A Farewell Gift and a Fated Wager

“Zhuang Xun Gege… it’s so late. What did you call Lishuang here for?” Jiang Lishuang mumbled with a pout, rubbing her eyes with delicate, tiny fingers.

Zhuang Xun smiled with a rare gentleness, patting her head with his large palm. “Lishuang, I’ll be leaving in about two days.”

“So, tonight, under this full moon, I will present this sword to you as a small farewell gift.”

Upon hearing that Zhuang Xun was leaving her, Jiang Lishuang’s sleepiness vanished instantly.

Her small hands immediately clutched at Zhuang Xun’s robes around his waist, her voice thick with a slight sob. “I don’t want Zhuang Xun Gege to go…”

“Zhuang Xun Gege, please stay with me forever, okay?”

‘Such childishness.’

‘However, precisely because she was a child, her emotions flared and faded just as quickly.’

‘I’m sure she’ll soon return to her lively and cheerful self.’

Zhuang Xun half-knelt, gently wiping away her small, flowing tears.

“The moon waxes and wanes. When our fated paths converge again, we will meet once more.”

“So, there’s no need to dwell on it too much.”

“…Really?”

His warm smile was reflected in Jiang Lishuang’s crystal-clear, ice-blue eyes.

It was as if she sought to engrave every memory of him forever.

“Will Zhuang Xun Gege and I truly be able to meet again?”

“Of course. When have I ever lied to you?”

With a flick of his finger, the spirit sword on the ground floated automatically into his palm. “Come, drip your blood to acknowledge it as your master, and it will be your eternal weapon.”

“Mm…”

“It might hurt a little, but it will pass quickly.”

He gently traced the tip of Jiang Lishuang’s raised index finger, and a drop of crimson blood fell onto the sword hilt.

It formed a crimson thread, trailing all the way to the sword’s tip.

“I obtained this sword from a certain ruin, and it perfectly suits your Utmost Yin Physique.”

“In the future, you must make good use of it and cultivate diligently.”

As Zhuang Xun finished speaking, moonlight silently spilled, seeping into the spirit sword and concealing the crimson thread.

Subsequently, the spirit sword transformed into an icy, dazzling crescent moon totem, imprinting itself upon her glabella.

Jiang Lishuang’s eyes gradually closed, her consciousness seemingly sinking into a world of ice and snow.

“Zhuang Xun Gege… I’m so sleepy…”

After mumbling a phrase indistinctly, Jiang Lishuang leaned forward.

She collapsed onto Zhuang Xun’s shoulder.

“……”

‘This is indeed what you deserve.’

‘It’s like returning an item to its rightful owner.’

Zhuang Xun stroked the back of Jiang Lishuang’s head, his gaze flickering to the side, catching sight of Jiang Ningwan at the end of the corridor.

That resentful gaze elicited a soft sigh from Zhuang Xun.

‘These matters of the heart truly are endless.’

****

The two brothers, watching the drama unfold from the side, couldn’t help but whisper among themselves.

“Brother, do you think… Fellow Daoist Zhuang has some great secret?” Shangwen asked softly, turning slightly.

“Even if he does, it’s not for us to pry into.”

Shangwu glanced meaningfully in Zhuang Xun’s direction, recalling the words Elder Xuanyuan had spoken to him not long ago.

[“Regarding Zhuang Xun, you must not delve further into his affairs. He is not as simple as he appears.”]

[“But Fellow Daoist Zhuang, he…”]

[“Are you no longer listening to my words?”]

[“No, this disciple would not dare defy the Great Elder.”]

[“Then ask no more.”]

[“Then, Great Elder… please do not strike Fellow Daoist Zhuang with killing intent. He is a truly benevolent person.”]

[“Whether he is good or evil, I will judge for myself. Now, withdraw.”]

[“…Understood.”]

“Alas…”

“One can only say that during this time… we’ve formed a connection with Fellow Daoist Zhuang.”

“Indeed, the karmic encounters of the mortal world are often so sudden.”

****

After settling Jiang Lishuang in her room, Zhuang Xun joined two fingers.

He cast a concealment spell, erasing any trace of the crescent moon totem from her glabella.

‘This way, it’s like laying a groundwork.’

Knock knock~

“Immortal Master…”

Jiang Ningwan knocked on the door from outside, calling out softly.

“……”

‘Why don’t I get this kind of reverse-pursuit treatment in the real world?’

‘Alas…’

‘I finally managed to pursue one, only for it to break off in a month…’

‘Truly different worlds, different treatments.’

“Wait a moment.”

After taking one last look at Jiang Lishuang’s adorable sleeping face, Zhuang Xun departed without looking back.

“……”

“……”

Buzz~

The crescent moon totem on Jiang Lishuang’s glabella suddenly reappeared.

It rotated once, counter to yin and yang, before dissipating once more.

****

In the tranquil corridor of the Jiang residence, Zhuang Xun and Jiang Ningwan walked side by side.

“Immortal Master, are you truly leaving in two days?”

“Yes, I have urgent matters to attend to and cannot stay any longer.”

‘Even if that troublesome girl Xuanyuan Luoshui hadn’t caught and threatened him, Zhuang Xun wouldn’t have lingered here anyway; he had to sever this relationship.’

“Will you come again?”

Jiang Ningwan stopped walking. Her fingers gently tugged at his sleeve.

“Ningwan, I’ve already told you the consequences.”

“But even so, do you still intend to persist in your delusion?”

‘Such stubbornness. It seems the Forgetfulness Pill will be necessary after all.’

“No, I don’t mean to force the Immortal Master to stay, it’s just…”

“I wish for the one I favor… to leave me with some deeper memories.”

Jiang Ningwan embraced him from behind, a choked sob escaping her. “Can’t… can’t the Immortal Master even grant me this?”

“Or is the Immortal Master hesitating because I am not a cultivator, and that’s why…”

“Enough,” Zhuang Xun cut her off. He tried to pull her clasped hands away.

He only found her hands tightly interlocked, unwilling to release him.

“You should know that cultivators most taboo is to succumb to emotion. To cling further would be impolite.”

“Has the Immortal Master succumbed to emotion?”

“No, it is impossible for me to be swayed by emotion.”

“Then, Immortal Master, do you dare to make a wager with Ningwan?”

“If I win, the Immortal Master will indulge my one willful request.”

“If I lose, Ningwan will no longer cling to the Immortal Master, allowing you to depart freely.”

“……”

‘At such a time, the wager would most likely revolve around whether he could be moved by emotion.’

‘Yet, clearly, the outcome of such a gamble was already decided.’

‘Therefore, spending the remaining two days indulging her would be acceptable.’

‘After all…’

‘In the end, she would forget everything.’

“Alright, what do you wish to wager?”

“I wish to wager…”

“To give the Immortal Master a fleeting romance that they will never forget.”

“If the Immortal Master forgets, then I lose.”

“……”

‘Alright, I underestimated her.’

****

Under the starlit night, Xuanyuan Luoshui hovered in the air, gazing down upon the entire Jiang residence.

Her attention was particularly fixed on Zhuang Xun’s movements.

However, when that beautiful, mature woman embraced him, her eyes momentarily filled with a sea of blood.

But she quickly suppressed it.

‘I cannot give in to anger, or I won’t be able to suppress the Asura Path’s battle intent…’

The cultivation method she practiced inherently required continuous high-pressure combat for refinement.

The martial qi of battle constantly tugged at her emotions.

Especially when it came to anger.

The surge of anger would also feed back into her, making her combat power increasingly formidable.

This was why she grew braver with each battle, becoming increasingly difficult to deal with.

“Little Luoshui, are you jealous?” Ziyin circled around her, patting her shoulder.

Xuanyuan Luoshui took a deep breath and replied coldly, “No.”

“After all, to dare to kiss her own master upon arrival, she must surely have feelings for him.”

“Sect Master Ziyin, you are also the Palace Master of the Spirit Dao Palace, a half-immortal realm cultivator…”

As Xuanyuan Luoshui spoke, her gaze gradually flickered to Ziyin, and she smiled benignly. “I suppose Sect Master, you haven’t had enough fighting during the day, have you? We could go to the cosmos beyond the mortal realm and fight…”

“Until our spiritual power is exhausted.”

“Uh…”

“I was just joking. Keep watching, keep watching…”

Mainly because Ziyin knew her own combat strength was evenly matched with Xuanyuan Luoshui’s, and continuing to fight would not benefit her.

While the other person only grew more invigorated with each strike.

It wasn’t worth it.

She conceded this cowardice.