Come with me to pay my respects.

The Heart Seal has disappeared.

As Su Qing'an returned to reality, countless crimson light feathers vanished into the void like bubbles, and Mount Taixu returned to its usual tranquility.

The feather in the boy's hand rubbed against his palm affectionately, and after a moment it slowly disappeared along with the other Heart Seal, as if reluctant to leave.

Scattered orange-red light fragments fell like petals, scattering softly in front of him, as if bidding farewell.

Su Qing'an found Yu Mao's reaction somewhat amusing, and he couldn't help but say softly:

"So clingy."

Then, the boy realized that the current situation was not suitable for praising the "rebellious" feather.

Su Qing'an turned to face Fu Hua's deep gaze, and for a moment she was completely at a loss as to how to explain the scene unfolding before her.

The thousands of feathers that suddenly appeared clearly carried Fu Hua's own memories.

But unlike the owner of the memory, these feathers strangely only reacted to themselves.

Fu Hua, the host, was left standing to the side, a scene that could be described as quite bizarre.

Fu Hua quickly broke the silence, and she said softly:

"They have their reasons for treating me like I don't exist; you don't need to worry about it."

"So, is there anything else you'd like to say?"

Is there anything else you'd like to say?

Why are all your memories buried in Mount Taixu, and why, knowing this, are you unwilling to retrieve them?

Why are you asking so many questions today, especially questions that you shouldn't be asking given your personality?

Having walked alone in this world for so many years, you should understand the importance of maintaining a sense of distance between people. Being distant and polite is your usual way of communicating, and you would never choose to be explicit, even as a friend.

Yes, Su Qing'an also wanted to ask Fu Hua why.

Even if the boy may already have his own answer in his heart, some things will never bring peace until he hears the other person say them out loud.

Is there anything else you'd like to say?

Su Qing'an silently recited Fu Hua's words, gazing into her emerald eyes, and softly said:

I like you.

The truth is often buried in a desolate wasteland; sometimes speaking the truth comes at a price.

Until he was certain that he would bear the consequences alone, Su Qing'an preferred to remain a useless person hiding in his shell.

He blurted out something completely unrelated to him.

"I saw Cang Xuan."

Upon hearing this, the girl felt a moment of confusion. She understood that it was the name of someone she knew, and her Mind Lake stirred with emotion, but that was all.

This feeling of nostalgia mixed with unfamiliarity has happened more than once or twice; perhaps this is the consequence of forgetting too much.

Sometimes you don't even understand why you're sad or why you miss something. Those precious things, honed by time and emotion, seem like an unattainable shadow, illusory and empty.

Fu Hua sighed softly, feeling melancholy:

"I see, Cang Xuan?"

No one understood whether her sigh stemmed from forgetting the name of an old friend, or from Su Qing'an's answer.

The two continued walking towards Fuyun Temple, their silence witnessed only by the deep, sea-like white mist.

Just as Su Qing'an didn't ask why he didn't retrieve those memories, Fu Hua wouldn't ask him if he had anything else to say to her.

Perhaps the immortal herself was also unsure of the answer, and she shouldn't have asked this question, because once she did, their relationship would inevitably change.

But that change might not be a good thing.

But Fu Hua still chose to ask that question even though she knew this, which speaks volumes.

Even a sage who is pure of heart and detached from worldly affairs cannot escape delusions; many involuntary emotions led her to act impulsively twice.

But Su Qing'an's answer revealed the outcome.

You can say that the young man disappointed the immortal, but you absolutely cannot say that his choice was necessarily wrong.

Perhaps this is the right decision for the two of them now.

For Su Qing'an at this moment... love is about restraint and forbearance.

Fuyun Temple.

The young girl pushed open the old door and quietly introduced many pieces of furniture to Su Qing'an as if they were her own treasures. During this time, she made no attempt to hide the fact that she could no longer remember many, many things.

She couldn't remember who she had sat in that chair with, who she had chatted with in the study, how many people had used the martial arts puppets in the courtyard, or what function some of the strange instruments in the room had...

She said she remembered that the calligraphy and paintings in the study and main hall were all written by herself, and some of the furniture was made with the help of friends.

Those very old pieces of furniture that have never been replaced were probably all handmade by me and my friends.

It's clearly full of traces of time, yet there's not a single group photo left.

Finally, she took a statue out of the cabinet.

Su Qing'an looked at the items in her hands and asked:

"What's this?"

Fu Hua gently stroked the statue.

It was a small object carved entirely from wood, and the sculptor's skill was evident in the lifelike depiction of a young girl.

The wooden carving's face retains a resemblance to an immortal, but its smile and demeanor also contain a boundless love and maternal instinct that Fu Hua herself lacks.

This is a wood carving that exudes a friendly and approachable charm.

It is clear that the sculptor seemed to be trying hard to express a feeling of warmth and care.

It looked like it was carved by Dan Zhu, but Su Qing'an understood that the wood carving Dan Zhu made must have been made thousands of years ago.

The girl said softly:

"This is Chi Yuan."

"I remember... this was made for me by a friend, the original wood carving... which I later used to worship her."

"Every year around that time, I would make a new one based on the original wood carving to use for the worship."

A slight smile appeared on Fu Hua's lips as she said:

"She must really like it, Chi Yuan, which is me... to be remembered in this way, right? She seemed to say that it would make her more popular this way."

She smiled, but it was a different smile from the one in that memory.

Fu Hua's smile was no longer for the joy and warmth she felt in the present moment, but for the lingering ashes of the past. The upward curve that she could make because of this was ultimately less warm.

Seeing this, Su Qing'an couldn't help but say:

That's Dan Zhu.

Fu Hua was taken aback, and she murmured the name:

"Dan Zhu... is it Dan Zhu?"

"Dan Zhu, and Cang Xuan..."

The girl quickly regained her composure. After staring blankly at her surroundings for a moment, she said to Su Qing'an:

That's enough.

"I've already gone home. Come with me to pay my respects later."

The boy didn't say anything more, but simply said softly:

"Good."