Lu Zongxiao was very good at handling people.

As soon as Jiang Wang said that, he immediately stood up.

He was tall, half a head taller than Jiang Wang, and patted Jiang Wang’s shoulder: “We can talk about the details later. You go see your friend first. She’s by the Full Moon Pool. I haven’t let anyone disturb her.”

“Okay, okay.” Jiang Wang really couldn’t wait any longer: “Then I’ll go!”

“Go.” Lu Zongxiao smiled understandingly: “I’ll show you the way.”

“How can I let you do that?” Jiang Wang quickly said: “I know the way, I can go by myself.”

Lu Zongxiao waved his hand and said meaningfully: “Few people know yet that your friend has come out of the Heavenly Mansion Secret Realm. So I’ll still take you.”

With him saying that, Jiang Wang understood.

Whatever the changes in the Heavenly Mansion Secret Realm, good or bad, Lu Zongxiao didn’t want to reveal any information before the results were out.

This was also only right.

Opening the protective formation, entering the high wall, walking along the long covered corridor towards the Full Moon Pool…

This was the third time he had come, and each time his mood was different.

The first time he came, facing the extremely dangerous Heavenly Mansion Secret Realm, he was fearless and without regret, his heart only filled with hatred and the obsession to become stronger, just seeking to seize the opportunity.

The second time he came, he carried the sorrow of burying a friend, puzzled by why the world was like this.

Today was the third time, and he was very nervous.

“She’s by the Full Moon Pool. Since leaving the secret realm, she’s been sitting there silently, not moving, not speaking to anyone. I thought, perhaps you could communicate with her.”

Lu Zongxiao stopped and said: “I’ll be here, just call me if you need anything.”

“Okay.” Jiang Wang didn’t stop walking, nor did he say anything else.

Stories of resurrection were not unheard of in the transcendent world.

But Zhu Biqiong had exhausted her vitality, and even the powerful medical cultivators of the East King Valley said there was nothing they could do.

The legends of the Heavenly Mansion Elder were fragmented, yielding no useful clues. They only knew that he was once the First Mansion of Heaven and Earth, capable of fighting three renowned Outer Tower realm experts in the Inner Mansion realm, and killing them all, leaving behind an immortal reputation.

A person’s power is set off by their opponents. No matter how many Outer Tower cultivators like Hai Zongming Jiang Wang killed, he might not gain fame. But if he could simultaneously kill several阎罗 (Yanluo, Kings of Hell) from the Doorless Hell with Inner Mansion realm cultivation, he would instantly shake the world!

But that was the extent of the clues. Whether the Heavenly Mansion Elder ultimately died in battle, or stripped away his divine ability seeds and roamed the star rivers, or even if he was truly dead, there was still no definite conclusion. It was truly difficult to analyze anything useful from it.

And Jiang Wang’s own experience in the Heavenly Mansion Secret Realm was a complete blank; he simply couldn’t remember what happened inside, so naturally there was no point in thinking about it.

Just…

Zhu Biqiong was alive.

Zhu Biqiong seemed to be alive.

That naive and innocent foolish girl, who had no intention of harming anyone, yet was always being harmed. She… seemed to be alive!

A kind of joy grew uncontrollably.

Despite the lingering unease, the corners of his mouth couldn’t help but turn up.

Perhaps… those efforts weren’t in vain?

Were those struggles on the edge of the cliff, perhaps, not entirely meaningless?

My friend… my friend.

Jiang Wang’s heart was filled with immense joy, and at the same time, immense unease.

Was she… truly alive?

No matter how long the covered corridor was, it had an end.

The end was the Full Moon Pool.

A clear ripple of water reflecting a expanse of the sky.

It wasn’t night now, there was only one idle cloud above the Full Moon Pool.

The white cloud was reflected in the clear water.

Jiang Wang didn’t know why, but he looked at the sky, then at the water, before looking at the person by the water.

It was a slightly slender figure, sitting silently by the pool, wearing a slightly oversized green robe – the outer garment Jiang Wang took off and gave to her when he sent her into the Heavenly Mansion Secret Realm.

“Biqiong?” Jiang Wang tentatively opened his mouth.

The girl by the pool’s shoulders trembled slightly, then she slowly turned her head.

She then saw Jiang Wang.

That familiar person.

That person etched in her heart.

That person she saw in countless moments she couldn’t bear.

She opened her mouth, as if wanting to shout,

She pursed her lips again, as if wanting to cry.

“Biqiong, is that you?” Jiang Wang asked again.

In the clear eyes of the young man, there was a soft and delicate hope overflowing.

Is that you?

He wanted a positive answer.

Zhu Biqiong accurately received this information.

“Mhm!”

So she nodded heavily.

She stood up and walked towards Jiang Wang: “Although this world is very strange, you are very familiar…”

She swallowed all the tears she was about to cry, all the pain she wanted to express, and smiled brightly: “So, I’m back!”

“That’s great!” Jiang Wang said happily: “This is too good!”

He almost jumped up on the spot: “This is truly too good!”

He who was always composed rarely showed such a loss of composure. It showed that he was indeed happy in his heart. He was so happy he was almost going mad!

Zhu Biqiong quickly walked a few steps in his direction, but then stopped.

She could see that he was very happy.

This joy born of her made her heart sway and her soul flutter.

She could see that his joy was completely genuine.

But… only joy.

Perhaps Zhu Biqiong wouldn’t have thought about these things before, but now she couldn’t help but think – he doesn’t love me. He only has the affection of a friend, the liking of a friend for me.

Having the liking of a friend should be something to be happy about, having returned from death to life, it’s only right to laugh a few times. But in her heart, she couldn’t control herself, couldn’t escape, the uncontrollable sourness.

Do you know what I paid to come back and see you?

Finally, she stood three steps away from Jiang Wang, stopped, and said: “Fellow Daoist Jiang, thank you.”

There were only three steps between them.

Zhu Biqiong thought, if he opens his arms, I will jump into them.

But Jiang Wang’s hands were very disciplined, overly disciplined. From beginning to end, there wasn’t the slightest tendency to open.

“What nonsense are you talking about! Between us, there’s no need for a thank you!”

Jiang Wang walked forward generously, examining Zhu Biqiong carefully, confirming that she was truly back, confirming that she was back healthy and well.

With eyes full of smiles, he said: “Quickly tell me, how did you get out?”

Zhu Biqiong took one last look at his embrace, retracted her gaze, and forced herself to say: “I don’t know either… when I woke up, I was already by the pool.”

“I didn’t know how to talk to people, so I just didn’t talk. I thought, I’ll wait for you to come. When you heard the news, you would definitely come looking for me.”

Why didn’t you hug me? This was the question in her heart, and she only asked it in her heart.

“It’s okay.” Jiang Wang mused: “It’s true that I don’t remember the experiences in the Heavenly Mansion Secret Realm.”

He was thinking about how to explain it to Lu Zongxiao, after all, this matter had no precedent. He couldn’t just dismiss all of Lu Zongxiao’s worries with a single phrase “I don’t remember.” Even if he was now qualified to do so and didn’t need to fear Lu Zongxiao, that wasn’t the principle.

“What’s wrong?” Zhu Biqiong bit her lip and said: “Is there any trouble?”

“What trouble could there be!” Jiang Wang smiled freely, covering up the problem: “Your return is a great blessing! Let’s not talk about the past, the people who bullied you have all received their retribution. What are your thoughts for the future?”

He asked her, what are your thoughts?

Instead of saying, follow me from now on.

He treated her as a companion, a friend, but not a lover, not even a subordinate.

Though it gave her respect and autonomy.

But the former Zhu Biqiong was precisely someone who had little opinion and didn’t know where she was going.

Zhu Biqiong’s eyes dimmed a little, and she forced herself to ask: “You killed Ji Shaoqing?”

“Don’t worry, there’s no trouble, I remember your entrustment!” Jiang Wang didn’t want her to worry, so he smiled casually: “Fair duel, life and death struggle. I live, he dies, no resentment between us. It’s that simple. Tell me about yourself, do you want to stay in Qi Kingdom from now on?”

Zhu Biqiong bit her lower lip repeatedly, and finally said: “I’ll go back to the Fishing Sea Tower.”

What is the process of revising a text like?

For example, this passage:

It was a slightly slender figure, sitting silently by the pool, wearing a slightly oversized green robe – the outer garment Jiang Wang took off and gave to her when he sent her into the Heavenly Mansion Secret Realm.

The earliest version I wrote was:

It was a slender figure wearing a white襦裙 (rúqún, a type of ancient Chinese dress), sitting silently by the water, the white dress, black long hair, and the clear water of the Full Moon Pool were equally clean.

It wasn’t the tattered appearance from when he sent her into the Heavenly Mansion Secret Realm.

It was only then that Jiang Wang suddenly felt apologetic, blaming himself for not thinking at the time to cover her with a clean robe.

The revised version actually doesn’t read better. It’s just that the earlier version highlighted sadness more, while the later version embodies more tenderness.

Perhaps there is no most perfect presentation in the world, and my entanglement might be of little significance.

However, the significance of the entanglement lies in –

The final text presented is the emotion I most want to share with readers at a certain time and moment.

I am walking in a vast world, and I hope you can feel me.

(Also: These two days, I have already felt you all.)

(Furthermore: Alliance masters, please join the reader group. Group 1 is full, please join Group 2: 1159982294 Jixia Academy. Then private message Slow West Slow Reading to have him add you to the alliance group. The alliance group currently only has nine people, and desperately needs people to chat with.)