Chapter 965: Days of absence

Time slowly passed, and soon it was the day of the wedding banquet.

The wedding banquet naturally overflowed with joy; many guests attended, nobles gathered, and thousands of carriages and riders converged like a cloud.

Divine Merfolks and Golden Mirages surged forward.

Long Whales and Great Kuns galloped left and right.

Various Immortal Spiritual Artifacts entered in a continuous stream, and heavenly flowers rained down in countless numbers.

In front, there was an honor guard, holding banners and wielding spears. Niu Huang, already a Fourth-Rank, was dressed in formal attire, wearing a golden crown and an embroidered gauze robe, greeting guests at the door with solemn礼.

The attendees wore their grandest crowns and had their swords adorned, yet they were immersed in joy and felt no restraint.

From the sky, someone sprinkled Spiritual Water, cleansing the dust, as a blessing.

Shen Shuibi arrived at the wedding banquet. It was raining here, a continuous, fine sound like spring water falling. She heard the rain constantly flowing down the outside walls, on the roof, on the ground. Some leaks caught the rainwater, making a monotonous, equally sorrowful pattering sound.

The rain made everything around damp.

She felt surrounded by water, cold, pattering drops enveloping her, making her feel even more isolated.

She was slightly annoyed but could not dismiss the Spiritual Spring.

The Spiritual Spring was originally a good thing, so why did it seem so out of place now?

At the wedding banquet, some of Li Qi’s friends also came, such as Bo Yue and Zhong Minglou. These groups of two or three friends gathered happily at the banquet tables. Although Li Qi was not present, it was impossible to neglect those of Li Shiwei’s uncle and elder generation at this time.

They passed before the two couples. These were important figures, many of whom were Fourth-Rank, especially Zhong Minglou, who had recently distinguished himself. They had just escaped the quagmire of war and passed through very late. Accustomed to war, they didn't mind being soaked by the rain.

They blessed the newlyweds, recounting past events, especially Yunfang Great Shaman, who had personally taught Li Shiwei. The atmosphere was even more joyful when they reminisced.

Shen Shuibi pricked up her ears, listening to the voices of Li Qi’s former friends. That joyful atmosphere was like the roar of a storm, engulfing her.

Because, from the voices of Li Qi’s friends, she actually distinguished Li Qi’s voice. When she thought she could recognize it, she felt her whole body tremble.

Only when those people walked over and asked Li Shiwei and Shen Shuibi where Li Qi was, did Shen Shuibi suddenly come back to her senses.

There was no sound of Li Qi at all.

She said that Li Qi had something very important to do after reaching Second-Rank, and everyone else expressed understanding.

After all, that was Second-Rank.

The wedding banquet continued. The grander the joyful atmosphere of this wedding banquet, the more desolate it felt to Shen Shuibi.

Here and there at the wedding banquet, various places were being drenched by the rain formed by the Spiritual Spring, and bursts of song came from within.

Inside, tables were arranged for the guests. Young people discussed what they had seen at the wedding, while older people were content sipping fine wine. Many young people hoping to be the next to marry would also flirt with the girls at the banquet.

Many people drank themselves into a stupor, singing and enjoying themselves, pleasantly intoxicated by the relaxed and warm atmosphere.

For the most important part of the wedding banquet, Shen Shuibi, as the mother, presided over the ceremonies. She did very well, very gracefully.

The etiquette was perfect, and there was no gloomy emotion outwardly.

Finally, it was time for the bridal chamber. No one would be so tactless as to disrupt the bridal chamber at this time. Everyone departed, leaving gifts. Niu Huang, as the礼官, was helping to sort out the guests’ gift lists and gifts. After everything was tidied up, these would all need to be reciprocated later.

“Niu Huang, I’ll trouble you with the tail-end of things here,” Shen Shuibi rubbed her temples and said softly, walking over to Niu Huang.

Niu Huang patted his chest: “What are you saying, Madam? No trouble at all, just leave it to me.”

Next to Niu Huang, there were several calves butting tables and then locking horns, playing joyfully. Those were Niu Huang’s sons. Niu Huang had long since married; his wife was a Green Ox from the Western Regions. However, Li Qi was fighting a war at that time and couldn’t make it to the wedding banquet, only sending a gift through someone, which he always regretted.

Shen Shuibi thanked Niu Huang again, then returned alone to her Immortal Cave on Mystic Radiance Mountain.

She was alone again, finding a period of tranquility.

In this tranquility, she resumed her daily activities: preparing medicinal materials, refining medicinal liquids, harmonizing Dragon and Tiger, utilizing Kan and Li, and researching new medicinal formulas.

There were also many books here, all written by various powerful apothecaries and alchemists. Reading these books was wonderful, like communicating with the authors, seeing their various technical insights and preferences.

This allowed her to relax.

She had always been a homebody, staying at home doing what she liked.

To be honest, the lively atmosphere of the wedding banquet made her quite uncomfortable.

Outside, the wind picked up again, and with its soft wails, the Spiritual Spring outside the Immortal Cave began its quiet, delicate dripping sound, like a toy bell.

Only then did Shen Shuibi suddenly remember something. It turned out she disliked the rain at the wedding banquet precisely because of the pervasive sound of flowing water within her Immortal Cave.

When was it?

When exactly did she start finding the sounds within the Immortal Cave grating? She used to feel most at ease here.

Yes, Shen Shuibi had always loved being at home.

She used to love her own Immortal Cave on Mount Luofu, and now it was the Immortal Cave on Mystic Radiance Mountain.

She felt most at ease at home. The thing the Rabbit loved most was shrinking at home, reading, doing Alchemy, and cultivating, preferably without anything disturbing her.

Now, all these things had come true.

War would not spread to her; nothing would disturb her anymore. She could do everything she wanted in her Immortal Cave.

But she had developed an aversion to the sound of water in the Immortal Cave.

As she became aware of this, the feeling silently settled upon the work in her hands, like storm clouds before a heavy rain—urgent, heavy dark clouds suddenly descending from the sky and covering her heart.

So she saw nothing, only felt exhausted, facing the emptiness of life, feeling a dizzy spell.

The Pill Furnace in front of her lost control, and the Pill Fire within it burst with a bang, turning the medicinal liquid inside into a puff of ash.

She seemed to feel it too, this sense of nihilism.

demonic thoughtss proliferated.

Li Qi must have felt this… no, what he felt must have been even more painful.

Thinking this, Shen Shuibi stood up.

Where was he now?

So much time had passed; he should have already entered Reincarnation, right?

If he could regain his memories, then with his cultivation speed, it wouldn’t take many years, at most a hundred million years? Two hundred million years? He would surely return.

She ravenously repeated these comforting words in her heart. Thus, the darkness before her eyes vanished, and she regained her strength.

Clinging to this thought, she seemed to gain a glimmer of hope and began to wait again…

Many more years passed.

The war had progressed to a new stage, but it still hadn’t spread to Shen Shuibi. She now lived in seclusion, alone, far from all strife.

Li Qi’s re-cultivation led the Shamanes to choose not to disturb her; after all, she was just a Fourth-Rank combatant, and her contribution wouldn't be significant either way.

However… one day, suddenly.

Shen Shuibi detected an unusual fluctuation outside her door.

This power was definitely beyond the reach of a Third-Rank. This was absolutely Second-Rank power, and it was also Invoker!

With just that slight movement, a sound she hadn’t even heard yet, her temples began to throb.

She immediately got up.

No one had come to her place for many years; everyone knew not to cross her.

So, a possible Second-Rank fluctuation, and those urgent footsteps! At this hour, who would specifically run to Mystic Radiance Mountain? She straightened up, even the depths of her Spirit Soul trembled, and her heart joyfully stopped beating.

Had the re-cultivation succeeded?

Then, someone was hurrying outside the door, walking up the stone steps outside.

A Second-Rank fluctuation, not teleporting but walking in from outside, with urgent rather than slow footsteps, unable to discern the specific situation, but, could this possibly be anyone else?!

She didn't even have time to put on her shoes, getting up barefoot and leaping lightly, she who had been listless.

It must be that the re-cultivation was complete. With his extraordinary talent, he had easily removed the demonic thoughts and reconstructed his Inner World in these years, then came here, not directly breaking in, but running outside.

Besides this, could there be any other explanation?

If it were another Second-Rank, if he were in a hurry, he could naturally teleport directly in front of her.

If he wasn’t in a hurry, why would he be running?

She conceived all this in her mind with lightning speed. Her intelligent thinking organ was fully utilized at this moment. She quickly came to the door and swiftly opened it.

So urgent was she that she even used the wrong runes when casting her spell, and the overflowing energy cut her finger, though it only bled a little before quickly healing.

The Immortal Cave’s door opened, and the defensive Formation was disengaged.

However, after opening the door, Shen Shuibi slowly retreated, her expression calming down.

The wild dream was shattered.

Standing at the door was La Qi.

La Qi, Li Qi’s Disciple.

He carried Li Qi’s Dao Resonance, and the sensed aura came from him. So, there was a perfectly valid reason for him not to teleport in, as he was a polite child.

Shen Shuibi immediately understood. This was just La Qi, and what she had sensed was merely a faint, fleeting trace of Li Qi’s Dao Resonance.

She regained her composure, feeling herself gradually fall back into her previous indifference.

Outside the door, La Qi first bowed, then apologized, saying: “Master’s Wife… my friend was ambushed in a Secret Realm, and I can’t even identify that kind of poison…”

He began to recount the events. It turned out he and a group of friends were planning to explore a Secret Realm, which was said to contain many useful things.

Everything had been going smoothly, but an accident still occurred in the Secret Realm. A Flood Dragon was also in the Secret Realm. Although they killed the Flood Dragon, one of La Qi’s friends was still sprayed by the Flood Dragon’s poisonous Qi and was now critically ill.

They had consulted many famous doctors but found no solution; the Flood Dragon’s poison was truly difficult to remove. So finally, La Qi thought of Shen Shuibi. Master’s Wife had always been famous for her Medicinal Pills, so perhaps she would have a solution.

However, as Shen Shuibi listened to all this, her heart remained unmoved.

Shen Shuibi had never been a warm-hearted good person. As a Daoist Cultivator, she transcended the Mortal World, detached from worldly affairs, bearing neither ill will nor compassion towards living beings.

People on the mountain actually felt little about the many sufferings endured by people below the mountain.

All of this, what did it have to do with her?

Moreover, having become reclusive during those numb days, she was already powerless to help with others’ difficulties.

She stood there calmly, her eyes like an ancient well, unmoving, watching, or perhaps staring blankly at Li Qi’s Disciple, neither answering nor refusing.

What did any of this person’s story have to do with her? Besides, she was very tired and simply didn’t have the mood or energy to care for a patient.

La Qi was already very embarrassed as he recounted these things, but now, as he spoke, he saw his Master’s Wife just staring at him.

So he understood everything.

La Qi was a smart person. He quickly guessed why his Master’s Wife had opened the door for him so quickly, without even waiting for him to knock, and why there were still some traces of blood on her hand.

He looked at his Master’s Wife, and a strange sympathy arose in his heart.

So, La Qi immediately stammered: “I, I… Master’s Wife—”

La Qi was speechless, only lowering his head and turning to leave.

But at this moment, Shen Shuibi suddenly flared up at him.

“You should have come sooner! Your Master isn’t here, so as a Disciple, of course, you should come to me. Is there anything wrong with that?”

She suddenly got angry again.

Perhaps it was because she was unwilling to be seen by a former child, her junior, as a desperate person who needed care.

“You are also my Disciple. If you have a problem, of course, you can come to me for help. Let’s go.”

She returned to the room, put on her shoes, and went with him, and energy surged within her again.

La Qi wanted to refuse, but he couldn't. His friend was truly on the verge of death; otherwise, he wouldn't have been so desperate as to come here for help.

So he led the way, and they arrived at a planet outside the domain. Shen Shuibi examined the condition and then prepared an antidote.

The matter was quickly resolved. Amidst the young people’s profuse thanks, she returned to her Immortal Cave.

Only…

Over the many years that followed, she couldn’t help but recall that instant when La Qi arrived.

That moment of sensing Li Qi’s aura outside the door had left an indelible impression in her mind. The joy of that instant was etched in her memory, making her increasingly painful.

Time continued to flow.

It felt fast, yet also slow.