The Last Immortal

Extra Story

Bai Xuanyin returned to the imperial city, travel-worn and weary. Still in her military attire, she entered Linlang Pavilion before she even had a chance to change.

Emperor Ning'an, who had waited all night, did not see his valiant and battle-hardened commander. Instead, he heard that Bai Xuanyin had entered the red-light district. He smashed two glazed lamps in the imperial study and, gritting his teeth in the middle of the night, issued a curfew order.

The Minister of Justice crawled out of bed to seal up the brothels all over the city. When his patrol reached Linlang Pavilion and he saw Marshal Bai lounging in a world of pleasure, listening to the qin, he finally understood what was going on. He trembled for a long while before stammering out a sentence.

"Marshal Bai, His Majesty is waiting for you to enter the palace for an audience and report on the military situation."

"I took three of the Northern Desert's cities. The rewards can be discussed tomorrow. It's the middle of the night. He can't sleep, so why is he tormenting me?!" Bai Xuanyin lay on Tao'er's lap, eating grapes with a roguish look on her face.

The Minister of Justice trembled even more violently. The elegant music beside them had not stopped. He glanced up and, upon seeing the person playing the qin, abruptly swallowed a mouthful of bitterness. In the entire Dajing Dynasty, the only one who would dare to keep Bai Xuanyin for a private concert in the middle of the night was the dynasty's number one qin master, Xie Ziqing.

To be called the nation's foremost qin master was not just about playing well. Xie Ziqing's cultivation had reached a state of perfection. Back when the Northern Desert rebelled, Dajing had no generals to defend its borders, and the three northern cities were in imminent danger. Xie Ziqing had appeared out of nowhere, his music repelling three armies and single-handedly forcing the Northern Desert's tens of thousands of troops to retreat. The Son of Heaven had wished to grant him land and a marquisate, but he had simply arrived in the imperial capital in plain clothes and turned around to enter Linlang Pavilion. Since then, Linlang Pavilion's fame had soared, and the world's powerful and noble flocked to it, all for the sake of hearing a single piece from Xie Ziqing and hoping to gain some good favor. Xie Ziqing only performed once a year, on the fifteenth day of the first lunar month. It was unthinkable that he would be willing to play for Bai Xuanyin alone in the dead of night.

The Minister of Justice's beady eyes darted between the two of them, a thousand speculations swirling in his mind, though none showed on his face.

"Go back to your sleep. This marshal will naturally go to the palace to pay my respects first thing in the morning," Bai Xuanyin said, waving her hand lazily to dismiss the Minister of Justice.

One was Dajing's commander-in-chief who held military power, the other was a grandmaster renowned throughout the land. The Minister of Justice silently withdrew from Linlang Pavilion.

From beginning to end, Xie Ziqing had kept his eyes lowered, playing his qin, not sparing the crowd even a sliver of a glance. He was otherworldly and ethereal, as if the affairs of the world had nothing to do with him.

Outside Linlang Pavilion, the deputy general had a conflicted look on his face. "Sir, are we just going to let Marshal Bai rest here for the night?"

The Minister of Justice glared. "Do you dare to drag her out?"

The deputy general shook his head like a pellet drum.

The Minister of Justice gazed at the brightly lit Linlang Pavilion, his eyes narrowed. "This Xie Ziqing is far too bold. Although the marriage agreement between Marshal Bai and His Majesty was annulled long ago, he still, he still..."

The Minister of Justice muttered for a long time, but he never dared to say the words "has some nerve." With a dejected look, he led his soldiers away.

When Emperor Ning'an in the palace learned that Bai Xuanyin was staying at Linlang Pavilion, he smashed another set of white jade porcelain. Yet, he could only sit alone in the imperial study all night with reddened eyes.

What could he do? Back then, to consolidate his power, he had married the princess of Southern Qin. He had personally issued the decree to annul his marriage agreement with the Bai family, forcing a sixteen-year-old Bai Xuanyin to don armor and go to war. A dozen years had passed in a flash. Bai Xuanyin had defended the northern frontier for him, becoming his most trusted general. Between them, only the propriety between a sovereign and a subject remained.

Emperor Ning'an let out a deep sigh. The young emperor already had a few scattered white hairs at his temples.

Inside Linlang Pavilion, Xie Ziqing finished his piece. Bai Xuanyin let out a long breath, and her pale face, hidden in the candlelight, regained a hint of color. The Minister of Justice, long accustomed to a life of mundane peace, could not smell the stench of blood on her. He had no idea that the commander-in-chief, having just returned from the frontier, was already a spent force.

"Thanks," Bai Xuanyin said to Xie Ziqing with a lazy smile. She dismissed the serving maids, unfastened her armor, and revealed the blood-soaked inner clothes beneath.

Xie Ziqing's expression did not change. He only said, "If you enter the Northern Desert again, even with me healing you year after year, this ailing body of yours won't last many more years."

"I'll last as long as I can," Bai Xuanyin said, unconcerned. She picked up a pot of wine, walked to the window, and drank it down in one gulp, gazing toward the imperial palace. "I can't just watch him struggle alone. With me here, his throne is more secure."

Xie Ziqing said nothing, merely looking at Bai Xuanyin, his transcendent eyes devoid of any emotion.

Bai Xuanyin walked back to the couch and waved at Xie Ziqing. "Come on, the night is still young. Let's play another game. I'll definitely beat you this time!"

The corner of Xie Ziqing's mouth hooked up in a light sneer. "In your dreams."

Ever since Xie Ziqing had saved her in Junxian City, Bai Xuanyin had rarely seen him smile. For a moment, she was stunned, and a ripple spread through her heart of iron.

"What is it?" Xie Ziqing picked up a game piece and looked over. Bai Xuanyin was jolted back to her senses and quickly sat back down on the couch, muttering to herself, "A walking disaster."

"Who's a walking disaster?" Xie Ziqing frowned at Bai Xuanyin. Her eyes widened, and she blurted out, "I said Han Xiao is a walking disaster, making me work like a horse!"

"Oh." Xie Ziqing placed a piece on the board, noncommittal.

After playing a few moves, Bai Xuanyin suddenly looked up at Xie Ziqing. "An immortal?"

Xie Ziqing's hand paused. He looked at Bai Xuanyin, his eyes showing just the right amount of surprise. "What?"

Bai Xuanyin waved her hand and gave a dry laugh. "Nothing, nothing."

Did I say that out loud just now? Wasn't I just complaining in my head?

Bai Xuanyin figured that after rushing a thousand li and being heavily injured, she must have misremembered. She blinked and immersed herself in the fierce battle of the board game once more.

Xie Ziqing's lips curved, a hint of a smile in his eyes.

As the morning sun rose, the bells of dawn echoed across the imperial city. The faint laughter of young noblemen galloping through the streets could be heard. Bai Xuanyin stretched and put down her game piece.

"Alright, it's dawn. I'm going to report to Han Xiao."

Bai Xuanyin changed into a court robe and waved at Xie Ziqing.

The valiant and battle-hardened great general's heart and mind were solely focused on hurrying to the palace to see the emperor. She had no time to spare a glance for the deeply affectionate eyes behind her.

The ancient qin on the table shimmered slightly and transformed into an ancient sword. With a flash of spiritual light, the sword turned into a young man.

The youth stood behind Xie Ziqing, his face filled with pity.

"Divine Lord, why must you do this? No matter how much you do, she won't remember you."

Xie Ziqing stood by the window, watching Bai Xuanyin's lone rider kick up a cloud of dust. The hand hidden in his sleeve slowly clenched into a fist.

Several more years passed. Dajing's frontiers saw victory after victory, and all fifteen cities of the Northern Desert were brought under Dajing's rule.

The imperial city, however, was not at peace. Emperor Ning'an had only ever taken one empress and three consorts, all daughters of high-ranking court officials, but he only had three princesses. To prevent the Dajing line from ending, the imperial clan was dizzy with the task of choosing a successor from among the emperor's nephews, and the court was plagued by constant disputes.

Bai Xuanyin, however, was in a city in the northern desert. She had shed her armor for a plain dress and paid no mind to worldly affairs.

By her side, there was still only one person: the qin master, Xie Ziqing.

In a courtyard in Dibei City, the woman leaning on a couch received a message from the imperial city. She tossed it aside casually, her eyes no longer showing the emotional turmoil of her youth.

Her face was thin, her expression serene, and her lips were a pale shade. She looked at the qin master sitting under a tree. "I want to hear 'A Male Phoenix Seeks His Mate' today. Ziqing, play it for me."

Xie Ziqing was still dressed in white. He answered softly, "Alright."

The ethereal sound of the qin, like divine music, drifted through the courtyard. When the piece ended, Bai Xuanyin slowly closed her eyes. The moment her hand, which had been resting on the chair, fell, it was caught firmly by another pair of hands.

In all the time Bai Xuanyin and Xie Ziqing had known each other this lifetime, this was the first time she had touched his hand. It was warm, strong, and inexplicably familiar.

"A-Qing." Bai Xuanyin's eyes fluttered open, gazing at the young man's face, which had not changed in decades. "All these years, thank you."

"Thank you for saving me in Dibei City back then. Thank you for helping me fulfill my life's dream. The northern barbarians have been driven out, and Dajing will not see war for another ten years."

The white-robed qin master said nothing.

"In the next life, don't look for me."

The hand Xie Ziqing held Bai Xuanyin's with suddenly trembled.

Bai Xuanyin raised her hand to touch the corner of the young man's brow, her eyes filled with sorrow and sadness. "I don't remember you. I tried, but I can't remember anything."

They had spent a lifetime together. The white-robed qin master was surely not here for her, Bai Xuanyin. But no matter how hard she tried, staying awake night after night, she could not remember anything about her and Xie Ziqing.

"She is already gone. I am not her. If there is a next life, I won't be her either. Give up," Bai Xuanyin said, slowly closing her eyes.

Xie Ziqing held her gradually cooling body, trembling all over. The grief he had hidden for a lifetime could no longer be contained.

He still couldn't keep her. He couldn't keep Ayin five hundred years ago, and he couldn't keep Bai Xuanyin now.

A mournful sob escaped Xie Ziqing's throat. He reached out to Bai Xuanyin's forehead and drew out her memories.

In the next life, the girl was born into a merchant family. She inherited the family business at a young age, became immensely wealthy, and lived out her days in peace.

In another life, the girl was born into the imperial family. She took power as a youth, assisted the young emperor, and ruled as regent for fifteen years before being buried in the imperial mausoleum, living a life of wealth and honor.

No matter the lifetime, there was always a gentle and silent qin master by her side. He did not listen to her words. He guarded her, lifetime after lifetime, but after she died in each life, he would take away the memories of himself.

Thus, every time the female ghost Ayin returned to the Bridge of Helplessness to recall her life, she never knew that such a person had once accompanied her.

Before the sparkling River of Oblivion, Feng Yin watched these scenes unfold, her eyes long since devoid of tears. Ghost Lord Xiuyan still sat at the head of the Bridge of Helplessness, his eyes filled with compassion.

"Although I am the Ghost King, I cannot alter the fate of mortals. He found you during your tenth reincarnation. He changed your destiny by withstanding the Ghost Realm's nether thunder and using the power of a True God to forcibly alter it."

The hand Feng Yin had hidden in her sleeve was already a bloody mess. She turned to leave.

"Phoenix Queen, give up," Xiuyan blocked her path. "He was of the Chaos physique. His body has dissipated, and his Primordial Spirit is destroyed. If you continue to be so stubborn, what meaning would there be in what he did back then?"

Feng Yin looked at Xiuyan. "If it's meaningless, then why has Ao Ge spent tens of thousands of years exhausting his heart's blood to protect your soul?"

Xiuyan's expression froze. He turned and sat back down on the bridgehead, propping his chin on his hand, speechless. "It's because you're all so stubborn that the Three Realms have so many legends of deep love leading to short lives. Dead is dead. Who doesn't end up as a pile of yellow earth? What can you do even if you don't give up? You've already searched the Three Realms for a hundred years. Have you found even a trace of his soul?"

"Tomorrow, my master will ascend, and the Divine Realm will open. If I can't do it, there will be someone who can save him."

Feng Yin disappeared from the Bridge of Helplessness, leaving behind a hard and stern sentence.

"Sigh, little phoenix, if the Ancient True Gods had a way, why would you have needed to waste these hundred years?" Xiuyan sighed at length, swinging his legs as he continued to welcome and send off souls at the Bridge of Helplessness.

The next day, divine thunder surged. The gate to the Ancient Realm opened wide above Wutong Island, and a bronze bridge descended from the end of the celestial steps to land on the island.

Feng Ran transformed into a fire phoenix and shot straight toward the nine heavens. The moment the Ancient Realm's gate closed, a beam of Divine Light shot toward the sky, and another ball of fire rushed toward the gate. But this ball of fire was not so lucky. Nine Heavens Mystic Thunder shot out from the Divine Realm, striking Feng Yin mercilessly, one bolt after another. Red blood filled the sky, spiritual power surged, the Nine Provinces trembled, and the Three Realms watched.

On the bronze bridge, Feng Ran's expression changed drastically, and she was about to rush out of the realm gate when a hand stopped her.

"Even if you stop her this time, she won't give up. She has tried every method she could think of in the Lower Three Realms. The Divine Realm is her only chance."

A young man's gentle voice sounded. Feng Ran turned her head, her eyes slightly red.

"I know." Feng Ran sighed deeply. "She won't give up unless she enters the Divine Realm."

Feng Ran looked down at Feng Yin, who was drenched in blood beneath the sea of clouds. "But if she can't withstand the mystic thunder, she will be smashed to pieces. What meaning would there be in all the sacrifices A-Qi made back then?"

"To forever lose the one you love and exist alone in the world—what meaning is there in that?" Jing Jian wiped away the tear at the corner of Feng Ran's eye. "Feng Ran, back then in the Rakshasa land, I was wrong. True God Bai Jue, Yuan Qi, and I, we were all wrong."

"From now on, I will never make decisions for you again. We will live together and die together." Jing Jian's eyes were as warm as ever. He took Feng Ran's hand and looked down at the sea of clouds. "Believe in Feng Yin. She has the will to live in her heart. That is what A-Qi left for her."

Below the realm gate, on the bronze bridge, the mystic thunder struck down bolt after bolt. The fire phoenix spread its wings in the nine heavens, enduring forty-nine bolts of Heavenly Thunder as it climbed the bronze bridge, step by step. Covered in blood, it stood at the gate of the Divine Realm.

In an instant, ten thousand rays of Divine Light erupted from Feng Yin's body, illuminating the lands of the Nine Provinces. On the day of Celestial Emperor Feng Ran's ascension, the Phoenix Queen forcibly broke through the Ancient Realm's gate, becoming the only High God in hundreds of thousands of years to step into the Divine Realm without a divine summons.

Feng Yin stood on the bronze bridge and, without a moment's rest, headed toward the center of the Divine Realm.

Breaking the rules of the Divine Realm and angering the True Gods would not come without a price. She could feel the bones and blood in her body collapsing, her soul's power burning away with destructive force.

"Feng Yin!" Feng Ran was too late to stop her and could only watch as the little phoenix charged toward Star-Plucking Pavilion with no way back.

In Star-Plucking Pavilion, Shang Gu gazed down with heavy eyes at the little phoenix kneeling on the stone steps, covered in blood, her expression unreadable.

"You should know that this venerable one does not wish to see you," Shang Gu said faintly.

"I beg the Divine Venerable to save him." Feng Yin kowtowed, her head hitting the ground, and choked out, "Everything is Feng Yin's fault."

Shang Gu turned away, no longer looking at her.

"Feng Yin, he is this venerable one's only child. If I could have saved him, would I have waited until today?"

Feng Yin's hopeful gaze was abruptly extinguished when Shang Gu uttered this sentence. No matter who in this world told her that Yuan Qi was gone, she refused to believe it. But only the person before her, by saying these words, had snuffed out her last shred of hope and life.

Feng Yin spat out a mouthful of heart's blood, stunned and despairing.

"If even you cannot, what will happen to A-Qi?" The little phoenix, who had held on for a thousand years, broke down in loud sobs, tears of blood streaming from her eyes. "Divine Venerable, what will happen to A-Qi?"

Shang Gu closed her eyes and materialized an azure lamp in her hand. She waved the lamp, and it landed before Feng Yin. "Go back. It is not yet your time to enter the Divine Realm."

Feng Yin tremblingly caressed the azure lamp, her eyes slowly closing.

Yuan Qi, if you have already dissipated from this world, then my life truly has no meaning.

Feng Yin smiled tragically and transformed into her fire phoenix true form. Cradling the green lamp in its arms, it turned into specks of flying ash and disappeared from Star-Plucking Pavilion.

Feng Ran and Jing Jian rushed over, only in time to witness this incredibly tragic scene.

The Divine Realm returned to tranquility, as if that little phoenix had never come.

The warm sun fell upon the bamboo window. The chirping of birds awakened the sleeping person.

Feng Yin's eyes snapped open. As her vision went from darkness to light, the sunlight was a bit glaring. She squinted and took in her surroundings, her expression dazed.

Where is this? Didn't I already die at Star-Plucking Pavilion?

Feng Yin rushed out of the bamboo house, her body freezing abruptly.

A valley, parasol trees, a small stream, a hundred flowers... This was the one place in the world she dared not set foot in: the Forbidden Valley of Daze Mountain.

"Little Martial Aunt Ayin!" a clear voice came from the top of the valley. A green ball of a boy riding a cloud tumbled down in front of the bamboo dwelling. Qing Yi, carrying a wooden bucket taller than himself, happily approached Feng Yin and placed it on the stone table in front of her as if presenting a treasure.

"Qing Yi..." Feng Yin murmured his name.

"I brought Drunken Jade Dew for you and Little Martial Uncle!" Qing Yi's round little face was utterly fawning as he took credit with an air of maturity. "Grandmaster hadn't even given the order, and I already brought it. Isn't Qing Yi so well-behaved!"

"Who?" Feng Yin's voice trembled. "Who did you bring Drunken Jade Dew for?"

"For you and Little Martial Uncle, of course," Qing Yi replied, his eyes wide.

Feng Yin looked down and saw her own reflection in the Drunken Jade Dew.

A green dress, a small topknot, a round face. She was not Feng Yin, she was... she was Ayin!

"Well now, you're early this year. Out with it, what treasure of mine have you set your sights on this time?" A teasing voice, seemingly from a thousand years ago, sounded from behind her.

Feng Yin whipped her head around. Yuan Qi, dressed in white, was leaning against a parasol tree, his gaze lazy.

Yuan Qi was in plain clothes, his eyes clear. With just one look, Feng Yin knew he was A Jin, not Yuan Qi.

Tears burst from her eyes without warning, splashing onto the ground.

The young man's expression faltered. He strode forward and took her hand. "Ayin? What's wrong?"

"Where did you go?" Feng Yin pounded on the young man, clutching his lapels tightly, her words incoherent as she trembled all over. "Where in the world did you go?"

"I... I went to the back mountain to chop firewood for you." Gu Jin frantically wiped the tears from Feng Yin's face. "I..."

"I looked for you for so long, I looked for you for so long..." A hoarse sob echoed in the valley. Feng Yin couldn't hear anything, just hugged Gu Jin tightly as if she had grasped the entire world. "I thought you would never come back."

"I'm here, I'm here." Gu Jin held the young girl, letting her cry and vent, only stroking her black hair over and over. "Ayin, I've always been here."

Qing Yi stared blankly at the scene, as if he understood why, yet also as if he didn't. He quietly flew away, leaving this corner of the world to the two people under the tree.

The sun set and the moon rose. Not until the silver light filled the valley floor did Feng Yin stop crying. She didn't know why she had woken up from darkness in the Daze Mountain valley. She didn't know why she was Ayin and not Feng Yin. She didn't want to think about anything, only following Gu Jin step by step. Wherever Gu Jin went, she followed.

The moment Gu Jin appeared, Feng Yin almost instantly became Ayin, the Ayin of the past. The radiance of the Phoenix Queen was gone, her sharp divine might restrained. Whatever this reality was, she didn't care; she accepted it with delight.

Gu Jin was both exasperated and amused by Ayin's clinginess, but he greatly enjoyed the little divine beast's dependence. Every day when he woke, he would open his eyes to see a pair of large, watery eyes, and his palm would always be holding a small, soft hand.

The two of them lived like this at the bottom of the Daze Mountain valley, just like many years ago. Or perhaps, this was many years ago.

Yan Shuang and A Jiu would occasionally drop by for a visit, bickering for a few sentences and then staying for ten days to half a month, impossible to shoo away. Ayin would always be puffed up with anger, feeling that these two noisy ghosts were disturbing her and Gu Jin's peace. Gu Jin, on the other hand, seemed like a different person, always keeping the bamboo dwelling stocked with Yan Shuang's favorite Drunken Jade Dew and A Jiu's beloved immortal rabbits.

Spring turned to autumn, cold to heat. Ayin had lost track of how many years had passed since she woke up. Then one day, glazed fireworks lit up the peak of Daze Mountain. The liveliness of the mountain gate passed through layers of clouds and reached the valley.

"It's the Lantern Festival today," Gu Jin said, leaning against the parasol tree and glancing at Ayin, who was gnawing on a chicken leg. "Ayin, want to go down the mountain and have some fun?"

Ayin's mouth was stuffed full. Her eyes curved. "Yes, yes, yes!" Then she suddenly shook her head. "No, let's just stay in the valley."

Ayin waved her hands frantically. "The valley is great. I'm not going anywhere."

As if not seeing the unease hidden deep in the girl's eyes, Gu Jin reached out and rubbed her soft topknot. "I will definitely bring you back."

"Really?" Ayin asked in a small voice, as if seeking confirmation. "We'll come back?"

"Of course!" Gu Jin smiled, leaned closer to Ayin's cheek, and nuzzled her face with his nose. "Ayin is a big girl now. Naturally, you can't spend the night outside."

Ayin's face instantly turned beet red. Just as she was about to smack this libertine, an eagle and a fox flew down and landed under the parasol tree.

"Well, well, you old lecher. A grandmaster of a renowned immortal sect, yet full of such improper, wicked thoughts!" A Jiu snorted, her insults merciless.

"The young couple likes it, what's it to you?" Yan Shuang had made a habit of undermining A Jiu, as if arguing with this fox had become an indispensable joy in her life.

"Tomboy! Who asked you to butt in!"

"I'll say what I want! Ayin likes it, what's it to you!" Yan Shuang's voice was like a booming bell, her loud shouts filling the entire valley.

Ayin was blushing furiously, not knowing whether to stop them or not.

"Ayin and I are going down the mountain for the Lantern Festival. If you want to come, then follow." Gu Jin stood up, pulled Ayin to her feet, and flew out of the valley. "It'd be best if you don't come. You're an eyesore!"

"Who said I'm not going! I'm going! You pretty boy, don't even think about spiriting Ayin away!" A Jiu, no longer caring about her argument with Yan Shuang, hurried after the two.

"You flatter yourself!" Yan Shuang huffed, flapping her wings to catch up to A Jiu, tripping the fox twice in mid-air.

A Jiu watched as Gu Jin and Ayin flew further and further away, stamping her feet in anger, while Yan Shuang cackled with glee.