(Part 1)

The mountains were timeless. When Feng Ran stepped onto Liaowang Mountain for the third time, she was already more than two years away from the heaven and earth-shattering battle for the god weapon.

The immortals of the Three Realm expressed their feelings towards the Taicang choosing its master. There were different opinions, but the chaotic and absurd rumors slowly calmed down after Qing Mu’s disappearance. After all, compared with True God Bai Jue’s remnant soul and the Heavenly Emperor’s god power contest, his inheritance seemed less conspicuous.

As for the three rescued highnesses, it was heard that the Heavenly Emperor sent them to Juxian Pond to cultivate right after returning to the Immortal Realm. They had not appeared in the Immortal Realm for two years as well. All the immortals were shocked when they heard the news. Juxian Pond was the eye of the Immortal Realm ponds. Although cultivating in it was beneficial for the spiritual roots and could increase one’s spiritual power quickly, but its dense spiritual energy will make the entering cultivating immortals suffer the pain of bone and marrow washing. [1] It was unexpected that the Heavenly Emperor would be so cruel as to send these three highnesses there to cultivate.

And because Princess Jing Zhao entered Juxian Pond, the little immortal lord who had accompanied Qing Mu on the day the Taicang Spear appeared, attracted a lot of speculation from the immortals. Although the situation at the time was chaotic, and people did not have time to consider the reason why sky thunder landed on Princess Jing Zhao’s head, all of the immortal deities present were big oldies. Going back, there were some things they didn’t understand. Besides, Lord Feng Ran also appeared on Liaowang Mountain. The little immortal lord’s identity was pretty obvious, but it was really difficult for everyone to put the delicate and cute immortal child and God Hou Chi of Qingchi Palace in the same position.

It was just the fact that a simple bow could attract sky thunder that made the immortals curious about this little god. Although they did not exaggerate this matter much for Princess Jing Zhao’s dignity, there was no impermeable wall in the world. The Immortal Realm had a long history, and there had always been very few stuff to gossip about. This became an open secret all over the Three Realms about the event. Princess Jing Zhao was still in Juxian Pond, so the immortals were even more scrupulous.

As for Liaowang Mountain, where Hou Chi and Qing Mu stayed…Where the fire kirin was born then. The mountain-protection formation was greatly damaged after the few battles. The ancient land also suffered. However, after only two years, the mountain had recovered its original appearance, with a dense formation and a stronger aura than before.

A shout sounded halfway through the mountain. If one looked down from the clouds, only the wooden house halfway up the mountain gave off a sense that someone lived there. The wooden fence that used to surround the wooden house was completely removed. The middle of the mountain was full of wood and bamboo. Under the nurturing of the immortal aura, two years here were better than a decade of work in the Mortal Realm. Lush and verdant plants covered the top of the mountain. When the wind blew, the bamboo leaves would flutter, the ripples like the sea.

“What kind of trash place is this, it’s harder to get up every time!”

When Feng Ran climbed up here from the bottom of the mountain with great difficulty, then landed on the ground on her bottom, she saw a squatting Hou Chi not far away playing with a puppy, and her jealous eyes could burn something.

You tell me, an annoying kid who isn’t even as strong as a low deity [3] is playing happier than anyone on Liaowang Mountain. Why is it so different for her, a high lord, to try to do this?

However, it was strange that Hou Chi returned to her original appearance after Qing Mu woke up. The three of them couldn’t find the reason. Hou Chi firmly believed that Liaowang Mountain had strong spiritual energy and was good for her to cultivate, so she wanted to stay here. Qing Mu couldn’t hold her back, so he stayed with her.

“Feng Ran, you’ve come.”

Hou Chi patted the splashing and rolling puppy with her hand, rubbed her muddy hands on her clothes, then walked towards Feng Ran. The puppy beside her ran away with hesitation, and its speed was not slower than that of an ordinary immortal.

Feng Ran looked at the dirty Hou Chi, the corners of her mouth twitching. She was at least a god…

The girl in front of her had an ordinary appearance. She looked to be seventeen or eighteen, dressed in a cloth robe and her hair casually put up with a bamboo stick. If she wasn’t familiar with Hou Chi, she wouldn’t believe that this woman was the little god of their Qingchi Palace, who was admired by all the immortals.

“Hou Chi, how has Da Hei [2] been?”

Feng Ran looked in the direction where the puppy had disappeared and asked with her lips curled. Hou Chi found this little black dog in the back of the mountain when Qing Mu was in a coma. At that time, it was dying, and Hou Chi fed it a lot of immortal medicine before it was better. She had been raising it until now. But perhaps she had given it a temper by feeding it the immortal medicine. This little thing refused to eat anything besides immortal medicine.

“Not bad, it’s grown a lot. Qing Mu found out that it likes to eat the flint behind the mountain flint. Da Hei has grown quickly after eating them.” Hou Chi walked to the wooden chair in the yard, laid on it, and groaned twice before saying, “You don’t even know, it has a big temper. It’s unhappy if you don’t give it enough.”

“Appetite will naturally grow when the body grows. You feel heartbroken when it doesn’t eat enough. When it eats too much, you complain about it being hard to take care of. Hou Chi, Da Hei’s power is almost higher than yours now. If you continue to be this lazy, you don’t need to leave the mountain.”

A warm and soft voice came from the side of the wooden house. Feng Ran raised her head just in time to see Qing Mu, who was also dressed in a cloth robe, standing at the door. His voice was helpless, but his face was clearly indulgent.

Qing Mu frowned when he saw Hou Chi’s appearance. He walked back into the room, then returned with a damp cloth. He pulled Hou Chi off the wooden chair, wiped her face clean, and combed her hair again before saying, “However, the spiritual power you have gathered the past month has improved a bit. In a few more days, you will be able to reach low lord strength.”

As soon as Hou Chi heard this, her eyes curved, and she patted Qing Mu on the shoulder, saying with a smile, “Liaowang Mountain is really a good place. I only stayed here for two years but have made such progress. It seems like it’s right to stay here.”

Qing Mu’s eyes slightly moved, and he took her hand and wiped it clean. The corner of his mouth was hooked and he didn’t say anything. If it weren’t for him loosening the seal in her body every day bit by bit with his spiritual power, forget about Liaowang Mountain. It would probably be useless even if she soaked in Quxian Pond.

The tyranny of the seal was hard to shake even with his power. So far, it was just a little effective. He just couldn’t figure this out. He could forget about the daughter of a god having weak spiritual roots, but how could there be a seal hidden deep in her spiritual roots? If it wasn’t for him inheriting the Taicang Spear and having more or less a trace of True God Bai Jue, he wouldn’t be able to see it.

“Really?”

Feng Ran was a little surprised when she heard this. She knew Hou Chi’s physique very well. Even if she took the best elixir, she was like a bottomless pit, finding it difficult to gather the spiritual power. In the past few thousand years, the good medicinal materials of Qingchi Palace had all been used up by her, but there was no effect at all. She didn’t expect Qing Mu to be so effective in only two years. She wasn’t like Hou Chi and thought that it really was the contribution of Liaowang Mountain. After all, Qingchi Palace was also a rare blessed land in the Three Realms, and she didn’t notice any improvement in Hou Chi’s spiritual power.

Feng Ran immediately let out a sigh of relief, nodded towards Qing Mu, and cast a thankful look.

Qing Mu squinted his eyes, nodding his head without making a sound. The wet cloth in his hands lightly wiped Hou Chi’s fingertips, and the light in his eyes slightly moved. If he could keep her on Liaowang Mountain like this, it seemed…not bad.

“Oh, right. Feng Ran, have you discovered anything this time you went out?”

Hou Chi remembered something and turned her head to look at Feng Ran, her eyes full of concern. When Qing Mu heard this, his hand holding Hou Chi’s slightly stiffened, and a hint of complexity flashed in his eyes.

Feng Ran shook her head and said, “No, I even went to the Underworld this time. Bo Xuan’s name isn’t on the Book of Life and Death. I don’t think he has reincarnated into the Mortal Realm.”

[1] Bone and marrow washing- A practice famous in the Chinese martial arts world and is a form of Qi Gong. (in the context, however, it is said to be very painful)

[2] “Da Hei’ – Name of the dog, literally meaning “Big Black”. In China, the name “Xiao Bai” is also very common, meaning “Small White”.

[3] Low Deity – A power rank above a normal immortal. They have some power. (of course, High Lords are much more powerful.

In the novel, the author uses ‘它’ to reference Da Hei, the puppy. There are there ta’s: He (他), She (她), and It (它). So it is unknown whether Da Hei is male or female.

(Part 2)

The Underworld was closely related to the Mortal Realm and was the place of reincarnation. It was located at the bottom of the Nether World [1] and was combined with the Mortal Realm. Although it was controlled by the immortal lords of the Immortal Realm, it had very little involvement with the Immortal and Demon Realms.

Since two years ago, after knowing that the kirin was not Bo Xuan, Hou Chi and Qing Mu stayed on Liaowang Mountain. Feng Ran looked for Bo Xuan in the Three Realms, but unfortunately, she found nothing.

After hearing this, Hou Chi sighed. Her hands supported her chin, and her eyes dimmed a little, “Is there still no news?”

“I’ve traveled a lot these past two years. Whether it is the Mortal Realm or the Immortal Realm, I didn’t feel Bo Xuan’s aura. I also paid attention in the Demon Realm, but there wasn’t any there either.” Feng Ran rubbed her chin, and muttered, “Now, there are only the Four Seas and the Wildlands left. These places are very dangerous and have many ancient beasts. With my ability, it would take me ten years to finish the search. Sigh, it would be great if God Gu Jun was here…”

Hearing these words, Hou Chi paused. Her God Father wasn’t here, but there wasn’t only one god in the Three Realms…she suppressed this thought. She could not go to the Nine Heavens no matter what. But Bo Xuan…If something happened to him, why wasn’t there any of his aura these eight thousand years?

Seeing Hou Chi frowning, Qing Mu sighed and patted her head, “It’s okay. Although Liaowang Mountain’s mountain-protection formation relies on my aura to supplement it, it’s back to normal now. After another half month and you completely have the power of a low deity, I’ll accompany you down the mountain. We’ll first go to the Four Seas to take a look. Those dragon kings and I have some friendships. If I ask them to help, it will be a lot faster.”

As soon as Hou Chi heard these words, some of her energy came back, and she nodded hurriedly, her eyes bending into a crescent shape.

Seeing the two of them getting along so well, Feng Ran raised her eyebrows. Although Hou Chi had recovered her original appearance, her personality was not much different in front of Qing Mu than when she was smaller. She didn’t know why.

Looking at Qing Mu, who was gentle and smiling, Feng Ran let out a sigh of relief. When she first met Qing Mu, although he was polite, he also gave off a feeling of alienation. However, after only two years, and his interactions with Hou Chi from day to night, he had changed a lot. Now, she felt like it would be a good thing for him to stay at Hou Chi’s side, but…unfortunately, he was the person Jing Zhao liked.

Thinking of the complicated relationship between Hou Chi and the Heavenly Emperor’s family, Feng Ran shook her head, patted her sleeves, and walked towards the few small bamboo houses built next to the wooden cottage.

Because Hou Chi and Qing Mu lived here, a few unique houses were built next to the wooden house. She just felt that it was a little strange. It could be done with some simple immortal magic, but Qing Mu took a few days to build them.

At night, when Qing Mu came back from the back of the mountain with a burping little black dog, he saw Hou Chi sitting on the stone bench outside the bamboo house and sighing.

The little black dog was very very dark and lived up to its name. When it saw Hou Chi, it grunted two times and licked its paw. Blinking its eyes, it quickly jumped out of Qing Mu’s arms, running towards the house.

“I don’t know why it doesn’t want to see me. Does it know that I’m starting to dislike it?” Hou Chi glanced at Da Hei lazily and said to Qing Mu with a lowered chin.

“It took so much immortal medicine. It won’t be strange even if it becomes a sprite or something.” Qing Mu walked over, sat on the stone bench beside him, and said amusedly, “Why don’t you take a break? You need to speed up your immortal power gathering this half month, or else it will be very hard for your power to be promoted to a low deity’s.”

Hou Chi shook her head, not saying a word. There was a touch of melancholy in her expression.

“You’re reluctant to leave now?”

The young man’s voice traveled into her ears. Hou Chi froze, then nodded her voice filled with an ‘of course’ attitude, “This bamboo forest was planted by me. It has only grown to look like this. I am about to leave, so of course, I am reluctant.”

“You want to wait for Bo Xuan here. After all, this is the last place he appeared in.” Qing Mu rubbed Hou Chi’s head, his voice a little dull. “I’ve been thinking, what kind of person is he exactly, for you to care about him so much?”

Hou Chi raised her head to look at Qing Mu. The joking in her eyes flashed past, then she hummed and said, “He is worth my trouble.” Seeing Qing Mu’s face stiffen, she chuckled, then covered her mouth, her eyes shining, “You are different from Bo Xuan.”

Seeing the young man raise his eyebrows as he looked at her, Hou Chi thought for a while and said, “I grew up in Qingchi Palace. Although I didn’t appear outside, there were still rumors in the Three Realms. The Heavenly Emperor and Empress deterred the Three Realms. Jing Yang and his siblings were like flowers and silk. With my spiritual power, if I went out, I would inevitably be compared. I don’t really care, but my God Father traveled from here to there for me for ten thousand years, and even got my god position for me. Although the immortal lords don’t say it to my face, they are probably laughing about me behind my back. How could I allow people to laugh at him because of me? So no matter how boring it was, I stayed in Qingchi Palace obediently, never going outside.”

Qing Mu was taken aback, then looked at her. The girl’s eyes were soft and warm. His heart suddenly softened. Although Hou Chi was a god, the burden on her shoulders was not light.

“It’s just…” Hou Chi paused, with slight firmness in her eyes, “Before I came out of the egg, Bo Xuan accompanied me in Qingchi Palace, using his spiritual power to maintain my health. If it wasn’t for him, it would have been very difficult for me to survive. So even if Feng Ran didn’t ask me at the beginning, I would have come out of Qingchi Palace to find him. But I never thought that I would meet you…this can be considered a delightful surprise.”

“You regard Bo Xuan as a close relative? What if you find him?” Qing Mu stroked his chin and approached Hou Chi a little more. Seeing the girl’s face still full of amusement, he raised his eyebrows and asked.

“He is the closest person to me besides my God Father. I need to know if he is safe.” Hou Chi answered straightforwardly. Grinning, she grabbed the young man’s shoulders, pulling him closer, looking as proud as a fox, “Don’t worry, I am a god. I keep my word and will not leave you behind.”

Her dark eyes were a little too close and carried both childish innocence and seriousness. Qing Mu suddenly remembered the child who was rolling around in his arms two years ago, and jokingly said, “Really? In these Three Realms and Six Ways, Nine Continents and Eight Lands, no matter where you go, you’ll never leave me behind?”

“Yes.” Seemingly bewildered by Qing Mu’s eyes, Hou Chi nodded and patted Qing Mu’s back, her eyes full of grandeur, “Of course, regardless of the Three Realms and Six Ways, Nine Continents and Eight Lands, as long as I’m here, I won’t leave you behind.”

Qing Mu’s body paused. His smiling eyes slightly suddenly shrank, and he looked up at Hou Chi with disbelief. Seeing her firm eyes, he smiled and said, “Okay, Hou Chi, you have to remember what you said today.”

I was born in the North Sea all by myself. Hou Chi, I’ll treat your promise as if it’s true. In the Three Realms and Six Ways, Nine Provinces and Eight Lands, I will accompany you on your journey!

Behind the two of them, the magical scene resembled ancient times, with tall mountains and a bamboo forest. Feng Ran leaned against the door, looking at the playful two with slightly curved lips.

The people, the scene, hopefully, will remain the same in ten years, a hundred years, and a thousand years