In the fifth moon of his sojourn beside the Lady of the Pink Gown, the slumbering Wang Lin’s eyes fluttered open. He exhaled a breath of stale energy, the lingering shadows of fatigue banished by a sudden, piercing light. Yet, within that light, weariness still lingered – a testament to his battle with the Son of Evernight. The memory of the Sky-Rending Art sent a shiver of dread through him, its power formidable and unforgiving.

“You awaken…” A voice, soft as the rustling of silken robes, drew his attention. The Lady of the Pink Gown, seated serenely beside him, her countenance fair and her eyes alight with concern, offered a gentle smile.

“Has she departed?” Wang Lin inquired, his gaze searching the confines of the astral array. The silhouette of Xi Zifeng was absent, leaving only Mu Bingmei, motionless in distant meditation.

“Your healing lasted for over a year. Sister Xi has already embarked on her journey,” the lady replied, her gaze lingering on Wang Lin. “Before her departure, she entrusted me with a message. She sought Qingling Star, but there found no trace of your disciple, Xie Qing…”

Wang Lin stilled, a silence broken only by a faint nod.

A pall of quiet descended, their shared thoughts unspoken. The star-strewn void, undisturbed by the encroachment of interlopers, was a canvas of fathomless black, punctuated by the faint, ethereal glow of distant nebulae. These glimmering celestial mists, bathed in an otherworldly beauty, served as silent witnesses to the unspoken currents swirling between the solitary man and woman.

“Years have passed since we last parted…Do you…remember who I am?” At long last, the Lady of the Pink Gown spoke, her voice tinged with a profound and intricate emotion.

“Red Butterfly,” Wang Lin answered, his gaze fixed upon the celestial panorama within the array.

“So, you are aware,” she murmured, her eyes closing as if in surrender to a long-held secret.

“Zhou Wutai provided the key. In the Snow Domain, he discovered an enchantment containing a strand of your hair. It appears the cataclysm you spoke of in days past was averted with its aid,” Wang Lin explained, a vision of the arcane formation etched upon his mind.

This Lady of the Pink Gown was indeed Red Butterfly!

Yet, the proud and enigmatic woman of yesteryear had been irrevocably altered by the relentless passage of time. Her haughty demeanor, once so readily apparent, was now veiled beneath layers of experience, her fiery spirit muted, yet simmering beneath the surface.

“Do you recall the Rain Immortal Realm?” Red Butterfly inquired, a gentle smile gracing her lips. “In those times, we were adversaries, locked in fierce conflict…”

“There was a time, Wang Lin, when I loathed you,” she confessed. “Within the Rain Realm, you severed my arm…”

Wang Lin winced, his fingers instinctively tracing the bridge of his nose in an unconscious gesture of regret.

“It is difficult to fathom that, after two millennia, we find ourselves here, able to speak as friends…,” Red Butterfly trailed off, a playful smile curving her lips, crinkling the corners of her eyes into crescent moons of delight.

“You sought to slay me then, I was not the aggressor.” Wang Lin countered, a wry smile spreading across his own features.

“Sister Xi, though departed, left behind a libation for you,” Red Butterfly announced, as she withdrew a flagon from within her robes, and offered it to Wang Lin.

He accepted the offered vessel, and took a long draught.

“And on Vermillion Bird, our battle was fierce, you stole my Kunji Boots…” Red Butterfly continued with a hint of playfulness in her tone.

“Those events are long past, yet you remember them so vividly,” Wang Lin admitted, a note of bemusement coloring his words.

“Indeed, I remember them clearly! Had I not been so grievously wounded, I would never have been manipulated by the heart of Qianfeng…Furthermore, I would thank you for freeing me from the shackles of endless rebirth within the Vermillion Bird Star Cluster.”

“No deep-seated animosity exists between us; those days are long gone. And before that, you requested that I seek the Blue Rose in the Snow Domain and I found it.” Wang Lin declared, his voice laced with a newfound warmth, for Red Butterfly was one of the most unforgettable women he had encountered in his life, second to only Li Muwan and Liu Mei.

The vision of the woman, vibrant as a butterfly, forever in his heart.

A hundred years to reach the Spirit Transformation stage, worthy to be remembered as a fair maiden!

“Even in my wildest dreams, I could never have foreseen your present accomplishments…” Red Butterfly shook her head. “Everything seems like a dream, a reality that is difficult to grasp.”

Time continued its slow, inexorable crawl, and three days drifted by. These days Wang Lin did not focus on healing, but rather spent in the company of Red Butterfly, recounting memories of past, as they reconnected with the feeling of still weak cultivators that they were on Vermillion Bird.

The memories were warm and comfortable.

“Later, during the conflict between the Alliance and the Luo Tian Star Field, I saw you…” Red Butterfly looked into his eyes. “But you no longer recognized me.” She had watched as Wang Lin had walked the path, radiating light on Vermillion Bird and the glory had spread throughout the Outer Realm, the Inner Realm and beyond.

In her heart, she felt admiration for Wang Lin. Red Butterfly had never truly felt that way for anyone else in her life. Although nothing had ever happened between them, something unsaid lingered between them that not even she could decipher.

Perhaps, like fine wine, in time, those feelings blossomed into familiarity.

After those few days, the conversation quieted down. Wang Lin once again returned to healing, and Red Butterfly silently resumed her watch, gazing at the stars, the complex emotion stirring within her.

One month, two months… The ninth month of the second year of their stay slowly passed.

One day a beautiful blue light appeared within the void outside the array, gradually enveloping the void, pushing the starfield’s starlight away, bathing the outside world in blue.

The blue light seemed like a sad ocean, as it spread and changed the colors of the reincarnation array, giving it a sorrowful beauty.

Blue light, in many cases, seems to carry the weight of sorrow, akin to melancholy.

Wang Lin opened his eyes, staring at the blue light outside the array, and fell silent. He saw two figures in the blue light outside.

It was a man and a woman, a father and his daughter, the Blue Dream Daoist and Li Qianmei.
After a year and nine moons of contemplation, Daoist Blue Dream elected to descend. He paused with his daughter just beyond the Celestial Array. Wang Lin’s gaze, however, bypassed the Daoist, settling upon Li Qianmei.

She was gaunt, a pale shadow of her former radiance. Her eyes held a deep sorrow. When Wang Lin looked upon her, she met his gaze with a bitter smile.

Of all the women Wang Lin had known, beyond Li Muwan, there were few he truly remembered. Liu Mei for the sake of Wang Ping, Hong Die bound by threads of early fate. But Li Qianmei…she was a beautiful, unforgettable escape.

Three riddles had brought them together, an unwavering pursuit had woven their paths time and again. Her words, uttered long ago, still echoed within the chambers of Wang Lin’s heart.

“If one day, I am gone, will you remember that there was a woman in your life, a woman named Li Qianmei…?”

Li Qianmei. Wang Lin could not forget her. A decade of blood shed, a life withered to serve him, yet never a whisper of regret. She sought medicine for him, and in the clouded rifts of Yunhai, her face, pale and drawn, closed her eyes forever, without a sliver of repentance.

For her sake, Wang Lin ventured beyond the borders of the world, seeking Daoist Blue Dream, to sustain the flame of her life. And when she finally stirred, Wang Lin, beneath the azure skies of Blue Mountain, enduring a crushing pressure, wished only to see, to confirm her awakening.

But her words, “You… are Yu…”, struck like a blade, severing all that had been.

Those words unveiled a truth to Wang Lin. He ceased resistance, allowing the backlash to hurl him back, ever further away.

“You are thin…” Wang Lin murmured, his gaze locked on Li Qianmei.

She trembled. Tears streamed down her face. Memories had long returned, and she recalled all that had passed between them. These words, spoken by Wang Lin, shattered her composure.

Hong Die, witnessing this, stood silent and still, lost in thought.

Daoist Blue Dream sighed, guiding Li Qianmei forward, towards the Celestial Array. They approached, until they stood only ten paces away. The Wheel Array hummed, its ancient mechanisms stirring to life.

Wang Lin tore his gaze from Li Qianmei, fixing it upon Daoist Blue Dream. A spark ignited in his eyes, but it swiftly faded.

He raised a hand, and the Wheel Array ceased its dance. A shimmering, oval portal opened before Daoist Blue Dream, leading to Wang Lin.

Without hesitation, the Daoist led Li Qianmei into the light. In a single stride, they stood before Wang Lin, settling beside him. Daoist Blue Dream’s gaze drifted to the Imperial Furnace behind Wang Lin, his eyes softening.

“I know you favor wine. This is my own Blue Silk brew. Will you partake?” Daoist Blue Dream flicked his wrist, and a sapphire-hued flagon floated towards Wang Lin.

Wang Lin smiled wearily, accepting the wine, but setting it aside.

“I rarely misjudge a soul. But in your case, I confess, I underestimated you… within the Illusory Truth Array, I had no choice but to intervene, for my own sake, and for the sake of my daughter… I believed then, that while talented, you could never become a worthy son unless you severed your ties to this world…” Daoist Blue Dream produced his own flagon, taking a long draft.

“I never imagined you would reach such heights on your own… Give me the Five Consorts, and you will become my son… I will bring the Blue Silk Clan into this realm!

This old bone will pave the road before you!” Daoist Blue Dream declared, revealing the decision born from a year and nine moons of relentless thought.

Li Qianmei gasped, turning to her father. He had spoken no word of this on their journey. She knew he was one of the Five Venerable Ancients. For one of his stature, to speak such words, was not solely for the sake of her mother…

“Let the past be past… Wang Lin, I await your answer here.” Daoist Blue Dream spoke calmly.