Following the instructions of both the Divine and Immortal Realms, Vera stepped once more into the Realm of Reincarnation. At her side were Master Jin Xiu, who oversaw this domain, and her parents, Gui Xia and Chi Ling.
The familiar sight of the golden-crimson hall rose before her eyes. Its pillars were adorned with intricate engravings that shimmered with spiritual light, and the vaulted ceilings stretched high into infinity as though the heavens themselves were pressing down. Within the grand chamber, there were countless sculptures—circular monuments that seemed to contain memories of different lifetimes. Scattered among them were relics of unimaginable rarity: a three-leaf clover preserved for over a thousand years, the delicate specimen of a sapphire butterfly, and the impenetrable scales of a pangolin that had lived for more than ten millennia.
Yet Vera's gaze halted on something far more ordinary, far more human. A box of mooncakes, their packaging colorful and festive, sat quietly upon a shelf as though waiting for someone who never returned.
Her lips parted softly. "Master Jin Xiu… you kept that mooncake box all this time?"
A small smile, both indulgent and helpless, tugged at the corners of Jin Xiu's lips. His eyes narrowed in fondness as he gave a sigh. "Yes. How could I not? That little box belonged to a mischievous disciple of mine, who once shattered my Lingsuo Mirror and then refused to see me for days. Yet, on Mid-Autumn and other festivals, she would still leave gifts outside my hall, as though to torment me with her absence."
Vera's cheeks puffed as she placed her hands on her hips. "You really are the type to hold grudges, aren't you!"
Jin Xiu chuckled, an elegant sound that carried warmth. "Yes, yes, guilty as charged. Your words are true—your master remembers every slight. But, Vera, do you think I only remember grudges? No. I remember far more… the countless moments we shared together."
He tilted his head, eyes gleaming with mirth. "For example, you once rode my exotic beast across the realms, laughing as though the sky belonged to you."
"And another time, after failing an exam, you shut yourself away for more than a week, refusing to show your face…"
Before he could finish, Vera's face turned crimson. In a panic, she pressed her hand over his lips, cutting him off. "Master! Please, don't bring up those old stories again!"
Leaning close, she whispered quickly into his ear, her voice pleading, "I beg you, spare me in front of my parents. Don't expose all my embarrassing history here…"
But Gui Xia, her mother, had already caught enough of the conversation to arch a brow in amusement. She stepped forward, arms folded. "Daughter, I clearly remember you once bragged about taming wild beasts and turning them into your cavalry."
"Who would have thought… you were merely riding Master Jin Xiu's rare creature the entire time?"
Her tone carried the sharp sweetness of mockery, and she did not stop there. "And as for that week of 'seclusion,' didn't you claim you were researching the forefront of human genetic sciences? Hah. So in truth, you were just curled up crying because you failed your exam?"
Vera nearly stomped her foot, her face flushed with both shame and indignation. "Enough, enough! Stop bringing that up! That was ages ago, mother! Sometimes I truly wonder if you are my real parent…"
Chi Ling, her father, glanced at Gui Xia with a faint frown. After listening to these long-hidden truths, he gently shook his head. "So all along, we only saw the surface… only the tip of the iceberg." His eyes softened as he turned to his daughter. "Vera, was it because you could not trust us enough that you spoke those excuses back then?"
Vera lowered her head, her voice carrying quiet sorrow. "I… I only feared disappointing you again. So I hid it behind excuses."
Gui Xia's expression softened. She stepped closer, placing a hand on Vera's shoulder before drawing her into a tender embrace. Her voice was gentle yet firm. "My child, no one can meet expectations at all times. As your parents, what we hope for most is not perfection, but your health and happiness."
"You must never suppress your heart. When you feel like crying, then cry. When you feel like laughing, then laugh. I pray that you may always live as freely and boldly as you wish."
Chi Ling's gaze clouded as memories of the past flickered within him—of his own heavy-handed discipline, of moments where he had raised his hand against her when she was only a mischievous girl. His chest tightened with remorse.
"Perhaps," he said, voice heavy, "it was I, as your father, who was too strict. Perhaps it was I who made you feel the need to hide your true self from us." He reached out, placing a hand over his daughter's head, his tone solemn with promise. "But no longer. From this moment on, we wish to be more than just a harbor from storms. We wish to be the home where you can be vulnerable, where you can pout, where you can be yourself entirely."
"Your joy and your laughter, Vera—those are the truest desires in our hearts."
At these words, Vera could no longer hold back. Tears welled in her eyes before bursting forth, flowing like an endless spring. They streamed down her cheeks as she clung even tighter to her mother, her sobs muffled against Gui Xia's shoulder.
Her voice trembled, raw and fragile. "This parting… I do not know when I shall see you again."
"May father and mother… in the days when I am gone, remember always to eat well, to stay safe, to care for yourselves through the passing of seasons…"
Her words, soaked with tears, echoed through the resplendent hall. The sculptures, the relics, even the ancient pangolin scales seemed to hum with the weight of the moment, as if the entire Realm of Reincarnation bore witness to this bittersweet farewell.
And in that hall of eternal memories, the bonds between daughter, master, and parents intertwined, unbreakable, even as destiny pulled them apart once more.