We, the common people, have deliberated and decided that from today onwards, the city of Anyang shall be renamed

The room remained quiet for a long time.

Only the sound of their intertwined breathing could be heard.

Su Ji could feel the icy aura emanating from Su Jiu melting away bit by bit, replaced by a familiar, soft warmth.

He knew that this tribulation had finally passed.

The only flaw was that it fell short.

It wasn't that Su Ji was particularly desperate for this kind of thing.

It was mainly because pushing things a step further would be extremely difficult.

Given how thin-skinned Su Jiu was, it would require the perfect alignment of time, place, and people.

Such an opportunity could only be stumbled upon by luck, not sought after.

Su Ji sighed inwardly and decided to quit while he was ahead.

"Well... shouldn't we get going?" he asked tentatively. "The matter in Anyang City is settled. There's no point in staying any longer."

In his arms, Su Jiu's body stiffened again.

She slowly raised her head, a trace of disappointment flashing through her clear eyes—one that even she hadn't noticed.

"Mhm."

She just gave a soft hum of agreement, then slipped out of Su Ji's embrace and turned toward the door. Her movements were unusually brisk.

Su Ji watched her back and stroked his chin.

Was it...

Was he not bold enough?

No.

The next time he got a chance, he definitely had to be bolder.

The two of them walked down from the Spring Breeze Pavilion, one after the other.

But when they pushed open the main doors, preparing to leave quietly, they were shocked to a halt by the sight before them.

Outside, the originally empty long street was now a sea of humanity. A dense, dark crowd stretched out as far as the eye could see.

Most of the citizens of Anyang City who had free time had spontaneously gathered here, packing the entire street so tightly that not even a drop of water could slip through.

Those who didn't have free time were likely trying to make some, or were already on their way.

"The Immortal Master is out!"

Someone in the crowd shouted.

The next moment, a roar like a tsunami erupted, soaring to the heavens.

All the commoners, regardless of age or gender, dropped to their knees in perfect unison, their expressions fanatical.

The scene was a hundred times more spectacular than yesterday's Anyang Grand Ceremony.

The president of the Chamber of Commerce was the first to squeeze out of the crowd. He trotted over to Su Ji, his face piled high with a humble smile.

"Immortal Master, are you leaving?"

Su Ji nodded, putting on a profound and unfathomable facade. "There is no banquet in the world that does not end. The matter here is resolved, and it is time for me to depart."

Hearing this, the guild president's face immediately showed extreme reluctance to part.

He turned around, raised his arms, and shouted to the massive crowd behind him.

"Everyone! The Immortal Master is leaving!"

"We, the people of Anyang, must respectfully see him off!"

With that, he took the lead and respectfully kowtowed three times to Su Ji.

Behind him, tens of thousands of citizens bowed down as well.

A hundred-mile street seeing off Su Ji.

This grand display made Su Ji feel incredibly satisfied.

He cleared his throat, preparing to say a few more polite words to enjoy the feeling of being revered by the masses.

But the guild president raised his head again, speaking with intense excitement.

"Immortal Master, to commemorate your grace, we citizens have discussed and decided that starting today, Anyang City will be renamed!"

Su Ji raised an eyebrow, his interest piqued.

"Oh? What will it be called?"

The guild president raised his voice, his tone full of pride.

"First, it takes the character 'Ji' from the Immortal Master's name, so that we and our descendants will forever remember your benevolence!"

"Second, during our time of crisis, you rode your sword here and saved the lives of the entire city. Such a feat can only be called a great miracle! This character 'Ji' also means miracle!"

Listening to this explanation, Su Ji's grin almost reached his ears.

He stole a glance at Su Jiu beside him and found her looking at him speechlessly, her eyes seemingly saying, "You really know how to put on an act."

Su Ji didn't care at all; instead, he gave her a smug raise of his eyebrows.

"Therefore, we have decided to call it Da Ji City!"

Su Ji: ???

"Junior Sister, I feel like this name is a bit too much for me to bear..."

Su Jiu was clearly holding back a laugh. "It's fine, you can handle it."

Just then, a melodious tune rang out from the back of the crowd.

The citizens consciously stepped aside, clearing a path.

A woman dressed in an elegant, plain dancer's dress, holding a pipa in her arms, walked forward slowly with graceful steps.

It was the dancer from the night before.

She walked up to Su Ji and bowed gracefully. Without saying a word, she simply raised her head and looked deeply at him with her clear eyes.

Then, she sat on the ground and laid the pipa across her lap.

Her jade-like fingers plucked lightly, and the notes flowed out.

A clear and somewhat sorrowful melody drifted slowly down the long street.

After the song.

She began to dance gracefully.

Her dancing was not as enchanting and seductive as it had been in the Spring Breeze Pavilion. Instead, it possessed a purity and ethereality, as if all her worldly glamour had been washed away.

Every frown, every smile, every movement seemed to tell an unknown story.

Complete silence fell over the long street.

Everyone was mesmerized by this breathtaking dance.

For once, Su Ji put away his playful grin and watched quietly.

When the dance concluded.

The woman slowly stood up and gave Su Ji another deep bow.

"Thank you, Young Master, for granting me a new life."

"I dedicate this final dance of my life to you."

Her voice was crisp and melodious.

Su Ji waved his hand. "You chose your own path. It has nothing to do with me."

Hearing this, a faint, relieved smile appeared on the woman's face.

She hesitated for a moment before finally gathering her courage to speak softly.

"My name is Jiang Yu."

"Although it is somewhat presumptuous..."

"...I still hope to leave a brief mark in your story."

"So that perhaps, at some unexpected moment in the future, you might randomly think of me just once..."

Su Ji nodded, committing the name to memory.

Seeing this, Jiang Yu said no more. Cradling her pipa, she turned and retreated into the crowd.

...

After Su Ji left.

The crowd on the long street gradually dispersed.

That almost crazed fanaticism slowly cooled down with the disappearance of the two immortal figures.

The guild president stood blankly in place, staring at the empty street corner. After a long while, he let out a heavy sigh.

He turned around and saw Jiang Yu still holding her pipa, standing quietly like an emotionless stone statue.

"Miss Jiang Yu."

The guild president walked up to her, his face full of pity, looking heartbroken.

"You're so foolish!"

"When a woman chases a man, there's only a thin veil between them."

"I could see that the Immortal Master is also a lecherous..."

He suddenly noticed Jiang Yu's unfriendly glare and quickly corrected himself.

"Ahem, I mean, I could see the Immortal Master is a man of passion."

"If you had just gone straight up to him, playing your instruments and singing, how could he possibly resist?"

"But you just had to play one of those sappy love songs that the poor scholars in our Anyang City use for courting."

"He's an outsider, how could he possibly understand it!"

Hearing this, Jiang Yu merely shook her head slowly, her face devoid of any ripples of emotion.

"If the Young Master could understand it, I wouldn't have played it."

Her voice was very light, yet extremely clear.

The guild president was taken aback, his face full of confusion.

"Why is that?"

"As a person, one must not return kindness with enmity."

Jiang Yu lowered her eyes, looking at the pipa in her arms.

"I cannot use the Young Master's kindness to put him in a dilemma."

"This song was played for myself."

"Now, my mortal ties are severed, and my connection to the mundane world has completely dried up."

"The cultivation technique the Young Master imparted to me states that this is called having a clear and unhindered mind."

The president of the merchant guild was completely bewildered. He could only conclude that the thoughts of these immortal cultivators were indeed beyond the comprehension of mortals like himself.

Jiang Yu paid him no further heed. She simply tilted her head up, gazing at the sky that had just cleared, and murmured softly to herself.

"I used to be terrified of the dark."

"Especially at night, I would often see a creature called a moth inexplicably hurling itself into the flame of a candle."

"Back then, I thought such creatures were incredibly foolish and stupid. I figured they lacked minds of their own, oblivious to even the most basic instinct of seeking safety and avoiding harm."

Her voice carried a trace of distant reminiscence.

"Now, I think I understand."

"They have stayed in the darkness for far too long."

"So, when they finally encounter a flicker of light, they throw themselves at it without any regard for their lives."

"Even if it means death, even if it means being reduced to ash."

"But right up until the moment they die, they are embracing the light."

Hearing these words, a boundless sense of pity welled up in the guild president's heart. He let out a long sigh and could not help but offer a word of advice.

"Oh, you foolish child..."

"Why must you suffer so? To act like a moth drawn to the..."

His words caught abruptly in his throat halfway through the sentence.

For he saw that within Jiang Yu's eyes, there were actually two tiny clusters of flames slowly flickering and swirling.

Those flames looked as fragile as if a single breath could extinguish them, yet they burned with a searing heat.

"I am not foolish."

"I am different."

"I wish to touch the blazing flames."

Jiang Yu enunciated every word. Her voice was not loud, but it carried an absolute, ironclad resolve.

"I have the courage to not be burned."

She turned her head and looked at the guild president's astonished face, a smile blooming on her lips more radiant than ever before.

"I do not know where the summit of the clouds lies."

"Nor do I like to drink wine."

"But I possess an overwhelming desire to go above the clouds and ask for a cup to drink."