Legends of the East Sea

Feng Qingping was slightly taken aback upon hearing this, her fingertips unconsciously stroking the array disk at her waist. The runes on the array disk flickered with a faint light as she moved, shimmering with strange patterns in the morning light.

"A stranger who entered your dreams to help..." she repeated softly, her gaze falling thoughtfully on the green jade fan at Li Nanzhu's waist. "Is what you're saying related to this fan, Little Junior Sister?"

Feng Weilan's gaze suddenly sharpened, his right hand resting inconspicuously on the dagger at his waist. His eyes flicked back and forth between Li Nanzhu and Feng Qingping.

Li Nanzhu shook her head quickly. "No, it has nothing to do with this fan," she said after a moment's hesitation. "The senior in my dream is not the same person."

Feng Qingping paused, then looked at her thoughtfully. "If that is the case... who did you dream of?"

"A woman in white," Li Nanzhu said in a low voice. "I've never seen her before, but she... seems very familiar to me. In the dream, she's always standing in a white mist, her face blurred."

Feng Qingping was silent for a moment before suddenly smiling. "Perhaps she is a karmic tie from your past life."

"Past life?" Li Nanzhu frowned.

"For those on the path of cultivation, reincarnation is not a mere delusion," Feng Qingping said softly. "Some people are destined to meet again in another life."

Li Nanzhu was stunned. It wasn't that she didn't believe in past lives; after all, she had transmigrated here. Her past life was a concrete reality for her, but...

If it was a karmic tie from a past life, then who was she?

Before she could think further, Li Nanzhu saw Feng Weilan's expression change. He had clearly realized something. Feng Qingping noticed it too and asked first, "Has Sixth Junior Brother remembered something?"

Feng Weilan nodded and then shook his head, his voice deep as a cold pool. "There is a legend on the shores of the East Sea."

"What legend?" Li Nanzhu couldn't help but ask.

Feng Qingping gently pressed her hand on Feng Weilan's wrist and said warmly, "Sixth Junior Brother is referring to the legend of the 'Spiritual Altar Guide' that circulates in the East Sea." She turned to Li Nanzhu. "However, this legend is mostly sung in the form of fishing songs. Sixth Junior Brother and I only learned of it by chance. The general idea is that those with fate will meet old acquaintances in their dreams."

Feng Weilan nodded silently and added, "But with each meeting, the figure fades slightly."

Li Nanzhu felt a stir in her heart. "That's exactly it. That senior in white has only appeared twice, and the second time was much more blurred than the first."

The array disk at Feng Qingping's fingertips suddenly lit up with a soft glow. She asked softly, "Do you remember the specific details of those two dreams, Little Junior Sister?"

"The first time was..." Li Nanzhu's voice grew lower. "The night I just returned to the sect. I dreamed she was standing in a white mist, reaching out her hand to me. In the dream, my memories were constantly disappearing, and it was she who pulled me out."

Suisui suddenly jumped down from her shoulder, its bone claws scratching a few marks on the ground, vaguely forming the shape of a reaching hand.

"The second time was that day I got drunk..." As soon as Li Nanzhu said this, she saw the two across from her frown deeply. They clearly disapproved of her getting drunk before her coming-of-age ceremony. She silently apologized to her Seventh Senior Brother in her heart before continuing.

"She stood further away in the mist, her form almost invisible, but I could feel her watching me. Later, she kept holding me. I slept for three days that time."

Feng Qingping and Feng Weilan exchanged a look. The plum tree in the courtyard swayed without any wind, and a few petals drifted onto the stone table.

"So that's how it is..." The light from the array disk at Feng Qingping's fingertips dimmed. She closed her eyes slightly as if searching through the depths of her memory, opening them again a moment later. "Fading but not departing... This reminds me of another saying from the East Sea fishermen."

Feng Weilan's gaze fell on the plum tree in the corner of the courtyard, his voice low: "Viewing flowers through the mist."

"Exactly." Feng Qingping nodded. "Old fishermen often say that things in the sea mist seem to grow fainter, but in reality, it's because the observer is gradually adapting to the scene within the mist."

Li Nanzhu's heart skipped a beat, and she unconsciously placed her hand over her chest. "Fifth Senior Sister means..."

"Perhaps that senior has always been there, but you've begun to see the path ahead for yourself," Feng Qingping explained warmly. "Like a mother who quietly lets go of her child's hand when they learn to walk."

Suisui suddenly jumped up from the stone table, its bone claws tracing a graceful arc in the air. Feng Weilan's eyes flickered. "Adapting."

Feng Qingping put away the array disk and said softly, "Did you notice any difference in your state of mind the second time you dreamed of her?"

Li Nanzhu thought back carefully. "The first time was when I was in the most pain. The second time..." She paused. "Even though I was drunk, my heart was much more peaceful."

"Then it makes sense." Feng Qingping smiled. "Just like walking in the mist, at first you need a guide to hold you firmly. Once you're familiar with the path, you'll naturally see the hand that is gradually letting go."

Feng Weilan's fingers lingered at his waist for a moment before he suddenly pulled out a semi-transparent conch. The surface of the conch was covered in fine patterns that reflected rainbow light under the sun. He placed it gently on the stone table, his voice still cold and hard. "Listen."

Li Nanzhu hesitantly picked up the conch and held it to her ear. At first, there was only the sound of waves, but gradually, she seemed to hear a faint, ethereal humming—the same melody as the lullaby in her dream.

"This is..."

"A memory-recalling conch," Feng Weilan said. "It can evoke voices buried deep in memory."

Feng Qingping's array disk spun slowly. "In East Sea legends, the protection of those closest to you can manifest in two forms—one is the figure in your dream, and the other..."

Before Feng Qingping could finish, the plum tree in the courtyard suddenly swayed without wind. Petals fluttered down, and Feng Yi's figure appeared beneath the tree.

"Master!" The three of them hurriedly paid their respects.

Feng Yi's gaze swept over everyone before landing on Li Nanzhu. "Fated encounters are hard to predict. The first is an awakening, the second is comfort, and the third is..." He paused. "A choice."

Li Nanzhu's heart jolted. "Master, you mean..."

"The first time led you out of the labyrinth, the second time soothed your heart, and the third time..." Feng Yi raised his hand, and a streak of green light entered Li Nanzhu's brow. "The Spirit-Nurturing Sutra will help you gain clarity of mind and nature at the critical moment."

Feng Qingping mused, "So that senior will appear one more time?"

Feng Weilan spoke suddenly, "It comes as fate dictates." His dark eyes stared directly at Li Nanzhu. "East Sea legends say the third meeting often occurs when one is most in need of guidance."

Li Nanzhu gripped the conch in her hand; the singing inside seemed even clearer now. Suisui swayed gently on her shoulder, a blurred figure reflected within its soul fire.

"But..." Li Nanzhu's voice tightened. "What happens after the third time?"