The martial uncles crowded together, competing to express their longing for Zanxing and the troubles Gu Baiying had caused the sect over the years. Just as Gu Baiying was about to lose his temper, a young disciple came out from the inner hall and said to Zanxing: “Master requests that Senior Sister Zanxing come in.”

Everyone looked at Zanxing.

Gu Baiying grabbed her: “I’ll accompany you.”

“No need.” Zanxing broke free from his hand. “I’ll go in by myself.”

Shaoyang Zhenren was no longer the head of the Taiyan Sect. All matters, large and small, in the sect were now decided by Meng Ying, and Shaoyang Zhenren rarely appeared before others.

Upon seeing Shaoyang Zhenren, Zanxing was momentarily stunned.

He was still handsome and otherworldly, but now he looked much weaker than before, as if he didn’t belong to this world and might fade into wisps of clouds and smoke at any moment.

He looked up at Zanxing: “You’ve come.”

His expression was calm, showing no trace of excitement, as if he had long anticipated this scene.

Back at the ruins of the Golden Gate, regarding the chess game of the “Heavenly Dao,” from beginning to end, only Shaoyang Zhenren had glimpsed a corner of the truth. He knew of the choice between “ascension” and “mending the cracked firmament,” knew of the Heavenly Dao’s trap, and even knew her greatest secret.

He had led her into the ruins of the Golden Gate, making her choose. It was also Shaoyang Zhenren who, at the final moment when Zanxing transformed into starlight, used his primordial spirit to activate the Qin Chong fruit within her body, allowing a wisp of her divine soul to be preserved.

Before the Immortal Ascension Platform, Shaoyang Zhenren had looked at her and said: “The divination reveals that Duzhou’s destruction is inevitable. Only if an otherworldly person appears might there be a thread of hope in this desperate situation.”

The thread of hope in desperate circumstances was not only Duzhou’s hope for survival, but also Zanxing’s hope for survival.

This Zhenren, who seemed calm about love and desire, was the truly mad gambler.

However, what Zanxing wanted to ask today wasn’t about this.

The man before her raised his eyes, his gaze falling on Zanxing as he spoke softly: “Don’t you have questions you want to ask me?”

Zanxing remained silent. After a moment, she finally asked the question that had been weighing on her heart.

“Zhenren,” Zanxing said, “back then, what the divination revealed—what was the deeper meaning behind the so-called ‘otherworldly person’?” She stared into Shaoyang Zhenren’s eyes. “And why did you say I was an otherworldly person?”

The hall was empty and silent. On the vermilion flower columns, the intricate patterns of jade hall wealth and honor were complex, with magnolia flowers, crabapple blossoms, and peonies intricately interwoven in magnificent splendor.

Shaoyang Zhenren smiled slightly: “An otherworldly person doesn’t concern themselves with worldly affairs and doesn’t see the masses of living beings.”

“If you had considered yourself an otherworldly person back then, you wouldn’t have been able to mend the firmament or save all living beings. Duzhou would have been destined for destruction, with all hope severed.”

“But now you are also one among all living beings, having long been part of this world. So you are no longer an otherworldly person.”

“No thoughts of where you came from, no regrets about where you’re going.” For the first time, that man who was always calm and composed seemed to show some human emotion on his face. He looked at Zanxing and said gently, “This place is your destination.”

……

After coming out of the Jinhua Hall, the evening was approaching.

Meng Ying had been quite busy these past few days. Several newly risen small sects in the cultivation world had sent disciples to their sect and were currently speaking with her in the hall.

Being a sect leader was always much busier than being a disciple.

Meng Ying had already ordered people to set up a banquet at Duoluo Terrace in advance to welcome Zanxing. As Zanxing and Gu Baiying walked toward Duoluo Terrace, before they arrived, someone called her name from afar: “Yang Zanxing!”

In the evening glow, a young man in a pink gauze robe came running excitedly, spreading his arms wide toward Zanxing from a distance: “You’ve returned!”

Before Zanxing could recognize who this person was, veins bulged on Gu Baiying’s forehead as he blocked the other’s attempted embrace with his spear, his tone somewhat displeased: “What are you doing?”

Mendong lowered his hands and spoke somewhat aggrievedly: “Martial Uncle, men shouldn’t be so petty.”

“Mendong?” Zanxing was somewhat surprised.

In her eyes, Mendong had still been a child back then. After a few years, he had become a graceful young man, though his personality remained as lively as ever.

Mendong called out, “They didn’t tell me you were returning today! Senior Brother Tian and I went to the back mountain to pick spiritual herbs. Yang Zanxing, is it you?”

Zanxing looked at him with a smile: “If not me, then who?”

“Junior Sister—” The man beside him dropped his axe to the ground with a “thud,” seemingly also wanting to embrace Zanxing, but gave up after glancing at Gu Baiying. Tian Fangfang wiped away tears: “Junior Sister, you’re truly heartless…”

The fine man began to choke up as he spoke.

When Zanxing disappeared back then, it had also dealt a considerable blow to Tian Fangfang. Over the years, though he didn’t say it aloud, whenever he obtained some interesting item or spiritual treasure, he couldn’t help but say: “If only Junior Sister Zanxing were here…” The new disciples in the sect didn’t know the full story and thought “Zanxing” was some old flame of his.

“Senior Brother Mu went to meet Senior Sister Meng.” Mendong glanced at Zanxing. “We should go to Duoluo Terrace first.”

The lotus flowers in Changchun Pool bloomed more brilliantly than before.

Clusters of rosy red dotted the emerald green, and the summer night knew no sorrow.

Fireflies settled in the flower clusters at the pavilion corners. Before they even approached the feast, the clear fragrance of Danxin wine was already slowly drifting over.

The group had just settled down and hadn’t yet spoken when they saw more figures approaching in the night. Meng Ying wore flowing white robes with a vermilion mark between her brows and a heavy, dark moon-soul weapon at her waist. Compared to her former divine maiden appearance that seemed to consume no earthly food, the current “Sect Leader Meng” had gained an aura of natural authority. She was still devastatingly beautiful, but her bearing now showed the demeanor of a sect leader, even more striking than the former Shaoyang Zhenren.

This made the gray-clothed young man beside her seem like a dutiful bodyguard by comparison.

Zanxing never would have imagined that Mu Cengxiao and Meng Ying would end up in their current situation. She’d heard that Mu Cengxiao had been harboring unrequited love for Meng Ying all these years, but the young sect leader of the Taiyan Sect was focused only on revitalizing the sect and achieving new glory, showing little interest in finding a Dao companion. So whatever their relationship had been back then remained the same now, with no progress whatsoever.

However, no one could predict the future. After all, life was long, and anything could happen.

Under everyone’s gaze, Mu Cengxiao looked at Zanxing and took out a palm-sized box from his Qiankun Bag. He hesitated for a moment before saying, “Junior Sister, knowing you’ve returned, this is for you.”

Apart from when he was with Mendong and Meng Ying, Mu Cengxiao was always a man of few words. But his hesitant manner inevitably made everyone think too much. Combined with the old rumors between Zanxing and Mu Cengxiao, the atmosphere became somewhat awkward.

Mendong looked at Mu Cengxiao, then at Zanxing, and whispered a reminder: “Senior Brother Mu, when did you transfer your affections again?”

Hearing this, Gu Baiying slightly raised an eyebrow. He said nothing, only looked at Mu Cengxiao with an ambiguous expression.

As if the moment Mu Cengxiao gave a wrong answer, this person would raise his spear and attack.

Meeting everyone’s various gazes, Mu Cengxiao’s face reddened as he hurriedly explained: “It’s not what you’re thinking.” After a pause, he added: “Junior Sister, won’t you open it and take a look?”

Zanxing smiled: “Alright, let me see what good thing Senior Brother has given me.”

She opened the wooden box in her hand.