After a brief stay in the Lower Realm, Nie Shiyun and Zhai Bairong had spent most of their time in closed-door cultivation within their immortal cave. They rarely ventured out, and their social circle was quite limited. After entrusting the spirit herb field at the entrance of their cave to He Yin and his wife, the two set off on their journey, unburdened.
The last time Nie Shiyun had caused a massive stir in the Middle Realm, several decades had passed, and the commotion had long since died down. However, since cultivators were long-lived, a few decades were not enough for the prominent figures of the Middle Realm to change. To be safe, he took a Disguise Pill after leaving the Lower Realm, and both he and Zhai Bairong used aliases along the way to avoid unnecessary trouble.
The only person in the Middle Realm who knew that "Nie Shiyun" was still alive and well was Madam Shang. As the rumors gradually subsided, she had reached out to Nie Shiyun several times to ask if he needed help. However, since Nie Shiyun and Zhai Bairong were living comfortably in the Lower Realm, he had declined her kindness, offering only his thanks and a promise to visit if the opportunity arose.
On this trip to the Upper Realm, Nie Shiyun suggested they stop by while passing through the Middle Realm. When Madam Shang heard that his Daoist partner would be coming along, she was naturally very curious to meet this "Zhai Bairong" Nie Shiyun spoke of, and they arranged a time to meet.
"I finally have the chance to meet you. You acted so recklessly back then; you truly gave me a fright."
Madam Shang’s maidservants had long forgotten someone like Nie Shiyun. Furthermore, since he had taken a Disguise Pill, the female cultivators were somewhat bewildered to hear Madam Shang speaking so warmly to these visitors. However, they knew better than to meddle in their mistress's affairs; they merely looked on with confusion, served the tea, and withdrew.
"There were reasons for my actions," Nie Shiyun laughed awkwardly. Madam Shang had clearly warned him, yet he had knowingly risked his life despite the consequences. He truly had no ground to stand on in this regard.
Madam Shang had heard from Nie Shiyun that during their time in that secret realm, his partner, Zhai Bairong, had also seen that scroll painting. Once her daughter was involved, she became sentimental, and she chatted incessantly with the two about old stories from the past.
"Look at me, prattling on about the distant past again. It clearly has nothing to do with you young people..."
Zhai Bairong smiled and said, "Not at all. I was separated from my parents at a young age and never truly experienced the bond between mother and son. It is quite nice to hear you speak of your own experiences."
Hearing him say this, Madam Shang felt much comforted.
"I remember the proud and joyful look he had whenever he mentioned his partner, and I wondered what kind of person you would be. Now that I see you, you are indeed extraordinary."
"You flatter me..." Zhai Bairong glanced at Nie Shiyun.
Nie Shiyun chuckled softly. "What? Everything I said was the truth."
Thinking about how Nie Shiyun had practically integrated "I have a Daoist partner" into his personal introduction, mentioning it to everyone he met, Zhai Bairong felt a deep sense of security every time he was reminded of it.
Although Nie Shiyun often joked about how eye-catching Zhai Bairong was, Zhai Bairong knew well that Nie Shiyun was far more attractive than he appeared at first glance. His virtues were not limited to the surface; one only needed to spend a few days with him to realize it.
Madam Shang watched the two juniors exchanging glances. Thinking of her own dull and flavorless arranged marriage within her clan, she felt a slight bitterness in her heart. Ultimately, she tucked her feelings away and teased them with a smile: "The two of you have such a wonderful relationship. Cultivators have long lives and often just find someone to pass the time with, or they grow tired of each other after a few decades or centuries. You two are clearly not like that."
Nie Shiyun laughed. "Indeed. If we visit your manor again in another few decades, we will surely be exactly the same as we are now."
Madam Shang found this amusing. "Why must it be decades before you visit? Come by whenever you are free. And you don't need to bring gifts every time..."
Naturally, Nie Shiyun and Zhai Bairong would not come empty-handed when visiting a senior. They had presented both magical treasures and medicinal pills. While expressing her gratitude, Madam Shang was also stunned by the speed of Nie Shiyun's growth in cultivation and smithing during this period, repeatedly marveling at his outstanding talent. Nie Shiyun, knowing he simply had much more time than others, felt he didn't deserve the praise and quickly pushed the truly talented Zhai Bairong forward.
"This level of skill is enough to secure a place in the main Shang family in the Upper Realm. The younger generation is truly full of talent," Madam Shang lamented, half-jokingly asking Zhai Bairong if he wanted to find work.
"This..."
Seeing Zhai Bairong’s hesitant expression, Madam Shang knew he had no such intention and quickly dropped the idea.
"I was joking. I can tell just by looking at you that neither of you is the type to enjoy living in a clan with strict rules. Young people should go out and live freely."
Zhai Bairong and Nie Shiyun smiled, not denying it. Madam Shang reflected that it made sense; back when Nie Shiyun was destitute and in desperate need of money, he hadn't accepted her offer to stay with the Shang family as an apprentice. It seemed these two were destined never to be bound by any family or sect, likely meant to live a life of "idle clouds and wild cranes."
"Where are you headed next?" Madam Shang asked curiously.
"We will wander around the Middle Realm for a bit, and then head to the Upper Realm... to meet an old acquaintance."
Though Madam Shang was sentimental at times, she was also a clever woman. She did not pry into why Nie Shiyun, who had ascended from the lower world, would have an "old acquaintance" in the Upper Realm. She simply remembered something and warned them with concern: "Going to the Upper Realm now? I don't mean to meddle, but if it isn't urgent, it might be better to wait a few years. That Dragon, Ao Fan, who was enraged by you and claimed to have killed you to vent his anger—I assume you still remember him."
"Of course I remember," Nie Shiyun nodded.
"Haven't you heard? He returned to the Upper Realm not long ago and made a complete fool of himself at a banquet, inciting the Dragon King's fury and getting himself thrown into solitary confinement. Before that, he claimed in front of the entire gathered Yao race that he had already killed you, which was the only way he managed to save some face. If you go to the Upper Realm now and happen to be discovered, wouldn't you be walking straight into the Dragon Clan's crosshairs?" Madam Shang said worriedly.
"He went back to the Upper Realm? I truly didn't know. I was wondering why the cities in the Middle Realm felt exceptionally peaceful..." Nie Shiyun said in surprise. He had come to visit Madam Shang immediately after getting off the immortal ship and hadn't looked for news about Ao Fan. He hadn't expected such a thing to have happened.
Zhai Bairong frowned slightly and glanced at Nie Shiyun. Most cultivators in the Lower Realm occupied their own piece of land and lived in peace, rarely knowing of the major events in the Middle or Upper Realms. This was the first he had heard of it as well.
The two of them almost instantly reached the same conclusion. The matter the Phoenix Emperor mentioned was likely related to this...
"Is this matter common knowledge in the Middle Realm as well?" Nie Shiyun asked again.
"The Dragon Clan likely tried to suppress the news to avoid losing face. But there is no wall that doesn't leak air; the Yao race is not that united. As the gossip spread, the humans in the Upper Realm found out, and then our branch families in the Middle Realm naturally learned of it too." Although it wasn't her own family's business, Madam Shang disliked how bad news traveled a thousand miles, and she shook her head helplessly.
"What a hassle..." Nie Shiyun sighed, exchanging a look with Zhai Bairong.
Madam Shang looked at him and said, "At first, I thought you had only humiliated Ao Fan at the competition, causing him to fly into a rage. I didn't expect you to have actually taken his dragon scale. As I thought, you are still thinking about repairing the channel. Saying you gave up back then was just to brush me off, wasn't it?"
Nie Shiyun gave a dry laugh. "I'm truly sorry. I could only say that at the time; otherwise, would you have let me go to the smithing competition?"
Seeing his determination, Madam Shang knew she couldn't dissuade him and simply shook her head.
"Do not speak of this carelessly outside. Many humans in the cultivation world do not support repairing the Ascension Path; they feel it's just giving away their own cultivation resources to outsiders. If you talk about it, you might even draw resentment..." Madam Shang sighed again. "While I am powerless regarding things like the Power of the Four Beasts, at the very least, when you truly begin repairing the Ascension Path, I can afford the Immortal Crystals and common materials you'll need."
Zhai Bairong was startled. "Madam Shang, that is no small sum." Although it was still early, he and Nie Shiyun were already systematically saving materials and Immortal Crystals. The precision and consumption of that grand array were extraordinary; at their current pace, they might still have to wait a hundred years or more.
"I know. But I'm not using the Shang family's money; it's from my own private coffers. At my age, my savings are surely more substantial than yours, right?" Madam Shang smiled, revealing a rare, lighthearted, girl-like grin. "Once it's repaired, you'll probably go back through the channel, right? When that time comes, take me along to see. Let me see what kind of place my daughter lived in for all those years after escaping the Shang family..."
"...Alright."
Nie Shiyun and Zhai Bairong wanted to say something, but in the end, they didn't. They simply gave a short word of agreement, making a promise with Madam Shang.
By evening, the two declined Madam Shang's kind offer to stay for dinner and set out on their journey once more.
That night at the inn, they discussed the farce within the Dragon Clan that Madam Shang had mentioned.
"What do you think about the situation in the Upper Realm?"
Nie Shiyun was lying on the bed, staring at the wooden ceiling in thought. Hearing Zhai Bairong's question, he answered without hesitation, "Ten to one, we're going to be dragged into the affairs of those Yao cultivators again. You've seen that Phoenix Emperor; do you think he's the type to happily hand over treasures just because I insulted the Dragon Clan's Ao Fan?"
Zhai Bairong said calmly, "I think if he found out you've plucked quite a few of Xuan Yang's tail feathers, he'd be more the type to raise his blade and silence you forever."
"Actually, I haven't plucked that many since he was little..." Nie Shiyun insisted on correcting him.
"The Phoenix Emperor has to believe that for it to matter." Zhai Bairong flicked his finger, and the candle flame in the room went out.
Nie Shiyun let out a soft "Hmm?" and asked, "In the mood for a nap today? Is it because the journey and the visit to the senior were too tiring?"
Zhai Bairong felt his way to the bedside in the dark and gave a low response. "Not entirely. I'm just not in the mood to cultivate today; I want to talk with you more."
Nie Shiyun was quick to slip under the covers in his inner robes, smiling as he pulled back the quilt. "A warm welcome."
Zhai Bairong chuckled, unhurriedly arranging his removed outer robe neatly on a nearby stool.
Mortals worked at sunrise and rested at sunset, following the rhythm of three meals a day. For cultivators, meditation could replace sleep, and spiritual energy or pills were enough to fill their stomachs, so a cultivator's sense of time was often blurred. Not just a day or a year—decades could pass in the blink of an eye during closed-door cultivation.
Only occasionally, lying down like this when darkness fell, talking together and then falling into a deep sleep, did they feel a different sense of "living."
Nie Shiyun sometimes thought that a cultivator's life was long; if one didn't have a partner to communicate with at any time and enjoy the pleasures of life together, would a life as long as heaven and earth be too dull?
There was a rustling sound under the quilt. Once Zhai Bairong got in, he habitually pressed close to Nie Shiyun's side. The two lay on their sides facing each other. In the night, their eyes gradually adjusted to the darkness, allowing them to see each other's familiar faces clearly.
Zhai Bairong just watched Nie Shiyun quietly.
Nie Shiyun suddenly asked out of the blue, "A bit worried?"
Zhai Bairong asked back, "Is it that obvious?"
Nie Shiyun smiled. "What can one see from that calm expression of yours? It's just that after being together for so long, I only need to put myself in your shoes to know everything."
Zhai Bairong’s hand rested on Nie Shiyun’s waist. Nie Shiyun caught it, interlacing their fingers and pulling it to his chest, then to his lips, gently kissing Zhai Bairong’s knuckles, which were prominent due to the curve of his hand.
"I've made you worry again."
Zhai Bairong’s fingers felt itchy from the kiss and the warm breath. He smiled, hesitated for a moment, and whispered, "It might make me sound too cold-hearted... but... as long as you are safe and sound, I have no lingering attachments to the cultivation world."
Their breaths mingled, becoming one. Zhai Bairong said whatever he wanted in front of Nie Shiyun, not wanting to think for a moment about whether it would displease the other. Nie Shiyun was the only person in the world with whom he didn't need to consider such things or weigh his words and actions.
"But just as you can understand me by putting yourself in my shoes, I also understand what's in your heart. So, whatever you want to do, I will do it with you," Zhai Bairong said softly.
"I know," Nie Shiyun’s voice carried a hint of a smile, and he added, "But in the end, the two of us are what matters most. If we encounter a situation that might harm us, I will definitely choose to give up immediately."
"...I know," Zhai Bairong replied.
Both of their voices sounded a bit lazy in the night, like murmurs just a second before falling asleep. In truth, they both knew exactly what the other wanted to say and how they would respond, yet they still wanted to hear it from each other's lips from time to time to be satisfied.
After a long silence, Zhai Bairong heard Nie Shiyun’s smiling question: "Are you sleepy yet? Is there time for a kiss before we sleep?"
The sound of hair rubbing against the pillowcase was faint.
Zhai Bairong used a kiss to tell Nie Shiyun that he wasn't quite that sleepy yet.
***
