The mountains were dark early, and the stewed fire was extinguished. The immortal of Gu Zhong stood up and said calmly: "You can't live without Yunyang Mansion, neither can I. My life was tied to the Tianji Ship, and it was finally about to end. After July 15th, death is my liberation, and you still have to survive."

"What should I do?" Hu Guiyang's good mood that lasted all day disappeared, "How can I save Xiaocao? She has nothing to do with the whole thing, I brought her."

"Everyone has his own story, and he is the unique protagonist in the story." The smile of the immortal in the valley was blurred in the night, "So it is not what you should do, it is what the grass should do. Hu Guiyang, we all have some unique experiences, but that's all, no one can do anything, even the maids cannot. They rely on the power of mortals and only want to ascend on a boat and have no intention of helping anyone. They are a group of ruthless and unrighteous guys who treat mortals as grass."

"Since you can't do anything, why are you keeping us?"

The immortal Gu Zhong shook his head, "You forgot that it was not me who kept you, it was you, and it was He Sanchen who brought me. As for me, I just wanted to stir up the muddy water and watch the fish jump everywhere."

After having been in contact with the Huyun people for a long time, the immortal Gu also regarded himself as a high-ranking "god" and enjoyed the feeling of "stirring water". He Baiwan taught him the method.

He had enough food and said he had enough, and walked towards the nearest room, "He could stay here for at most two nights, and He Sanchen had to go back to the Dan Cave."

The grass never came back, and there were only two people left beside the extinguished fire.

"I thought I was helping Xiaocao, but I didn't expect to hurt her." Hu Guiyang felt deeply guilty.

"Um."

"In Tongzhou, if I persisted, Xiaocao would not follow him. In Yunyang Prefecture, if I left early, there would not be so many things. Even if I entered the Tianji Ship, I would have the opportunity not to let Xiaocao touch the red ball." Hu Guiyang blamed himself.

"At any time, you don't know that there is danger ahead, because no one tells you all the information. Everyone only throws out words that are beneficial to themselves, especially in the immortal of Gu. Don't believe his words too much."

"In the story of the immortal in the valley, we are all irrelevant little people." Hu Piaoyang said with a wry smile.

He Sanjie stood up, "This is something I have been trying to avoid throughout my life. I'm going to rest, so you go to bed early, don't think too much."

He Sanjie walked to another room, and she had cleaned up during the day.

Hu Guiyang was left alone. Looking at the last few sparks flashing in the ashes, he also stood up and looked at the dark forest. "The old guy has learned the true story of millions, but he is right - what is my story?"

Hu Guiyang muttered a few words, turned around and walked to the door of the house, raised his hand to knock on the door, but instead pushed the door open.

He Sanjie was standing at the door.

"I think……"

"Shh." He Sanjie'er didn't want to hear anything.

Hu Guiyang held one of her hands, pulled out of the wooden house, and with his vague memories, he came all the way to the stream.

The stream is gurgling, just like his drifting thoughts, and the pine waves are bursting, as if her undercurrents are surging.

The two hugged each other and separated after a long time.

"Is this our choice or the influence of the golden elixir?" Hu Guiyang couldn't help asking.

"Cherish this moment." He Sanjie'er answered with the words of the immortal in the valley.

Hu Guiyang wished he would stop at this moment, never be transparent in the sky, and never flowing through the stream.

The two stepped into the stream. In the midsummer night, the stream was just cold and no one wanted to go out...

Hu Guiyang washed his soaked clothes and hung them on nearby branches. He stood naked on the shore, wearing night as his clothes, without feeling shy at all. He stared at the slightly glowing water and said, "There is a poem that 'There is a lot more water flowing'. I really want to try it, but unfortunately I didn't bring a knife."

He Sanjie was bathing in a deeper place downstream, "You can figure it out even if you think about it, can you still try it?"

"To try, I hope to know what the poet is thinking when he writes this nonsense."

"You... are not allowed to turn around."

“Nothing can be seen.”

"I can see you turn around, and you can see me."

Hu Guiyang turned around, opened his arms, and let the breeze blow across his skin, "Who wrote this poem, did Li Bai?"

"right."

"I imagined that poets like Li Bai could only carry swords. The long sword in the picture would not carry swords. Why didn't he write 'draw the sword and cut the water'?"

"The level and tone are wrong."

"Can you write blindly for the sake of the level and tone?"

A pair of soft arms came from behind, and He Sanjie also hung her clothes on the branches, rubbed his back with her cheeks, and said softly: "The poet is a poet, and he has their rules."

"What are our rules?"

"Talk less, especially don't ask why."

Hu Guiyang held both hands on his chest, and the breeze brought coolness, but his body was warm. "I only have one word to say."

"Um."

"This is the second time, our skin is so thick?"

He Sanjie'er seemed a little angry, and Hu Guiyang quickly turned around and held her in his arms, "Don't talk, don't ask why."

...

The clothes were almost dry and they were still a little wet when worn. They didn't care. They found a flat stone to sit side by side on it, silently, both tired and relieved.

He Sanjie said first, "One day, you will treat me as a bad woman."

"One day? You just..."

"Don't use jokes to ruin this night."

"Okay, actually I don't care whether you are good or bad. I am not a saint who chooses a stout girl, nor is the emperor who chooses a virtuous concubine. I only regret not seizing the opportunity to marry you in the capital."

"It's better, I can come and go freely."

"I remember a story."

"Whose story?"

"Haha, the story written by the ancients said that there was a chivalrous woman who could take the head of someone thousands of miles away. When choosing a husband, it was up to one's own will, and parents, relatives and friends did not dare to point fingers."

"Well, I have a little impression. But I'm not a hero because I didn't think about saving anyone, but I really don't like others pointing fingers at me."

After a moment of silence, Hu Guiyang said, "I won't slap."

He Sanjie laughed and leaned tighter, "I still have to leave, the Dan acupoint will definitely become more and more popular, I have to choose one in advance."

"perhaps……"

"Don't use Tianji Pill to deceive me. You don't have it at all, and your skills are also weakening."

Hu Guiyang smiled and suddenly said seriously: "You won't be with me for this... No, there is no need to be a second time."

He Sanjie shook her hand and stood up, Hu Guiyang hurriedly said, "Don't leave, I promise not to joke tonight."

"You remember your tonight, I remember mine, goodbye."

"I can help you."

"No need." He Sanjie walked downstream along the stream and quickly disappeared into the night without saying a word.

Hu Guiyang still sat in the same place, without obstruction or persuasion. Although he had never made it clear, the two of them were tacitly informed that they each had their own way to go and would never force each other.

Before he knew it, it was already dawn, and Hu Guiyang was not trapped at all. He stood up and returned to the abandoned village. He saw the immortal in the valley practicing qigong on an open space, and he kept reciting his mouth, which was obviously also the Fire God Art.

After practicing the game, the immortal in Gu turned around, "He Sanchen is gone?"

"Go away."

"It's so difficult, and it's the hardest to look at people. None of the children I had liked at the time could survive. My apprentices only chose boys but not girls. Who would have thought that the most promising person would be her when she grew up?"

"Breaking out? Do you call this "Breaking out?"

The immortal Gu Zhong took a few steps closer, "What I mean by the promiscuity is to change the world's arrangements and impressions of himself. I have been a child and believe in the Tianji Ship until death. This is not called promiscuity. You have never been the outstanding one among your companions, but after many conspiracies and hardships, you have lived until now. You are considered promiscuity. After all, you have received some attention and received corresponding help. He Sanchen, without a jade pendant, she wants to get one. If she doesn't teach the Fire God Art, she has learned it secretly. She has no qualifications to enter the Dan Cave and has been forced to grab one. This is called promiscuity. If her story can continue, she will definitely have promiscuity."

"You are much better than He Mian."

"Thank you. He Baiwan is actually not promising. He is born a liar and has never changed until he dies. But he cheated too little and it is difficult to achieve great things."

"He even sneaked into the palace and almost changed the fate of the Ming Dynasty. Isn't this a big deal?"

"What is the difference between 'nearly accomplished' and 'not done'? Some people are like this. They can accomplish great things just a little bit, but unfortunately they fail and have been unknown since then. A few years later, maybe only you still remember what millions of people, and people in the world don't know that this liar has ever come."

"You go, I don't want to see you again." Hu Guiyang was really afraid that if he continued to listen, he would kowtow to the immortal in Guzhong.

"In Yunyang Mansion, it is difficult to avoid it." Gu Zhongxian smiled and strode away. He recognized the way and did not have to go down the stream.

Hu Guiyang was left alone. He stood there for a while, and then went into the room and slept for a while. When he opened his eyes, it was already afternoon. He walked out of the house and saw Xiaocao.

Xiaocao sat in front of the fire last night and was eating a roasted pheasant.

"You are such a good hunter." Hu Guiyang walked over with a smile, his stomach gushing.

Xiaocao glanced at him and continued to eat chicken, without any intention of sharing.

Hu Guiyang sat opposite, "He Sanjie and Gu Zhongxian are both gone."

The grass kept silent.

"They have to leave because they can't leave the Dan Cave. We have to go back, because I have harmed you." Hu Guiyang did not hide anything and said the words of the immortal in the valley again, "I have to think of a way."

After listening calmly, Xiaocao threw the last bone on the ground, held up his greasy hand, and finally spoke, "This time you have an excuse to stay again."

"Well, just treat it as an excuse, in short, I will help you."

"help me?"

"Yes, but I'm just helping you. I have no way to think about it. From now on, everything will be decided by you. At least that's right: This is your story, and it depends on yourself. I can only—"

Hu Guiyang picked up an unused dead branch, pushed away the half-extinguished dry firewood, exposed the ashes below, and continued to pull until the bottom layer.

A red ball the size of an egg is hidden in the ashes, perhaps because it was burned by fire and became more and more brightly red.

"I don't know what it is for, I don't know whether it is a blessing or a disaster. It's your turn to make a decision."
Chapter completed!