So, he said respectfully, “In that case, Jing Qing will prepare now and set off back to the country tomorrow.”
An Chengxi nodded slightly and said, “Go.”
After Jing Qing took his leave, Sun Jie also said respectfully, “Madam, if there is nothing else, this subordinate will take her leave.”
An Chengxi beckoned to her with a smile and said, “Sun Jie, wait a moment.”
Sun Jie nodded, came to her side, bowed and asked, “What else does Madam wish to instruct?”
An Chengxi smiled and said, “Nothing really. I just want to chat with you for a bit.”
Sun Jie could not help but smile and said, “Madam seems to be in a very good mood.”
An Chengxi nodded without hiding it and said, “I do not know why, but just thinking of Senior Lin makes my mood especially good.”
Sun Jie smiled and said, “Senior Lin is knowledgeable in ancient and modern matters, with profound learning. Madam, this is like meeting someone you click with instantly and regretting not having met sooner.”
An Chengxi sighed, “Yes, and no.”
With that, she looked at Sun Jie and said seriously, “She has lived for so many years. She truly is a senior among seniors. I have no right to say I admire her. I can only say I truly respect her. I still cannot imagine how such a frail woman could have such immense inner power. She is like water: still as a calm ancient well when unmoving, yet devastating like a torrent when surging. Every word, every action, every smile seems to contain an indescribable vast power. Even Charlie’s stubborn personality can be tamed in front of her. It is truly miraculous.”
Sun Jie quickly said, “Madam, the young master is a dragon among men. The word ‘tamed’ might not be quite right for him…”
“No.” An Chengxi shook her head and said solemnly, “The word ‘tamed’ fits perfectly. I cannot think of a better term. Even the instincts that Charlie himself cannot control can be resolved in front of her, and resolved willingly. She is truly amazing!”
Sun Jie smiled and said, “As you said earlier, she has no weapons, no cultivation, yet she has survived safely for over three hundred years under Wu Feiyan’s pursuit. She must have many extraordinary qualities. And over such a long time, she has stayed at the peak of life. The accumulated knowledge makes her learning efficiency higher and higher. In these few hundred years, the knowledge she has gained might be dozens or even more times what an ordinary person learns in a lifetime.”
“Yes.” An Chengxi smiled and sighed softly. Then, after a moment’s hesitation, she said to Sun Jie, “In my heart, suddenly there is a strange feeling I cannot describe.”
Sun Jie asked carefully, “What is Madam’s strange feeling?”
An Chengxi said seriously, “I feel that she seems to be the most suitable life partner for Charlie.”
Sun Jie was startled by her words and blurted out, “Madam, but she is over three hundred years old!”
“Yes.” An Chengxi said, “But so what? Over three hundred years old, yet she still looks like a seventeen or eighteen-year-old girl. And for the past few hundred years, she has lived the life that a seventeen or eighteen-year-old girl should live. She is not like those fairies in myths who grow old and then turn young again. She is not some old monster. She is just a poor little girl who has been stuck at the age of seventeen or eighteen for over three hundred years.”
At this point, while sympathising with Lin Wan’er in her heart, An Chengxi said excitedly, “Think about it from another angle. She has been stuck in place at seventeen or eighteen for over three hundred years. If this is heaven’s will, then what do you think heaven arranged for her to stay stuck for so long?”
Sun Jie asked blankly, “Yes, what for?”
An Chengxi said excitedly, “It must be so that she could stay in place, waiting all along for that right person to appear, and then walk forward hand in hand with that person!”
