The pear tree on the wall is snowy and delicate

Chapter 490 Long Qi Returns to You Ran Ju

As the moon rose above the treetops, Long Qi was once again jolted awake from his dream.

For a year, the same dream has been tormenting Long Qi repeatedly. In the dream, there is always a weeping woman in white, and whenever he gets close, he is terrified and breaks out in a cold sweat.

That woman has no face!
This same dream woke Long Qi up a year ago, and he has encountered that woman every night since.

Long Qi didn't know what was wrong with him. He felt like he had lost something important, but he couldn't quite put his finger on what it was.

So Long Qi left, departing from the Yuanqing Sect, because he had forgotten everything, and everything he had learned was from others.

A void appeared in his life, and this void seemed to be related to the woman in white.

Long Qi once revisited the Long family's old residence, a painful memory he could never erase. Just as he was about to leave, he was swept away by a strange wind to an underground palace.

The one who invited him was a snake-like monster who claimed to be an ancestor of the Dragon family, named Wuji.

After hearing Long Qi's confusion, Wu Ji simply sighed and said, "In the end, we are destined to meet but not to be together!" and said nothing more.

In the past, Long Qi would have definitely pressed for answers, but now he has inexplicably seen through many things and rarely dwells on things he doesn't understand.

Because Long Qi understands that many things can only be truly understood through personal experience.

So after bidding farewell to Wu Ji, Long Qi set off alone to find the answer.

Throughout the year, Long Qi traversed mountains and sailed through countless landscapes, searching for the missing piece in his heart.

However, the result was still nothing.

With the year-end approaching, Long Qi decides to return to Yuanqing.

That was where he woke up, and where it all began.

After going around in circles, he returned to Guyang. As he approached the city gate and looked at the stone carvings on it, Long Qi was overwhelmed with emotions.

It was as if an invisible hand had gripped his throat, or as if some force was pushing him away. This unsettling feeling made Long Qi inexplicably irritable.

Long Qi reached into his robes, where he found a jade flute.

This flute has been with Long Qi ever since he woke up. Whenever he is upset or irritable, its warm touch always calms him down.

It was like a long-lost friend patiently soothing all the restlessness.

Stroking the warmth of the flute's mouthpiece, Long Qi calmed himself and strode into the city.

The city was bustling with activity, with peddlers and pedestrians coming and going in an endless stream.

Today is the Lantern Festival, and it's that time of year again when Banshan Temple is bustling with activity. People from all around gather here to pray for the deceased and make wishes for the living.

Although not as bustling as in previous years, it was still crowded with people, and some of the narrow paths were so narrow that it was difficult to walk.

After three years of suffering, everyone hopes for peace and smooth sailing in the future.

Long Qi had little recollection of the three-year calamity that everyone talked about; his last memory was of the Supreme Sect.

I remember that I went to the Supreme Sect to seek entry into Taoism. Firstly, I wanted to cultivate myself properly so that I would have more confidence to take revenge. Secondly, I also wanted to find out information about my enemy.

One moment they learned that the Supreme Sect had lost face, and the next they were at the Yuanqing Sect.

To avoid drawing attention to his white hair, Long Qi tightened his cloak, covering his head even more thoroughly.

As he passed an alleyway, a fragrant aroma of herbs wafted towards him. Long Qi felt refreshed and inexplicably turned into the alley.

Most of the shops in the alley were closed, with only a few restaurants and eateries still open, and even those had very few customers.

They must have all gone up the mountain to pray for blessings. Following the fragrance, Long Qi arrived at the door of a shop and paused when he saw the three large, gold-plated characters "You Ran Ju".

An inexplicable force urged Long Qi to leave quickly, and Long Qi did just that. But just as he turned around, a person carrying a load on a pole bumped into him.

Long Qi quickly dodged, but when he turned around, he saw no one.

The sound of dripping water drifted through the hallway, like a soothing melody, gradually calming Long Qi's restlessness. Curious about the origin of the sound, he couldn't help but step into the room.

The interior is simply furnished with a table, two chairs, and a low cabinet displaying bottles and jars. Behind it is a seven-drawer chest, with notes pasted on each cabinet. The handwriting is elegant yet retains a sense of style.

A screen blocked the inner door, and a small courtyard could be vaguely seen inside.

Logically speaking, one shouldn't trespass into someone else's house, but Long Qi felt that there was something very important inside, waiting for him to retrieve it.

Long Qi trusted his intuition. He walked around the screen and was about to step through the inner door when a strange wind suddenly blew by. Long Qi only had time to smell a fragrance before he was so captivated that he had to raise his sleeve to cover his face.

When the wind died down, he looked up and was speechless at the sight before him.

The courtyard features a stone path leading to a medicinal herb garden, surrounded by green vines and fences, creating a tranquil and serene atmosphere. Two water vats stand out in the center of the courtyard, attracting attention without being obtrusive.

Beside the courtyard wall stands a pear tree, its leaves lush and green, its blossoms in full bloom, white petals scattered like snowflakes.

The scene was so familiar, so familiar that it seemed to be etched into his blood and marrow.

A hammock hangs on a wooden frame under the tree, and a woman in white sits in the hammock with her beautiful hair cascading down to the ground.

The woman seemed to be asleep, with a storybook covering her face. The hammock swayed rhythmically in the wind, looking quite content.

The woman before him instantly merged with the woman in his dream. Long Qi's heart trembled, and he stepped forward in a daze, his trembling hand reaching for the book covering the woman's face.

Just as they were about to lift the lid, footsteps came from outside the courtyard.

"Zhanli, hurry up! At this rate, when will you fill both vats?"

child?
Long Qi immediately came to his senses. The woman and the pear tree had vanished, leaving only a hammock swaying in the wind.

Was that just a hallucination?
As the footsteps drew near, Long Qi had no time to think and quickly leaped over the wall.

Just then, Adao stepped through the door with a skewer of candied hawthorns, followed by Zhanli carrying a load on a shoulder pole.

Zhan Li stared at the wall behind the hammock. He clearly saw a person disappear on the top of the wall, and the figure looked exactly like the person in his memory.

"What are you spacing out about?" Adao curiously followed Zhanli's gaze, but saw nothing. "Is he having hysteria?"

Zhan Li shook his head without saying anything, and poured the water he had carried into the water vat.

Normally, Adao would have pressed for details, but he was in a good mood today, so he didn't pursue the matter further.

Adao had just visited Alu at the city lord's mansion and met his long-lost brothers and sisters. Alu praised him highly and even rewarded him with a string of candied hawthorns.

Su Tong accompanied Ling Xiang to the Yuanqing Sect. After they returned, she would take A Dao and Zhan Li to see the lantern festival that evening.

Thinking of this made Adao even happier, and he urged Zhanli to hurry up.

Long Qi did not leave, but hid by the wall. He heard everything and became interested in the "master" that A Dao mentioned.

Could that "master" be the person from my dream?

Since we're busy in the mountains, why not meet their so-called "master" at tonight's lantern festival before returning to the sect?

Having made up his mind, Long Qi quietly turned and left.