Chilin’s crimson robes stood out starkly against the lifeless shores of the Abyss River, like a peony blooming oddly in the desert. Xiang Su spotted her from the clouds from a great distance, and even after landing behind her, Chilin still didn’t turn around. Xiang Su felt she was imitating Junshang, and had to admit the imitation was quite good.

The wind by the river billowed her wide sleeves, and the hem of her skirt embroidered with phoenix patterns fluttered slightly, the golden designs flashing with luxurious starlight under the sun. Xiang Su stood there stunned. With the misty Abyss River before her, Chilin’s figure was no less magnificent—calm and solitary, as if she’d already been a Dijun for hundreds of years, without a trace of the petulant waywardness she’d shown before when Junshang had irritated her to the point of stamping her feet.

“Chilin?” Xiang Su was somewhat uncertain, calling out to her tentatively.

Only then did Chilin slowly turn around. She wore a five-phoenix golden crown, with fine and evenly-sized golden beads resembling ceremonial tassels hanging down from the phoenix beaks, hazily veiling half her face. Far from obscuring her features, this only made the red serpent flower ornament between her brows more soul-stealing, while red霞 flying霞 adorned the corners of her eyes, making her pupils seem darker and her eyes more alluring.

Though Xiang Su didn’t like her, she’d always acknowledged her beauty. Now with such luxurious adornments, she was even more striking than before.

“Who is he?” Chilin’s beautiful, magnificent eyes looked at Yanji behind Xiang Su.

Xiang Su turned to look at him. Yanji’s face was pale—clearly he couldn’t quite withstand the spiritual energy of the Abyss River. Her heart suddenly felt a bit pleased; this domineering brat was finally getting his comeuppance.

“Well… he… let’s just say he’s my disciple.” Xiang Su hadn’t expected Chilin’s first words would be about this, so she answered casually. This could be considered one of Yanji’s talents—always making people unable to ignore him.

Chilin mockingly quirked the corner of her mouth, then turned back to gaze at the vast waters of the Abyss River.

Yanji’s lips moved, his rebuttal to Xiang Su’s words already at his lips. Chilin’s disdainful expression made him furrow his brow. Without looking, he knew Xiang Su must have pretended not to notice the red-robed woman’s attitude. Earlier on the clouds, he’d noticed that Xiang Su had been completely intimidated by this red-robed woman’s imposing manner.

Xiang Su glanced at him with secret approval for not exposing her on the spot, showing an elder’s affirmation. Yanji felt the impulse to say a few words that would make her lose all face in front of the red-robed woman.

“I…” Chilin began, as if suddenly lost in thought. Xiang Su looked at her back, sincerely hoping she would say “I’m getting married.” “I’ve already become the Chiying Dijun.” Xiang Su didn’t respond, feeling that she was confiding to Junshang at the bottom of the river. “Father cultivated excessively and passed away as an immortal. It was so sudden… I never imagined I would become the Fire-Governing Dijun so early. You and I… we’re both among the Five Elements Dijun now…” Her voice dropped lower—perhaps she was crying.

Xiang Su’s heart felt both sour and bitter. Fortunately, she hadn’t foolishly responded to Chilin earlier, or Yanji would surely have mocked her to death. Chilin said she and Junshang were both Five Elements Dijun—they were on the same level now. By comparison, she’d spent fifty years wandering east and west. Though she’d made progress, she had neither Jin Zhan’s determination nor Chilin’s glory—truly accomplishing nothing…

For the first time in all these years, Xiang Su faced her own true nature. When Junshang returned, between the dazzling Chiying Dijun and the bedraggled little flower spirit… could he still choose as before?

Just then, Chilin swiftly turned around, looking at her with authority. Only then did Xiang Su notice that her left hand held a delicate, exquisite small pagoda. “You should find someone to marry.”

“Huh?” Xiang Su raised an eyebrow. Had Chilin’s magical power advanced to the point where she could see into hearts? Wasn’t this exactly what she’d just been hoping Chilin would say? Now she’d thrown it back at her.

“Even if Dong Tianyun returns, he won’t choose you!”

Xiang Su looked at her guardedly. It was over—was Chilin really this formidable now? She knew everything she was thinking.

“My master’s affairs are none of your business.” The previously silent Yanji suddenly delivered this sharp retort.

Xiang Su now truly understood how that old Daoist on Chiluo Mountain felt—having such a “disciple” was truly heart-stopping.

“Oh?” Hearing this, Chilin raised an eyebrow, seeming somewhat displeased, yet looking intensely alluring—even Yanji was momentarily stunned watching her.

Xiang Su’s heart felt very uncomfortable. How old was this brat anyway, already stirred by beauty!

“Is that so? I don’t think so.” Chilin lightly tossed the Haotian Pagoda in her hand, revealing some of that bad girl’s true colors from years ago.

“Chilin.” Xiang Su looked at her coldly. Compared to Chilin’s red robes and golden crown, Xiang Su’s light green dress and skirt showed a different kind of elegant simplicity—her slender waist that could be grasped in one hand, her half-loose dark hair, naturally alluring bones concealed beneath simple adornments, even more captivating to the heart and soul.

Chilin’s beauty was flamboyant and magnificent, but Xiang Su was like a thorough enchantress—ethereal and delicate, a demonic creature born specifically to bewitch hearts.

“Though I’ve always wanted to live to wait for Junshang’s return, I’m not particularly afraid of death either.”

When Xiang Su said this so plainly, it carried a sense of carefree resolution that instead made Chilin furrow her brow slightly, unable to speak for quite a while. Xiang Su suddenly had a realization—Chilin actually had a rather clumsy tongue. At least compared to sharp-tongued people like Jin Zhan and Yanji, she was completely not on the same level.

“Hmph!” Chilin snorted coldly. Was this acting tough because she’d run out of words? She swept her red-and-gold wide sleeve. Xiang Su wasn’t afraid of her at all. “In any case, worldly matters won’t always go according to your wishes! You… won’t always be so fortunate!” Having delivered her lecture, Chilin summoned Jingyu and departed with imposing grandeur.

“What you just said wasn’t bad.” After Chilin had completely disappeared, Yanji reluctantly praised Xiang Su.

Xiang Su remained expressionless. “The Haotian Pagoda she’s holding is my nemesis. With that thing, I’m completely no match for her. I could only say some harsh words to feel better.” Mainly, she knew Chilin didn’t truly want to kill her. With Chilin’s temperament of believing every wind was rain, if she really wanted to burn her to ashes, would she still bother with threatening words? She’d have attacked already.

Yanji looked at her with an expression like he’d swallowed a fly, deeply regretting praising her just now.

“Little disciple, let’s establish our own sect right here.” Xiang Su’s mood suddenly turned very bad, probably from being compared to Chilin. If she couldn’t bully the Fire-Governing Dijun, couldn’t she bully this mortal child who’d just begun cultivating? In her past life, it was only because she was inside the barrier and her magical power was suppressed that this bear-child rode on her neck. Now the situation was different!

Yanji wasn’t angry either, looking at her calmly. “You actually took it seriously? Earlier I was just trying to save you some face in front of that beauty. It seems good deeds go unrewarded. I took pity on you for not being as beautiful as her, not having as high a status as her, so I forced myself not to expose the truth…”

Xiang Su’s emotions, which had been calm for decades, had been subjected to tremendous provocation by Yanji this day, nearly breaking several times. “Did you take a fancy to her?” She domineeringly interrupted Yanji’s continued praise of Chilin. “Stop dreaming! In her eyes, you’re just an ant!”

Yanji’s expression changed. He turned, summoned his long sword, and departed on it.

“Hey!” Xiang Su called out to him with a pained expression. Yanji didn’t look back. Watching his increasingly small figure, Xiang Su felt she might be experiencing some fear. For such a long time, waiting for Junshang’s return had increasingly become an excuse. Actually, she hadn’t been exaggerating—though she was unwilling to die, she truly lived without interest.

Jin Zhan was in seclusion, Elder Sister Qingsui was persistently searching everywhere for the lost Wood Spirit divine artifact, Yuanhou Dijun hadn’t appeared in a long time either. Though Little Yan always made her angry, she didn’t know when she’d actually started to depend on him—depend on his companionship. Perhaps it had already begun in Hewan Town in her past life.

Xiang Su dejectedly summoned her cloud. Indeed, she’d said hurtful words. Having seen such a radiant Chilin, her heart was in chaos, which is why she’d said such words to the always-proud Little Yan. She quickly caught up with Yanji. After all, Yanji’s magical arts were still very ordinary. But this didn’t prevent him from looking down on Xiang Su.

“Little Yan, just now… just now…” Xiang Su felt very deflated. In her past life, she had no magic and was bullied by Little Yan. In this life, she was the master—how was she still doing so poorly? “I was wrong.” She squeezed the words out through clenched teeth, unwillingly.

Yanji acted as if he hadn’t heard, the long headband that bound a cultivator’s hair even fluttering into Xiang Su’s face, momentarily blinding her eyes.

Xiang Su rubbed her eyes. “I apologized! You’re a junior—don’t be so excessive!”

Hearing this, Yanji’s face darkened and he urged his sword to fly faster. Xiang Su flew to his left for a while, then to his right. Yanji’s face paled with anger. Had she learned to provoke too?

“Little Yan.” Xiang Su leisurely stood on her cloud, tilting her head with a fox-spirit smile. “If you stop being angry, this old lady will teach you cloud-riding.” With Yanji’s expression like this, she really didn’t dare call herself master anymore. That left only “old lady” as the most status-elevating option.

Yanji squinted at her, then suddenly began falling toward the ground. Xiang Su had no choice but to chase after him, calling without any elder dignity: “Wait for me.”

Yanji chose to land by a small stream in the mountains. When Xiang Su followed, her eyes and brows became somewhat smug. See? He still wanted to learn cloud-riding, right?

“I’m hungry.” Yanji swept his Daoist robe and sat down. Though young, he seemed quite practiced at acting cool.

“Oh, oh.” Xiang Su immediately changed from her previous arrogant expression, looking around in confusion. “What’s there to eat? Grilled fish?”

“Mm.” Yanji nodded graciously. Seeing Xiang Su act as if she’d received an imperial edict, she immediately picked up a tree branch, transformed it into a fishing net, and diligently caught fish by the stream. Yanji watched her somewhat speechlessly. This idiot apparently hadn’t considered that she could refuse. Didn’t she boast about being an elder?

Xiang Su turned the fish skewered on branches, roasting until fragrant, and picked out a larger one to hand to Yanji. Yanji tore off a strip, tasted it, and showed a satisfied expression.

“Delicious, right?” This time Xiang Su was truly pleased. Over these years of drifting everywhere, she really had practiced good culinary skills.

Though Yanji ate elegantly, he ate quickly. Xiang Su watched from the side, remembering him in Hewan Town—his eating manner hadn’t really changed.

“Why are you staring at me like that?” Yanji glared at her.

Xiang Su understood his confusion. To him, she was just a stranger he’d known for one day, unaware that they had so many memories from a past life.

“The incantation for cloud-riding?” He asked coldly, not like a student seeking instruction, but more like a master testing a student.

Xiang Su swallowed her anger and told him, watching with delight as he immediately succeeded in summoning a small cloud. In terms of natural talent, Little Yan truly was no ordinary person. Regarding the mysteries surrounding him, though Xiang Su was curious, she had no intention of investigating. To her, what he’d been in the past wasn’t important, just as he couldn’t remember her from the past life either.

Whether human or immortal, only the present was real. No matter how good the past was, it was only memory. Sometimes when she stayed overnight in the wilderness, lying on cold grass and gazing at the vast boundless starry sky, she felt especially lonely and sad. She’d thought that if she’d never encountered the handsome Dijun seated on the Kunpeng, the current her might still be an ignorant little wood spirit, diligently pursuing insignificant things and finding satisfaction—which actually wouldn’t have been so bad.

“Do you owe me something?” Having satisfactorily dismissed his cloud, Yanji glanced ungratefully at the contemplative Xiang Su.

“Huh?” Xiang Su snapped awake, looking at his arrogant face. Inwardly she thought, yes, truly owed from the past life. Because of her hesitation, he’d died wrongly at a young age. But she absolutely couldn’t tell him, or he’d become even more excessive!

“It’s getting dark. I’m tired.” Young Master Yanji announced.

“Oh, I’ll build up the fire.” Xiang Su added firewood.

“I’m a mortal—how can I be like you people, sleeping anywhere in the wilderness?” Young Master Yanji expressed strong dissatisfaction.

“Then let’s go into town.” Xiang Su resignedly agreed. Now he remembered he was mortal.

While slowly traveling on the clouds, Yanji benevolently patted the head of Xiang Su, who only reached his shoulder. “Being a creditor feels pretty good.”

Xiang Su angrily swatted his hand away, rebuking: “Don’t be so disrespectful!” She was beginning to suspect whether he’d remembered something.

By the time darkness fell, they took advantage of the night to descend from their clouds. Not knowing which large city this was, Yanji chose the biggest inn to stay at. Watching him enter the superior room, Xiang Su also felt herself quite pathetic. “Sleep well,” she unconsciously instructed.

Lying in the room next to Yanji’s, with her current level of cultivation, she could very clearly hear his steady breathing.

Treating him this way—perhaps it truly was a debt from the past life, or perhaps… Xiang Su felt her eyes burning, her heart stinging with pain too.

In many moments, she simply thought of Junshang and herself back then. However… she smiled bitterly through tears—she was much more grateful and reciprocating than Yanji.