Heishi Mountain remained as desolate as ever.

However, from the most desolate heights, one could see the liveliest city below.

Looking down from above, the lights were brilliant, like ten thousand acres of flowing fireflies.

Zanxing had once conjured a paired-wing flower tree here. The demon race was naturally gifted at illusions—a paired-wing flower tree required only a little bit of heavenly demon power. Under this tree, she had confidently boasted: “I can make this flower tree stay here forever.”

However, after she left, the paired-wing flower tree here disappeared with her.

Heishi Mountain also never became lush with vegetation as she had said, despite Xiao Shuang’s repeated attempts to scatter flower seeds here. But Heishi City’s soil was special—ordinary flowers and trees had difficulty growing.

In the end, nothing could be forced.

He sat down at the mountaintop.

In his palm lay a small silver lock.

This was what he and Zanxing had bought on Qixi many years ago. At the time, the lock-selling woman had kept saying, “When your romance ends in the future and you want to change lovers, just open the lock,” which had angered him thoroughly. However, later the lock was never opened, and their romance seemed unable to continue either.

Gu Baiying lowered his eyes to look at his palm.

Beside the small lock in his palm was also a silver key.

That day, he had tricked Zanxing into throwing away the key, but actually still kept it in his hand. He had just been worried that someday Zanxing really would want to change lovers, and would search high and low to find that lock again, so he had simply used a sleight of hand, thinking it was safer to keep it in his own hands.

Yet he hadn’t expected that he still couldn’t force her to stay.

Zanxing had once asked him here: “Gu Baiying, if I took seven male consorts, would you never have anything to do with me again?”

He had answered with certainty then: “Really.”

Actually, he had been lying to her.

If Zanxing really had taken seven male consorts, Gu Baiying thought he probably wouldn’t have been able to never have anything to do with her either. He would probably have constantly watched over her, worried that Zanxing as the master of Heishi City would attract many, many troubles. Those male consorts all looked delicate and weak—when danger came, they would most likely only be a hindrance. Unlike him, who could at least protect her a little.

The young man’s pupils reflected the soft night, and he suddenly paused slightly, as if surprised by his own absurd thoughts, and couldn’t help but laugh once.

Perhaps he really missed her too much, to even have such inexplicable thoughts.

Zanxing had said that usually no one would come to Heishi Mountain—it was very quiet, and one could think about things here.

He understood now that this place was indeed very suitable for thinking, for instance, missing someone.

Everything related to Zanxing had disappeared completely and cleanly from this world. He had traveled to many places, trying to find some traces she had once left behind. But there were none.

Nothing was left behind.

Gu Baiying didn’t know what Zanxing’s feelings had been when she sat here years ago. But now, sitting here, he could clearly feel his own heart.

In the distance, lights blazed brightly, illuminating Heishi City’s night like spring water and stars.

Gu Baiying suddenly thought of Qinghua Xianzi from years past.

In the secret realm, fireworks bloomed layer upon layer in the night. The gentle-smiled man had said to the beautiful woman in white beside him, “In a person’s life, there will be many moments so painful that one doesn’t want to face reality. Even someone as clear-minded as Xianzi might someday need to use such illusory magic for comfort.”

He had been young then and hadn’t understood his father’s words. Now, finally, he comprehended.

Qinghua Xianzi had ultimately returned alone to Gufeng Mountain, using illusions to conjure a tree full of paired-wing flowers blooming. And he had ultimately followed his mother’s old path.

From Gu Baiying’s fingertips, a dark silver glow gradually emanated. This light rode the wind and gradually condensed into a human figure in the void.

She had soft long hair, bright eyes, and a jade-green dress hem like spring willow branches, illuminating this pitch-black mountain night.

Illusions were simple, yet mortals were especially prone to falling for them—this could only mean they truly touched the most vulnerable parts of the human heart.

After Zanxing left, Gu Baiying had never used illusions, always feeling that the false shell conjured by magic was ultimately not the person in his memories. Since he had said he would wait, how could he not endure even this loneliness?

But Zanxing had never entered his dreams either—year after year, she never appeared in his dreams.

Tonight was the first time Gu Baiying used illusions to conjure the person in his heart. Just this once, he thought.

He really, really missed her.

The figure in the illusory dream emerged from the night and walked before him, bending slightly to gaze into his eyes. Zanxing smiled as she spoke: “Why are you sitting here alone?”

He gazed at the woman before him.

Zanxing smiled as she looked at him, saying: “Martial Uncle, it’s been a long time since we’ve met. I’ve missed you.”

Gu Baiying closed his eyes.

Illusions could indeed conjure what one thought and remembered, but could only depict similar appearances—they couldn’t portray the same soul. She was too vivid and distinct in his mind. Even if he used all his spiritual power, he couldn’t imitate even one ten-thousandth of her divine essence.

It was ultimately futile.

Zanxing walked to sit beside him. The wind lifted her hair, and a strand or two brushed across his face, bringing a slight itch.

Gu Baiying didn’t open his eyes, as if this way he could get closer to the phantom in his heart.

Just like in those days right after Zanxing left, when he returned to Gufeng Mountain and looked no different from before during the day, yet always at night would call Zanxing’s name over and over again to that broken hairpin.

Part of his primordial soul resided in Zanxing’s body—their fates had long been connected. He still remembered when Zanxing had gazed into his eyes and told him “I want to change my fate, and yours too.” In the end, she had changed the fate of hundreds of millions of living beings in Duzhou, then disappeared forever.

Over these years, Gu Baiying had traveled to many places, trying to discover her presence, but miracles might not often favor mortals.

Zanxing never reappeared.

She was an evening star that had inadvertently crossed the night sky, destined never to linger for anyone. She had illuminated him for an instant, then suddenly vanished, leaving only the person waiting alone under the starry sky.

At the banquet, spirits soared above the nine heavens; when stars scattered and rain dispersed, it would not last till morning.

The young man sat in the lonely mountain wind. Below his feet, the city blazed with lights, while shadow and light pointed in completely different directions.

A woman’s voice came from beside him, carrying light laughter: “Heishi City is still the same. Evening stars are always present above Chuhong Terrace, but Heishi City has no clear nights—it inevitably looks desolate.”

She said: “Gu Baiying, shall I give you something?”

The wind became lighter.

He slowly opened his eyes and was suddenly startled.

The city below his feet had originally blazed with brilliant lights, decorating the wilderness with flowing radiance. Now, however, it was as if all the candle flames across the wilderness had been extinguished one by one. The earth darkened inch by inch until it was pitch black—nothing could be seen.

Heaven and earth darkened.

Someone reached out, and a blue light from their palm was suddenly thrown toward the long sky. In an instant, the silent sky suddenly became clamorous.

The starry sky lit up bit by bit.

At first there were only one or two crystalline points, then they became clusters of brilliance, and then countless clear lights filled the night sky. A silver river cascaded from the horizon, clustering busily in the dome, spreading across the vast human world.

“These evening stars are unique—they can’t be seen anywhere else. Gu Baiying,” she didn’t look at the person beside her, only gazed at the brilliant night sky and said softly, “Do you like them?”

Gu Baiying stared at her in shock, his entire body seeming to freeze.

How could a person in an illusion conjure a starry sky? She still sat beside him, yet was completely different from the phantom just now. She was vivid and lively, every expression and detail exactly the same as in his memories.

So real.

“Ding—”

A clear, faint sound rang out from beside him, like a pleasing finale, each note pure with the joy of reunion.

The Jiexin Bell bound his heart, always responding to his most instinctive heartbeats.

He couldn’t possibly be moved by a phantom.

Unless…

Heaven and earth quieted down. Countless crystalline brilliant lights fell upon the human world. Long winds raced freely through the mountains, lifting the woman’s pale blue robe hem.

She stared at the night sky: “The starry sky is fake.”

Then she turned to look at Gu Baiying, pointed at herself, and slowly, softly began to smile.

—”This one is real.”

*End of Main Text*