The youth's words caused the hearts of the couple, Lan Yi and A'han, to sink, with A'han's face growing especially pale.
A flash of curiosity flickered in Yue Sheng's eyes.
He was very curious to see what Lan Yi would choose.
After all, in his eyes, if one could attain the Dao and become an immortal, all mortal relationships were not actually that difficult to abandon.
Lan Yi was also deeply conflicted. Reason told her that she should choose to follow the Biyi bird to seek immortality and cultivate the Dao. If she were fortunate enough to attain the Dao and ascend to the heavenly realm, she would gain eternal youth and immortality.
Immortality! It was something countless mortals dreamed of, and she was naturally no exception.
Yet, she could not bear to part with A'han and her daughter.
A'han was simple and slow-witted. If she were gone, leaving him alone to raise their daughter, who was not even a year old, he would probably end up returning to his old trade. After all, he was so foolish; besides relying on his physical prowess to earn money, what other way could he possibly think of to make a living and raise their daughter?
Perhaps sensing Lan Yi's hesitation, A'han tightly held their swaddled daughter and forced a smile. “Young Mistress, go with Lord Biyi. I will take care of Zhao'er. Rest assured, I will raise her well.”
Lan Yi looked at A'han, her heart suddenly softening. “Then how do you plan to earn money to raise Zhao'er?”
Thinking that Lan Yi truly intended to seek the Dao, A'han felt a sharp pang of sorrow in his heart, yet he still struggled to maintain his forced smile. “I can work as an escort guard. I will always make sure Zhao'er has enough to eat and never goes hungry.”
Hearing this, which was exactly as she had predicted, Lan Yi felt a sudden wave of helplessness. “A'han, how could just keeping her fed be enough? She is my daughter, Lan Yi's daughter, and she carries my surname, Lan. The Lan family has been merchants for generations. How can our legacy end with her?”
“Young Mistress, it is all because I am useless,” A'han said, tears spilling from his eyes. “I am foolish and barely know a few words. Aside from teaching Zhao'er martial arts, I cannot teach her anything else. I have let you and Zhao'er down...”
Lan Yi looked at A'han's red-rimmed eyes, feeling that ever since they married, he seemed to cry even more than before.
“Then why are you still telling me to seek the Dao?” she asked.
“I just feel that you must want to go, Young Mistress. I do not want to hold you back and become your burden.” A'han's voice was raspy, laced with a slight tremor.
“A'han, all this time, if you hadn't risked your life to protect me, I would have died a thousand deaths already.”
Lan Yi took out a handkerchief and wiped his face. “You have never been my burden. You and Zhao'er are my only remaining family in this world. I will not abandon you.”
“But...”
A'han wanted to say something, but Lan Yi cut him off. “Do not overthink things. I am not giving up this chance to seek the Dao solely for you. The Lan family was once imperial merchants. I was raised by my grandfather since childhood, and I know that until his dying breath, he longed to restore our family's former glory. Now, only Zhao'er and I are left of the Lan family. I must shoulder this heavy responsibility so his soul can rest in peace in the underworld.”
Hearing Lan Yi's words, many people felt a trace of regret for her. They thought she was acting on impulse, throwing away a chance at cultivation that others could only dream of.
The youth suddenly spoke up.
“Lan Yi, have you thought this through? Being an immortal is far more free than being a mortal. The world is yours to roam.”
There was certainly some regret, but Lan Yi quickly adjusted her mindset. She had already broken free of her shackles. She was confident she could forge a new path with this caravan. Was that not its own form of freedom to roam the world?
Having cleared her mind on this point,
she said, “Lord Biyi, though I would like to follow you to seek the Dao, I am ultimately a mortal. My heart is bound by attachments, and I cannot bring myself to abandon everything in the mortal world.”
“You might have come to terms with it, but what about me? If I do not repay your kindness, I cannot cultivate to become an immortal!” The youth was clearly growing anxious. “No, you must let me repay you! I will give you two choices right now: either you let me offer myself in marriage, or you come with me to cultivate!”
He reached out, intending to take Lan Yi away, but a red light descended from the heavens and struck his wrist. He cried out in pain and stumbled back several paces.
“Biyi bird, do not behave so recklessly. I allowed you to repay your kindness to resolve your karma, not to force it upon her.”
A voice as melodious as pearls dropping onto a jade plate drifted down from above. Following it was a scent of peach blossoms, sweet but not cloying, as if thousands of peach trees had bloomed all at once.
Everyone instinctively raised their heads and looked toward the sound.
In the moonlit night sky, a gentle red glow had appeared out of nowhere.
Immediately following,
the light slowly descended, its silhouette gradually becoming distinct.
What first entered everyone's sight was
an open oiled-paper umbrella. Its peach-pink canopy was adorned with layers of blooming peach blossoms, with delicate pearl chains wound among the flowers, and several wisps of thin, misty silk draping gracefully from the edges.
As the wind blew, the flowers swayed and the silk drifted.
The fingers holding the umbrella handle were slender and fair, with a string of exquisite silver bells hanging from the wrist, chiming softly.
Soon, everyone saw the owner of the hand.
The Divine Lady wore a peach-pink gown, draped with a sheer, wide-sleeved outer robe of the same color. The hem of Her skirt was embroidered with intertwined peach blossoms, looking as though an entire blooming peach tree had unfolded across Her dress.
She landed on the open ground beside the campfire.
The flower umbrella spun gently above Her head, and with a flick of Her wrist, She rested it at an angle against Her shoulder.
A tassel hung from the edge of the umbrella, brushing past the peach blossom hairpin at Her temple, creating an indescribable beauty.
【Yue Sheng Shock Value +100】
【Lan Yi Shock Value +100】
【A'han Shock Value +100】
【...】
【Current Shock Value: 8028800】
“T-This little demon was only eager to repay Her kindness...” The youth seemed thoroughly terrified and fell to his knees with a thud. “Please forgive me, Divine Lady... I had absolutely no intention of feigning obedience while secretly defying Your orders...”
Lan Yi and the others gradually came to their senses and hastily prostrated themselves before the Divine Lady, pressing their foreheads to the ground, not daring to look up for a long time.
None of them had expected the Divine Lady to descend so suddenly. Unprepared, they were so nervous that their palms sweat and their hearts pounded like drums.
Yun Shu looked down at the crowd kneeling on the ground. Thousands of red threads materialized before her eyes. Some people had their red threads tied to those beside them, while others had threads stretching out to the horizon, connected to someone far away.
She did not touch anyone's red threads. Marriage and love were things that should be left to take their natural course. If two people loved each other, they would be together; if not, they would part. There was no need to meddle in matchmaking.
“Biyi bird, it is understandable that you wish to repay her kindness. However, forcing her to accept your gratitude against her will is not repaying a favor—it is returning good with evil.”
Once again, Lan Yi felt the Divine Lady's fairness.
Once, she believed there was no fairness in this world. It was only after meeting the Divine Lady that she realized she had been blind. While there was much injustice in the world, there were also deities who upheld fairness.
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