Zu An was stunned. He'd never considered that issue. Given its mysterious background, he'd always assumed that it was normal for the Keyboard System to have skills that others had never heard about. However, now that the Goddess of Wu Mountain had pointed out this issue, he couldn’t help but think deeper about it.
It wouldn’t be a stretch to say that this was the golden era of cultivation, with powerful shamans and celestials all over the world. Besides that, the Goddess of Wu Mountain was the Flame Emperor’s daughter. She wasn't as strong as the powerhouses of this era, but she had vast knowledge of the world.
For someone as knowledgeable as her to have never heard of this ability, there could only be two possibilities: One, the ability didn’t exist in this world. Two, the ability hadn’t been created in this era.
If it were the former, it would suggest that there were stronger worlds out there. Zu An was mentally prepared for that, but nevertheless, this was the legendary Celestial Court! The people he'd met thus far were mythological figures he had grown up hearing about. He couldn’t imagine what even more powerful entities would be like.
If it were the former, it would mean that ‘Farewell, Nanchao’ would be created someday in the future. This experience of transmigrating into the past gave Zu An a better grasp of spacetime and historical events. Thus, he knew this ability could have been created through a similar process.
Was I the one who created this skill in history?
He thought about it, and felt that he was the only one who would be motivated to create such an ability. That was a grim thought. To be honest, Zu An didn’t like the feeling of traversing into the past. The slightest misstep could spell disaster. If something similar to the Frost Palace scenario were to happen several more times, he didn’t know if his heart could take it.
“What’s wrong?” the Goddess of Wu Mountain asked worriedly.
“I had a few bad conjectures.” Zu An snapped out of his thoughts. “Yaoji, thank you for taking care of them.”
“You don’t need to thank me for this. I’m used to being alone. Their company soothed some of my loneliness.” The Goddess of Wu Mountain smiled. Under the rays of the morning sun, she looked so beautiful that even the other ladies were mesmerized.
Xie Daoyun thought it was unfair. Pei Mianman is already gorgeous as she is. Not only does the Goddess of Wu Mountain look identical to her, she even has Chu Chuyan’s ethereal disposition. How can anyone compete with that?
Zu An was about to say something when he suddenly sensed something. He quickly took out a box. It was the Nature Jade Case that had brought them to this world. The box was shaking nonstop, and its top was emanating a white light. The surrounding spatial ki was whirring to life.
Xie Daoyun’s eyes lit up. “We can return now!”
There was no place like home!
The other ladies were excited too. After being away for so long, they couldn’t wait to return home. Only the Goddess of Wu Mountain was stunned. However, she was so used to concealing her emotions that the others didn’t notice her unusual mood.
“Oh no!” Ji Xiaoxi suddenly exclaimed. “We haven’t found my little aunt yet!”
Zu An replied, “I asked Celestial Emperor Zhuanxu. He isn’t sure who took big sister Jiang away, but that person appears to be of a high stature. She should be safe for the time being.”𝙛𝒓𝒆𝙚𝒘𝒆𝓫𝙣𝓸𝙫𝓮𝒍.𝒄𝒐𝓶
He suddenly remembered the mysterious entity Qiu Honglei had summoned back then. I wonder if the person who took Jiang Luofu away is stronger than that.
The answer eased some of Ji Xiaoxi’s worry, but she remained in low spirits, as there was no way of knowing whether her little aunt was truly safe or not. It also dampened the other ladies’ mood. They had come here together, only to still have several people missing even now that they were about to return. On top of that, the Mermaid Queen was still trapped in the Frost Palace...
Zu An felt distressed. He didn’t want to return so quickly, as there were still many secrets in this world waiting to be uncovered. In particular, he wanted to pay a visit to the Houtu of this era, as there were many questions he wanted to ask her.
But the Nature Jade was already reacting. If he missed this chance, there was no telling when it would next react, or whether it would even react at all. He didn’t dare to make that gamble, especially not when he had his companions with him.𝒻𝓇𝑒𝘦𝘸𝑒𝒷𝓃ℴ𝑣𝘦𝑙.𝒸ℴ𝘮
“But we haven’t completed Xiaoxi’s Defying Spirit Tears,” Xie Daoyun suddenly pointed out.
They had been helping Ji Xiaoxi collect all kinds of herbs in the past year, so they understood that the Defying Spirit Tears were still lacking something. Even Ji Xiaoxi, despite her medical prowess, had no idea how to complete them.
Zu An’s expression darkened. The ingredients to treat Ji Xiaoxi were extremely rare, and most of them could only be found in this world. If they left now, perhaps they could never gather all the ingredients.
They had everything else they needed; the only thing they were lacking was the Defying Spirit Tears. If they missed this chance, the regret would be unbearable.
“Don’t worry, I have found the missing part,” the Goddess of Wu Mountain said.
“Really?” Zu An was overjoyed.
The other ladies were skeptical. We spent a year together. Why has she never mentioned this to us before?
“Of course. I wouldn’t lie about this,” the Goddess of Wu Mountain replied with a smile. “May I talk to you in private?”
The other ladies tactfully excused themselves to give them some space.
Yun Yuqing whispered to the others, “Do you think they'll have a farewell kiss?”
“Farewell kiss?” Xie Daoyun was taken aback. “Surely not, right?”
She had come to understand the Goddess of Wu Mountain’s personality in the time they'd spent together. The latter was unlikely to do something that bold.
“Huh? Is big sister goddess in love with big brother Zu too?” Ji Xiaoxi asked in astonishment.
Yun Yuqing rolled her eyes. She couldn’t be bothered to answer the foolish lass’ unnecessary question. She turned to the others and asked, “Shall we make a bet?”
That piqued Xie Daoyun and Suolun Shi’s interest. They began gossiping among themselves.
However, Zu An and the Goddess of Wu Mountain were strong enough to overhear their words. Zu An awkwardly said, “Goddess, please pardon them. They don’t mean any ill will.”
“It’s fine. I have come to know them after spending a year with them,” the Goddess of Wu Mountain smiled. “And they aren’t wrong. I do fancy you.”
“Ah?” Zu An was shocked. The other party had used such a calm tone to relay such shocking news that his mind stalled to a halt for a brief moment.
The Goddess of Wu Mountain walked to the mountain cliff as she spoke with her usual cold voice, though it carried a slightly unusual tinge. “Before I got to know you, I used to spend my days standing here, feeling the mountain’s breeze, watching sunrise, sunset, and the billowing clouds. I was content with those days. But after coming to know you, everything changed.
“I came to know about joy and sorrow.” At this point, the Goddess of Wu Mountain turned around to reveal the tears flowing down her usual stoic face. “From the moment I saw Xihe’s and Chang’e’s tears, I knew that the final tear aly with me, but I couldn’t imagine what would lead up to that.”