In the fifth year after the flood receded, everything in Duzhou had returned to tranquility.

The cities ravaged by the flood disaster showed no traces of destruction whatsoever. The broken trees had grown back once more. People were always good at healing past wounds. Duzhou was lively and prosperous again, showing no sign that there had once been such a world-ending downpour that tried to overturn heaven and earth.

Everything continued in an orderly fashion.

Meng Ying had already taken over as the Taiyan Sect’s sect leader, becoming the youngest sect leader in Duzhou’s cultivation world.

She did very well, beyond others’ expectations; she was not a proud divine maiden who only knew cultivation and understood nothing of human relationships. When it came to the intentional or unintentional probing and maneuvering between sects, she was always at ease. She was also very considerate toward her disciples. Some said it was because Sect Leader Meng had once gone down the mountain with her fellow sect brothers and sisters to train and experience human relationships. Therefore, new disciples of the Taiyan Sect were often arranged to go down the mountain for training, using this to temper themselves with the bitterness of worldly emotions.

Mu Cengxiao and Tian Fangfang had also begun taking disciples. Their cultivation levels now ranked among the notable in Duzhou, and countless people wanted to become their disciples. Xuan Lingzi himself was too lazy to take disciples, so he had thrown the burden of accepting disciples onto his two students early on. Though Mu Cengxiao appeared taciturn, he was extraordinarily strict with the disciples he accepted, with endless methods of punishment. People could often be heard discussing behind his back how fierce and intimidating he was. Tian Fangfang seemed amiable and cheerful, but under his tutelage, if one’s cultivation didn’t improve, spirit stones would be deducted as punishment.

This was more terrifying than getting beaten.

Mendong had also grown up.

The formerly jade-snow cute child had now grown taller, with red lips and white teeth, extraordinarily handsome and bright. He no longer tied his hair in two lotus flower buns, but like other disciples in the sect, used a hair ribbon to tie it in a ponytail. In his pink gauze robe, the youth was graceful as the wind, often making the female disciples in the sect secretly flutter with romantic feelings.

The younger generation was gradually becoming capable of handling things independently, supporting the sect’s future. Like tender saplings, they would one day grow into towering trees that blocked out the sun.

The day after the sect assembly, Gu Baiying went down the mountain.

Now, Duzhou was peaceful in all four seasons, with nothing happening. The Taiyan Sect was flourishing, everything thriving. As the Seventh Martial Uncle, he had no major affairs in the sect on ordinary days. Meng Ying told him to go down the mountain and walk around, to see how various places in Duzhou had recovered. He didn’t decline.

Gu Baiying went to Li’er Kingdom.

Li’er Kingdom was hot year-round, like summer in all four seasons. The once most expensive “Xianxun Sea” inn was no longer there, but the beautiful phoenix tree in the courtyard was still blooming. Large red flowers fell overhead, painting the long sky with crimson clouds.

The beach with dense mangrove forests remained lively. It was a summer night, and countless tourists and cultivators came to the beach to watch the tide wash over the sand at their feet.

The moonlight was pure, the sand grains white as snow, and the dark blue lanterns hanging on the mangrove forest dyed the long night with coolness.

Standing before the West Sea, he suddenly thought of many years ago, when he first came to Li’er Kingdom with Zanxing and the others.

At that time, it was also such a clear night. He had reluctantly traveled with them because of the Qin Chong, and because they had talked about the Jiexin Bell and his mother, he felt displeased and left under the excuse of buying sugar syrup. But when he looked back, he saw that woman speaking eloquently.

“Have you ever seen Gu Baiying fail? Have you seen him cry? Have you seen his weak side?”

“As long as someone is human, they will have moments of weakness and sadness. You haven’t seen it because your martial uncle has hidden that side of himself. Precisely because too many people are watching him, even if he wanted to hide, he has nowhere to hide. Once you all get used to this, even if he wanted to show his weak moments in front of others, he wouldn’t be able to do it.”

Time reversed, and the youth suddenly stopped in his tracks, as if some secret in his heart had been exposed, feeling momentarily confused.

Actually, from the very beginning, she had seen through him.

He was just a paper tiger putting on a show, seemingly arrogant and careless on the surface, but more regretful than anyone. In the deep nights of these years, he often woke from dreams with a start, always thinking of the past, always regretting. Always thinking that on that rainy night in Heishi City, if he had paid just a bit more attention to Zanxing’s wrongness, perhaps there could have been another possible ending.

“Young Immortal Master?” someone called him from behind.

Gu Baiying turned around and saw a vendor looking at him eagerly. Seeing him turn to look, the vendor’s expression relaxed as he smiled, “Just now I thought you looked familiar, and indeed it’s you!”

It was actually that vendor who sold oysters years ago.

The vendor recognized him and chatted familiarly: “Immortal Master has come to our Li’er Kingdom again? This time you came alone? I still remember last time there was a big group, and that cat too—oh my, it was the first time I’d seen such a fat cat.” He looked at the young man before him and sighed, “Immortal Master is even more distinguished than before. You don’t know, after you left that year, how many young ladies came to ask me about you…”

Finally, he stuffed a cup of sugar syrup into Gu Baiying’s hands, smiling, “I’m happy to see an old friend today, so I’m giving you one cup-no—no charge! I wish Immortal Master success in everything from now on!”

Gu Baiying looked down at the sugar syrup in his hands. The sweet syrup was held in a cup made of flowers, emanating fragrance.

He laughed once and said, “Thank you.”

……

Gu Baiying went to Li’er Kingdom’s secret realm.

Now that spiritual energy was abundant, secret realms had increased in various places. This one in Li’er Kingdom was no longer as precious as it had been many years ago. Wudong Mountain gradually grew back to its former appearance, with Mirror Lake like jade. He even saw that Fairy Song Vine in the mountains. The Fairy Song Vine had also aged—its flowers didn’t look as brilliant as before, and even its song had changed from a maiden’s melodious and clear voice to hoarse like an old woman’s. With such a voice, it naturally couldn’t attract prey.

It seemed that before long, the vine would completely wither.

In the evening, it suddenly began to rain on the mountain, so he took shelter in a cave and lit a fire inside.

Before Zanxing joined the Taiyan Sect, he never made fires to drive away cold like mortals did. After Zanxing left, he seemed to have gotten used to such behavior—lighting fires when cold, adding clothes when chilly. Zhao Mayi always mocked him for not using illumination talismans when he had them, but Zhao Mayi didn’t understand that flames were warmer than talisman paper.

The night rain fell pitter-patter, soaking the entire mountain forest.

Wind blew in from outside, stretching his shadow long against the cave wall.

Someone had once briefly taken shelter from the rain in this cave. A woman’s chattering voice echoed against the cave walls, making the cold and lonely night no longer so solitary.

“In human relationships, besides meeting, there is separation. There are more times of separation than meeting—life is always like this.”

The flames made crackling sounds, working tirelessly to drive away the night’s chill.

Zanxing was right. But she forgot one thing—most people in the world don’t like separation.

On the young man’s snow-white brocade robe, the crimson wild goose patterns seemed ready to spread their wings and fly in the firelight.

The night rain fell softly, and the cave was completely silent.

He lowered his head, looking at the burning fire, and murmured to himself: “I don’t want to be separated.”