To win one heart

Zhongli Chun brought over a basin of water and carefully wiped Xia Yingchun's face.

"Xiao Xia, don't be so foolish again. You're not the one who deserves to die. They are," Zhongli Chun said coldly.

"I'm not as capable as you, miss... I couldn't think of any way to prove my innocence except through death," Xia Yingchun said, her eyes brimming with tears.

"There are other ways." Zhongli Chun studied Xiao Xia's clean face and paused, then suddenly turned to Du Yu. "Hey, is she beautiful?"

"Huh?" Du Yu blinked. "What did you say?"

"I can't tell." Zhongli Chun shook her head, pointed at Xiao Xia, and asked Du Yu, "Is Xiao Xia pretty?"

Du Yu looked at Xia Yingchun's face. Though she fell a little short of Zhongli Chun, she was still as lovely as a flower, as radiant as the moon.

"She really is pretty," Du Yu said.

Zhongli Chun nodded. "Xiao Xia, if you're so pretty, why did you become a maid?"

"Miss..." Xia Yingchun looked bewildered. "What does being a maid have to do with being pretty...?"

Zhongli Chun thought about it. There really did seem to be no connection.

"Miss, please stop wiping my face. I'm not worthy of this..."

"There's no such thing as worthy or unworthy. We're the same."

Xia Yingchun looked cautiously at Zhongli Chun, then asked, "Miss, may I ask you something?"

"Ask."

"They say... you're already thirty. Is that true?"

"I don't know. It probably is," Zhongli Chun said indifferently.

"But why do you look... only seventeen or eighteen?"

"I don't know," Zhongli Chun answered.

Watching from beside them, Du Yu chimed in, "Because she's half a cultivator. She can preserve her appearance forever, and her lifespan is longer than an ordinary person's. Anyway... you two chat for a while. I'll leave you to it."

"You're... leaving?" Zhongli Chun turned to look at Du Yu.

"Huh?" Du Yu shook his head. "Little Zhongli... I mean, miss, I need to stand guard outside. I'm your guard, after all."

Zhongli Chun nodded without speaking and watched Du Yu leave her room.

"Miss, you're an... immortal...?" Xia Yingchun blinked her large eyes at Zhongli Chun. "Heavens, does that mean you can stay this beautiful forever?"

Zhongli Chun's hands paused. She looked at Xia Yingchun and asked uncertainly, "Am I beautiful?"

"Of course!" Xia Yingchun waved her hands excitedly. "You're beautiful and kindhearted. I wonder who'll be lucky enough to marry you someday!"

"Marry... me?" Zhongli Chun thought for a moment. "What does that mean?"

"Huh?" Xia Yingchun froze. "You don't know, miss?"

"No."

"To marry you means to take you as his wife, stay with you forever, and grow old together until your hair turns white," Xia Yingchun said with a smile. "He'll call you Wife, and you'll call him Husband."

"Get married?" Zhongli Chun's face instantly flushed.

"Yes, miss..." Seeing her reaction, Xia Yingchun couldn't help grinning mischievously. "Do you have someone in your heart?"

"Someone in my heart?" Zhongli Chun's heart suddenly tightened with an indescribable feeling.

"Hehe..." Xia Yingchun gave a wicked little grin. "Anyone you like must be a wonderful person..."

An exquisitely beautiful smile appeared on Zhongli Chun's face, a rare sight. "Xiao Xia, I... think there is someone I like..."

"Oh?!" Ignoring all her wounds, Xia Yingchun hurriedly took Zhongli Chun's hand and asked with a delighted grin, "Tell me! Who is it?"

Du Yu sat outside. He could only hear the chatter inside, not what they were saying.

The spiritual energy in the Warring States Period was clearly far less abundant than in Emperor Yao's era, and Du Yu felt a little sleepy.

"Sister Qianqiu..." Du Yu called.

"I'm here. What's wrong?" Dong Qianqiu answered immediately.

"Hehe, nothing." Du Yu slowly closed his eyes. "It's been a while since I called you, so I just wanted to."

"Idiot," Dong Qianqiu said irritably. "If you're tired, get some sleep."

Hearing that, Du Yu slowly opened his eyes again.

"Sister Qianqiu, something just occurred to me..." Du Yu asked curiously. "What do you do whenever I'm asleep?"

"Me?" Dong Qianqiu answered coolly. "Watch you and wait for dawn."

"Huh?" Du Yu froze. "So whenever I rest, you don't?"

"That's right."

"You can't do that... your body won't hold up. Besides..." Du Yu shook his head. "It's also kind of strange to have you watching me sleep all the time."

"It's my duty," Dong Qianqiu explained. "You're an Operator, so I can't let my guard down for even a moment. If danger comes while you're asleep, I'll wake you immediately."

Du Yu felt uneasy hearing this. "Sister Qianqiu... you need to rest more too. If you collapse from exhaustion, who'll handle communications?"

"I'm not tired. I'll rest once you come back."

"Sigh... what a stubborn woman..."

At first light, a patter of footsteps woke Du Yu. He opened his eyes to see Xiao Xia glance at him with a smile before running out of the courtyard.

"Huh?" Still groggy, Du Yu hadn't figured out what was happening when Zhongli Chun also emerged from the room.

"Little Zhongli..." Du Yu rubbed his eyes. "Did you sleep well last night?"

Blushing, Zhongli Chun lowered her head and said softly, "I didn't sleep last night... I learned a lot from Xiao Xia..."

"Huh?" Du Yu snapped fully awake. "Little Zhongli, you can't learn from her! That Xia Yingchun..."

The words caught in Du Yu's throat. He had to be extremely careful with his phrasing to avoid changing history.

Should I tell Zhongli Chun now that Xiao Xia isn't a good person?

"What were you saying about Xiao Xia?"

"N-nothing..." Du Yu didn't know how to explain.

"I..." Zhongli Chun thought for a while, then said, "I've always wanted to ask your name..."

"My name...? I'm..." Du Yu was stumped. He couldn't reveal his real name within this legend, but he didn't want to lie to Zhongli Chun and say his name was A-Wu either.

"I can't tell you my name right now." Du Yu shook his head. "But one day, you'll know it, and I'll tell you everything about myself."

Zhongli Chun nodded. "All right. I trust you."

"Little Zhongli, what shall we do today?" Du Yu asked. "Whatever you want to do, I'll go with you."

"Today..." Zhongli Chun shook her head. "I don't want to go out today. Can you wait here for me?"

"Wait for you?"

"Yes. Once Xiao Xia comes back, I have something to tell you."

Du Yu glanced in the direction Xiao Xia had gone. He had no idea what Zhongli Chun was planning, so he could only nod. "All right, then."

After about an hour, Xiao Xia finally returned, panting and carrying a bundle in her arms.

"Miss, I'm back at last! This is what my mother left me..."

"Xiao Xia!" Zhongli Chun called nervously. "Don't..."

"Ah!" Xia Yingchun glanced at Du Yu and said flusteredly, "Right, right."

"What is it?" Du Yu was baffled. "What's going on?"

Zhongli Chun pulled Xiao Xia into the room. Before going inside, Xiao Xia turned to shut the door and told Du Yu, "You absolutely mustn't come in."

Staring at the closed door, Du Yu was dumbfounded. "Sister Qianqiu, what's going on...?"

"I don't know either. Let me look for you," Dong Qianqiu said. After all, her screen showed not only Du Yu but also the protagonist of the legend.

"Can you see it?" After quite a while without any response from Dong Qianqiu, Du Yu asked.

"Well..." Dong Qianqiu was at a loss. She had never imagined anything like this happening and suddenly had no idea how to describe it.

"Du Yu... you..." Dong Qianqiu struggled for ages, considering countless ways to put it, but in the end could only say, "Du Yu, maybe you should run."

"Huh?!" Du Yu's head was spinning. "Run? What's going on? Is Zhongli Chun going to beat me up?"

Before Du Yu could take a single step, the door slowly opened. Xiao Xia emerged smiling, with Zhongli Chun following behind her.

Du Yu took a good look and froze completely.

Zhongli Chun wore a magnificent gown of deep red brocade and an exquisite phoenix crown. Her makeup had been carefully applied. She silently knelt where she stood and bowed deeply to Du Yu, then looked at him with affection and said:

"I, Zhongli Chun, wish to become your wife from this day onward, to grow old with you until our hair turns white, and never part."

Everything fell silent.

Faced with the scene before him, Du Yu was utterly helpless. Even confronting the Nine Suns hadn't left him so torn.

"Little Zhongli..." Du Yu thought for a long time but had no idea how to refuse. The sight of Zhongli Chun like this left his mind blank. After all, he knew he had only one last day here. Who knew how many years would pass before they met again?

"I-I'm sorry..." Du Yu muttered, then turned and ran out of the courtyard.

"Huh?!" Watching Du Yu flee, Xiao Xia's face filled with anger. "How can he act like that?! Wait here, miss!"

With that, Xiao Xia ran after Du Yu, leaving Zhongli Chun kneeling there alone in silence. She bit her lip, unable to suppress the disappointment in her eyes.

"Stop right there!" Xiao Xia shouted as she chased him.

Hearing Xiao Xia behind him, Du Yu couldn't help growing angry too. He stopped, turned, and demanded, "Xia Yingchun, what exactly are you trying to do?"

"What am I trying to do?" Xiao Xia froze. "I should be asking you that! Why did you run?"

Du Yu pointed at himself. "She's the young lady, and I'm a servant. Do you think this is appropriate? What exactly did you teach her? Aren't you making her a laughingstock for everyone?!"

"A laughingstock?!" Xiao Xia snapped. "Do you think she doesn't know that herself? I explained every advantage and drawback to her. This was her own choice!"

"What?!" Du Yu was confused.

"I told her not only about the difference in your status, but also that women have never taken the initiative in arranging their own marriages. Even after understanding all the pros and cons, she was still willing to offer herself to you. But what did you do?! And to think I gave her the wedding dress my mother left me. The thought of her marrying someone like you makes me furious!" Xia Yingchun's face turned purple with rage. She wished she could strangle Du Yu right then.

"This..." Even after hearing her explanation, Du Yu still found it absurd. "Whatever the case, I absolutely cannot marry her!"

"But why?" Xia Yingchun asked in bewilderment. "Last night, she told me everything about the two of you. She said you rescued her from the Pigsty and made her a real person. She said you sent her up the mountain to learn and made her someone useful. For these twenty years, not a day has passed when she hasn't missed you. Do you know what that feels like? Now that she's finally waited long enough for you to return, all she wants is to marry you, regardless of what anyone thinks. Yet you just ran away! Are you even a man?"

"I... I..." Du Yu hadn't expected Xia Yingchun to be so sharp-tongued. He couldn't argue back at all. "Xiao Xia, you look only fifteen or sixteen. There are still plenty of things you don't understand."

"Yes, I don't understand. Isn't she good enough? Isn't she talented? Isn't she beautiful? Isn't she worthy of your affection?" Xia Yingchun demanded.

"That isn't the issue at all..." Du Yu shook his head. "Little Zhongli is wonderful, but she absolutely cannot marry me!"

Looking at Xia Yingchun's face, purple with fury, Du Yu murmured, "I'll go explain everything to Little Zhongli."

When Du Yu returned to Zhongli Chun, she was still kneeling before the door.

"Little Zhongli..."

Zhongli Chun raised her eyes, her expression conflicted.

"You're back...? I..."

"There are some things I have to explain clearly." As he spoke, Du Yu walked over and helped Zhongli Chun up. Xiao Xia entered the room just then, looking furious and refusing even to glance at Du Yu.

Du Yu had Zhongli Chun sit to one side. Dressed in her wedding gown, she looked dejected and didn't know what to do.

"What do you want to tell me?"

"I..." Du Yu gathered his words. "Little Zhongli, there's a very, very wide river between us. It separates us, so we can't be together."

"A river..." Zhongli Chun murmured. "What kind of river?"

"It takes more than two thousand years to cross this river." Looking at Zhongli Chun's despondent expression, Du Yu's feelings tangled painfully. "You and I are on opposite banks. If you marry me now, you'll never be able to cross it."

"I don't understand." Tears glimmered in Zhongli Chun's eyes. "You say it takes two thousand years to cross this river, so how could I meet you here when you're on the other bank? How did you cross it? Why can't I keep you on this side?"

Du Yu clutched his clothes tightly with both hands. He had never faced anything like this and had even less idea how to resolve it. It felt as though his heart had been broken before he'd ever fallen in love.

"I'll tell you the truth," Du Yu said, distressed. "If you do as I say... we'll meet after you've lived out your natural lifespan."

"After she's lived out her natural lifespan...?" Before Zhongli Chun could speak, Xiao Xia flew into a rage. "What kind of nonsense are you spouting?! She can't marry you while she's alive, only after she's dead?"

"Are you saying that after I die, I can stay with you forever?" Zhongli Chun asked.

"I can't promise forever, but I'll certainly be by your side often. Can you accept that?"

"Miss, you mustn't believe this man's nonsense!" Xia Yingchun said angrily.

"No, I trust him."

"Huh?"

"Th-that's wonderful..." Du Yu finally relaxed.

"Then what must I do with the rest of my life?"

"Little Zhongli... when you turn forty... I want you to marry King Xuan of Qi..."