WebNovels

Chapter 60 - Person in the Painting

​​The borrowed residence was no small place—a three-courtyard compound stood empty, save for a single vibrant woman seated at the entrance of the first courtyard. Her features bore a resemblance to Zhao Ping'er, but where the girl's charm was tender and youthful, this woman's beauty bloomed like a flower in full splendor.​​

"Elder, men and women should observe propriety. A lone man and woman sharing a dwelling is unseemly. Might we find another place?" Zhao Xunan murmured, his voice tentative. The mountain spirit blinked, her tone soft.

"You overthink, Young Master. Amu existed in the Kala Secret Realm long before my spirit awoke. Even I, a mountain spirit, cannot fathom her origins. Your years are but a child's to her—'lone man and woman' is hardly the right term."

With that, the spirit bowed to the woman gathering vegetables and left Zhao alone.

"..."

Zhao was at a loss. Beyond the formal address, he couldn't even decide what to call her. Aunt? Elder Sister? Granny? The woman's radiant beauty made it impossible to utter any of these.

He cleared his throat, stepping forward. "Amu… Granny, I'll trouble you these days."

"Ha!" Amu laughed, her eyes crinkling with mirth. "What do you call me?"

Her directness left Zhao flustered. Her gaze held a warmth that made his face redden. "Gr… Granny?"

"Such a tongue-tied man. Can't you just say 'lass'?" Amu teased, brushing a strand of hair from her ear. Under the bright sun, her beauty took on an otherworldly glow.

"L… Lass Amu, then." Zhao stammered, his right hand clutching his chest as his heart raced. The face felt familiar—yet he couldn't place it.

"Silly boy, follow me. I'll arrange your quarters. After all these years apart, you're still as clumsy as ever!"

Amu set down her basket, brushing dirt from her hands, and pulled Zhao toward the house without hesitation. Their fingers brushed—Zhao's heart nearly leaped from his throat. Her delicate, jade-like fingers seemed to weave a spell, drawing him along.

A flood of familiarity surged. Heat burned in his chest, and the woman's name slipped from his lips: "Qingluan'er?!"

Amu whirled, her eyes widening with surprise. "You… you still remember?"

Memories flooded in—Zhao's mind reeled with visions of the night he'd gotten the Beauty-Finger ring, of Qingluan'er and this woman, identical in every way.

"I… I don't know. How is this possible?" Zhao stammered, his face pale.

Amu's smile faded, replaced by a tender sigh. "It matters not. To reunite, even briefly, is enough. After eons apart, I'm content."

She buried her face in his chest, tears streaming. Zhao, raised on formalities, stiffened—but soon wrapped her in a tight embrace. His heart ached, as if he'd reclaimed a love lost long ago.

Once settled, they sat on the roof, Amu's head resting on Zhao's shoulder. She pointed to the blazing sun. "It should be a full moon, but now it's just this harsh three-legged crow. No romance at all."

Zhao clasped her hand. "Amu, can you tell me… the past you've forgotten?"

Amu's smile dimmed. She shook her head, lips trembling. "That's not your past. Two flowers may bloom alike, but the latter isn't the former. What you remember… it's Heaven's mischief, a drunken whim."

Her words were light, but her eyes reddened again. She buried her face in his chest, sobbing. "...You sound like you're teasing a child."

Zhao chuckled, holding her close. Though they'd just met, it felt like a bond spanning a hundred lifetimes—as natural as left and right hands, no need to look to know.

"Who was that 'child'? Your wife in this life?" Amu lifted her tear-streaked face, a hint of pout in her tone.

Zhao laughed, shaking his head. "Not blood kin, but she's the dearest person in this world to me…"

He spoke of his life, and Amu listened, her fingers tracing his face. "To think you've suffered so in this life—so different from your past."

"'Different'? What do you mean?"

Amu pouted. "You misunderstood. That wasn't you—it was another flower!"

Zhao huffed, amused. She was as stubborn as he. This confirmed it: Amu was his lost love, the one erased from his memories.

"Tell me about your past," he whispered, pulling her close.

"I can't. I'm but a morning dew, a fleeting tear of the past. Heaven grants me existence—meeting you is more than I deserve. But greed… I wish to linger a little longer."

Her words were a lullaby, and Zhao held her tighter, fearing she'd vanish if he let go.

In the days that followed, they wandered the Kala Secret Realm hand in hand. Amu's laughter rang like bells, astonishing the realm's inhabitants, who'd never seen her so joyful. Zhao gazed at her, entranced—never had he imagined a woman could capture his heart so completely.

He understood now: Why do men say 'love beauty over kingdoms'? When your heart holds someone, empires and crowns mean nothing.

Five days later, the mountain spirit returned. Zhao waved goodbye, saying, "I'll return once the formation's repaired. Wait for me!"

Amu nodded, waving brightly—but when his figure vanished, she sank to her knees and wept. The spirit knew: repairing the formation required a celestial's power. Zhao was but a Qi Refiner—how could he defy fate?

"Use earth spirits to fill the cracks first. Then, with the Peach Blossom Joy Brush and your blood, mend it. That's the only way I can think of!"

The spirit handed Zhao a bag of yellow stones, then a leather pouch. "Why's this empty?"

Shaking it, Zhao frowned. The spirit grinned, drawing a knife and stabbing her chest. Green blood poured out. "For something this important… fresh is best."

"..." Zhao's jaw dropped, staring at the gruesome sight.

"That's enough—just refill it!"

When the pouch was half-full, Zhao stopped her. The spirit healed her wound with a rub, then said earnestly, "Do your best. If it fails… use the brush. Better to sleep than perish."

Zhao nodded. Amu was in Kala—he'd die before letting the realm crumble.

Carrying the pouch, Zhao followed the spirit to a wild mountain. After ninety-nine steps, the wind howled, and the view cleared: a flattened hill, centering a green formation with a jagged crack.

"Elder, these stones won't be enough!" Zhao said, shaking the bag.

The spirit smiled. "Enough. These are three mountain's worth of earth-elemental ore. Nine stones—three mountains."

Zhao gazed at the stones, then stepped into the formation. The spirit retreated, nervous.

At the crack, Zhao froze. The formation's barrier was paper-thin—his divine sense plunged into emptiness.

He tossed a stone into the crack. It dissolved into mud, sealing the breach inch by inch. By the eighth stone, the crack vanished.

But the formation split, marked by a yellow streak.

The spirit cheered. "Now, paint the core!"

Zhao dipped the Peach Blossom Joy Brush into his warm green blood. At the core, he stroke—

"Boom!"

The brush's tip touched the formation. Distant mountains crumbled, colorful dust filling the sky like apocalyptic rain.

Zhao's heart raced. He calculated—Heaven and earth crumble, returning to dust—sweat pouring from his brow.

"Hurry, to the core!" the spirit cried. The realm was collapsing—mountains sinking, earth fissuring.

Zhao's breath hitched. Amu… I don't want to lose you.

He stabbed the brush into the core.

Instantly, night cloaked the Kala Secret Realm. Amu looked up, tears streaming. "I beg Heaven—grant me ten more years with Fengfan. Even if I fade, it's worth it!"

A light bloomed, then vanished. The realm fell into darkness.

Zhao opened his eyes to a blue sky, dazed. Had it been a dream? A sweet, otherworldly dream of a love he'd never known?

He laughed at himself—falling from a treetop and passing out. What a fool I am.

Standing, he brushed dirt from his clothes. A silver brush and a yellow stone fell—his eyes widened. It wasn't a dream.

He leaped to a treetop, racing toward the crystals. Reaching the ​​Thicket of Thorns​, he slashed with Tianji: "Open!"

The ground split, revealing the crystal cave—intact.

Zhao ran, desperate to see that face again.

Ahead, a faint light glowed—different from the cave's. His heart surged. He slashed through vines, bursting into the sunlight.

His breath caught.

The Kala Secret Realm was gone. Before him stood a pine-clad peak, its cliff painted with a faded mural: mountains, rivers, a village, and Amu, smiling up at him.

Zhao's hand trembled as he brushed her faded face. Tears streamed. This is the pain of a lifetime.

A faint light flared from the mural, vanishing into the Beauty-Finger ring. Zhao smiled through his tears.

Kala wasn't gone—it was sealed.

He swallowed healing herbs, pricked his tongue for blood, and dipped the Peach Blossom Joy Brush.

"Heaven and earth may crumble… but I'll bring you back."

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