When he left, he saw that Pei Xiu and Banyue were snacking on the fruits the Rain Master had brought them. He went over to join them and took some fruit as well. He was going to crouch and eat with them when he suddenly sensed something. He whipped his head around to look.
Something had just shot through the tall bushes not far away.
He quickly tossed his fruit aside and shouted “Keep watch over here!” before dashing over.
The thing in the bushes realized it had been discovered and ran even faster. At first, Xie Lian could’ve caught up in eight steps, but it only took four for him to realize who he was chasing. Changing his mind, he slowed his pace and waited until they had fled for a while before he broke in from the side to block their path.
“Lady Jian Lan, do you plan on leaving without saying farewell?”
The other party was indeed Jian Lan. She’d been sneaking around with the fetus spirit cradled in her arms, and she jumped in surprise when Xie Lian appeared out of nowhere.
“You!”
The blanched fetus spirit she carried bared its teeth like it wanted to attack, but Jian Lan held it back.
“Are you here to stop me?”
Not wanting to alarm her, Xie Lian said, “Don’t be nervous; I just wanted to give you something.” He took out an item. “Your son Cuocuo’s grudge is rather strong, and it needs to be kept under control. Although purification is already underway, your cultivation isn’t as high as his—it’s hard to guarantee there won’t be accidents. You’ll need this to help.”
It was a protection charm that Xie Lian had made himself. To prove there were no tricks embedded, he even demonstrated how to use it. As Jian Lan watched, she did start to relax, for this thing truly was useful. After some hesitation, she took it.
“Thanks.”
“No need to thank me,” Xie Lian said. “All I ask is that when you use it, shout ‘Your Highness, please watch over me’ three times. That way, it will be counted under my palace’s name.”
“…”
Jian Lan took a few steps, then paused for a moment. In the end, she couldn’t restrain her curiosity and turned to ask, “You’re not stopping me? Why?”
Xie Lian had been waiting for her to look back, and instead of answering, he asked her a question of his own. “Lady Jian Lan, why must you go at all? Feng Xin said he would take care of you both, and he will keep his word.”
Although Jian Lan’s expression flickered, in the end, she only sighed. “I know he will. But forget it, it’s for the best. I don’t want to be with him anymore.”
Xie Lian was a little taken aback. “Do you…not love him at all anymore?”
Jian Lan sat on the roadside, probably tired from running. “This has nothing to do with love at this point. I don’t want to force him to tie himself to us.”
Xie Lian sat by her side and contemplated for a moment. “Feng Xin really loves you, without a doubt. He was so completely exhausted back then, but he refused to let you go.”
As if she’d just recalled something from a faraway past, Jian Lan laughed. “Since you mention it, I remember now. He was still a little stupid back in those days, working long hours to make enough money to buy me for an entire night. But he’d just bring over a stool and sit next to me; he did nothing but sit and chat with me the whole time. Everyone thought he was a joke—what a laugh!”
Xie Lian smiled. “You see, I told you he really loves you.”
However, Jian Lan withdrew her smile. “You say that, but it’s all so far in the past. Even if what we had back then was love, it doesn’t mean it’ll last today. I’m not interested in being a charity case and a nuisance.”
“Why would he consider either of you a nuisance?” Xie Lian asked. “Don’t you know the kind of person Feng Xin is?”
“Your Royal Highness, you don’t live the common life, so of course you’d think things are that simple. He wouldn’t consider us a nuisance right away, and he wouldn’t let it show on the surface. But all that’s subject to change as things drag out over time. If I’d wanted to find him, I would’ve done so a long time ago. It’s not like Temples of Nan Yang are hard to find; they were everywhere at one point. But I still didn’t want to.
“He ascended and became so impressive and glorious. But we’d already become ghosts, so what would have been the point in seeking him out? Wouldn’t carrying two ghosts around just cause trouble for a heavenly official?
“I dumped him at my most beautiful, all proud and dignified. I think that was for the best. That way, I’d always look like that in his memories, instead of like this—caked in heavy, gaudy makeup, with crow’s feet around my eyes.” She pinched at her own face. “If he really recognized us officially and had to look at this face every day, and Cuocuo like he is…he’d only get more and more exhausted the longer we dragged him down, and more and more annoyed. Eventually, we’d be nothing but a nuisance. So why turn my own story into a tragedy? Why bother?”
As she spoke, the fetus spirit slithered its wet tongue all over her face. Although it was disgusting, there was also something cute about it, in a mischievous way. But most people would probably just see it as disgusting and could never come to accept it.
Jian Lan petted her son’s bald head. “Anyway, Cuocuo is enough for me. Who didn’t make promises when they were young? Swearing on the mountains and the seas, talking of affection, of love, of forever. The longer I hang around in the world, the more I understand that ‘forever’ is impossible. It’s never going to be possible. No one can truly achieve it. Experiencing ‘everlasting love’ once was enough; I don’t believe in it anymore.
“Feng Xin is a good man. It’s just…it’s been too long,” she said helplessly. “Everything’s changed, so it’s best to let it go.”
Xie Lian listened silently, not speaking a word.
But in his heart, he said, No.
Deep down inside of him, a voice said, Forever does exist. There’s one person who can achieve it. I believe.