The man remained silent, all his emotions pouring out in an instant. He buried his head in her neck like a lost child at nightfall, emitting suppressed sorrow from his throat, choked and unable to speak.
Shen Yue gently patted his back, as if soothing a child. Her rationality blurred more and more. Her limbs had long gone numb from the cold. Even the wound on her chest had frozen, preventing blood from flowing.
The hand patting the man's back slowed, then slowed further, until finally, like a wilting white magnolia, it drooped.
In the final second, she seemed to hear the man's indistinct voice by her ear.
"...Good... I'll wait for you."
The barrier of separation dispersed, but no one stepped forward.
The black-clothed man's back slowly bowed. He held the person in his arms tightly, then trembled slightly all over. Tears flowed uncontrollably, and a low, suppressed sob, like a sound from a secluded valley, emanated from his chest.
The cry traveled far, far away, chilling the heart.
—
Immortality was what people desired and yearned for.
Chang Sheng lived in Feng Yan Valley. He had been to the mortal realm, traveled to many places, saved many people, and observed with a cold eye.
People had their own destinies. He would certainly save those he was meant to save, and would not act for those he was not.
He didn't know how long he had lived. The mortal world was not as good as he had imagined. There was a saying: the mortal world was full of dangers, and he had experienced it.
Perhaps out of weariness, he eventually returned to Feng Yan Valley.
Living alone was ultimately too lonely. He condensed a wisp of divine consciousness and placed it on a small tree. Soon, the small tree transformed into a person named Yao'er.
Yao'er was young, lively, and mischievous. He grew up carefree in Feng Yan Valley, ignorant of worldly affairs and human emotions, like an innocent child.
With an added spark of life, although noisy, there was a hint of vitality.
Many people had come to Feng Yan Valley, all seeking the elixir of immortality. But without exception, they were turned away. If he became too annoyed, Chang Sheng would simply wave them out of Feng Yan Valley.
Perhaps it was fate, but his peaceful life was eventually shattered.
A person arrived at his door, slender, clad in white, with a white cloth covering their eyes, appearing like an immortal.
Yao'er's first words were:
"Are you an immortal from heaven?"
She had come to seek medicine.
Seeking a...
"Elixir of Resurrection."
Chang Sheng was not surprised. So many people had come to seek medicine; he had long since lost any reaction, leaving only cold indifference.
He just wanted the person outside the door to leave in a huff.
But he hadn't expected the white figure to persist for so long. She stood there silently, like a statue. Chang Sheng, seeing that she caused no trouble and made no noise, was no longer as rude as he had been to previous supplicants.
As a torrential rain approached, the white figure outside the door remained.
Chang Sheng was unwilling to care, nor did he want to. Even if the person died at his doorstep, his eyes might not even blink.
Yet, for some unknown reason, he still came out.
It was the first time he saw her face clearly. She possessed an ineffable beauty. Yao'er was right; she truly looked like an immortal.
Chang Sheng had intended to say something harsh to drive her away, but for some reason, his heart softened, and he even brought her inside.
Chang Sheng remembered how she looked when she entered the house.
Her eyes, holding the coolness of a clear spring, like tranquil lake water at night. Her lips, pursed in uncertainty. She was disheveled yet composed.
She said,
"I... I'm dirty. Standing here is fine."
Chang Sheng's heart was filled with complex emotions. He looked at the person of unparalleled beauty, clad in a thin white garment, like a celestial spirit.
She was different from anyone he had ever seen. Her eyes were too pure, and the aura she exuded, though cold, was not piercing.
Chang Sheng didn't know what possessed him to let her stay.
Encountering a fierce tiger while gathering herbs on the mountain was entirely unexpected.
Even more unexpected was that she would rush forward fearlessly for him.
Her face was very pale, yet she stepped forward first, helping him up.
"Let's go back. Yao'er is waiting for you to come home."
Her expression was too calm, making it almost impossible to imagine that she was severely injured.
This man of indifferent temperament trembled slightly with anger. His gentle and handsome face was instantly shrouded in a dark cloud.
He truly hated how she valued her own life, but more than that, he felt heartache.
He had saved many people and seen many gruesome, decaying wounds. His hands had never shaken, but when he faced the deep, bone-revealing scratches on her fair, beautiful back, his hands began to tremble uncontrollably.
Upon discovering she was a woman, a never-before-felt shyness and panic instantly flooded his heart, making his heart pound violently.
He knew that in the mortal world, such behavior was called being a rake.
One was responsible for a young lady.
—
Shen Yue.
That was her name.
He slowly uttered these two words, filled with affection. He found them pleasant, truly exquisitely pleasant.
—
There was an additional person in the house, an immortal who had fallen to the mortal realm.
Chang Sheng remembered the first time she spontaneously hugged him. Although she had mistaken him for Yao'er, it still made him happy. At that moment, his entire body was stiff, and he didn't know where to put his hands, only knowing to stand there foolishly.
—
Yao'er said she was looking for medicine.
He asked what kind of medicine.
Yao'er said it was an elixir of resurrection.
At that moment, Chang Sheng felt as if a large wad of cotton had been shoved into his chest, making it impossible to breathe, an unbearable pain.
It was then that he awoke from his dream.
She had come here solely to seek medicine.
She would leave eventually.
—
Chang Sheng had considered it. He had harbored dark thoughts; he wanted to trap her here, for all eternity.
—
When she was drunk, she was very obedient.
She said she wanted to save someone very important.
She said, more important than life itself.
This was the first time he experienced jealousy. Jealousy truly twisted people.
But whenever she tugged at his sleeve, his precarious rationality would clear a little.
She said that if that person died, she would die too.
She was drunk and very different from her usual self.
He was also different, his body burning, his breathing rapid, filled with unbearable urgency.
This was his first taste of desire.
He kissed her.
He kissed her a little too fiercely.
Chang Sheng felt that in this moment, he was very wicked.
—
Perhaps he had indeed gone too far, for she had been avoiding him recently.
When she reappeared, she said she was leaving.
She made a promise to Yao'er, saying she would return.
But he would never wait for her again.
He gave her the elixir of immortality.
Chang Sheng thought he wouldn't be so pathetic, but he still couldn't control his tears.
"Shen Yue, will you... will you never come looking for me again..."
"I gave you the elixir of resurrection, why didn't you want it?"
I put my heart into your embrace, why don't you want it?
In the end, she accepted the elixir of resurrection.
But she said she would never return.
He was heartbroken. He cried like a fool.