Chapter 148, the grand finale, is not just about envying a loving couple...
Overwhelmed with joy and excitement, Jiang Yu nearly lost control. His eyes were fixed on the flower, and at that moment, everything and everyone seemed irrelevant to him.
"It may take some more time to recover," Xie Hanyu instructed him.
Jiang Yu had made preparations long ago, but he still couldn't find Shen Jiuxu. Inside the inn, only he and Shen Jiuxu, who had not yet taken human form, remained.
"How could someone else have picked it up?" Jiang Yu reached out and poked the trembling flower bud with her finger, a strange pang of sadness rising in her heart. "I've been looking for you for so long, but I haven't been able to find you."
Fortunately, it was the Huai Xian Sect who found Shen Jiuxu; otherwise, if some ill-intentioned people or complete strangers had encountered him, they probably would have thrown him away like a withered tree branch.
"I don't know if you can understand what I'm saying now."
Jiang Yu talked to the flower for a while before suddenly realizing the problem, "Can a baby in swaddling clothes understand words when it's young? Probably not."
He sighed. Oh well, at least he'd found it. He could nurture it for a while, watering it with spiritual energy, and it would probably take human form soon. Jiang Yu now understood why Jiang Chao had looked at him with that strange gaze; he probably really treated Shen Jiuxu like a pet.
Perhaps it's a mutual appreciation between a dragon and a tree.
He is a person and cannot participate in this at the moment.
Jiang Yu carefully held the celadon vase in his hands, afraid that he might accidentally drop it and break it. He had never taken care of Shen Jiuxu before, and was somewhat at a loss. He finally managed to find a suitable bookstall outside the inn. The owner was an elderly woman with white hair.
Jiang Yu ate wontons to the right of her stall yesterday. It was also their stall, but the old man was in charge of it.
"Young Master Jiang, what book are you looking for?"
The old man noticed his hesitation and, without boasting, told the truth, "You probably won't need the sword manual we sell here."
"I don't want the sword manual." Jiang Yu's ears burned, and he was a little embarrassed. "I want to buy one... I'll look for it myself."
Growing a tree is a difficult task, let alone turning it into a Daoist companion. Jiang Yu dared not take it lightly. When the old man saw him stuttering, he instantly understood and said "Oh." He took out a stack from the innermost corner, wrapped in blue cloth, so that he could not see what it was.
"Young Master Jiang, here you go."
The old man seemed to know what was going on, speaking and laughing, the wrinkles at the corners of his eyes clearly visible. "So many people come to buy from here, what's there to be ashamed of? Take it, it's all wrapped up, no one will know."
“This is a rare copy; I don’t give these to ordinary guests.”
Jiang Yu was completely confused. He thought that the old man's understanding was different from his own, but the street was crowded right now. He had only been standing in front of the book stall for a short while when a large crowd surged up.
"Boss, give me a book of poetry."
Not wanting to delay the other person's business, and knowing the old man was also extremely busy, he stuffed the bundle into Jiang Yu's arms and went to find books for the customer.
Jiang Yu had no choice but to leave.
If he couldn't raise it, Zhou Yongyin could certainly. His grandfather had planted so many crops; a single tree would be no problem. Jiang Yu, having given up all hope, prepared to take the porcelain bottle back to Shen Wuke. He put the blue bundle into his storage bag and overheard several Xingchenque disciples talking as they approached.
"Did Sect Leader Lian really do these things?"
"Several major sects have come. What's fake can't become real, and what's real can't become fake. I just didn't expect that even though Young Master Lian has only just woken up, the sect leader wouldn't care about his feelings?" the disciple whispered. "Wasn't it said that the sect leader liked Young Master Lian the most?"
"Who knows? But she's the sect leader, so she can't possibly be in dire straits. Young Master Jiang has already saved her life, so what's the point of her trying to salvage the situation now?"
"They'll eventually be forgotten. Bailuzhou is so wealthy; if they just give some money, the people will naturally be willing to defend them." The man grabbed the clothes of the person next to him. "Alright, how they handle it is their business. We're not Young Master Jiang; what's the use of saying all this?"
"Come on, let me treat you to a drink."
"It's a deal then, you're treating." "Okay."
The sound faded away as the two walked further and further away. Jiang Yu stood there, looked up at the sky for a while, and a gray-blue bird flew very low, brushed past his shoulder, and flew into the woods.
The lush forest was vibrant with greenery, full of life even in the dead of winter. Jiang Yu saw disciples dressed in sect robes carrying buckets to water the trees, and nearby residents spontaneously weeding the area.
The leaves rustled in the wind. Jiang Yu smiled, then strode away without looking any further.
"Young Master Jiang? Was that really Young Master Jiang just now? You didn't recognize him, but he's gone now." The two disciples tentatively turned around, but only saw Jiang Yu's back. "Did he hear what we said?"
“Young Master Jiang wouldn’t care about these things. If he really wanted to, he would definitely show up, but he didn’t even go to see Sect Leader Lian, so he’s even less likely to hold a grudge against us.”
"They're long gone, never mind."
The streets were still bustling with people, men, women, and children of all ages moving among the unchanging pavilions and towers. Shouts and laughter mingled with the occasional groan of sorrow—such is life.
"grandfather."
A wisp of smoke rose from above Fuyou Palace. Jiang Yu pushed open the door and went in with a smile on his face. Zhou Yongyin was holding a rice bowl at the time. When he saw Jiang Yu's appearance, he stopped in his tracks and kept looking back.
Zhou Yongyin guessed what was going on, but since he didn't see anyone behind Jiang Yu, he could only refrain from asking him for the time being. "You're back, let's eat."
"Grandfather, you eat first! I have something to do." Jiang Yu darted past Zhou Yongyin like a cheerful sparrow, her fluttering red clothes becoming a blur, and the jade pendant in her hair jingling.
The blue porcelain bottle was taken out, and Jiang Yu dug a hole in the open space behind the Fuyou Palace and planted the branch inside. In just a few days, the branch grew much larger than before. Jiang Yu channeled spiritual energy into it, and the flower buds looked radiant.
Jiang Yu began to have expectations, hoping that one morning he would wake up to see the face he had sketched countless times in his mind and hear the familiar, gentle voice calling him to get up.
Whether the wait would be long or short, he saw hope and thus had more courage to wait.
He even started fantasizing about what Shen Jiuxu had once said, asking him to raise him from childhood to adulthood all over again.
Jiang Yu laughed heartily, completely different from his usual self. His beautiful eyes reflected the flowers in front of him, and his bright red clothes were so eye-catching that everyone wanted to look at him.
Seven days later was Jiang Yu's birthday. Zhou Yongyin woke him up early in the morning and brought him a big bowl of longevity noodles. Jiang Yu was still asleep and his eyelids were heavy, but there was nothing he could do. Zhou Yongyin wouldn't let him sleep and even brought up the matter of watering Shen Jiuxu's plants that morning.
"Get up quickly."
Jiang Yu yawned, glanced at the increasingly lush branches, and saw that the flower buds at the top were already half-open, proving that his daily care had paid off.
The old woman at the bookstore didn't give him any secrets on how to grow trees at all; instead, she gave him erotic pictures that Jiang Yu didn't need, at least not right now.
Last night, he suddenly remembered this and spent a lot of effort finding the heavy blue bundle. When he opened it, Jiang Yu was shocked.
Fortunately, Shen Jiuxu wasn't there. Jiang Yu took a deep breath. Even though he knew Shen Jiuxu couldn't see, he still felt guilty. The books had become a hot potato, making Jiang Yu's mouth dry. He was flustered and finally managed to stuff the few erotic books under the covers.
When Zhou Yongyin pushed open the door and pulled Jiang Yu up, his dazed mind was suddenly jolted awake. His disheveled hair covered half of his face, and his red and hot ears were hidden among it.
"Who wakes up to eat longevity noodles right away?!"
Although Jiang Yu said that, he still obediently got up. He glanced at the sprawling branches before following Zhou Yongyin to eat longevity noodles under the tree. This was the first birthday he hadn't spent with Shen Jiuxu since meeting him.
Happy birthday, Young Master Jiang.
Dianxing brought over a few of his familiar disciples and some commoners from Qingyun Ladder. A large group of people, dressed in red and green, carrying all sorts of items, greeted Jiang Yu.
"This was specially requested by Sect Master Shen to be retrieved. He said it was prepared for Young Master Jiang a long time ago." Dianxing held two sandalwood boxes, not bothering to see what was inside, and handed them to Jiang Yu untouched.
“Young Master Jiang, your birthday is a big deal! We wouldn’t have known if Dianxing hadn’t told us! You must accept this; it’s all from Qingyunti.” Aunt Wu specially chose her newly made clothes today and combed her hair to make it shiny, just so that Jiang Yu could see her sincerity.
“Young Master Jiang, this was sent by a friend from afar. She’s busy, so she asked me to bring it over.” Aunt Wu put down her own gift with her left hand and handed over a new gift with her right.
Dianxing guessed who the friend she was referring to was, and Jiang Yu, naturally, accepted the gift without further hesitation.
"Aunt Wu, please give my regards to Madam Zhou and Xiao Ying."
"Okay, okay, I will definitely... I will definitely pass it on," Aunt Wu said excitedly, and several young girls went to coax her with laughter. For the first time, Fuyou Palace was packed with people, and Jiang Yu received blessings from the entire village like never before.
Gradually, several wardrobes appeared in Fuyou Palace, filled with all sorts of trinkets and clothes. The vegetables planted by Zhou Yongyin ripened one after another, and the new batch of disciples that Shen Wuke had taken in became senior brothers and sisters three years later.
"Young Master Jiang, everyone wants to see your Xianchen Sword. Can I take it out and show it off to them?" Dianxing had become more mature and had already taken in two apprentices. Unable to resist the persistent pleading of the children under his command, he had no choice but to bring them to find Jiang Yu.
He guessed that Young Master Jiang was in a good mood, so he deliberately chose this moment to ask. Sure enough, Jiang Yu raised an eyebrow and tossed the sword to him.
The disciples below cheered.
Amidst the clamor of the crowd, Jiang Yu quietly slipped out through a side path. Today was the seventh day of the seventh lunar month, and Dianxing was hosting a banquet at Shenwuke to celebrate.
With him there, the disciples inevitably felt a bit awkward. Jiang Yu, being sensible, returned to Fuyou Palace. He drank some wine, leaned against a tree trunk, rubbed his face against the petals a few times, and couldn't help but complain, "It's the Qixi Festival, after all. You're just letting me spend it alone."
The bright moon hung high, illuminating the courtyard as if it were daytime. Jiang Yu squinted and suddenly heard a soft laugh. His mind was a little sluggish, but his body's reaction was the most truthful.
Someone hugged him.
It wasn't the feel of a branch, but a living, warm body.
"Jiang Yu".
Jiang Yu thought, this doesn't seem to be his thousandth dream.
He wasn't asleep; he hadn't used illusion magic. Even though the alcohol had slowed his reactions considerably, his body's natural reactions wouldn't lie about what he had longed for and imagined countless times.
It was Shen Jiuxu, his Daoist partner calling him.
"I'm sorry to have kept you waiting." The man lowered his head to kiss him, tears sliding down his cheeks before being licked clean by Shen Jiuxu's lips. He tightly embraced Jiang Yu's waist with one hand and whispered, "You've been drinking."
"Mmm," Jiang Yu replied slowly, "Do you want to kiss me?"
Before Shen Jiuxu could speak, he kissed Shen Jiuxu's lips again.
The aroma of wine mingled with the fragrance of flowers, birds chirped softly as they returned home, and disciples cheered loudly in the distance—everything was peaceful and serene.
On the Qixi Festival, inside the Fuyou Palace, the shadows of two people embracing were stretched extremely long by the moonlight. Their long-awaited reunion was finally fulfilled at this moment.
"Jiang Yu, this is my third life. Thank you for meeting me again."
A tree full of delicate pink buds bloomed behind him, exactly like the heart-fluttering feeling he had when they first met. The world changes, the world transforms, but no matter how many times they meet, Shen Jiuxu will always be moved by Jiang Yu once more.
Their destiny was preordained through countless lifetimes.
It's not just about envying the mandarin ducks more than the immortals, but about the mandarin ducks and immortals alike having their wishes fulfilled.
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A message from the author: Thank you all for your continued support.
The main story concludes here. Written from June 14th, 2025 to January 16th, 2026, the story of Shen Jiuxu and Jiang Yu can finally come to a satisfying end. They are happy in their own world, and I hope every reader of this book will also be happy. Thank you for your enjoyment of this book.
This book took a long time to write, and I had to take leave for various reasons such as exams, internships, and papers. Following the updates was a very difficult task, so I apologize to every reader once again.
The side stories will start with Jiang Yu and Shen Jiuxu, including snippets of their daily sweet moments and some bizarre, chaotic love triangle scenarios. The side stories for Lian Quesheng and Xichuang will likely be saved for last. Since I wrote two bonus side stories for the main characters in the previous book, this one will continue that trend. One will still be about the compatibility of the couple (I haven't decided on the exact number of questions yet), and another is also being conceived. Of course, feel free to leave any requests in the comments! I'll try my best to write them.
Finally, a shout-out to the pre-orders! If you like it, feel free to add it to your favorites! See you in the next book, muah!
"After My Death, I Became Daoist Partners with My Natal Sword" tells the story of a beautiful, aloof, and sword-wielding woman who is devoted to the Dao, while her natal sword is arrogant, vindictive, and petty.
"Fishing in the Hospital Disinfectant After I Fell Asleep" - A medical student who is barely alive and mentally unstable (bottom) X A proud and domineering blue fish (top).
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