Chapter 53

That day, when the gatekeeper spirit reported that there was a visitor, Lord Meishan was sitting in the pavilion enjoying the snow.

The red clay stove was warming up a fine wine that Fu Jiuyun had sent a few days ago, its rich aroma making one’s mouth water.

He was so distracted by the temptation that he had no intention of receiving guests and bluntly ordered them to be turned away.

However, not long after, the spirits returned in a panic, exclaiming, “It’s that high priest of the Fox Clan! He’s actually still alive!”

Lord Meishan was startled as well.

A high priest of the Fox Clan?

How long had it been since he last heard any news of this person?

A hundred years?

Three hundred years?

The last rumor he heard was that the high priest had ventured alone to Mount Chonglei in the extreme western wastelands, a place plagued by constant thunder and lightning, as gloomy and dangerous as a dark lair, where even immortals would face severe risks if they ventured there uninvited.

Sure enough, after the high priest went there, he was never seen again.

The region was thrown into chaos, but fortunately, the conflict between the Fox Clan and the War Ghost clan had temporarily ceased.

The Fox Clan had nearly mobilized their entire force to search for him, causing a great stir for several years.

Yet, despite their efforts, not a single strand of hair was found.

Eventually, everyone had to accept that he was dead, and after many more years, he was no longer mentioned.

To think he was still alive!

Lord Meishan sprang up in surprise, running towards the door without touching the ground.

As he approached, he caught a whiff of the familiar fragrance of the Fox Clan.

Outside, a splendid golden carriage was parked on the snow-covered wooden bridge, pulled by a majestic bird of paradise, its form extraordinarily graceful.

Three people stood in front of the carriage.

The leader, dressed in white robes with elaborate golden embroidery on the collar and cuffs, looked extremely distinguished.

Upon hearing the sound of footsteps on the snow, he slowly turned around.

Lord Meishan was momentarily stunned.

The man’s complexion was pale but curiously not sickly.

His eyes, slightly upturned, shone with a divine clarity—cold but not harsh, composed yet not dissipated.

His striking features seemed to fade in comparison to his extraordinarily bright eyes.

Regardless, this was an extraordinarily handsome and remarkable young man.

The crucial thing was—he looked unfamiliar.

He was certain he had never seen him before.

Who was he?

Was this the true appearance of the high priest of the Fox Clan?

Seeing him smile slightly, Lord Meishan felt that all the scenery around them seemed overshadowed by him.

He even suddenly felt a sense of shame and immediately cleared his throat, saying, “Your Highness, the High Priest?”

Yuan Zhong, smiling, took out two white jade wine jars from his sleeve and shook them.

“Meishan, it’s been a long time. Would you care for a drink?”

The wine was the ‘Tian Xia Wushuang’! Lord Meishan’s joy was so great that he couldn’t close his mouth, repeatedly waving his hand, “Come in quickly!”

Noticing that Yuan Zhong was accompanied by two people who seemed to be a man and a woman, each wearing a conical bamboo hat with a veil covering their faces, Lord Meishan asked curiously, “Are these two immortals of the Fox Clan?”

Yuan Zhong laughed and lifted the man’s hat, only to reveal a face identical to his own.

Although the features were the same, the expression was much more lively.

It did not possess Yuan Zhong’s commanding aura but had a charming and approachable quality.

Lord Meishan was once again shocked.

“Is this your… twin brother?”

He had not heard of the high priest having a twin brother.

They looked exactly alike!

The man with the hat gave a playful smile, tapping his own head, which made a hollow sound.

Looking at Lord Meishan with his mouth agape, he laughed heartily, “See, it’s empty inside. I’m a mechanical man.”

A mechanical man!

Lord Meishan was overwhelmed by a series of shocks and was completely stunned.

What kind of existence was a mechanical man?

The legend of mechanical men dates back to ancient times when craftsmen supposedly created them to be lifelike, with their own thoughts and personalities, a skill considered to defy the heavens.

After the god and demon wars, many ancient clever techniques were lost, including the art of making mechanical men.

To think this man was claiming to be one—it was simply unbelievable!

Yuan Zhong’s eyes suddenly gleamed with a mischievous smile.

He lifted the head of the mechanical man and showed it to Lord Meishan.

The head, now in Yuan Zhong’s hand, had its eyebrows furrowed in anger and said, “Big Zhong! You’re at it again! How many times have I told you not to act like this in front of others? Even though I’m a mechanical man, I have my dignity!”

The head could still talk after being detached!

Lord Meishan was petrified.

Yuan Zhong reattached the head, smiling, “That’s how it is. As long as the spring can turn, he can always speak, jump, and run.”

Then, was the woman beside also a mechanical person?

Lord Meishan turned to the veiled woman.

Yuan Zhong simply smiled and said nothing, walking with him into the small pavilion.

The wine on the red clay stove was boiling, and its fragrance was spreading.

Yuan Zhong poured himself a cup without hesitation, took a sip, and said, “Ah, this is the Xia Guang brewed by the Dragon King of the Shenhe River in the east. Quite good, fine wine.”

Lord Meishan drank three large cups of wine, finally regaining his composure.

He stared at the mechanical man, Little Yuan Zhong, for a long time, increasingly fascinated, and murmured, “Who made this? Which earth-shaking craftsman? It’s so lifelike… so amazing…”

Yuan Zhong remained silent for a moment, then said calmly, “She will come back. When she does, you will see her.”

Whether he was speaking to Lord Meishan or to himself, such words had been repeated countless times in his heart over the centuries.

No one was more certain, and no one was more doubtful of this fragile lie.

Lord Meishan finally discerned the weariness and helplessness in the High priest’s words.

His gaze fell again on the immortal who had been missing for hundreds of years.

“Your Highness, the High Priest, where have you been all these years?”

Yuan Zhong smiled, “Just wandering around.”

The world is vast, and perhaps Tanyin is hidden in some unknown place.

He searched place by place, seeing countless landscapes and people, but none were her.

Since the high priest clearly did not wish to elaborate, Lord Meishan wisely refrained from asking further.

As the Xia Guang wine was finished and the two jars of ‘Tianxia Wushuang’ wine were soon emptied, though the quantity was small, it still made the seasoned drinker feel slightly tipsy.

The snow, which had been falling heavily, had stopped at some point, and a new moon appeared in the clear, cold sky.

With the help of the wine, Lord Meishan asked, “What are your plans next? Will you continue wandering? By the way, last time you gave Fu Jiuyun ten jars of ‘Tianxia Wushuang wine, asking about a woman. Have you been searching for that woman all these years?”

Before the high priest’s disappearance, he had visited Meishan’s residence and inquired about some elusive questions regarding the gods.

Later, he suddenly gave Fu Jiuyun ten jars of ‘Tianxia Wushuang’ wine and had a long private conversation with him.

After he left, Fu Jiuyun revealed that he had been asking about a woman.

Strangely, although Fu Jiuyun remembered the woman, he could not recall any details about their meeting, not even her appearance, voice, or name.

It was quite odd, and neither of them could figure it out, so they gradually forgot about it.

To think that the usually aloof and indifferent high priest of the Fox Clan would be so obsessed with a woman, Lord Meishan looked at his outstanding appearance with a bit of jealousy.

With such a face, was he worried about not attracting beautiful women?

Yuan Zhong sighed, “I won’t be wandering anymore. I want to return to my own cave. I came to ask you to help me gather some materials. You know many people and have extensive connections, which will save me a lot of effort.”

He then removed the hat from the veiled woman behind him.

Lord Meishan was horrified to discover that she was also a mechanical person, and quite an obvious one at that.

Despite her graceful figure, her face was cracked and worn, with strange features, clearly not of the same quality as Little Yuan Zhong.

“This… this is…” He began to stammer again.

Yuan Zhong affectionately stroked her cracked wooden face, his voice softening, “This is something I made. The wood has deteriorated over time and needs to be repolished.”

The high priest could even make mechanical man!

What had happened over the years?

Had he met some ancient craftsman or ghost?

Lord Meishan’s curiosity was at its peak.

He was about to ask when he saw a deep sadness on Yuan Zhong’s face.

This sadness was familiar to him.

It was the same look that Fu Jiuyun had had back then— the expression of losing a beloved one.

Lord Meishan bit his tongue hard, suppressing the question he wanted to ask, the pain making his eyes water.

Yuan Zhong continued to tenderly caress the worn mechanical man under the moonlight, as if he were fondling someone hidden in his heart, and did not raise his head for a long time.

Perhaps it was the mournful moonlight or the potent aftertaste of the ‘Tianxia Wushuang’ wine, but Lord Meishan was also reminded of his long-buried memories.

Indeed, he had once loved a girl, but she was an ordinary mortal.

During her most beautiful years, he had met her, but unfortunately, she had never been his.

It had been hundreds of years… Lord Meishan sighed deeply.

The once-beautiful figure had long turned to dust, leaving him with only faint sorrow and helplessness.

True to his efficiency, within two days, all the materials for the mechanical man had been delivered, filling up an entire cart.

Yuan Zhong mercilessly declined Lord Meishan’s wish to observe the creation of the mechanical man and drove back to his long-lost small cave.

The snow-covered landscape was pristine, but it did not dampen Little Yuan Zhong’s excitement upon returning home.

While mortals yearn for their hometown after just a few years away, he had been gone for hundreds!

He had almost forgotten what his small cave looked like!

When he pushed open the door, the dust inside was even thicker than the snow outside, dirty beyond description.

The mechanical servants that used to clean the place had long turned into rotting wood due to the erosion of time, and not a single one remained.

Little Yuan Zhong spent a whole day cleaning, finally getting everything in order before collecting snowflakes from the plum trees to brew tea for Big Zhong.

As soon as he went out, he saw that Yuan Zhong had sat on the small island in the center of the lake.

Two sets of deep and shallow footprints marked the snow-covered lake surface, and snowflakes were whipped around by the fierce wind.

Yuan Zhong was hunched over, diligently repairing Little Erji, his expression reverent, even tinged with a hint of desperate expectation.

That day… it was snowing like this, on a night like this.

The white-clad goddess had descended to the center of the lake, into his embrace, as the cold moonlight seeped through.

Yuan Zhong skillfully chiseled the face of the mechanical little Erji.

After hundreds of years, his technique was no longer clumsy.

The delicate features of Little Erji gradually took shape under his hands—a slightly youthful face, a full forehead, and a final slim chin.

He set a black gemstone into the eyes, carefully arranging the hair.

Yuan Zhong gazed dreamily at the white-clad girl before him.

The white garments fluttered in the wind, as if she were about to fly away.

He couldn’t help but open his arms, hugging the cold wooden figure close, not wanting it to leave him.

The mechanical Little Erji had a tiny winding key on the back of its neck.

Yuan Zhong gently turned it several times.

Little Erji clicked and clacked, then suddenly began to spin in place.

After hundreds of years, his creation still had not improved; it could only clumsily spin in circles and could not even speak a coherent sentence.

Its awkward voice echoed across the empty lake: “Ji Tan Yin! Ji Tan Yin! I am Ji Tan Yin!”

Yuan Zhong suddenly laughed.

He did not know what miracle he was waiting for.

The snow on the lake, the moon of the day, everything was no different from years ago.

The only difference was that the person who used to secretly make the mechanical man say unusual things would never return.

She would never come back.

He had waited for hundreds of years, exhausted and on the verge of losing hope.

How does one abandon a reluctant hope?

Perhaps she might return in the next moment, perhaps she might suddenly appear tomorrow… It was these maybes that had sustained him for so many years, but he could no longer hold on.

He had been left alone in this world, isolated, with no interest in life.

This woman, who had never lied, had in the end told a great lie, deceiving him into waiting so long.

She would never return; she had long since vanished, leaving no trace of Ji Tanyin in the world.

“…Liar.” She was a despicable liar.

“Ji Tanyin! You liar!”

Yuan Zhong roared across the empty lake.

The fierce wind scattered his long hair, and the wind’s mournful howl seemed like her voice, saying she had not deceived him.

But soon, everything fell back into silent death.

He lay back in the snow, the vast sky above, the myriad stars, and a cold crescent moon.

It was as if her eyes were watching him.

Yuan Zhong slowly closed his eyes, a tear falling from the corner of his eye.

It felt like he was dreaming again, surrounded by countless branches of pink and white flowers.

He walked slowly through the endless flower forest, not knowing where he was going.

Even with a brush in hand, there was no one to paint; even with a zither and song, there was no one to harmonize; even with a cup raised to the flowers, there was no one to share it with him.

A figure in white stood beneath the flowers.

Yuan Zhong stopped his wandering steps, staring blankly at the figure that haunted his dreams.

He dared not move, afraid to startle her away, and dared not speak, fearing that speaking would awaken him and he would never see her again.

Even knowing it was a dream, he silently watched the figure, hoping that she would turn around and see him.

The white-clad figure moved slightly, as if hearing his silent plea.

She slowly turned around, still bearing the face that had been engraved in his heart for hundreds of years.

Her expression was gentle, affectionately gazing at him.

She suddenly raised her arm, pointing to her own heart and then to his heart.

“Yuan Zhong.”

She silently called to him.

He was here, always here, always waiting for her.

She took a step forward, gracefully approaching him.

Yuan Zhong opened his arms, and she fluttered into his embrace like a feather.

In an instant, she vanished from infront of his chest, leaving Yuan Zhong feeling a searing heat in his chest, as if he were being burned, making him shiver slightly.

A hand was pushing him forcefully.

Little Yuan Zhong’s panicked cries grew louder: “Big Zhong! Wake up! You’re glowing! What’s wrong?!”

Yuan Zhong suddenly opened his eyes to see snowflakes drifting down once more.

Little Yuan Zhong was crouched beside him, panicked and shouting.

Confused, Yuan Zhong slowly sat up, snowflakes falling from his body.

He noticed a pure white light emanating from his chest, as if he were holding a small moon.

The intense, almost tearing sensation in his chest returned.

Yuan Zhong ripped open his shirt, revealing a burst of white light from his heart, as if something was trying to break through his ribcage.

Was this divine power?

How could there be divine power within him?

Was it left by Tanyin when she last repaired his body?

He had no time to think it through.

The body of an immortal could not contain active divine power, not even a little.

Yuan Zhong felt his chest tearing apart with increasing intensity, as if his heart were being gouged out.

Even he, accustomed to pain, could not endure it, and blood began to seep from his clenched teeth, accompanied by muffled cries of agony.

Little Yuan Zhong was frantic, unsure of what to do.

Was he going to die?

What should he do?

Call a doctor?

Or help him to bed first?

Hearing Yuan Zhong’s sudden cry of pain, Little Yuan Zhong watched as blood splattered from his mouth onto the snow.

Yuan Zhong covered his heart with his hands, shaking violently.

Piercing white light leaked through the gaps in his fingers, scorching his palm, turning the skin black and cracked.

“Big Zhong! Big Zhong, you have to hold on! You can’t die!” Little Yuan Zhong was beside himself.

Yuan Zhong bent down with great effort but quickly straightened up.

He gasped for breath as blood dripped from the corners of his mouth.

His hands, which had been covering his heart, slowly fell away, revealing a pulsating orb of white light in his palm, beating like a heart.

He stared in disbelief and wild joy at the orb of light.

It was familiar divine power, familiar essence.

Tanyin!

She had really returned!

Was this orb of light her divine heart?

Little Yuan Zhong continued to shout, but Yuan Zhong ignored him, cradling the orb of light.

Suddenly, he burst out of the small cave in a rush of wind, not even bothering to say goodbye.

Little Yuan Zhong spun around anxiously, glancing back at Little Erji, and asked urgently, “What’s going on?”

Little Erji could not provide any answers.

Little Yuan Zhong was left running around, unsure whether to follow and check the situation or to stay in the small cave and wait for Yuan Zhong’s return.

Three days later, Yuan Zhong came back, looking disheveled, with tangled hair, bloodshot eyes, and clothes that were a mess.

Yet, his eyes had never been so bright.

He held the pulsating orb of light in one hand and the Qiankun bag in the other, rushing upstairs without saying a word.

Little Yuan Zhong hurriedly followed him into the room, where he saw Yuan Zhong pulling out several white lotuses from the Qiankun bag. These white lotuses were unlike ordinary ones, with petals overlapping in layers.

Each flower had eighty-one petals, was extremely large, and seemed to be surrounded by spiritual energy, resembling celestial lotuses.

He watched in shock as Yuan Zhong placed the orb of light into one of the lotuses.

The light intensified dramatically, and Yuan Zhong gently placed the remaining lotuses into the glowing orb, whispering, “Why are these celestial lotuses? Why not a human body?”

Little Yuan Zhong was startled: “What are you talking about?”

Yuan Zhong stared intently at the flowing light: “Tanyin has returned.”

Little Yuan Zhong was taken aback: “Are you crazy?! Master… she’s already dead! Big Zhong! I know you’ve been heartbroken for hundreds of years! But what’s the point of this daydream?!”

Yuan Zhong did not argue with him.

Over the past three days, he had been searching for a mortal body for Tanyin. From the corpses of seventeen- or eighteen-year-old girls to the living, her divine heart had shown no reaction until he happened to pass by the Fangwai Mountains.

In the winter, the celestial lotuses unexpectedly bloomed in the fountain pool, and Tan Yin’s divine heart had begun to beat violently in response to these flowers.

He did not understand the reason, but as long as she returned, even if he had to build a body out of stones, it would be worth it.

The light gradually dimmed.

In the glow, a naked girl could be faintly seen lying on the bed, her features and figure identical to Tanyin’s when she was alive.

Little Yuan Zhong clearly heard his own jaw drop in shock, and this time, he was left speechless.

The light finally dissipated completely, revealing the naked girl lying on the bed as if in a deep sleep.

Yuan Zhong moved closer, hearing her faint but steady breathing and her tangible heartbeat.

His heart was filled with boundless joy.

He wanted to laugh, even shout with happiness, but his eyes were blurred with tears.

He wrapped her body in a blanket, holding her and the blanket tightly in his arms, never to let go.