Meeting for the First Time

As the projection of Immortal Kirin vanished, the patterns on the shadow-recording stone faded. No matter how much spiritual energy was channeled into it, it would not respond; the stone had turned to useless rock. Silence fell over the room. Jiang Lianyi opened her arms and gently embraced the Immortal Fairy, patting her back. "Don't cry anymore," she said softly. "I believe you." "Can you tell me about the me in your memories?" Lu Yang could not touch the Immortal Fairy because his soul cultivation was nowhere near proficient enough, but for Jiang Lianyi, it was effortless. "Mm!" The Immortal Fairy nodded vigorously, holding back her tears. Jiang Lianyi rose from the bed and invited the Immortal Fairy and Lu Yang to sit at the stone table, where she delicately poured tea. Curled, golden tea leaves unfurled in the cup, countless laws evolving within the brew before dissolving back into the liquid. This was for the Immortal Fairy. If Lu Yang were to take a single sip, the laws in the tea would likely dissolve him on the spot. When Jiang Lianyi personally poured a cup for Lu Yang, he hurriedly rose to offer his thanks, thoroughly overwhelmed by the honor. Lu Yang was served a different tea. Though he did not know its name, it was undeniably exquisite; its fragrance drifted at his nose, prompting his cultivation technique to circulate and cultivate on its own. "Our acquaintance began with a misunderstanding..." The Immortal Fairy began to speak, recounting how she and Jiang Lianyi had first met and become friends, detailing every memory of teaching her cooking and the Art of Playing Dead with utter clarity. "Back then, you and Ao Ling were crying and clamoring to take me as your master, but I refused. "Not long after, the two of you battled Immortal Kirin, but you were no match for his rudimentary Survival of the Fittest Dao fruit, and you lost your qualification to become immortals." She spoke of Jiang Lianyi's wedding to Immortal Kirin, their married life, attending the gatherings of the Five Immortals, the joyful conversations... The Immortal Fairy painted the scenes so vividly that Jiang Lianyi became completely engrossed, lost in her descriptions for a long time. "In the end, I lost consciousness, and when I woke up, I met Lu Yang." By the time she finished, even the Immortal Fairy herself was laughing. "Why are you crying?" The Immortal Fairy noticed that Jiang Lianyi was sitting dazed, her gaze hollow, letting tears stream down her cheeks and drip onto the table. "Huh? Ah..." Jolted by the Immortal Fairy's words, Jiang Lianyi snapped out of her daze as if waking from a dream. Wiping away her tears, she apologized with a forced smile. "I'm sorry, excuse my unsightly display. I don't know why, but I just couldn't hold back the tears." Was it out of pity for the Immortal Fairy—who had awakened only to find her old friends gone and the world having completely forgotten her? Or was it pity that despite such a tragic fate, the fairy remained entirely oblivious, still living carefree and untroubled? Or was it something else? Jiang Lianyi did not know. She dried her tears, drew two deep breaths to steady herself, and regained her usual poised and noble demeanor. "The Jiang Lianyi in your memories resembles me very much, and the details you described do not seem fabricated. But I truly have no memory of anything you said. Without experiencing them myself, I cannot truly empathize. "Deep in my heart, a voice has been telling me over and over to believe you, to believe you. And my husband said the same. "I choose to believe you. Unfortunately, I have no impression of those experiences. I am not the peerless talent of the Phoenix Clan you remember, nor can I pretend to be. "So—" Jiang Lianyi rose, extending her hand with a smile. "Can we get to know each other anew? I am Jiang Lianyi." The Immortal Fairy stood up and took her hand, returning the smile. "I am Huang Doudou." The two shook hands and exchanged a smile, like strangers meeting for the first time, yet also like old friends who had known each other forever. Jiang Lianyi then walked over to Lu Yang, startling him. He had no idea what this Ancient Ancestor intended to do. Jiang Lianyi said solemnly, "Thank you for resurrecting Sister Immortal. On behalf of Xiao Ling and my husband, I thank you!" With that, Jiang Lianyi bowed deeply, startling Lu Yang so much that he scrambled to his feet, babbling that he couldn't possibly accept this as he tried to help her up. Yet Jiang Lianyi was a dignified half-immortal. How could Lu Yang possibly budge her? Even with all his strength, he could not make the hem of her sleeve budge a fraction of an inch. He could only watch helplessly as Jiang Lianyi bowed and straightened up, his calves trembling beneath him. "Can you tell us what happened before you cast the Art of Playing Dead?" the Immortal Fairy asked. "Of course." The three resumed their seats, and Jiang Lianyi began to recall the past. "At the time, I was cultivating when a sudden wave of dizziness washed over me. It felt as though I had forgotten something immensely important, leaving my heart completely hollow. Yet when I tried to recall it, I couldn't remember what it was that I had forgotten. "My husband was guarding my cultivation. His expression changed drastically, filled with extreme fury; rage blazed in his eyes. I had never seen him so enraged before. "My husband revealed his true Kirin form, fully unleashing his pressure until the entire galaxy trembled. Being the closest, I felt it most acutely. Even I could barely endure that pressure; it was terrifyingly immense. "My husband flew out of the immortal cave and headed north, crossing countless galaxies, and seemed to have stopped somewhere around the North Star. "Only then did I realize that it wasn't just my husband—Ying Tian, Jiu Zhong, and Suiyue all showed the exact same fury, perhaps even greater. "All four immortals struck at once. The entire universe could sense their auras. That boundless wrath made even my heart tremble, as if it would incinerate everything in existence. "Though the four of them often sparred, trading moves, and it wasn't unheard of for them to work up real fury, none of their clashes had ever been like this. "I didn't know who their opponent was either. I only remember that the battle raged for seven days and seven nights without a victor. "The level of that battle was far too high, well beyond the scope of my understanding. Please forgive me for being unable to describe it in detail. "Whether their opponent vanished or something else happened, I do not know. In the end, the four of them used the power of their Dao fruits to refine the stars filling the sky into six continents, assembling them into a cube to seal away all living beings—including the four of them. "My husband returned gravely wounded. He told me the situation was fraught and confusing, and urged me to immediately cast the Art of Playing Dead, leaving the rest for him to handle. "Seeing how solemn he was, I didn't doubt him for a moment. I cast the Art of Playing Dead and fell into a deathlike slumber. "And when I woke again, I met the two of you." The Immortal Fairy nodded. "So, this mystic realm wasn't created by you, but by Immortal Kirin?" "At the very least, I have no recollection of this mystic realm. I know nothing about a first or second floor." "What are your plans now? Will you leave this place with us?" "May I ask, how long have I been asleep?" "Roughly three hundred thousand years. Your Phoenix Clan is now the greatest clan in the Demon Domain, and they revere you as their Ancient Ancestor. There are plenty of legends about you out there." "I've actually slept for so long?" Jiang Lianyi was astonished. She had assumed a few tens of thousands of years at most had passed. After so long, what had become of the cultivation world? "Then let us go out and look around." Jiang Lianyi grew deeply curious about the outside world. "By the way, there's one more thing I felt embarrassed to bring up earlier." Jiang Lianyi considered it; holding it in felt too uncomfortable. "Go ahead." "Could you wear some more formal clothes?" Jiang Lianyi looked the Immortal Fairy up and down. This style of dress was far too rugged. "No." "Oh."