“Senior Sister, you’re such a good person. You’re the only one on the island who cares about me this much. Don’t worry, I’ll make sure you get first pick of any elixirs we make in the herb hut,” Bai Shuo said, grinning happily as she stroked the bottle.
Watching Bai Shuo’s silly smile, Er Yun hesitated, then finally spoke. “Bai Shuo, the sect leader has ordered you to leave the island tonight.”
Bai Shuo froze, gripping the little bottle tightly as she looked up in shock. “Senior Sister, what did you say?”
“My uncle said he’d spare your life if you survived three days in the Mysterious Ice Cave, but you are no longer a disciple of Miao Miao. Did you think that just because Junior Brother will inherit the sect, you could stay?”
“I…”
Bai Shuo opened her mouth, at a loss for words. There was no denying she had committed a grave mistake. She had thought A-Zhao might be able to convince the sect leader to let her stay. After all, to Miao Miao, she was just an insignificant half-immortal herb gatherer.
“Where is A-Zhao? I… I want to see him,” Bai Shuo said suddenly.
“Junior Brother has already retired for the night. He is leaving for Wu Tong Phoenix Island tomorrow. There’s no need to disturb him over something so trivial.”
Bai Shuo’s lips parted, but she had no words left to say.
She had waited all day for A-Zhao, only for Er Yun to be the one to show up.
It wasn’t that A-Zhao couldn’t convince the sect leader to let her stay; it was that he didn’t want to.
Bai Shuo was sharp enough to understand. The true force behind this decision was A-Zhao himself.
Why?
Bai Shuo felt lost, her heart sinking. Sensing her sorrow, the small vine on her wrist gently nudged her palm in a comforting gesture.
“Take care of yourself from now on.” Er Yun, unable to bear Bai Shuo’s expression, turned to leave. But as she reached the door, she paused and added, “The path of immortality is long and arduous. Bai Shuo, Junior Brother is now at the peak of Immortal Lord. You and he… you’re not walking the same path.”
With those final words, Er Yun transformed into a beam of light and flew back toward the inner island.
As clouds obscured the moon, Bai Shuo slumped against the vine chair, as if all her strength had left her.
Over the years, she had only held onto two cherished hopes: to find the immortal who had saved her, and to stay by Chong Zhao’s side.
She had put so much effort into refining medicine, all for Chong Zhao’s sake. But now, Chong Zhao no longer needed her.
Not even when she left home and fled with him had she felt this lost.
The path of immortality was vast and lonely. Without Miao Miao, where could she go?
Suddenly, a pair of warm hands clasped hers. She looked up, meeting the boy’s clear, concerned gaze.
“Master, what’s wrong?”
For a moment, Bai Shuo was stunned, but the warmth in her palm slowly melted away her confusion. The path to immortality was vast, and the Three Realms were wide. She could live anywhere. A-Zhao had his own path to follow, and so did she.
Suddenly, she sprang up with newfound vigor, hands on her hips and full of energy.
"Disciple, pack up—we’re leaving!"
"Where to?"
"To wander the world!"
Under the night sky, a lone boat sailed across the waters of Miao Miao’s sea, its passengers obscured in the twilight.
High on the mountain peak behind Miao Miao, Chong Zhao stood alone, watching the boat vanish into the distance. A beam of light flashed, and Er Yun appeared beside him.
"Junior Brother," Er Yun called softly, but he didn’t respond. Her gaze also fell on the boat in the distance. "I thought she’d kick up a fuss, demand to see you…"
"She wouldn’t."
After a long silence, Chong Zhao finally spoke. Er Yun waited, expecting him to say more, but he added nothing.
She stared at Chong Zhao, then thought back to Bai Shuo in the herb hut, and for some reason felt a strange sense of relief.
One left without asking; the other didn’t try to hold her back. It seemed cold, but perhaps it was because they understood each other too well. And yet, she herself couldn’t even grasp what Chong Zhao was truly thinking.
Junior Brother and Bai Shuo were not meant to walk the same path, nor, perhaps, were she and him. In Chong Zhao’s heart, perhaps she didn’t measure up to Bai Shuo at all.
Er Yun sighed softly, then turned away, leaving Chong Zhao in peace atop the mountain.
The boat continued its journey into the distance, but an image surfaced in Chong Zhao’s mind.
The night before, in a secluded mountain cave, Chong Zhao had been meditating when a flash of spiritual power announced Song Yun’s presence.
"Uncle?" Chong Zhao opened his eyes, quickly standing and bowing.
"Good. Your spiritual power has grown greatly; it seems that the trouble your senior brother brought to Miao Miao has turned out to be an opportunity for you."
But Chong Zhao’s heart twinged. The previous night, he had nearly succumbed to a heart demon, almost losing control. Had it not been for that demoness who protected him, his path of cultivation might have shattered. Chong Zhao didn’t understand why Fu Ling had saved him again and again, but he knew the laws of the immortal realm were strict. If his connection to Fu Ling became known, even if he had done nothing improper, the Celestial Palace would not tolerate it, and Miao Miao itself could face repercussions.
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