Chapter 583: Epilogue · The Fated Pact (Part Two)

Epilogue · The Fated Pact (Part Two)

The mountains rise high, the waters flow long; the stars shine bright.

At nightfall, the daytime heat vanished, leaving a refreshing coolness. Li Guanyi brought back game, processed it, and prepared to roast meat.

After days of steamed buns, his mouth had grown tasteless. The Fire Qilin, ever cooperative, eagerly spat a flame, crouched down, eyes wide and gleaming, fixed unblinking on the roasting meat.

A young man in simple robes, like a wandering martial hero, turned the wooden stick.

The meat’s surface was glazed with honey, roasted by the Qilin’s fire. The greatest martial legend of the age, the Emperor of Qin, personally controlled the heat; the exterior gradually turned golden, releasing an irresistible aroma.

The Fire Qilin could hardly wait.

“Is it ready? Is it ready?”

Its eyes sparkled; if it weren’t busy controlling the flame, its drool would have dripped.

“I want to eat the good fruit!”

Li Guanyi ruffled the Fire Qilin’s head and smiled calmly:

“Don’t rush—you’ll get your share.”

“As the saying goes, haste makes no hot tofu.”

The Fire Qilin sneered: “I’m a Fire Qilin—I’m not afraid of heat!”

Li Guanyi chuckled: “True enough—I forgot. Wait a bit longer. Soon it’ll be perfectly cooked. Underdone tastes bad and gives you diarrhea.”

He paused, then added with mild teasing:

“Though, since you’re a Fire Qilin, that probably doesn’t matter.”

The young Qilin solemnly replied: “No, it matters a lot!”

Li Guanyi opened his mouth.

Looking at the earnest little creature so fixated on the perfect doneness, he felt a flicker of helplessness.

I just don’t understand Qilin.

He lifted his gaze, letting it drift to a large stone beside him, where the silver-haired girl sat hugging her knees, quietly gazing at the sky. Suddenly, she spoke softly:

“The light of the Seven Stars of Bai Hu has suddenly brightened by one stellar magnitude.”

Her long silver hair stirred slightly in the night breeze, as if dusted with faint starlight. Her eyes held tiny glimmers; a pale golden mark on her brow made her seem ethereal, almost not of this world, wrapped in starlight.

She was recording changes in the celestial patterns.

She intended to compile the scattered, disorganized astronomical texts from centuries of chaos—texts from the Western Regions to the Tujue, from the Central Plains to the Southwest—where people of different lands and ethnicities all looked up at the stars.

This was a feat even the greatest star-gazers of old dared not dream of. To accomplish it required more than the knowledge of an astronomer—it needed a peaceful, stable era, a unified empire, and an emperor capable of commanding all peoples to submit and surrender their secret manuscripts.

The silver-haired girl observed the heavens, lifted her brush, and wrote on the scroll beside her.

Until Li Guanyi said: “The meat’s nearly done.”

The girl’s distant, ethereal gaze stirred. She rose, brushed dust from her clothes, and gently leapt down from the stone, clutching the manuscript that would one day be called the foundational masterpiece of celestial astronomy.

Tap.

Her shoes made a soft sound against the ground.

Her silver hair lifted in the moonlight.

Then, with a fluid motion, she toppled forward.

Li Guanyi caught her in his arms.

The silver-haired girl stood steady, her voice still calm, unrippled:

“My leg’s gone numb.”

Li Guanyi laughed softly, releasing his hold. “You sat there so long—you must be hungry. Here, it’s ready to eat.”

The Fire Qilin felt a little full.

After thinking it over, the Fire Qilin gave up trying to understand.

Who cares!

This auspicious beast just doesn’t get humans.

The good fruit is cooked!

The Fire Qilin lowered its head and happily began devouring.

Li Guanyi flicked out a sword qi, slicing the meat into thin pieces, offering some to Yaoguang, then asked: “The Seven Stars of Bai Hu have brightened—does that mean a new Bai Hu Grand Master is about to be born?”

The silver-haired girl chewed slowly, swallowed, then shook her head slightly. Her voice remained tranquil, unrippled:

“The Bai Hu Grand Master arises from the chaotic qi of war. In this age of peace, even if someone carries the Bai Hu destiny, they will become a general of stability—not a catalyst for chaos. They cannot be called a Bai Hu Grand Master.”

The girl’s face was expressionless; her cheeks puffed slightly as she chewed.

Chew. Chew.

Swallow.

Li Guanyi laughed, reached out, and wiped the residue from the corner of her mouth.

Yaoguang was used to this kind of intimacy.

She lifted her gaze to the flowing starlight above.

“The Seven Stars of Bai Hu stretch across the vast western night. We’re nearing the Star-Gazing School’s domain. Generation after generation, their lineage has been tied to the Bai Hu Grand Master—but always, it was our lineage that sought them out. For the Bai Hu Grand Master to come to us… this is the first time.”

“Perhaps something within the school has changed, causing this difference.”

Li Guanyi looked up at the sky.

For some time now, he and Yaoguang had traveled west from Jiangnan, witnessing many sights—all recorded in her scroll. Now, they were finally entering the Star-Gazing School’s territory.

And finally, they would meet Yaoguang’s master and mistress.

After eating, they extinguished the fire. The Fire Qilin shrank into a cat, curling in Li Guanyi’s lap. He gazed at the distant sky and stars, chatting with Yaoguang about their first meeting over a decade ago.

As they talked, he suddenly felt a weight settle on his shoulder.

He glanced sideways—the silver-haired girl was exhausted, wrapped in a thin wind-cloak, leaning against his shoulder, her breathing slow and fine, already asleep.

Her silver hair fell softly; with each breath, her body rose and fell gently.

Like a snow-white silk cat curled into a ball.

Li Guanyi wondered: all those years before they met, had she also spent every clear night gazing at the stars, then curled up to sleep like this?

Li Guanyi murmured with a smile: “Looks like you’ve been too tired these days—you’ve fallen asleep.”

“...I’m awake.”

Li Guanyi saw the silver-haired girl speak with her eyes closed, as if it were natural.

She rested quietly against his shoulder.

Li Guanyi smiled softly. He leaned against the rock, one side with the Fire Qilin, the other with the silver-haired girl. His heart was calm; all things remained unchanged—only the Seven Stars of Bai Hu, stretching across the western heavens, flowed with cold, clear starlight.

A realm of peace and stillness.

……………………

Two flowers bloom, each on its own branch.

Here, Li Guanyi and Yaoguang wandered mountains and rivers, enjoying the world—but things had turned unfortunate for the Whale Fisher.

Or rather, it wasn’t the Whale Fisher who suffered—it was Tu Shengyuan.

“Where’s my daughter!? Where’s Yaoguang!?”

“Where is she!?”

“Where, where is she?”

“I don’t know.”

“I’m just a storyteller.”

“Want me to tell you two tales!?”

The Whale Fisher roared: “Shut your mouth!”

He stepped forward slowly, eyes blazing, teeth clenched: “Today, you’re in my hands. If you tell me where Yaoguang is, I’ll forgive your insolent words. Otherwise…”

He sneered twice: “I’ll take you eight hundred miles beyond the South Sea, to the deep ocean whirlpool—and use you as bait to catch a tiger whale.”

Tu Shengyuan turned pale.

He wished he could go back and beat the drunken fool who’d blabbed too much.

You’re a storyteller.

Why say so much!?

Why provoke this demon? What was the point?

Tu Shengyuan’s scalp prickled. He stammered: “M-Master Zhenkui, that’s inappropriate. Besides, the Emperor of Qin and Miss Yaoguang are deeply in love—they’ve been together for over a decade. They’re just traveling together, young man and woman, wandering the rivers and mountains.”

The Whale Fisher said: “You mean, a lone man and woman, traveling alone?”

Tu Shengyuan sucked in a sharp breath.

The Whale Fisher’s paternal translation made the fearless chief guest of the First Tower’s heart tremble.

“I—I meant, when they marry, you, as an elder, don’t need to rush over.”

The Whale Fisher’s face darkened: “You mean I’d be in the way?”

“In the way? What way!?”

Tu Shengyuan’s mouth twitched.

This conversation was impossible.

“Let the young ones handle their own affairs. You old man, stay out of it.”

The old Celestial Arbiter burst into laughter, delightedly watching the scene: “They’re perfectly matched—talented, beautiful, destined for each other. Their journey is a good thing. Why should you interfere? Isn’t that exactly what gets in the way!?”

“Just wait till you’re holding your grandchild. Hahaha!”

“Old Tu, well said!”

“I’m with you this time!”

As he spoke, the Old Soothsayer winked and nudged, adding fuel to the fire, casting the same approving glance.

Tu Shengyuan felt his whole body go numb and said: “Shut up.”

Both the Old Soothsayer and the Old Tortoise wore pleased smiles.

Unexpectedly, the Whale Fisher’s gaze swept over them and said: “Old Soothsayer, isn’t your tortoise able to contact that kid?!”

“Find him!”

“Find them, or I’ll drag you off to bait the trap too!”

Old Soothsayer: “???”

“That device requires two-way contact—how can I reach out unilaterally, old man?”

The Whale Fisher said: “Isn’t your old turtle supposed to be mighty?”

Old Tortoise: “???”

Huh? Unilaterally contacting the Emperor of the Great Unified Imperial Dynasty?

Who? Me?!

Just as he was about to retort, Tu Shengyuan shouted loudly: “I’ve long heard of the Yin-Yang School’s mysterious arts, unmatched under heaven. With the aid of Elder Soothsayer, finding the Emperor Qin’s whereabouts should be a mere formality!”

The chief guest of the First Tower in Heaven revealed a “ferocious grin.”

Let’s die together, old man!

The Old Soothsayer’s expression went blank.

“Tell me, where is Yaoguang!!!”

The white-haired fisherman gripped the collar of the Old Soothsayer in one hand and Tu Shengyuan’s collar in the other, shaking them violently. Their heads buzzed; the Old Soothsayer rolled his eyes upward, while Tu Shengyuan felt his stomach acid battering his brain.

Add to that the several nights of heavy drinking, and his mind ceased to think.

Almost instinctively, he blurted out: “Maybe she went back to her parents’ home!”

The Whale Fisher flew into a rage: “Nonsense! My place is her parents’ home!”

The Old Soothsayer said: “Parents’ home she hasn’t seen in over a decade?!”

The Whale Fisher was struck dumb.

He froze for a moment.

Then, as if realizing something, the Whale Fisher, the Old Soothsayer, and Tu Shengyuan’s eyes flickered, nearly in unison:

“The Star Gazing School!!!”

The next instant, Tu Shengyuan shrieked: “No good!”

But it was too late—the vast, boundless aura shaped the four corners of heaven and earth into array patterns, and the next moment, the Whale Fisher seized them both and shot skyward, shattering the void, heading straight for the Star Gazing School.

Nan Hanwen arrived with fine wine and delicacies just in time to witness this, hearing their final exchange, and sighed regretfully: “So they’ve left already… the Star Gazing School.”

Nan Hanwen stroked his beard, slightly puzzled, then muttered to himself:

“Come to think of it.”

“Why did Master Pojun apparently have no intention of attending His Majesty’s and Yaoguang’s wedding? He calculated the timing precisely and returned to his sect?”

“Wasn’t that also the Star Gazing School?”

……………………

The next day, Yaoguang and Li Guanyi arrived at a secluded location and found the Star Gazing School’s hidden grounds. The silver-haired girl used a secret technique to unveil the starlight that had veiled the sect’s sacred site.

The Star Gazing Art split like two cascading waterfalls, beneath which stood ancient, simple buildings.

Built in harmony with the mountain and water currents.

There was an air of detachment from the mortal world.

Li Guanyi also met Yaoguang’s master and mistress. Her teacher was a middle-aged man of modest stature, solemn in bearing; her mistress was a gentle woman who showed only slight surprise upon seeing Yaoguang return.

Mistress Chu Wenxuan stepped forward, grasped Yaoguang’s arm, her demeanor affectionate and delighted, remarking how thin she’d grown and how long it had been since she returned, aside from a few brief letters to report her safety.

Her teacher’s eyes held faint excitement, yet his face remained solemn, showing little emotion, merely saying: “Good that you’ve returned. Good that you’ve returned.”

Li Guanyi was about to speak when Yaoguang’s master said:

“If you can’t stay with the Emperor Qin, then come back.”

“The Star Gazing School has endured for a thousand years. You are the current heir—this world is vast; where can’t you go?”

Li Guanyi: “Huh????”

The fire qilin, transformed into a cat on his shoulder, widened its eyes.

Huh??? The Emperor Qin’s court is unbearable?!

When did this happen?

It eyed Li Guanyi suspiciously, then glanced at the silver-haired girl, then back at Li Guanyi, its eyes filled with confusion.

Li Guanyi returned a glance, silently signaling: Don’t look at me—I don’t know either.

Just as they silently exchanged glances,

the middle-aged man turned to Li Guanyi and said: “Thank you, young master, for escorting my disciple back. I am Yu Yanming, temporarily serving as instructor of Yaoguang’s lineage in the Star Gazing School. May I ask your name?”

Li Guanyi bowed and replied: “I am from Jiangzhou, a disciple of the Daoist Academy, Li Yishi.” He then produced the Daoist credential given by the Ancestor. Yu Yanming’s expression softened: “So you’re a high disciple of the Daoist Academy—no wonder you carry yourself so well.”

“Please come in. Though our Star Gazing lineage dwells far from the world, we still know proper hospitality. We have fine wine and plenty of poultry and pork—Master Daoist, please.”

“After you, Master.”

Li Guanyi caught sight of Yaoguang whispering softly with her mistress and felt reassured. The stern middle-aged man ordered his other disciples to gather wine and meat for a family feast. After three rounds of wine, Li Guanyi remained unaffected, but Yu Yanming, being a sorcerer without the robust physique of a martial cultivator, had begun to show signs of intoxication.

Taking advantage of his drunkenness, Li Guanyi asked casually: “You said Yaoguang couldn’t stay with the Emperor Qin—what do you mean by that?”

“From what I understand, Yaoguang and the Emperor Qin have known each other since they were thirteen or fourteen—over a decade now, through countless trials and near-death experiences. Why say such a thing?!”

Yu Yanming sighed deeply, grunted for a long while, and the rigid sorcerer who once told Yaoguang that “the greatest heroes are those who kill the most” merely said:

“The Emperor Qin… hmm, he’s not bad…”

As his wife came to refill the cups, she rolled her eyes and said: “Still saying such things? Don’t you always mutter to yourself that never in history has there been a figure like the current White Tiger Patriarch, who unites both lineages of our Star Gazing School and opens a great cause?!”

“So why the change now?”

“Speaking like this in front of young people—acting like an old stubborn fool, you’ve no shame.”

Yu Yanming, rebuked twice, stammered awkwardly: “This… this is a different matter.”

Seeing Li Guanyi’s gaze, Yu Yanming pretended nothing had happened and said: “I’ll tell you the truth: it was fine at first, but the heir of the Pojun lineage, unlike Yaoguang, frequently writes back. Lately, he’s grown increasingly arrogant.”

Mentioning this clearly rankled Yu Yanming.

He set his cup down on the table, disgruntled: “In his latest letter, he claimed his Pojun lineage has utterly surpassed my Yaoguang lineage, saying—”

“‘From now on, the Pojun lineage has triumphed; Yaoguang is no longer the Lord’s strategist, no longer…’ and so on.”

“That old man from the Pojun lineage gloated, bringing his disciples here multiple times.”

“He even left the letter here—just to infuriate me!”

Li Guanyi froze.

“Letters?”

Yu Yanming glanced at him, drunk and slurring: “Yes, countless of them—all written by that young Pojun over the past decade. Dozens, piled high. His teacher and master carried them all here in a single sack.”

“Want to see them?”

Li Guanyi’s expression turned peculiar: “Why not…”

Meanwhile,

a certain strategist with purple eyes arrived again, accompanied by his master and teacher.

Today, the Pojun lineage will utterly surpass yours, Yaoguang lineage!

Reclaim the top spot on the Star Gazing School’s strategist rankings!

The brilliant strategist smiled, swept his sleeve, and entered calmly, his gaze arrogant, lips curled, seeing the grand hall of the Star Gazing School, the gentle woman there, the white-haired man crouching beside him stroking a cat—and…

Huh? Wait?!!

White hair?!!

?? Everyone, wish you all a happy Lantern Festival in advance~~