Xiang Su woke early. After several decades of cultivation, she could now manage without worrying about eating, drinking, and other bodily needs. However, she couldn’t understand Junshang—he treated eating as a complete burden, while she still considered it a pleasure.
Opening the window, Xiang Su saw Leifeng Pagoda in the distance. This was actually Hangzhou? In last night’s darkness she couldn’t discern the direction, but today she suddenly had a feeling of destiny.
The sky was overcast, as if about to rain. Xiang Su closed her eyes, listening to the voices from the marketplace. When she opened them again, pedestrians of all ages and appearances still wove through the streets as before. The companion by her side was different, yet the landscape remained the same old appearance.
Yanji rose very late. By the time they left the inn together, it was already close to noon.
Concealing their appearances, the two walked along the street. At this moment, the sky began drizzling with rain. The people around them all raised umbrellas. Xiang Su, who had been walking silently ahead, seemed rather distant from him. “Where exactly are we going?” he asked somewhat impatiently. The fine rain dampened her long hair, yet her dress and skirt still fluttered elegantly as before, making her figure appear even more slender and lonely. “I’m hungry!” Yanji’s tone was unpleasant. The inn had food—why did she insist on going farther when they could eat nearby? It was just entering summer, and even light rain was still chilly.
Xiang Su looked up at the signboard of a shop by the street, saying uncertainly: “This should be the place.”
Yanji also examined it following her gaze. This should be an old established shop—the storefront was aged, with few customers, clearly in decline. “Here?” He fastidiously furrowed his brow. “Let’s go somewhere else!”
Xiang Su, who always indulged him in every way, this time seemed not to hear, walking into the dimly lit shop on her own. An old man sat at the counter coughing. Seeing customers, he called his grandson to attend to them. The youth clearly wasn’t accustomed to waiting tables yet—when swinging his cloth, he nearly hit Xiang Su’s face. Yanji clicked his tongue, even more dissatisfied. Yet Xiang Su stubbornly headed upstairs. The young server ushered her into the first private room by the staircase entrance. Xiang Su shook her head, raising her hand to point next door. “Can we sit in that room?”
The young server nodded repeatedly, making small talk: “Have you been here before, guest?” Grandfather’s old shop really had few customers unless they came out of nostalgia.
Xiang Su walked into that private room. The window happened to be open, with West Lake in the fine rain still visible outside. The room no longer possessed its former exquisite beauty, yet still vaguely bore traces of the past—dim and shadowy, just like her memories of this place. She seemed to recall every detail of that day, and imitating Junshang’s tone came quite easily: “Bring all your specialty dishes, and a jar of your best wine.”
Yanji didn’t throw another tantrum, only furrowed his brow and carefully observed her expression. Hearing her order wine was quite unexpected.
Since there weren’t many customers, the food and wine came quickly. Yanji reluctantly tasted everything one by one, finally understanding the reason for this shop’s decline.
Xiang Su didn’t touch her chopsticks, staring wide-eyed at that jar of wine. When Yanji turned his head, he saw this and nearly laughed aloud. And she always boasted about being a master, an old lady? In the gloomy light, her eyes seemed tinged with the clarity of rain, exceptionally clear and dark. When spacing out, she revealed an innocent and adorable appearance like a kitten. Three hundred fifty years old… truly the infant age of the immortal realm.
“Want to drink?” he asked teasingly. She and wine really didn’t match at all.
“Mm.” When Xiang Su spoke, her mind had clearly wandered off somewhere. Yanji poured her half a cup and watched as she dazedly raised it to her lips and took a sip.
In fifty years, she’d never drunk wine again, only remembering it tasted bad. Besides the usual harsh bite, this time she tasted a faint bitterness. The discomfort on her lips and tongue and the dizzy feeling—this was the taste of waiting she’d been unable to describe for years!
Fifty years ago, Junshang said she didn’t understand wine… but now, she’d rather she still didn’t understand.
She wanted to take another sip, but Yanji stopped her. “Alright, let’s go.” His voice, compared to yesterday’s arrogance and rudeness, seemed to have suddenly matured today, speaking with steady, dignified tones.
Xiang Su nodded, paid the bill, and walked out of the shop. She hadn’t expected herself to say: “I want to take a boat.”
The rebellious youth who always infuriated her to the point of spitting blood suddenly showed obedience this time, without a single complaint, docilely going to the lakeside to hire a boat.
Standing at the bow looking around quietly, Xiang Su even suspected she might see Elder Sister Qingsui and Yuanhou Dijun waving at her. The lake scenery hadn’t changed at all, just as it was that day. An umbrella silently sheltered her head. Xiang Su turned around in a daze and saw the young Yanji, obviously somewhat bashful yet feigning indifference.
“Who is he?” Yanji suddenly asked. “That person you’ve been thinking about all day.”
Xiang Su didn’t answer. To Yanji, Shenghuan Dijun might be just a legend buried in the years, but not to her. She didn’t want to tell him about Junshang.
“Xiang Su…”
Xiang Su trembled, looking up in astonishment at Yanji under the umbrella. His eyes held the unique wildness and naivety of youth. He seemed displeased, yet deep in those bright, clear pupils was a trace of shyness. She wished she hadn’t understood this look. Fifty years ago, she had looked at Junshang this way. At the time she didn’t understand—her heart was full of complaints about him, but now she understood… that was the beginning of everything.
“Yanji.” She looked at him. “My magical arts aren’t good. I can’t teach you much. Let me send you to apprentice with a good master.”
Hearing this, Yanji sneered and quirked his mouth, treating her words as a joke again. But Xiang Su was very serious. Young Yanji might not yet understand that meeting someone you’re infatuated with too early isn’t a kind of fortune. Meeting them when you don’t understand love at all, then after missing the chance, finally understanding—that kind of regret is simply cruel.
Perhaps she’d misread it, perhaps she was being presumptuous, but she didn’t want another youth to be like her. She couldn’t let Yanji take that risk.
“I never expected to learn anything from you anyway.” Yanji’s mocking tone didn’t change, but his eyes showed some wounded emotion.
“Yanji, how old are you this year?” Xiang Su asked, looking into his eyes.
“Seventeen, why?” He thought she was going to compare ages again, saying she was an elder and he should obey.
“In fifty years, you’ll be an old man, but I’ll still be this young. In another fifty years, I won’t have aged, but you’ll already be dead.”
Yanji fell silent at once. He understood Xiang Su’s meaning.
“Come with me to find a master. At least you need to have a lifespan as long as mine.” Xiang Su smiled, her heart bitter. She’d once thought that possessing an eternal lifespan like Junshang’s would allow them to be together forever, but actually nothing compared to fate and destiny.
Yanji didn’t refuse again. He wanted to say learning from her would be fine too… but ultimately still didn’t speak those words.
Xiang Su brought Yanji to Lingze Mountain. After Elder Sister Qingsui went out wandering, Bai Zhicao had opened a school here specifically to guide little wood spirits in their cultivation.
When Xiang Su stepped into Yize Hall, Bai Zhicao was sternly teaching the little wood spirits to read characters. His appearance as a teacher made Xiang Su want to laugh.
“Su Bing!” Seeing Xiang Su, Bai Zhicao dramatically dropped his book and hurried over to grasp her hands. “Where have you been these fifty years?”
It had been so long since anyone called her this that it actually made her feel sad.
“I’ve brought you a disciple.” Fearing she might cry, Xiang Su quickly turned to pull the pouting Yanji forward and introduced him to Bai Zhicao.
Bai Zhicao’s eyes were still red, but after glancing at Yanji, he wasn’t satisfied. “I don’t accept mortals.”
Yanji laughed coldly. “Perfect, I didn’t want to study here anyway!” With that, he swept his sleeve and left.
Xiang Su made a pleading gesture to Bai Zhicao with a pained expression. Bai Zhicao shook his head—he knew that with such a bad-tempered child, Xiang Su couldn’t handle it. Someone with rich experience like him needed to step in.
He smugly threw Xiang Su a meaningful look, then deliberately said in a loud voice: “If you want to study, I may not even accept you. To enter my Yize Hall, you must pass three trials at minimum. Mediocre talents should find a dignified excuse to leave.”
Hearing this, Yanji indeed returned indignantly. “Fine, I’ll pass these three trials and then leave!”
Xiang Su breathed a sigh of relief. Bai Zhicao truly was natural teacher material, using the provocation method on children to perfection. When making an excuse to leave, Xiang Su really felt like she’d found a good nanny for her child—her whole being felt light and airy.
Not knowing where to wander, her spiritual threads between her brows sensed something—it was Jin Zhan! Had he emerged from seclusion? Xiang Su changed direction and headed straight for Yintai Mountain. The communication gardenia seed he’d left was perfectly timed.
Arriving outside the Narcissus Tomb, Xiang Su searched all around but saw no trace of Jin Zhan. The large stone at the cave entrance showed no signs of having been opened. Was Jin Zhan toying with her?
“Hey! Narcissus! Are you better or not?” She shouted at the stone, very dissatisfied. Though she was quite idle, she shouldn’t be played for a fool like this!
From inside the heavy stone door came a very arrogant-sounding instruction: “Wait.”
Xiang Su was immediately impressed. Narcissus was indeed narcissus—this temperament would never change in ten thousand years! She could imagine him inside the cave leisurely grooming and dressing himself, yet he had to call her early to wait outside the cave for him to emerge in all his glory.
After waiting a long time, Xiang Su grew restless again. After all, he was a male immortal, and hadn’t his magical power supposedly advanced tremendously? It couldn’t possibly take this long to dress up, right? Couldn’t he just transform his appearance!
Just as she was about to urge him again, there came another phoenix cry overhead. Xiang Su wondered if Chilin had also moved to Yintai Mountain—every time she came, the phoenix chased after her squawking!
Unexpectedly, this time it wasn’t just the phoenix—Chilin came in person.
“Are you Jin Zhan’s neighbor or something?” Xiang Su had to ask.
But Chilin didn’t speak, looking at Xiang Su expressionlessly, making her hair stand on end. “What’s wrong with you?” Even the day Junshang fell into the Abyss River, Chilin hadn’t had such a ghostly, eerie expression.
“Dong Tianyun is returning.” Chilin abruptly dropped this statement.
Xiang Su looked at her, not reacting for a long time. She’d waited too long, and receiving the news was too sudden—she was completely stunned. After quite a while she asked: “How do you know?” She was connected to Junshang by blood—she couldn’t sense it, so how would Chilin know?
Chilin was unnaturally calm, giving people an eerie feeling. From her sleeve she took out a hairpin made of some unknown metal, pitch-black and lusterless, very unremarkable.
“That day above the Abyss River, when I grabbed the corner of his robe, I unintentionally obtained this. It should be made from leftover materials used in sword forging.” Chilin’s makeup was elaborate. As she narrated lightly, her eyes and brows became even more coldly beautiful and bewitching. Xiang Su watched somewhat entranced. “It sensed unusual movement from Guwen. In the Three Realms, only he can wield Guwen.”
Xiang Su didn’t smile. “You want to kill me?”
She finally understood the ghostly aura in Chilin’s eyes—it was actually killing intent.
“You cannot kill me.” Xiang Su raised her chin, but her voice couldn’t help trembling slightly. Against Chilin who had already inherited the Fire Spirit divine artifact Haotian Pagoda, she had no means of resistance left. “If Junshang finds out, he’ll hate you, he’ll kill you for revenge! You’ll have even less chance then.”
Chilin smiled faintly. This indifferent, cold smile completely shocked Xiang Su. The former Chilin had been proud and domineering, ruthless in her actions, yet Xiang Su had never truly feared her. But now she inspired bone-deep terror. In these fifty years, she’d become too unfamiliar. Xiang Su felt the Chilin before her truly was the Dijun of the Fire Spirit realm—not because of her luxurious attire, but because of her cold, hardened heart.
“How would he know?” Chilin smiled arrogantly. “I’ve already checked within a hundred-li radius—besides you and me, there are no other living beings.”
Xiang Su frowned. With Chilin’s current cultivation level and the assistance of Haotian Pagoda, how could she possibly not have detected Jin Zhan behind just a stone door?
“Xiang Su, I told you long ago—you won’t continue being so fortunate.” Chilin’s smile revealed a trace of bitterness. “When I previously probed your primordial spirit, I left behind a spark of red flame, so I can find you anytime. Then I unintentionally obtained this hairpin and sensed Dong Tianyun’s movements. Missing him forever—perhaps that is your fate!”
Xiang Su knew today offered absolutely no chance of survival. Even if Jin Zhan burst through the door, he still couldn’t resist Haotian Pagoda’s power. She rather hoped he would absolutely restrain himself from coming out—Chilin wouldn’t leave anyone alive.
“Do you regret it? Missing him by just that little bit?” Chilin felt the resentment she’d harbored for years finally being released.
Xiang Su thought for a moment and shook her head. “Compared to other wood spirits, my life has been as short as a blink, but… I met him, and I understood…” She sweetly pressed her lips together. Her love with Junshang was her most precious treasure—she didn’t even want to speak of it to Chilin. “Even without a long lifespan, I still think it was worth it.”
Chilin’s face became deathly pale. Her originally coldly beautiful features became twisted and fierce. “Good! Very good! Then I’ll send you off without regret!”
“I have only one request!” Xiang Su said urgently, because Chilin had already activated Haotian Pagoda.
Chilin hoped she would beg abjectly for mercy. In the life of Chiying Dijun, there was only this one humiliating matter. Now with Xiang Su’s disappearance, it could be avenged. She hoped Xiang Su would die as lowly and miserably as possible.
“You must think of a reason that won’t make him too heartbroken.” Xiang Su’s voice finally caught with emotion. Absolutely don’t say that back then she followed him like the Kunpeng—that feeling of debt truly pierced to the bone. And don’t fabricate some random cause of death that would make him think she didn’t cherish life, didn’t cherish the chance to reunite with him… It was truly laughable—she hadn’t spoken any of these words aloud, yet she believed Chilin understood everything.
As long as she truly liked Junshang, she would understand it all.
“Enough!” Chilin’s face paled further. The satisfying emotion suddenly couldn’t suppress the guilt. “Go then!” She activated Haotian Pagoda. Xiang Su squeezed her eyes tightly shut as her whole body instantly plunged into a fiery purgatory.
Her tears were dried before they could even fall.
She’d been stubborn in front of Chilin again—how could she not regret, not feel sad? She wanted to see Junshang once more. She wanted to spend a lifetime with him!
The meaning of the ritual was indeed a lie… Though she hoped Junshang wouldn’t grieve over her departure, she also wished he could remember her for a lifetime. Even if Chilin ultimately succeeded, Junshang… must absolutely never forget her.