ATLAS TRANSLATES

When she cried, she didn’t know whose heart she had unsettled.

He Liansheng moved without a word, his hand gripping the window frame as he stepped onto the snowy windowsill.

Damn it, don’t cry.

A white figure flashed before her eyes in the bright moonlight.

Xing Shuishui looked up at him with reddened eyes. The young man lowered his head, his back blocking the wind and snow. Shadows shifted beneath his brow bone as the Taoyuan sword in his grip gleamed with a cold silver light.

“I’ll agree to everything,” he said softly.

Xing Shuishui made a sound of acknowledgment.

He Liansheng climbed through the window and in an instant stood before her. “Did you care about me before?”

Shadows fell, darkening Xing Shuishui’s view. Her back pressed against the table, her dress falling from the chair, the fabric catching subtle light.

She nodded slightly and said, “I cared before. Not because of the love curse, but… I cared back at Lingshan. If there hadn’t been so much resentment between us then, I wouldn’t have let those people at Lingshan bully you.”

“The love curse… you even know about that…”

He Liansheng tilted his head, his expression turning mocking.

Xing Shuishui smiled gently: “When you came to Azure Rivers seeking the love curse, wasn’t it because you wanted to use it on me?”

“That was before.”

“And after?”

After…

She looked up at him.

He Liansheng thought for a moment before answering: “The moment I saw you again, I killed that idea of the love curse.”

He suddenly moved forward, pinning her hand to the table, his gaze lowered as he stared at her face.

The young man’s laugh was low and hoarse.

“I don’t want to do anything against your will. Shuishui, perhaps this is the gentleness you spoke of that I’ve been racking my brains to understand these five years.”

Xing Shuishui froze. She remembered when they met again in Fengchun Town, how He Liansheng had looked at her with murderous eyes, demanding to know who she wanted to marry as he grabbed her braid.

But after his anger?

The usually proud young man had buried his head against her neck and shoulder with humility, telling her: he could be very gentle too.

In the span of a few blinks, her heart had been beaten countless times, left in shambles.

She tried to process all her emotions, but they only gave birth to new ones that wouldn’t settle for a long time.

“In my past life, I was treated brutally. Guan Yinzi saw me as lowly as grass, Du Dizhu looked down on me. Only Sister always treated me well. So I thought, if I ever liked someone in the future, they would surely be as gentle to me as Sister was.”

She lowered her head, clutching her skirt, her knee already wet with tears: “But… after meeting you, I discovered that one person’s love for another can take many forms. Sister’s love for me was extremely gentle, while your love for me means you’re willing to face death.”

“So He Liansheng, whether you’re renowned throughout the world or infamous, when I fell for you, I didn’t care what you were like. Even when you’re harsh with me.”

You can always be who you want to be.

You don’t need to fall from grace for me, don’t need to lower yourself for me, hiding away your brilliance.

He Liansheng’s grip on her hand suddenly tightened, his lips gaining color. This was the first time Xing Shuishui had seen such emotion in his eyes, his breathing becoming much faster. As heavy snow fell, everything around them seemed to collapse.

Her face froze in his eyes.

After a long silence.

The young man’s voice was dark and hoarse: “How could I ever bear to be harsh with you?”

Shuishui, how could I ever bear to be harsh with you.

She had known this would be his answer, but hearing him say it still made her heart ache with emotion. They had missed so many years, but at least they hadn’t missed each other now.

“Shh— don’t speak.”

She gripped his fingers back.

He Liansheng: “Hmm?”

“He Liansheng, listen—”

She said softly.

“It’s snowing again.”

The peach blossoms by their temples were blown out the window, snow falling with a hushing sound on the ground. It was the end of one year and would soon be the beginning of the next, with peach blossoms fragrant all the way.

They returned to Separation Fire Manor. The first thing to do was break the curse.

Xing Shuishui took off the wolf fang hanging around her neck and took out the Fusang snow water to feed to Xue Zhangxin. Sister’s face was still pale, showing no signs of waking. Xing Shuishui couldn’t help but feel anxious.

Xue Sansi came over, his face dark as he said: “I’ll watch over her for you. When your sister wakes up, I’ll call you. You should go see what’s happening outside first! It’s complete chaos! Ridiculous!”

Hearing his gritted teeth.

Xing Shuishui knew this wasn’t good and ran out holding her skirts. A crowd of peach blossom spirits had gathered at the manor’s main gate, holding separation fire torches and glaring at the doorway with hostile tones.

“He Liansheng, we’ve told you so many times, this isn’t a place for spirit hunters to barge into whenever they want! Don’t think we’ll believe the rumors you keep spreading about you and our Little Nine! Shameless! Despicable! Who believes you betrayed your path? Don’t think we don’t know what schemes you’re plotting!”

“When the Manor Lord burned down the He family years ago, you still haven’t learned your lesson. Are you waiting for our Manor Lord to come settle things personally? Or for Little Nine to come tear you to pieces!”

Seeing Xing Shuishui come out, the peach blossom spirits gained confidence and tried to use their magic to drive him back.

He Liansheng didn’t even glance at them, raising his hand to easily dispel their magic, not forgetting to smile contemptuously: “Still no improvement after all these years.”

“You!!!” As the young man stepped in, holding his silver sword, Xing Shuishui walked toward him with a smile. While Azure Rivers was covered in endless snow, Yin Mountain was full of spring light, peach blossoms blooming vigorously. The young woman’s peach-pink dress hem fluttered in the wind, merging with the spring light.

“Little Nine, this He Liansheng is too arrogant, we must burn his clothes! Make him regret coming into this world!”

But Xing Shuishui said: “If he’s willingly betrayed his path, why not accept him?”

With dark eyes and pink cheeks, she smiled while glancing sideways at He Liansheng who was surrounded by the crowd, her water-colored ribbons tangling with peach branches.

The Manor crowd froze, very worried that He Liansheng would hear her words and get triggered into demolishing the manor, after all, he was formerly the Lingshan Sect Master’s disciple, a proud heaven’s chosen one. Yet when she spoke these words, she even seemed pleased with herself.

But He Liansheng didn’t care at all, walking straight to Xing Shuishui’s side, his expression only then softening. The spirits present could hardly believe their eyes. Last time He Liansheng had been so arrogant, holding sword in one hand and talismans in the other, probably ready to level the manor if Xue Sansi didn’t hand over the person. Rubbing their eyes, they saw the white-robed young man holding their Little Nine’s hand and walking into the courtyard like it was his own home.

Xing Shuishui looked back at him and said: “Didn’t you say you’d wait outside?”

He Liansheng surveyed her courtyard: “There are wanted posters of me everywhere outside. Don’t want to be a target, do I?”

Xing Shuishui made an “oh” sound: “Since when are you afraid of being a target?”

He Liansheng said indifferently: “It’s just that I don’t know my own strength. I’m afraid if a fight breaks out, I’ll end up demolishing your manor walls. Xue Sansi told me to get out.”

As he spoke, he started playing with her braid again.

Xing Shuishui raised her hand saying it tickled, her eyes confused: “Why do you always like to pull my braid?”

He Liansheng lowered his head, curling his lips: “Because I think you’re cute.”

Oh oh oh oh oh oh oh oh.

Xing Shuishui turned her face away, the young man grinned mischievously and reached out to turn her face back, she turned away, he turned it back, repeating several times until Xing Shuishui crossed her arms and stubbornly resisted for a while.

With her cheeks so red, she was even cuter.

He Liansheng’s sleeves hung down slightly, and Xing Shuishui happened to catch sight of the red hair tie on his wrist, getting lost in thought.

He Liansheng noticed and followed her gaze, loosening his hand.

She laughed: “When did you take that?”

“In Qingzhou.”

“When in Qingzhou?”

“When you fell in the water and fainted. When your hair was messy.”

So it was that early.

Having his secret discovered, a shadow seemed to fall over the young man’s face. His expression became somewhat cold, and he didn’t look at her.

Xing Shuishui stared at him in a daze, undoing one of her braids and taking off the hair tie to hand to him.

The hair tie was held between two fingers, adding a touch of elegance to the scenery.

Her hair ties were simple, without complex knots, all self-woven.

“He Liansheng—”

She smiled and said: “Let’s get you a new one.”

He Liansheng took the hair tie, then took out a jade bracelet from his chest.

The twisted jade bracelet was crystal clear, as if woven from wooden vines.

Xing Shuishui raised her hand, He Liansheng forcefully put it on her, and then placed a soul mark on it.

“No refusing. Don’t remove the soul mark.”

Xing Shuishui looked at him as he gently pressed his fingertip against her palm, his tone domineering: “This time, you’re not allowed to take it off.”

The bracelet hadn’t even warmed up when Xue Sansi came to find He Liansheng about Lingshan matters. Xing Shuishui didn’t know what mischief Lingshan was up to now and couldn’t be bothered to think about it. After He Liansheng left, she just planned to go inside and sleep.

Since coming out of the ice lake five years later, she had rushed to Fengchun Town without stopping and rarely returned to her own courtyard. Xue Sansi knew she didn’t like others touching her things and never had anyone clean her room. The room had gathered dust, with cobwebs hanging from the beams.

Xing Shuishui used a cleaning spell and walked around the room several times. Crouching down, she found a peach wood tablet in the corner with no markings. In Taoist tradition, it had another name: the Peaceful Tablet.

She remembered at the Guan family, Sister had always wanted to carve her a Peaceful Tablet, saying it could protect her peace, but the conditions were too poor then. When Sister accidentally cut her hand, Xing Shuishui didn’t want it anymore, though deep down she had always hoped for a Peaceful Tablet.

Who had left this here?

How did it end up in her room?

She looked around for a long time but had no clue.

Moisture quickly formed on the peach wood.

Xing Shuishui traced its origin with two fingers and found this peach wood came from Lingshan. She immediately thought of He Liansheng – he must have come to her room when he forcefully entered Lihua Manor before.

The Peaceful Tablet was tied with a red string, with an ever-blooming peach blossom placed on top.

The moment she held the Peaceful Tablet in her palm, she seemed to see the young man enter her room, sit for a while in the place where she often lay, quietly listening to the sound of falling flowers, then gently place this Peaceful Tablet in the corner.

Peaceful Tablet. Peace and tranquility.

May you be safe and sound, may you be at peace.

All these years, he had been silently wishing for her wellbeing.

While threatening to catch her on one hand.

While caring about her welfare on the other.

Deceiving his master, deceiving Lingshan, he had almost deceived her too.

The Peaceful Tablet originally had no words, but she discovered five hand-carved characters on the back: “May we meet year after year.”

Xing Shuishui was stunned. This must have been carved by He Liansheng himself. Looking down, she found a yellowed note underneath.

He seemed certain that she would return to the room over these years and would definitely see this note.

So he wrote:

The persimmons under the eaves are ripe. They’ll rot if no one picks them.

Xing Shuishui, what I mean is, let’s reconcile.

Year 3723 of the First Scholar Era. Left by He Liansheng.

In such an subtle way.

For a very long time, Xing Shuishui’s heart became like the paper in her hand, crumpled by someone.

She held the Peaceful Tablet close to her heart, letting her heartbeat transmit through her clothes.

Though their paths differ, mountains and waters still meet.

May her young man forever remain brilliant and extraordinary.