Bai Li quickly stepped out of Chen Changan's embrace, her small face flushed red.
However, her memories had just returned, and her emotions were still immersed in the loneliness of a thousand years and the joy of reunion.
She stood before the window, her fingertips gently tracing the lattice, feeling the reality of the touch.
A thousand years of searching, a thousand years of waiting, finally came to an end at this moment.
Sunlight filtered through the window screen and fell upon her face, warm enough to nearly bring tears to her eyes again.
Chen Changan naturally couldn't bear to immediately break her excitement, so he decided to give her a warm evening.
He personally cooked a table full of dishes—braised spirit fish, clear stewed snow lotus soup, roasted spirit beast meat, steamed spirit rice, and several pastries Bai Li had loved most in the lower realm. Every dish steamed with heat, their aromas filling the entire wooden house.
At dusk, Chen Changan specifically called over Bai Li's close friends—Chen Xingcai and Xiao Ling'er.
When the two pushed through the door, Bai Li was sitting by the window, holding a cup of hot tea.
The afterglow of the setting sun filtered through the window and fell upon her profile, outlining a soft silhouette. Her long hair fell like a waterfall, and between her brows lay a tranquility that came only after weathering life's storms—completely different from the lively, bouncy Bai Li they remembered.
The rising steam from the teacup formed a thin misty curtain before her face, making her features appear even more ethereal and mysterious.
"Bai Li?" Chen Xingcai blinked, calling out uncertainly. She and Xiao Ling'er stood at the door, momentarily unsure whether to approach. Was this calm, composed woman really the same lively, energetic Bai Li from their memories?
Bai Li turned her head, her gaze falling upon them. She paused for a moment, then tears welled up in her eyes. The teacup trembled slightly in her hand, a few drops splashing onto her skirt, but she didn't notice.
"Xingcai... Ling'er..." Her voice was choked, as if coming from very far away.
The next second, she shot to her feet and rushed forward in several steps, pulling them both into a tight embrace, tears falling freely.
Her hug was so forceful, as if trying to pour a thousand years of longing into this single embrace.
"Waaah—I missed you both so much!" Her crying rang clearly through the quiet wooden house. Her tears quickly soaked through both their shoulders.
Chen Xingcai and Xiao Ling'er were caught completely off guard, held so tightly they could barely move. They looked at each other in bewilderment, having no idea what was happening. Chen Xingcai's hand hung awkwardly in the air before finally coming to rest on Bai Li's back.
"Bai Li? What... what's wrong with you?" Xiao Ling'er asked cautiously, her voice full of confusion.
She had never seen Bai Li so emotionally exposed, let alone crying so brokenly.
"Yeah, why are you suddenly being so mushy?" Chen Xingcai said with a look of disdain—but her hand betrayed her tone, gently patting Bai Li's back with impossibly tender movements.
Bai Li didn't answer. She just held them and cried for a while longer before finally letting go. She wiped her tears and flashed a brilliant smile: "It's nothing, I just... suddenly felt that seeing you both again is really wonderful."
Her voice still carried the remnants of tears, but her smile was as bright as sunshine after rain.
Chen Xingcai and Xiao Ling'er were even more confused. They exchanged a puzzled glance, but seeing Bai Li smiling with red-rimmed eyes, they couldn't bring themselves to ask more.
But soon they discovered that Bai Li seemed somehow different.
She sat at the dining table, elegantly picking up food with her chopsticks, eating in small, measured bites. Occasionally she would serve them dishes, saying gently: "Xingcai, eat more. Have you not been eating properly lately?"
Chen Xingcai: "...?"
Xiao Ling'er: "...?"
The two exchanged looks, both seeing shock in the other's eyes.
This... was this really the same Bai Li who used to practically inhale her food, plate and all?
What unsettled them even more was the mature feminine charm Bai Li now exuded. Every movement carried an unhurried grace. Her eyes were gentle yet deep. Her smile held a touch of world-weary serenity.
Chen Xingcai couldn't help but lower her voice and ask Chen Changan: "Has she... been possessed?"
Xiao Ling'er leaned in and whispered: "I don't know either?"
Chen Changan smiled without answering, simply placing a piece of fish in Bai Li's bowl, speaking warmly: "Eat slowly."
Bai Li looked up and gave him a small smile. That smile held a thousand years of longing and the joy of reunion—a tenderness that seemed almost unreal.
Chen Xingcai and Xiao Ling'er: "..."
Suddenly, the meal felt rather uncomfortable to witness.
...
Fortunately, Chen Changan quietly transmitted a message, briefly informing the two women of Bai Li's experiences over the past thousand years.
His voice echoed in their minds, recounting Bai Li's loneliness, confusion, and perseverance over a millennium.
When they heard that Bai Li had wandered alone through the Spirit Realm for a full thousand years, searching all the while, both Chen Xingcai and Xiao Ling'er's eyes grew red.
The way they looked at Bai Li was full of heartache, as if gazing at a child who had suffered some terrible injustice.
"Eat more of this, it's good for the blood." Chen Xingcai placed an entire spirit fish into Bai Li's bowl, her voice slightly choked. Her hand trembled faintly, nearly dropping the fish onto the table.
"This snow lotus soup is excellent for nourishing the spirit. Drink more." Xiao Ling'er ladled a full bowl and pushed it before her, the corners of her eyes still glistening with unshed tears. Her voice was gentler than usual, as if afraid of disturbing something.
In moments, the small bowl before Bai Li had grown into a mountain. Spirit fish, spirit beast meat, various spirit vegetables... it nearly drowned her bowl.
She looked at her two friends with a mixture of laughter and tears, yet warmth surged through her heart.
When the sun finally set and the last rays of light vanished from the window, the two women reluctantly took their leave. Before departing, they repeatedly urged Bai Li to rest well. Bai Li stood at the door watching their figures disappear into the twilight. The night wind caught her long hair, making it shimmer silver in the moonlight.
She gently closed the door, and when she turned, her expression had changed.
The tenderness faded from her eyes, replaced by a steady calm.
"Senior, there's something you wish to ask me, isn't there?" She bowed gracefully, her voice soft yet clear with knowing insight.
[
I hope this message finds you well. I am writing to you with a humble request.
For as long as I have been translating, I have committed myself fully — providing daily uploads without interruption, and quietly working on additional novels behind the scenes to expand the library available to you. I have given everything I have to this work, and I take great pride in the service I have been able to provide.
However, I must be transparent. Recent mass cancellations have placed me in genuine financial hardship. Despite my continued efforts and unwavering dedication, I am struggling to sustain myself. The reality is that if circumstances do not improve, I may no longer be able to continue.
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