Chapter 340: Flower Lantern Wishes

"Young master, where are we going?"

Lü Ya's eyes held anticipation.

You gazed at the ruin before you and sighed lightly, "Just wander around."

"Young master, I heard there's a flower lantern gala on Tianfu Street, and many stalls selling ornaments. Let's go there," Lü Ya said.

"Alright, you lead the way."

Lü Ya hopped ahead, looking here, touching there, immersed in the fantasy Shi Jie, happy and excited.

You watched her quietly.

"Young master, look at this hairpin. Isn't it pretty?"

Lü Ya lifted a 'void object' and asked you.

You stood frozen on the spot.

This... you simply can't see it! How do you answer?

"Young master, are you alright?" Lü Ya asked with concern when she saw your expression.

You thought for a moment; perhaps there is a way to see her world.

You stepped forward and took her hand.

Lü Ya only made a symbolic struggle, then blushed, lowered her head, and let you lead.

Feeling Lü Ya's heartbeat, the scene before you changed.

A bustling, lively street, crowds jostling, children's clamor, women's laughter—you once again saw the world of Lü Ya's imagination.

"Young master, see how much this girl likes it, just buy one for her," the vendor laughed.

"Then... I'll buy it."

You agreed instinctively.

The vendor stared at you eagerly, "Young master, one hundred wen."

You felt your pocket; you have no such Pure Land-era mortal coin.

"I'll do it."

Lü Ya took out one hundred wen, handed it to the vendor, then looked at you joyfully, "Thank you, young master."

The vendor's gaze turned extremely odd.

He seemed to mutter, "That girl is truly a lovesick seed, but it's a pity... which family's young master is so stingy?"

"Young master, could you put it on for me?"

Lü Ya handed you the hairpin, asking you to put it on her, while she seemed completely unaware of the sounds you could hear.

You and she strolled the street for a long while.

Your feelings grew deeper; every detail of hers revolved around you, existing because of you.

All the flaws you saw in the fantasy world were nonexistent; in her eyes there was only you and all your beauty.

You used her money to buy many things for her.

Those were the wages she earned as a maid, saved for many years; today she spent most of them, yet she felt no reluctance.

Night deepened.

You both watched the flower lantern gala again.

Countless flower lanterns rose toward the capital, lighting the pitch-black night and also illuminating Lü Ya's eyes.

"Wow! So beautiful!"

Lü Ya's little mouth opened slightly, enviously, "Young master, shall we also light a lantern?"

"Sure."

You held her hand, went to a stall, bought two flower lanterns, fetched paper and brush, and each wrote a wish on a lantern.

The lanterns were lit and drifted toward the Horizon.

Lü Ya asked, "Young master, what wish did you make?"

"I won't say."

You replied proudly, "If I speak it, it won't work."

This is an ancient saying from the Pure Land: wishes must not be spoken, for once spoken they lose their power.

"What wish did you make?" Yet you couldn't help asking Lü Ya out of curiosity.

"Then I won't say either."

Lü Ya pursed her lips, "If I speak it, I won't be able to stay with you forever, across lifetimes without parting."

After saying that, she realized something and immediately covered her mouth.

That girl really is foolish.

You had already seen it.

After the lantern gala, you returned to Lin Fu.

"Young master, let me attend to your bath."

"Alright."

"Young master, is it too hot?"

"Just right."

"Shall I come in and try for you?"

"Huh?"

You suddenly realized Lü Ya's boldness was growing, though, to be fair, she was more forward last night as well.

In the end, you tacitly permitted her actions.

In the end, the water in the bath tub splashed all over the floor; all that talk of a shower was just a wasted effort.

From night until dawn, it was a mess again.

After Lü Ya fell into a deep sleep, you sit in meditation in the small courtyard, beginning to feel the changes in your cultivation realm.

Indeed! Your cultivation has advanced again.

In a subtle sense, you have an insight, as if about to strike the Immortal Second Realm.

"It really has to do with her."

This time, you can be certain that your cultivation boost is closely linked to Lü Ya.

You think of a certain type of technique.

Dual cultivation!

Before the Jing Tu era, dual cultivation techniques had long thrived, and even now they still hold a certain status.

This is determined by the principle of yin and yang.

Since the laws of Heaven and Earth divide yin and yang into two paths, the dual cultivation method that merges yin and yang will not be severed.

You know little about dual cultivation.

But you are aware that mutually beneficial dual cultivation is rare; usually one side draws from the other.

"So I'm the one drawing from Lü Ya?"

"That's not right."

"She appears to have no cultivation, just a Mortal, yet too many traits indicate she is not a Mortal."

"To uncover the truth of the matter, one cannot escape the secret linking our fates."

In the days that followed, you and Lü Ya embarked on an unabashed life.

These are the happiest days you've had in over a decade.

But you have not forgotten the hardships in Jing Tu, nor your own mission; they constantly remind you, making you cherish this hard‑won happiness even more.

You don't want all this to vanish.

To preserve this beauty forever, there is one inevitable thing: you look up at the Heavenly Dome, where a black great sun hangs high in the sky.

"An Ying Zhu!"

All of the world cannot escape this colossal being that destroyed the old era; it is the terror of every creature in Jing Tu.

You previously never feared it, believing you would eventually defeat it.

After meeting Lü Ya, you felt fear for the first time, and you also began to dread loss.

In contemplation, you suddenly sense something.

You suddenly find yourself outside Lin Fu; Bai Li Ming is waiting for you outside the manor, and behind him are several figures shrouded in cloaks, their aura exceptionally powerful.

"So strong!"

You sense, "Have all the sentinels arrived?"

"That's not right!"

"One is still missing."

The strongest sentinel of Jing Tu has not yet arrived.

"Shu."

Bai Li Ming slowly says, "Aside from that person, all eight of our sentinels are here; the matter of Lin Fu should now have a conclusion."