The reeds were whiter than frost, and the silver waves stretched as far as the eye could see.
A small boat was moored deep within the reeds, swaying gently with the waves.
A “thump, thump, thump” sound came from the shore, rising and falling, startling the creatures resting in the water. A few water birds skimmed across the river, shattering the reflection of the light on the water’s surface. The reed catkins drifted down leisurely, dotting the water’s surface like a layer of clouds.
“A’shu, you said you’d take a look at me after you’re done. Am I going to have to wait until the end of time?” A light, airy voice came from among the reeds. The small boat moored in the reeds moved gracefully. On the boat, Luo Lingfeng stood tall and elegant, one hand on a bamboo pole. With a gentle push, the boat set off.
Wei Yunshu looked up, putting aside the matter at hand. It was related to a “gift.” After much thought, the only thing she could give was a “home.” But when Luo Lingfeng found out, she didn’t allow her to use spiritual energy; she had to build it with her own hands. To know everything was one thing, but to do it with one’s own hands was another. However, she had plenty of time and patience. Now, the three adjacent small wooden houses were built, a small courtyard was cleared, and there were grape trellises and a swing. But she always felt that something was missing. It wasn’t until the moon rose that she suddenly realized what was missing—lanterns hanging from the eaves.
“This is the last one,” Wei Yunshu gazed at Luo Lingfeng, a faint smile on her lips.
Luo Lingfeng let out a slow “oh.” She leaped down from the small boat and walked towards Wei Yunshu. Her wide, water-blue sleeves billowed in the wind, like the spilled moonlight. Her gaze shifted from Wei Yunshu’s body and lingered for a moment on the lanterns under the eaves. The candlelight dimmed, and instantly all the lights went out, leaving only the hazy light of the sky. “There’s no light now,” Luo Lingfeng said with a curved lip, her voice light and airy. “So shoddy. How many are we missing now?”
Wei Yunshu shook her head helplessly. She turned her head and pretended to count, “One, two—” Her waist was suddenly wrapped by a pair of hands. Her gaze quickly fell back on Luo Lingfeng’s face, which was now close at hand. By the moonlight, she traced her exquisite features. She flicked her sleeve, and two rays of light shot out. The brilliant golden light was like the sun, and the shimmering pale silver was like the moon. They instantly converged under the eaves, like a long, rippling river of light, instantly lighting the lanterns.
“They can stay lit forever,” Wei Yunshu said softly.
Luo Lingfeng raised an eyebrow at her and said deliberately, “But I don’t like it.”
“Then don’t look at it,” Wei Yunshu said with a blink. She didn’t extinguish the flowing river of light but instead raised her hand to cover Luo Lingfeng’s eyes. She leaned down and kissed the corner of her beloved’s lips, then slowly deepened the kiss. The moonlight was cool, and the water rippled. Luo Lingfeng pushed away the hand covering her eyes and gazed at Wei Yunshu’s flushed face.
Wei Yunshu took Luo Lingfeng’s wrist and led her into the house.
“What?” Luo Lingfeng asked coolly. “Not going to continue making lanterns? Are we missing one or two? How about we fill the room with lanterns? Just turn into a ball of red fire and live in the lanterns forever, never coming out.”
Wei Yunshu was speechless, rendered speechless by the teasing.
The bamboo curtain was slightly rolled up, and moonlight flowed through the carved window lattice, filling the bamboo bed.
The bamboo was cut from Dan Mountain, for which she had been chased and scolded by the Black Tai Sui for several days.
Wei Yunshu had built this house bit by bit. It was no longer a Daoist palace created by heaven and earth, but their home.
She wrapped her hand around Luo Lingfeng’s, her fingers threading through the gaps, their roots and palms pressing together. The pads of her fingers caressed the fair, slightly pink skin, then lifted it gently, making it appear exceptionally bright in the moonlight and candlelight.
Luo Lingfeng followed Wei Yunshu’s steps and sat down beside her on the bed. At this moment, she was quiet and gentle, a faint smile on her lips, letting Wei Yunshu turn her fingers over and over again.
A fine, dense itch spread across the back of her hand. Luo Lingfeng watched as Wei Yunshu raised her hand and, lowering her head, bit it lightly. “It’s a bit of a regret, not having opened my eyes for fifty years,” she said. The days in the Fu Li Immortal Realm were more worthy of remembrance than the long, quiet years of cultivation in the Daoist palace. Those brief moments, because of her excessive favoritism, were stretched out to be extremely long, as if without end. She remembered the past, Wei Yunshu sitting under a tree listening to the zither, the two of them playing chess in the pavilion… At that time, there was only a moment of peace, but it ultimately couldn’t drown out the strong resentment and hatred deep in her heart.
“We have countless fifty years after this,” Wei Yunshu’s breathing hitched for a moment. She knelt on the bed, her arms propped on either side, her expression very serious.
Luo Lingfeng hummed softly, her voice a little hoarse. She gazed at Wei Yunshu, then slowly drew closer, their faces and temples brushing against each other. It was easy to arouse desire, but neither of them felt there was anything wrong with it. They slowly fell into the bright moonlight. The wind lantern swayed, and the light and shadows flickered. Wei Yunshu was pressed under Luo Lingfeng, her face flushed, her breathing gradually becoming chaotic. Luo Lingfeng held Wei Yunshu in one arm and kissed the corner of her lips.
Wei Yunshu was clearly not satisfied with just a taste. Her eyes were filled with a watery sheen, the rippling light like a flowing river of stars. Her hands wrapped around Luo Lingfeng’s waist, making a move to turn over, but she was forcibly pressed down by Luo Lingfeng again. Wei Yunshu gazed at Luo Lingfeng, a clear accusation in her eyes. A faint blush appeared on Luo Lingfeng’s face. She leaned close to Wei Yunshu’s ear and whispered, “I’ll let you later.” Her long, disheveled hair was spread on the bed like the finest silk. The quilt and pillow were pushed aside. Their bodies pressed together, not in the pursuit of the Dao, but in the most primitive way of merging, chasing the ultimate pleasure.
In their embrace, their breaths intertwining, that love became more real.
Fingertips threaded through long hair, light and shadow swaying.
In this world where no one else had set foot, they loved each other.
The moon set over the long river.
The sun rose from the fusang tree.
Wei Yunshu had one hand on Luo Lingfeng’s waist and the other propped on the bed. She gazed at Luo Lingfeng with concentration, tracing her features with her eyes, an undisguised greed in them.
“It’s dawn. My A’shu should go and make lanterns. Are there any bamboo strips left? Do you want to go to Dan Mountain to cut some more?” Luo Lingfeng teased.
“No,” Wei Yunshu shook her head. She slowly leaned in, her red lips brushing against the corner of Luo Lingfeng’s, then slowly sliding to her earlobe. She didn’t make any further moves but simply pressed her face against Luo Lingfeng’s, holding her quietly. “I don’t need lanterns anymore. The starry river is vast; the moonlight and starlight are enough.”
Luo Lingfeng chuckled. “So silly.”
Their new home was on the edge of the Fu Li Heaven, also the very center of the former Realm of Ruin.
The earth’s veins roamed, and the once shattered and desolate land was revitalized. Most of the people who had left to seek refuge in the past had also returned to their hometowns, rebuilding the collapsed cities together with the cultivators of the various sects. Over a few hundred years, the desolate scene was finally replaced by bustling prosperity.
In fact, at first, Wei Yunshu had wanted to live in the place where they had met in this life, but Luo Lingfeng had shaken her head and refused. Compared to the bustling mortal world, she clearly preferred the quiet solitude of being undisturbed. Seeing the occasional one or two passersby flying in and out of the reed marsh was enough to pass the time. Of course, Wei Yunshu would not refuse her. After looking at the map left and right, she finally found this wonderful place.
But living in seclusion also had its drawbacks.
Two figures, one black and one white, descended. After bowing, the Black Tai Sui began its bold, incessant complaints. No matter how many hints the White Tai Sui gave it, the very opinionated Black Tai Sui pretended not to see. It wasn’t until the exasperated White Tai Sui slapped it on the head—followed by a very “ferocious” “sisterly fight,” which always ended with the White Tai Sui having the upper hand. Although the Black Tai Sui’s physical body was extremely strong, its spiritual power and Daoist arts were inferior to the White Tai Sui’s. Of course, the White Tai Sui didn’t have it easy either. After being rammed a few times by its unruly younger sister, its waist was nearly broken.
“Why doesn’t Master go back to the Wu Xiang Dao Palace? Just leave her here alone,” the Black Tai Sui said after a moment of silence, seizing the opportunity to persuade. This “her” was naturally Wei Yunshu. Old and new grudges filled its little notebook, and a few hundred years could not erase them. The Black Tai Sui’s gaze was as cold as a knife.
Wei Yunshu smiled. Unlike her previous life, she didn’t fight with the Black Tai Sui. Instead, she said slowly, “I saw a strange fruit when I was traveling before. Its taste is very good. Even the langgan fruit can’t compare to it.”
The Black Tai Sui’s ears perked up. It endured for a moment but couldn’t hold back any longer, rushing over to Wei Yunshu. “What is it? Where is it?”
Wei Yunshu took out a jade slip and handed it to the Black Tai Sui. The Black Tai Sui was eager to see the jade slip, but no matter how it circulated its spiritual power, it couldn’t activate the spiritual light on the jade slip. After struggling for a long time, the Black Tai Sui finally realized that a whole set of formations was embedded in the jade slip. With her skills, she couldn’t open it at all! She shot Wei Yunshu a glare, then turned to look at the smiling Luo Lingfeng, and then at the White Tai Sui, who looked as if it had nothing to do with her—not a single person was willing to help her! Was she really going to have to beg them? She had her pride too. With a huffy “chirp,” the Black Tai Sui transformed into a streak of light and flew away.
The White Tai Sui chuckled at its figure and didn’t chase after it. Instead, it stayed behind to tell Luo Lingfeng and Wei Yunshu about some interesting recent events.
Frustrated at being “excluded,” the Black Tai Sui ran away in a huff and didn’t return until half a month later.
She was holding the rare fruit that Wei Yunshu had described, smiling very proudly. Did she not have a way to solve it? Among the people she knew, Shi Wufang’s ability to break formations was also top-notch!
Behind her, several sword lights streaked over, like meteors crossing the night sky, bright and dazzling. Stepping out of the sword lights were Xie Zhichao, Ran Xiuyun, and their group, who had been called over by the Black Tai Sui, who now had some free time.
Wei Yunshu raised an eyebrow and smiled, taking out some wine.
It was a beautiful autumn night with a bright moon, and in the mountains and rivers, there were old friends tonight.
