Her mind raced with questions, but she caught herself and suddenly realized something.
“Wait, what do you mean by that?”
Ji Yue continued slowly, “The five bridal sedan chairs that day—one was mine, one belonged to the underworld, and the other three were from the same source of spiritual power. They must be from the Qingqiu person.”
He spoke calmly.
“Twenty years is neither long nor short. The owners of those two marriage strings haven’t shown themselves yet. Either they’ve completely forgotten, or things have gone badly for them. As for the Qingqiu descendant, he’s probably struggling just to protect himself, let alone hurt your family. Plus, you saved the Underworld’s young lord, so even if you call off the wedding, the Underworld will protect your parents.”
Nan Shan remained silent, her mind spinning.
“Any more questions?” Ji Yue asked kindly, seeing her still in shock, before he started to leave once more.
“Don’t go!” Nan Shan suddenly snapped back to reality, continuing her desperate pleas.
“Even if they’re safe, I still need to go back! They’re getting old, every day is a precious one! As their only daughter, how can I not be with them in their time of need? Please, let me go. I can’t keep up with this, please show me mercy!”
Ji Yue remained calm.
“Alright.”
Nan Shan was stunned.
“Wait, what? You agree?”
“I don’t often go to the mortal realm, but I know there’s a saying there: ‘A forced melon isn’t sweet.’”
Ji Yue met her gaze steadily.
“If you truly don’t want to stay, then I’ll agree.”
Nan Shan beamed with joy.
“Oh, you’re so magnanimous! Not only are you generous, but you’re also quite learned… So, when will you let me go?”
Ji Yue smiled softly.
“You can leave now.”
Nan Shan looked confused.
“But the path is blocked. How can I leave?”
Ji Yue’s smile remained gentle.
“You can leave once the path is reopened.”
Nan Shan blinked, stunned.
“I want to help you leave, but my soul has been through this three times already. I can’t do it a fourth time,” Ji Yue said with a calm smile, the warmth in his voice unmistakable. “So, it’s up to you now.”
There were no more words to say.
Ji Yue turned and left.
“Hey!” Nan Shan couldn’t help but call out to him.
Ji Yue, who had already opened the door, paused and turned back.
“Is there something else?”
Nan Shan looked into his eyes and asked, “Is it normal for day and night to shift the way they do in the Eastern Lands? The sun’s been stuck in the same spot for so long, and… why is it red?”
Though she didn’t truly believe she could leave without issue, Nan Shan didn’t feel any anger toward Ji Yue’s evasive reply.
Instead, she asked a question that had been puzzling her for a long time.
She thought the question was simple enough, but Ji Yue took his time answering.
After a long silence, Ji Yue turned toward the sky.
A small black spot appeared on the blood-red sun, as if some invisible celestial being was trying to devour it.
“Nightfall isn’t necessarily a good thing. Isn’t this endless daylight better?” Ji Yue remarked.
Nan Shan fell into a dejected mood for several days after Ji Yue left.
In truth, the blood-red sun never set, and she couldn’t tell how much time had passed.
All she knew was that she had eaten seven or eight meals and taken several naps.
Her face had puffed up from her state of despair, but finally, she made up her mind.
She rushed into the neighboring room, where Shou Xin was busy weaving grass into a grasshopper.
He jumped in surprise when he saw her.
“Why didn’t you knock?! What if I was naked?”
“You’re just a kid. What’s the big deal if you’re naked?” Nan Shan brushed it off.
Shou Xin huffed in indignation.
“No matter how young I am, I’m still a grown man!”
“Oh? How come you didn’t think about that when you were undressing me?” Nan Shan shot back.
Shou Xin froze, looking sheepish.
“You came to find me? What’s the matter?”
When it came to the point, Nan Shan grew serious.
“It’s not a big deal, I just want to ask how I can see Ji Yue. I have something to say to him.”
“What do you need from the Immortal Lord?” Shou Xin asked, wary.
Nan Shan smacked him lightly on the forehead.
“None of your business!”
Shou Xin frowned but didn’t push further.
“How are you going to find him?”
Nan Shan urged impatiently, “How?”
Shou Xin gave her a look.
“I don’t know. The Immortal Lord always finds me, never the other way around. If you really need to, maybe you could go burn some incense?”
The thought of the crowded temple made Nan Shan cringe.
“I’m not going there.”
“Good. I don’t want you to either.”
Shou Xin grinned and handed her the grasshopper he’d made.
Nan Shan blinked in surprise.
“You know how to do this?”
“Of course! You see these eyes?”
Shou Xin pointed proudly at the bulging eyes of the grasshopper.
“I made them myself. No one in the Eastern Lands can weave them like I can. This one’s yours.”
“Thanks.”
Nan Shan tucked the grasshopper into her pocket.
Though she didn’t learn much from Shou Xin, she hung around in his room for a while before leaving.
As soon as she stepped out, however, her footsteps slowed.
Ji Yue stood silently in the yard, still the same slender and refined figure.
“You’re looking for me?” he asked.
Nan Shan stared at him for a long while, then made up her mind and walked toward him.
Seeing her serious expression, Ji Yue’s typically serene face seemed to soften just a little.
“I want to leave now. Does that mean I need to reopen the road first?” she asked.
Ji Yue remained silent.
Nan Shan frowned.
“But I don’t know how to do anything. Are you sure you can rely on me?”
“I never make mistakes.” Ji Yue’s voice was soft, but firm.
Looking into his gentle yet resolute eyes, Nan Shan suddenly felt an overwhelming confidence.
“Alright, tell me what to do, I’ll reopen the road.”
Upon hearing her response, Ji Yue smiled lightly, a soft, calming expression sweeping over his face.
It was clear that he had already anticipated her agreement.
As she asked for guidance, he extended his right hand toward her. With his palm up, a red light swirled around it, and five jade slips appeared in his palm.
“I’m not sure how to reopen the road either, but I know powerful spiritual energy is crucial.”
Ji Yue said, and seeing her hesitation, he gently took her hand and placed the jade slips in her palm, his touch tightening as though he were holding her hand.
“You said you have no talent for cultivation, so start with the basics. These jade slips contain simple methods of regulating your energy. Even without talent, you should be able to understand the basics.”
Nan Shan gazed at the five jade slips in her hand, picking one up and holding it to the sun.
“Place it on your forehead, close your eyes, and focus. You should be able to see clearly.” Ji Yue explained the method.
Nan Shan followed the instructions, and sure enough, when she closed her eyes, she saw a dense array of characters.
She gasped in delight.
“I can see them!”
A smile flickered in Ji Yue’s eyes.
“You’ll have enough time to learn this in ten meals. When the time is up, I’ll come find you.”
At his words, Nan Shan opened her eyes, and Ji Yue was gone.
“Already gone?” she muttered to herself. Just as she was about to put the jade slips away, a small figure appeared behind her with a ghostly speed, startling her so much that she almost slapped him.
“What are you doing!” she yelled.
Shou Xin looked at her with a pout.
“Did the Immortal Lord teach you to cultivate?”
Nan Shan shrugged.
“He just gave me a few jade slips.”
Shou Xin glared at her.
“He taught you?”
“Bit…”
Nan Shan was at a loss for words.
“I’ve been with him since birth, and he never taught me anything! You’ve only been here for how long, and he’s teaching you?” Shou Xin protested.
Nan Shan sighed, trying to change the subject.
“How about we learn together?”
Shou Xin suddenly wailed in frustration.
“I’m not learning!”
With that, he ran off, crying, and Nan Shan didn’t even try to chase him.
She went back to her room, swapped out the jade slip, and placed it on her forehead.
As the text filled her vision again, she marveled at its magic.
Just as she was about to start practicing, she suddenly realized something serious.
The fact that Ji Yue had actively taught her cultivation seemed to have hit Shou Xin hard.
He hadn’t appeared for a long time, and Nan Shan was left without any help. In a desperate moment, she even considered seeking out the immortal servant for assistance.
The servant, the only other person in the back courtyard before Shou Xin, had brought her food before and been chased away by Shou Xin’s scolding.
She didn’t even know his name, only that he called himself “Old Servant,” and she referred to him as “Zhong Bo.”
As the ten meals neared their end, and still no sign of Shou Xin, Nan Shan steeled herself and knocked on Zhong Bo’s door.