Summon the ancestor?
At Ye Xuan’s words, Immortal Ancient Lin’s face turned ashen.
Summon the ancestor?
If the ancestor really came out, he would probably skin him alive!
Ye Xuan took Immortal Ancient Yao’s hand and walked away into the distance.
…
Among the clouds, Ye Xuan led Immortal Ancient Yao slowly onward. At the edge of the sky, the evening glow burned blood-red, breathtakingly beautiful.
Immortal Ancient Yao said softly, “I thought you would never come back.”
Ye Xuan smiled. “How could that be?”
Immortal Ancient Yao looked at him. “Will you leave again?”
Ye Xuan nodded.
She lowered her head slightly. “Will it be like before, disappearing completely the moment you go?”
Ye Xuan laughed. “Never again. It will never happen again.”
Immortal Ancient Yao lifted her gaze to him, the corners of her mouth curving upward. “Good.”
Ye Xuan laughed heartily.
Immortal Ancient Yao held his hand tightly. Together, they walked towards the far horizon.
Night fell.
Ye Xuan came alone to a starlit sea. The starlight here was dazzling, multicoloured, utterly magnificent. Nearly a hundred towering ancient trees stood within this expanse, and from their branches hung tiny paper cranes.
The Starlit Sea.
Long ago, he had come here with the white-skirted Qing’er to make wishes.
Today, the Starlit Sea was still crowded, though most visitors were couples.
Beside one of the ancient trees stood an old man dressed in coarse hemp, his hair white as snow. Before him lay a piece of hemp cloth bearing the words: The Great Dao numbers fifty, Heaven manifests forty-nine, mankind escapes with one.
The old man was reading fortunes for a young couple. He spread his palm, and two red threads appeared around them, visible only to him. At the front, the threads were tied together, yet in the middle they twisted into a hopeless tangle, and towards the end they parted, each going its separate way.
After a moment of silence, the old man withdrew his gaze and said gently, “Your path of love will be full of hardships. The road ahead is not easy. But if you truly love each other, you will reach the end together.”
The man frowned. “And if we do not truly love each other?”
He regretted the words the instant they left his mouth.
The woman beside him glared. “What do you mean by that?”
The man gave an awkward laugh. “I didn’t mean anything by it!”
The old man glanced at the man but said nothing.
The woman turned to the elder. “Senior, please speak plainly.”
The old man shook his head. “Some things cannot be said too clearly. I will only repeat: if you truly love each other, you will reach the end together.”
After a brief silence, the woman looked at the man beside her. “I truly like him.”
The man hurriedly added, “I truly like you too!”
She smiled faintly. “I believe you.”
The man placed a storage ring before the old man, then took the woman’s hand and left.
The old man said calmly, “Next.”
A lone man stepped forward. Without looking up, the old man asked, “By yourself?”
The man nodded.
The old man frowned. “What is there to read for a single person?”
The man smiled. “I want to read the fate of the entire View Mysterious Cosmos.”
The old man paused, then raised his head. The moment he saw Ye Xuan, his expression changed dramatically and he moved to bow.
Of course he recognised Ye Xuan. Years ago, Ye Xuan had come here with a woman in a white skirt.
Ye Xuan smiled. “No need for formalities.”
The old man gave a wry smile. “Sword Master, why have you come?”
Ye Xuan answered lightly, “Just to take a look.”
He turned to one of the ancient trees, his gaze settling on two small paper cranes. One was his, the other belonged to the white-skirted Qing’er.
What wish had Qing’er made?
He felt a flicker of curiosity.
Should he take a look?
The thought arose, yet he quickly shook his head with a smile.
Never mind.
Let it stay as it is.
Ye Xuan spread his palm. A tiny paper crane flew to him. He took out a strip of paper, thought for a moment, then began to write.
The old man was curious but did not dare peek.
A little while later, Ye Xuan placed the paper inside the crane. He spread his palm again, and the new crane slowly drifted to hang beside the two older ones.
With a flick of two fingers, three strands of sword light entered the three cranes.
Unless he himself approved it, no one would ever be able to read what was written inside.
Ye Xuan looked at the three paper cranes, smiled, then turned to the old man. “I’ll be going now.”
The fortune-teller bowed slightly. “Sword Master, earlier you said you wished to divine the fate of the View Mysterious Cosmos?”
Ye Xuan smiled. “Peering into the heavens’ secrets harms your lifespan. In future, do this sort of thing less.”
With a flick of his sleeve, boom!
A mass of black mist above the old man’s head was instantly swept away.
The fortune-teller fell to his knees at once. “Thank you, Sword Master!”
Having revealed too many heavenly secrets in his lifetime, he had been plagued by misfortune. If things had continued, he would not have lived another hundred years.
But with a single gesture, Ye Xuan had dispelled all the bad karma clinging to him.
Ye Xuan smiled. “Meeting again is fate. I think this will be our last encounter. Take care, fortune-teller.”
With that, he turned and vanished.
In the silence that followed, the old man bowed deeply once more. A moment later he looked at the three paper cranes and smiled faintly.
…
Within a certain mansion.
In a small courtyard, a young woman sat on the stone steps, chin resting in her hands, staring blankly at the yard. In her lap lay two little wooden figures.
She had never liked this place, but she had no choice. She and her brother had grown up here, and the courtyard held countless precious memories.
As she gazed, something came to mind. She suddenly smiled, but as she smiled, tears began to fall.
At that moment, footsteps sounded nearby.
The woman froze, then said with a hint of annoyance, “I told you not to…”
Her words caught in her throat.
A man stood not far away, smiling warmly at her.
She stared for a second, then leapt to her feet and threw herself into his arms. “Brother!”
The man said softly, “My little Ling’er has all grown up.”
She hugged him tightly. “Brother, don’t be so busy any more.”
He laughed. “I won’t be that busy from now on.”
She looked up at him. “Really?”
He nodded. “Really.”
She broke into a wide grin. “Great!”
He laughed heartily, then said, “Let’s go.”
She asked, “Where to?”
He gently wiped the tears from her cheeks. “From now on, wherever your brother goes, you go too.”
Her smile was radiant. “Okay!”
He took her hand to leave, but she suddenly stopped. “Brother, wait!”
She ran back inside, went to a table, looked at the little wooden figure of the man in her hand, and smiled. “I don’t need you to keep me company any more.”
She placed the male figure on the table.
As she turned to leave, she paused, then placed the female wooden figure beside it. She lightly tapped the little female figure’s head and laughed. “You stay here and keep my brother company.”
With that, she returned to the man’s side, took his hand, and walked away.
Inside the room, the two wooden figures stood close together, surrounded by perfect silence.
…
