“I was in closed-door cultivation for a hundred years. Leaving you alone in Jiwu Palace must have been quite lonely—I don’t blame you.”

“Really?” Yusang couldn’t believe it, slightly raising her head to steal a glance at the man across from her, wanting to confirm whether this was true.

“What, don’t you trust me? Or do you feel you need some punishment to be satisfied?” The man curved his lips into a smile, and such a smile immediately made the entire carriage seem as warm as March.

Yusang appeared flattered beyond belief, continuously showing smiles as she said, “No, no, no, I’m relieved that the Immortal Lord doesn’t blame me. No punishment needed.”

“Look at yourself—acting as if I’ve been so cruel to you before. Those who don’t know might think you’re a poor girl who met a tyrannical master.” The man spoke with carefree laughter.

“Who doesn’t know that Immortal Lord Bai Zhi is the kindest immortal in the world, benevolent and compassionate, the most善良 immortal under heaven.” Yusang spoke sweet words with a grin, sitting back down on the stool. She cupped the tea from the table with both hands and took a sip. Immediately her mouth was filled with fragrance, and as it went down her throat, a familiar feeling penetrated her heart and spleen. She couldn’t help but take a deep breath of the tea’s aroma.

“Look at you—just now you were scared pale like a mouse seeing a cat, and in the blink of an eye you’ve changed your tune to tease me. It seems I’ve been too lenient with you. I need to discipline you and establish some rules.”

Although Bai Zhi spoke this way, there wasn’t a trace of reproach in his tone. He waved his hand over the table, and a delicate, small food box appeared, containing neatly arranged five-colored pastries. Each color was placed in its small compartment. The pastries had pure colors and a translucent quality with a crystal-like luster—these were made from flour ground from the unique five-colored rice of Jiwu Mountain. In all six realms and eight directions, except for Jiwu Mountain in the northern snow region, there was nowhere else that had these.

“Five-colored cakes!” Yusang’s eyes widened with delight, and she eagerly picked up a piece and put it in her mouth.

Bai Zhi watched Yusang’s eager manner. If it were anyone else, such behavior would be somewhat embarrassing, but when Yusang did it, it didn’t seem to make him feel uncomfortable at all. Compared to the Yusang who had been cautious in every movement just moments before, he seemed to prefer this Yusang who acted without restraint, even somewhat impolitely.

“So delicious! I haven’t eaten five-colored cakes in almost a hundred years—I’ve missed this taste to death.” Yusang spoke indistinctly while eating.

“Then come back to the snow region with me. Staying on Jiwu Mountain, you can eat them anytime.”

Hearing these words, Yusang’s hand, reaching for another pastry, stopped. She looked up at Bai Zhi across from her, the smile disappearing from her face, her eyes showing unwillingness.

“Immortal Lord, I… I can’t go back.”

Bai Zhi showed a bit of disappointment but wasn’t surprised. He nodded very calmly, as if he had expected this, saying, “Then have you made plans for the future? If you’re determined to do that thing, you can never turn back.”

Yusang shook her head, then nodded, saying, “I don’t know, but if I don’t try, I won’t be satisfied.”

“You’re just so stubborn. You’ll regret it sooner or later.”

“Immortal Lord…” Yusang began uneasily, wanting to speak, but when she found Bai Zhi looking at her, she couldn’t say another word.

Bai Zhi picked up the teacup in front of him and took a light sip. After a long while, he said indifferently, “Wouldn’t it be fine to stay on Jiwu Mountain and accompany me? If you want to cultivate, I can teach you to attain the Way. If you don’t want to, I can also let you live peacefully and happily for this lifetime. I can give you anything you want—wouldn’t that be good?”

Yusang couldn’t detect any emotion from Bai Zhi, but precisely because she couldn’t detect any emotion, Yusang understood that Bai Zhi was somewhat angry. She gripped the teacup in her hands tightly, secretly took a deep breath, then gathered her courage to speak seriously, word by word: “I know that on Jiwu Mountain I could obtain anything I wanted, enjoy the best things in the world, and continue to receive your protection for ten thousand years. But that way, I would never truly give up hope for ten thousand years, and I might even regret it in the future. My surname is Yuwen. I will always remember the last words my father said to me.”

For a long time, Bai Zhi showed no reaction—neither speaking nor showing any particular expression. He slightly lowered his gaze, his long eyelashes half-drooping, his eyes as calm as a still lake, seeming to look at Yusang yet not.

“Bai Zhi, please let me go. I will be forever grateful to you.” Yusang spoke in a pleading manner, making a final attempt.

Bai Zhi acted as if he hadn’t heard Yusang’s words at all. The carriage had stopped at some point, and the surroundings were unusually quiet, with only the tiny sound from the flame in the small clay stove on the table. Just when Yusang thought Bai Zhi had refused her plea and would forcibly take her away from the mortal realm, Bai Zhi suddenly waved his fingers at her.

Yusang was slightly startled. After a moment of surprise, she understood that Bai Zhi had agreed to her plea. She stood up joyfully, about to leave, but seeing Bai Zhi sitting there motionless, still not raising his eyes to look at her, she knew she might have truly hurt Bai Zhi’s heart.

Yusang wanted to say something—perhaps words of comfort or explanation, anything that would make Bai Zhi not sad about her departure. But after thinking and thinking, she ultimately said nothing. Bai Zhi wasn’t someone she could comfort with words, and if he wanted to blame her, no amount of explanation would be useful.

Thinking of this, Yusang bit her teeth. Before she had more time to think or hesitate further, she quickly lifted the curtain and jumped down from the carriage. The carriage had stopped among some trees, seemingly already far from the marketplace. Yusang didn’t look around much and hurriedly left.

She was afraid to see Bai Zhi’s expression of calm, unruffled silence. Although she had never seen him show much emotion on his face before, even when he showed what seemed like a gentle smile, it always felt distant and unapproachable. But at least that hadn’t made her feel uneasy. Today, facing the calm and silent Bai Zhi, she felt very uneasy and uncomfortable.

If not for Bai Zhi, she would have died in the barrier long ago. She remembered that day when someone carried her dying form out of the barrier, tightly grasping her hand and calling her name.

“Don’t sleep. I’m taking you out. You must hold on. You are Yuwen Sang, princess of the Fengjian Clan. You cannot die—you must live, you must survive.”

In the chaos between life and death, she had persevered, relying on these words, this voice.

In the following two thousand years, Bai Zhi kept her on Jiwu Mountain, extending her life and giving her the best of everything in the world. Because her vital essence was damaged, her eyes couldn’t see anything, and her ears couldn’t hear any sound. It was Bai Zhi who accompanied her through the most painful and difficult years, holding her hand every day, until he found a way to restore her vital essence and reshape her divine form.

Bai Zhi used a purple bamboo demon to infuse spirit, merging her soul within it, giving her real life again and letting her hear and see this vast world. In nearly two thousand years, in the boundless northern snow region, Bai Zhi was the only person who accompanied her. She had countless reasons to be grateful to Bai Zhi, and she never wanted to do anything to hurt him in this lifetime.