"Senior Sister, I'm getting sleepy," Yang Kai murmured softly.
"Then sleep. When you open your eyes, you'll see me." Qu Huashang drew him into her embrace.
Meanwhile, outside the Samsara Pavilion, Yu Xiangdie and Chen Xiu waited in silence. The Samsara Pavilion was not a dedicated cultivation site but a place for tempering the heart. Though wondrous in its own right, it did not possess the advantage of a temporal flow differential found in minor Source Worlds.
However much time one spent within its various Samsara Realms, the same amount of time passed outside.
It had been nearly three months since Yang Kai entered the Samsara Pavilion, and no one knew how he was faring inside—whether he had found Qu Huashang, whether he had broken through her heart barrier.
To say they weren't worried would be a lie, but there was nothing outsiders could do about such things. It all depended on Yang Kai's own ability.
Because of this matter, Yu Xiangdie and Chen Xiu—who had been fellow disciples for thousands of years—had grown a palpable rift between them. They now sat separated by dozens of meters, each having claimed a patch of open ground, meditating in silence as they waited.
Just then, from the market streets outside the Samsara Pavilion, a figure stepped out.
Chen Xiu seemed to sense something and opened his eyes at once, lifting his gaze toward the newcomer. He let out an imperceptible breath of relief.
Yu Xiangdie also noticed, watching as Tao Lingwan walked toward them step by step. A look of surprise surfaced on her face.
There was good reason for it—it was far too fast!
No one had ever emerged from the Samsara Pavilion so quickly. But soon, as if recalling something, her eyes darted about, and a strange smile crept onto her face.
"Master!" Tao Lingwan arrived before Chen Xiu and dipped into a graceful bow.
Chen Xiu studied her from head to toe, as though checking whether she was missing an arm or a leg. His mouth opened, words of concern rising in his throat, but in the end not a single one escaped. He simply nodded. "It's good that you're back."
"I worried Master needlessly," Tao Lingwan said, still keeping her head lowered.
Yu Xiangdie flashed over and asked, "You ran into that brat Yang?"
Tao Lingwan gave a small nod.
"How did it go?"
Tao Lingwan considered for a moment. "He should have awakened Senior Sister Qu's memories by now."
Yu Xiangdie's eyes lit up at this, and she exhaled with relief. "Good, good."
Chen Xiu asked, "Did you see our junior brother?"
Tao Lingwan nodded. "I did."
Chen Xiu asked nothing further. If Yang Kai had awakened Qu Huashang's memories, that meant he had broken through her heart barrier. This journey into Samsara was a success for him. Meanwhile, the Feng Chengsi he had sent in seven or eight years ago had accomplished nothing.
Though he had long anticipated this outcome, he couldn't help feeling a twinge of disappointment.
While they were talking, Feng Chengsi did in fact emerge from the Samsara Pavilion. He walked up to Chen Xiu and Yu Xiangdie and bowed respectfully.
Yu Xiangdie pat-patted his shoulder with an air of elder wisdom and offered some consolation. "Matters of the heart can't be forced. Don't take this loss as proof that you're inferior to him. You're a Core Disciple of Yin Yang Heaven, after all. Your future achievements won't fall short of anyone else's. It's just that matters of affection—those can't be compelled."
Feng Chengsi bowed obediently. "Yes, this disciple respectfully heeds Junior Aunt's teaching!"
Yu Xiangdie was in excellent spirits. She cast a sidelong glance at Chen Xiu and teased, "Scheme all you want—it only proves you're too clever for your own good. And what came of it? In the end, you're the one who lost out. Senior Brother, I'd advise you to be less calculating in the future!"
Chen Xiu gave her a flat look. "Wan'er is my disciple, but she is also a disciple of Yin Yang Heaven!"
Yu Xiangdie blinked, then suddenly bared her teeth. "Buy one, get one free? That's a tremendous loss, isn't it?"
Tao Lingwan's face flushed red. Senior Aunt Yu had no filter, and she could barely keep up. Moreover, the thought of facing Qu Huashang again in the future filled her with a persistent sense of guilt.
She may have been acting under her master's orders, but the things she had done were carried out by her own hands.
Yu Xiangdie's expression wavered with hesitation and inner struggle for a moment before she steeled herself. "Senior Brother, make preparations. Once that little brat comes out of the Samsara Pavilion, we'll have him marry both Little Huashang and Wan'er."
Chen Xiu raised an eyebrow. "And how exactly would that work?"
Yu Xiangdie snorted coldly. "Through matrilocal marriage, of course! Our Yin Yang Heaven disciples have never had the habit of marrying out!"
A rare smile finally broke across Chen Xiu's stiff face. He nodded slightly. "Excellent. Then you keep watch here. I'll go report to the higher-ups and let them make the final decision."
Yu Xiangdie nodded. Chen Xiu immediately departed with his two disciples, and the slight rift between them dissipated in an instant once they had reached an agreement.
…
Something heavy seemed to be pressing down on him. In the darkness, he couldn't see his own hand in front of his face.
Yang Kai strained with every ounce of strength, but he couldn't free himself. His breathing grew more and more labored.
He genuinely thought he was going to die here!
After plunging off the cliff together with Qu Huashang, he had entered the next round of Samsara—but he had no idea what kind of situation this was. The moment he opened his eyes, something was pinning him down. Sounds of wailing and fighting drifted faintly at the edge of his hearing before fading not long after.
A sliver of light suddenly pierced the darkness, and the heavy weight on his body was lifted away piece by piece.
Yang Kai struggled upright and immediately checked his body.
Even while pinned beneath the weight, something had felt wrong. Now, having examined himself, he finally realized what was off!