Peeking? Right Out in the Open!

The sky was cloudless for ten thousand miles, and the bright sun shone overhead.

The sunlight was glorious, and a gentle breeze blew softly.

Lin Yunji, Lady Nüwa, and Yaochi each sat on a fluffy cloud!

The clouds drifted slowly along, with no destination in mind, free and unhurried.

"Who would have thought? Back at the Purple Treasure Firmament Hall, you refused to sit on that lotus cushion, and then you fell asleep while Teacher was preaching the Dao. Brother Yunji, you really do go your own way without caring what anyone else thinks!"

"I was stunned watching you!"

"The expressions on the faces of the people there when they saw Brother Yunji act like that were quite something too!"

"Hee hee hee hee~"

Sitting on her soft, comfortable white cloud, Yaochi pursed her lips and laughed. Thinking of what Lin Yunji had done at the Purple Treasure Firmament Hall, and the wonderful scene that followed, she couldn't help recounting it all again in vivid detail.

Ever since she had heard Lady Nüwa call Lin Yunji by the nickname "Little Jade Bamboo," Yaochi had quietly changed how she addressed him as well, calling him Brother Yunji.

After all, it really did sound more affectionate!

"Oh, right! That first time, the cushion ended up going to you, Lady Nüwa!" Yaochi suddenly recalled and added.

Lady Nüwa nodded and replied with a smile, "That's right! It was because Little Jade Bamboo gave me that lotus cushion that we had the chance to become so familiar with each other!"

"Fate really is so wondrous!" Yaochi exclaimed.

"Sister Yaochi, now that you mention it, I remember something interesting that happened when Little Jade Bamboo and I were traveling through the Primordial Wilderness!" Lady Nüwa suddenly said. She leaned close to Yaochi and lowered her voice to whisper in her ear. "We ran into a living being who suddenly jumped out, shouting and yelling and saying a whole lot of inexplicable things, as if he'd gone mad. Then he even threatened to make Little Jade Bamboo perish and his Dao vanish. He acted as though he were invincible under heaven!"

"He was that formidable?" Yaochi asked in surprise. "Even though Brother Yunji hadn't reached his current realm back then, he wasn't someone just anyone could kill!"

"Guess what happened?" Nüwa looked at the cute little loli before her, and a playful urge rose in her. Wanting to tease her, she deliberately gave nothing away.

Lin Yunji watched the two of them, laughing to himself. He hadn't expected Lady Nüwa to be such an old hand at storytelling! She was so different from the unsmiling figure of legend!

"Could it be... could it be that you went through a fierce battle?" Yaochi blinked and asked curiously. "I'd really like to know what Brother Yunji looks like when he fights!"

"Hmph." Lady Nüwa gave a soft snort. She glanced at Lin Yunji, who sat serenely beside them, and said, "I'd like to know too! But that being talked big without having much ability to back it up. Little Jade Bamboo dealt with him in a single move!"

She was talking about Great Demon Qijing.

Great Demon Qijing's death had marked the beginning of the great war between the Wu and Demon clans. Naturally, she didn't say so outright, mentioning only that he had been a living being.

Even so, the twists and turns of the story amused Yaochi.

"It wasn't because that being was too weak!" Yaochi was straightforward. She looked at Lin Yunji with eyes full of admiration and exclaimed, "It must have been because Brother Yunji was too amazing!"

Little Sister Yaochi really knew how to talk. Listening from the side, Lin Yunji felt thoroughly pleased.

The two women, each graceful in her own way, chatted and laughed quietly together, glancing at Lin Yunji from time to time. Lin Yunji acted as though he hadn't heard them and focused on the scenery below.

"A gentle breeze, a warm sun, and beauties for company. If every day were like this, I wouldn't have lived this life in vain!"

The corners of Lin Yunji's lips curved upward slightly, and he felt at ease and content!

And so the three clouds drifted along with the wind.

A hundred years passed in this fashion.

One day, Lin Yunji was lying on his cloud, lazily basking in the sun and admiring the scenery along the way with half-closed eyes.

"Huh?"

A sudden cry of surprise rang out.

Hearing it, Lin Yunji looked toward Lady Nüwa.

Yaochi hurriedly asked, "Sister Nüwa, what is it?"

"Look over there," Lady Nüwa said softly, her voice bright.

She raised a hand and gently pointed into the air. The mists that had been entwined together slowly parted, revealing the scenery hidden beneath them.

It was a range of rolling mountains, peak joined to peak, stretching into the distance for who knew how many tens of thousands of miles.

And directly beneath them lay a lush green forest.

Amid the layers of foliage, a sheer cliff stood in plain view.

A swift river came rushing over it, leaping from the precipice and becoming a thundering waterfall.

In the sunlight, the mist spraying into the air refracted seven-colored light.

It was as beautiful as the Milky Way cascading straight down, with a seven-colored ribbon wrapped around its middle.

The waterfall plunged into a clear pool below, then became a murmuring stream that wound away into the distance.

Yaochi stared blankly at the sight below, utterly dumbstruck!

She had been born in the chaos, and though she had traveled through the Primordial World for a hundred years, she had never come across scenery this beautiful. Only after a long while did she breathe, "Wow, it's so pretty!"

"How about we go down and take a look?" Nüwa suggested with a smile, looking at Yaochi's little face, flushed red with excitement.

Yaochi jumped three feet into the air, clapping her hands and cheering happily. "Wonderful! Can we play in the water in a little while? I've never played in the water before!"

As she spoke, she turned to Lin Yunji. "Brother Yunji, can we go down and play for a little while?"

The little loli's voice was sweet and tender. Lin Yunji's heart softened as he listened, and he couldn't help smiling too. "Me? Anything is fine with me!"

Lin Yunji shrugged. "Never mind playing in the water-even if you wanted to swim in the pool, I'd be happy to see it."

"Happy to see it?" Lady Nüwa raised an eyebrow. "What do you want to see?"

Lin Yunji froze and couldn't help crying out at the injustice! Why did those words somehow sound wrong coming from Lady Nüwa's mouth?

Yaochi was taken aback, and her cheeks suddenly turned red as well.

"Brother Yunji, you're so naughty!"

Now Lin Yunji couldn't clear his name even with a mouth to speak!

"Sister Yaochi, ignore him!" Lady Nüwa glared at her, then took Yaochi's hand and flew down.

"Hmph, Brother Yunji, I know you'll peek at us while we're playing in the water!" Yaochi turned and made a face at Lin Yunji. "We won't give you the chance!"

Lin Yunji couldn't help laughing in exasperation. "Oh, come on, who wants to peek? Hehehehe, why would I need to peek? I'll just stand right beside you, open my eyes wide, and watch out in the open. What can you do about it?"

He said it with absolute confidence, then descended from his cloud alongside Lady Nüwa and Yaochi.

Little loli Yaochi blushed and stuck her tongue out at Lin Yunji. "Shameless! Brother Yunji, you've gone too far!!"

Laughing and joking, they came to stand on the bank.

"Splash, splash, splash~"

On one side came the tremendous roar of the waterfall plunging down; on the other came the light, cheerful sound of the flowing stream.

Drifting mist swept against their faces with the breeze, cool and refreshing.

Lin Yunji was still absorbed in the refreshing scenery when his heart suddenly stirred.

"Hmm?"

He couldn't help raising his head and looking instinctively toward the waterfall.

Something in that direction seemed to be drawing him, and the black Dao markings on the bones of his left hand were growing slightly warm and trembling faintly.