He looked utterly sincere, and Qi Bi naturally thanked him. But after saying that, she gave a bitter smile. “You play a tune,” she said, “and even that turns into a talk about cultivation. Don’t tell me that in this world, everything has to be about attaining the Dao and ascending?”

Her tone was still fairly gentle, but Li Xun could hear a touch of grievance and reproach in it.

Li Xun understood and followed her lead, replying, “Of course not everything in this world is about becoming an immortal. But for people like us, cultivation is always the ultimate goal. In the sect, who doesn’t want to be the next Immortal Master Zhong Yin? So when it comes to cultivation, it’s naturally what matters most…”

He said a few words, then suddenly realized something. “Did Senior Brother Wenhai mention this too?” he asked in surprise. “What for?”

Qi Bi hesitated, but when she met Li Xun’s earnest and gentle gaze, somehow the words slipped out: “I want a child!”

Li Xun thought to himself, so it really is that, while his face turned into a perfect picture of shock. “A child?”

Qi Bi herself was bewildered as to why she had blurted out something so private, and her face flushed with shame. But when she saw Li Xun’s reaction was almost exactly the same as Wenhai’s, anger surged up in her chest. It swept away her restraint, and she said with firm resolve, “That’s right. I want a child. Is that so wrong?”

“Why do women always want a child?”

Li Xun was half putting on an act, but mostly he was genuinely puzzled.

In that moment, his thoughts turned naturally to Lin Ge and the Demon Phoenix. Back then, that earth-shaking web of love and hatred... hadn’t it all begun because of a small life that never should have appeared?

He understood the event itself clearly enough, yet the reason behind it still eluded him.

Of course, he would never say something like that out loud. After hesitating, he finally said, “Well… giving birth through dual cultivation is considered a major taboo on the path. Having a child may be a blessing, but if it shakes the very foundation of your cultivation, Senior Sister, then that would be…”

“The foundation can be rebuilt. What are a few decades lost to a child, compared to the thousands of years we have ahead of us?”

Qi Bi had clearly been holding this in for a long time. At this moment, she was speaking to Li Xun as if he were Wenhai himself. The gentle woman he knew now sounded almost sharp.

“Becoming an immortal may be the ultimate goal, yes, but before that, there’s a long road. And on that road, must there be nothing but cultivation? Always talking about progress on the path. Ha, as if the Great Dao can be measured in increments. In the end, are we trying to reach immortality itself, or are we just competing with others for it? Are we struggling against heaven, or merely against other people?”

Competing with others for the Dao? Struggling with people instead of heaven?

Li Xun knew that Qi Bi was treating him as if he were Wenhai, lecturing him in his place. And precisely because of that, he felt her words carried information of real value.

Who exactly was Wenhai competing with?

In the entire Mingxin Sword Sect, was there anything he needed to fight over?

He had a vague sense that something lay beneath it all, but he quickly pulled himself back and looked at the agitated Qi Bi. A wave of emotion stirred in him.

For some reason, his thoughts today seemed unusually wide-ranging. A moment ago he had thought of Lin Ge and the Demon Phoenix, and now he remembered what Shui Die Lan had once said.

Recalling Shui Die Lan’s reflections on the bonds between men and women, Li Xun felt a deep confusion. Could it be that love truly cannot last? That its span is no more than a few decades?

The Demon Phoenix and Lin Ge had proven so. Qi Bi and Wenhai seemed to be drifting in that direction as well. From that angle, Shui Die Lan’s words rang true.

But then there was one more pair… Qingyin and Jade Wanderer.

Their bond had endured for more than a thousand years. How had they managed that?

It was a true puzzle.

Li Xun had the sense he was on the verge of understanding something, yet he couldn’t put it into words.

Qi Bi’s mood clearly wasn’t right. By all reason, he ought to comfort her, but his mind was in such disorder that even he didn’t know what he had just said.

It was only with the passing of time that Qi Bi gradually calmed down. Realizing that the two of them had been talking completely at cross purposes, and that her flare of temper at Li Xun had no real justification, the anger in her chest suddenly collapsed. She couldn’t help but laugh, and in her laughter she quickly brushed away the fresh trace of tears on her cheeks.

Li Xun pretended not to notice. He decided not to press the matter any further.

But before he could change the subject, Qi Bi spoke first. “Junior Brother Xun, where are you headed?”

“Haven’t been back to the mountain in a long time. Just wandering around…”

He had only spoken casually, but Qi Bi immediately read something more into it. “Wandering… Junior Brother Xun, I’m going to the summit to gather herbs. Would you care to come along? We could stop by and see the residences of the two Immortal Masters on the way!”

By “the two Immortal Masters,” of course she meant Zhong Yin and Qingyin.

Judging from Qi Bi’s expression, she was clearly another one of those who believed Zhong Yin and Qingyin had taken special notice of him. At this point, though, he no longer had the energy to argue.

“Uh… sure!”

In a situation like this, Li Xun didn’t even have the chance to refuse.

Still, Li Xun found Qi Bi’s behavior a little unusual. He suspected she was using this outing as an excuse to avoid seeing Wenhai.

That alone suggested how strained things between the two of them must have become.

Of course, after the complete failure of his earlier “peacemaking attempt,” even if the couple really did split up for good, Li Xun had no intention of playing the meddler again.

So he chose to play dumb, and instead deliberately shared a few amusing stories from his travels outside, chatting and laughing with Qi Bi along the way.

By the time they arrived at their destination, it was already the evening of the third day.

Li Xun had naturally conserved his strength on the journey, but from what he could see of Qi Bi’s cultivation, it seemed she had made very little progress over the past sixty years.

The thought flickered across his mind and was gone, for his attention was soon caught by the strangely familiar scenery around them.

The wind brushing through the treetops made a sound like Qi Bi’s flute, mournful and lingering.

Beyond the sparse woods lay a stretch of water, and at once the view opened wide. A little farther on, by the lakeshore, stood a most elegant bamboo lodge.

The moment he laid eyes on the bamboo lodge, it felt as if someone had slammed a fist into his chest.  And at the same time, a burning poison seemed to flare up in his heart.

He had thought he was prepared, that he had buried those feelings deep enough. But when it came down to it, he still couldn’t hold himself together.

Qi Bi, walking ahead, didn’t notice his face twisting slightly. She stepped forward and gently pushed the door open.

“This is the place the immortal masters clean most often. Just my master alone comes here every couple of months… Speaking of which, junior brother, even if you haven’t stayed on the mountain much, you must have been here more than a few times.”

The truth was, not once.

Li Xun sneered inwardly and followed Qi Bi inside, glancing around.

Even with the light fading, he could see the bamboo lodge was spotless. Clearly, Qingming and Qi Bi hadn’t been exaggerating.

The furnishings had been kept exactly as they were when the owner left. Even the jade flute left casually on the table rested at the same angle as when Qingyin had set it down sixty years ago.

Looking at this all-too-familiar scene, Li Xun felt his mind drift for a moment.

It was here that he had learned the flute from Qingyin, kept her company, and made her laugh. Back then, could he ever have imagined what things would look like now?

Now Qingyin was probably lying in someone else’s arms, learning the flute from him, talking with him, making him smile… And when she happened to bring up that foolish boy from Lianxia Mountain, what kind of mocking look would she wear?

Qi Bi had meant to say something to him, but when she saw the dark expression on his face, she assumed he was simply overcome with memories and feeling sad. Of course, what she thought “sad” meant was completely different from the truth.

Being a considerate person, she didn’t press him. The dusk was growing heavier, and after a moment of thought she stepped into the inner room and came back carrying something.

Li Xun’s eyes lit up. The sudden glow flooded the outer hall with light, catching the eye immediately.

Looking up, he saw Qi Bi walking out with a crystal-like round stone in her hands. But unlike ordinary crystal, the natural patterns within the stone shifted under the glow, forming what looked very much like the ancient seal script for the word “Forget.”

“Sitting Forgetfulness Stone?”

The glow slowly dimmed, leaving the stone dull and gray. Qi Bi brushed her fingers lightly across its surface, and the light flared to life again.

Yes, that was it.

This was the rare treasure of Zuowang Peak. The Sitting Forgetfulness Stone.

When Li Xun had climbed the peak all those years ago, he had carried one himself. Later, Qingyin had used it on him to confirm the fate of his Solitary Calamity Mark.

But the stone was truly rare. In more than seventy years since entering the sect, he had seen only the one he once held. The one before him now was the second.

“This Sitting Forgetfulness Stone has always been kept in the drawer of the Immortal Master’s dressing table. I just brought it out for us to use.” Qi Bi, ever the caring senior sister, smiled. “It’s getting late. Let’s rest here for a while. You tidy up the room, and I’ll step outside to find some fruit.”

The place was spotless, of course. “Tidying up” was just an excuse. Clearly, Qi Bi’s real intention was to let Li Xun rest.

In the light of the stone, Li Xun could see the faint weariness showing on her face. No doubt the toll of flying three days and nights without pause.

On any other day, even if only for appearance’s sake, Li Xun would never have let her tire herself further. But tonight, weighed down by his own gloom, his thoughts slipped. Startled for a moment by her words, he simply nodded and let her go.

Only after Qi Bi had stepped outside did he realize it wasn’t right. By then it was too late. She was already far away. Left behind, he ran his hand across the table as if to make up for it, only to find not the slightest trace of dust.

He sighed, knowing there was nothing else for him to do for now, and prepared to sit and wait.

But just as the thought formed, a sudden feeling stirred in his chest.

Huh? Back so soon? He turned around, smoothing his expression and greeting with a smile. “Senior Sister Qi....”

Before the words were out, someone else stepped through the door. Their eyes met, and both were caught off guard.

“Li Xun?”

“Fourth Martial Aunt?”