Gu Baiying went to many places.

Sometimes to water towns with small bridges and flowing streams, to mountain villages with curling cooking smoke, to small towns shrouded in misty rain, and sometimes to towering peaks with layered mountains.

He traveled to many places and met many people. Throughout the land of Duzhou, peach and willow trees were bright and beautiful, flowers clustered in brocade bunches.

He finally went to Heishi City.

Before Heishi City, the Mingming River surged with waves. He threw the pills he had prepared in advance into the river one by one. Before long, from the depths of the water, a giant dragon fish swam over and stopped by the shore, like a pitch-black vessel waiting for travelers to return.

After the journey to the Ruins of the Golden Gate, when the last star returned to its position, the black dragon fish carried everyone back to Duzhou. For a period after that, Gu Baiying had tried to return to the Ruins of the Golden Gate again to search for Zanxing’s whereabouts, but the black dragon fish no longer carried people to the whirlpool at the bottom of the river.

Perhaps it wasn’t that the dragon fish was unwilling, but rather that after the key to opening the Ruins of the Golden Gate disappeared, the connection between the heavenly realm and human realm was sealed again, and no one could find traces of it anymore.

The black dragon fish recognized him and gently swished its tail, causing huge splashes in the black river waves. He scattered a large handful of pills into the river and quietly waited for the dragon fish to swallow them one by one.

Zanxing had once said that in their place, there was a custom of making wishes to carp fish, and they would come true. Although this big fish looked like it could hardly be related to “carp,” he still quietly watched the black dragon fish for a long while and made a seemingly impossible wish in his heart.

He hoped… to see her again.

The black dragon fish carried Gu Baiying to Heishi City, where Xiao Shuang welcomed him. The youth in blue robes and scholarly cap remained as gentle and refined as before, smiling at Gu Baiying: “Zhenren previously sent word informing His Highness that Immortal Master Gu would be coming soon. His Highness ordered this subordinate to prepare lodging, but didn’t expect to wait several additional months.” As he led Gu Baiying inside, he smiled and said, “It seems Immortal Master Gu has been to quite a few places these days.”

Heishi City was more prosperous than it had been several years ago.

After the demon race’s spiritual veins recovered, demonic energy gradually became abundant again. Also, because of that journey to the Ruins of the Golden Gate, when all was said and done, it was Zanxing who had saved everyone under heaven. No matter how shameless the cultivation world was, they didn’t dare bear the reputation of killing the donkey after it had finished grinding grain. Over these years, the human and demon races had been much more peaceful. Though they couldn’t be said to be as close as family, when they occasionally encountered each other in Duzhou, both sides could restrainedly greet each other and ask after each other’s well-being with apparent indifference.

Occasionally, at sect assemblies, disguised demon race members would blend in, and when people from the cultivation world discovered them, they would turn a blind eye. And in Heishi City, sometimes curious cultivators would somehow obtain demon pills and ride the black dragon fish to come in, touring and sightseeing everywhere. Bujiang would only have the vendors silently charge them more demon pearls, pretending not to know.

The various caverns remained as ostentatious as before. This extravagant style later gradually spread to the sects. It was said that nowadays in Yinfeng Sect, the disciples’ clothing was also colorful—perhaps this was inspiration Nie Xinghong had gained from her last visit to Heishi City.

Xiao Shuang stopped in front of Chaos Hall and said softly, “His Highness is waiting for Immortal Master Gu in the hall. Please.”

Gu Baiying walked in.

Chaos Hall was no different from several years ago.

The garish evil demon statue at the entrance was still colorfully resplendent, and in the pool in the hall, several bare bones glowed eerily.

However, the several hundred ghost fires that had originally been in the hall had all been removed. After Zanxing left, Chaos Hall was almost uninhabited. With an empty hall year after year, so many candle flames might cause a fire that would burn down the hall and be difficult to handle, so Bujiang had the lamp-extinguishing ghosts snuff out these bright lights.

Bujiang was facing away from Gu Baiying, looking out the window.

At the window facing the outer courtyard hung a thick cable rope.

This cable rope had been left by General Cable. When Zanxing had lived here before, most of the time, this rope was used by Mimi as a swing. When Zanxing woke up in the middle of the night, she was often startled by the swaying shadow. After Zanxing left, Mimi also disappeared, leaving only this rope, which swayed back and forth when there was wind.

All seven of the pampered concubines in the hall had been dismissed. They were very sad when they left. Xiao Shuang comforted them for a long time, promising that if Zanxing ever returned one day, they could come back to serve in the hall.

Only Hong Su remained in Chaos Hall.

Bujiang had once asked Hong Su if she wanted to return to Yue City, but Hong Su had refused. Seeing her persistence, Bujiang simply let her stay in Heishi City to handle affairs in the hall.

Hearing footsteps, Bujiang didn’t turn around, only saying, “You’ve come.”

Gu Baiying walked to her side.

The Demon Empress’s appearance was as beautiful and alluring as always, her robes embroidered with complex and gorgeous patterns, but her expression was much more peaceful than before. She looked at Gu Baiying and smiled slightly: “This palace knew that sooner or later, you would come to Heishi City again.”

She asked: “Do you want to see her?”

Gu Baiying suddenly looked up.

Going around the outer courtyard of Chaos Hall and walking along the long corridor in the hall to the end, there was a slightly smaller palace building.

Bujiang stopped at the entrance, gazing into the depths of the palace: “Let’s go.”

Gu Baiying followed her into the hall.

This palace building was very empty, with nothing inside, completely bare, as if no one had entered for a long time. The moment they pushed open the door, fine dust danced in the air, carrying a faint musty smell.

“Look.” Bujiang gazed at the palace walls.

All four long walls were covered with painting after painting.

The portraits were enormous, hanging from the high ceiling of the palace down to the floor. They depicted people, all kinds of people with different faces.

There were fierce men with blue faces and protruding fangs, kind-eyed elderly people with white hair and wrinkled skin, fat men with big bellies and ruddy faces, coldly dignified young men in fine clothing…

These people had various postures and different expressions, standing in the portraits, lifelike, gazing at the people in the palace.

The last portrait depicted a young woman.

This young woman wore a green dress with silver Four Divine Beasts patterns embroidered on the hem. She had bright, beautiful eyes and a smile like blooming flowers.

Bujiang’s voice resonated in the hall.

“These are portraits of the successive Demon Kings of Heishi City.”

“Ten successive Demon Kings of Heishi City. This palace had thought she would be the eleventh.” After a pause, she continued, “But this palace still placed her portrait here. She did better than them, didn’t she?”

Gu Baiying gazed at the person in the painting.

Among all the portraits, only she smiled the most brightly.

“Demon Kings don’t like to smile, including Zanxing’s father. She was the first Demon King to smile so happily. Hanging in this hall, sometimes when this palace walks here and sees her smile, my mood improves greatly.”

Gu Baiying said, “She liked to smile.”

Zanxing was always smiling, whether on Gufeng Mountain or in Heishi City, even when she finally became that chess piece on the Heavenly Dao’s board, rushing toward her destined dissolution, she was still smiling.

Bujiang said, “So this palace thinks that when she made that decision, she probably had no regrets.”

She turned around and looked at Gu Baiying: “Shaoyang told this palace that you don’t allow Zanxing’s statue to be placed in the sect because you believe that someday she will return?”

Gu Baiying calmly gazed at the person in the painting. After a long while, he said, “I said I would wait.”

“What a romantic fool.” Bujiang sighed, “When this palace was young, I never liked these matters of dying for love and romance, and also felt that one shouldn’t be naive in life. The Heavenly Dao is heartless—some things ultimately cannot be forced.”

“But now, perhaps because I’m old, I also feel that nothing is absolute. Since Zanxing was once able to reverse fate, many things haven’t reached their end, and no one can predict the outcome.”

She smiled as she looked at Gu Baiying: “Life is very long. Who knows—there might be a second miracle.”