In the end, Zhan Xueyang didn’t accept her birth lotus, but instead made a request that she stay on You Mountain for a year to help guide the spiritual spring’s formation array.

She was somewhat surprised, but eventually smiled and agreed.

For that year, she was like a revered ancestor, not resembling someone who came to help at all. Whenever she saw Zhan Xueyang working diligently, she would smile and follow behind him: “Oh my, the little demon is so nice, unwilling to let me tire myself.”

Zhan Xueyang was now reluctant to recall those times together… He closed his eyes briefly. At first, he resisted and despised her, but in the end, he became attached to her, their cheeks touching—all in just one year.

Her warmth and tenderness were like flowers reflected in a mirror or the moon in water, making him anxious about gain and loss. He even often woke from nightmares, softly pleading with her: “Don’t leave. I’ll be good to you. Whatever you want, I’ll find a way, just don’t leave. Or… you can go out for a while, but come back when you’re tired.”

She patted his head: “The little demon has quite a strong possessiveness.”

He gritted his teeth in silence, repeating softly: “Don’t leave.”

Later, she left and never returned.

Those years searching for her nearly drove him mad. He inquired about her with every patient, but no one knew the person he described. What he regretted most was that he didn’t even know her name, only that her intimate name was A Shu.

Gradually, Zhan Xueyang stopped asking people to look for her, stopped inquiring about her whereabouts, and became unwilling to recall how he had begged and pleaded with her in his youth.

If one day he could leave You Mountain and see her again, they would be nothing more than strangers.

Zhan Xueyang sensed Liu Shuang’s departure, his lips revealing a smile.

What his father couldn’t wait for, he had waited for, hadn’t he? The spiritual veins would eventually merge, and the royal clan would have its day of ascendance. He had a premonition that it wouldn’t be long—this day would come soon.

Thinking of the drop of “dragon blood” inside Liu Shuang, the curve of his lips grew wider.

It was just a pity he couldn’t personally witness that spectacle. He wondered if Liu Shuang, going to Chi Shui now, would be able to personally see Bai Zhuixu’s soul scattered.

The Primordial Mirror was merging with Bai Zhuixu’s soul.

It had absorbed Bai Zhuixu’s soul and, influenced by him, created an illusory realm of his memories. Yan Chaosheng entered the Primordial Mirror to find a familiar scene before his eyes—unmistakably the immortal palace of Kung Sang.

The Primordial Mirror, wanting to devour Bai Zhuixu, had created the warmest memories of his life.

Yan Chaosheng walked into the palace and heard a girl’s clear voice reading.

“The so-called immortal path lies in firm determination and sincere thoughts…”

Bai Zhuixu was reading behind her, smiling as he reminded her, “Young Lady, you read the character wrong. The eighth character in the third row is pronounced ‘zang’.”

She obediently acknowledged.

After a while, Bai Zhuixu sighed: “Young Lady, you’ve made another mistake. It’s ‘pi’, as in pixiu, an ancient auspicious beast.”

Yan Chaosheng frowned, but before he could do anything, the scene changed again.

Walking around the corner, he heard two girls arguing. He looked up.

A girl in white bit her lip: “I told you it wasn’t intentional.” It was Mi Chu.

Crouching on the ground, gathering flower petals, was a girl much smaller than Mi Chu. With reddened eyes, she looked up defiantly: “Just saying it wasn’t intentional makes everything fine? You knew that was my garden, and this was my ice jade epiphyllum. Why did you pick it?”

Mi Chu said: “I… I just thought it looked nice. Young Lady, you have so many treasures, it’s just a flower. If you’re still angry, I can compensate you at most.”

“Compensate?” The girl stood up. She appeared to be about eight or nine years old, her hair tied in two cute buns with blue ribbons, her eyes wide and round. “Can you give me a replica?”

Mi Chu frowned, looking pitiful: “Why is the Young Lady making things difficult? Mi Chu has already apologized. Does the Young Lady want Mi Chu to apologize with death?”

The already angry girl became even angrier. She stepped forward and pushed her: “Why are you crying? I’m not crying. When did I ask you to apologize with death? From now on, you… You are never allowed in my garden again!”

Little did she know that the next moment, a hand gripped the little girl’s wrist, pulling her away. A youth in green clothes stood in front of Mi Chu.

“What are you doing?” Bai Yuxiao angrily said. “Bullying Mi Chu again? Taking advantage of her good temperament to do whatever you want?”

Mi Chu tugged at Bai Yuxiao’s clothes, saying softly: “I provoked the Young Lady’s displeasure first.”

Bai Yuxiao said, “You don’t need to make excuses for her.”

He turned his head and snorted coldly: “If you have the ability, then fight with me.”

Little Liu Shuang glared at them angrily, unable to suppress her indignation, and began to fight with Bai Yuxiao. Her movements were clumsy, and she was young, no match for Bai Yuxiao at all. Even though Bai Yuxiao wasn’t using immortal techniques, she was thoroughly outmatched.

Worse still, Bai Yuxiao mocked her: “With just this little ability, you dare to bully others.”

Yan Chaosheng keenly observed the little girl’s reddened eyes, holding back tears as she gritted her teeth: “When I grow up, I’ll beat all of you down.”

The tone was arrogant, but the voice was that of a soft little girl, creating an unexpectedly amusing effect.

Just as Bai Yuxiao was about to pinch her face, the master of this illusion appeared, standing in front of Liu Shuang, saying unequivocally: “Yuxiao, don’t bully her.”

Bai Yuxiao snorted.

Bai Zhuixu turned around and offered his hand: “Come, Young Lady, I’ll take you back.”

The little girl with reddened eyes, as if seeing her protector, grasped his warm, large palm.

Yan Chaosheng’s Burial of Heaven remained motionless.

He was silent, never expecting that in the Primordial Mirror, the warmest existence for Bai Zhuixu was Liu Shuang—their childhood friendship, innocent and pure.

Yan Chaosheng followed, hearing muffled crying from the bedchamber. Liu Shuang sobbed as she held out flower petals, telling Bai Zhuixu, “The ice jade epiphyllum is gone. I grew it for Mother to treat her injuries. It was almost ready. Mi Chu picked it, wuwuwu…”

Bai Zhuixu patted her head, saying gently, “Young Lady, don’t cry. Mi Chu surely didn’t mean it.”

The little girl leaned against his shoulder, crying for a while. Seemingly persuaded by Bai Zhuixu, her mind not working at full capacity, she eventually rubbed her eyes and said shamefully: “Earlier today, I… I shouldn’t have pushed her.”

Bai Zhuixu smiled and said, “It’s alright. I know the Young Lady didn’t mean it either, you were just too upset at the time.”

She nodded seriously.

“Young Lady, sleep. I’ll stay with you. I’ll leave after you fall asleep.”

The little girl lay down beside him. Only after Liu Shuang fell asleep did Bai Zhuixu get up to leave.

As soon as Bai Zhuixu left, the scene changed instantly. This time it was at Nine Thoughts Pond. The little girl had grown considerably, looking like a half-grown young lady.

Tears streaked her cheeks as Bai Zhuixu sat cross-legged on the lotus platform, gently patting her back.

Young Liu Shuang said, “I’m sorry, Brother Zhuixu. I always cause you to be punished, and now I’ve caused you to be confined here with me.”

Bai Zhuixu looked down with a smile, saying kindly, “It’s alright.”

“Does your body hurt?” She immediately wanted to check his wounds.

Bai Zhuixu stopped her: “It doesn’t hurt. It hasn’t hurt for a long time.”

She lowered her head: “You’re lying to me. How could being beaten not hurt? It’s all my fault for stealing the Heavenly Thunder Banner, which caused you to be injured.”

He patted her little head, saying helplessly, “It doesn’t hurt. I’m an immortal lord after all, how could I not withstand a few strikes? But, Young Lady, how could you use the Heavenly Thunder Banner to strike yourself? Let me see how serious your injuries are.”

She pulled up her sleeve.

When she was being beaten earlier, her father was furious about her mischief, damaging the only spiritual spring in the immortal realm. Other immortals also thought the Young Lady was incompetent. No one cared whether she was in pain.

Only Bai Zhuixu, his fingers brushing over her blackened little hand, treating her wound, said softly: “It’s alright, I’m here. It doesn’t hurt anymore.”

As if finally finding a relative, she could no longer hold back and “wah!” buried herself in his embrace.

He patiently held the half-grown child in his arms, allowing her tears to soak his clothes.

After a long while, he took out pastries from his pocket for her to eat.

“How do you still carry these around?” she sobbed.

Bai Zhuixu smiled and said, “Eat up.”

Fireflies flew across the sky. As she nibbled on the pastry, she gradually forgot her sadness and pain.

Yan Chaosheng’s fingers tightened around Burial of Heaven several times, only to relax again.

In Bai Zhuixu’s warm memories, those related to Liu Shuang were too numerous. He was a gentle person, even approaching matters with a pristine attitude. Yet this same person was so unyielding that he would rather die with a magical artifact than surrender it to the demon race.

However, Bai Zhuixu shouldn’t have sacrificed himself for the Primordial Mirror. The demon race must obtain the Primordial Mirror. If Bai Zhuixu didn’t die today, thousands upon thousands of demons would.

Cold determination filled Yan Chaosheng’s eyes. Burial of Heaven hummed, gathering power. Finally, at the moment when Bai Zhuixu was practicing martial arts with Bai Yuxiao, Yan Chaosheng’s Burial of Heaven pierced through Bai Zhuixu’s body.

The pure, unblemished soul gradually dispersed, like a snowfall. The Primordial Mirror, having lost the confining soul and with no one using it, shattered its illusion and fell from the sky.

In life, Bai Zhuixu was so gentle as to lack presence; in death, he was but a snowfall in the vast universe, eventually returning to silence. The gentle immortal lord, even in death, was a patch of pure white.

Yan Chaosheng landed and raised his hand to catch the falling Primordial Mirror.

Cong Xia joyfully came to welcome him: “Congratulations, Mountain Master, on obtaining the Primordial Mirror.”

Fu Hang also breathed a sigh of relief; at least the demon mountain was saved.

Yan Chaosheng put away the halberd and the Primordial Mirror, remaining silent for a long time, with little joy in his eyes. He turned around, and upon seeing the arrival of someone, his footsteps suddenly halted.

Cong Xia, following him, nearly bumped into his back.

She looked up to see a young woman sitting on the demon bird, her shoulders covered in heavy snow. She reached out, stunned, catching the snowflakes falling from the sky.

Yan Chaosheng pressed his lips tightly together, his fingers clenching.

Cong Xia glared at the demon bird, not understanding why it had brought this immortal lady here! Whose side was this creature on?

Liu Shuang stumbled toward Yan Chaosheng. Looking at the snowflakes filling the sky, her voice was strained, her body trembling slightly: “Bai Zhuixu, he… he’s dead?”

Yan Chaosheng replied coldly: “Yes.”

“You killed him?”

Yan Chaosheng was silent for a moment: “I killed him.”

She didn’t speak for a long while, her body trembling severely. The snow fell gently on the young woman’s black hair, just like that gentle hand that had pulled her up time and again, telling her not to cry.

Yan Chaosheng’s gaze swept across her face, his voice hoarse: “So, does the Immortal Lady wish to avenge the Immortal Lord and kill me?”

She suddenly clutched her chest tightly. Bai Zhuixu’s death made her hate someone for the first time, to such an extent.

Yan Chaosheng’s fist tightened beneath his sleeve. Not wanting to watch anymore, seeing her motionless, he summoned the demon bird with his spiritual consciousness, preparing to leave.

Between them, if they weren’t going to fight, there was nothing to say. He had indeed killed Bai Zhuixu. In her eyes, he was now unforgivably evil.

Cong Xia quietly encouraged Yan Chaosheng: “Mountain Master, shouldn’t we capture her? With war imminent, having one more person in hand always gives us more leverage.”

She thought the Mountain Master would be tempted by this good plan, but unexpectedly, he remained unmoved: “Let’s go.”

Cong Xia looked back, somewhat reluctantly, at the immortal lady. Unexpectedly, she saw her cough up a mouthful of blood, her body softly collapsing.

She had only just solidified her body, yet Bai Zhuixu’s death had caused her such grief.

Just as Cong Xia was about to say this was a good opportunity, she saw the Mountain Master’s figure, in the next instant, appear before the immortal lady, supporting her.

Cong Xia had never seen his expression so grave and awful. He picked her up horizontally and hurriedly walked toward the demon mountain.

Cong Xia’s face changed, finally realizing something was amiss. When she had volunteered to capture Liu Shuang, she hadn’t meant this kind of “capture.” Who would have thought she’d be carried back by the Mountain Master!