When Xiang Su woke again, the sun had already tilted westward. Xiang Su looked at the golden sky outside the window, unable to recall which evening this was. She sat up to look at Dong Tianyun, who was still deeply asleep, a satisfied smile still lingering at his lips. He was truly exhausted, having fallen into the deepest and most comfortable sleep. She leaned down to kiss his cheek. Not wanting to disturb him, she tiptoed down from the couch. After bathing, she randomly found a set of clothes to wear and lazily walked to the terrace to watch the scenery and dry her hair.

The Abyss River, gilded golden by the setting sun, was more magnificent than at any other time. Xiang Su looked at it, truly wanting to shout loudly—how beautiful was her and Dong Tianyun’s world!

The light dimmed. A huge peng bird flew across the sky above her head. Xiang Su smiled and looked up, watching it spread its elegant and beautiful wings, drawing a charming arc across the evening sky. In the blink of an eye, the peng bird transformed into a child and landed on the terrace’s wide stone railing.

Not having seen him for several days, even Kunpeng had grown somewhat. He looked down at her from his high position, his small face revealing doubt and dissatisfaction. Xiang Su felt that even though Kunpeng was still so small, his deserving-a-beating appearance was the same as always. She looked at him both amused and annoyed.

“You bad person!” Kunpeng squinted his eyes and lectured her. His tender voice instead made him appear incomparably cute.

Xiang Su thought he was still holding a grudge about events from days ago and explained, “I had my difficulties. Yanji is the bad person.” She once again unhesitatingly shifted blame to Jiangdong.

Kunpeng looked at her with a “don’t try to make excuses” expression. “Jin Zhan Dijun and Yuanhou Dijun came by. They waited for a long time but you still wouldn’t release the Palace Master to come out. They could only leave disappointed!”

Xiang Su blushed a little. She wanted to argue that it wasn’t that she wouldn’t release Dong Tianyun, but rather that Dong Tianyun wouldn’t release her. But Kunpeng was just a small child—why should she explain such things to him?

Seeing her speechless, Kunpeng lectured even more righteously, “Yuanhou Dijun was very worried!”

Xiang Su was momentarily puzzled, staring blankly as he continued speaking.

“He said the Palace Master didn’t die on the battlefield, but might very well die on your bed.”

Xiang Su’s face immediately flushed red. She shouted loudly, “Vulgar!”

Kunpeng didn’t understand what was vulgar about this statement and retorted at an even higher pitch, “You’re the one who’s vulgar!”

Competing with Kunpeng over who was more vulgar, Xiang Su admitted she had no chance of winning. She simply used her size advantage to bully the small and went to pinch Kunpeng’s neck. Kunpeng jumped lightly from the stone railing. Xiang Su managed to grab his shoulders. Kunpeng revealed his true form. Though he was still small, carrying Xiang Su in flight was more than adequate. Xiang Su hugged the peng bird’s neck, gliding and soaring through the sunset. She let out bell-like laughter, urging Kunpeng to fly even faster. Kunpeng had originally been somewhat angry with her, but hearing her laughter, he felt his mood becoming cheerful too. He carried her circling and flying above the Nine Darkness Mountain peak.

Dong Tianyun slowly walked from the hall onto the terrace. Xiang Su and Kunpeng were flying somewhat high. She couldn’t see his features clearly. He wore only a thin inner garment. His long hair’s ends fluttered lightly in the evening breeze. His figure was upright and elegant. He quietly looked up at them. Though so far away, Xiang Su seemed to still see the warm smile at his lips.

“He’s very beautiful, isn’t he?” Xiang Su asked Kunpeng proudly, yet using an affirmative tone. “He’s mine!”

Kunpeng flew across the sky above Dong Tianyun. Xiang Su released her hands, floating down like a graceful gardenia flower. She spread her arms, her laughter crisp. “Dong Tianyun! Dong Tianyun!”

Dong Tianyun also spread his arms, smiling as he caught her floating down.

If fifty years of separation and waiting were to let them know the happiness of being together at this moment, Xiang Su also felt it was worth it.

She circled his neck and kissed his handsome face. “This time your words must count! We’ll never separate again, forever together!”

Hearing this, Dong Tianyun rarely laughed out loud. “Alright!”

He held her and turned to walk toward the hall. Kunpeng, circling in the sky, said gloomily, “Don’t harm the Palace Master again!”

Dong Tianyun was baffled. Xiang Su, however, ground her teeth and made a gesture of plucking feathers. Kunpeng disdainfully raised his head and cried out, flying into the clouds.

“What is he saying?” Dong Tianyun asked.

Xiang Su slandered, “He said that being with you harms you.”

Dong Tianyun laughed. “Although our lifetime is rather long, I don’t mind you harming me the whole time.”

The time of separation seemed endless and boundless. The years of being together, however, passed like a white horse galloping past a crack—in the blink of an eye, a hundred years had already passed.

This year the Nine Darkness flowers bloomed especially well. Dong Tianyun was in a cheerful mood. Thinking of old friends he hadn’t seen in a long time, he sent out invitations, asking them to come appreciate the flowers.

Yanji still had his ethereal immortal demeanor. As usual, Dong Tianyun found him disagreeable. Xiang Su, however, felt this sinner in her words was very likable. Probably she had already become too happy—she had developed a tolerant heart toward anyone.

Several decades had passed since they last met. She chased after him asking whether Yanji had found a maiden to his liking. Dong Tianyun watched coldly, feeling somewhat stifled inside. His tone was unkind as he asked, “If he hasn’t found one, do you have good recommendations?”

Originally a joking remark, Xiang Su took it seriously, racking her brains over whether there were any suitable candidates among the female immortals she knew. Over these decades following Dong Tianyun, she had also been to quite a few places, but rarely encountered female immortals. Those who could match Yanji were even more nonexistent.

Seeing Xiang Su distressed, Dong Tianyun recommended with ill intent, “Isn’t your Jin Zhan also without prospects? A very good marriage match.”

Xiang Su glared. Dong Tianyun was just too vindictive. He still remembered such old accounts from so many years ago.

Jin Zhan was just entering the door. Hearing Dong Tianyun’s words, he clicked his tongue in profound disdain. The Nine Darkness Palace Master had truly entered demonhood—even more despicable than before.

Xiang Su saw Jin Zhan and ran over wagging like a puppy to pull his hand. After finishing her welcoming words, with a worried expression she pulled him to a corner, asking apprehensively, “If I have a child, will it be a wood spirit?”

This question had been troubling Xiang Su recently. During the period when Big Sister Qingsui governed, the wood spirits were too chaotic—much that should have been taught hadn’t been disseminated. Having left the Wood Governing residence for so long, she had no one to ask. She had asked Dong Tianyun, but Dong Tianyun simply didn’t care. He said that as long as she gave birth to it, whether flowers or grass, he would like it.

Jin Zhan looked at her for a while, his eyebrows raising slightly with cunning. He said very solemnly, “There’s a possibility it will be a seed.”

“Ah?” Xiang Su was shocked and dismayed.

Jin Zhan consoled her very kindly, “You don’t need to worry too much. Generally, when other celestial spirits are together with wood spirits, they give birth to children of the other spirit’s attribute. There are also a minority who can give birth to wood spirits. Xiang Su, if by chance it’s a seed, don’t panic. Just select a good piece of land and plant it.”

Jin Zhan smiled as he walked back to the table. His seat was adjacent to Yanji’s. Yanji glanced at him several times.

“Why do I feel your smile is so treacherous?” He exposed Jin Zhan.

Jin Zhan shook his head. “Just imparting knowledge and dispelling doubts, that’s all.”

Yuanhou came last, holding the hand of a little girl in green clothes. It was the girl’s first time coming to the Nine Darkness Palace. She showed not the slightest trace of timidity or surprise, settling into her seat even more naturally than Yuanhou. Everyone was looking at her, but she wasn’t constrained. She took a Nine Darkness flower that had been added to the dishes and tasted it, disappointedly pursing her lips. “The flavor is very ordinary.”

Several decades had passed like an instant. The Nine Darkness flowers had become quite famous throughout the three realms. Using them in cooking was disappointing.

Dong Tianyun looked very displeased at this miniaturized Qingsui. Her contemptible behavior hadn’t changed one bit!

Yanji looked at her for a while with some emotion and asked Yuanhou, “You went to Dragon Binding Valley again?”

Yuanhou smiled and nodded. “Yes. Fortunately I went.”

Little Qingsui, hearing his words, raised her eyebrows. “That’s not right! I fundamentally didn’t need your help. I finally grew out from the wind vortex with great difficulty, only to be forcibly urged by you into human form! Do you understand ‘pulling up seedlings to help them grow’?”

Dong Tianyun took a sip of wine and smiled coolly. “How excessive! You certainly still have many places that haven’t grown properly. The problem with your brain is very obvious.”

Little Qingsui immediately became angry. “What is this filthy ugly monster saying?”

Yuanhou pressed his forehead in distress. “Alas, Qingsui, when insulting people, don’t expose their shortcomings. How come you never learn no matter how I teach you?”

Dong Tianyun looked at them gloomily. Xiang Su quickly ran over to pull up Qingsui’s hand. “Qingsui…” Looking at her appearance, she really couldn’t call her “big sister.” “Do you still remember things from before?”

Qingsui took another bite of a different dish, savoring the taste. “You mean about Yuanhou secretly being in love with me? I don’t remember.”

Yuanhou’s complexion also began to turn gloomy. Dong Tianyun’s instead improved.

Gathering joyfully with friends put him in an especially good mood. When Dong Tianyun smiled as he went to the couch, he saw Xiang Su’s face full of alarm. “What’s wrong with you now?” He was also somewhat accustomed to this.

“Dong Tianyun…” Xiang Su tilted her head in distress. “You said that no matter what I give birth to, you’ll like it, right?”

Dong Tianyun sat close to her, absentminded. “Yes.” Such a foolish question simply wasn’t worth thinking about.

“Then… even a seed, you wouldn’t despise it either, would you?” Xiang Su looked at him tremblingly.

Dong Tianyun squinted at her for a while. “Come, tell me about this seed business.”

After learning the whole story, the first thing Dong Tianyun did was get out of bed to grab Gu Wen.

“What are you doing?” Xiang Su was terrified. He wasn’t really angry at Jin Zhan, was he? She also jumped out of bed in a panic, forcefully pulling at Dong Tianyun.

“Going right now to find Jin Zhan a woman. I’m going to watch them give birth to a seed!” Dong Tianyun was somewhat frantic with rage.

Xiang Su thought about it. This idea was indeed quite vulgar, but she liked it. So she smiled and instead pulled his hand, urging, “Then let’s go.”

On the way to kill their way to the Wood Governing residence, Dong Tianyun held Xiang Su’s hand and explained very patiently, “Wood spirits born by celestial spirits, because they haven’t been nurtured by the spiritual energy of mountains and rivers for several hundred years, only have a harder time breaking through the wood spirit tribulation than naturally-born wood spirits like you.” Seeds and such were purely fictitious. He had to let Xiang Su know how unforgivable Jin Zhan was.

Xiang Su’s face suddenly turned fierce. “I can’t remember who told me that wood spirits are all fatherless and motherless!”

Dong Tianyun was somewhat speechless. Xiang Su’s train of thought was sometimes just a bit hard to follow.

“It doesn’t matter. You can think about it slowly. We have all the time in the world.” Dong Tianyun said with a light laugh, stroking her delicate beautiful face.

Xiang Su also smiled and nodded forcefully.

(The End)