Qi Nan felt somewhat unwilling to accept this. He always felt that Baize Dijun shouldn’t have deteriorated to the point of senility. His habit of making disciples run errands was probably meant to broaden their horizons—there must be some deeper meaning.

Suddenly catching sight of a letter tucked inside the volume in the princess’s hands, he couldn’t help but ask curiously: “What’s this?”

“An assignment from Master.” Xuan Yi pushed the envelope toward him.

Qi Nan examined it carefully and exclaimed in alarm: “Your Highness! There are less than ten days left for this assignment! Why haven’t you started working on it?”

The princess replied absentmindedly: “Because it looks very troublesome.”

Baize Dijun had accidentally lost a pearl necklace by the Wu River in the lower realm. Not only did he not search for it himself, but he had dragged his feet for twenty thousand years before finally asking these disciples of his to go down to the lower realm to find it. Last time when they had to request hair from Feilian Shenjun, at least it was within the divine realm. This time he was actually making her run down to the lower realm—he really was treating them like servants!

Qi Nan urged anxiously: “But… this is an assignment! How can Your Highness not do it? Doesn’t it say right here that you must descend to the lower realm through the Mirror of All Living Beings? This trip would be perfect for Your Highness to broaden your horizons and experience the conditions of all living beings in the lower realm. It’s better than lazing around in the Purple Manor every day, isn’t it?”

Xuan Yi simply closed the volume: “Qi Nan, can I not peacefully read in my own Purple Manor anymore?”

Qi Nan refused to budge an inch: “Since Your Highness has already become Baize Dijun’s disciple, you should observe the rules of discipleship. How can you neglect Master’s assignments?”

She already had a notorious reputation. If she didn’t do something to salvage it, did she really intend to continue wearing the label of arrogant and discourteous forever?

This time it was Xuan Yi’s turn to sigh. She knew that if she insisted on not going, he couldn’t do anything about it, but Qi Nan could nag about this matter for decades afterward.

She forcefully bit through the plum pit in her mouth, filling her mouth with bitterness as she stood up with a long sigh: “Fine, I’ll go.”

Who told him to be Qi Nan?

—

Because Master had specifically instructed that she must descend to the lower realm through the Mirror of All Living Beings, Qi Nan, adhering strictly to the rules, escorted the little princess to the Hall of All Living Beings. Before leaving, he even pressed a map into her hands, carefully instructing: “The pathways inside the Hall of All Living Beings are extremely complex. Your Highness must follow the map. Remember, remember.”

Unlike the magnificent palace complex of the Hall of Ten Thousand Gods, the Hall of All Living Beings governed by the two Fate Controllers looked like an enormous cocoon from the outside. Inside, it was filled with delicate and intricate pathways. Even though one could look up and see that enormous and wondrous Mirror of All Living Beings at any moment, there was no way to actually reach it.

After the little princess, who never learned her lessons, spent two painful hours lost in the Hall of All Living Beings, she finally remembered with tears streaming down her face the map Qi Nan had given her.

With great difficulty, she ascended to the platform of the Mirror of All Living Beings. From here, the Mirror of All Living Beings was even more incomparably massive—almost taller than a mountain. Various colors floated upon it, shimmering with brilliant light. All the karmic cycles of reincarnation of the living beings in the lower realm were within this mirror, watched over and governed by the two Fate Controllers.

Xuan Yi was about to step forward when she suddenly heard footsteps behind her. A procession of divine officials leisurely ascended the crystal stairs. Upon seeing her, the divine officials bowed in salutation, making way while all ascending the mirror platform.

The white-haired and bearded elder divine official at the front declared in a resounding voice: “Where are the two Fate Controllers? We are divine officials from Chi Di’s court, here today to escort the young princess to the lower realm to resolve her karmic ties.”

Chi Di? Young princess? Xuan Yi couldn’t help but turn her head to look more closely. Sure enough, she caught sight of Yan Xia with her head lowered, surrounded by the divine officials. She looked terrible—dejected and pale. Her once delicate round face had grown so thin that her cheekbones protruded. Her eyes were even more unbearably red and swollen from crying, with tears still continuously sliding down.

A feeling Xuan Yi couldn’t quite name suddenly arose in her heart. She called out softly: “Senior Sister Yan Xia.”

Yan Xia’s head shot up abruptly. The moment she saw Xuan Yi, her swollen eyes actually brightened.

“You!” She didn’t know whether it was resentment or hatred. “What are you doing here? Did you come to watch me make a fool of myself?”

Xuan Yi paused for a moment, then said in a low voice: “Master assigned homework that must be completed in the lower realm.”

Yan Xia laughed strangely: “I’m being sent to the lower realm to resolve karmic ties. Are you happy now?”

Xuan Yi clasped her hands behind her back and said lightly: “Once you make mistakes, you push the blame onto others—does that make you feel better? Whatever Senior Sister did herself, was it my decision?”

“I don’t want to hear any of this!” Yan Xia interrupted her. “Yes, I was stupid! But my feelings for Shao Yi were genuine!”

Because her affection was so devoted, she couldn’t think of those elaborate schemes. Her methods could truly be called crude.

Xuan Yi looked at her for a long while, then suddenly said softly: “Senior Brother Shao Yi should be enjoying himself carefree in the Eastern Sea right now.”

Yan Xia’s brows knitted tightly together as she viciously turned her head away: “I don’t understand what you’re saying! Shao Yi just doesn’t know yet!”

Xuan Yi smiled slightly and said nothing more.

After a moment, Yan Xia began sobbing quietly. She must have been washing her face with tears every day these past days. Her handkerchief was marked with tear stains and had long since been soaked through.

Xuan Yi sighed and took out her own handkerchief from inside her robe. Walking over, she handed it to her: “Senior Sister Yan Xia, stop crying.”

Yan Xia didn’t resist. She docilely accepted the handkerchief and said in a trembling voice: “I… before, I was possessed… wanting to push the blame onto you… don’t hold it against me…”

“I don’t hold it against you.”

“I heard that after Senior Sister Fu Luo dissolved her betrothal with Senior Brother Gu Ting, she went to the Eastern Sea to find Shao Yi, wanting to rekindle their relationship with him, but… but Shao Yi didn’t agree… They say there are many goddesses around Shao Yi… I wrote him so many letters, but he didn’t reply to a single one…”

By this point, Yan Xia was choking with sobs and could barely speak.

“I really thought he liked Senior Sister Fu Luo… I always thought… he wasn’t…” Tears streamed down her face like rain, and Xuan Yi’s handkerchief was quickly soaked as well. “Actually, that day I didn’t want to do things that way… I just liked Shao Yi. I wanted to be together with him properly, just the two of us. He even promised me… But then Senior Sister Fu Luo chased us to the South Garden and called Shao Yi away again… In my anger I just… I… what have I done… Senior Brother Gu Ting will definitely never forgive me…”

Xuan Yi looked down at her in silent speechlessness.

Soon, the two Fate Controllers emerged from beneath the Mirror of All Living Beings. The Greater Fate Controller cut off a lock of Yan Xia’s long hair, while the Lesser Fate Controller drew out a section of brilliantly shimmering thread from the mirror and wove it together with Yan Xia’s hair.

“Princess Yan Xia, please.” The Greater Fate Controller’s face was hidden deep in shadows, his voice low and carrying a completely emotionless coldness.

Yan Xia dried her tears and walked forward several steps. In the end, she still couldn’t help but turn back, her eyes carrying the faintest glimmer of hope as she asked in a trembling voice: “Shao Yi… has he ever asked about me?”

Xuan Yi said softly: “Senior Sister is overthinking.”

The fragile glimmer of hope in Yan Xia’s eyes extinguished like a spark. But very quickly, her expression became neither joyful nor sorrowful. Turning around to step into the Mirror of All Living Beings, she said lightly: “That’s right. Indeed I was overthinking.”

Her slender figure swayed gently once in the shimmering light, then could no longer be seen.

Xuan Yi stared at those flowing colors for a very, very long time. She remembered some things from long, long ago. She remembered Mother’s scalding tears falling one by one onto her face, telling her over and over: A’Yi, in the future you must never easily fall in love with anyone. The moment before will feel infinitely sweet, but what follows will be endless pain. Ah… when a man becomes infatuated, it can still be explained; when a woman becomes infatuated, it cannot be explained. Remember Mother’s words, and never forget them for your entire life!

She also remembered that winding, twisting crimson blood. She had sculpted countless flowers, but could never cover it all up.

What a truly unpleasant day.