This night was livelier than usual.

The tense solemnity that had hung over Gufeng Mountain for over a month seemed to have been swept away by this banquet on Duoluo Terrace. No demon clan, no Xiaoyuan Pearl, no bad news from various places—it was as if such peaceful and good days would continue forever.

The evening breeze brightened the fireflies beside Changchun Pool. Mu Cengxiao stood up, somewhat embarrassed: “I’ll be right back.”

“Going to the privy,” Tian Fangfang patted his shoulder: “Go quickly and come back soon, we’re waiting for you.”

Mu Cengxiao rose and left his seat. Seeing this, Zanxing thought for a moment and said, “I’ll also go out for a bit,” and quickly followed him.

At this moment, everyone at the banquet was drinking merrily and didn’t pay much attention. However, Mendong held his wine cup and moved closer to Gu Baiying, poking his arm: “Master Uncle, why aren’t you following them?”

Gu Baiying turned his head, his voice revealing no emotion: “Why should I follow them?”

“It seems Yang Zanxing still has lingering feelings for Mu Cengxiao,” Mendong sighed. “Although you now have the Sacred Tree Fruit and no longer need to rely on the Qin Chong seed, logically speaking, whoever Yang Zanxing dual cultivates with has nothing to do with you, but,” he changed his tone: “Look at this darkness, a man and woman alone together—what if they accidentally make a mistake? Wouldn’t that be hard to handle? I promised to help Senior Brother Mu pursue Senior Sister Meng. How can I just watch them make a grave error? You go stop them.”

“What does it have to do with me?” Gu Baiying looked at him coldly: “You go yourself.” The hand hidden under the table couldn’t help but clench slightly.

“I’m just a child after all,” Mendong said seriously: “What if I go at the wrong time and stumble upon some inappropriate scene? Wouldn’t that be very awkward? Besides, it would be too deliberate for me to go.”

“And it wouldn’t be deliberate for me to go?”

“Of course not. You’re an elder—no one would believe you have selfish motives.” Mendong pushed Gu Baiying: “Master Uncle, you go. Go quickly, or it’ll be too late.”

Unable to withstand his persistent nagging, Gu Baiying impatiently stood up, threw out a sentence: “So troublesome,” and finally followed after them.

Mendong clapped his hands, looking at Gu Baiying’s retreating figure with satisfaction, sighing: “Good thing I’m here.”

Tian Fangfang gave Mendong a meaningful look: “Junior Brother, you’re something.”

……

After Mu Cengxiao finished using the privy and washed his hands, he was about to walk back toward Duoluo Terrace when he saw someone leaning against a tree ahead. Seeing him come out, she greeted him: “Senior Brother.”

Steadying his steps that almost stumbled, Mu Cengxiao looked at the woman before him: “Junior Sister, what do you want to do?”

Zanxing looked at him: “You don’t need to act like you’re facing a great enemy. I’m not going to eat you.”

“I…”

“Here, this is for you.” Before he could finish speaking, Zanxing tossed a box from her hand into his arms.

Mu Cengxiao was startled. Opening the box, a golden fruit lay inside—it was precisely the Sacred Tree Fruit that Zi Luo had returned.

“Junior Sister, what is the meaning of this?” Mu Cengxiao was puzzled.

“I thought about it, and I have no use for this fruit, so I’m giving it to you,” Zanxing answered readily.

Mu Cengxiao hadn’t expected Zanxing to say this. After hesitating for a moment, he shook his head and pushed the box back toward her: “No, this is too precious. I can’t accept it.”

Their group had gone to the treasure trove and obtained only four fruits in total. Three were given to Gu Baiying to refine into pills, so the remaining one couldn’t be said to be anything but precious. Gu Baiying’s spiritual meridian leak, which was so severe, could be completely repaired with just three spiritual pills—this was enough to show the efficacy of these pills. Yet Zanxing was so casually giving it to someone else. Even being generous shouldn’t be generous in such a way.

“What’s so precious about it? It’s just a fruit,” Zanxing pushed the box back to him. “To me, it’s not as precious as that substitute talisman you gave me.” She had previously taken inventory of the items in her Qiankun Bag. Apart from that book that looked like a joke, “The Peerless Heart Sutra,” she really hadn’t discovered any remarkable opportunities. But the begonia in her palm was becoming more and more vivid, which made Zanxing feel very uneasy.

Today, when Zi Luo returned this golden fruit, Zanxing dared not keep it. Who knew if she accepted it, whether tomorrow that flower would grow directly from her palm? The conditions for this flower’s growth were truly inexplicable. After thinking it over, she decided to return this opportunity to Mu Cengxiao first. After all, in the “Heavenly Dao’s” eyes, Mu Cengxiao was the one with great fortune who could handle any kind of spiritual treasure.

The speaker was unintentional, but the listener took it to heart. What Gu Baiying, who had just arrived at this place, heard was exactly this sentence.

The Sacred Tree Fruit was something their group had ventured deep into the treasure trove and obtained after considerable effort, yet in Zanxing’s eyes, it wasn’t as precious as a substitute talisman Mu Cengxiao had given her. Perhaps to her, as long as it was something Mu Cengxiao gave her, it would always be more special than what others gave. She must really, really like Mu Cengxiao, which was why she would repeatedly give away precious things that the world valued, willingly presenting them. The Xianyu Lingzhi from before was like this, and now the Sacred Tree Fruit was the same.

People are only generous to those they like, wishing they could present all the best things in the world to that person. Like Yang Zanxing, like himself.

The young man’s eyes dimmed. After a moment of silence, he turned and left.

Over there, Zanxing was still comforting Mu Cengxiao: “You don’t need to feel any psychological burden, and you don’t need to worry that I have any improper thoughts about you. You also know that when I was in Yue City before, I didn’t cultivate properly for the first ten or so years. Later, I also stumbled into the Taiyan Sect by accident. My foundation wasn’t built well—as they say, ‘the weak cannot receive supplements.’ If I eat this fruit and end up going astray in my cultivation, that wouldn’t be good either. Better to give it to you. If you feel like you’re taking advantage, then when you refine those substitute talismans again in the future, give me a few more.”

Hearing this, Mu Cengxiao was amused by her: “So you want substitute talismans. But Junior Sister, substitute talismans are only used when encountering danger. You’re very safe on Gufeng Mountain—having one for protection is enough. You don’t need so many.”

Zanxing waved her hand, walking back while saying, “Who knows? Things in this world change in thousands of ways. I’m afraid of death, so storing a few more can’t hurt.”

After giving away the item, she returned to Duoluo Terrace. As soon as she reached Changchun Pool, Mendong’s eyes lit up: “You’re back!” He looked her up and down before sighing in relief: “Good.”

Zanxing was baffled. Turning around, she noticed the seat beside her was empty and couldn’t help asking strangely: “Where’s Master Uncle?”

“Didn’t he come back with you?” Mendong was puzzled.

“Why would he come back with us?” Zanxing was even more confused.

Mendong coughed lightly twice: “Nothing, I was talking nonsense.”

Mu Cengxiao sat back down beside Meng Ying. Zanxing pondered Mendong’s earlier words, always feeling there was something odd about them.

……

At the edge of Chuhong Terrace, on a clear night, the night curtain hung low, and the starry sky seemed about to fall onto people’s heads.

Viewing stars from higher mountains always made them appear brightest.

The young man sat quietly at the peak, with misty clouds gathering and dispersing beneath his feet. His crimson hair ribbon scattered in the wind, like flowers quietly blooming in the long night, or like distant and near thoughts.

Li Danshu’s wine was never very strong, containing only three parts alcohol. Though he was sober, he couldn’t help but sink into melancholy. In all those past years, though he understood he wouldn’t live past twenty, he never tormented himself because of it. Life and death had their destined order—why make things difficult for himself? Everyone else in the sect saw him as the most carefree, most arrogant, most unrestrained, acting on his whims, yet in just over a year, he had also tasted the flavors of anxiety and sorrow.

A demon clan member had infiltrated their sect. This demon didn’t harm people, wasn’t afraid of people, had an open smile, was utterly sincere, fought alongside them, and laughed and joked with them. In times of danger, she stood in front of him, naively wanting to change his fate.

And so his fate was truly changed.

Why did such a person have to be from the demon clan? He always felt there might be hidden circumstances, that she seemed to have other difficulties, but every time the words came to his lips, he couldn’t ask them.

Perhaps because she admired Mu Cengxiao, she followed him to the Taiyan Sect, hiding her identity just to stay beside her beloved? The young man thought wistfully—if that were truly the case, though the truth would be sad, it would still be the best outcome.

Moonlight flowed over his pearl-colored robes, the wind making his robe edges rustle. A star in the distance flickered, as if it wanted to rush toward him, carrying starlight all over its body.

“Ah!” That star rushing toward him fell when it was still several steps away from him. Gu Baiying’s eyes moved, and in the next moment, his figure flashed as he rushed over to catch the person.

“What are you doing?” he asked angrily.

“You scared me to death,” Zanxing patted her chest with lingering fear. “Using the Wuyou Stick as a sword for flight is indeed rather forced. Senior Sister Meng’s Yuepo is still better—wide and long, stable to stand on.” She raised her head, looking at Gu Baiying before her: “Right, Master Uncle?”

The young man held her arm with one hand and supported her waist with the other. His lowered gaze fell on her face, then quickly avoided it as if burned, abruptly releasing his hands and turning aside: “Learning sword-flying techniques like this—how does Xuan Lingzi teach his disciples?”

“Mainly because I have a slight fear of heights,” Zanxing stood steady and picked up the Wuyou Stick from under her feet.

“Why did you come?” After a moment of silence, Gu Baiying asked.

“Didn’t you tell me to come to Chuhong Terrace?”

He was speechless, finally managing after a long while: “I thought you forgot.”

“My memory isn’t that bad,” Zanxing blinked. “So tell me, Master Uncle, what did you want me to come here for?”

Gu Baiying was startled. He had asked Zanxing to come naturally to give her a gift, but after the earlier disruption and Zanxing’s sudden appearance, he momentarily didn’t know how to begin.

Fortunately, Zanxing didn’t dwell on this question. Looking up at the night sky, she sighed: “I often come to Chuhong Terrace to cultivate at night, but I never noticed before—the night view from Chuhong Terrace is truly beautiful. These stars look even better than those down the mountain, and the wind is cool too.” She smiled: “Gufeng Mountain is a wonderful place.”

Gu Baiying was startled. After a moment, he turned his head to look at Zanxing and asked in a low voice: “Do you like the Taiyan Sect?”