At the break of dawn, the faint sound of waves outside the window lulled one into sweet dreams.
Li Fei was indeed having a sweet dream—she dreamt of the early days when she and Lei Xiuyuan first fell in love. Unlike Ye Ye Changyue and other publicly acknowledged couples, Lei Xiuyuan rarely engaged in overly intimate gestures with her in front of others, perhaps only occasionally draping an arm over her shoulder. But in private, he was surprisingly bold and unrestrained.
Their first kiss had been right here by the Eastern Sea. People often said that young girls harbored springtime desires, and she was no exception. While secretly admiring Lei Xiuyuan, she had indulged in fantasies of bold, forbidden things—of being truly embraced by him, of being kissed with heartfelt passion.
But Lei Xiuyuan had always been a bit of a handful. Whether it was mischief or simply his nature, he often teased her more than anything else.
In her sleep, Li Fei felt a tickling sensation on her eyelids. When she startled awake, the faint morning light fell upon a pair of dark eyes—Lei Xiuyuan was gently brushing his fingertips over her eyebrows and lashes.
Being woken by his mischief like this was nothing new. Still half-asleep, she frowned and pushed him away in mock annoyance.
Drowsy, she mumbled and tried to turn over to continue her sweet dream, but then something felt off. The morning light fell on the boy’s hair and shoulders—he wasn’t wearing any underwear.
Li Fei froze for a long moment, her blood rushing to her head. Her face flushed crimson in an instant, and it took her a while to find her voice. "You—what are you…?"
Lei Xiuyuan twirled a lock of her hair and slowly brushed it against her face, sighing. "If the Mountain Spirit refuses to crawl under the covers, then this Divine Envoy must stoop to do it himself."
Li Fei made one last attempt at resistance. "Didn’t we agree to talk properly after waking up?"
He gently bumped his forehead against hers. "We’re talking now."
She gave him a look that was half-annoyed, half-teasing. "What if I kick you out?"
Lei Xiuyuan nipped her lip. "Then I’ll have to say sorry first."
The two slender black horns at his temples had already emerged, and golden light flickered in his eyes as he took her hand, as if inviting her touch. Li Fei lightly traced the tips of her fingers over the two horns—and the next moment, she was tightly encircled by arms as hot and unyielding as iron.
When she woke again, the sky was fully bright. Li Fei had curled herself into a ball under the blankets. The sunlight streaming through the window was too much for her, and she hurriedly pulled the covers over her face. The slight movement caught the attention of Lei Xiuyuan, who was sitting at the table writing. He leaned over and gently patted the blanket cocoon, murmuring, "Awake? Hungry? What do you want to eat?"
Li Fei poked her head out from under the covers, blinking at him in confusion before shaking her head. Then she reached out a hand to grip his sleeve. "What are you doing?"
"Still so groggy," he chuckled, scooping up the blanket cocoon and cradling her in his arms as he returned to the table to continue writing. With each stroke of the brush, he’d either kiss her cheek or blow a playful puff of air at her.
Gradually coming to her senses, Li Fei noticed he was filling a blank notebook with dense writing—names and characteristics of the tribes whose corpses they’d collected in the Lesser World. Who would’ve thought he shared Master’s hobby of compiling such records?She studied it for a long while before suddenly pointing at where he had written: "If you could draw, wouldn't it be better to include an illustration? Also, while we have the tribe names, we lack their origins—which islands they're from, what their local customs are like—all these could be written down. It'd be wonderful to compile them into books later."
"You're quite ambitious." Lei Xiuyuan set down his brush, rubbing his wrist before gently pulling her hair out from under the blanket and smoothing it with his fingers. "Even if completed, it would fill dozens of volumes. Yet all this effort might still go to waste."
She undoubtedly wanted to leave these experiences for the Central Land Immortals, but like the Spirit Stele, there was a ninety percent chance they would be sealed away again.
Li Fei said, "Being sealed away now doesn't mean they'll still be sealed four hundred years later. I have another idea—you compile records of overseas matters, and I'll write about the Central Land for people abroad to read. Wouldn't that be more interesting?"
Lei Xiuyuan shook his head. "The only thing enviable about the Central Land is its spiritual energy. Beyond that, there's nothing particularly unique. The demons and Ferocious beasts found here are almost all present overseas as well."
"Who says so?" Li Fei glared at him. "Didn't Ri Yan say the Mirage Dragon is a Ferocious beast that doesn't exist overseas? Oh, right—this is the Eastern Sea, where Mirage Dragons appear. Should we go catch one to see? I've never seen what a Mirage Dragon looks like."
Lei Xiuyuan pondered for a moment. "Mirage Dragons create illusions, unlike other beasts. Even the strongest can perish if they can't distinguish reality from fantasy. It's too dangerous—better not go."
Li Fei looped her arms around his neck and smiled reassuringly. "This time, I have absolute confidence. No illusion will deceive me."
Lei Xiuyuan kissed the tip of her nose and chuckled softly. "Aren't you worried about me? I'm quite fragile."
"I'll protect you," Li Fei said, bumping her forehead against his.
After many years away, the Eastern Sea had become utterly unfamiliar, with not a trace left of its former self. Ji Tongzhou gazed quietly at the unfamiliar scenery, unsure whether he felt loss or relief.
Over four hundred years, he had traveled many places—the wastelands of the northwest, the barbarian mountains of the south—yet he had never once returned to the Eastern Sea.
Many things had happened here, and whether he wished to admit it or not, they remained etched in his memory. The unfamiliar scenery kept those memories from surging too violently—perhaps a good thing.
Ji Jingwu was visiting the Eastern Sea for the first time. The bright-eyed boy forgot all his earlier gloom the moment he saw the ocean and couldn't stop asking, "Master! Master! Is that the sea?"
Ji Tongzhou replied indifferently, "Yes, it's the sea. You'll have plenty of time to grow tired of it—no need for such excitement."
He scanned the surroundings, his brow furrowing slightly. It was already past mid-morning, a time when most elders and Celestials of the Myriad Immortals Assembly should be in their sects guiding disciples in cultivation. Yet the number of Celestials lingering in this city was unusually high, and they seemed to be covertly searching for something. Along the way, countless eyes had scrutinized him warily.
It appeared something had happened within the Myriad Immortals Assembly.
Seeing Ji Jingwu still hopping around like a monkey—a habit he particularly disliked—Ji Tongzhou said coldly, "If you love jumping so much, I'll have you jump nonstop for a day when we return."
Ji Jingwu immediately held his breath and followed quietly behind, not daring to move even his hands.Ji Tongzhou flew forward slowly on his sword. As he neared the shoreline, a sudden sense of familiarity struck him—ah yes, this should be where Jiang Li Fei had once created the Spirit Stele.
Instinctively, he turned his gaze toward the stele's location, only to freeze in shock. The spot was completely empty. Instead, a crowd of ordinary mortals had gathered in a circle around the marked-off vacant space, pointing and murmuring among themselves.
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