The Last Immortal

Chapter 68

Half a year had passed since Dong Hua's Ascension and Gu Jin and Ayin's emergence from the Forbidden Valley.

The Forbidden Valley in the back mountains remained as serene as ever, with birds singing amidst fragrant flowers and streams murmuring softly. Golden phoenix tree leaves blanketed the ground, and the bamboo cottage stood quietly and peacefully among clusters of blossoms, as if silently awaiting their return.

This place was exactly as they had left it, yet those who returned were no longer in the same state of mind as before.

Gu Jin carefully carried Ayin into the bamboo cottage and laid her on the bed. The slumbering Ayin lay lifelessly.

"You're always making a fuss all day long, but now is when you're the quietest," Gu Jin murmured with a low sigh, his eyes downcast.

"Primordial Spirit!" he called softly. The Primordial Spirit Sword on the table responded immediately, flying to his side. Gu Jin extended his hand, but the sword emitted a faint hum, hesitating and refusing to approach.

"Only you can temporarily open the seal within me," Gu Jin turned to look at the Primordial Spirit Sword. "The Primordial Chaos Power within me can neutralize Ayin's demonic poison." His voice grew stern. "Primordial Spirit, act now, or Ayin won't last until the Divine Transformation Pill is completed."

The Primordial Spirit Sword trembled reluctantly, its blade gleaming as it sliced open a wound on Gu Jin's palm. Blood infused with Primordial Chaos Power flowed from his palm, streaming ceaselessly into Ayin's mouth.

After a short while, a faint flush returned to Ayin's face, and the ends of her hair, which had turned snow-white, regained a hint of their original dark color.

Primordial Chaos Power was the foundational force of both the Ancient Realm and the Three Realms, capable of purifying all Spiritual Power, and naturally, Demonic Power as well.

Seeing Gu Jin's pale complexion, the Primordial Spirit Sword beside him emitted an anxious hum. Gu Jin withdrew his hand, sealing the wound with his Immortal Power. However, injuries inflicted by the Primordial Spirit Sword could not heal instantly, even for him. A faint scent of blood still lingered in the small cottage.

At that moment, Ayin, who had been asleep for ten days, slowly opened her eyes.

"A Jin?" Ayin's voice was hoarse. She glanced around and, realizing she was in the cottage of the Forbidden Valley in the back mountains, was momentarily stunned. "Why are we here?"

Gu Jin hid his injured hand behind his back and hurried forward to help her sit up. "That day, your body was injured by Demonic Power. The Sect Leader said the mountain sect was unsettled, so he asked me to bring you to the back mountains to recover."

Ayin mumbled a couple of "ohs" and happened to look down, noticing her once-dark hair had turned snow-white. Her usually fearless nature gave way to a hint of panic. She grabbed Gu Jin's sleeve, her mouth opening and closing as she stared blankly for a moment before suddenly saying, "A Jin, am I about to die?"

Gu Jin's arm around her stiffened, his brow furrowing. "What nonsense are you talking?"

Ayin's voice grew soft. "I heard Qing Yi say that if us immortals ever have our hair turn white one day, it means we're going to die."

"Nonsense. Who has ever seen an immortal die? Why believe such absurd tales from mortal operas?" Gu Jin replied sternly. "You were merely infected by the Demonic Qi of that Demon Tribe member. Just take the medicine the Sect Leader brews for you daily to regulate your body, and you'll recover. What are you worrying about?"

Ayin was taken aback by the scolding but grinned happily. She patted her chest, looking as if she had narrowly escaped disaster. "I knew it! We Water Condensation Beasts can live for hundreds of years. Even if I gave the Ghost King a hundred years of my life essence, I still have another hundred years left! That scared me, that scared me." As she spoke, she patted Gu Jin's shoulder, a smile spreading across her pale face. "Thank goodness, thank goodness. I can still stay with our A Jin for another hundred years!"Gu Jin looked at Ayin's innocent and naive face, suppressing the ache in his heart as he nodded gently.

"Were you hurt that day?" Ayin belatedly remembered what had happened before she lost consciousness, fussing over Gu Jin as she checked him from head to toe.

"I'm fine." Gu Jin's expression turned serious as he straightened Ayin's posture and said, "If something like this happens again, don't stand in front of me."

Ayin avoided his gaze, quickly changing the subject. "Alright, alright. Did they catch that Demon?"

"That Demon escaped, but it was badly injured and won't dare show itself again for a while. Ayin!" Gu Jin stared intently at her, his voice lowering. "Back then, my father never got to see my mother again before he died for her sake. I didn't even get the chance to call out to him one more time. I don't want to watch someone close to me disappear before my eyes again. Don't get hurt protecting me anymore."

Gu Jin's eyes held deep sorrow and a trace of barely noticeable panic. Ayin was taken aback, then suddenly wrapped her arms around him in a tight embrace.

"I'm right here." Her voice was soft and gentle, just like the year she emerged from her shell and nestled trustingly in Gu Jin's arms. "A Jin, I'll always be by your side."

The scent in his embrace was soft and sweet. Gu Jin let out a long sigh, the tension that had built up over days slowly easing, transforming in that moment into boundless tenderness and affection.

The smell of blood in the air finally caught Ayin's attention. She sniffed, poking her head out from Gu Jin's embrace, and asked curiously, "Why is there a smell of blood in the room?"

Gu Jin quickly recited an Immortal Incantation, casting a small formation array to conceal the wound on his palm, and replied casually, "Oh, the medicine Sect Leader prepared for you uses the blood of a horned immortal beast as a catalyst. You just took the medicine, so it's natural there's a lingering smell of blood."

"Horned immortal beast?" Ayin's face showed pity. "Doesn't that harm their lives?"

"It's fine. They only take a small amount of blood each day as a catalyst. It won't endanger their lives."

"What about the mountain sect? The appearance of a Demon is a big deal. If you're here with me, who's helping the two senior brothers guard the sect?" Although Ayin's Immortal Power was only at a mascot level, her worries were on par with a Sect Leader's.

"Don't worry. The two senior brothers lit the Nine Star Lantern. As long as the nine stars are lit, no demon or monster can enter the mountain sect. Our Great Marsh Mountain will remain safe for a hundred years. Yan Shuang and A Jiu are guarding the sect, so nothing will go wrong."

Seeing Ayin looking tired, Gu Jin reassured her, "Just rest and recover peacefully in the back mountain. Once you're better, we'll return."

Ayin fought off sleepiness as she whined, "How long do I have to stay here? The Forbidden Valley is so boring. Will A Jiu and Yan Shuang come visit me? Will Qing Yi bring me mung bean cakes?"

Gu Jin's heart softened at her childlike demeanor. He held Ayin close, patting her hand gently. "Yes, yes. Qing Yi will bring you mung bean cakes tomorrow. Once Yan Shuang and A Jiu have time, you won't even need to invite them—they'll come even if you try to shoo them away..."

Gu Jin's voice was warm and steady. Ayin slowly closed her eyes and drifted back into sleep.

Why is A Jin being so good to me? Could it be that I'm really going to die?

Just before falling completely asleep, this thought hazily crossed Ayin's mind.That night, after Ayin fell into a deep sleep, Gu Jin quietly set up the Alchemy Cauldron in the cave where he had first discovered Ayin and began refining the Divine Transformation Pill for her using his Immortal Power.

Sure enough, early the next morning, Qing Yi arrived with a box of green bean cakes. The news of Ayin waking up had spread throughout the mountain within half a day, and the tense atmosphere that had gripped Great Marsh Mountain for the past fortnight finally eased.

Another half-month passed, and Yan Shuang found an opportunity to visit the Forbidden Valley in the back mountain. She flew straight to the valley floor and spotted the two from a distance.

Under the phoenix tree, Ayin’s hair, which had been white from the shoulders down, was gradually returning to its original dark color. Though she still appeared frail, the lifelessness from half a month ago was gone. She lay half-reclined in Gu Jin’s arms, lazily basking in the sun with her eyes closed, her expression peaceful and serene.

No wonder A Jiu had visited quietly several times and left without a word—he must have seen the two of them like this. Ayin’s affection for Gu Jin was obvious, but just a month or two ago, Gu Jin had still been thinking of marrying Hua Shu. Now, he was openly snubbing that fox while behaving so intimately with Ayin. What was going on with him?

Yan Shuang turned these thoughts over in her mind, gaining some understanding but not daring to be certain. Mulling it over, she approached.

Gu Jin had already noticed Yan Shuang. He patted Ayin’s shoulder, and she opened her eyes. Seeing Yan Shuang, she jumped up happily but stumbled and nearly fell. Fortunately, Gu Jin caught her in time.

“Careful, don’t be so reckless,” Gu Jin steadied her. Noticing the Eagle Clan princess raising an eyebrow at him with a mischievous look, he felt unusually awkward. “You two chat first. I’ll fetch some snacks Qing Yi sent over.”

With that, Gu Jin practically fled. Though Ayin was still weak, she bounced over to Yan Shuang, beaming with joy. “A Shuang, you finally came to see me!” she exclaimed, glancing behind Yan Shuang. Not seeing the familiar figure, she couldn’t hide her disappointment. “Didn’t A Jiu come with you?”

Ayin was oblivious, but Yan Shuang understood the fox’s feelings and covered for him. “He’s visited you a few times, but you were probably asleep.”

“Oh, I see!” Ayin, ever carefree, felt relieved. “I was starting to think I’d grow mushrooms from boredom here, and he still didn’t come see me.”

Ayin took Yan Shuang’s hand and led her to sit on a stone bench under the tree, gesturing toward the Forbidden Valley. “So, what do you think? This is my and A Jin’s home. Isn’t it beautiful?” She waved proudly, boasting, “This is the most beautiful place in all of Great Marsh Mountain!”

Yan Shuang was taken aback. “Your and A Jin’s home?”

Could it be? It had only been half a month, and Ayin wasn’t even fully healed yet. Had Immortal Lord Gu Jin already made things official?

Ayin completely missed Yan Shuang’s implication and nodded matter-of-factly. “This is where I was born, and where A Jin raised me. Of course it’s our home.”

Only then did Yan Shuang understand what Ayin meant. She breathed a sigh of relief, thinking to herself, Thank goodness, otherwise that fox would’ve gone berserk… Outwardly, she replied with feigned solemnity, “Of course, you’re right. Whose home could it be if not yours?”The Forbidden Valley in the back mountain had always been quiet. Although Qing Yi brought food daily, it was never as lively as outside the valley. Ayin hadn’t seen Yan Shuang for a long time and had a bellyful of words to say.

“A Shuang, that night I was covered in blood and must have frightened you. The next day, A Jin took me to the Forbidden Valley to recover from my injuries, and I didn’t even have a chance to properly speak with you.”

The next day? Yan Shuang was taken aback and blurted out, “What next day? You were unconscious in Qi Moon Hall for nearly half a month.”