In the book, the words were laid out with exquisite craft.
The brushwork was astonishing.
Beneath every single word and line, as though from an unfurling scroll painting, the lively Jimo Lantern Festival spread itself out before her eyes.
Riddles, fireworks, lanterns, candied haws on a stick — and young couples walking side by side down the streets, leaning in close to each other, faces red, not quite daring to hold hands. In the end, to avoid being trampled by a passing child, they ended up holding hands after all — and from that moment on, they never let go.
The fireworks fell and the curtain closed, as if in a single fleeting instant.
They spoke of how they hoped they could spend a whole lifetime together, just like this, watching fireworks side by side.
"Watch fireworks together?"
Reading the warm, joyful descriptions in the book, Shenhe couldn't help but softly murmur the words to herself.
According to what her Master had said, every Lantern Rite featured a grand fireworks gathering.
This year's Lantern Rite — counting the days, it ought to be coming soon, shouldn't it?
To the sound of Fang Qiu's faint breathing, Shenhe kept reading on.
Time drifted slowly by.
The story moved on from Jimo to the conclusion of the Shennong Cave arc. She had read about the younger sister who, having endured a thousand years of loneliness, was willing in the end to sacrifice her elder sister in order to ascend to immortality and leave the cavern — and in the end, not only did her own body and soul scatter, she dragged her elder sister down into oblivion alongside her.
A thousand years of bitter regret, gone in a single moment.
Reading that far, Shenhe felt yet another wave of discomfort surge up in her heart...
She only felt her chest grow tight and stifled.
There was an inexpressible irritation.
Carrying that irritation with her, she kept reading on.
Yun Tianhe and his companions returned to the Qionghua Sect, but Han Lingsha's identity as a tomb raider had now been exposed.
The Qionghua disciples wanted to strip Han Lingsha of her cultivation and drive her out of Qionghua.
Reading this, Shenhe couldn't help but recall the question Han Lingsha had once asked Yun Tianhe by the lakeside.
If someone you knew had done many bad things in the past, what would you do?
And she also thought of the words she herself had spoken to Fang Qiu.
She kept reading. Yun Tianhe, true to form, acted exactly as he had promised.
He shielded Han Lingsha and drew his sword against his own fellow disciples.
In the end, it was Mu Rong Ziying who stepped forward to put a stop to the confrontation.
Afterward, they bid one another farewell beneath the moon.
Yun Tianhe and Han Lingsha told Mu Rong Ziying to come visit them whenever he had the time.
And Mu Rong Ziying answered them in earnest.
"Having pledged this promise to you, I shall keep it for the rest of my life."
Shenhe murmured the words softly.
She continued reading.
After that, they set off together to seek out the last of the Cold Artifacts. Only — when they returned to the Qionghua Sect, the Demon Realm had descended; Liu Mengli had awakened her memories and returned to the Demon Race.
And Xuan Xiao, too, had betrayed them.
To bring Liu Mengli back, they journeyed all the way to Mt. Buzhou and entered the Ghost Realm. In the Ghost Realm, they also found Yun Tianqing. Afterward, in order to evade the pursuers of the Ghost Realm, they boarded a boat.
And the boatman, as it turned out, was Han Lingsha's elder uncle.
The uncle told Han Lingsha that her parents had loved her dearly, but, knowing that their own lives were nearing their end and not wanting her to suffer the pain of parting at death, they had purposely kept their distance from her.
This passage, Fang Qiu had written with extraordinary emotional weight.
Reading here, the fingers Shenhe used to turn the page trembled slightly, and her eyes were filled with a complicated emotion.
She fell silent for a long time, and finally let out a soft breath before continuing to read.
Afterward, Han Lingsha's uncle recognized Mu Rong Ziying.
Through Han Lingsha's uncle, Mu Rong Ziying only then learned that, during all the time he had been cultivating at Qionghua, his parents had long since passed away...
It turned out that Mu Rong Ziying had been sickly as a child, and in order for him to survive, his parents had sent him up to the immortal mountain.
They had never imagined that that sending-off would become a final parting.
And Mu Rong Ziying's parents' greatest regret had been never being able to see him one more time...
Reading those deeply moving lines, Shenhe's expression turned somber and sorrowful.
A line of tears slid down her cheek.
"What is this feeling... I... why am I crying?"
Shenhe murmured, "Is it because I took off the red cord? Or is it because..."
Shenhe turned her head to look at Fang Qiu, sound asleep.
The experiences Fang Qiu had penned for Mu Rong Ziying were very much like her own.
When she'd snuck off the mountain and gone back to the village, everything there had already changed beyond recognition...
And Mu Rong Ziying was the same...
Watching Fang Qiu roll over and kick off the blanket, exposing her delicate, supple figure, Shenhe couldn't help but let the corners of her mouth curl into a faint smile, and the gloom in her eyes gradually receded.
Mu Rong Ziying had Yun Tianhe and that group of friends. He had a place of belonging that was truly his own.
And she, too, had her Master, and friends like Fang Qiu and the others.
There was nothing left to fear, and nothing left to be lost about.
Everything would be all right.
It was just...
In the book, it seemed Han Lingsha's lifespan was nearing its end...
She kept reading on. Yun Tianhe and his companions left the Ghost Realm and went on to the Tomb of Deification, where they obtained the gift Han Lingsha had left for Yun Tianhe.
After that, they returned to the Qionghua Sect, and then made their way to the Demon Realm, where they learned everything that had happened back then.
Only — at that very moment, the Qionghua Sect launched an attack on the Demon Realm. Watching those disciples, who had cast aside all bonds of fellowship, draw their swords against Mu Rong Ziying, and at last bring about Huaishuo's death beneath those blades —
Shenhe suddenly felt a wave of dark, suffocating frustration well up in her heart...
And in her conversation with Xuan Xiao, she also learned that Han Lingsha had become the host of the Wangshu Sword — every time Xuan Xiao drew the sword, Han Lingsha's lifespan would be shortened. At this, Shenhe's irritation grew worse still...
If this had been any other time, watching such a scene without wearing the red cord, the killing intent born of her Solitary Stars of Calamity would already have been impossible to suppress.
And yet — sharing this room with Fang Qiu — she only felt, strangely, irritation.
She glanced instinctively at Fang Qiu, and saw that Fang Qiu had once again rolled over and was now hugging the blanket.
The moment she caught sight of Fang Qiu's unseemly sleeping posture, the irritation in her heart melted away at astonishing speed.
She chuckled softly, turned her head back, gently lifted the book, turned another page, and kept reading on.
Outside the window, the moon shifted the shadows of the flowers, and dew moistened the sleeves of passersby.
A gentle sea breeze brushed across the earth, ruffling the ends of Hu Tao's hair.
In front of Wangsheng Funeral Parlor, the lamps burned cool and faintly dim.
"There shouldn't be any business this late — to think I'd actually pick up a job at this hour."
Hu Tao, smiling brightly, sat back down beside the little female undertaker.
She'd read about halfway through earlier when a piece of business had come in, which had delayed her for a while.
Only now had she finally found time to read.
But, in order not to spoil things ahead of time, the little female undertaker had deliberately waited for Hu Tao to catch up.
So now they were on the same page.
They picked up the book and began to read. The story had entered its final stretch.
Yun Tianhe and his companions had made their way back to Qingluan Peak. They wanted to search through the notes left by Yun Tianhe's parents to find a way to undo Wangshu and Xihe.
There were only two methods. One was to defeat Xuan Xiao, since Wangshu and Xihe were in his hands.
The other was to kill Han Lingsha...
Beneath the bright, pure moonlight, inside the wooden cabin atop Qingluan Peak, Han Lingsha made a heartfelt confession to Yun Tianhe.
"Do you know what it is I can't bear to let go of most?"
"...One day, I blundered my way into a cave. There, I came across a person. He looked pleasant enough to the eye, but his head wasn't very bright — he actually took me for a wild boar demon..."
"Going down the mountain with him and roaming the world together — I just thought it sounded fun. Even though he was always doing things that scared people half to death and leaving me to clean up his messes..."
"Bit by bit, I began holding him in my heart more and more, always thinking — if one day I weren't around, who would take care of him? He's so slow-witted, he'd surely be tricked, surely be bullied..."
"In truth, those were all just excuses. He's already become so much more mature than he used to be. It's me... it's me who can't bear to be without him..."
Reading Han Lingsha's heartfelt words, the little female undertaker couldn't help but wipe away the tear that had slid down her cheek.
"This is really too moving. Director, did you read up to here? Truly worthy of Miss Fang Qiu — she writes too beautifully, doesn't she? Throughout the whole story, there's hardly any direct description of Yun Tianhe and Han Lingsha's romance at all. But when you read these words from Han Lingsha and then look back on everything that happened along the way, only then do you realize — the feelings between them had long since quietly taken root. The romance was hidden within their everyday life all along."
The little female undertaker went on, "But just thinking about how Han Lingsha's lifespan is coming to an end makes me so sad... I really hope Miss Fang Qiu can let a miracle happen this time... though I doubt the odds are very high..."
The little female undertaker wiped at her tears as she spoke. But as she talked on, she suddenly noticed that Hu Tao, sitting beside her, was spacing out.
"Director, why are you spacing out?"
The little female undertaker asked.
"Huh?"
The little female undertaker had to call out twice before Hu Tao finally snapped back to herself.
She coughed, smiled, and said, "Sorry, sorry. I just got distracted thinking about the business from earlier. Fang Qiu's Sword and Fairy 2 had such a wonderful Ghost Realm arc — so I was wondering whether, when I go to handle the funeral tomorrow, I could give them two sets of Sword and Fairy 2, and convince the surviving family to book Wangsheng Funeral Parlor's full package."
"Ah, that... Director, perhaps better not? Even though this client — the old man — passed peacefully, at a ripe old age, having lived out his natural span... it's still a parting between the living and the dead. The family's grief is unavoidable. Even though I haven't finished the book myself, there are already several scenes that made me weep... let's not pile more sorrow on them, hm?"
"Mm... all right then, I'll listen to you this time."
Hu Tao waved a hand and said.
"Eh?"
The little female undertaker froze.
Since when had the Director ever been this easy to talk around?
In the past, it would have taken her at least an hour's worth of incense burning to persuade her, and even then probably to no avail.
After all — Old Meng had pushed his suggestions for ages, and the Director had never once budged on Wangsheng Funeral Parlor's promotional slogan.
What was it she'd said again? Something about how it was so much better than the old cold and stiff slogans, sure to move people's hearts.
The promotional sign still bore the very slogan the Director had come up with herself:
"Wangsheng Funeral Parlor's Limited-Time Special: Buy One Get One Free, Buy Two Get Three Free — the more you buy, the more you get!"
So sometimes, Mister Zhongli himself had to be called in to talk the Director out of an idea.
Why was it that this time, a single word from her had been enough to make the Director abandon the book-gifting plan?
How strange.
But strange as it felt, she didn't dare ask any further.
What if she asked, and the Director changed her mind again, and absolutely insisted on going through with the gifts...
Still, thanks to the Director, her own sad mood from earlier had largely dissipated...
"Director, let's keep reading."
The little female undertaker said.
"Mm."
Hu Tao let out a soft sound of assent.
Seeing the little female undertaker resume her reading, Hu Tao, too, turned her gaze toward the words Han Lingsha had spoken to Yun Tianhe in the book.
Hu Tao tightly pinched the edge of the page, her expression turning a little complex.
Han Lingsha and Yun Tianhe — they were so very much like her and Fang Qiu.
Fang Qiu had grown. She had become a bestselling author of her generation, her novels already shaking all of Liyue. That "Prelude to Water Melody" at the Moonchase Festival had stunned the poetic circles of Liyue, hailed by every literary refined soul as a divine masterpiece.
She was no longer the Fang Qiu who had needed Hu Tao's charity to survive.
You could see it just from what had happened this very afternoon... the one who couldn't bear to be without the other now... was herself.
"This Yun Tianhe is so clumsy with his words. Clearly Han Lingsha can't bear to be without him, and he can't bear to be without her either, yet when he finally opens his mouth, the words that come out are this awkward. Then again, I suppose that does fit Yun Tianhe's whole character. Wouldn't you agree, Director?"
Just as Hu Tao was reflecting on her own feelings for Fang Qiu, the little female undertaker's voice rang out.
Hu Tao turned to look, and saw the little female undertaker watching her with a smile.
Without waiting for Hu Tao to answer, the little female undertaker went on, "Director, are you thirsty? I'll go brew a pot of tea."
With that, she gave another small smile, set the book aside, and went into the main hall to start preparing tea.
Watching the little female undertaker busy herself, Hu Tao couldn't help but smile.
She believed that, in Fang Qiu's heart, she too occupied a place of considerable importance.
But there was one thing she was still puzzled by — Han Lingsha's feelings for Yun Tianhe were of love, of longing.
It was love.
So... what kind of feeling was it that she herself had for Fang Qiu?
Just thinking about it, Hu Tao felt her thoughts grow unsettled, her heart a little flustered, and instinctively she wanted to shy away from the question.
Her cheeks even grew faintly warm.
Before long, the little female undertaker returned, carrying the tea.
Seeing that the Director had recovered her spirits, she couldn't help but smile.
Just as she'd thought.
A moment ago, she had deliberately pretended to be reading while she observed the Director — and discovered that the Director hadn't read on at all. Instead, she had been staring at Han Lingsha's words on the page, spacing out once again. Combined with what she knew of the Director's past with Miss Fang Qiu —
It was easy enough to put two and two together.
But what puzzled her was: why had the Director's face also turned red?
How strange.
So she picked up the book, sat down beside Hu Tao, and continued reading. After spending a night at Qingluan Peak, Yun Tianhe and his companions had made their way to the Qionghua Sect, intent on stopping Xuan Xiao from making the same mistake over and over again.
Only when they arrived at the foot of the mountain did they discover that the Qionghua Sect was already suspended in midair, soaring up toward the heavens.
The Qionghua Sect was attempting to ascend en masse!
They flew up to Qionghua riding their swords, only to find — beneath the heavy falling snow — Xuanji collapsed in front of Huaishuo's gate, still clutching in her hands the gift Huaishuo had given her.
Upon learning of Huaishuo's death, she had been so devastated that she had remained at Huaishuo's door without rest. Her cultivation had been too shallow to bear the force of Qionghua's ascension, and she had already perished.
Watching this scene, the little female undertaker couldn't help but be stunned, and tears welled up in her eyes once more.
At that moment, a gust of wind blew through. The osmanthus trees rustled, and the fallen leaves drifted on the breeze — drifting into a small stream, spinning around once, and then carried away with the current into the distance.
The wind, having scattered the leaves, rose against the mountains, brushing across the Glaze Lilies and Silk Flowers in front of Yujing Terrace.
It crossed over the Jade Chamber — once again hovering above the outskirts of Liyue Harbor — stirring the mountain mists, and then blew on toward Jueyun Karst. It kept rising, ever upward, into the sky.
Among the unfurling and folding of clouds, the wind came at last to rest upon Cloud Retainer, who stood at the center of the pool at Mt. Aozang, reading a book.
Her smooth blue-and-white feathers fluttered in the wind. Only the copy of Sword and Fairy 2 hovering before her remained entirely unaffected by the gust.
It was infused with immortal power — unaffected by mortal wind.
And the contents of the book, too, had at last reached their ending.
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