They played through the fading light, loose and laughing—worn out in the best way. Zhan Yuan booked a two-courtyard compound by a nearby spring. He'd eyed a secluded gem, views to die for, but business lingered. Lian Shui City buzzed with back-to-back grand auctions from several houses. Rare overlap, Bai Muhan pointed out—better lodged close for array hunts and deals.
No splitting rooms this ti. Qi Xiu eased the sleeping Yue'er from his shoulder onto the bed, voice hushed. "You two rest. I'll take the side wing."
"Alright..."
Wei Minniang's reply floated soft—no icy distance now. Qi Xiu backed out, pulled the door gentle shut.
Lian Shui Alliance prided righteous ways; customs leaned closer to Qi Yun than White Mountain's rough edges. City outskirts felt safe. The compound's lone low-tier ward sufficed—no real worries.
A quiet letdown gnawed inside. She'd thawed, sure, but acceptance? Not yet.
Mind tangled, he wandered to the open-air spring. Stripped down, slipped in.
They mastered water here—pool carved winding, intimate nooks everywhere. Wherever you settled, crafted vistas frad the steam: rock lanterns, dwarf pines, subtle qi flows. Central eye bubbled steady geothermal warmth, mist veiling the surface, faint scented spirit qi teasing the nose. Fatigue lted away. No wonder these springs drew crowds—higher-tier spots must border indulgence.
Zhan Yuan and Bai Muhan slipped off to the city's ghost market. Her husband's trade bug bit deep now; they chased deals hand in hand, seamless. Stirred a pang of envy in Qi Xiu.
Eyes closed, he drifted through near-four decades.
Cherished prodigy once—adored, carefree. Then waste, spat on, sheltered under the old sect leader's wing, seething lost. Recluse in quiet chambers, craving simple days with a few wives. Then thrust into power, burdens heavy, carving a sect from stinking wasteland.
Chu Zhuangyuan's face surfaced unbidden. That stray thread of feeling—still baffled him. Rebellion against her towering strength? Gratitude twisted into closeness for aiding Chu Qin? Or raw pull?
Insight into One's Own Heart humd faint—no clear echo. mories stayed mories; the heart's old stirrings? Gone.
Anyway, in South Chu City, her words—promise kept, ties cut—had stung sharp. Like Wei Minniang's soft "alright" monts ago.
Love bit sweet and sour. Bonds of blood, friendship—sa brew.
Years leading: old leader's chaos sparked betrayal, sure. But his care? Deep as any father's, deeper maybe.
Gu Ji—mischief wrapped in guts and smarts. That arena upset over Si Wenyu? Fleeting wish he'd been son, not disciple.
Zhang Shishi, Zhan Yuan, He Yu, Huang He...
Faces slid slow across his mind. Bai Xiaosheng mocked obsessing over centuries hence—idle fancy. But Qi Xiu craved eternity with them. Unbreakable. Even ti, even life's cruel rules—defied.
Cultivation dangled hope, then slamd reality down. Chase it, reap hollows...
Dao heart wavered. Insight dimd. A tear traced silent, lost in rising steam.
Splash.
Soft ripple opposite. Graceful silhouette easing in.
Qi Xiu snapped awake from the groundless ache. Deep breath—her faint, unique scent.
"Can't sleep?"
"Restless..."
Bai Muhan's voice echoed in his head. "She keeps talking about you."
Warmth flickered. Zhan Yuan picked a keeper.
"Says you're solid—whole sect respects you, looks up."
He chuckled low, plotting thanks for Bai Muhan later. "Just give honest—gets returned. Simple math."
"Tell about you? Muhan only knows Black River onward. Before leading—what were you like?"
Pulled him back in.
"Before..."
He sank lower, head tilted skyward. "Orphan. Swaddled, abandoned..."
"...Qin Siyan chucked the token my way—boom, sect leader. Dizzy, clueless."
Her laugh bubbled at the forced marriage dodge, token tossed to the tolerable spare. "So that's how you landed it. Qin Siyan's quite the character."
"Yeah..." Throat tightened odd. "Good man, really. Won fall for that—love trumping realms."
"Mm."
Soft again. "Who wouldn't dream of it? Loved fierce, like that An miss. Even if the man's ambitions run small..."
Silence stretched.
"Want mine?"
"Always."
"Grew up pampered—Wei Xuan's direct line, generations back. Pearl in everyone's palm. Sixteen: marriage alliance. Shipped off, wed, bore her..."
"...He treated kind. But couldn't drop family duty like Qin Siyan. War flared between houses. Facing rivals' barbs, he... sent and rootless Yue'er back. Divorce papers sealed it."
"You see Wei strong here—pillar. Back ho? Tiny sect squeezed between Nascent Soul giants, barely holding. Collapse lood; ancestor bolted to White Mountain. Right before migration, he showed—claiming dust settled, grudges buried. Promised old ways. I ached for Yue'er to know her father... almost went. Ancestor swallowed the insult none—dragged here."
"...To you."
Qi Xiu absorbed it quiet. Ripples carried her quicker breaths; voice resud light.
"Would you ditch the sect for —like Qin Siyan? Or ditch for it—like him?"
Temptation flashed: Insight into Human Nature, peek her hoped answer. Squashed fast—conscience won.
No lies. Insight brushed his own dust. Slow: "Qin Siyan's spot? I'd let you go. His? Never."
Quiet again.
Heart hamred—hope and dread tangled. Steam veiled them; silence held long.
"Think I'm—"
Yue'er's cry cut from the compound—mama.
Wei Minniang rose wordless, slipped away.
Lingering scent, ripples spreading endless.
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