The box was packed full with hundreds of talisman papers.

Zanxing picked up one, and when she saw it clearly, she couldn’t help but be stunned: “Substitute talismans?”

“Junior Sister, after the flood was resolved back then, I made many of these talisman papers. I thought that if you ever returned someday, I would give these talismans to you.” He coughed lightly: “The world changes in a thousand ways—having more stored away never hurts.”

Zanxing was momentarily dazed. These were the words she had said to Mu Cengxiao when he first gave her substitute talismans years ago. She hadn’t expected him to remember them.

Mu Cengxiao had always been sincere. After Zanxing disappeared, he constantly regretted in his heart—if only he had made more substitute talismans, perhaps Zanxing could have had a thread of hope for survival. Over the years, he had unconsciously accumulated a full box of them, never expecting he would actually have the chance to give them away in this lifetime.

Gu Baiying glanced at Mu Cengxiao and spoke indifferently: “So many substitute talismans—who are you cursing?”

Zanxing put away the box and said to Mu Cengxiao, “Don’t listen to him. Thank you, Senior Brother. These talismans will be very useful to me.” She would study later how exactly these talismans were made. If everyone in Heishi City could have one in hand, perhaps public safety would improve greatly.

Mendong whispered: “But do you still call him Senior Brother?” He seemed troubled: “Now you’re the Demon Lord of Heishi City, and others call you Young Palace Master… Are you still considered a disciple of our Taiyan Sect?”

The relationship between Zanxing and the Taiyan Sect was truly unclear.

Zanxing looked at Meng Ying and spoke jokingly: “I suppose we should ask the sect leader about that.”

Hearing this, Meng Ying suddenly laughed softly. She rarely smiled—since Zanxing had known her, she had never seen Meng Ying show a smile. Meng Ying shook her head: “There’s no need to be bound by status. You are the Demon Lord of Heishi City, and you are also a disciple of our Taiyan Sect. Junior Sister,” she looked at Zanxing, “as long as I remain in the Taiyan Sect, the doors of the Taiyan Sect will always be open for you.”

Zanxing was stunned, a layer of soft emotion gradually rising from the bottom of her heart. It was as if in this drifting world, she had suddenly found a stable place to rest.

Just as she was about to speak, Zhao Mayi timely interjected: “Aiya, why speak so formally? In the future, when Zanxing and Seventh Junior Brother become Dao companions, both sides will be in-laws—naturally, we’ll still be one family. What relationship is there to worry about?”

Zanxing: “……”

She turned to look at Gu Baiying, who coughed lightly and looked elsewhere, seeming to silently acquiesce.

Xuan Lingzi hurriedly picked up the wine cup on the table, striking while the iron was hot: “Speaking so lively, anyway, Zanxing has already returned now. Future matters can be discussed in the future. Let’s drink first!”

The Danxin wine was azure and ethereal. Xuan Lingzi laughed heartily as he raised his cup: “Back then, your master wished for you, ‘Why need to look up at cloud ladders when you can grow your wings?’ Now, my disciples have all grown up, each wanting to go down the mountain to follow their path. No matter what, the Taiyan Sect will always be your home. Your master wishes you: though the duckweed may drift far apart, let us empty the cups in our hands!”

May the youth remain pure, brave, and true to their original hearts.

May the mortal world have feelings year after year, with evening stars always present.

……

When the banquet at Duoluo Terrace ended, Xuan Lingzi was carried back by others.

His alcohol tolerance had become increasingly poor, and whether he was truly drunk or pretending, he walked up to Gu Baiying reeking of alcohol, patting Gu Baiying’s shoulder: “Ying Ying, back then it was Senior Brother’s fault. I only cared about feeling sorry for little Zanxing and didn’t consider your feelings. Senior Brother apologizes to you.”

Gu Baiying disgustedly pushed away his hand: “Don’t call me that.”

Xuan Lingzi choked up: “At my age, how can I quibble with Junior Brother? It’s Senior Brother’s fault…” As he spoke, he even began to wail loudly.

Gu Baiying: “……”

He couldn’t bear it anymore: “Stop crying!”

Tian Fangfang laughed as he helped Xuan Lingzi up: “I’d better take Master back first. He’s quite drunk.”

“I should go back too.” Meng Ying shook her head: “There are still some sect matters unfinished.” Being the sect leader of the Taiyan Sect was probably much more arduous than being the city lord of Heishi City.

The night was already deep, with cups and dishes scattered messily on the banquet table, so everyone dispersed.

Zanxing and Gu Baiying returned to the Miaokong Hall.

Mingxiu Courtyard remained the same as always—pink gauze curtains, peach-colored bedding, and the fragrance of magnolia permeating every corner.

The persimmon tree in the courtyard had grown even more lush than before she left.

Zanxing stood under the persimmon tree, looking up at the verdant canopy of flourishing branches and leaves, her expression suddenly freezing.

A voice sounded behind her: “Looking for something? Looking for the tree hollow?”

Zanxing was startled and turned around in surprise to look at Gu Baiying.

Gu Baiying pointed with his Embroidered Bone, and a cluster of silver light flew toward the depths of the tree crown. The tree hollow that had been hidden suddenly appeared, and glowing green paper cranes flew out from within.

Zanxing ignored those paper cranes, only frowning as she stared at him: “You peeked…”

He was stunned and reflexively said, “I didn’t do it on purpose!”

“How was it not on purpose?” Zanxing showed a disappointed expression: “Gu Baiying, I didn’t expect you to be this kind of person.”

He became somewhat nervous, his voice tense as he explained: “I thought at the time that you…”

He had thought Zanxing would never return, and perhaps this was the last trace she had left behind. He had looked at the feelings recorded in the paper cranes, and then wanted to continue guarding this secret. So he used magic to hide this tree hollow, sealing those secret thoughts here.

Zanxing stared at him steadily for a long while, then suddenly laughed with a “puchi” sound, only saying: “Forget it. If you’ve seen it, you’ve seen it. There’s nothing that can’t be shown to others.”

Gu Baiying breathed a sigh of relief, but soon he became somewhat puzzled: “Why did you write these things?”

Those trivial matters, each person’s scattered words and phrases, the blooming and withering of flowers in the sect, today’s rainbow and tomorrow’s rain—she recorded them more seriously than anyone else.

Though this seemed meaningless.

“You don’t understand.” Zanxing extended her hand, and a paper crane flew over, landing lightly in her palm: “These are all my own stories.”

In that final chess game against the Heavenly Dao, she hadn’t won, but she hadn’t exactly lost either. When she first mistakenly entered this place and was forced into the game, stumbling along the way through sorrows and joys, she had ultimately deviated from the predetermined path.

“Nine Heaven Summit” had already reached its conclusion, the book had closed, but the story continued.

A completely new story that belonged only to them.

Though no one could predict the future, and perhaps the “Heavenly Dao” would continue to pursue her relentlessly, that didn’t matter either.

Human life spans a hundred years, glory passes in an instant, but as long as there are people in this world, there will always be miracles.

Zanxing said, “I plan to continue writing in the future, recording everything you and I see and hear in Duzhou, organizing it into a collection, and writing a world-famous masterpiece. I’ll call it ‘A Book That Teaches You to Understand Duzhou.'”

Gu Baiying: “……”

He clicked his tongue and criticized mercilessly: “Sounds terrible.”

“What about adding your name? ‘The Story That Must Be Told Between Me and Little Martial Uncle’?”

Gu Baiying calmly reminded her: “…That doesn’t sound very proper.”

Zanxing thought for a moment: “Then just me alone. How about calling it ‘Zanxing,’ named after me? One look and you’d know I’m the protagonist!”

“……”

He sighed and finally compromised: “That’s not impossible.”