ATLAS TRANSLATES

She felt her heart beating.

Someone always cared about her life and death. Even more than she cared about herself.

Xing Shuishui hadn’t expected this outcome either. She laughed, “It’s fine, it’s just a reference. If you don’t like it, don’t take it as one. If I don’t get the result I want, I’ll just draw another stick.”

The young monk was speechless. He hadn’t thought of it that way.

Xing Shuishui shook it again. As the stick rolled in the cylinder, He Liansheng snatched it away, refusing to let her take it. Seeing his stubbornness, she relented.

She didn’t want to make He Liansheng unhappy anymore.

Their last meal in the mortal realm was at a noodle shop.

Xing Shuishui loved eating noodles and sitting by the window. He Liansheng remembered all of this.

She wanted to remember his preferences too, so she asked, “What do you like?”

“You.”

“I mean your preferences.”

“You.”

“I mean preferences like whether you like your noodles with less oil, less salt, cilantro, green onions, that sort of thing.”

“The same as you.”

He Liansheng’s expression was bland as he looked up at her. Xing Shuishui bit her chopsticks, unsure how to respond. The noodles arrived quickly.

Steam rose between them. Though they had asked for no cilantro and green onions, the busy shop seemed to have forgotten. Xing Shuishui stared at it for a while, thinking about asking for another bowl to pick out the cilantro and onions. But a pair of chopsticks had already moved ahead, transferring the cilantro and onions to his bowl.

Xing Shuishui rested her chin on her hand and asked, “Didn’t you say you liked the same things as me?”

“That was just talk. Did you take it seriously?”

“You lied to me?”

“Yes, I lied to you. Who told you to lie to me so often before?”

“…”

He Liansheng leaned back in his chair, his gaze playfully sweeping across her cheeks as he said softly, “Eat it or don’t, but it’ll get cold if you don’t eat.”

Xing Shuishui swallowed her frustration and picked up her chopsticks. “Fine, I’ll eat. I’ll eat you into poverty. You’ve already betrayed your path anyway. You can’t use the He family’s money anymore. One day when I eat you into poverty, you’ll have to rely on me!”

“Uh… about that.”

“Actually, before betraying the path, I almost emptied Lingshan’s treasure vault. I can support you for ten thousand years without any problems.”

Lingshan hadn’t mentioned a word about this.

Was this really okay?!

Xing Shuishui: “…”

Remembering she still owed He Liansheng a sachet, she started sewing as soon as she got back after finishing her noodles. It had been a long time since she’d done needlework, but she was confident. This time she wouldn’t embroider a goldfish—she’d do a peach blossom instead. Sewing peach blossoms by lamplight, the new sachet was finished quickly. It definitely looked better than the last one.

Xing Shuishui stared at it, lost in thought. Why had He Liansheng never worn the sachets she gave him at his waist? Perhaps he had his own plans. Without thinking too much about it, she ran off to find him.

At three in the morning, the paper lanterns were bright. He Liansheng saw her running over clutching something. He sheathed his Taoyuan sword and turned around, his gaze falling on her with an expression that seemed to say “let’s see how you’re going to make trouble this time.”

Xing Shuishui said, “I sewed a new sachet for you, but then I thought about it—I wear the mirror you gave me, but I never see you wearing the sachets I give you at your waist. Maybe I shouldn’t give it to you after all.”

As she spoke, she secretly glanced at his empty waist, her eyelids lowering slightly.

He Liansheng said, “I used to wear it before.”

She asked puzzled, “Then what about after?”

He Liansheng paused, then said, “I was afraid of getting it dirty.”

He stepped forward, producing a goldfish sachet in his hand. Xing Shuishui examined this old sachet carefully. The sewing was rather crude, the stitches barely passable, but He Liansheng didn’t mind. He must have taken it out to look at frequently—there were deep finger marks on it.

He Liansheng said, “After you left, this was the only thing I had from you, Shuishui. I was afraid of accidentally getting it dirty, and then there would be no one to make me another one.”

His needlework was much better than Xing Shuishui’s, but strangely, he could never recreate the feeling of the ones she made.

Hearing this, Xing Shuishui started getting emotional again: “Well, you don’t have to be afraid anymore.”

She opened her hand holding the sachet and held it out: “He Liansheng, now you have two! You don’t need to be afraid anymore. If one gets dirty you can switch to the other, if it tears I’ll help you mend it, and I won’t leave again. Will you wear it at your side always?”

He Liansheng’s gaze fell on her hand. The subtle peach blossom fragrance spread out. The sachet was delicate, with elegant patterns and a “Shui” character embroidered on the edge. Light pink tassels floated gently.

Xing Shuishui tentatively reached out and tied the sachet at his waist. Everything was quiet around them. If you listened carefully, you could hear sparrows chirping softly in the trees. Her red hair ribbon hung by her cheek when He Liansheng suddenly grabbed her arm.

Xing Shuishui’s movements paused slightly as she looked up.

The young man’s eyes were dark, like hidden fire in the mist: “Shuishui, sometimes I really hope this isn’t a dream—”

Xing Shuishui was stunned for a moment.

She interrupted him: “But this isn’t a dream at all, it’s reality.”

The young woman slowly pressed his palm against her heart.

She was guiding him, patiently letting him feel.

As if something was breaking free from the mist. He Liansheng truly felt her heart rising and falling, not fast or slow, beating steadily. Very warm, very peaceful, worth more than thousands of words in this world.

He was willing to fall for this.

Xing Shuishui closed her eyes and said seriously, “Can you feel it? This isn’t a dream, it’s reality. He Liansheng, my love for you is reality.”

I actually came to this world for you.

The first day I came to this world was for you.

Staying in this world is for you.

Don’t disbelieve it.

It’s just that she hadn’t said it.

…

By late spring, there was still no news from Guan Wushan.

To retrieve her sister’s memories, they went down to Fengdu City.

This place hadn’t changed much since their last visit. Ghosts paraded through the streets, lanterns glowed in the mist. Gambling houses and brothels were packed with men and women. There was no concept of time—it was eternally night.

Xing Shuishui contained her anger. The ghosts saw these two young people and assumed they were lovers who had died together. They sneered and teased: “Oh, a human-spirit romance! Let me guess—you’re some sect leader’s son, and she’s a little spirit. One day while hunting spirits, you took pity on her, but who knew you’d fall deeper and deeper, until your sect discovered it. When you ran out of options, you chose to end it all. Don’t worry, in Fengdu City, whether you’re human or spirit, those meant for the animal realm will still go to the animal realm.”

Before they could finish speaking, a sword was at their neck. The young man’s eyes were cold as he mocked: “Reincarnation? I’ll make you vanish into dust right now.”

That ghost broke into a cold sweat: “You must be new here—don’t you know fighting is forbidden in Fengdu City!”

Xing Shuishui walked up to him, smiling sweetly: “We mean no harm, we’re just asking for directions. Could you tell us which way to the Wangchuan River (River of Forgetting)?”

The ghost’s eyes darted around: “You—what do you want at the Wangchuan River? You haven’t even been to the King of Hell’s palace!”

Xing Shuishui smiled: “Naturally, we want to familiarize ourselves with the process in advance.”

The Taoyuan sword pressed closer to the ghost’s neck. The ghost pointed westward. He Liansheng threw the ghost to the ground, making his head spin. Xing Shuishui exchanged a glance with him, and he sheathed his sword as they headed west.

In western Fengdu City, the mist was thick. The forest was dark, trees intertwined and blocking the sun, their bark black.

Xing Shuishui carried her blade into the thick mist. Looking at the dark flags flying overhead, she couldn’t help but frown. Was the Wangchuan River really nearby? Something felt wrong.

He Liansheng narrowed his eyes, instantly drawing the Taoyuan sword: “There are fierce ghosts nearby.”

Xing Shuishui ignited the Separation Fire in her hand: “I sense them too.”

Fierce ghosts had no consciousness, only retaining strong aggressive tendencies—they had encountered them once before in Qingzhou. As soon as they finished speaking, they heard a sharp howl. Several red-eyed ghosts burst from the mist, their skin deathly pale, faces twisted.

The Taoyuan sword released a sword intent, forcibly splitting the mist! The ghost had no chance to scream before its head was separated from its body. The Separation Fire followed immediately, orange-red flames producing black smoke upon touching the fierce ghost’s body. She gripped Qitong, slicing off the ghost’s arm with a backhand strike.

He Liansheng suddenly grabbed her arm. Xing Shuishui keenly sensed a ghost attacking from behind, but the next second, white clothes brushed past her cheek, a silver light flashed, and that ghost’s blood sprayed everywhere. He Liansheng executed a backhand sword flourish—what a tricky sword strike! He didn’t even let any blood splash on her.

Xing Shuishui gripped her blade tightly: “Looks like we’ve been tricked.”

He Liansheng’s vermillion headband was stained with the bloody air around them. His expression was even more severe than his sword intent as he sneered: “I’ll see if he’s tired of living.”

There were still subtle movements in the mist. The fierce ghosts hadn’t all been eliminated.

He Liansheng raised his hand for another sword strike. The sword tip hummed, as if it could break through all laws of the world, the air crackling with friction sparks.

Xing Shuishui turned her head to see clearly through the mist—it wasn’t ghosts, but two familiar figures. She hurriedly flew up, raising her blade. Qitong and the Taoyuan sword clashed with a thin ringing sound. He Liansheng almost instinctively withdrew his sword. His palm was cut by the sword energy, leaving a thin, long wound.

The young man coldly looked past Xing Shuishui.

The mist completely dispersed.

Li Guanxing stepped back, not expecting to see them here. He pointed at He Liansheng: “Why are you here!”

He had nearly been struck by He Liansheng’s sword and was still somewhat shaken.

Xing Shuishui smiled: “To break the Wangchuan water spell. What about you?”

Before Li Guanxing could speak.

Li Guanyu said: “Ghost hunting.”

“The mortal realm has been unsettled lately. Following the trail led us to a fugitive ghost king from Fengdu causing trouble, and we’ve tracked it here.”

Li Guanyu pointed her sword at where the mist was thickest. Xing Shuishui looked over—through the mist, she could vaguely make out a stockade. The stockade was gloomy, its lanterns blood-red.

They had known that ghost meant no good, but didn’t expect to be led straight to the ghost king’s territory. Trying to use others to kill them, eh?

Xing Shuishui had been worried about finding an excuse. Now with this fugitive ghost king, they could do Fengdu a huge favor by capturing it, and exchange that for her sister’s memories—wouldn’t that be perfect!

She looked at He Liansheng.

He Liansheng instantly understood Xing Shuishui’s meaning.

The young man sheathed his sword. Xing Shuishui smiled at Li Guanyu: “Sister Guanyu has taken such good care of me before, now it’s my turn to help you!”

Li Guanyu was stunned.

Li Guanxing: “This… isn’t appropriate…”

After all, these two were still on Lingshan’s wanted list, and his father had repeatedly warned them to stay away from Xing Shuishui.

Xing Shuishui said: “We’re all defending the Way, just from different positions. What’s inappropriate about that?”

Li Guanyu pondered for a moment, then said: “Shuishui, I just want to ask you one thing. Answer me honestly.”

Xing Shuishui looked up to hear Li Guanyu say: “That day at Lingshan’s Heaven Worship Ceremony, the person you killed—”

Xing Shuishui smiled: “Was my enemy. He killed my sister, so I killed him.”

Li Guanyu immediately laughed helplessly: “I knew it… you have your principles, you wouldn’t kill innocent people. Shuishui. Can I still call you that?”

Xing Shuishui turned her head away, saying softly: “You can.”

The four approached the stockade. Ghost patrols were everywhere, and they could hear dark music from inside—quite lively.

He Liansheng casually caught a small minion.

Seeing it was a celestial master, the minion confessed everything: “The King is hosting a grand banquet tonight to thank the other ghost kings, that’s all I know, really!”

They had thought these ghosts would be somewhat wary, especially of that little flower spirit, but who knew Xing Shuishui would be grinning from ear to ear, her smile fierce—there were other ghost kings? Probably other fugitives too, perfect to catch them all at once!

After knocking out the small ghost and gagging it, they tied it behind a tree. They used spells to infiltrate the stockade. The ghost feast hadn’t begun yet, and they could hear gongs and drums outside.

The ghost kings hadn’t all arrived yet. They planned to wait until everyone was present before springing the trap. Li Guanxing and Li Guanyu hid in one room. Xing Shuishui and He Liansheng hid in another.

But their luck didn’t seem very good—people soon entered the room.

Xing Shuishui was pulled under the bed by He Liansheng, pressed against the cold floor. She turned her head to see two pairs of feet enter, walking unsteadily, coming closer and closer to the bed. She couldn’t help holding her breath. Who were these people?!

The two had already rolled onto the bed, the curtains falling gently, and the lover’s incense hanging from above spread its rich fragrance—not a trace of elegance remained, only countless suggestions of romance.

Xing Shuishui hadn’t figured out what these two were here for.

Then she heard coquettish laughter from above: “My King~”

“…”

She had never encountered such a scene before. Her eyes went black, then black again. She turned back to see He Liansheng’s pitch-black eyes, his form slightly rigid.