Wang Chongyang read the note passed by his junior brother, worried that if he did not accept the invitation to the mountain peak, she would not truly commit suicide, but her condition would surely worsen.
Traversing the winding path, Wang Chongyang gazed at the mountain peak, the morning sun illuminating the tall, slender dark figure. She was still the one who occupied his heart and soul. Was it to question his promise of seclusion that night? Having failed in the Northern Expedition, how could the general who lost his troops face her with honor to keep it! He would gladly have her seek revenge for the demonic people, or complete unfinished tasks, and he would offer his head. Reaching the precipice, Lin Chaoying stared at him coldly and asked, "Do you know why I asked you here?" Wang Chongyang hesitated and said, "To fight to the death?" Let her avenge the demons or her grandmother, or complete unfinished tasks, just take the head from my neck!
Lin Chaoying raised her eyebrows, a murderous intent flashing, and stepped into the "Four Steps Following the Flow," unleashing her void-traveling ultimate move. Wang Chongyang was delighted to see her even more skilled than before and responded with the "Overflowing Sword Observation Style." His years of dedicated study and improvement in the tomb had made it even more in line with the profound emptiness of Taoism. Thus, the two poured their hearts into it, unleashing their newly researched techniques and fighting with all their might.
Zhou Botong paced back and forth on the tomb steps. He couldn't resist running into the forest, wanting to sneak to the mountain peak, but recalling his senior brother's stern prohibition against observing the fight, he dutifully returned.
Seeing Wang Chongyang leap down from the left wall, he hurried forward to inquire about the match. Wang Chongyang didn't reply, proceeding towards the tomb entrance. Zhou Botong noticed two holes in his outer garment, one on the left sleeve and one on the hem, and excitedly asked, "What new killing move is this? How many thousand moves did you exchange? Madam Lin must be angry that you didn't strike hard, saying you looked down on her."
His intention was to die by her sword; his counter-attacks were merely involuntary, how could he have struck hard? Wang Chongyang couldn't help but stop and glance back at him.
Zhou Botong, his face beaming with pride, tentatively asked, "Will you fight again tomorrow?" Wang Chongyang sighed and said vaguely, "We will have a literary duel tomorrow." Zhou Botong jumped up happily and said, "How will you duel? How can a literary duel take your life?" Wang Chongyang replied, "She wants to take this tomb of living dead." Zhou Botong was stunned and asked, "What if she loses? Never seeing you again, so you can have peace and quiet?" Wang Chongyang did not answer, his mind in turmoil, he simply returned to the stone chamber to sleep. Let her do as she pleased...
The next evening, Zhou Botong was even more restless, as if being tormented by a thousand insects and ants. How would they duel? Stick out their tongues? Hang upside down on tree branches and see who falls last? Take turns flicking each other's noses, and whoever couldn't stand it would concede... Why choose the time of sunset to compete?
As the sun set, the surroundings became dark, making Zhou Botong even more impatient. He would secretly go take a look; with his skills, how could that demoness detect him?
His mind made up, Zhou Botong immediately leaped onto the stone wall. To his surprise, after less than a quarter of an hour of running, he suddenly saw two heads dangling in mid-air. How could it be them! Had his senior brother been killed?
Wang Chongyang entered the cave where Lin Chaoying lived, gently stroking her bed, as if still feeling her body temperature and the scent of her hair. Why must it be like this? He sat down with his hands covering his face, repeatedly asking himself this question in his mind.
Zhou Botong, guided by Gou'er, came to this place and crouched down to comfort her, "It's fine to be a Taoist priest, much better than being forced into marriage by that demoness and constantly dealing with her peculiar challenges." However, he thought, living like this wouldn't be so bad.
Wang Chongyang stood up straight, let his hands hang down, and walked towards the cave entrance.
Zhou Botong called him to stop and said, "Don't rush, there's plenty of time. Let me think of a surefire plan to reclaim that tomb."
Wang Chongyang, with his back to him, said, "I'll go out and look around. You stay here. Don't touch the young lady's belongings. Gou'er will collect them later."
"I don't like it here. Prepare another stone chamber for me," Lin Chaoying instructed Gou'er, after examining Wang Chongyang's bedroom. Since she and he had no formal status, how could she live here? After Gou'er retreated, she continued to look. The half-pulled quilt, the scattered gifts, books, and clothes she had given him over the years. Lin Chaoying picked up the jacket by the bedside, with two sword-pierced holes, its lingering scent and warmth remained. Did you understand my intentions? Or did you not understand my feelings? Everything I did, you accepted without question. Was it trust, or the knowledge that neither of us could go back to how things were?
"Convey my young lady's message: Please vacate this cave as soon as possible. From now on, this tree will be the boundary, and you are not allowed to cross it." Gou'er pointed to the "Ugly Tree" and said to Wang Chongyang.
Wang Chongyang firmly believed that this was the cabin door from that day – I will be here with you, caring for you, and if anything happens, I will come in immediately. Rest assured!
Wang Chongyang officially became a Taoist priest that day, building his hermitage in the verdant woods below the mountain peak.
In the following two years, Wang Chongyang regained his spirit, founded the Quanzhen Sect, and began teaching disciples. Lin Chaoying, on the other hand, was plagued by her old illness. Fortunately, Wang Chongyang, with the assistance of Guang and Shutianbao, unearthed a giant ancient cold jade and sent it to the tomb for her to use in her cultivation and healing.
Gou'er asked for permission to bring pastries to the Taoist temple. Lin Chaoying glanced at her retreating back and was suddenly struck by the thought of "paying respects to Wang Haifeng."
Since moving into the tomb, she had only confined herself to a few stone chambers. However, following Gou'er's general description of the tomb's structure, after going up and down, and winding around, she finally arrived at the vast, empty main hall.
On the altar table lay a tablet inscribed with "Wang Haifeng's Spirit Tablet," the vermilion base and golden lacquer still conspicuous. "Gou'er truly understood my intentions," Lin Chaoying felt a surge of satisfaction. If Wang Haifeng did not die, Wang Chongyang could not live. "Your Taoist temple will grow larger, your disciples more numerous, your sect more prosperous, then I... am worthy."
Lin Chaoying caressed the spirit tablet for a long time. She glanced to the left, where five stone coffins were placed side by side, their lids only half pushed shut. Lin Chaoying thought of the "Dragon Breaking Stone" at the entrance, designed for mutual destruction with the enemy, and felt a sense of sorrow: you built this anti-Jin base with a resolve to die. But why were there five of them?
She examined the stone coffins from left to right. Recalling the feeling she had half a year ago when her illness was at its worst, she suddenly wanted to experience the taste of death. Thus, she stepped into the first stone coffin on the right and lay down. Closing her eyes, the scene that quickly flooded her mind was of them embracing in the stone basin that day, drifting in the water... Why, amidst the gurgling sound, did she not hear his breathing, but rather Gou'er's barking? She opened her eyes and saw Gou'er, her face filled with panic, pressing on the edge of the coffin and calling down into it, "Why are you lying in the coffin?" Then, she helped Lin Chaoying out of the coffin. Lin Chaoying said calmly, "Sooner or later, we will both be buried here. I just wanted to experience what it's like. Why the panic?"
Afterward, Lin Chaoying, remembering the sensation from that trip, took advantage of Gou'er's trip to a nearby town to buy New Year's supplies, and then went to the room with the stone coffins. Lin Chaoying gazed at the spirit tablet for a while. Reflecting on her various experiences with him, she realized that her brother's death anniversary had passed half a month ago, and her guilt was even more unbearable. Casually, she jumped into the second coffin on the left. As her feet touched the bottom, she felt a slight abnormality in the sound, but didn't dwell on it. She lay down, closed her eyes, and a "hu hu" sound filled the surroundings. It wasn't like floating in a rapid current, but rather like being swept up and spun by a strong wind, her chest suddenly feeling stuffy and nauseous. Lin Chaoying moved to the second coffin on the right. As soon as she closed her eyes, she was back to the night they embraced, looking at each other in the darkness, his triumphant smile gradually unfolding... Lin Chaoying suddenly woke up.