The Northern Song Dynasty returned south, seeking the truth of the Dao.

Wang Zhenhuan felt a sudden darkness engulf him. After a violent earthquake, his mind went blank, and he heard a constant buzzing in his ears. He staggered to his feet, leaning against a stone pillar, and looked up.

A large hole had been blasted through the barrier in the sky. The river water poured out through the hole, forming a spectacular waterfall. Fish and shrimp could be seen leaping and splashing in the surging waves.

Upon seeing the hole in the barrier, the Qiongqi let out a low roar. Its enormous size shrank continuously until it became the size of a dog. Then, it flew towards the hole, plunged headfirst into the waterfall, and disappeared.

Wang Zhenhuan finally came to his senses. He reached out to help Ao Shuang, who was lying unconscious on the ground. But before he could get up, he heard a cracking sound from the sky.

He turned his head and saw that the barrier, which resembled ripples on water, had finally succumbed to the immense pressure of the Huai River after a large hole was torn in it, shattering into snowflake-like fragments.

Wang Zhenhuan stared wide-eyed as the crystal-clear fragments danced in the air. Before he could even marvel at the dreamlike scene before him, he saw the waters of the Huai River.

Like a mountain, it suddenly pressed down on him. In that instant, Wang Zhenhuan didn't even have time to think. He could only turn around and pin Ao Shuang down. Then, the rushing river water made him dizzy and disoriented!

Wow!!

In that instant of entering the water, Wang Huanzhen vaguely saw a white figure swimming towards him with all her might. A smile played on his lips as he silently murmured that name…

The longer Wang Huanzhen interacted with the world and the more he learned, the more he realized that everyone around him was kind, gentle, and sincere.

They were like candlelight, bright but not dazzling, confident yet knowing how to restrain themselves. They inspired him to admire them while continuously offering him guidance and help.

Sometimes he wondered what he had done to deserve the privilege of knowing so many kind and gentle people. These people were like beams of light, like hands that had pulled him up from the abyss.

Perhaps you asked him before, "Was it tough going south?" He would have told you it was tough, as bitter as strong tea, without a trace of fragrance, even the aftertaste was bitter. But after experiencing so much...

If you ask him again now, he'll still give the same answer: Bitter! But unlike before, the bitterness now is more like the first brew of tea; although still bitter, the aftertaste is incredibly delicate and fragrant.

So Wang Zhen had never regretted his journey so far. But in the moments before he lost consciousness, he did have some regrets. He didn't regret traveling south, nor did he regret coming to this cave with Ao Shuang.

He regretted that he hadn't fulfilled his promises, and that he hadn't waited for the person he was waiting for. He also hadn't been to the places he wanted to go. His life, though he had no regrets, was filled with remorse…

Perhaps regret is just a normal part of life; if only we could do it all over again…

Wang Huanzhen reached out, wanting to grasp the white figure so close to him. But the river was like an insurmountable chasm, so near yet so far. In this hazy state of consciousness...

He closed his eyes and fainted, his right hand still clutching Ao Shuang's clothes tightly...

The white figure, resembling a nimble fish, swayed and approached Wang Zhenhuan. She stretched out her hands, grasped Wang Zhenhuan and Ao Shuang, and began to rise to the surface.

After surfacing, she shook her head, flicking the water droplets from her hair. Activating her spiritual energy, she tossed Wang Zhenhuan and Ao Shuang onto the shore. Due to the earth dragon's upheaval, only ruins remained around the Huai River.

Where the river overflowed, a huge pit appeared. The river had filled the cave within the pit, leaving only the eaves of the Sanqing Hall visible and hidden on the water's surface.

The scene around the riverbank was horrific; many people were homeless, shivering in the cold wind as they stood in the streets. A dozen or so constables were holding torches, calling on the people to help those trapped under the rubble.

Fortunately, the people were busy rescuing others and no one noticed what was happening in the pit. After throwing Wang Huanzhen and Ao Shuang ashore, the white-clad figure also gathered her strength and moved lightly.

Using the water's surface for leverage, he leaped into the air onto the edge of the large pit. After looking around and seeing that no one was around, he grabbed Wang Huanzhen and Ao Shuang, and in a few leaps, disappeared into the town.

The winter wind was as sharp as a steel knife. Wang Zhenhuan was soaked to the bone, and after standing in the wind for a while, although he was still not fully awake, his body had already begun to tremble uncontrollably.

The figure in white quickly noticed the situation, frowned for a moment, and then sighed. He led Wang Zhenhuan and Ao Shuang to the foot of a cliff.

After setting the two down, she turned and walked into the woods. Less than half an incense stick's time later, she emerged carrying some branches. She threw the branches on the ground.

She extended two fingers, chanted incantations, and made hand gestures. Soon, a flame shot from her fingertips. She tossed the flame into the pile of firewood, and the dry branches began to burn.

She sat by the fire, thought for a while, and then moved Wang Zhenhuan and Ao Shuang to the fire as well. She placed her hand under their noses for a moment, then frowned.

Then he reached out and grasped their hands, channeling some spiritual energy into them. Only after receiving the nourishment of spiritual energy did a trace of color return to Wang Zhen's pale face.

Ao Shuang did the same, and the woman breathed a sigh of relief upon seeing this. Seeing that Ao Shuang's eyelids twitched after absorbing the spiritual energy, seemingly showing signs of waking up, she hurriedly got up and disappeared into the forest in a few leaps.

After the woman left, Ao Shuang opened her eyes and sat up, staring in the direction the woman had disappeared, lost in thought. After a while, she added some firewood to the fire and then went to Wang Zhenhuan's side.

He took Wang Huanzhen's hand, closed his eyes, and sensed for a moment. Then he reached into his robes, took out a porcelain bottle, removed the lid, and poured out a red pill.

After sniffing to make sure it wasn't wet, he pried open Wang Zhenhuan's mouth and fed him. Wang Zhenhuan felt a chill run through his body, as if he had fallen into an abyss.

Then a pair of hands grabbed him, and warmth emanated from his palms. This quickly dispelled the chill from his body, and his consciousness slowly returned. Until that pill entered his mouth.

He suddenly felt a warm sensation all over his body, and his depleted Qi Sea gradually began to fill up. He took a deep breath and opened his eyes, only to see Ao Shuang sitting by the fire adding firewood.

He opened his mouth, then whispered, "Brother..."