On the banks of the Milky Way, Qinghe sat under a tree, staring blankly at the still water.
Shen Xun walked to her side, "Is Su Feng the Divine Lord or not Qi Rong?"
Qinghe: "Yes."
Shen Xun: "So sure?"
Qinghe ran her fingers over the bracelet. "It's what told me that."
Shen Xun's gaze fell on her wrist, where the bracelet was shimmering and sparkling in the light.
That was a gift from Qi Rong, a token of their love. Its aura was closely connected to Qi Rong's. If it told Qing He that Qi Rong and Su Feng were originally one person, then there would be no mistake.
It's just unknown how Su Feng lost his memory, or how he became a god in the divine realm.
Lost in thought, he looked up and met Qinghe's gaze.
Seeing her staring intently at him, Shen Xun touched his face and asked, puzzled, "What's wrong? Is there something on my face?"
Qinghe shook his head, a half-smile on his face, and said, "I don't have anything, but I'm curious why only my disguise was exposed, while yours was completely undetected by others?"
Shen Xun blinked and remained silent.
Qinghe circled around him: "I always thought you were just a skilled rogue cultivator who had to maintain a childlike appearance because of your injuries, but now it seems that's not the case."
The probing gaze fell upon Shen Xun. "Mount Futu is the dwelling place of the ancient gods. Although these gods did not cultivate to godhood through physical means, their strength is still far beyond that of powerful cultivators in the human realm. Everyone saw through my disguise, but no one suspected you. Why?"
She looked directly at Shen Xun: "Who exactly are you?"
The tone wasn't sharp; it was more like the peaceful and calm conversation between close friends, as if asking an unrelated question.
Shen Xun retorted, "Are you doubting me?"
Qinghe smiled and said, "I'm just curious."
The two stared at each other for a long time, neither of them speaking.
After a long while, Shen Xun sighed. Just as he was about to compromise and reveal his identity, a voice interrupted him.
What are you two doing here?
Judging from the voice, you can tell it's the Little Immortal Official Who Hears Sounds.
He strode up to the two men with the air of a dragon reaching for the moon, always displaying an arrogant demeanor towards those of lower rank.
"I say, you two were really audacious in the Elegant Garden just now. They say a newborn calf is not afraid of a tiger, but you two newcomers really don't know what's scary!"
He glanced at the two of them sideways, his eyes narrowing into slits. "It's fortunate that the God didn't blame you, otherwise even ten lives wouldn't be enough to atone for your sins. Alright, come with me, I'll arrange accommodations for you!"
Qinghe walked ahead first, and then followed. On the way, he said to Shen Xun, "I'll let you off this time, we'll talk about it next time."
Shen Xun shrugged, looking calm, indicating that there was no problem.
Following the sound, we turned and twisted until we finally stopped at a small courtyard.
Hearing this, he gestured with his chin: "Look, this is where the celestial children and fairies live. Let's go in."
Shen Xun asked, "Aren't you going to lead us in?"
Hearing this, he revealed a disdainful expression: "How could I possibly enter the servants' quarters!"
Seeing that the two remained silent, and assuming that the sound had frightened them, he softened his expression and said, "After you go inside, find your respective dormitory officials, and they will make arrangements." After saying that, he ignored the two and drifted away.
Shen Xun looked at the retreating figure who had heard the voice and sneered, "Not a high-ranking official, but quite the airs."
Qinghe continued, "Haven't you heard the saying that a higher-ranking official can crush you? We two are the lowest class here, so who else would they bully if not us?"
Without lingering, Qing and Shenxun followed the directions given by Wen Sheng and entered the courtyard to find their respective sleeping quarters.
The courtyard was quite large, and it was bustling with people; judging from the scene, it seemed that all the servants of Mount Futu were here.
The east and west courtyards were divided into male and female dormitories. Qinghe and Shenxun separated and went into the female dormitory in the west courtyard.
There were rows of side rooms. Qinghe casually pushed open one of them and saw that the room was simply furnished and decorated. There were two beds on each side, which could accommodate two people to rest.
Qinghe then went to several other rooms, and the same thing happened in every single one of them.
After wandering around for a while, I didn't see the so-called bedchamber official, nor any of the other palace maids. Perhaps they had all gone to serve at the palace banquet.
Qinghe was terrible with directions, and although the environment here wasn't complicated, she didn't wander around just to be on the safe side. Instead, she sat on the steps and waited for Shen Xun to come find her.
Mount Futu is closer to the sky, and the sunlight is softer and warmer. I don't know what species the trees in the courtyard are, but they emit several colors under the sunlight, changing at will, which is really magical.
The radiance emanating from the colors attracted the mischievous Little Red, who detached herself from Qinghe's hair, transforming from an ordinary hairpin into a tiny phoenix. She fluttered her wings and landed on a tree, blinking her eyes as she watched the magical leaves.
Its fiery red body was obscured by the branches, and the colors of rainbows appeared on it. From a distance, it looked like a magical little bird with rainbow colors. Qinghe thought that if such a miracle were in modern times, it would definitely attract a lot of attention. Perhaps a rich person would spend a huge sum of money to buy this little bird and become a millionaire in no time.
The more I thought about it, the more beautiful it seemed, and I even laughed out loud without realizing it.
What are you laughing at?
Qinghe was startled and turned around to see Shen Xun looking at her with the same look he was giving her when she thought she was mentally challenged.
Frowning, Qinghe said somewhat reproachfully, "Don't you know any manners? Don't you know it's rude to scare people behind their backs? Luckily, I'm just sitting here. If I were changing clothes in my room, would you sneak in and peep at me without me noticing?"
Shen Xun pursed his lips and whispered, "If you put it that way, it's not impossible..."
Qinghe narrowed his eyes: "What did you say?"
Shen Xun immediately waved his hand and said, "It's nothing, I didn't mean it. I saw you standing here in a daze with a lewd smile on your face, and I was worried about you. Besides, I called you several times before I came, but you didn't hear me, so you can't blame me."
Qinghe asked in confusion, "Really? I didn't hear that... Never mind, let's not talk about this. I didn't find any dormitory officials. What about you?"
Shen Xun shook his head: "I don't have any either."
Qinghe raised the corners of her lips: "This is the perfect opportunity. When no one is around, take me to find the Divine Tree."
Shen Xun looked at her and said, "Okay."
Soon, thousands of miles away from the dormitory, at the southernmost point of Mount Futu, two figures appeared.
Looking at the desolate, quiet place before him, Qinghe asked, "Are you sure you haven't come to the wrong place?"
In a desolate wilderness where there isn't even a ghost in sight, how could the divine tree possibly be in such a place?
Shen Xun thought for a moment and said, "There are only two possibilities: either I remembered the place wrong, or the divine tree has been moved."
Qinghe: "I believe your memory, so there's only the second possibility."
She walked ahead, looking at the dilapidated buildings around her, her expression complicated, as if she couldn't understand why the ethereal Futu Mountain would have such a desolate and bleak place.
Amidst the ruins, Qinghe walked to a palace that was still intact. He looked up at the plaque in front of the palace. The characters on the plaque were blurred and indistinct, but the brushstrokes were still faintly visible. Qinghe glanced at it and read it aloud.
"The Jade Locking Temple..."
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