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[Past Life]
In the twenty-third year of Zhaohua, summer had already arrived in the mortal realm, and the ponds were filled with a sea of blooming lotus flowers.
The rosy sky stretched endlessly, meeting the boundless green leaves of the lotuses, like a painting come to life.
Bian Lingyu didn’t know how far he had walked before arriving at this ruined temple.
Three months earlier, he had heard that Shi Luoyi had been ambushed and was gravely injured—beyond the help of medicine. It was unlikely she would survive the summer.
That night, Bian Lingyu sat by the well behind the courtyard for a long time. Through the moonlight and the clear water of the well, he caught a glimpse of his current appearance—
His silver hair had grown thin and gray, and fine lines had appeared on his face. This was the price of losing his divine pearl and lingering in the mortal realm for sixty years.
The flowers of Evernight Mountain had bloomed and withered repeatedly. The children of the neighboring village had grown from babbling toddlers to having grandchildren of their own.
The blade of heavenly retribution, the edge of time—both mercilessly cut into the heart of a god who dared to fall in love. He had lost his powers, could no longer cultivate, and could only slowly grow old like a mortal.
For many years, Bian Lingyu hadn’t looked at himself so clearly.
Though his face bore the marks of age, it still retained traces of his former elegance. On the day he returned from slaying Zhu Yan, Shi Luoyi had already fled and left.
He had no strength, could not walk, and Ding Bai had already been banished. Bian Lingyu could only keep company with the bamboo figures he had created.
In the early years, Bian Qingxuan would visit every so often: “Still unwilling to take back your divine pearl? Are you hoping she’ll come back? Even on her deathbed, she won’t spare you a glance, let alone accept your feelings.”
Bian Lingyu continued reading his book without looking up, instructing the bamboo figures: “How tiresome. Tell her to leave.”
The bamboo figures chirped and swarmed toward her. Bian Qingxuan shot him a disdainful glance: “If I were to destroy these bamboo figures, what would a cripple like you do then?”
Bian Lingyu paid her no mind.
With his unyielding attitude, there was nothing Bian Qingxuan could do. If a person feared neither life nor death and had never possessed the one they loved, they had almost no weaknesses.
In the end, the bamboo figures chased Bian Qingxuan out. Perhaps she still held onto a sliver of hope, for she left in anger without taking action. She was waiting—waiting for Shi Luoyi to become a bloodthirsty killer, to fall into demonic corruption and taint the divine pearl, or for Bian Lingyu to finally break under the weight of this life and reclaim his divine pearl.
But as time passed, when the first silver hair appeared on Bian Lingyu’s head, the girls from the nearby villages who once clamored to marry him had all wed others, borne children, and yet Shi Luoyi still hadn’t returned.
Over the years, Shi Luoyi had wandered farther and farther away, and the power of the bamboo figures had gradually weakened.
Until one day, they lamented that they might no longer be able to track news of Shi Luoyi. Bian Lingyu instructed the bamboo figure that had returned to report: “From now on, there’s no need to search for her.”
He gazed at his reflection in the mirror. Even if she were to return, what then? She likely wouldn’t recognize this man who had never received so much as a kind glance from her.
From this day forward, whether she lived or died, whether she found happiness with Wei Changyuan through the aid of the divine pearl, or achieved enlightenment—it was no longer any concern of his.
Bian Lingyu had always been a decisive and resolute man. Once he spoke those words, the bamboo figures attended only to his daily needs, never leaving Evernight Mountain again, nor seeking news of her.
As spring turned to autumn and the days in the mountains flowed by, Bian Lingyu gradually grew accustomed to this life. It wasn’t much harder than the confinement of his youth, and he no longer dwelled on the emotions and affections he had once poured into Shi Luoyi.
She had never known that he loved her, and he was destined to never speak it aloud in this lifetime.
Until one evening, when Bian Qingxuan visited, and Bian Lingyu sat with his eyes lowered, eating a bowl of noodles.
Bian Qingxuan exuded an air of defeat. After a long silence, she said: “She’s about to die. I’ve lost, and so have you.”
That stubborn girl had refused to fall into demonic corruption her entire life, and she had never once looked back at Bian Lingyu. She would rather die than be controlled by anyone.
Bian Lingyu didn’t lift his gaze, simply continuing to eat his noodles bite by bite.
“What does it have to do with me?”
He remained as calm as ever. Nearby, some of the little bamboo figures chopped firewood, while others herded the chickens back into their coop. The moonlight was cool like water, reflecting his coldness and resolve.
Sixty years had passed, and even Bian Qingxuan could no longer tell if he still cared about Shi Luoyi.
After finishing his meal, Bian Lingyu instructed the little bamboo figures to see her out. One by one, the bamboo figures sank into the ground. Bian Qingxuan watched for a long while until the oil lamp in the wooden house finally went out.
She remained silent for a long time before leaving the courtyard, forced to start thinking about a way forward for her clan.
After Bian Qingxuan left, the light in the house, which had already been extinguished, flickered faintly as the man slowly opened his eyes.
Lines had begun to form at the corners of his eyes and brows, but his eyes remained clear and pure.
There was no light in the room, only the soft glow of moonlight filtering through. After a long while, Bian Lingyu pushed himself up to sit. The little bamboo figures dutifully brought over his wheelchair, knowing they were about to embark on a long journey.
When Bian Lingyu arrived at the ruined temple, Shi Luoyi had already passed away. He sat beside her from afternoon until nightfall. The young woman lay there with her eyes closed, surrounded by the faint fragrance of lotus flowers, her appearance unchanged from years past.
He sat motionless through the deepening night. At his command, the little bamboo figures fetched clean water and carefully wiped away the bloodstains at the corner of Shi Luoyi’s lips.
Bian Lingyu watched from the side, never touching her with his own hands.
A fleeting moment of intimacy from over sixty years ago now felt like nothing more than a mirage. Bian Lingyu knew well that she had never been willing. Her refusal to return to Evernight Mountain all these years was perhaps her way of avoiding him.
From life to death, Bian Lingyu had honored her wishes, never touching her again.
Only after the little bamboo figures had finished cleaning did Bian Lingyu finally speak: “Let’s go.”
The little bamboo figures lifted her body and began the journey home.
For Bian Lingyu, now a frail mortal unable to stand, carrying a corpse back to Evernight Mountain was an arduous task. Without his divine power to sustain them, the little bamboo figures also grew weaker, just like him. It wouldn’t be long before these companions of decades would gradually fade away.
As they traveled, it began to rain.
The mountain paths became muddy. One of the little bamboo figures slipped and tumbled down the slope with a soft “plop.” Others followed, sliding down one after another.
Even the one holding the umbrella wasn’t spared.
Bian Lingyu could only stretch out his arms to shield Shi Luoyi’s body. She lay limp in his embrace, devoid of warmth, the rain washing her face pale.
After so many years, he held her again, but this time, all he could touch was her cold, lifeless form.
Suddenly, Bian Lingyu clutched her tightly, his once-still eyes now brimming with endless sorrow.
The little bamboo figures seemed to realize their mistake, climbing back up the slope with their heads bowed, unsure of what to do.
Before the storm worsened, they managed to find a small cave for shelter.
The little bamboo figures boiled water and cleaned Shi Luoyi’s body, which had been dirtied by the mud. They removed her soiled clothes, washed them, and dried them by the fire.
They weren’t human and didn’t understand that none of this mattered for someone who had already passed away. Perhaps the god in the cave understood, but he treated her as though she were still alive.
The cave was cramped, and Bian Lingyu sat in his wheelchair, turning his head to look outside.
The wind howled, and the summer night was drenched in rain.
The little bamboo figures hung Shi Luoyi’s clothes by the fire to dry. And in this scene, Shi Luoyi slowly began to regain warmth and, inch by inch, opened her eyes.
Her crimson pupils had faded, and the heart-devouring demons within her had vanished without a trace. Feeling something wiping her face, Shi Luoyi quickly sat up to find a flustered little bamboo figure tending to her.
When the little bamboo figures saw her rise, they were terrified and scurried toward the man with their backs turned to her, leaping into his arms for protection.
Bian Lingyu was caught off guard, his arms suddenly full of frightened bamboo figures.
Shi Luoyi was still unclothed, and the outside world was pitch black. She stared at the silver-haired man before her and abruptly froze.
Shi Luoyi recognized him instantly—not because her memory was extraordinary, but because she had spent sixty years deliberately avoiding thoughts of him before her death.
However, after her death, she had an exceedingly long dream.
In the dream, she returned to that great snowstorm on Mingyou Mountain and relived her entire life. In this alternate life, not only did she no longer chase after her senior brother or fall into demonic corruption, but she also exposed the conspiracy of the sect leader and Bian Qingxuan.
What shocked her even more was that she had somehow become Dao companions with the man before her?
From mortal to unconscious beast, and later to Divine Lord, Bian Lingyu had always loved and cherished her in that beautiful lifetime. That perfect life left Shi Luoyi feeling dazed upon waking, yet she recognized Bian Lingyu from just his silhouette.
As the little bamboo figures panicked, the man from her dream turned around.
Their eyes met, and the Bian Lingyu before her now was entirely different from the one in her beautiful dream.
His once-handsome face had been ravaged by time, his silver hair cascading down, his gaze indifferent. Compared to her, he seemed like someone who had reached the end of a dead-end path, calmly waiting for the day his journey would conclude.
She realized—this was the Bian Lingyu of her own timeline.
The one she had wronged for sixty years, the one from whom she had taken everything, leaving him with no hope or longing for her.
Upon seeing her awaken, the dead calm in Bian Lingyu’s eyes finally stirred with shock. He quickly pursed his lips and turned his head away.
Only then did Shi Luoyi realize she was unclothed. Her face flushed as she hastily grabbed the dried clothes the little bamboo figures had been roasting and wrapped them around herself.
Ah…
A heavy silence fell between the two. It was a scene of resurrection, yet one found it neither terrifying nor strange, while the other couldn’t help stealing glances at him.
Why had she come back to life? Why had all the demonic energy disappeared? Shi Luoyi suspected it was related to the divine pearl inside her.
This pearl, originally belonging to Bian Lingyu, had given her life again and again—giving her chances to choose.
With memories of two lifetimes slowly digesting within her, she wondered: Did this person truly love her as deeply as her memories suggested?
Outside, the storm had just subsided, and the horizon began to brighten with the first hints of dawn.
After a night of adjustment, the bamboo figures could now move around Shi Luoyi, offering her water to drink. She held the bamboo container, staring blankly at Bian Lingyu.
She observed the marks of time etched into his being, each line a testament to how cruel she had been to him over the past sixty years. Even if she had stayed by his side during those years, sharing the divine pearl’s essence with him, he wouldn’t have ended up like this.
Seeing Shi Luoyi staring at his silver hair for a long while without speaking, Bian Lingyu pushed his wheelchair forward. His eyes devoid of life, he moved toward the mouth of the cave.
As he passed her, she instinctively grabbed his sleeve: “Where are you going?”
“Let go.”
He shot her a cold glance.
Shi Luoyi reluctantly released her grip, watching helplessly as he left the cave. The sky had yet to fully brighten, but thankfully, the rain had stopped. The little bamboo figures followed Bian Lingyu out one by one.
He had left the shelter of the cave for her.
If this had been the Shi Luoyi of old, she would have inwardly criticized Bian Lingyu for his strange temper. But now, it was as if a small voice inside her whispered: He’s hurt.
He simply felt that he was no longer worthy of her. He no longer looked the way he once did; he was no longer the peerlessly handsome god. The ignorant masses judged by appearances, and at least in this state, he believed he shouldn’t appear before her.
Shi Luoyi rose, lifted her skirts, and chased after him.
The sunlight gradually emerged, enveloping them both. One ahead, one behind, Shi Luoyi realized this place felt familiar—they were already very close to Evernight Mountain.
She finally understood: the person ahead was gathering her remains, bringing her home.
The things that had once clouded her vision were now swept away like mist, revealing the raw, unfiltered love she had ignored her entire life.
Shi Luoyi felt momentarily flustered, like a child who had finally realized the extent of their wrongdoing. When she returned home, covered in mud, she hung her head in shame, afraid of being scolded.
She had shattered Bian Lingyu’s heart, and now she felt too ashamed to easily confront the fragile remnants of his love.
Bian Lingyu remained silent, continuing toward home.
If Shi Luoyi hadn’t awakened, they would have reached Evernight Mountain in two days. But now, with her miraculous return to life, Bian Lingyu had no choice but to leave—as if he had never appeared at the ruined temple, never pathetically waited for her for decades.
The bamboo figures knew the young girl behind them was following, but at this moment, they obeyed their master’s wishes and dared not look back. These beings, created by the gods, felt much better under the influence of Shi Luoyi’s divine pearl. Moreover, she carried a delightful fragrance, and after spending just one night near her, their fading vitality seemed to slowly return. Yet, none of the bamboo figures dared approach her.
They all knew—the young girl had never loved their Qilin lord.
And their lord had chosen to let her go.
Sixty years had passed; he could no longer wait for her. He would never come close to her again. His journey had reached its end.
Once, she had rejected him. Now, it was Bian Lingyu who could no longer reach for her—and would never seek her again.
Bian Lingyu had assumed that after following him for a few steps, Shi Luoyi would leave, just as she had done countless times over the years. She would only remain vigilant, ensuring he wasn’t plotting anything harmful, and then depart.
But she followed for a long time, and when they passed a patch of thorns, without waiting for the little bamboo people to clear them, the sword-wielding girl drew her blade and swept them away, cleaning the path perfectly for him.
He could no longer endure it and coldly asked, “Why are you following me?”
The young girl clutched her sword, looking like a pitiful, drenched kitten: “I have nowhere else to go. Aren’t you taking me back to Evernight Mountain?”
“No,” he flatly denied.
“But you were at the ruined temple…”
“Just passing by.”
No one would casually pass through such a desolate place. Both of them knew this, but Shi Luoyi couldn’t bear to expose his intense yet humble love.
But this journey home warmed the tip of her heart.
Shi Luoyi had never imagined that during those stormy sixty years, someone had kept a lonely lamp burning for her, waiting until his hair turned silver. If only she had turned her head earlier, she might have already had a warm home.
But it wasn’t too late now.
Shi Luoyi vaguely felt that the divine pearl inside her had disappeared, transforming into a hopeful wish. When she was willing to turn back, her heart-devouring demons vanished, and Bian Lingyu could also find life through love.
As long as Shi Luoyi stayed by his side, the vitality he had lost would gradually return. How wonderful—it was a regret pill he had given her.
Standing in the sunlight, Shi Luoyi slowly said, “Then I won’t follow you. I’ll go home on my own.”
He frowned: “Do as you please.”
The two walked intermittently, and Shi Luoyi occasionally showed interest in touching his little bamboo figures—things she had never seen in either of her lifetimes.
Only gods could create life.
The little bamboo figure she held seemed eager to cuddle in her palm. She found joy in it but couldn’t help recalling the dream where she and Bian Lingyu had their little Qilin.
That little one had been so adorable and well-behaved, the most beautiful child of the gods. She wondered if the little Qilin would ever return to her.
The bamboo figures clung to her, unwilling to leave, as if revealing their master’s unspoken thoughts over the decades. Bian Lingyu had no choice but to scold them: “Get back here!”
The once-calm prince had become fiercely stern. The little bamboo figures reluctantly broke away from Shi Luoyi and returned to him.
Shi Luoyi pouted.
As they traveled together, whether it was due to dragging their feet or other delays, what should have been a three-day journey took them a full five days.
Sometimes the bamboo figures lagged behind, and things belonging to Bian Lingyu ended up in Shi Luoyi’s arms without her noticing. From afar, the two would inevitably bicker.
Of course, it was mostly Shi Luoyi doing the talking: “You’re so stingy! I was just playing with them—I would’ve returned them. They must like me because you treat them poorly.”
Bian Lingyu’s lips were tightly pressed together, his expression dark, but he didn’t argue with her. Still, this kind of interaction was better than cold indifference and silence.
The bamboo figures who returned to him were always swatted away by Bian Lingyu.
The traitorous ones looked utterly dejected.
In the midst of the fervent summer, something quietly blossomed between them—something beyond tension and hostility.
Like Bian Lingyu’s vitality quietly returning, strands of his silver hair began turning black again.
He seemed to understand something but still struggled to believe it. Bian Lingyu refused to entertain that possibility—wishful thinking was the saddest delusion of all.
But even the longest road eventually comes to an end. As they drew closer to Evernight Mountain, Bian Lingyu stopped driving the girl away. When the bamboo figures wandered off and were guiltily returned by her, there was no anger left on his face.
After all… they would part ways once they returned.
With the sect leader present, Shi Luoyi was destined not to return to Evernight Mountain. At best, she could visit Mingyou Mountain to see her injured senior brother, while Bian Lingyu would return to his old life.
Five days of traveling together passed quickly.
Shi Luoyi gradually began to feel the joy of being with him. Even though he said nothing and sometimes acted moody toward her, the feeling of being loved pierced through any fog and reached deep into her heart—a sentiment that time itself could not erase.
No matter how much he denied it, whenever he looked at her, ripples of emotion unconsciously surfaced in his eyes.
But Shi Luoyi had done many wrongs. She had even used Bian Lingyu’s divine pearl to chase after another man, from life to death. For Bian Lingyu, this was immense cruelty and had shattered his confidence.
She wanted to smooth out those wounds and replace them with happy memories, but it would undoubtedly take a long time. Their relationship could no longer be gentle and calm, but even chaotic moments together constituted a different kind of life.
Finally, the day came when they had to part.
Shi Luoyi had been pondering how to stay with him. Before Bian Lingyu closed the door, she secretly “kidnapped” one of the little bamboo figures.
Thinking about the scene when Bian Lingyu would discover it later, she curved her lips slightly.
Did he understand her meaning? Would he come to retrieve it?
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