At that time, I was bewildered
Yan Dan lived up to expectations and endured three days on the Heavenly Execution Platform.
On the third day, her second senior brother also came. When he carried her down from the Heavenly Punishment Platform, he couldn't help but exclaim in amazement: "Yan Dan, you really have a body of bronze and arms of iron, you are amazing."
Yan Dan was too weak to speak, but she could still glare at her second senior brother: This is outrageous! Even the most forthright fairy wouldn't like to hear such words. She had always longed for a gentle and charming demeanor. As things stood, she could never catch up to that charm, no matter how hard she tried, but gentleness was still somewhat attainable.
She felt she had truly failed the precious bloodline of the Four-Leaf Lotus, like a weed that, after a few days of care, could walk again. Once she could walk, she wanted to return to the edge of the earth. Her master had sent her to manage the books there, and now that she had caused such a huge mess, she couldn't possibly fail at even the smallest task assigned by her master, could she?
Tan Zhuo didn't try to persuade her. He saw her off from Tianchi Mountain and said earnestly, "You've learned your lesson this time. Be more obedient in the future and don't always cause trouble."
Yan Dan muttered, "Senior Brother, you really are more like Master than Master himself..."
She slowly walked towards the edge of the earth. After walking for a while, still unable to see any trace of the palace, she began to feel breathless. Ever since she came down from the Heavenly Execution Platform, her body had inexplicably deteriorated, not to mention the terrible state of the numerous crisscrossing wounds on her back. Fortunately, she was skilled in healing magic, otherwise she would have been dead long ago.
She got tired from walking, so she stopped to rest, then stood up and continued walking. The last time she stopped to rest, she fainted. Before losing consciousness, Yan Dan vaguely saw a young man in black clothes walk up to her.
The boy simply looked down at her, motionless. But by then she was already disoriented and couldn't make out his features. She thought weakly that anyone but a blind person could tell what was wrong with her. Yet the boy stared at her as if she were something new and exciting.
Although her complexion is a bit pale and her appearance is a bit unsightly, it's not to the point of being so offensive and unbearable to look at, is it?
Yan Dan had a very strange dream.
In her dream, she was merely an unknowing lotus blossom. Mist rose and fell over the Jade Pool, where countless fish swam. Suddenly, a young man in dark robes appeared, gracefully squatting by the pool. He was handsome, with deep, dark eyes and skin as white as the ivory porcelain cup his master rarely used. His high, straight nose accentuated his gentle features, giving him a striking, almost heroic air. He simply held onto the vines that had sprouted when she was still a lotus, his face expressionless. Yan Dan was displeased and couldn't help but reach out to tap the young man, but he remained expressionless, his eyes lowered, revealing only a pair of long eyelashes.
Yan Dan couldn't help but wonder, wasn't she a lotus flower? How could she have hands? And the feeling of hitting someone was just too real.
She jolted awake from her dream, looked around, and found herself back in the same spot where she had been resting. But there was no sign of the boy in black clothes, not even a ghost.
Yan Dan moved slightly, and a burning pain spread from her back to her whole body. She couldn't help but grimace and gasp for breath. If she had known it would turn out like this, she wouldn't have done this. This was entirely her own fault, and she deserved to be in so much pain.
She doesn't know what she was thinking back then. Sometimes she thinks she was incredibly stupid.
Upon returning to the edge of the earth, they discovered that Ying Yuan had already left. Well, now that his eyes could see again, it was time for him to go back.
There can be no romantic entanglements in the Heavenly Court, especially not between them.
Yan Dan knew she liked him, and she also knew that this liking would never be spoken aloud. Perhaps a hundred years later, after many changes in the mortal world, she would surely forget him. The most urgent thing was to take care of her health first. After all, this body was hers, and this life was hers; she had to take care of her own things first.
After resting for a while, Yan Dan was able to walk and run again, and began to wander around restlessly. Several times, when she passed by Yanxu Palace, she would hear the sound of a zither coming from inside. Her master, the Primordial Eternal Emperor, was actually a multi-talented immortal lord. Although he wasn't a master of the zither, chess, calligraphy, and painting, he was still quite skilled. Occasionally, when her master was in the mood to admire the moon and flowers, he would play a few tunes. Her second senior brother was a martial arts fanatic and disliked miscellaneous studies, while Yan Dan had absolutely no talent for music. She could pluck a fine seven-stringed zither and produce a tune that sounded like cotton being fluffed. Perhaps she was a burden to Zhixi. Although Zhixi could play a few simple pieces, the melodies were all over the place.
She stood by the wall of Yanxu Palace, listening intently to the music playing inside. The tone was pure, but the player was quite inexperienced, with stray notes from broken strings. After listening several times, Yan Dan couldn't resist sneaking inside. Along the way, she encountered several celestial children carrying trays. Upon seeing her, they bowed respectfully and greeted her as "Fairy Zhi" before walking away.
Yanxu Palace was the immortal residence of Lord Yingyuan. She originally did not want to go in, but in the end she couldn't resist the urge.
Yan Dan stood outside the courtyard, watching her twin sisters kneeling before the zither table, their sleeves slightly slipping down to reveal their fair wrists. At one corner of the table sat a small sandalwood incense burner, from which wisps of white smoke rose. Ying Yuanjun bent down behind her, occasionally lightly pressing and plucking the strings.
With a soft snap, Zhixi broke a string on her zither. She wrinkled her nose and muttered something under her breath. Yingyuan, who had been smiling gently, patiently replaced the broken string and readjusted the tone.
This couple seemed to have stepped out of a painting.
Yan Dan stood there for a long time before gently turning and walking away. Zhi Xi was her closest person, and if it was Ying Yuanjun, she felt this was good enough. In this world, there couldn't be anyone better than this—her closest and most beloved person.
She walked swiftly, a fire burning slowly in her throat, and the celestial children she encountered still addressed her respectfully as "Fairy Zhi." However, she was not Zhixi. She had never thought there was anything wrong with their resemblance before, but now it sounded incredibly ironic.
"Fairy Zhixi?" Lu Jing approached, carrying a stack of documents. Seeing her hurriedly brush past him, he stopped and kindly asked, "Are you feeling unwell? Why are you in such a rush?"
Yan Danwei stumbled slightly. Zhixi would never stagger like this, so unladylike.
Lu Jing switched the document to one hand, and gently supported her with his free hand: "If you are not feeling well, go back and rest."
Yan Dan's mind was in turmoil, and she didn't know what she was thinking. In her daze, she only heard her own sharp and flustered voice: "I'm not Zhi Xi! Why do you all think I'm Zhi Xi?..." Lu Jing looked at her in astonishment. Yan Dan realized she had spoken out of turn and ran away.
Actually, she didn't hate that she and Zhixi looked almost identical. At least her master and fellow disciples wouldn't mistake one for the other, and she herself wouldn't either. Zhixi was delicate and gentle, with elegant and refined movements. When others spoke to her, they wouldn't try to interrupt with jokes. Everything she said and did was endearing.
She is indeed no match for her.
For a long time afterward, Yan Dan remained well-behaved. Her master checked her studies and cultivation at the edge of the earth and was almost always very satisfied. After a few days of this, the grand gathering at Yaochi arrived.
Back then, Yan Danhua was transformed into a human at a grand gathering at Yaochi. But now, she's sitting there eating peaches and drinking tea. Lacking a celestial rank, she naturally couldn't get a good seat. She had hoped to bask in her master's glow and absorb some of his celestial energy, but instead, Donghua Qingjun sat next to her, and the two of them were discussing Dao and expounding the Dao, making her suppress her constant yawns. In the end, she had no choice but to sneak away.
Emperor Yingyuan was also a distinguished guest of the Queen Mother of the West, and it was not easy to see him through the layers of people. Yan Dan felt that it was better not to see him than to meet him, fearing that if she did see him, she would inevitably lose her composure, and her face would turn ashen and her expression would become dazed, as if she had contracted some serious illness.
Yan Dan bent down and touched the lotus blossoms emerging from the water, muttering softly, "It's still just as crowded here..." She wondered if another lotus might suddenly transform into human form, just like she had long ago. Lost in thought, she suddenly heard steady footsteps behind her and instinctively turned around.
The man strolled over slowly, reached out and grasped a lotus flower; its pale pink petals quietly unfolded in his hand. The world seemed to lose all other colors, leaving only him and that touch of pale pink.
Yan Dan stared at him blankly, unable to look away.
As expected, she couldn't forget so easily.
"Why are you hiding here all by yourself? Is it too noisy over there?" Ying Yuan turned his head and asked with a slight smile.
His burned cheeks have healed considerably, gradually revealing his original appearance, with clear and bright eyes.
Yan Dan looked at the lotus pond and said dryly, "It's not that it's noisy, I just don't like being here."
Ying Yuan gave a soft "hmm": "Then let's go back. This gathering at Yaochi will last for three to five days. No one will notice if one or two people are missing." He released the flower branch and stretched out his hand to her: "Let's go."
Yan Dan looked at his hand, and an uncontrollable malice rose in her heart: "You think you're talking to Zhixi? But I'm not her."
Ying Yuan was slightly taken aback.
Yan Dan took a step closer, smiling slightly: "You said that when your eyes can see again, you will definitely recognize me... It turns out, it was just empty talk." She originally thought that even if he hadn't said it, he still liked her to some extent. It turns out that from beginning to end, it was all wishful thinking on her part.
"Yan Dan?" His eyes flickered, surprise and astonishment taking turns before finally settling into an incredibly complex emotion, as if something had spiraled out of control.
"Now you finally remember? So how do you plan to repay me?" She clearly didn't want to say these words, but she couldn't control herself. The pain of having half her heart ripped out, the unbearable suffering on the execution platform, the agonizing struggles day and night—these emotions, though they had been suppressed, would eventually be uncontrollably unleashed.
Ying Yuan stood there, smiling helplessly, even with a hint of weariness: "Whatever you say... What do you want?"
What do you want?
Yan Dan had asked him this question before, but now the tables have turned and it's his turn to ask it.
Yan Dan's face stiffened, unsure whether to laugh or cry: "Those days... I think I developed some feelings for you, Emperor Yingyuan. Could you grant me this wish?" If he was willing, she would follow him to the ends of the earth. Even if he wasn't, she wouldn't pester him; her feelings were genuine.
"Yan Dan, you can't just make jokes like that."
Yan Dan suddenly found it funny. Why is it that when she speaks, people always think she's joking, but when Zhi Xi says something, no one ever asks, "Are you joking?"
She shrugged: "A joke is just something you say casually, why would you take it seriously?"
Ying Yuan looked at her calmly, as if he had been considering it for a long time, before whispering, "You weren't like this before."
Yan Dan turned her head away to look at the sprawling lotus blossoms, still smiling slightly: "That's because you couldn't see it before, but this is how I am."
She still can't forget it, so she often loses her composure, evil thoughts arise in her heart, and her words become sharp, making her really unlikable.
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