Chapter 469: Ye Chan Palace's Smile

The wind of clear autumn swept across the Immortal Realm. An ancient mirror hung high like the moon, casting a vast silvery expanse. In this dreamlike and ethereal scene, Ning Changjiu and Ye Changong stood side by side, admiring the autumn moon together.

It was also Mid-Autumn Festival in the human world.

Ning Changjiu could imagine that Jiajia, Xiang'er, and the others must also be looking up at the moon. Though they weren't seeing the same moon, their hearts were connected by it. Sooner or later, one day, these hearts would overcome the barriers of the Immortal Realm and be united.

Ye Changong looked at the mirror.

The mirror hung very high, and the figures reflected in it were somewhat blurred.

"So many years have passed already," Ye Changong murmured to herself, gazing at the moon. It felt like only yesterday she had ascended after consuming the fire seed, yet looking back suddenly, a millennium had already passed.

Moonlight fell from millions of feet above, passing through countless barriers, still retaining its pristine brilliance. But after a thousand years of human existence, when one suddenly turns to look back, the path taken is already filled with mist and clouds.

What had been walked through was mist and clouds, and what had passed before one's eyes was also mist and clouds.

She was Changxi, Heng'e, Ye Changong—a manifestation of the Osmanthus spirit, a goddess and immortal of the moon. Yet, she knew clearly that she existed because of the moon, but the moon did not need her to exist. No matter how vast her divine powers, she was merely a life form born on a star in response to destiny. The moon had always been this way, and always would be.

They admired the moon together for a long time, without speaking.

Large golden butterflies flew across their vision, like dark clouds obscuring the moon and blocking the scattered moonlight. Only then did Ning Changjiu slightly regain his senses.

"The star we are on now, compared to 1.5 billion years ago, is no longer the same star," Ye Changong said. "Nor is the moon the same moon."

Ning Changjiu said, "But we still use the characters from 1.5 billion years ago and still carry on the names of the gods from that era. This is an eternal flame. Even if the sun were to extinguish one day, we would still be able to emit a light greater than the sun."

Ye Changong looked at him and said, "If one day the sun extinguishes, then the moon will also be forever cold."

Ning Changjiu also looked at her.

Butterflies danced around the moon, light spilling from the gaps in their wings. Ye Changong's face was like a canvas, bearing these dappled, flowing lights, and her exquisitely carved features seemed transparent at that moment.

"Are you cold, Master?" Ning Changjiu asked.

Ye Changong lowered her head. She knew that if she simply answered "cold," they would embrace. This had been their unspoken agreement three thousand years ago.

Ye Changong gently caressed her chest, where the marriage contract was kept. She wanted to answer, but after her delicate lips parted, she answered with something unrelated: "When we were married back then, it seemed we also admired the moon like this."

The butterflies flew past the moon, and moonlight fell once more. It separated them, like a thin veil.

Ning Changjiu's brows twitched slightly. He also remembered that during their grand wedding, he had secretly slipped away to meet Luoshen. Heng'e had also arrived shortly after, bringing two quilts. The three of them brewed incantations under the bridge, wrapped in quilts, and gazed at the bright moon together.

Running off to meet another woman on his wedding day... Is this something a person would do? Truly heartless...

Ning Changjiu silently engaged in self-criticism.

Ning Changjiu was too ashamed to recall this matter. He simply said, "Next time we get married, I hope we can still admire the moon like this."

The moonlight between them began to flow, as if the scenery, if sentient, also wished to convey emotions to humans.

Ye Changong's graceful head was half-lowered. A moment later, she turned to him, looking at him indifferently, and said, "I treat you as my disciple. What about you? What do you think about all day? And how do you plan to repay me?"

Before Ning Changjiu could fully grasp the meaning of her words, Ye Changong turned and left.

Ning Changjiu wanted to follow, but the ancient mirror in the sky lost its restraint and fell straight down, landing precisely on Ning Changjiu's head. He let out a pained groan and collapsed dazedly onto the ground.

When Ning Changjiu awoke, Mid-Autumn Festival had already passed. He lay on the bed, touching his still aching head, and struggling to get up, he saw Ye Changong sitting by the bed.

Feeling the dull ache in his head, he wanted to question his Master, but Ye Changong spoke first: "How could you be so careless?"

"?" Ning Changjiu said, "Master, didn't you deliberately harm me?! How can you be the first to—"

"Hmm?" Ye Changong looked at him and asked, "First to what?"

Ning Changjiu looked at the slender young woman in her snow-like gauze dress. His Master's serene demeanor inherently carried a deterrent power.

Ning Changjiu rubbed his head and weakly threatened, "Evil people... will be dealt with by evil people..."

"Evil people will be dealt with by evil people?" Ye Changong's eyelashes fluttered slightly, as if pondering the meaning of this phrase. She gently asked, "How are they dealt with? Like the Jade Rabbit pounding medicine?"

Ning Changjiu was astonished. "Master... how do you know everything?"

Ye Changong's expression was unchanged as she softly said, "You know that I know everything."

The more indifferent his Master appeared, the more ashamed he felt.

Ye Changong comforted him, saying, "Matters of the mortal world are all common. These things might have meaning to some, but to me, they hold no significance. You don't need to dwell on them."

*If they have no meaning, why do you still watch?!*

Ning Changjiu silently refuted her in his heart. He looked at his Master, who always seemed untouched by worldly affairs, and his heart began to beat faster. He feigned calmness and began another elaborate argument:

"When we look at a flower in a painting, we cannot smell its fragrance. It's not that the flower itself lacks fragrance, but simply because there's a barrier when you look at it. You might think you understand its full appearance, but in reality, you know nothing of its true beauty. Observing a flower in a painting is like this, and life is also like this. Before truly smelling the flower's scent, how can we claim to like or dislike it?"

"Hmm, you have a point. So, what you mean is..." Ye Changong naturally understood his words. She nodded lightly and plainly restated Ning Changjiu's implication: "You want to disrespect your Master and betray your ancestors again?"

"..." Struck at his vital point, Ning Changjiu was speechless. He looked at the bowl of moonlight in his Master's hand and asked, "Master, what exactly are you here for?"

Ye Changong said, "You are ill, so naturally, I am here to visit you."

Ning Changjiu said, "I thought you found my injury too shallow and specially came back to add two more cuts."

Ye Changong said, "Your Master kindly brewed medicine for you. Is that what you think?"

Ning Changjiu asked, "Brewing medicine... What did Master brew? Are there even medicines in the Immortal Realm?"

Ye Changong said, "These are leaves from the Forest of Immortality."

The Forest of Immortality... those were the towering trees like divine pagodas.

"It sounds like a rare and wondrous medicine." Ning Changjiu reached out for the medicine and said, "Thank you, Master."

Ye Changong shook her head, placing the bowl aside, and said, "This medicine has no efficacy whatsoever."

"...Then what is Master doing?"

"I often see you all doing this. I wanted to try it out, to see what it feels like to brew medicine and wait by someone's bedside until they wake." Ye Changong said, "Just as you said earlier, looking at a flower in a painting is never as good as experiencing it in person."

"I see..." Ning Changjiu understood she was acting again. He looked at her lips and said, "Master, you don't need to do this. It's fine to simply follow your heart."

Ye Changong softly hummed in acknowledgment.

Ning Changjiu asked, "Back then... why did Master decide to take me as a disciple?"

Ye Changong said, "Because back then, I did not foresee that your entry into my sect would bring such misfortune upon it."

Ning Changjiu pursed his lips, thinking how sharp-tongued his Master had become. He smiled in resignation and said, "Master truly is becoming more human. Now you even tell jokes like this."

Ye Changong silently watched him.

Ning Changjiu met Ye Changong's gaze, his heart tightening. He realized that his Master was very likely speaking her true feelings...

Ning Changjiu felt very dejected and silently averted his gaze.

Ye Changong suddenly asked, "If our roles had been reversed back then, would you have taken me as my disciple?"

Ning Changjiu thought for a moment and righteously declared, "How could this disciple dare to harbor such presumptuous thoughts?"

Ye Changong gently said, "Go ahead and speak your mind. Even if you thought of taking me as a child bride, it wouldn't matter."

Ning Changjiu was amazed by his Master's understanding of him.

He said, "In any case, no matter what it is, I would never stab Master with a sword."

Ye Changong said, "Never stab with a sword... Is that another one of your ambiguous statements?"

"Uh..." Ning Changjiu sighed and said, "This time, Master is really overthinking it!"

Ye Changong pursed her lips, looking at the golden leaves she had brewed.

"Rest well, and speak less." Ye Changong said, "You were injured by the ancient mirror. Although it was not intentional on my part, there's no one else to look after you besides me. For the next few days, I will take good care of you."

Ning Changjiu was about to say he was fine, but looking at Ye Changong's face, he suddenly understood. His Master seemed to want to play the role of patient and caregiver. For thousands of years, she had gazed at the mortal world from the moon, like observing a flower in a painting, never truly feeling its fragrance.

This was something she had been trying to do.

She did not want to be like the moon, quietly arriving in the night and quietly departing at dawn. She wanted companionship that was more than just the dream of the human world from dusk till dawn.

"Yes, thank you for your care, Master," Ning Changjiu said with a faint smile.

In the following days, Ye Changong visited him daily, chatting by his bedside.

They had a silent understanding, one feigning illness, the other pretending to care, cooperating in this game of make-believe.

Ye Changong was beautiful and powerful, a fairy who held the threads of mortal destiny for a thousand years in her palm. Yet, in many trivial matters, she was as clumsy as a young girl who had never left her boudoir.

In recent days, when they were together, they mostly talked about stories from their previous lives.

In the early morning, in the Taoist Hall, Ye Changong sat before a mirror, and Ning Changjiu was combing her hair.

After long periods of practice, Ning Changjiu's skill in styling the "rabbit ear" bun had become increasingly refined. Ye Changong's hair was carefully coiled, winding upwards in loops, looking incredibly adorable.

"Master... doesn't seem to be truly reticent," Ning Changjiu said.

On the contrary, he felt that his Master sometimes harbored interesting mischievous thoughts. These subtle intentions, revealed in her words, often left Ning Changjiu speechless.

Ye Changong said, "People naturally don't need to be deliberately reticent, nor do they need to be deliberately talkative and enthusiastic."

Ning Changjiu said, "Then why did Master seclude herself for twenty-four years in her previous life and not utter a single word to her disciple?"

"Are you picking a fight?" Ye Changong asked.

"How could this disciple dare?" Ning Changjiu said. "I'm just curious."

Ye Changong pondered in silence, then slowly said, "In my previous life, I must have wanted to sever my ties with the mortal world."

Ning Changjiu did not press further on the matter. He thought for a moment and then asked about another matter of great concern to him. "Master, what exactly are you doing by gathering so many Asuras into Great River Town?"

Ye Changong said, "You once told me that in the City of Severed Realms, you met Lord Ye Chu of the Yuanfu Divine Kingdom. He once spent a hundred years building a pagoda, which was ostensibly for astrology, but was actually an artifact for ascension. It even severely injured the Sin Lord of that time."

"Hmm, Ye Chu is an idealistic deity," Ning Changjiu said.

Ye Changong said, "My construction of the 'Unobservable View' shares similarities with what he did."

Ning Changjiu was slightly surprised: "Is the Unobservable View also an artifact for ascension?"

Ye Changong gently shook her head and said, "The Unobservable View is a weapon for killing. In the original plan, the ascension involved the entire 'View'; that ascension was meant to include the 'View' itself."

As she spoke, Ye Changong seemed to recall something, and her expression slightly darkened.

She slowly rose, left the dressing mirror, passed through countless white veils, and walked towards the outside of the Taoist Hall.

Ning Changjiu followed beside her.

A gentle breeze brushed their faces. Ye Changong reached out her hand; the wind did not escape, but lingered around her fingertips.

"So that's it..." Ye Changong said, "I seem to understand a little what my past self was thinking seven years later."

"What thoughts?" Ning Changjiu asked.

Ye Changong hadn't fully figured it out yet, so she didn't answer. She looked at Ning Changjiu and asked, "How is your illness?"

Ning Changjiu recalled his Master's care for him over the past few days...

When Ning Changjiu slept, his Master liked to sit by the window and observe the outside world. Cold wind blew in from the window, and Ning Changjiu, having no spiritual energy to ward off the cold, shivered. Unwilling to disturb his Master's enjoyment of the view, he remained silent.

In the mornings, when drinking that useless medicine, his Master would occasionally mistakenly bring boiling water directly, scalding Ning Changjiu until he couldn't speak. Ning Changjiu knew she didn't do it on purpose; she simply wasn't accustomed to the trivialities of such a life, and therefore, he couldn't bear to criticize her.

While they chatted, his Master, relying on her understanding of him, often used seemingly lighthearted words to greatly annoy him.

Ning Changjiu sighed and remarked, "Thanks to Master's meticulous care for my condition, this disciple is able to be so strong."

Ye Changong was very intelligent, and such a double entendre could not escape her. "Are you referring to... your care, or the care for your illness?"

Ning Changjiu said, "Master, why ask when you already know? The answer lies in your words and actions."

"We are a Taoist temple, not a Buddhist monastery. Don't try to play word games with your Master." Ye Changong said, "I want to hear your answer."

Ning Changjiu could not bear the gaze of Ye Changong's eyes and said, "Of course, it's about your care for me. This disciple's heart is filled with nothing but gratitude."

Ye Changong nodded, satisfied with the answer.

Ning Changjiu asked, "When will Master fall ill?"

"What?" This time, Ye Changong truly didn't understand. "I... how could I fall ill?"

Ning Changjiu said, "People always fall ill."

Ye Changong said, "I still don't understand."

Ning Changjiu said, "Once you fall ill, I can take care of you."

How does one fall ill?

Ye Changong didn't understand.

In any case, Ye Changong tried to fall ill.

She stood in front of the Taoist Hall's entrance in a thin robe, allowing the cool breeze to blow upon her for half a day. Without thought or worry, she only achieved a state of calm meditation, with no other physical sensation.

She then used her powers to conjure water and bathed in cold water amidst white veils. She only felt her pure body become cleansed, free from distracting thoughts, and not the slightest sensation of "illness."

So, she began searching for signs of illness.

When people get sick, they get feverish, cough, and feel dizzy.

So she began to use Taoist magic to simulate these conditions, trying to find a trace of feeling ill.

But Ye Changong then discovered that when people fall ill, some get feverish while others feel cold. Which of these, heat or cold, was the true symptom of illness? Or did they coexist?

Ice and fire could coexist in the mortal world, but how could they coexist within a body?

Ye Changong didn't understand.

She realized that although she had observed the human world for thousands of years, she still only had a superficial understanding of illness. This was also like observing a flower in a painting, knowing its form but not its essence... Perhaps this was also why ascension required the inscription of Celestial Steles.

However, those who ascended, having comprehended knowledge, had to leave this world.

These truths were mastered by one individual after another, and then carried away by them.

Why must it be this way?

Could it be that ascension requires Celestial Steles, ostensibly to encourage people to pursue truth, but in reality, it