The banquet continued long after Chen returned from the balcony.
Yet Bai Yuexian barely touched her food.
She sat quietly at the table, staring at the cup in her hand.
That alone was strange enough.
Chen had known her for centuries.
Bai Yuexian was rarely quiet.
“You’re unusually silent,” he said.
She didn’t respond.
“Did something happen?”
Her golden eyes shifted toward him.
For a moment, Chen thought she might answer.
Instead, she smiled.
“Nothing.”
Chen frowned.
“That was definitely not a normal ‘nothing.'”
Bai Yuexian laughed softly.
“You’ve become quite observant.”
“I’ve worked for you for hundreds of years. I’ve had plenty of practice.”
She looked away.
The music continued around them.
Celestial beings laughed, drank, and discussed matters Chen couldn’t even begin to understand.
But Bai Yuexian’s attention had already drifted somewhere else.
Somewhere far away.
Somewhere long ago.
She remembered a different time.
A different place.
A voice.
A promise.
And a mistake she had never completely forgotten.
Help me, Goddess.
The memory came suddenly.
I need your help.
Another voice answered.
For what?
I need your help in reincarnating.
The memory blurred before it could reveal anything more.
Bai Yuexian’s expression changed.
She remembered standing somewhere she could no longer clearly see.
She remembered desperation.
She remembered making a decision.
And then—
Nothing.
The memory vanished.
Bai Yuexian blinked.
Chen was watching her.
“You disappeared again.”
She looked at him.
“Did I?”
“Yes.”
He leaned closer.
“Where did you go?”
Bai Yuexian smiled.
“Somewhere you don’t need to visit.”
Chen studied her for a few seconds.
Normally, she would have made a joke.
This time, she didn’t.
“Is it something bad?”
Her smile became smaller.
“Not necessarily.”
“Then why do you look like that?”
Bai Yuexian looked toward the enormous windows overlooking the Celestial Realm.
“Because some memories are better left alone.”
Chen didn’t push.
For once, he understood that asking another question wouldn’t get him an answer.
Across the hall, the mysterious man from earlier was still present.
Bai Yuexian noticed him.
Her eyes narrowed slightly.
Then she looked back at Chen.
“Come.”
“Where?”
“Home.”
“The banquet isn’t over.”
“I know.”
“Then why are we leaving?”
Bai Yuexian stood.
“Because I’ve suddenly lost my appetite.”
Chen sighed and followed.
As they left the banquet hall, Bai Yuexian glanced back one last time.
Her expression was unreadable.
Whatever she remembered tonight, she had no intention of telling Chen.
Not yet.
Perhaps not for a very long time.
And somewhere deep within her memories was a story that began long before Chen Lu ever opened his eyes in the Celestial Realm.
A story whose truth could change everything.
But that story was not ready to be told.
Not yet.