Back then, the King of Nanzhao had been quite sincere in explaining everything—the Nanzhao royal family had only slaughtered the isolated island’s people who were living on Nanzhao’s mainland, including executing the great Gu master. As for the isolated island itself, the Nanzhao royal family had deliberately severed all related information, ensuring future generations could never find that island again!
In other words, they had effectively cut off all contact between the isolated island and the continent of Longyuan, as well as any other islands, sealing the entire island off completely.
However, the King of Nanzhao himself had also admitted that after that event, later generations of rulers had tried using the secrets they controlled to search for the isolated island, yet had never been able to find it no matter what.
The entire small island seemed to have simply vanished from the ocean, as if it had never existed.
So if the King of Nanzhao hadn’t lied, then the woman standing before them now must be the one lying!
At this point, no one could say for certain which side was lying. The closer they got to the truth, the more information they gathered, the more confused things became instead.
Unable to reach any conclusion for the moment, Ziqing and the others simply listened, keeping their expressions neutral, staying on guard, waiting to see how things would unfold.
The woman continued sobbing for a good while, then suddenly grabbed Ziqing’s hand again. “I think I know why I’m here. My people—could they have all become spirits too, still here somewhere? Please, help me cut down the Fusang sacred tree! I’ve been here for so long, all alone, and no one’s ever been able to help me!”
The woman was clearly agitated, gripping Ziqing’s arm, pleading over and over.
Even if they hadn’t met her, because of that legend, Ziqing and the others would have needed to cut down the Fusang sacred tree eventually anyway. Ziqing glanced at Jun Beiyue and the others, and seeing them nod, she finally agreed. “Don’t be sad. Once it’s light out, we’ll go cut down that tree. We’ll help you find your people.”
The woman was overjoyed, suddenly pulling Ziqing into a tight embrace. “Thank you, thank you so much! I’m so glad I met you all!”
Since she’d said as much, and clearly had no idea why the Nanzhao royal family would have massacred the isolated island’s people, there was little point in pressing further.
For now, Ziqing and the others simply asked a few questions about the island itself, as well as the surrounding waters, before settling down to rest while waiting for dawn to break fully.
The morning after the rain was remarkably clear, everything looking freshly washed and clean. The damp air carried no trace of ocean brine at all—only the rich scent of flowers.
Ziqing, Jun Beiyue, Xuanyuan Lige, and Baili Weisheng all found themselves standing in a row at the entrance without a word, stretching together in a long, satisfying yawn. Though none of them had slept much, they all seemed to be in good spirits.
The woman watched their backs from behind—the towering height of the three men, the slight frame of Ziqing—and felt a sense of security she’d never once found in her entire existence. Her heart suddenly ached with bitterness, and inch by inch, her fists clenched tighter.
She knew this group all too well!
Of course she understood the people who could enter the illusion of Lament of Parting! For hundreds of years, the very woman standing before her now was exactly who she’d been waiting for—someone who carried both the isolated island’s bloodline and musical talent. She had finally arrived!
Just as the woman’s gaze darkened with malice, Baili Weisheng suddenly turned to look at her. “Hey, got anything to eat?”
“Spirits don’t need to eat. I’ve never looked for food,” the woman answered.
Spirits truly didn’t need to eat, but living people did! Even though one couldn’t starve to death within the illusion, hunger could still be felt, and even though the food itself was illusory, they still needed the feeling of being full.
“You all head over to the Fusang sacred tree first. I’ll go look for some food and catch up shortly,” Xuanyuan Lige said flatly, and set off. Now that dawn had broken, everything was clear and visible, nowhere near as dangerous as it had been at night, so he felt comfortable moving alone.
As a spirit, immortal and undying, what did he have to fear?
By the time Ziqing and the others reached the Fusang sacred tree, Xuanyuan Lige had already gathered a large pile of wild fruit. He’d carefully washed each piece clean and carried them all in a giant lotus leaf.
Warmth flickered in Ziqing’s eyes as she took one and handed it to him. “Here, thanks for your trouble.”
Xuanyuan Lige didn’t refuse. Just because he felt no hunger didn’t mean he couldn’t eat. So the four of them sat down together to enjoy the wild fruit, leaving the woman off to the side entirely.
She’d said herself that spirits didn’t eat, so she had no one to blame but herself.
The four of them had tasted countless delicacies in their lives, and yet, at this moment, they discovered that wild fruit could taste this good, that eating something so simple could bring such joy—a long-forgotten sense of satisfaction.
“Hey…” Baili Weisheng suddenly called out to the woman. She’d been watching enviously from the side, and when he finally addressed her, her heart leapt with delight. But to her surprise, Baili Weisheng wasn’t asking if she wanted to eat—he simply asked, “I forgot to ask your name earlier. What is it?”
“I’m called Xinyun. And you?” the woman asked.
“Baili Weisheng. These two are Xuanyuan Lige, and Jun Beiyue…” When he got to Ziqing, Baili Weisheng grinned. “Little Qingqing.”
Ziqing rolled her eyes. “I’m Han Ziqing. You can just call me Ziqing.”
Xinyun nodded, then asked, “How do you plan to cut down this tree?”
Baili Weisheng eyed the massive trunk, then looked at Jun Beiyue. “You do it.”
Jun Beiyue nodded without a word. Among the four of them, his internal energy was by far the most formidable—leaving it to him would surely take no more than the blink of an eye.
Though the wild fruits were small, there had been plenty of them, and all four had eaten their fill, their strength fully restored.
As everyone stepped back, Jun Beiyue drew his long sword. The surge of internal energy channeled into it seemed almost to exceed what the blade could handle, and it rang out with a sharp, ringing clang!
In a flash, he swung the blade in a diagonal strike against the trunk—expecting a single stroke to be enough. But to everyone’s astonishment, the strike didn’t even make the great tree tremble.
The entire Fusang sacred tree remained utterly motionless.
Jun Beiyue’s brow furrowed sharply, and everyone around him was equally stunned. How could this be?
Jun Beiyue tried several more times, but the great tree still didn’t budge—not even a scratch appeared on the trunk!
Xinyun watched silently from the side, a cold smile flickering briefly in her eyes.
“Let me try.” Baili Weisheng stepped forward, but even after striking repeatedly, he couldn’t shift the Fusang sacred tree in the slightest.
He turned back to look at the others, his face full of suspicion.
Xuanyuan Lige tried several times as well, with the exact same result.
“How strange,” Ziqing said, turning to look at Xinyun. “How could this be?”
Xinyun looked disappointed. “I tried for hundreds of years, nearly gnawed at it with my own teeth—nothing worked. I thought you all might have a way.”
If it were simply a matter of getting out to sea without needing a boat, Baili Weisheng could have carried them all himself. But he’d already searched the surrounding waters thoroughly, and there was no doubt now—that legend might well be true.
Ziqing frowned, deep in thought, when Xinyun spoke up again. “Why don’t you try too? It looks like none of the rest of us can manage it.”
Ziqing hadn’t planned on wasting her own effort—if Jun Beiyue’s formidable internal energy couldn’t budge it, what chance did she have?
Still, at Xinyun’s suggestion, she walked over anyway. Just as she was about to try, Jun Beiyue spoke up. “Don’t bother trying. Why not dig out the roots instead?”
At Jun Beiyue’s interruption, a flash of anger crossed Xinyun’s eyes. “A tree this massive—its roots are probably buried all the way into the sea. How would we even dig them out?”
“Just dig out a small section, enough to sever the roots. Surely the roots are thinner than the trunk,” Jun Beiyue said flatly.