Chilin suddenly stepped forward. Qingsui, fearing she meant Xiang Su harm, wanted to intervene but was held back by Yuanhou, who gave her a meaningful look.

Qingsui frowned slightly. Looking at Chilin, who stood beside Xiang Su but didn’t make a move, she understood Yuanhou’s meaning. With Dong Tianyun gone, what grievances could remain between Chilin and Xiang Su? Still… Chilin would have to get past her first.

Qingsui looked at Chilin’s profile—delicate and sorrowful, with none of her former arrogance visible. Her beautiful eyes and brows appeared especially desolate and mournful. Because of this little snake’s fiery temper and her repeated mockery of the lost wood spirit artifacts, Qingsui had never liked her. But now, no matter how many past grudges there were, she found it somewhat difficult to feel hatred.

“Hey!” Chilin raised her foot. Though she didn’t actually kick Xiang Su, her contempt was thoroughly conveyed.

Xiang Su only stared at the water surface and let out a very childish huff, ignoring her.

Qingsui and Yuanhou wanted to laugh but suddenly felt a bitterness rise within. These two adversaries—one an arrogant and haughty fire spirit princess, the other a beloved newly-born wood spirit—in the end… were both still children who hadn’t grown up.

With Dong Tianyun departed, what would become of these two young women in the endless years ahead? Qingsui felt her eyes sting. She really wanted to shed tears but feared Yuanhou would mock her. The person she was waiting for had only descended to undergo three lifetimes of tribulation for privately planting Wan trees. Her waiting had an end. But what about Chilin and Xiang Su? Yuanhou’s consolation was actually quite clumsy—only those willing to believe would believe it like self-deception.

Yuanhou had once told her that time was a cruel but holy medicine for healing wounds. After long enough… even what one wanted to remember would likely be forgotten. She had also told countless juniors that wood spirits needed to be good at forgetting, otherwise those with eternal lifespans would never be happy.

She had merely heard this from the previous Wood Dijun and repeated it unchanged to later generations. Whether forgetting actually worked or not, she didn’t know herself.

She couldn’t do it herself. She didn’t want to forget Qing Ze, nor did she want to be forgotten by Qing Ze. Happiness? As long as Qing Ze hadn’t forgotten her, she was happy.

She glanced at Yuanhou, whose expression was rarely solemn. His feelings for her—she understood them all… Well then, since he understood the power of time so clearly, let that cruel effect work on him.

Perhaps because Yuanhou always wore a carefree smile, Qingsui thought he had a big heart and a thick face, with no difficulties he couldn’t overcome. Sometimes watching Chilin’s helplessness over Dong Tianyun, she felt deeply touched too.

The matter of liking or not liking someone was truly inexplicable—it couldn’t be forced in the slightest.

“Get up!” Chilin commanded Xiang Su haughtily.

Xiang Su frowned and said nothing. Junshang might be struggling bitterly in the Abyss River right now—how could Chilin still have the mood to make trouble unreasonably? She didn’t even have the mood to argue with her now!

“Are you deaf?” This time Chilin really did kick Xiang Su, landing squarely on her arm. It didn’t actually hurt, but Xiang Su immediately jumped up in fury. Tension, grief—all her emotions seemed to suddenly find an outlet for explosion.

Normally Xiang Su was quite afraid of Chilin, but now she glared back fearlessly. Though she was half a head shorter than Chilin, her blazing anger didn’t lose in presence at all.

“What? Want to fight? Fine, then wait to die!” Actually, if they really fought, though Chilin couldn’t do anything to Xiang Su, she certainly wouldn’t “die” either.

Yuanhou and Qingsui watched coldly, both secretly thinking that Little Pastry had been corrupted by Dong Tianyun—whether she could back it up or not, her tone was extremely bold.

Chilin hadn’t expected the previously foolish and somewhat timid little wood spirit to suddenly become so fierce. She was stunned for a moment and couldn’t find words. After a while, she finally regained the fire spirit princess’s imposing manner and said with a raised eyebrow: “Who wants you dead? I merely want to search for Dong Tianyun’s whereabouts through you.”

Xiang Su’s eyes widened. How had she forgotten this? She could sense where Junshang was! Her heart suddenly stabbed with pain—it was precisely because of this that she had harmed Junshang. “Good! Come search then!” She quickly suppressed this wave of anguish. Her magical power was too weak to detect him, but Chilin could. As long as they learned Junshang’s whereabouts, she wouldn’t have to feel guilty anymore, wouldn’t have to feel such heartache.

“…” Yuanhou and Qingsui were simultaneously speechless. Probing one’s primordial spirit was like exposing one’s vital weakness to the other person. If the other party harbored even the slightest killing intent, destroying one’s soul would be as easy as turning one’s hand.

As Chilin stepped forward and raised her hand, Qingsui again couldn’t quite maintain her composure, but Yuanhou still shook his head at her. Yuanhou turned his head to look at Chilin. He always felt that someone capable of loving another person wholeheartedly could never be utterly evil.

Chilin grasped Xiang Su’s shoulder with one hand and touched her forehead with the other, sensing with full power.

Xiang Su also closed her eyes and calmed her mind to cooperate with Chilin. Gradually both were drenched in sweat, Xiang Su’s complexion especially pale. The damage from Bi Lian’s forceful probing of her primordial spirit still remained. Chilin’s full-powered detection, pouring in all her cultivation, was also a tremendous drain on Xiang Su’s primordial spirit.

“Nothing, there’s nothing!” Chilin spat out a mouthful of blood with a “puff,” making her face look deathly pale with panic, her entire body trembling weakly.

“Can you still do it? Try again!” Xiang Su also swayed unsteadily, her voice already faint, but she still refused to give up.

“Mm.” Chilin nodded. When she raised her hand to channel her cultivation again, she felt truly at the end of her strength.

Xiang Su closed her eyes, her primordial spirit completely unguarded and exposed at Chilin’s fingertips. Chilin was instantly dazed. Hadn’t she wanted to kill this little wood spirit multiple times? She had even publicly lost face because of her. Right now… behind Xiang Su was the ceaselessly rushing water of the Abyss River. The scene of Dong Tianyun falling was etched into Chilin’s heart every single moment. Even though she had caught the corner of his robe, his eyes had always been looking at Xiang Su on the shore!

Actually, she had known all along. From the moment Dong Tianyun saved Xiang Su, she had seemed to have a premonition. The way Dong Tianyun looked at Xiang Su was different from beginning to end…

Her fingertips trembled even more violently. With just a light push, this wood spirit who had made her taste the pain of crushing defeat and loss would be reduced to ashes. She stared at Xiang Su, having to admit that Xiang Su was extremely beautiful. With her eyes closed, her expression resolute, clearly as weak as a withered leaf, yet so firm that not even her eyelashes trembled. Earlier when she said she wanted to go find Dong Tianyun, she had worn this same expression.

Chilin bit down on her jaw. Yes, at that moment she had been jealous. Even if it meant death, she didn’t want Xiang Su to accompany Dong Tianyun.

When she couldn’t detect Dong Tianyun, Chilin had already understood—he… was no more. Actually, when he fell into the Abyss River, she had already understood. She desperately hoped she could believe Yuanhou’s words.

But this was a miracle that had never occurred throughout all eternity in the Three Realms.

Chilin’s hand at her chest slowly clutched her magnificent garment. If this was the case, she hoped Xiang Su could live! However much pain she felt, Xiang Su felt the same. However much despair she experienced, Xiang Su would suffer doubly!

Why send Xiang Su to meet Dong Tianyun? That would simply be fulfilling her wish!

Or perhaps… if one day Dong Tianyun truly did return, Qingsui and Yuanhou would tell him that she had killed Xiang Su, and Dong Tianyun would resent her.

Her hand clutching the garment slowly loosened. No matter how many excuses Chilin found, in truth she had simply become cowardly. In all the days and nights ahead without Dong Tianyun, having one more person who ached to the core like her… was also good.

When she touched Xiang Su’s forehead, both Qingsui and Yuanhou quietly breathed a sigh of relief. Qingsui brushed aside the hair blown loose by the wind. At this moment she pitied Chilin. Compared to Xiang Su, perhaps she was even more tragic.

“Ah.” Chilin let out a low exclamation with a stiff expression. To Qingsui and Yuanhou’s ears it sounded as fake as could be, but Xiang Su immediately opened her eyes in wild joy, grasping Chilin’s shoulders with both hands.

“You found him? Did you find him?” Her originally dark eyes were especially clear and beautiful, now brimming with tears. Chilin was so dazed at the sight that for a moment she couldn’t answer.

“Yes…” Chilin broke free from Xiang Su’s hands and turned away woodenly with her back to her. Facing those eyes, she couldn’t speak a lie. “Very faint… at the river bottom.”

“Really?!” Xiang Su looked toward the river surface with wild joy, saying somewhat proudly: “I knew it—Junshang will be fine! I knew it!”

Chilin, Qingsui, and Yuanhou all watched Xiang Su in silence. Whatever their reasons, they all hoped she could believe this lie.

Chilin swayed. Having expended too much spiritual power and experienced so many emotional fluctuations, she truly couldn’t maintain herself. At this moment she was extremely jealous of Xiang Su. Why could she immerse herself in such a crude falsehood with an expectant smile? The impulse to tell her the truth made Chilin’s breathing quicken. Dong Tianyun was already dead—in the Three Realms and Six Worlds there remained not a trace of his soul!

The Fire Dijun descended on his cloud with a worried expression, supporting his mentally dazed and deathly pale daughter.

“Lin’er…” He called his daughter’s name with heartache. As a father, he had always found it difficult to interfere in the entanglement between Dong Tianyun and Chilin. Originally, he had wanted to take advantage of Gu Wen’s emergence today to speak clearly with Dong Tianyun, but he hadn’t expected such an ending.

This was Xiang Su’s first time seeing Dijun Yinghuo. She had originally thought that anyone who could raise a daughter with such a bad temper must also be an unreasonable and rude person. Unexpectedly, Dijun Yinghuo was a robust immortal with steady bearing. He even nodded courteously to her after nodding to Qingsui and Yuanhou.

Chilin leaned against her father’s chest. Her heart relaxed, and her whole person collapsed. Tears poured out like a dam breaking.

Xiang Su looked at Chilin with some envy, having a father to care for her, stroking her hair and softly comforting her not to be sad. This was the problem with wood spirits—having neither father nor mother, at times like these they were especially lonely and desolate.

“Qingsui, Yuanhou,” the Fire Lord said with deeply furrowed brows and great vexation, “Now that the position of Metal Dijun is vacant, the Heavenly Emperor has summoned the various directors to discuss the selection of a successor.”

Qingsui and Yuanhou’s expressions changed slightly. Though they said nothing, their eyes showed some disdain.

Hearing this, Xiang Su reacted strongly, laughing coldly and retorting loudly: “No need to discuss! Junshang will return very soon! There’s no need for any successor!”

She already had a poor impression of the Heavenly Emperor, and now it was even worse. Junshang had just fallen into the Abyss River, the splash barely settled, and people throughout the Three Realms still didn’t even know yet, but they were already urgently discussing a replacement!

No one responded to her.

After a while, Qingsui let out two forced laughs and spoke dryly: “Little Pastry, you don’t understand. As the saying goes, a group of dragons cannot be without a leader for a single day. The Metal Spirit Realm’s affairs are complex. During the time until Dong Tianyun returns, they also… also need to select someone to manage things.” Qingsui raised her eyebrows slightly, not without sarcasm—the Heaven Clan had indeed been too obviously anxious this time.

Xiang Su thought about it and felt it made sense, so she stopped arguing.

“You should return to Qingsui’s palace first…”

Qingsui’s words were immediately rejected by Xiang Su. “I want to wait here for Junshang.”

Qingsui still wanted to persuade her, but Yuanhou nodded in agreement. “That’s fine too. We’ll go to the Heavenly Palace first and come back to find you later. Little Pastry, make good use of the Abyss River’s spiritual energy to recover your primordial spirit.”

Xiang Su nodded repeatedly, watching them depart on their clouds.

The sky was high and clouds light, the years silent.

When another spring arrived, Xiang Su came once more to the banks of the Abyss River.

She had been waiting… for fifty years already.

Looking across to the opposite shore, though the river water rushed turbulently, time here was frozen. With the banks barren of all vegetation, there was no winter or summer.

Fifty years ago, she had firmly believed that Junshang would appear suddenly when she was anxious and disappointed, just as when he had gone to the Sea of Flames before.

Fifty years later, she still felt the same.

She had waited too intently. Such a long time… she couldn’t even calculate how many days and nights she had waited alone by the river.

She had seen many people and forgotten them again…

Not long ago, Dijun Yuanhou had told her that Junshang shared a blood connection with her. No matter where she went, as long as Junshang returned, he would immediately come find her.

Dijun Yuanhou imitated Junshang’s way of speaking quite well. He had smiled and said to her: Little Pastry, do you want Dong Tianyun to see you again and think, “Why is Xiang Su still so foolish? She hasn’t experienced anything?”

Xiang Su seemed to see Junshang with an expressionless face but eyebrows raised arrogantly, saying this to her.

So she began having such dreams—walking on the willow embankment of West Lake, parting the hanging branches to see Junshang walking gracefully toward her. Or she would go to the vast wilderness, standing on a precipice overlooking the endless sea of sand while Junshang rode Kunpeng with his feathered garments flying, approaching through the air. In the vast heaven and earth, only he was the scenery.

She had indeed gone to these places, but she still returned alone each time.

Not wanting to remain an inexperienced little wood spirit, she traveled throughout the Three Realms, tasting many delicacies, seeing many beautiful sights, observing many sorrows and joys.

But still, not one beautiful sight surpassed West Lake viewed with him. Not one delicacy tasted better than what he had personally served her. And not one person could make her feel such joy, such sorrow.

Once every year, she would return to the Abyss River. If he didn’t come find her, she would come find him. Standing quietly by the river, she always felt that in the next second, that handsome and enchanting figure would burst from the water, standing in the clouds looking at her warmly and saying: Xiang Su…

Fifty years—neither long nor short, not even one mortal lifetime—yet Xiang Su felt as if it were an ancient dream, endless without boundary.

“You…”

An uncertain voice came from behind. Xiang Su didn’t turn around. From the moment the person flew into the Abyss River’s territory, she had already noticed. Over fifty years, many people had come and gone. Xiang Su had completely lost interest in them.

“Still waiting?”

A purple figure walked to her side. Xiang Su turned to look—it was Dragon Lady Ziyin.

Speaking of which, it made her angry. After Junshang fell into the Abyss River, quite a few female immortals had come, each one grief-stricken. Some even wailed on the ground—all romantic debts Junshang had incurred! Fortunately, they had all cried and made noise for a while then scattered. Comparatively, Dragon Lady Ziyin was better—she seemed to have waited quite a few days. At that time, Xiang Su had been too preoccupied to pay attention and couldn’t remember clearly.

“This is… my last time coming.” Dragon Lady Ziyin looked at the vast river water and said calmly, “I’m getting married.”

Xiang Su’s lips moved. Actually, she should congratulate Ziyin, but the auspicious words came to her lips and somehow felt somewhat sad. After a moment of silence, she finally forced a laugh and said casually: “Oh, that’s good. Who are you marrying?”

Ziyin didn’t answer immediately. After staring blankly for a while, she finally said lightly: “Ciyi of the Heaven Clan.”

Xiang Su was again at a loss for words.

Fifty years ago, Ziyin had left disappointed, resenting how quickly the Heavenly Emperor had selected an acting Metal Dijun. She had vowed never to tribute Rippling Wave Brocade to the Heavenly Palace again. Unexpectedly, fifty years later, she was marrying into the Heaven Clan.

Whenever she heard such news, Xiang Su especially felt the vast changes of seas becoming mulberry fields and the boundless passage of time.

All the people, all the events… had changed.

After Ziyin left, she suddenly wanted to build a small house by the Abyss River. Only this unchanging endless Abyss River gave her any sense of security and stability. And moreover, here… was very close to Junshang.