“The moon in the spring courtyard is full of love, yet it still shines on the fallen flowers of those who are parted.”
Zanxing asked, “What does this mean?” It didn’t sound like anything good.
“It means exactly what it says.” The man sighed and looked at Gu Baiying with a hint of pity in his eyes. “It seems that this young immortal is rather unlucky in matters of affection. The one you love is indifferent, and hard to find even in your dreams. It appears the person you are infatuated with is cold-hearted and fickle, easily attracted to others. While you are deeply attached to her, she treats you like an old shoe. If things continue like this, deep feelings will only lead to pain. It’s better to see the truth early and pull yourself away. That is the right path.”
“Nonsense!” This time, it was Zanxing who spoke up, scolding him, “Where did you get the idea that the person is cold-hearted and fickle? Do you always interpret fortunes so carelessly?” She hadn’t done anything wrong yet and was already being falsely accused. It was so unfair.
The man chuckled. “Matters of affection are always unclear like this. I see that this immortal is still quite young, so I just wanted to remind him to keep him from going down the wrong path, getting stuck on a dead-end, and loving the wrong person for life. Don’t avoid dealing with the issue.”
Zanxing stared at him for a while. “Very well, I’ll remember you.” Tomorrow, she would have Xiao Shuang get this guy’s stall removed from Heishi City. With all this reckless talk, who knows how many couples in Heishi City might break up by morning.
She grabbed Gu Baiying’s arm and said, “Forget it, let’s not browse here anymore. I’ll take you somewhere else.” If they continued to wander around like this, they might not even make it through the night market before they were completely worn out.
Gu Baiying let her pull him along, heading toward Heishi Mountain.
At night, Heishi Mountain was even darker than during the day. The entire mountain range looked like a piece of pitch-black jade, sitting amid the brilliant nightscape.
From the mountain top, looking down, countless flowing lights illuminated the city, turning the once quiet night into a lively scene.
Standing at the top of the mountain, Zanxing said, “What do you think? This place isn’t any worse than Chu Hong Terrace, right?”
The evening stars over Chu Hong Terrace were the most beautiful, and the long nights were always serene and vast. Whenever she cultivated late into the night, she would look at the stars twinkling in the distant night sky and feel the vastness of the world. Life felt as fleeting as an insect in the grand cosmos, a brief existence in the boundless universe.
But the night in Heishi City was different. She wasn’t used to the dark hues and gloom of the mountains, and there were seldom clear starry skies here. Yet whenever Zanxing came to this place and looked down at the magnificent city below, she would feel a sudden sense of the real and vibrant nature of the human world.
One was in the sky, one was nearby, and those twinkling stars had actually never been far away.
Gu Baiying walked up to her and asked, “Do you come here often?”
“Not really,” Zanxing thought for a moment. “When I first arrived in Heishi City, I had just come out from the Abyss of Extreme Ice. Although I had awakened the Demon King’s power, I still didn’t know how to use it. Most of the time I was in closed-door cultivation. I rarely wandered around. My mother once brought me here. This place is quiet and not often visited, so it’s a good place to think about things.”
“What do you think about?”
“About you,” Zanxing answered without hesitation.
Gu Baiying was taken aback, clearing his throat uncomfortably, and was about to speak when Zanxing continued, “And Hong Su, Brother Tian, Master, Sister Meng, Brother Mu…”
Gu Baiying stared at her for a full moment before responding with an “Oh.”
Zanxing couldn’t help but laugh. She said, “I was just joking. At that time, I wasn’t thinking about romance or anything like that. I was just feeling uncertain about the future, not knowing what to do next.” People in Heishi City thought she was unusually composed about the sudden change in her identity, but only Zanxing knew that many nights, when she was alone, she would ponder over her uncertain future.
“At that time, I didn’t know what to do either, so I just devoted myself to cultivation, thinking that this way I would have a bit more self-protection and more options for the future.” Zanxing smiled, turned around, and said, “Look.”
From her palm, a dark greenish-black light gradually emerged, like a seed sprouting from the soil. The tree quickly grew branches and buds, vibrant flowers blooming silently, and countless fiery phoenixes stretching their wings. In no time, a Biyi Blossom tree had grown.
A gentle, cold wind blew through, and the red clouds swayed.
Zanxing said proudly, “Gu Baiying, how do you find my illusion now?”
Demonic power was naturally suited for cultivating illusions. A Biyi Blossom Tree only needed a bit of Demon King’s power. Zanxing looked at Gu Baiying and said, “I can make this tree stay here permanently, just like the Biyi Blossom Tree in your courtyard.” She sighed, “The soil on Heishi Mountain is unique, and ordinary plants have a hard time growing here. But given the chance in the future, I’ll make this place even more lush than the forests on Gufeng Mountain.”
Gu Baiying raised his eyebrows slightly. “You’re quite thoughtful.”
Zanxing took out the silver Harmony Heart Lock she had just bought from the stall. She had picked the largest one, and with a finger, she wrote two names in the air on the silver lock. The names were immediately imprinted on the lock. She then used the key to lock it and hung the silver lock on the highest branch of the tree.
The silver lock was hidden among the lush branches of the Biyi Blossom Tree, glowing with a faint light. Zanxing clapped her hands and said, “How’s that? I think it looks pretty good.”
Gu Baiying glanced at her. “Give me the key.”
Zanxing placed the key in his palm.
Gu Baiying’s gaze lingered on the small key for a moment. Before Zanxing could react, he suddenly tossed it away.
The small key left a faint trail in the night sky and fell into the depths of the black forest, disappearing from sight.
Zanxing was stunned.
He lifted his chin slightly, looking at her with a hint of provocation, and said lightly, “This way, there’s no need to open it.”
Zanxing: “…”
She looked at him for a long while before finally saying, “Gu Baiying, I really didn’t expect you to be so petty.”
After all this time, he was still holding a grudge about the lock seller. Zanxing shot him a sidelong glance, her tone somewhat resentful, “I didn’t expect you to think of me like this. You don’t really believe I’m someone who changes my feelings easily, do you?”
Gu Baiying snorted, “Aren’t you?”
“No, I’m not.”
His gaze suddenly became a bit aggressive. “Then why did you ask Mu Cengxiao if he wanted to marry eight wives in the treasure land?”
“…”
So even old grievances were being brought up now. Mu Cengxiao was meddling in things that didn’t concern him. When did their relationship become so close that he’d share such matters with Gu Baiying? Zanxing racked her brains to come up with an excuse. “I was concerned because he was wavering between Sister Meng and Miss Liu, and I didn’t want him to hurt both of them. I was just asking about his future plans to remind him not to be indecisive.”
Gu Baiying gave a faint, chilling smile. “Is that so? But you happen to have seven favored concubines in your palace, making a total of eight, including me.”
“And you even count yourself,” Zanxing marveled. “You are quite flexible.”