Wanquan and Qianhui's honeymoon ended, and they returned to Heaven with Zhenshi.
Zhenshi was over two years old now, able to run and jump, calling out "Baba" and "Mama."
Pangu stood beneath the World Tree, waiting for them.
"Back?" he asked.
Wanquan nodded.
Pangu looked down at Zhenshi.
Zhenshi looked up at him. "Grandpa."
Pangu froze for a moment, then lifted her into his arms.
In over 10 billion years of existence, this was the first time anyone had ever called him that.
---
Zhenshi grew up in Heaven.
When she turned seven, Pangu and Wanquan decided to let her use soul projection to explore the mortal realm.
Her body would remain in Heaven; she could go wherever she wished.
Zhenshi asked, "Can I go to the mortal realm?"
Wanquan nodded.
That night, she projected her soul for the first time.
Her body lay in bed as her soul passed through the Gate of Heaven, where cicadas sang in chorus, and drifted down to the mortal realm.
She saw the ocean, mountains, cities, and countryside.
A child crying. An elderly person laughing. A cat basking in the sun.
She remembered her mother's words:
"Some things, you can never truly know without experiencing them through a body."
She didn't understand yet.
But she would, little by little.
---
When she returned, Jinqiao was nearby, drinking tea.
"What did you see?"
Zhenshi thought for a moment. "A child crying."
Jinqiao: "And then?"
Zhenshi: "His mother came, held him, and he stopped crying."
Jinqiao smiled. "That's enough."