As Donglin County grew increasingly prosperous, with more merchants and travelers passing through, a rumor somehow began that a goddess and a divine general resided in Bozi Village.
Faced with the strangers who came to the village from time to time, and the villagers' increasingly awed gazes, Xiao Shan and his family kept to themselves.
When the villagers, who hadn't seen them for a while, went to knock on their door, they discovered the house was already empty.
Later, Bozi Village was renamed Goddess Village.
And Xiao Shan's family had already arrived at Xiangshan Water Pavilion in Yingzhou.
This was originally where Xue Niang had planned to retire. After waiting for so long, she had finally come.
Qing He had chosen a good location; it was an entirely secluded valley, with a lake connected to green mountains. Houses were clustered by the lake, forming almost a small village. Tang Sect disciples and brothers from the Immortal King Sect surrounded the area, firmly guarding the perimeter.
The dragon and phoenix twins returned to their homeland and were surrounded by everyone. Zi An watched quietly, the corners of his lips curving slightly.
This child had much less gloom on his face and had gained weight, showing the influence of the Prince of Runan and the Empress. His temperament perhaps followed the Prince of Runan, being very quiet and somewhat refined.
Xue Niang wondered if she should let him take the surname Feng, but she was still undecided.
Coincidentally, Xiao Shan went out on business and returned with two elderly people.
They were the maternal grandparents of her current body.
Being old, their travel money had been stolen on the road, and they had fainted from hunger by the roadside. Fortunately, Xiao Shan recognized them and brought them back.
Fu Tu Suo was dejected. He had wanted to travel more with his old wife, and her spirit had indeed improved, but he had overlooked the fact that their bodies were already old and no longer suited for wandering.
"Isn't this destiny?"
Xue Niang murmured to herself, looking at Zi An not far away.
Xiao Shan had missed Xue Niang dearly during his outing. Not wanting her to focus her attention on others, he embraced her from behind and placed a small peach blossom hairpin in her hair.
Yes, it suited her perfectly.
"Weren't you worried about Xing Ran? I found out."
It turned out that Xue Niang, knowing Xing Ran had left the Immortal King Sect, had insisted Xiao Shan go find her. Her martial arts were far from their peak, and Lu Yan Mo had become foolish. She feared she wouldn't be able to protect herself if something happened.
Xiao Shan said that Xing Ran and Lu Yan Mo were now in Southern Xinjiang, running a small tavern. Apart from a few troublemakers, things were going well.
"Although Lu Yan Mo has gone foolish, his martial arts are still intact. The brothers who returned said that some troublemakers refused to pay and even made advances towards Xing Ran. He went mad and almost killed those men on the spot. It was only when Xing Ran held him back that he didn't get into serious trouble."
Xue Niang became even more worried upon hearing this.
"I've made arrangements. I've already sent Ji Jian to Southern Xinjiang to establish a branch of the Immortal King Sect. He has a connection with Xing Ran and will look after them."
Xiao Shan rubbed his chin against Xue Niang's earlobe, seeking praise again.
"My husband is so thoughtful."
"Do I get a reward?" Xiao Shan's eyes were already fixed on the back of her neck, that particular spot...
Xue Niang shivered, remembering his rough handling before his last departure. Feeling apprehensive, she pursed her lips and pushed him away.
"I'll go talk to my grandfather first," she said and ran off.
Xiao Shan looked at her fleeing form with a mournful expression. Xue Niang seemed to dislike him being close now. What was going on?
He had only been gone for a few days.
Blood ties were truly a wondrous thing. Although Xue Niang hadn't revealed Zi An's identity, his grandmother inexplicably hugged him and called him grandson. His grandfather looked at Xue Niang with some awkwardness and confusion.
Before coming, Xue Niang had already asked Zi An's wishes. Zi An, finally having a task, felt his restless heart settle. He was willing to be a grandson to the two elders, and from then on, he would truly be family with them.
"Grandfather, his name is Fu Tu Zi An."
Xue Niang whispered into Fu Tu Suo's ear, and upon hearing this, Fu Tu Suo's eyes widened in surprise, and then he looked at Zi An with tears streaming down his face.
Zi An had initially thought this was just a task assigned by his sister to appease the elders. But for some reason, he genuinely felt as if he were their grandson towards these two elders.
Perhaps they were just too good to him.
From then on, the two elders stayed at Xiangshan Water Pavilion, doting on their precious grandson daily and enjoying the most ordinary yet rarest familial bliss in the human world.
The sky was faintly lit, the rosy clouds reflecting, and the lake shimmered with magnificent light.
A man with a tall, straight posture and a defiant face strode over and sat down on the lakeshore.
"Xiao Shan, how can I marry a wife?"
Xiao Shan, who was watching his son practice his horse stance, ignored him. He was worried about himself!
Xue Niang hadn't let him "eat" for several days. He guessed that perhaps the feng shui here was bad and affecting their marital relations. Back in Bozi Village, she had doted on him so much.
Ashina Tu Lu began to speak to himself, "We've slept together, and she seemed satisfied. Why won't she marry me?"
"What's so good about marrying you? It's much more comfortable here, doing whatever you want, like a queen with everyone obeying your commands."
Tu Lu was startled by Xiao Shan's casual words.
His eagle-like eyes darkened. "Does she have other men?"
"I don't know about that, but Qing He won't marry you."
Why would she give up a golden nest for a wolf's den? She wasn't foolish.
Tu Lu became restless. He thought of the Tang Sect disciples; they were all good-looking, especially one or two who were perfect handsome men. Qing He had very high standards and wouldn't take those who looked unsightly.
Not good, very not good.
He could only come here three times a year and couldn't stay long. When he was away, would she be alone?
Tu Lu lost his mood to brood and ran back to Qing He's residence.
Qing He had just woken up and was hugging her quilt, staring blankly at the empty space beside her. Her fair, rosy cheeks had lost some of their cold beauty and gained some softness. Her lips were slightly chapped, and there were marks on her exposed shoulders and neck, indicating a fierce battle the previous night.
"Qing He!"
Tu Lu rushed in like a whirlwind. Before Qing He could react, he pushed her back onto the bed.
This man was a wolf!
"When I'm not here, do you have other men, which is why you won't marry me?"
What madness was this again!
Listen to what he was saying!
Qing He was so angry she slapped him.
"If you dare to speak nonsense again, don't come back!"
"No, right? I knew Xiao Shan was trying to scare me." Tu Lu buried his face in her shoulder.
What had Xiao Shan told him? Always stirring up trouble.
"You know, when I leave, I always take the medicine you give me. There are no other women in the royal court. For so many years, it's only been you. So, can you marry me?"
He looked up expectantly, his eyes cautious. "In the future, there will only be you."
The pain of longing was too unbearable. He didn't want to continue like this.
He wanted to see her every moment, to possess her.
"Can you?"
Qing He didn't speak. After gazing at him for a moment, she began to kiss him. She was indifferent and cold, but now she was so passionate.
Tu Lu was ignited by the fire. His lips never left hers, and his hands had already quickly stripped himself bare.
Another passionate encounter.
Then, he was ruthlessly thrown out of Xiangshan Water Pavilion.
"You are the King of the Turks. Don't come back again!"
This was her last word to him.
Such a heartless woman!
Tu Lu fell from the high sky to the muddy ground, his heart broken and his spirit shattered, and he hated her to the bone, vowing never to see her again.
Until, five years later, news spread from the Turks that the King of the Turks had passed away.
Dressed in Central Plains attire, Tu Lu reappeared at Xiangshan Water Pavilion.
Time had not diminished her beauty. Seeing the woman standing by the lake, aloof and ethereal, even though he longed for her to the point of obsession, Tu Lu still gritted his teeth in hatred. "I've come to be a live-in son-in-law!"
After all, from the moment she saved him in the desert, this life belonged to her.
If she didn't want to be queen in the Turks, then he would come to the Central Plains to be a son-in-law.
However, a small child suddenly emerged from the water and lunged towards Qing He, "Mother—"
Tu Lu froze abruptly, his face turning pale, the light in his eyes extinguishing inch by inch.
She was married?
The child was already this old.
"Chen Bao'er, go play with your brothers first."
The little boy hopped away, casting a curious glance at Tu Lu as he passed.
A pair of eagle eyes, so similar to someone else.
Qing He walked up to Tu Lu, who stood like a wooden stake, and touched his eyebrows and eyes with her fingers.
Finally, she could truly touch him, no longer a fleeting dream.
Tu Lu, I am very selfish and unwilling to confine myself to a small space.
Now that you've come, for the rest of my life, I can only love you, cherish you, spoil you, and compensate you.
Her gaze was so doting, as if they had never been apart.
Did she love him or not?
A wave of grievance washed over him, bringing tears to Tu Lu's eyes.
Why couldn't she have waited a little longer? He had to get over that hatred, couldn't she have waited two more years?
He knew he would lose, but he didn't want to lose so miserably.
"Did I come too late?"
True heartbreak.
Since you couldn't let go, why didn't you come sooner?
He regretted it.
"Silly!"
Qing He pushed him into the lake with a shove and then jumped in herself.
"If you didn't come soon, I would have really come to find you. The child keeps asking for his father."
Beneath the water, two bodies intertwined, lips meeting, hair floating, sinking madly in the suffocation.
She was a water spirit, a spider in a net, trapping him firmly in the web of love, from which he could never escape in this life.
Qing He.
Only Qing He would accompany him for life.