Two months later, apart from the largely unharmed Lu Jiayao and the unlucky Shen Hefeng, the other four disciples of Qingling Mountain had mostly recovered.
As for the little fox and the little turtle, they were sent back to Star Moon Valley to recuperate not long after the grand competition ended. That was their birthplace, and it was more beneficial for demonic cultivators to heal there.
Huaiming, the Buddhist disciple from Divine Evolution Temple, was also taken back to his sect for care.
Though they couldn’t visit in person, it didn’t matter—Lu Jiayao, who had everyone’s Xuantian Account contacts, created a large group chat with disciples from all three major sects.
At noon that day, after a satisfying meal, Wen Shuangbai checked in on her friends from the allied sects as usual.
[Little Wen from Caiyuan Tower]: Little Fox, Little Turtle, Little Ming—how are you three doing?
[I’m Little Fox!]: Sister Wen! I’m all better now, and my tail has even started growing a tiny new tip! But the valley master still won’t let me go out to play! So annoying!!
[Snappy Turtle]: I. Am. Also. Fine.
[This Humble Monk Huaiming]: Many thanks for your concern, Junior Sister Wen. This humble monk is also well. Broken yet reborn, as if granted new life—Amitabha.
Seeing this, Wen Shuangbai was completely reassured. Just as she was about to reply, a skinny monk from Divine Evolution Temple—who was notorious for frequently changing his Xuantian Account name—publicly called out his own sect’s disciple for lying.
[Senior Brother Huaiming Please Stop Sneaking Food]: Senior Sister Wen, don’t listen to my senior brother’s nonsense. His eyes, hands, and feet have healed, but his tongue hasn’t! Because he keeps sneaking meat and alcohol! The abbot said alcohol and meat are major taboos—they hinder recovery, especially for tongue injuries. But he still sneaks them anyway!!!
Reading this, Wen Shuangbai deliberately showed her Xuantian Mirror to a certain doctor sitting beside her.
As expected, Doctor Xie couldn’t stand such disobedient patients. With a look of exasperation, he borrowed her mirror to type a single word.
[Little Wen from Caiyuan Tower]: Bruh.
[I’m Little Fox!]: Bruh.
[Jade Jade Jade Thousand Miles]: Bruh.
……
After a long chain of "bruhs," Lu Jiayao peeked at the Xuantian Mirror beside him while picking up food and couldn’t help but add his own advice.
[Lu Three Dirt]: Brother Huaiming, this won’t do. You must abstain until you’re fully healed!!
[Li Zhuohua]: Hurry up and recover, Little Ming. Once you’re better, I’ll come spar with you!
[This Humble Monk Huaiming]: Amitabha, yes, yes. Esteemed friends, this humble monk is still weak from his injuries and must rest now. Farewell, farewell.
[Senior Brother Huaiming Please Stop Sneaking Food]: Senior Brother, I see you! Put down that beggar’s chicken and drunken immortal wine first… Senior Brother, don’t run! Is this how someone who needs rest behaves?! I’m reporting you to the abbot!!!
Everyone: ……
Qingling Mountain and Star Moon Valley happily enjoyed the drama.
According to the skinny monk’s live updates, he eventually succeeded in confiscating the chicken and wine, earning cheers from Star Moon Valley’s little demonic creatures.
After this little farce, the creatures from Star Moon Valley found something odd.
Among Qingling Mountain’s six disciples, Xie Ziyin and Yin Xuan rarely appeared in the Xuantian group chat, but Shen Hefeng was usually active.
Yet, starting yesterday, an entire day had passed without a single word from him.
Strange, very strange.
[Jade Jade Jade Thousand Miles]: By the way, Young Three Dirt, what’s Young Brother Hefeng up to? Why hasn’t he spoken today?
Wen Shuangbai glanced to the side, shook her head, and replied on behalf of Lu Jiayao.
[Little Wen from Caiyuan Tower]: Your Young Three Dirt is busy right now—he’s feeding Shen Hefeng.
[Jade Jade Jade Thousand Miles]: ?
[I’m Little Fox!]: ?
[Senior Brother Huaiming Please Stop Sneaking Food]: ?
[This Humble Monk Huaiming]: ?
[Snappy Turtle]: ?
……
Here’s what happened.
A few days ago, after Shen Hefeng’s charred skin healed, Old Medical Cultivator Ye removed his bandages. Immediately, he eagerly began experimenting with his new heavenly lightning.
Though he had formed a contract with the Star-Moon Divine Fruit, summoning underworld lightning into the mortal realm wasn’t something he could do instantly—it required repeated practice, much like regular cultivation.
Finally, after days of relentless training, Shen Hefeng managed to produce a tiny spark of lightning yesterday morning.
At the time, Lu Jiayao and Yin Xuan were just about to leave for breakfast.
Spotting them, Shen Hefeng immediately hurled his lightning spark at them.
To put it bluntly, he had long resented Yin Xuan’s luscious silver hair and Lu Jiayao’s absurdly good luck. He just wanted to vent his frustration by zapping them.
But then, disaster struck.
First, the lightning suddenly became far more powerful than expected.
Second, after being launched, it curved back—missing Lu Jiayao and Yin Xuan entirely—and struck Shen Hefeng himself instead…
In the end, the two missed breakfast, carrying Shen Hefeng back to Old Medical Cultivator Ye to be re-bandaged.
After hearing Wen Shuangbai’s explanation, the disciples from Divine Evolution Temple and Star Moon Valley had only one response: ……Bruh.
……
Now, wrapped like a mummy by Old Medical Cultivator Ye, Shen Hefeng sat in a wheelchair specially customized for him by Wen Shuangbai.
Despite his condition, he stubbornly refused to stay in his room, insisting on joining everyone for lunch.
If he wasn’t present, they’d definitely gossip and mock him behind his back!
Still unable to feed himself a day after his injury, Shen Hefeng was at the mercy of others.
Wen Shuangbai and Xie Ziyin, the married couple, couldn’t be bothered to help. Li Zhuohua would rather break her junior brother’s hands than feed him, and Yin Xuan was too busy eating. Only the soft-hearted Lu Jiayao was willing to go hungry himself to feed Shen Hefeng first.
Yet Shen Hefeng still complained endlessly: "This meat’s too fatty, Lu Three Dirt. Get me a leaner piece… Lu Three Dirt, are you trying to scald me to death? Can’t you blow on it to cool it down?…"
Before Lu Jiayao could even get annoyed, Shen Hefeng choked on his food, coughing so violently he nearly passed out.
Wen Shuangbai laughed mercilessly. "Misfortune Feng, you never learn. Don’t you know your own luck? Daring to strike Three Dirt and Senior Brother, then mouthing off at Three Dirt—serves you right."
Shen Hefeng glared at her, lightning flickering in his eyes, as if contemplating a repeat performance.
Wen Shuangbai wasn’t fazed. "What, gonna zap me too? Go ahead. Just aim properly this time—don’t hit yourself again, okay?"
"This time, I won’t miss," Shen Hefeng retorted, puffing out his chest to show off a small jade pendant. "See this? Pavilion Master Xu visited me this morning and gave me this luck-enhancing pendant! It counteracts my misfortune!"
Xie Ziyin murmured darkly, "Then I’ll poison you first."
"…Fine. I’m in a good mood today—I won’t stoop to your level, you wretched couple," Shen Hefeng grumbled.
Lu Jiayao studied the pendant curiously. "It looks expensive, no wonder you’re so cheerful."
"That's right, this is a treasure of our Sky-Questioning Pavilion. Divination cultivators are prone to misfortune," Shen Hefeng said smugly. "But that's only part of it. There's another matter that has brought me great joy."
Everyone turned to look at him, skepticism written all over their faces: "?"
What good fortune could possibly befall this walking disaster?
"Last night, the more I thought about it, the angrier I got, so I went to the underworld to settle accounts with the Star Moon Divine Fruit," Shen Hefeng declared. "Hah! That little fruit actually had the nerve to say I shouldn’t just go around striking people with lightning, or I’d suffer backlash. Was I striking people randomly? No! I was upholding heavenly justice!"
Lu Jiayao and Yin Xuan exchanged glances: "??"
What heavenly justice? And whose justice was this supposed to be??
Ignoring their reactions, Shen Hefeng remained lost in his own triumphant world. "The little fruit said it rarely intervenes. Only twice—once in Star Moon Valley, because its tree father had arranged it beforehand, and the other time… right here in Qingzhou!"
Li Zhuohua, Yin Xuan, and Lu Jiayao were instantly intrigued. "What happened in Qingzhou that warranted the Star Moon Divine Fruit’s lightning?"
Meanwhile, Wen Shuangbai’s expression shifted subtly, and she exchanged a few covert glances with Xie Ziyin.
Under the table, Xie Ziyin traced a single character on her palm—‘house.’
Yes, his home on Qingling Mountain had been struck by lightning.
All because of the word "bro" she had said to him.
Could this be related?
"The little fruit said it sensed its father’s divine tree aura in Qingzhou!" Shen Hefeng’s face suddenly turned grave. "The Star Moon Divine Tree sacrificed itself at the Sacred Tower five hundred years ago, and its spirit vanished from this world… Do you know what this means?"
Wen Shuangbai’s heart skipped a beat, though her expression remained calm. "What?"
"It means…" Shen Hefeng suddenly grinned, wild and triumphant, utterly convinced of his own revelation. "The Star Moon Divine Tree has likely been reincarnated in Qingzhou! And I, Shen Hefeng, am its reincarnation!! The divine tree aura the little fruit detected must be mine! Truly, I am the greatest diviner under the heavens—after all, my past life was the Star Moon Divine Tree itself! Hahahaha!"
Wen Shuangbai, Xie Ziyin, Yin Xuan, Li Zhuohua, and Lu Jiayao: "…"
The five exchanged glances and nodded in silent agreement.
By the time Shen Hefeng finished celebrating and snapped back to reality, the hall was empty—all five had long since slipped away.
Soon after, a torrential downpour began outside.
Nine Million and Four Hundred, who had been out playing, rushed back inside, only to find Shen Hefeng sitting alone at the table, cursing loudly. He looked utterly pitiful.
Four Hundred couldn’t bear it and nudged Nine Million to wheel Shen Hefeng back to his room.
After this good deed, the two headed off to rest—only to spot Wen Shuangbai and Xie Ziyin snuggled together in her room. Wisely, they retreated to Xie Ziyin’s empty quarters next door.
—
To allow the disciples to recuperate properly, the rooms in the Endless House had been recently renovated for comfort.
By the window sat a plush chaise lounge.
Wen Shuangbai and Xie Ziyin leaned against it, shoulders touching, each absorbed in their own book.
Wen Shuangbai turned a page of her formation manual. The modified Xuantian Sphere Formation she had worked on earlier was just one part of the Sacred Tower scroll. The knowledge within—encompassing talismans, formations, and artifacts—was vast. Even while recovering and managing the Rainbow Fate Pavilion, she hadn’t neglected her studies.
Learning was endless, and so was the path of cultivation.
Xie Ziyin shared this sentiment. At the moment, he was poring over an abstruse medical text.
Wen Shuangbai cherished these quiet moments.
No kisses, no caresses—just the intimacy of growing together.
Recalling Shen Hefeng’s lightning revelation at lunch, she murmured, "What do you think?"
No context was needed—Xie Ziyin understood immediately. "Our meeting must be tied to the divine tree."
Their transmigration to the Xuantian Continent had to be the work of the Star Moon Divine Tree’s lingering power.
The Star Moon Divine Tree, the Star-Moon Taoist—a master of divination, capable of foreseeing the unknown.
Though five centuries had passed, making verification difficult, Xie Ziyin suspected the original novel’s plot might have been a form of the divine tree’s prophecy.
"I should’ve guessed sooner," Wen Shuangbai whispered, leaning closer. "Do you know who wrote that book?"
Xie Ziyin shook his head, matching her hushed tone. "Who?"
"A Taoist." The author’s pen name had been ‘Taoist’—unusual enough that Wen Shuangbai still remembered.
"Old Misfortune might’ve been right about one thing. The divine tree may have reincarnated. Just… not where he thinks."
The two exchanged theories in coded whispers, weaving together possibilities.
Gradually, drowsiness overtook Wen Shuangbai. She nestled into Xie Ziyin’s arms and drifted off.
She dreamed.
In the dream, on Earth, a boy was born with a star-and-moon birthmark.
From childhood, he was plagued by recurring dreams—visions of things yet to come.
As an adult, he became a Taoist priest.
Though the dream’s ending was happy, it tormented him. Driven by an inexplicable urgency, he wrote it all into a book.
The mystical essence within those pages sent Wen Shuangbai and Xie Ziyin to the Xuantian Continent.
And from that day on, the Taoist lost all his foresight.
Yet he lived free of nightmares, content at last.
……
Patter, patter.
Rain drummed against the window.
Wen Shuangbai awoke to evening, the storm still raging outside.
It was the heaviest rainfall since the grand competition ended.
Distant mountains blurred behind the downpour, veiled in mist. Raindrops streaked like threads, washing the world clean.
She lay still, watching the rain for a long moment before shifting her gaze to Xie Ziyin’s sleeping face beside her.
He still held her.
His warmth grounded her, dispelling the dream’s lingering haze and the rain’s surreal curtain.
Suddenly, she wanted to kiss him.
So she did—softly, carefully.
She hadn’t meant to wake him, but Xie Ziyin was a light sleeper.
His lashes fluttered as he smiled, voice still thick with sleep. "Hmm… dreamed a little dog was biting me…"
"Ugh, you’re the dog!" Wen Shuangbai scrambled on top of him, grabbing a pillow to smother his face.
Their laughter tangled as they wrestled, until their eyes met—
And like the rain outside, the warmth between them shimmered, then burned.
Wen Shuangbai's cheeks flushed pink under the intense gaze of the man beneath her. She reached out hesitantly, her fingers hooking shyly onto the sash of his robe, her lips parting as if to speak yet holding back.
In the next instant, with a muffled thud, the window was slammed shut by a slender, long-fingered hand. The world spun as Wen Shuangbai was pressed down onto the bed, and the kiss that followed was as relentless as the storm raging outside, drowning her senses.
...
In the rain-soaked twilight, the last traces of daylight faded into darkness. Two figures—one in pale robes, the other in dark—clung to each other in a feverish exchange of breath and touch.
The air grew thick with heat.
His sash came undone, and the crimson undergarment embroidered with a pixiu slipped silently to the floor.
No one witnessed the intimate tangle of white, dark, and red fabrics strewn across the dimly lit room.
Outside, the downpour continued unabated, its dampness seeping through the window, leaving everything drenched in a humid haze.
Xie Ziyin, clinging to the last shreds of his restraint, murmured between ragged breaths, "May I...?"
Wen Shuangbai answered with a soft whimper, "...Yes."
...
On such a night, when the rain blurs all boundaries, nothing is forbidden.
