning from still receiving the lowest evaluation. But she had achieved her goal, and the other goddess candidates subconsciously united and began to target Lin Wanjun purposefully.

However, such targeting seemed foolish in the following matches, since from then on it was a one-on-one battle, and the so-called targeting was just some behind-the-scenes maneuvering.

Fortunately, Song Panning received a bye in the first round, becoming one of the lucky ones to receive a bye in this year's competition.

Soon, the results of the first competition came out. Including Song Panning, who received a bye, the other three who advanced were Lin Wanjun, Ling Shuxin, and Shen Qingqing. The four of them entered the second round of the competition.

According to the draw results, Lin Wanjun will be paired with Ling Shuxin, and Song Panning will be paired with Shen Qingqing.

Shen Qingqing had been defeated by Song Panning before (although it was by cheating), and now that it was a formal occasion, she finally had a place to vent her pent-up anger.

In terms of the technique of the Goddess Dance, Song Panning was indeed no match for Shen Qingqing. However, before the competition, Song Panning called Yang Pingsheng to her side, handed him a small flag, and said:

"Put this little flag in your pocket. Once you're on stage, you don't need to do anything, just hold it tightly."

As she spoke, her eyes filled with trust, she said, "Trust me."

Yang Pingsheng took it without saying anything, only saying, "Okay."

As dusk fell and the sun disappeared, the pitch-black night descended once more, and the mountain town was once again brightly lit. Yang Pingsheng did not choose to join them in celebrating their victory, but instead quietly took a walk alone in the bamboo forest.

The system explained his doubts in his mind: "Song Panning is really something. She used the spirit flag as a medium to develop a small-scale mobile array. Although the structure is simple, the word 'mobile' alone is enough to surpass all other array masters."

Fearing surveillance, Yang Pingsheng remained silent, listening only to the system's explanation. The system continued its analysis, "Song Panning no longer cares about public opinion. At this stage of the Goddess election, as long as she's 100% certain of winning, that's enough. And this girl never acts within the rules; if she can solve something through underhanded means, she'll never take the righteous path. She won today, but Ling Shuxin lost. Tomorrow, facing the female lead, she'll probably resort to dirty tricks again."

Song Panning remains hidden behind the scenes and never plays by the rules.

Even though Lin Wanjun's dance of the goddess is quite good, she would probably be no match for such an opponent.

The wind blew, the bamboo forest swayed, and a figure gradually emerged. Upon seeing this, the system fell silent, while Yang Pingsheng raised his head and stared at the newcomer.

It was Lin Wanjun. She stood there, her eyes looking pitiful, like a fawn that couldn't find its family.

"Pingsheng, aren't you coming back?" Her eyes were filled with tears. "Aren't you my fiancé? Are you going to leave me now that you've become someone else's follower?"

Trouble is brewing.

Yang Pingsheng had anticipated such a scenario, but he never imagined it would happen now. He sighed softly, put on a gentle and refined smile, stepped forward, and patted Lin Wanjun's head.

I didn't want you to leave me.

"Then...why did you become that woman's follower?" she asked, her voice trembling as if a broken drumhead was being struck weakly. "Pingsheng, do you like her?"

“…Wanjun, followers are not allowed to be with goddesses.”

"But I read storybooks..."

“That’s a story from a folk tale,” Yang Pingsheng said. “The goddess is pure and innocent, and her followers serve her faithfully. If the two of them were to be together, it would be against the natural order.”

"But……"

Lin Wanjun wanted to say something more, but was interrupted by a female voice:

"But what?"

Both of them were startled and turned around to find Song Panning standing there expressionless.

Her hair was piled high, and she wore a pure white robe. Her face was slightly flushed, perhaps because she had been drinking. However, there was no drunkenness in her eyes; on the contrary, they were icy cold as she stared directly at the distance between Yang Pingsheng and Lin Wanjun.

She beckoned to Yang Pingsheng and said, "Pingsheng, come here."

Before Yang Pingsheng could react, Lin Wanjun grabbed his hand: "Pingsheng, don't go over there."

“…Miss Lin, I don’t remember inviting you tonight.” Song Panning looked at the clasped hands and suddenly smiled. “Tomorrow is the final assessment. Miss Lin, why don’t you go back and rest early and stop bothering my followers here?”

"Why should I?" Lin Wanjun pursed her lips, looking at Song Panning with unwavering determination for the first time. "He's my husband, what do you mean I'm clinging to him?"

"Miss Lin, are you saying that you are no longer pure?"

"...I, that's not what I meant."

"Then what do you mean? Among married women, how many are still virgins? Miss Lin, if you want to maintain the style of our duel tomorrow, please let go."

Lin Wanjun gritted her teeth, her body trembling violently, like a bullied little white rabbit. Yang Pingsheng sighed, took the initiative to step aside, and patted her head: "Wanjun, you should go back first."

"My life..."

"Sweetie, let's go back first."

Lin Wanjun left reluctantly. Song Panning silently stepped forward, grabbed Yang Pingsheng's hand, and looked at him without making a sound.

Yang Pingsheng let her hold him and asked, "What's wrong?"

"Although, in principle, the goddess's followers can have families, and according to the rules, they can be impure and marry and have children with other people, but—"

"—I won't allow it."

Song Panning looked at Yang Pingsheng and said, word by word, "I will not allow my followers to be like this, especially you."

“I understand.” Yang Pingsheng nodded calmly. “If you, Panning, become a goddess, as my follower, I should accompany you and will naturally fulfill your wishes.”

"Hmph, that's good then."

Song Panning snorted and let go.

She finally withdrew all her coldness and domineering aura, revealing a side of herself that others didn't know.

"Go back. Ling Shuxin lost the match today and is crying her eyes out. It would be a shame if you didn't come and see her."

"it is good."

As words flow by, how much crucial information is hidden, like the rings of a tree in the sky, fading into darkness and disappearing without a trace.

Song Panning thought that as long as Yang Pingsheng stayed by her side, that would be enough, because Yang Pingsheng was willing; he didn't resist or oppose her, and he had given her positive feedback on everything she had just said. Unfortunately, she didn't know that no matter what, Yang Pingsheng would marry Lin Wanjun.

The more docile you are now, the more cruel the future will be.

Human emotions never change according to anyone's will; they are silent and subtle, permeating the heart and soul, until they affect every aspect of your daily life.

When you realize you can't live without this person, you find that they are insisting on leaving. Only then will you understand that you never really knew this person.

I don't understand him as a person, I don't understand his heart.

Song Panning wanted to know, so she added some gadgets to her secret base and used the excuse of inviting Yang Pingsheng to visit, hoping to see what her childhood sweetheart, Tiantian, was really thinking.

Then she saw many things.

There are endless loess plateaus, cold and tall strange buildings, crowds of people coming and going, and a lonely girl standing among them.

She looked at him, standing in the middle of the crowd, standing there alone, silent, like a statue.

She then realized that she seemed to have never really understood him.

So she grabbed his hand and ran for her life, trying to get him out of this cold world. But it felt like she was dragging a heavy iron ball; no matter how hard she ran, she couldn't run fast.

Loneliness, an endless loneliness, enveloped her and affected her.

She then realized that her childhood sweetheart's soul was already covered in wounds.

Why? She didn't understand. She had grown up with him and knew everything that had happened between them. In her memory, Yang Pingsheng shouldn't be like this.

He shouldn't be like this.

With her around, how could he be lonely?

Why is he lonely?