As winter fades and spring arrives, the thin ice in the mountains melts into babbling brooks. A small sika deer carefully slips through the bushes, carrying a few tender flowers in its mouth, and trots all the way to the clear spring.
"Yo, yo." The sika deer found the person and lowered its head to gently rub its forehead, which had not yet grown antlers, against the handsome immortal who had just set up the zither.
The celestial being, sculpted by the first snow, originally had a cold and aloof expression, but now a smile graced its lips, as if the spring snow had melted away. He gently stroked its forehead: "Where have you been running wild again?"
The fawn placed a dew-covered flower branch in his hand, then rubbed her forehead against his palm.
The immortal lord picked a newly plucked peach blossom, its tender red color seemingly staining his fingertips as well.
"It turns out it's already spring."
Time passes unnoticed in the mountains; the passing of winter leaves one unaware of the years.
Since that day, he has been cultivating alone here for decades, unaware of how things have changed outside, or whether the spring flowers and autumn moon remain the same.
The immortal lord plucked the strings of his zither with his fingertips, producing a sound like the cry of a deer. The little deer, thinking he was calling it, stretched its head closer. He then put away the zither and tucked the peach blossoms into his sleeve: "We have a guest."
The tranquil canyon, shrouded in a pale purple mist year-round, is a place where birds and beasts can roam, but humans are forbidden. However, on this particular day, two uninvited guests appeared.
They all had hairstyles that were different from those of ordinary people at the time—one was extremely short, and the other wore his hair down. Their clothing was also very strange, neither short nor traditional, unlike the clothing worn by people from other regions.
The man with long hair took out a small, dark-colored fan and waved it lightly. The snakes and insects in the grass seemed to sense something and turned away.
"I never expected to find Crane-kun in a place like this." The short-haired man looked at the grass where there was nowhere to step and finally understood what it meant to say, "There are no roads in the world, it is up to people to walk on them." The weeds were already half a person tall.
"The crane has the world in its heart, and its location is irrelevant to it."
The people who arrived were Ren Yifei and Saman. He had just finished filming a fantasy movie funded by Saman, in which he played a wise and dignified 'master' who was detached from worldly affairs and untouched by the mortal world.
Ren Yifei's original features were so exquisitely handsome that they had a touch of the wicked, which initially seemed unsuitable for the role. However, after the show aired, his character instantly gained a large following. Viewers showered his portrayal of the immortal lord with praise, which reminded Ren Yifei of the Crane Lord.
"Those are the true cultivators, it's a pity they have no chance to see them."
That's why he decided to come here.
Firstly, to avoid overly enthusiastic fans, and secondly, because this ink-bone fan should be returned to its rightful owner.
Ren Yifei didn't intend to bring He Gui back; it wouldn't be appropriate. Every world has its own rules, and since He Gui has already left, he shouldn't reappear, as it would only cause trouble.
"Be careful." Saman broke off a long branch from the side, took Ren Yifei's arm with one hand, and used the branch to probe the ground with the other, carefully moving forward.
Ren Yifei smiled and cooperated with his movements.
The insects and snakes that had already left after sensing the danger looked back with some confusion, wondering what these two were up to.
Ren Yifei stopped after walking for a short while. He placed his hand on the back of Saman's hand and looked into the dense forest.
Samantha looked over and saw a faint shadow appear in the miasma-filled dense forest where no human could tread.
The newcomer was dressed in light blue, as ethereal and unpredictable as the misty rain of March.
His long, black hair was casually secured with a jade hairpin, and his long sleeves brushed against the grass without leaving a trace.
He stopped, facing Ren Yifei across the distance, and they smiled at each other. It wasn't the first meeting of strangers, but a long-awaited reunion of two friends separated for a long time.
Ren Yifei walked over and handed the black-boned fan to He Jun, saying, "Return the jade intact to its rightful owner."
Looking at the carefully maintained fan, He Jun unfolded it and examined the crane painting on it. He shook his head and said, "Since it has been given to you, it is yours. I suppose it thinks so too."
As if in response to Crane Lord's words, the ink-bone fan emitted a soft glow and vibrated gently.
Ren Yifei accepted the ink-bone fan, then took out another gift, which he put in a small seashell.
It contains the plumpest snails raised in the best water and soil, cooked by the most suitable chef with the most appropriate seasonings. There are also pink dried shrimp carefully selected by Ren Yifei, golden-fried dried anchovies, and fresh, tender mixed vegetables…
"My surname is Ren, and my given name is Yifei. It is an honor to befriend you." Ren Yifei presented the gift, introduced himself, and then pulled Saman over, "This is my partner, Lin Guanyue."
He Jun nodded slightly, accepting the gift and acknowledging their 'friendship'. He was aloof but also genuine, essentially a straightforward person.
"I played that game a few years ago, and you were there too," Ren Yifei said, referring to the 'Spring Banquet'.
"That was a part of my soul that I separated, originally intended to send that child on his way. He was not created by heaven and earth, and he was tainted by many karmas, so if he were to enter reincarnation again, he would probably be reduced to ashes. I just didn't expect things to develop like this. Well, it's all for the best; it's a stroke of good fortune for him."
He Jun couldn't recognize Ren Yifei's true form, and the two power systems were quite different, but he knew that Ren Yifei was no ordinary person and had a good temperament, so he felt that it was appropriate for Xiao He Gui to stay by his side.
Do not discriminate against species.
At first, Crane-kun considered taking over himself, but he always felt that his physique was a bit strange and not suitable for raising intelligent beings, so he finally decided to send them to other worlds.
Of course, according to the demons of this world, it means sending them out of the outer heavens to seek a glimmer of hope.
"After that wisp of soul returned, it also brought back the things from there to me. I even received a letter from the underworld of your world," said Crane Lord.
Ren Yifei sensed something was off: "What letter?"
They were looking for a judge-like figure on their end and asked me to take the position. But I was looking for freedom and declined."
Ren Yifei: ...Wow, the desolate corner has even learned how to poach people.
"You experienced what happened back then in the illusion, which can be considered a kind of fate. Would you like to see what this world originally looked like?" Crane Lord was planning to re-enter the mortal world to temper his mind, and at this time he invited Ren Yifei.
Ren Yifei and his companion, of course, felt it would be impolite to refuse and gladly accepted.
With a flick of his sleeve, Crane Lord summoned a cloud of mist that gathered beneath the feet of the three humans and the deer. Then, it took flight and headed towards the human capital.
The three were enveloped in a damp mist, their feet resting on clouds that felt as solid as concrete. Aside from the strong wind, everything was fine.
This was Ren Yifei's first time experiencing 'riding the clouds'; previously, he would simply tear through space to travel. It was fast, but it lacked a lot of fun.
The cloud flew outwards, and just as it emerged from the purple mist, it heard another whooshing sound. Upon closer inspection, it was a cultivator dressed in a magnificent blue robe, riding a cloud of five-colored mist out of a thatched hut at the foot of the mountain, waving as he chased after it: "You finally decided to come out."
Ren Yifei recognized him and had even interacted with this person's 'shadow' in the dungeon.
"You've been hiding for so many years, and you can't even find the person who brewed the wine... Who are you?" The person who came was the Peacock Demon. He had originally tried to get close to the person by talking about the wine, but when he saw that there were two people he didn't recognize, his expression changed.
He Jun said calmly, "Friends, and friends of friends."
Ren Yifei smiled and nodded.
Sa's friend's friend Man: He doesn't care about anything except Ah Fei.
Peacock looked the two strange-looking people up and down, and recognizing them as humans, assumed they were cultivators. With a flick of his sleeve, he spoke in the tone of a host, "May I ask where you two cultivate, and when you arrived at Zixia Mountain?"
"I'm He Jun's friend. Do I need to explain myself to you now that I'm here?" Ren Yifei knew that Kong Que was proud and aloof, and he would deliberately tease him about what he cared about.
Peacock indeed showed displeasure, but with Crane Lord beside her, she could only grimace and say, "You've come, so let me know. Crane Lord and I could have done our duty as hosts."
Ren Yifei saw that Saman's neck was turning red, so he stopped teasing him and said, "We'll only stay for a short while before leaving, so we won't bother you any longer."
Peacock was initially very wary, but seeing the two standing so intimately, seemingly a couple in love, he was surprised and looked around, wondering if Crane Lord knew anything about it.
The demons in this world are greatly influenced by humans and are also bound by some strange ideas, so it is rare to see lovers of the same sex.
After hesitating for a moment, the peacock didn't say anything, but instead pressed on, "You rarely come out, yet you don't know where you're going?"
"Revisiting familiar ground." Crane Lord's words were concise and to the point.
Peacock thought for a moment, then puffed out her chest and reluctantly agreed: "The human world is in chaos right now, and your cultivation hasn't recovered yet. It wouldn't be good if you ran into trouble. Never mind, I'll go with you."
Saman, who had been trying to minimize his presence from beginning to end, couldn't help but glance at this person sideways. He suddenly felt a sense of superiority from the other person's outstanding emotional intelligence.
The peacock turned its head sharply: "Human, why are you looking at me?"
Just as Saman was about to retort, Ren Yifei reached out and squeezed Saman's palm, and Saman shut up and turned to look at the beautiful scenery below.
Seeing that Saman did not answer, the peacock moved closer to He Jun, like a wall between He Jun and Ren Yifei, and conjured up a gaudy umbrella from somewhere, covering He Jun's head.
"Your body is now reconstructed from cold jade, and your soul is unstable. Fortunately, I don't know when I placed a Dust-Stabilizing Umbrella here."
Ren Yifei watched his nimble movements, and then looked at the Dingchen Umbrella embroidered with a crane pattern that had been placed there at some unknown time. He really wanted to conjure up a mirror so that the peacock could see his hypocritical behavior.
However, He Jun did not refuse, and Ren Yifei and the other two did not say anything.
So the peacock, holding its umbrella, crept over, and its colorful clouds quietly merged into the larger cloud, squeezing and crowding, turning the white clouds into a kaleidoscope of colors.
A few breaths later, they arrived at the place where they had previously completed their mission.
There is no 'Tingyun Pavilion' suspended in the sky here; that was originally my junior brother's true form, so it will naturally leave with him.
The human capital, however, retained its original layout, though it was much more desolate.
The clouds fell to the ground, the crane transformed into a pharmacist, and the peacock transformed into a wealthy young master.
Ren Yifei and his companion realized it was another trick they hadn't mastered, so he simply hid himself and Saman: "They can't see us."
Then they entered the city.
Ren Yifei saw many abandoned children begging for food on the street, wearing tattered clothes sewn from scraps of cloth, shivering in the cold corners of the walls in the early spring season, some of them even completely 'sleep'.
The pedestrians looked blank, heads down, hurrying along.
"Is there a war or some disaster somewhere?" Ren Yifei guessed.
"I'm afraid it's war. If it's a disaster, we can still offer help, but if it's war, it's not something we outsiders should get involved in."
"Every few decades, this happens all the time. For us, it's just a period of seclusion, but the world has changed many times over." He Jun's words were calm, without much emotion.
"If the system isn't changed, it will be a cycle of kings and generals for hundreds or thousands of years." Ren Yifei shook his head.
Ren Yifei and his group only stayed here for one day, so they only visited a few nearby cities before they had to return.
In a pavilion on the outskirts of the city, people were bidding farewell to their relatives and friends. One broke off a willow branch, another wrote a poem in response, and tears streamed down their faces. Ren Yifei and the others were also preparing to say goodbye here, but He Jun did not try to stop them, and Ren Yifei did not show any reluctance. Both of them were particularly cheerful.
"Qinghong has closed the gate of life and death. If you can see through it, you will live; if you cannot see through it, you will die." Before leaving, Hejun suddenly told him about his junior brother.
Ren Yifei had been curious, but he refrained from asking. He never expected that He Jun would bring it up on his own initiative.
"And what about you? What are your plans?"
Crane Lord said he wanted to enter the mortal world to temper his will and planned to disguise himself as a pharmacist and travel around. Peacock said he was worried about that and wanted to disguise himself as a page.
Looking at Kong Que's bright and cheerful face, Ren Yifei couldn't imagine him acting as a humble page.
"I'll come again if I have the chance." Ren Yifei had already torn open a spatial rift.
"good."
"Bring tea and snacks," he added.
Crane Lord smiled broadly: "Excellent."