Chapter 551 - Farewell, Four Maids; Where the Heart Finds Peace is Home; Evernight Approaches; The Immortal Domain Beckons - Part 3

By now, only one person remained at his side, the tall, pale-skinned beauty, Jen’gal Snow.

She had been silently listening to this father-daughter exchange, stunned by every revelation. And yet, remembering the man beside her and his endless list of

impossible

feats, she found herself...not all that surprised after all.

Li Yuan stayed in Dragon Beam Mountain for some time, partly to help his old companions settle in, and partly to gather information.

But now, everything was in order. It was time to leave.

He climbed into a newly purchased horse-drawn carriage and was just about to depart when, from afar, an elderly woman came rushing toward him.

It was Xiao Zhu.

He brought the carriage to a stop.

Bent with age and breathless, Xiao Zhu clutched something tightly in her hands, a small ceramic jar of wine.

She struggled to catch her breath, clearly trying to speak but unable to form words at first.

Finally, after calming herself, she said, “Back when the master and madam ran the merchant guild...they built several wine cellars beneath the buildings. When we left in a hurry, many of them were sealed off and buried underground.

“I used to be close to the madam, so I knew where some of the cellars were. I went to check, and would you believe it, there’s still wine down there.”

She held up the jar with both hands, her face breaking into a weathered smile beneath the winter sun.

“Springdream Brew. Fifty-two years old.”

Fifty-two years ago...that was when Sheng’er and Ping’an had just been born.

Back then, Li Yuan had still been in Gemhill County.

This wine held more than just age, it was steeped in memory. In today’s world, it was priceless.

Li Yuan accepted the jar. But when he looked up, he saw Xiao Zhu staring at him with eyes that shimmered red. Her hands were trembling.

And in that moment, he understood.

Gently, he said, “Being more attentive than others...isn’t always a good thing.”

Tears spilled from Xiao Zhu’s eyes, streaming down her cheeks.

“For someone like you, this...this is too cruel.” Li Yuan wiped them away for her, voice tender. Then, he smiled. “In that case, come with me.”

But Xiao Zhu shook her head and knelt down. “Please, just give me something to remember you by. That will be enough.”

Li Yuan thought for a moment, then turned and retrieved paper and ink from the carriage. He looked at her and called her over.

Xiao Zhu blinked in surprise.

“Help me grind the ink,” he said.

Her eyes lit up with a soft smile. She stepped into the carriage, sat down carefully, and began to grind the inkstone.

She moved slowly, pouring every bit of her concentration into the task, each motion filled with reverence and quiet joy. It was as if the act itself brought her peace.

Time swirled gently around them, like the scent of aged wine from the jar she had brought.

The young beauty was now an old maid, kneeling beside her young master, grinding ink as she once had in years long past.

Gone were the red sleeves of her youth. The black hair of yesterday had turned to frost.

Li Yuan lifted his brush, gazed out the window, and after a long pause, wrote down a poem.

Xiao Zhu softly recited the poem—

“I’ve always envied the jade carver of the mortal world—

So Heaven, grant him a girl of sweetness and grace.

They say her song rings clear between pearly teeth.

The wind stirs, the snow falls, even flame turns cool.

From ten thousand miles, he returns with a younger face.|

He smiles, ah...that smile still carries the scent of snow.

If you ask whether the Western lands are bitter,

He’ll say where the heart finds peace, there is home.”

The carriage rumbled away, wheels creaking as they rolled.

Xiao Zhu’s eyes lingered on the middle couplet, and she couldn’t help but smile through her tears. But when her gaze dropped to the final line, her smile crumbled.

Tears streamed down her wrinkled cheeks, unstoppable.

She smiled, and cried, and carefully rolled the poem and tucked it into a scroll case, hugging it tightly to her chest. Peace and joy quietly returned to her eyes as she turned back the way she came.

She walked slowly, growing smaller and smaller in the distance.

˙·٠✧🐗➶➴🏹✧٠·˙

The carriage continued on, wheels kicking up dirt, frost, and fallen snow along the frozen road.

“Where are we going?” Snow asked.

“Where do you want to go?” Li Yuan replied.

She leaned against him. “Wherever you go.”

As they spoke, the little black crow gave a loud

caw

and flapped off into the sky.

At the front of the carriage, seated on the driver’s bench, was none other than a Tree’er.

At this moment, this might well be the most powerful father-daughter duo in the entire land.

Snow watched the crow disappear into the wind, her cheeks flushing red. She closed her eyes, wrapped her arms around the man’s solid waist, and rested her cheek against his chest, melting like fresh snow, soft and unresisting.

Outside, the wind howled across the land, cold, fierce, and unrelenting. But inside the carriage, it was warm. Peaceful.

Evening had fallen.

From the driver’s seat, Sheng’er suddenly called back, “Papa, want to stop somewhere for the night?”

Li Yuan looked down at the beautiful woman in his arms and said, “Find a lively place. I want to take your Fifth Mother to the night market.”

“And me, Papa?” Sheng’er laughed mischievously.

“You can do your own thing,” Li Yuan said with a grin.

Snow burst into laughter, then said, “Ignore your father, Sheng’er. You’re coming with us.”

Li Yuan smiled too. He turned and looked out the window.

The sky had darkened into twilight. Thick, ominous clouds rolled overhead. The wind swept across the earth like a beast, roaring through barren branches and swirling up dust and snow.

He turned away from the view.

All along their journey through Silkfloss Province, he hadn’t sensed a single meat field.

All of them had now gathered near the Central Capital.

Yan Yu’s ghost domain, too, lay beneath there.

Yin and Yang were converging.

The Evernight was nearly here.

Li Yuan’s eyes narrowed slightly, deep in thought.

“What are you thinking about, husband?” Snow asked softly.

He blinked, then smiled. “Thinking about what to eat tonight.”

“And...have you decided?” she teased.

He chuckled. “You.”

Up in the air, the little black crow let out a strangled

caw

that sounded suspiciously like it was gagging, then flew off even faster into the sky.

Meanwhile, the Tree’er shoved root-formed earplugs into her ears with visible determination.

Li Yuan roared with laughter.

˙·٠✧🐗➶➴🏹✧٠·˙

Eastern Sea’s Immortal Domain.

On the edge of a cliff, white clouds swirled and drifted like smoke. Several figures stood there, quietly gazing westward. To the west, beyond the sea, there was nothing but more sea. And yet, the figures watched as if the view were captivating, absorbing every detail with rapt attention.

Because in their eyes, the world was never just what it seemed. They weren’t looking at blue seas or white skies. They were seeing something else entirely.

The amassed Yin energy and the corresponding Yang counterpart were now pouring into this realm with a density never seen before. Here, they began to blend, intermingling in perfect harmony. And as a result, the ambient spiritual energy began to surge wildly, rising in visible waves.

A hulking, bald man, more beast than human, threw his head back and burst into laughter. His eyes gleamed with malice, and his entire body radiated a destructive aura. One look and it was clear: this was a creature born for chaos and bloodshed.

And yet, he laughed.

Across from him, a woman in pure white celestial robes also smiled, serene and radiant.

Even the elderly man in azure, whose very posture exuded righteousness, gave a small nod and stroked his beard with a faint chuckle.

It was obvious that among these gathered figures, some stood for order, some for destruction, their natures etched into every movement, every breath.

And yet, all of them were pleased by what they saw.

From the faction of the righteous, the leader spoke calmly.

“30,000 years ago, our ancestors set the Yin Yang Severance Pact. But alas...it was a cure no better than poison. Now, the world is terminally ill. The only path forward is to let the mortal realm’s Yin and Yang merge fully, drown it all into primordial chaos, so that an even greater tide of Yin and Yang may rise again and enrich our Eastern Sea.”

He lowered his gaze slightly, then continued, “At this rate, within a hundred years, the Lunar, Solar, and Life Halls will all reveal themselves. When that time comes, no matter where they appear, we must each honor our word and inform one another.”

He paused again before adding solemnly, “We are in the same boat now. We move forward together. Anyone who breaks this pact will be killed, without exception.”

Just as he finished, the clouds above stirred, and a giant human face formed in the sky. The face spoke, “Don’t forget... one of those ancient monsters from the West is still out there.”

“I haven’t forgotten. Invite him,” the righteous leader replied. Then, he let out a faint smile. “All his scheming, all his meddling... isn't it just for a share of the prize? If he truly has the strength, then let him have it. After all, within those three ancient halls lies unimaginable terror. Another powerhouse in the mix means another sliver of hope. We are ten. He is but one.”

The cloud-face growled, “But he’s still one of those old freaks from the Western Extremes...”

At that, a woman in fluttering white, enchantingly beautiful, chuckled and interjected, “Yin and Yang are already united. That tomb will never see sunlight again. If he really has the means, then he’ll understand. On one hand, an impossible endeavor. On the other, a ready seat at the banquet. Which would you choose?”

The cloud-face hesitated. “But we have to find him first.”

Then, a man in golden robes spoke up, “I heard...he died by the Human Emperor’s hand.”

The seductive woman laughed. “Then your news is outdated. I’ve heard he appeared at the Western Extremes’s tomb just a few months ago, caused quite a stir too.”

The righteous leader narrowed his eyes. “Are you certain?”

“Absolutely,” she replied, still smiling. “And isn’t that mysterious envoy of that Outerborn still hanging around the ancestral land? Isn’t she one of his allies? Didn’t she promise to carve a slice of flesh from us on his behalf? Well then...let him come. Let him take it. Hehehe...”