When the Yu family and the Third Prince Xiao Jin arrived at the cemetery, they saw Yu Ziyu frantically slapping Li Jiyan across the face. The contrast between the two—one heartless and insane, the other unmoved—was stark.
Li Fanglian also went up the mountain.
Seeing this shocking scene before her, she thought to herself, “A crazy woman and a crazy man are a perfect match.”
Everyone was stunned by the murderous aura emanating from Yu Ziyu, and they were all a little scared. No one wanted to provoke a madwoman.
Yu’s parents were also stunned, frozen in place and dared not step forward to stop her. In the end, it was Yu Qingdai who rushed forward and hugged Yu Ziyu, holding her hands tightly.
”Ziyu, stop hitting him, he’s bleeding, stop hitting him.”
Yu Ziyu’s eyes were red from crying, and her hair was disheveled.
She didn’t sleep a wink last night, and this morning she climbed the mountain in the dark and rain. She is a complete mess right now, but her appearance and mental state are quite a sight to behold.
She first looked at her sister, then at the large group of people beside her.
She rushed to her mother in despair, tears streaming down her face, and cried out in a heart-wrenching voice, “Mother, tell me, do gods really exist in this world? Tell me!”
This is her mother, the mother who gave birth to her, raised her, and doted on her from childhood; they share the same blood. Anyone could lie to her, but her mother would never.
Seeing Yu Ziyu lose control, Yu Ningying felt as if her heart was being torn apart. Her lips moved slightly, tears streamed down her face, and she was speechless.
Yu Ziyu grabbed Yu Ningying’s shoulders with both hands and shook her violently: “Mother! Tell me, tell me! Are there any gods in this world!”
Yu Ningying cried along with her, raising her hand to touch her cold face: “Yes…yes, right? If you say yes, then yes, Mother believes you.”
Zhao Tianjun looked serious as he supported the trembling Yu Ningying and grasped Yu Ziyu’s wrist, saying, “Ziyu, you’re sick. Let’s go home first. Your parents are here and will cure you.”
Yu Ziyu cried so hard she could hardly breathe. After a moment, she let go of her mother and slapped her father’s hand away.
She turned around and staggered forward a few steps, overwhelmed with grief, laughing and crying at the same time.
”Hahaha, since none of you believe me, why should I care about you ordinary mortals? There’s nothing left in this world for me to cherish.”
She walked forward with her head held high and chest out, step by step, carrying a profound sense of sorrow and relief.
”From this day forward, I will retreat to the mountains and forests, isolated from the world, to cultivate alone, severing all ties with you. Let the mortal world be bustling and noisy, let everyone be drunk while I alone am sober, I will walk my own path to immortality! Hahaha!”
Seeing her like this, Li Jiyan suddenly felt that he had committed a heinous crime.
He shouldn’t have exposed all of this, he shouldn’t have destroyed her mental support. She just wanted to cultivate immortality, so why shouldn’t he let her?
”Yu Ziyu, I’m sorry.” He took Yu Ziyu’s hand, which was covered in mud.
Yu Ziyu kept her eyes fixed on the distant mountain peaks.
She said slowly, “Enough, enough. The Taoist spirit is to retreat to the mountains in times of peace and to descend to the mountains to help the world in times of chaos. Now that we live in a peaceful and prosperous era, I should have long ago severed all ties with love and renounced the world.”
Mother Yu ran up, stepping through the muddy puddles, and hugged Yu Ziyu.
She forced a smile and said, “My dear, what would I do if you went into seclusion in the mountains? I believe in you. My Ziyu is a saint reincarnated, with the ability to see ghosts and demons. I believe in you, you will definitely attain immortality.”
Yu Ziyu pushed her mother’s hand away.
“Mother, there’s no need to comfort me. I know what I’m doing. My mind is made up. Today I will become a true Taoist priest and devote myself to cultivation. I will never concern myself with worldly affairs again, so as not to be a burden to you.”
She shook off Yu Ningying and Li Jiyan, her face filled with tragic determination as she walked forward in the rain, laughing wildly as she went: “The world laughs at me for being too crazy, but I laugh at the world for not seeing through things! Not seeing through things!”
After walking a few steps, she collapsed to the ground due to exhaustion.
Li Jiyan reacted quickly and rushed forward to hug her.
The crowd gathered around, and Xiao Jin stepped forward, bending down and subtly snatching Yu Ziyu from Li Jiyan’s hands.
Li Jiyan’s face was swollen and red from Yu Ziyu’s earlier beating, and blood was still trickling from the corner of his mouth. He looked up at Xiao Jin, his eyes bloodshot, and murmured, “She is my wife, my…”
Yu Ziyu recovered somewhat, but her face was pale as she struggled, saying, “I won’t go back with you. I want to cultivate immortality.”
Yu Qingdai grasped her hand: “Let’s fix it at home, let’s fix it at home.”
Yu Ziyu cried out again, “Where’s my sword? Where’s my sword? Someone stole my sword! Who wants to harm me?!”
Yu Qingdai pulled her sleeve to wipe her face: “Don’t worry, I’ll help you find it.”
At this moment, Ling Xuzi appeared from behind.
Holding Yu Ziyu’s silver longsword in her hand, she calmly said, “Disciple, your sword is here. Don’t worry, what you experienced today is also your great tribulation. Cultivation cannot be rushed; it must be done slowly.”
”Grandmaster…”
Upon seeing her master, Yu Ziyu could no longer bear the grievances and burst into tears.
Ling Xuzi placed the sword hilt in her hand: “Have you forgotten what your master taught you? Be unmoved by favor or disgrace; a calm mind leads to spiritual enlightenment and the attainment of the Dao. It is because your Dao heart is unstable that you are in so much pain. You must cultivate diligently in the future.”
”Master, it is your disciple’s stupidity that has led to the misunderstanding.”
Ling Xuzi patted her head reassuringly: “Take it slow.”
Li Jiyan carried her on his back and silently descended the mountain. A guard held up an oil-paper umbrella to shield him and Yu Ziyu from the sun.
No one dared to speak loudly, for fear of upsetting Yu Ziyu.
As they approached the foot of the mountain, Li Jiyan tilted his head slightly and whispered in her ear, “Yu Ziyu, I believe there must be gods in this world.”
”Where is that deity?” Yu Ziyu was exhausted from all the commotion last night, and her voice was hoarse from shouting. It was extremely difficult for her to speak now.
Li Jiyan whispered, “On my back, I feel like you’re a god.”
Yu Ziyu laughed, and said weakly, “If you’re so capable, say it out loud, tell everyone that I am a god.”
”I’m shy.”
He was telling the truth. Under Li Fanglian’s tutelage, he rarely spoke much in front of others, and he always had to maintain a cold and aloof demeanor.
But in front of Yu Ziyu, he always wanted to talk more.
All the forbearance he showed to outsiders, he wanted to confide in Yu Ziyu.
The rain gradually stopped, and Zhao Tianjun had a carriage prepared at the foot of the mountain in advance.
After descending the mountain and reaching the main road, Yu Ningying helped Yu Ziyu up and said to Li Jiyan, “Young Master Li, thank you so much. Ziyu is so immature and hurt you. I’m so sorry.”
”Hmm.” Li Jiyan simply responded and then put Yu Ziyu down.
The group returned to the Yu residence, and several family members went inside. Li Jiyan remained silent, standing outside the door with a group of guards. Tall and slender, he stood out among the group of martial artists.
The Yu family found a doctor to come and take Yu Ziyu’s pulse.
Yu Ziyu fainted mainly because she hadn’t slept all night and was overworked. After being caught in the rain for so long and then climbing to the top of the mountain in the wind, she was bound to catch a chill, and now she was starting to have a fever.
The doctor said, “You have a fever due to the cold. I will prescribe medicine for you. You should be better after taking it for four or five days.”
Yu Ziyu was still half asleep, not completely unconscious. Hearing the doctor’s words, her eyes widened suddenly, and she gripped the doctor’s wrist tightly, asking, “What did you say?”
”I told you you’re sick, but it’s not serious. A few doses of medicine will do the trick,” the doctor said.
Yu Ziyu let out a hoarse laugh and struggled to get up: “Quack doctor, talking nonsense! I am a Taoist cultivator with an indestructible body, how could I possibly be sick?”
She coughed heavily and grabbed her sister Yu Qingdai’s arm: “Help me up, I’m fine, you can all go down, don’t just stand here.”
Yu Qingdai pressed her down and covered her with the blanket: “You’re sick now, why are you getting up? If you want to cultivate immortality, you should wait until you’re fully recovered.”
”Nonsense! How could I possibly be sick? I’ll be fine after a few sips of hot water.” Yu Ziyu stubbornly tried to get out of bed.
Her family doted on her and couldn’t bear to scold her; they simply spoke softly and kindly to persuade her.
Li Fanglian was a bit slow and only just arrived at the Yu family’s residence. He rushed to Li Jiyan, pulled him to a corner of the corridor, and the wrinkles around his brows deepened with age.
”Why did Yu Ziyu hit you? There were too many people on the mountain just now, so I couldn’t ask. Now tell me clearly what happened!”
Li Jiyan inherited the cold temperament tamed by Li Fanglian, remaining expressionless and silent.
Seeing his stubbornness, Li Fanglian became exasperated: “Your father is asking you a question. I usually don’t let you talk too much in front of outsiders because I’m worried you’ll make a mistake, especially since you can’t read. But what are you pretending for in front of your father?”
Li Jiyan took a small step to the side and whispered, “I want to marry Yu Ziyu.” After saying that, he left.
Li Fanglian spat behind him, gritting his teeth and cursing, “You’ve grown wings, haven’t you? If my two children hadn’t died young, you wouldn’t have the chance to call me ‘Dad’!”
Li Jiyan had heard these words countless times. He remained calm and left the Yu residence quickly, his face covered in slap marks.
Three days later, Yu Ziyu’s condition did not improve, and her cough became more severe.
She absolutely refused to take the medicine, saying that she had the body of a cultivator and couldn’t take ordinary medicines, as they would affect her immortal bones. This made her family extremely anxious.
Early that morning, Yu Ningying and Zhao Tianjun personally brought the medicine to Yu Ziyu’s room.
Upon entering, I saw Yu Ziyu, pale-faced and wearing an overcoat, coughing as she wrote at her desk, which was piled high with various ancient Taoist cultivation books.
Zhao Tianjun placed the bowl of medicine in front of Yu Ziyu: “Daughter, drink your medicine. If you drink it, Dad will build you a Taoist temple so you can cultivate immortality there, okay?”
Yu Ziyu continued writing without looking up: “I won’t drink. I already told you I’m not sick. I will never get sick, never.”
Yu Ningying said, “Ziyu, once you drink the medicine and get better, you can go up the mountain to kill demons. You’ve been sickly these past few days, and I’m afraid the demons on the mountain will all come out to harm people.”
Unable to resist her parents’ insistence, Yu Ziyu reluctantly drank a large mouthful of medicine.
Seeing that she had taken the medicine, her parents left the house with peace of mind.
As soon as her parents left, Yu Ziyu quickly ran to the flowerpot by the window and spat the bitter medicine into it. She couldn’t drink mortal medicine; it would damage the foundation of her immortal body.
In the afternoon, her older sister, Yu Qingdai, came to find her, saying she wanted to take her on a boat trip.
Yu Ziyu lowered her head, busy studying the cultivation manual, and said, “I won’t go. I’ve been extremely busy these past few days. You go by yourself.”
Yu Qingdai helped her up: “The weather is very nice today. Princess Ningyuan invited us to go boating on the lake. We’ll go on her painted boat. Get up quickly, let me help you dress up and go out to bask in the sun. Maybe your illness will get better.”
Yu Ziyu thought about it and agreed.
She has been unwell for the past few days and cannot take ordinary medicine. The best way to cure her illness is to go out and absorb the spiritual energy of heaven and earth and the essence of the sun and moon.
“Okay, I’ll go out with you!” Yu Ziyu suddenly stood up.