Each Person’s Sorrows

At the entrance of Qianjin Pavilion, Bai Zhihua, with her petite figure, peered out.

“Why aren’t they here yet? They said they’d come find me tonight.”

She paced back and forth in agitation.

Unable to bear the wait, she pulled out her communication jade slip and sent a message.

“Hey! Why aren’t you here yet? I’ve been waiting for over ten minutes! Can’t you hurry up?”

No sooner had her message been sent than Yan Yun’s voice chimed in her ear.

“Stop nagging, what’s with all the nagging? We’re already here.”

Bai Zhihua immediately glanced to her right, and there she saw Yan Yun, splendidly dressed in white, and Xie Yuyan strolling towards her.

“Wow, Third Sister, did you specially change into such beautiful clothes just for me? Not bad, not bad! Seeing how sincere you are, I’ll forgive you for making me wait for over ten minutes.” Bai Zhihua immediately scurried over.

“Go on, get out of here! What do you mean ‘for you to see’? Have you no shame? These clothes are for my wife! If she says they look good, then I should certainly provide her with a little emotional value.” Yan Yun retorted.

Only then did Bai Zhihua’s gaze fall upon Jiang Yao, who stood beside them, her head slightly bowed, observing Bai Zhihua with the curious expression of a child.

“Eh? Are you the great handsome Bai?” Though Jiang Yao knew the person before her was Bai Zhiqiu, she couldn’t help but ask.

The primary reason was the stark contrast between the petite Bai Zhihua before her and the Bai Zhiqiu she remembered.

Bai Zhihua, sensing Jiang Yao’s thoughts, immediately cleared her throat a few times.

“Sister-in-law, that’s not fair. Third Sister and Second Sister have both become girls, so how am I any different from them?” Bai Zhihua stated with feigned composure.

Yet, as Jiang Yao gazed at Bai Zhihua’s adorable appearance, a wave of maternal affection washed over her.

“I can’t help it anymore.” Jiang Yao suddenly raised her hand and gently pinched Bai Zhihua’s small, round face.

Bai Zhihua flinched in surprise.

“What are you doing, Sister-in-law? I’m not a child! I’m around the same age as you all; I just happen to be small.”

Witnessing Bai Zhihua’s reaction, Yan Yun and Xie Yuyan couldn’t help but burst into laughter.

“Oh, no, Third Sister, Fourth Sister truly looks a bit too adorable and innocent,” Xie Yuyan chuckled.

“Indeed,” Yan Yun agreed. “She truly resembles an undeveloped young girl. Her appearance from her previous life has slowly faded from my memory.”

Bai Zhihua’s small face flushed crimson at the trio’s reactions.

“You all… how vexing! I’ll grow up eventually, you’ll see!” Bai Zhihua declared indignantly.

The two merely acknowledged her words.

Afterwards, the three ceased their teasing.

The four then began to stroll leisurely through the Immortal Alliance grounds, primarily engaging in conversation.

For them, four individuals from another world, nothing was more relaxing than simply talking.

“Ah, Sister-in-law, you and Third Sister are truly fortunate,” Bai Zhihua sighed repeatedly, walking amidst the other three. “Unlike Second Sister and me, who were ‘single dogs’ in our previous lives, and likely will be again in this one. If only I had known this day would come, I would have accepted someone’s pursuit in my past life! Alas!”

Yan Yun and Jiang Yao, seeing Bai Zhihua’s distressed expression, immediately offered comfort.

“Don’t lose heart. As long as it’s true love, gender isn’t an issue. The only fear is if you’re blind.”

“Indeed, Fourth Sister,” Xie Yuyan encouraged Bai Zhihua, “as long as you maintain your true self and always believe you are a man, just like me, you’ll find true love eventually.”

However, Bai Zhihua merely shrugged her petite frame.

“Don’t even get me started. I need to grow taller first. With my current stature, even if I liked a girl, she’d probably just see me as a child. Sigh! It’s truly strange; I’ve already reached the Great Perfection of the Cavern Heaven Realm. Theoretically, my body should have matured by now, but alas!”

Seeing Bai Zhihua’s crestfallen expression, Xie Yuyan pondered for a moment before suddenly revealing her own secret.

“What do you have to be so worried about? Growing up is just a matter of time. I’m the one with the real troubles,” Xie Yuyan grumbled.

Yan Yun and Jiang Yao naturally understood what Xie Yuyan was referring to.

“Huh? You’re troubled too? About what? Tell me quickly!” Bai Zhihua eagerly pressed.

Xie Yuyan let out a long sigh.

“You might not know this, but damn it, I had an unmarried fiancé the moment I was born! Third Sister and I even met while I was fleeing my arranged marriage. If I hadn’t prepared in advance, I’d probably have been forced into it by now,” Xie Yuyan explained.

Upon hearing this, Bai Zhihua’s discontent instantly vanished.

“My, oh my, how thrilling! Second Sister, tell me more, I want to hear everything!” Bai Zhihua urged excitedly.

There was no need to hide such trivial matters among them, so Xie Yuyan simply recounted all her experiences from birth until now.

After listening, Yan Yun and the other two were momentarily stunned.

Bai Zhihua, in particular, who had been feeling down, now found herself sympathizing with Xie Yuyan instead.

“Alright, after hearing your confession, Second Sister, my worries truly seem insignificant, hahaha. But how do you plan to resolve this?” Bai Zhihua chuckled.

Xie Yuyan spread her hands in a gesture of helplessness.

“My old man arranged this, what can I do? I can only hide in Yunhua Sect and not return. Even if I were to go back, it would have to be after my cultivation surpasses his.”

Bai Zhihua’s mood immediately brightened.

As the saying goes, seeing a comrade in a worse predicament than a blood brother can certainly lift one’s spirits.

“Indeed. By the way, Third Sister, what are your plans? I must tell you something: although you’ve managed to gain favor with the Immortal Alliance by submitting the Heavenly Poison Sutra and spreading poison cultivation techniques, the Righteous Dao Alliance holds a rather unfavorable view of you. They likely won’t permit your unrestricted development.”

Bai Zhihua conveyed this information to Yan Yun.

Yan Yun was, in fact, well aware of this issue.

Yan Lingyun’s enemies were not confined solely to the borders of Jiang Country.

“I understand,” Yan Yun stated. “That’s why my wife and I discussed it. Once I’ve accumulated enough resources, I plan to develop within the territory of the neighboring Dao Alliance.”

Yan Yun affirmed.

Currently, her cultivation was not high, and she was relatively weak.

Thus, the powerful factions weren’t overly concerned with her.

However, if Yan Yun’s cultivation were to reach a level capable of shaking these forces, it was highly improbable they would allow her to continue unimpeded.

“The Dao Alliance? Yes, that’s indeed a good destination. There, the law of the jungle prevails; it doesn’t distinguish between righteous or demonic paths. The ability to survive is all that matters.”

Bai Zhihua also agreed it was a good idea.

The four discussed many things, including matters of their old home.

As soon as their hometown was mentioned, a palpable sense of longing appeared on all their faces.

However, Jiang Yao suddenly posed a question.

“Hey, husband, let me ask you something. Do you think our parents might have also reincarnated into this world? And by the way, do the three of you remember what exactly happened back then? Why can’t I recall anything? I only remember a blinding white light suddenly appearing before my eyes, and then nothing.”

At this, Yan Yun and the other two immediately cast their minds back.

“I only remember,” Yan Yun recounted, “I had just lifted you out of the car, and we were entering the wedding venue. The three groomsmen and three bridesmaids were following behind us. We had just reached our parents and were about to exchange rings when a blinding white light suddenly flared before our eyes.”

Yan Yun recalled.

Xie Yuyan’s and Bai Zhihua’s memories also ceased at the moment of the white light.

“If that’s truly the case,” Jiang Yao murmured, “then quite a few people must have reincarnated into this world.”

The four of them harbored a premonition that they would surely encounter more acquaintances later on.

“Forget it, let’s not talk about this anymore. It gives me a headache.”

Yan Yun immediately steered the conversation away from the topic.

“Life is like a dream, ethereal and illusory. Perhaps we are all dreaming, and one day, when we awaken, we will return to our original selves,” Bai Zhihua sighed deeply.

Soon, two hours later, the four of them went their separate ways.

With activities planned for the next day, they certainly couldn’t indulge in too much revelry that evening.

Yan Yun and Jiang Yao ceased their playful antics, and upon returning, they each sat in meditation, adjusting their states to optimal levels.

Thus, the night passed.

The next morning, bright and early, Yan Yun and her companions received a notification from Yunshuang, instructing them to gather at their prearranged meeting point.

Apparently, someone had something of great importance to tell them.

However, just as they stepped out, they encountered Su Muyu.

Su Muyu, upon seeing her precious son, was suddenly taken aback.

“You… you rascal! What on earth are you doing?” This was Su Muyu’s first utterance upon seeing Yan Yun.

Truly, only a birth mother would be so acutely sensitive to such a sudden transformation in her child’s appearance.

“Hehe, doesn’t it look good? Everyone says I look beautiful like this,” Yan Yun said with a playful grin, twirling once before Su Muyu.

Su Muyu’s face was a mask of bewilderment.

She raised a hand to touch Yan Yun’s forehead.

“You’re not sick, are you? Have you completely accepted the fact that you’ve become a girl now?” Su Muyu wondered aloud.

She couldn’t shake the feeling that her precious son had undergone an indescribable change.

“Alright, alright, it was bound to happen sooner or later anyway. No matter what I become, aren’t I still your child?” Yan Yun retorted, rolling her eyes at her mother.

Yet, Su Muyu still felt that Yan Yun might have suffered some kind of emotional blow.

Soon, the three arrived at the meeting point.

Upon reaching it, many people, seeing Yan Yun’s drastically altered appearance, showed expressions of astonishment.

“Wow, that’s Junior Sister Yan from Purple Abyss Pavilion. How did she suddenly become so beautiful?”

“Indeed. Though I used to think she was pretty, the thought of her being a man before always put me off. But today, she truly caught my eye! It makes me completely overlook her former identity.”

The crowd discussed Yan Yun animatedly.

Yan Yun genuinely felt a little embarrassed, as she had never experienced so many people commenting on her beauty before.

The cultivators from Purple Abyss Pavilion also looked at Yan Yun with smiles.

Yan Yun was already an idol to many of them, and now that their idol had become so beautiful, wasn’t she even more pleasing to the eye?

Yunshuang and the other elders also swept a puzzled glance over Yan Yun.

However, their composure was naturally unshaken.

“Listen to that, you little enchantress, you’re making everyone jealous!” Jiang Yao, hearing the surrounding whispers, couldn’t resist teasing Yan Yun.

Yan Yun was exceedingly proud.

“Everyone quiet down. I have something very important to tell you all today. Cultivators from other countries will be arriving at the Immortal Alliance to participate in our Jiang Country’s Immortal Dao Assembly. The rules might need to be adjusted accordingly,” Yunshuang announced, getting down to business.

Upon hearing this, everyone present was stunned.

“Cultivators from other countries coming to participate in our Jiang Country’s Immortal Dao Assembly? This… this likely means they bear ill intentions, doesn’t it?” Anyone with a bit of sense knew this was probably not good news.