Di Jiang had a rare, peaceful sleep.

For once, he didn’t keep his senses extended to monitor his surroundings. He slept like a mortal, his mind and soul at ease.

For a moment, it felt as though he could sleep forever.

But before long, a noisy voice shattered the quiet.

“Your Lordship! Your Lordship! Are you still alive? Are you pretending to be sick again to test me? Don’t worry, I’ve already changed my bad habit of being too handsy. I swear I won’t do anything to you!”

“Wuwuwu, Your Lordship, are you really done for? Just now, a lot of white mist came out of your body. Seer Mirror said it was your soul leaving, but then it went back… Why are you trying so hard to act strong? Don’t you know that a gentleman takes revenge even after ten years? You only have two thousand years of cultivation left, yet you still dare to stir up trouble. Are you trying to get me killed, too?”

“Your Lordship, wuwuwu, Your Lordship… Fine, I won’t scold you anymore. Just wake up already. Why does the secret realm have day and night? The sky is dark now. Won’t monsters come out? I’m really scared…”

“It’s raining! Ahhh! Why am I so unlucky? Why? If you don’t wake up, I really will throw you away! I swear I will! Right now!”

Di Jiang was utterly annoyed. Finally, on a certain morning, he could not take it anymore and opened his eyes.

Memories rushed back. The vast grassland and lake before he passed out were gone. All he could see now were rolling hills. He was leaning against a tree by the roadside, alone. There was no one else around.

Di Jiang lowered his gaze and examined his spiritual core. It was empty.

That battle had been too reckless.

He steadied himself and, just like after every great battle in the past, began to regulate his breathing. Then, struggling, he supported himself against the tree and was about to leave when a familiar voice suddenly called out behind him.

Di Jiang’s body stiffened. Before he could even turn around, someone had already rushed over in a hurry.

“Your Lordship! You’re awake!” Le Gui’s eyes sparkled with joy, her happiness overflowing from every inch of her face.

Di Jiang stared at her for a long moment before curling his lips. “You didn’t leave?”

“Leave where?” Le Gui was confused.

Di Jiang remained silent, his gaze shifting past her to the little girl standing behind.

The little girl cleared her throat awkwardly and looked off toward the distant mountains.

Le Gui suddenly snapped back to her senses. She quickly pulled the girl forward and looked at Di Jiang with a mysterious expression. “Your Lordship, guess who she is.”

The little girl finally met Di Jiang’s gaze.

She was around seven or eight years old, very thin, with pale skin lacking any color. However, she was clean, and her black eyes were clear and bright. When she looked at someone, she reflected their image completely in her pupils.

Under Le Gui’s expectant gaze, Di Jiang’s expression remained indifferent. “Your resentment is gone?”

“Mm…” The little girl answered uncomfortably. Her voice was high-pitched with a child’s unique sharpness, but was still pleasant to hear.

“Seems like this trip wasn’t in vain,” Di Jiang said casually.

A faint blush crept onto the little girl’s face.

Le Gui glanced at both of them and suddenly looked disappointed. “What? You recognized her so quickly.”

“In the middle of nowhere, who else could it be?” Di Jiang glanced at her.

Le Gui thought about it and agreed. She helped him sit back down. “Your Lordship, your reflexes are sharp. When I first saw her, I was scared to death. I thought she was a vengeful ghost from the secret realm. I almost went all out to protect you and perished with her.”

“Protect him? You ran away the moment you saw me,” the little girl exposed her without hesitation.

Le Gui sighed. “We’re all colleagues. Must you embarrass me like this?”

“You have no dignity with me,” the little girl sneered.

Le Gui sighed dramatically. “Fine. Let’s not talk about that. Let’s talk about how you almost got me and Your Lordship killed instead, shall we?”

The little girl: “…”

Three seconds later, she disappeared. In the Seer Mirror, a delicate sweet pea flower appeared.

“Hmph. Try messing with me,” Le Gui said smugly. But as soon as she met Di Jiang’s gaze, she immediately behaved herself. “Of course, I also made mistakes. If I weren’t so weak, I wouldn’t have been forced into that courtyard by her, and everything that happened afterward wouldn’t have happened. Your Lordship, if you want to blame someone, blame me. It’s my fault for being useless.”

Seer Mirror: “…” I have never seen anyone so shameless.

Le Gui continued her act. “It’s all my fault!”

[That line was good. Very powerful. Who could bear to scold me after hearing it?]

“Before entering the courtyard, she forced you to keep it from me, too?” Di Jiang asked playfully.

Le Gui choked for a moment. Before she could make up a lie, Seer Mirror mercilessly interjected, “Of course not. She agreed to it willingly, on the condition that I help her win first place in the third trial, so—”

Before Seer Mirror could finish, Le Gui had already placed it on the ground and pressed a rock over it.

Seer Mirror: “…”

“Your Lordship, you know I have no ill intentions toward you,” Le Gui said sincerely.

Di Jiang: “Are you sure?”

“Absolutely,” Le Gui nodded firmly.

Di Jiang did not hear any lies in her thoughts and, for once, fell silent.

“You don’t believe me?” Le Gui dramatically staggered back and looked at him with a broken-hearted expression. “Then I’ll leave.”

Di Jiang closed his tired eyes for a moment, then half-opened them again to look at her.

[…Even like this, he’s still ridiculously handsome.]

Le Gui blinked and quietly scooted closer. “Your Lordship, you really scared me that day.”

One moment, he had been fine. Then next, he was coughing up blood, and deep gashes suddenly appeared all over his skin as if invisible blades were slicing through him. Blood poured out endlessly.

For a moment, she had genuinely thought he would bleed to death. It was only thanks to Seer Mirror, who had forcefully crawled out of the mirror and nearly sacrificed its own life to save him, that he had survived.

“Really, I never expected Seer Mirror to be so loyal. It actually went all out to save you. Before this, it was always cursing you, hoping you’d drop dead as soon as possible,” Le Gui commented.

As someone who had once fervently wished for his master’s demise, Seer Mirror immediately picked up on the trap in Le Gui’s words and retorted, “I only gathered spiritual power back then for the sake of revenge. Now that my grudge is settled, I have no reason to withhold my power when it comes to healing my master’s injuries.”

“In my heart, Your Lordship will always come first. Compared to your safety, things like grudges are completely insignificant,” Le Gui said with genuine emotion.

The Seer Mirror: “……”

Realizing it could neither outwit nor outtalk her, the mirror was so enraged that it shut down all its senses and went into deep sleep. Watching as the mirror, which had been brimming with spiritual energy just moments ago, once again became dull and lifeless, Le Gui felt satisfied. She tucked it back into her robe, only to look up and meet Di Jiang’s probing gaze.

[Every time he looks at me like this, it’s never a good thing.]

Le Gui immediately put on a well-behaved expression. “Your Lordship, I didn’t mean to target her. It’s just that for the past few days, both you and the mirror were sleeping, and I was the only one dragging you two around. I was exhausted, so I couldn’t help but complain a little.”

“Dragging?” Di Jiang caught onto the word instantly.

Le Gui tilted her chin toward something nearby. Di Jiang turned his head and finally noticed a rough stretcher made of branches and thorns lying on the ground.

“The mirror helped me make it. I have no skill in this kind of handiwork,” Le Gui admitted honestly. “She also told me that if I kept heading south, I’d reach a village or a small town. The people there are mortals, just like those outside the secret realm. Their daily lives are no different. I can take you there to recover.”

Di Jiang stared at the crude stretcher for a long time before suddenly lifting his gaze to meet hers. “Your hand.”

“Huh?” Le Gui was taken aback.

Di Jiang didn’t wait for her to move. He directly grabbed her wrist.

Le Gui let out a sharp hiss of pain as the blisters on her palm were fully exposed to his view.

Having never used a stretcher before, she had no idea how to maneuver it properly. By the first day, her palms were already covered in blisters. After four days, the blisters had layered over each other, with many having already burst. The red and white mingled together in a messy, painful sight.

Di Jiang’s gaze darkened. He remained silent for a long time before speaking in a calm tone, “Why didn’t you just leave on your own?”

“How could I? We came together, so of course, we have to go home together,” Le Gui answered earnestly.

In a desolate, empty chamber, an old, rusted guqin rang out once again. This time, its crisp notes resonated louder than ever, echoing through the room and even seeming to cleanse the very soul.

[Go home. Get married. Take Wuliangdu. Return to the real world!]

A sudden chuckle escaped Di Jiang’s throat. His always-sharp and composed eyes now carried a trace of amusement. Le Gui felt a wave of heat rush through her chest. Just as she was about to indulge in a few dramatic thoughts, his hand suddenly pressed over hers, tightening its grip.

[Oh my god, what is he doing? It hurts!]

Tears welled up in Le Gui’s eyes, but she forced herself to stay calm. “Your… Your Lordship, what are you doing?”

“Will you still act recklessly in the future?” Di Jiang asked coldly.

Le Gui was stunned. Only then did she realize he was settling the score for what happened with the mirror’s parents.

[Bastard! Heartless bastard! I already told you I was forced into it, yet you’re tormenting me instead of going after the mirror?! If I had known this would happen, I wouldn’t have saved you! I should’ve left you in the lake and finished you off while you were weak. Let’s see if you’d still dare to act this smug then!]

Le Gui dared not voice her thoughts, but she still felt aggrieved. Just as she was about to cry out, Di Jiang suddenly let go.

Her previously torn and bloodied palm was now completely healed. When she looked at Di Jiang’s hand, she saw that the same wounds had transferred onto his palm instead.

Her tears instantly froze in her eyes. She stared at him blankly. “Your Lordship, you…”

Di Jiang closed his eyes, sounding exhausted. “My spiritual core is currently empty. I can’t heal your wounds the usual way.”

[So he transferred the injuries to himself instead? Oh my god, what kind of selfless act is this? I’m going to cry! Your Lordship, I love you! Did you hear me? I love you!]

Le Gui’s eyes turned red as she quietly tugged at his sleeve.

Di Jiang could feel the slight pull on his robe. After a brief silence, he said, “There should be a village nearby. I will rest for a while, and once I wake up, we will go together.”

“Are we really going to find a village to stay in?” Le Gui asked curiously.

Di Jiang nodded. “Yes, I need to recover before we leave.”

“Alright, then once you wake up, we’ll go together.” Le Gui rubbed her now-smooth palm and quietly scooted closer, leaning her arm against his.

Di Jiang’s lips curled slightly before returning to their usual calm. He was completely drained. Soon, his breathing became slow and even as he drifted into sleep.

Le Gui listened to his steady breaths, taking in the unfamiliar surroundings and the open sky. After days of unease, her heart finally settled.

One hour later, she whispered, “Your Lordship, should we go now?”

Di Jiang didn’t respond.

Three hours later, she mumbled, “If we don’t leave now, it’ll be dark soon… Alright, alright, we’ll go tomorrow morning. I’ll find some wild fruit to snack on.”

Ten hours later, she sighed, “…The sun is already rising. We really have to go now!”

Fifteen hours later—

“Damn you, Di Jiang, @#￥%…!”