Cultivators grow distant from the mortal world, and most people met in the cities of the past eventually turn to dust and bone. To seal away such memories and sever all worldly ties is the way to free one’s heart. But for some reason, Lingfeng could never forget Wei Yunshu, with whom she had shared life and death. Her image remained ever-present in her mind, growing clearer with each passing day. She had tried to picture what the grown-up Wei Yunshu would look like, but her imagination never quite did her justice. Now, the person she had thought of for decades stood before her, alive, her presence as steadfast as a mountain and deep as an abyss, exceptionally graceful.
The joy of this sudden reunion with an old friend washed over her like a tidal wave, threatening to drown her completely. She unconsciously held her breath, the pressure of her hand on Wei Yunshu’s shoulder increasing instead of lessening. It felt like a long time had passed, yet also like only an instant. Lingfeng lowered her gaze, her thick, dark eyelashes casting small shadows. She smiled, her shapely brows arching, her eyes sparkling. “Is that so?” she asked softly.
If at first Wei Yunshu only had a vague idea that Lingfeng should look like this, as she began to trace the details of her features, she became certain. Her gaze lingered on Lingfeng’s face. The ugly, vicious scar from the past was gone, but could the pain hidden beneath that perfect visage also fade away completely? She was lost in thought for a moment and raised her hand, wanting to touch Lingfeng’s cheek, but a sharp reprimand pulled her from her daze. She abruptly pulled her hand back, but then, her fingertips were gently enveloped by Lingfeng’s, savoring the warmth of their skin touching.
Wei Yunshu coughed lightly and lowered her head.
Lingfeng finally let go of Wei Yunshu and glanced at her own disciple, who was glaring at Wei Yunshu, and shook her head slightly.
Leaning against the bed, Yun Wu finally found an opportunity to speak. She looked at Lingfeng with confusion, vaguely guessing her identity, but still asked, “And you are?”
“Lingfeng of Luoshui Divine Palace,” a gentle voice replied, followed by, “A good friend of A’shu.”
The long-unheard nickname echoed in her ears, slowly sinking into her heart and stirring up a dizzying rush of warmth. Wei Yunshu couldn’t help but look up again, her eyes fixed on Lingfeng. In the past, she had imagined their reunion countless times. Sometimes, it was a tearful reunion of old friends; other times, it was a heartless passing glance after a single look. In the long life of a cultivator, that half-year was incredibly brief. Moreover, it was a time of misery and despair, seemingly with nothing worth cherishing. But Lingfeng’s attitude now cut away all her unnecessary thoughts.
The person she had always held in her heart also remembered her.
She was grateful for the favor of the Heavenly Dao; nothing could satisfy her more than this.
Their eyes met and tangled, no more words needed.
Yun Wu frowned slightly, her suspicious gaze shifting between the two of them. “I see,” she said slowly.
Lingfeng remembered the purpose of her visit. The demonic cultivators from the Corridor of Sins intended to attack the Southern Continent’s spiritual vein, a matter that could not be taken lightly. She had recently arrived at the Sunset Burial Mounds and heard from the disciples at the outpost that the number of demons seemed to be increasing. Yun Wu also hated those demons. She had been chasing a demon’s trail in the Sunset Burial Mounds and was about to investigate when she was careless and fell into a trap, captured by the demonic cultivators. At Lingfeng’s questioning, she told them everything she knew.
The disciples sent out to investigate had also returned. According to them, the demonic cultivators were indeed making unusual movements. This was not something the cultivators stationed at the outpost could handle. If they wanted to open a passage to the spiritual vein, it would undoubtedly involve powers of a higher level. Their current cultivation was not enough; the news had to be sent back to Luoshui Divine Palace.
When Lingfeng walked out of the room, Wei Yunshu followed her without hesitation. A gust of wind, tinged with astral energy, blew through the outpost, causing their sleeves to flutter like flying cranes. Lingfeng stopped and looked at Wei Yunshu, smiling. “Aren’t you going to take care of Fellow Daoist Yun?”
Wei Yunshu didn’t expect that to be the first thing she mentioned. She glanced back with some hesitation. After a long moment, she said, “I’m not a healer. I wouldn’t be good at it.”
“Someone will teach you what to do,” Lingfeng said lightly.
Wei Yunshu was speechless. She looked at Lingfeng in confusion, blinked, and took a step closer, her voice tinged with a sense of grievance. “Why do you keep talking about Fellow Daoist Yun? Aren’t you going to ask about me?”
“Oh,” Lingfeng looked at her and readily took the advice. “How did you end up at Buzhou? I sent people to look for you later, but there was no trace of you.” If A’shu had waited a little longer, they could have grown up together, instead of being filled with anxiety and bewilderment.
“I… I thought Luoshui Divine Palace wouldn’t take me in,” Wei Yunshu said in a low, somewhat disappointed voice. She was naturally good at reading people. The female cultivator who had taken her back had a strange expression when looking at her; she even thought she might be thrown into a ditch. But the woman didn’t do that in the end. When she woke up again, everyone was gone, as if the whole experience had been a dream.
Lingfeng patted her shoulder and said softly, “It’s alright now. You’re doing well at Buzhou. Didn’t you always want to be a heroic swordswoman? Everyone at Buzhou cultivates the sword path; it’s one of the best in the immortal realms. As for me—” Lingfeng paused for a moment, then comforted Wei Yunshu, “aren’t we seeing each other now?”
“But—” Wei Yunshu didn’t finish her sentence. A small beast seemed to be trapped in her heart, ramming left and right. It was desperately seeking an exit, but no matter how hard she tried, she couldn’t find a way out. Her eyes gradually reddened. Looking at Lingfeng’s gentle smile, she felt even more flustered.
“Don’t cry,” Lingfeng sighed softly and raised her hand, her fingertips gently touching the reddened corner of Wei Yunshu’s eye. She then smiled and said, “You’re so grown up now, are you still going to cry?”
The past and present overlapped, and in the flow of time, tears still brewed. Wei Yunshu could normally control her emotions, but hearing Lingfeng’s words, she couldn’t hold back the tears, which instantly wet Lingfeng’s fingertips. She panicked, took a step back, and said, “I haven’t cried in a long time.”
“Why are you backing away?” Luo Lingfeng glanced at her and quickly grabbed the retreating figure. “Aren’t we both fine now?”
Wei Yunshu spoke incoherently, “I… I don’t know, I’m just… happy, I—” Before she could finish, she was pulled into Luo Lingfeng’s embrace. Lingfeng wrapped her arm around Wei Yunshu’s waist, rested her chin on her shoulder, and closed her eyes. After a long moment, she let go and said, “If a demonic cultivator saw this, who knows how they would laugh.”
The demon menace in the Sunset Burial Mounds was not yet eliminated; they didn’t have much time to catch up.
Luoshui Divine Palace received the news, and many Nascent Soul elders were dispatched. The demonic cultivators acted secretively, but to open a passage to the spiritual vein, their own strength was likely insufficient. After dealing with the demons trying to open the leyline, Wen Dantong began to investigate further. To her surprise, she found some elders and even close relatives within Luoshui Divine Palace who had dealings with the demons. Wen Dantong could not tolerate such behavior. Ignoring the protests from the other three families, she directly killed the elders who had colluded with the demons. But there was still one matter, some people, that she couldn’t easily handle. She found out that Yun Wu’s fall into the trap was no accident but was related to the demons and the disciples of the noble families. Although it wasn’t related to the spiritual vein, letting it go unpunished was not a good solution. After much thought, Wen Dantong sent a message to Cloud City. A few days later, Yun Qingzi of Cloud City arrived in person.
Amidst the vast waters, islands were scattered about.
On a fragrant shore, Wei Yunshu and Lingfeng sat side by side.
“Fellow Daoist Yun being captured by demons was no accident. It was her senior brother who secretly made a deal with the demonic cultivators, wanting her to die in the Sunset Burial Mounds,” Lingfeng said softly.
At Buzhou, the relationships between fellow disciples were very good. They might bicker and fight occasionally, but it would never hurt their feelings. Hearing Lingfeng’s words, Wei Yunshu frowned deeply and asked in confusion, “Why?”
Lingfeng explained gently, “In Cloud City, the Cloud Sovereign has always been chosen from the Yun or Su families. But Yun Qingzi favors Yun Wu and wants to make her the successor.”
Wei Yunshu was stunned for a moment. “Isn’t Fellow Daoist Yun from the Yun family?”
“No,” Lingfeng shook her head. “She was brought back from the mortal world by Yun Qingzi and raised by her side. I heard from my mother that Yun Qingzi’s cultivation has reached that step; she could advance at any moment. But it’s been a long time since a cultivator in our immortal realm has successfully attained the Dao Fruit and ascended. We don’t know if it’s a good or bad thing for Yun Qingzi to move forward.”
Wei Yunshu fell silent. After a moment, she asked, “How will the Cloud City cultivator who colluded with demons be dealt with?”
“Who knows,” a sarcastic smile touched Lingfeng’s lips. “The cultivator who plotted to kill Fellow Daoist Yun is no ordinary person. He’s the young master of Cloud City, Yun Dansu, Yun Qingzi’s only son.”
“Do you think Yun Qingzi will kill her son for her disciple?” Lingfeng looked at Wei Yunshu.
Wei Yunshu lowered her head and didn’t answer. She had suffered in her childhood, but after entering Buzhou, she had never experienced the dangers of the world again. She had no blood relatives and couldn’t empathize with those people. If she had to choose between righteousness and blood ties, she would definitely choose the former.
Seeing Wei Yunshu’s somber mood, Lingfeng suddenly felt a sense of guilt, as if she were staining a pure white sheet of paper. She didn’t mention Cloud City’s affairs again. Instead, she patted Wei Yunshu’s shoulder and said, “A’shu, the training in the Sunset Burial Mounds is almost over. Are you going back to Buzhou?”
Wei Yunshu’s head shot up, her eyes wide. How could time have passed so quickly? She had barely spent any time with Lingfeng!
Seeing her expression, Lingfeng pursed her lips into a smile and teased, “What? Have you enjoyed yourself so much you’ve forgotten to go home?”
Wei Yunshu met Lingfeng’s gaze and thought to herself, Yes. After finding Lingfeng, she had been captivated, completely forgetting herself. Sometimes, she wished she could just stay at Luoshui Divine Palace. Her face slowly turned red. Avoiding Lingfeng’s smiling face, she defended herself in a small voice, “We Buzhou disciples have no set return date when we train outside. If something really important happens, my master will notify me.”
“Is that so?” Lingfeng drew out her words, a smile playing on her lips as she looked at Wei Yunshu. “So? Do you have any plans? Why not stay at Luoshui Divine Palace for a few days? I can show you my home?” This was something she had wanted to do for many years.
Wei Yunshu, of course, had no reason to refuse.
As the two were returning from the shore, they ran into Yun Wu. After a period of recuperation, her energy and spirit had greatly improved. Seeing Lingfeng and Wei Yunshu, she greeted them, then naturally turned to Wei Yunshu and said, “Fellow Daoist Wei, thank you so much for saving me this time. My master would like to invite you to be a guest at Cloud City to express his gratitude.”
Lingfeng abruptly turned her head to look at Wei Yunshu.
