Li Wan Heng Jin

The elder's tree house is on the tallest and most luxuriant Jacaranda tree in the entire Yundian Fairy Mountain. The tree house is built in the center of the main trunk and is so obscured that only a door can be seen from the outside.

Following the elder into the house, he closed the door tightly and poured them two cups of sweet nectar before sitting down and saying, "If the false beast Huanfeng said anything to the Emperor and Miss Fuqiu, you two must not believe it. She often lies and deceives the immortals and gods who come to visit her into looking for the cloud whale painted on the paper lantern."

Without any hints, Heng Jin understood Li Wan's intention and directly asked, "Has the elder also been tricked by her into helping her find Yun Jing?"

"Yes, she came to me begging for help, and I felt sorry for her, so I helped her. I took her paper lantern and shone it against the cloud whale in the painting, comparing it to the original form of each member of the Cloud Whale Clan. All the Cloud Whales are now at the Cloud Peak Immortal Mountain. The Cloud Whale she was looking for doesn't exist at all. I told her the result, but she turned around and accused me of lying. She returned to the tree and dreamed all day long. When she woke up, she made lanterns. When she was tired, she fell into a deep sleep, and began to dream again. When she woke up, she began to make lanterns again. This cycle lasted for tens of thousands of years."

Li Wan said with regret and sympathy, "Tens of thousands of years... What a pitiful person. Did the person she was looking for die long ago? That's why she can't find him."

"I am the oldest Cloud Whale on Yundian Immortal Mountain. The Heavenly Sovereign has blessed me with immortality. I have painted portraits of every Cloud Whale that has ever lived on Yundian Immortal Mountain. So, when Miss Fuqiu and I shared the same suspicion, I compared the portraits I had drawn, and among the deceased, there was no Cloud Whale that Huanfeng was looking for."

"Thank you, Elder, for telling me. I see many cloud whales swimming in the sky. My brother and I have been exploring for a long time, but we haven't seen any other cloud whales in human form. Why is that?"

"We cloud whales need to soar in the sky, absorbing the essence of the clouds and mist to grow our size and spiritual power. Therefore, in our free time, we all soar through the sky in our original forms. When the dinner is approaching, they will transform into human form and land for the banquet. Then Miss Fuqiu will be able to see them."

Heng Jin said, "Wouldn't our presence here delay the elder's absorption of the cloud essence? The elder doesn't need to worry about my sister and me. We can wander around and entertain ourselves."

Upon hearing this, the elder's face showed regret and sadness. "There is no delay. There is gain and loss. Since I gained immortality, I have lost the ability to return to my original form."

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to mention the elder's sad story."

"It's okay. It's all in the past. Tens of thousands of years have passed. I can't even remember my original form, let alone the feeling of soaring through the sky. So, I don't miss it."

The elder quickly adjusted his mood, forced a smile, and spoke in a relaxed and cheerful tone.

"Let's not talk about this anymore. You two should try the nectar I brewed with magic. I'm not bragging, but the Cloud Whale Clan members who have tasted my nectar say it's delicious, and they all left wanting more."

When Li Wan saw Heng Jin drink the nectar first and praised its taste, she followed suit and took a sip.

From the way her eyes widened in surprise when she took a sip of the nectar, it was clear that the nectar was really delicious.

"As long as the Emperor likes it, that's all I'm talking to you about. There's nothing else to say. Whether you and the young lady want to continue resting here or go shopping, please feel free to do so. If you have any needs, please feel free to ask. Don't hesitate."

Li Wan imitated He Qi's behavior when they were little and pleaded with her, gently grasping Heng Jin's sleeve and saying, "Brother, I want to see the elder's painting of the cloud whale."

She lowered her voice, but made sure that the elder sitting next to her could vaguely hear it.

Heng Jin patted her hand to comfort her. Before she could speak to the elder, the elder spoke first, saying with a smile, "It seems that Miss Fuqiu is indeed very interested in cloud whales, just as the emperor said in his letter. My paintings are in the study, and I am happy to share them with you. Miss Fuqiu, please follow me."

Inside the study, more than a dozen bookshelves held no books but only rolled-up paintings. Each shelf was labeled with a different year, and the scrolls were inscribed with birthdates and given names.

The moment Li Wan entered the study, she began to act exaggeratedly fond of the painting. After obtaining permission, she immediately picked up the scroll and began to study it intently, sighing, "Elder, your painting skills are amazing! I must study your details carefully so that I can refine my Cloud Whale scroll when I return."

Heng Jin walked up to her and lovingly tidied up her loose hair. His heart and eyes were full of her. When she smiled, he smiled too.

The intimacy and ambiguity were self-evident, and the elders saw it all.

"Miss Fuqiu, thank you for your compliment. There are soft stools here where you can sit and watch. The original form of the cloud whale is quite amazing, and each cloud whale has different patterns and colors. I'll go see how the dinner preparations are going, so I won't bother you any more."

After saying this, the elder went out with great discretion.

After Heng Jin confirmed that the elder had really gone far away, he took out a lily bud. The bud bloomed slightly with the magic flowing from his fingertips, like a long cup.

He telepathically said to her, "Can you force the nectar you just drank to spit it out? Spit it into the bud, and it will close on its own."

She nodded, turned her back, put two fingers together and cast a spell on her throat, and all the nectar she had just drunk was spit out into the flower bud.

The buds were tightly closed, not a drop of fluid fell.

Just as Heng Jin was about to take the flower bud, Li Wan had already put it into the Lingbao Silver Bell.

Without saying much, he took out another lily, turned his back, and spat the nectar he had drunk into the lily bud and kept it away.

He explained through telepathic communication, "The nectar of the Cloud Whale Tribe cannot be drunk. This is a rule known to the entire celestial realm, but kept secret from outsiders. Everyone unanimously agrees to drink it and then quietly spit it out. As for why it cannot be drunk, I don't know either."

She nodded in response, and then cast a spell to quickly search and compare all the scrolls.

"Among these portraits, there is indeed no Yunjing that Huanfeng is looking for, but there is no portrait of the elder's original form either. Brother, do you think it is possible that the elder is the Yunjing we are looking for? But I don't understand. As long as I have looked at the portraits here, I will know that his portrait is missing, and I will inevitably suspect him. The elder cannot fail to think of this. Moreover, Huanfeng asked him for help. How could he not see that Huanfeng was cast under the Yunjing clan's spell of forgetting her memory? Let's go find Huanfeng again, and she told us that there was no Yunjing to help her." Li Wan said through telepathy.

After leaving the tree house, Heng Jin and Li Wan teleported directly to the tree where Huan Feng made lanterns.

The breeze blew her hair and clothes, and she sat there quietly, concentrating on painting the lantern in her hand.

"Huanfeng."

"It's okay. I knew this would be the result. You can't find it. Come over here and I'll help you solve your doubts."

She didn't look lost or sad at all. She had a kind smile on her face and was very calm, so calm that she was completely different from the one when we first met.

Li Wan suddenly understood.

"You know who the Cloud Whale you're looking for is, but why?"

"I've told you before, the liar is a liar, so I'm lying to you. If you help me, it's like Jiang Taigong fishing, and those who are willing will take the bait. But you can't say I'm bullying you, little girl."

Seeing that she ignored her, Huanfeng stopped what she was doing and said to her, "Alright, just treat it as playing with grandma. Besides, you're not without merit. I promise not to talk nonsense when I answer your questions."

"You lied to me just for fun?"

Huanfeng waved at her again, motioning her to sit next to her. She ignored him and continued waving until she sat next to him.

She whispered in my ear, "I didn't mean to lie to you. I just wanted to see him again, even if it was just his figure hiding in the distance. I saw him today, but by sunset, all I know about him will be forgotten. I still don't know who he is. In my hazy memory, I only remember one sentence: When I sought help, the first person who appeared nearby was him."

Li Wan began to communicate with her in whispers.

"Why bother?"

"I've asked myself several times why I bothered. I couldn't get an answer."

Huanfeng took out a stencil from the tree, which had been polished to a glossy finish. It was engraved with two figures holding hands, and a few words were engraved on the back of the wooden sign:

We will be together forever and ever, until death and life cruelly separate us.

"How can I let go of this? How can I let go of the past? He just forgot about me and our past. I believe he has his own reasons."

"Do you trust him so much?"

"Don't you also trust your beloved? You swore an oath in his name, using your deceased sister as a guarantee. If you truly love someone, you will trust him without hesitation. Even if my memory has forgotten him, my heart has not forgotten the feeling of loving him. Even if I was deceived, I would admit it, because loving him has become an instinct that I cannot change. Don't you also think that what mother-in-law said is ridiculous?"

"I don't find your words ridiculous, Mother-in-law. On the contrary, I'm moved by your sincere love. Are you really willing to live your life like this?"

"What can I do if I'm unwilling to give up? I tried so hard. Even though I tried so hard to get to know him again, hoping that he would like me again, I naively thought that if I forgot the past love, I could just fall in love again. But I will keep forgetting, and so will he, and even the other Cloud Whales. Look, there are so many Cloud Whales in the sky, there must be one that has seen my efforts, right? I went to ask, and they all thought I was a lunatic who lied all the time, and who had made up a Cloud Whale lover out of delusion."

Li Wan tilted her head to look at Heng Jin and said through telepathy, "Remember when the elder said that every member of the Cloud Whale Tribe had drunk his nectar? Even he himself drank it. Could it be that the nectar caused the Cloud Whales' amnesia…"

Heng Jin sent a telepathic message: "I don't know, but there must be something in common."

"Grandma Huanfeng, have you tried asking the elders of the Cloud Whale Clan for help? He knows all the Cloud Whales."

"No. I didn't dare go to him. I was afraid he would think I was a liar and a lunatic, and that he would drive me out of Yundian Fairy Mountain."