The girl with the scorpion-tail braid wore a long dress woven from tendrils of vine, decorated with a few small daisies.
She sat on the shoulder of the Titan Giant Ape, bare feet swinging gently as she hummed a little tune.
Splash—
At the sound of water breaking, she quickly turned her head—
and saw the girl lying upon the lotus leaf, gently swaying with the rippling surface.
"Ah!"
The braided girl leapt from the Titan Giant Ape's shoulder and scolded softly,
"Da Ming! What are you doing? Don't wake up Zhuqing!"
In the azure glow of the Azure Bull Python's enormous eyes, a flicker of surprise flashed.
"Xiao Wu, an intruder has entered the Star Dou."
The Titan Giant Ape raised its massive head and rumbled in a deep voice,
"It's Li Zhexian."
"Li Zhexian?!"
Xiao Wu gasped. Her pink eyes darted toward the wooden stake by the lakeshore—
It was covered in dense carvings—
marks she had made to count each sunrise and sunset.
"Over seventeen hundred…"
"So the five-year promise is already upon us."
With a light motion, Xiao Wu landed again on the Titan Giant Ape's shoulder.
"Er Ming, hurry!"
"Let's go meet Li Zhexian!"
At the same time.
The Lake of Life — Underground Palace.
"Mmmff—!"
The Three-Eyed Golden Lion paced anxiously, golden flames occasionally bursting from its radiant fur.
Sensing a familiar aura, the Divine Butterfly fluttered through the underground halls in excited circles.
Rustle… rustle…
Dust drifted soundlessly from the depths of the palace.
From within the endless darkness—
a pair of dark-gold dragon eyes slowly opened.
"This aura…"
"The northern Yazi…"
"Has it finally fallen?"
"But how could a Auspicious Beast become a human's Spirit Ring?"
"Did the Snow Empress actually allow this man to leave the Extreme North?"
The Three-Eyed Golden Lion crouched low.
Its chubby, adorable face twisted with an almost human-like expression of conflict.
Panting lightly, it turned its head toward the depths of the hall.
"Ee-ee ya-ya!"
"Hm?"
The deep, majestic voice carried a hint of puzzlement.
"Little one, you're saying there's still a trace of auspicious energy lingering in the Extreme North?"
"But that human's aura—both murderous and blessed—how strange."
"Divine Butterfly… to think the human who created you…"
"…was no ordinary being indeed."
The Divine Butterfly fluttered its wings joyfully,
casting motes of blue and crimson light that fell like stardust through the air.
...
In the vast Star Dou Forest—
Li Zhexian moved swiftly through the wilderness.
Suddenly—
the ground beneath his feet began to tremble—
faint at first, then stronger and stronger, rumbling closer.
At the edge of his vision, towering ancient trees were being forcibly pushed aside,
as a massive shadow advanced toward him, shaking the forest floor.
Having experienced this once before,
Li Zhexian did not panic.
He simply stopped and waited.
After a few dozen breaths—
A colossal hand parted the trees.
The Titan Giant Ape appeared,
and upon its shoulder—
a familiar, graceful figure.
"Ah! Li Zhexian! It's really you!"
Xiao Wu leapt lightly down before him,
her pink eyes bright with joy.
The deep forest had been cut off from the world for too long—
and seeing an old friend again filled her with warmth.
Li Zhexian's handsome face curved into a smile.
"Xiao Wu. Long time no see."
"Human."
A rumbling growl came from above.
"Did you crawl out of a mountain of corpses and blood?"
"The killing intent rolling off you is stronger than mine!"
Xiao Wu's eyes trembled slightly—
she understood.
Li Zhexian had gone north to seek the Ten-Thousand-Year Ice Marrow, then into the Slaughter City to find the Yellow Springs Dew.
That meant—he had just come out of the City of Slaughter.
Looking upon the youth—thinner, sharper than he had been five years ago—her heart rippled.
"Zhuqing… you were right to wait for him," she thought softly.
For a moment, the air was heavy and still.
Then Li Zhexian chuckled lightly.
"The three spiritual items—I'm only missing the Blood of the Deity now."
"There's still some time before the five-year promise, so I thought I'd visit Zhuqing first."
Xiao Wu quickly said:
"Zhuqing is right by the Lake of Life — come with me!"
With that, she nimbly leapt back onto the Titan Giant Ape's shoulder.
"Li Zhexian, hurry up!"
"These five years, Xiao Wu's been talking about you nonstop—I've nearly gone deaf!"
The Titan Giant Ape's fierce eyes softened slightly.
"You humans… some of you at least know loyalty."
"Come. No harm will come to you."
Li Zhexian cupped his hands respectfully, then stepped up to stand upon the opposite shoulder.
Crash—
Crash—
The Titan Giant Ape strode forward in mighty steps.
The forest scenery blurred past on both sides.
The wind roared in their ears—
and amid it, the braided girl's voice piped curiously:
"Is the Northern Border fun? Shui Bing'er said they ride snowboards there! Too bad I'm a rabbit—I'd freeze to death…"
"The Slaughter City has no sunlight? That place sounds terrible…"
...
At the Lake of Life—
The emerald waters shimmered like glass.
On a great lotus leaf lay a sleeping girl,
a faint blush coloring her cheeks.
Li Zhexian stood silently by the shore,
thousands of words caught in his throat,
but all that came out was a trembling whisper:
"Zhuqing, I'm back."
Xiao Wu's eyes reddened slightly. She patted Da Ming and Er Ming.
The two great beasts exchanged glances.
Though reluctant, they still followed Xiao Wu's lead and stepped back a distance.
Li Zhexian sat by the lake's edge.
"I went north," he said softly. "Spent two years as a mercenary. Did all right for myself—became vice-commander of the largest mercenary group in the region."
"The northern liquor is fierce. I brought a jar for you. When you wake, you can taste the spirit of the north for yourself…"
From sunset painting the sky crimson to dew soaking his white robes by dawn—
as moonlight bathed the clearing, deer came to drink, and in morning, bees and butterflies danced upon dewy blades of grass.
Two full days passed.
Li Zhexian sat there the whole time, recounting every hardship of the past two years to the sleeping Zhu Zhuqing—
as if he could grind time itself into dust and pour it into those quiet murmurs.
"The three spiritual items—only the Deity's Heartblood remains. Just a little longer now."
"Zhuqing, after I meet with my friends, I'll come back for you."
He turned to Xiao Wu, voice solemn.
"Thank you for looking after her."
Xiao Wu shook her head quickly.
"I told you—Zhuqing is my dearest sister!"
"This is what I should do!"
Li Zhexian smiled faintly.
He tapped the pouch at his waist.
With a shimmer of light—
a small mountain appeared upon the lakeshore.
Sugar figures, rouge and powder, dresses of every color, intricate hairpins, ribbons, and trinkets—
a sparkling heap of worldly delights.
"Wow!"
Xiao Wu's pink eyes shone brightly.
"All this… for me?!"
"Mm."
Li Zhexian nodded.
"I didn't know what you might need, so I bought a little of everything."
"These things aren't enough to repay your kindness in guarding Zhuqing, but they're a token of gratitude."
Xiao Wu tried on dress after dress, smiling so wide her eyes bent into crescents.
"Heehee—you're too polite!"
Li Zhexian turned, bowing deeply toward Da Ming and Er Ming.
"Honored Seniors."
"I've learned that the Spirit Hall will soon launch a hunt targeting hundred-thousand-year Spirit Beasts."
"Even a Titled Douluo may take part. Please, make preparations early—avoid direct conflict if possible."
"I'll return in some days. When I do, I'll find a place to hide Zhuqing, so as not to trouble you further."
Da Ming and Er Ming's beast eyes were heavy with solemnity. They slowly nodded.
"Thank you for the warning."
"Send our greetings to your friends."
Xiao Wu waved vigorously, her pink braid swaying.
She watched the white-robed figure vanish into the sea of trees—
then happily turned back to play with her new treasures.
Da Ming's eyes followed the path where Li Zhexian had gone, silent for a long while.
"I think I finally understand…"
"…why Xiao Wu says Li Zhexian has so many friends."
Er Ming grinned, turning a lump of earth-element crystal and a little clay monkey in his hand.
"Tch, that kid said he got this crystal in the Slaughter City by trading something he called 'quick hands.'"
"And he still remembered us."
He picked up a large iron ring and blinked in confusion.
"Hey, Da Ming — Li Zhexian gave you a water-element crystal, but what's this iron ring for?"
The Azure Bull Python's tail gently lifted the ring.
"He said it's an ornament."
"That it looks good on us."