After the spiritual energy was restored: Goddess girlfriends came knocking.

After the failure of the reform, Lin Chu's influence in the imperial court gradually diminished.

It wasn't until the third month that Lin Chu publicly requested a transfer during the morning court session.

"Your subject requests to be transferred to a remote prefecture."

The hall fell silent for a moment.

What kind of place is Jingzhou? It is the easternmost state of the Great Zhou Dynasty, bordering the East China Sea. Hurricanes blow every year, and the tides surge every year.

In the eyes of these officials in the capital, it was a place of exile.

The new emperor looked at him, seemingly wanting to say something but holding back.

After the court session ended, he was summoned to the Imperial Study alone and persuaded for half an hour.

Lin Chu simply cupped his hands in greeting and said that Jingzhou was located on the coast and needed to be governed, and that he was willing to go.

The new emperor finally sighed and granted his request.

When the news spread, the reformist officials were utterly disheartened.

The opposition celebrated their victory, but dared not show it too obviously—they knew in their hearts that Lin Chu had not been driven out of the capital.

He simply didn't want to stay anymore.

If he really wanted to fight, with his reputation and imperial favor, he could certainly hold out.

Before leaving Beijing, Lin Chu returned to Qinghe Village.

Two years ago, we only parted briefly, but now, looking closely, the village is much quieter than I remember.

The old tree at the village entrance is still there.

Pushing open the gate to the courtyard, I found it completely empty.

The rattan chairs under the eaves are still there, covered with a thin layer of dust.

The teacup on the stone table was upside down, and next to it was a well-worn copy of the Analects, its pages curled up by the wind.

Lin Chu stood in the courtyard for a while, put away the books on the stone table, and wiped the dust off the rattan chair.

He didn't stay long and walked out of the courtyard towards the back of the village.

Mr. Chen's grave is on a small hillside behind the village.

The words on the tombstone are still clear, and some grass has grown on the grave mound, not very tall, as if someone has taken care of it.

Lin Chu squatted down, lit the incense and candles he had brought, and poured a cup of wine, placing it in front of the tombstone.

"Sir, I have to go again." He said softly, "To Jingzhou, which is by the sea. There are many hurricanes and high tides there, but don't worry, I can handle it."

The wind blew from the hillside, and the candlelight flickered.

Lin Chu sat for a while, then stood up, straightened his clothes, and bowed deeply to the tombstone.

As he came down the hillside, he ran into Lin Yue at the village entrance.

She stood at the gate of her own yard, holding a basin of washed clothes in her hand, and was splashing water out.

Upon seeing Lin Chu, she paused for a moment, then put down the basin and wiped her hands on her apron.

"Brother Lin Chu?"

Lin Chu stopped in her tracks.

Lin Yue was already a middle-aged woman. Her hair was neatly tied up, and there were fine lines around her eyes, but she was still quite sturdy.

She looked Lin Chu up and down several times, and her eyes suddenly reddened.

"Why do you suddenly look so haggard?" Her voice was a little hoarse as she said this. "When Mr. Chen left last time, I didn't have a chance to talk to you. My mother—" She paused, "My mother also passed away last winter."

Aunt Wang passed away last winter.

The village chief passed away the year before last.

Aunt Qin and Aunt Sun have moved to the county town to live with their son. Aunt Zhao is already a bit confused and doesn't recognize anyone.

"My mother told me to tell you this before she passed away." Lin Yue lowered her head, rubbing her fingers on her apron. "She said not to dwell on people who have already left. The mortal and immortal realms are separated, and once someone is gone, they are gone. She said you should find a wife and have a child, otherwise—it will be very painful to have no one to take care of you in your old age."

Lin Chu smiled and said, "That does sound like something Aunt Wang would say."

Lin Yue's daughter peeked out from the yard. She looked about seven or eight years old, with two little pigtails and round, bright eyes.

She hid behind her mother, peeking out half her head and looking at Lin Chu curiously.

Lin Chu squatted down, took out a piece of candy from his sleeve, and handed it to her.

The little girl looked at her mother, Lin Yue nodded, and then she reached out to take it, saying in a clear voice, "Thank you, Uncle."

"When you grow up, will you take care of me in my old age?" Lin Chu asked with a smile.

The little girl stuffed the candy into her mouth, her cheeks puffed out, and said loudly and indistinctly, "Yes, yes!"

Lin Chu stood up and said to Lin Yue, "Look, isn't someone taking care of me in my old age?"

Lin Yue was amused by his words, but her eyes welled up with tears as she laughed.

Before leaving, Lin Chu left a bag of silver on the table and patted the little girl's head: "When you grow up, you can go to Yunzhou Prefecture. I have some disciples there, and I'll put in a good word for you."

Lin Yue stood at the courtyard gate, watching his retreating figure, and called out again, "Brother Lin Chu—"

Lin Chu turned around.

"Take care." Lin Yue's voice trembled slightly.

Lin Chu nodded, turned and left.

The crooked willow tree by the stream is still there.

The four lines of poetry on the tree trunk have been worn away by time, the strokes are blurred, and the edges are rounded, as if someone has touched them again and again.

Lin Chu sat down on the stone, the same stone that Cang Yao had moved there years ago.

He stared at the stream, lost in thought.

Footsteps sounded behind me.

It's very light, making a soft rustling sound when you step on the fallen leaves.

"Brother Lin Chu".

Lin Chu turned around.

Xiao Xiao emerged from the woods, wearing a plain white shirt.

She looked almost exactly the same as when we last met; she was still the same sixteen or seventeen-year-old girl.

Demons have incredibly long lifespans, especially turtle demons; decades of time seem like just a few months to them.

She walked over to Lin Chu, but instead of sitting down, she stood in front of him and looked down at him.

Then her eyes slowly reddened.

"How come you..." Her voice choked, "How come you've aged so much?"

She hadn't had a chance to see Mr. Chen properly at his funeral.

This time she saw it clearly—Lin Chu's temples were mostly gray, the fine lines at the corners of her eyes were deep, and the veins on the back of her hands were prominent.

He sat on that rock, in the same posture as before, but the person sitting there was no longer the boy he once was.

"It's alright." Lin Chu smiled. "I can still ride a horse and travel."

Xiao Xiao didn't say anything.

She had no concept of time when she was in seclusion in Longting. For her, decades were just a few meditations and a few breakthroughs.

She always felt that Brother Lin Chu was still the boy who served her rice in the courtyard of Qinghe Village back then, and the young man who rubbed her head by the stream and said, "Why are you still so short?"

But now sitting in front of her is a man in his fifties.

"Have a seat." Lin Chu patted the stone next to her.

Xiao sat down.

The two sat facing the stream for a long time without saying a word.

"I was only ten years old when I first came to this stream," Lin Chu suddenly said. "I was sitting there fishing and caught a koi."

Xiao Xiao turned her head to look at him.

"Your sister."

"I know." The small voice was very soft.

"Then she appeared a few days later in the evening." Lin Chu leaned against the willow tree, a slight smile on her lips. "She was wearing a red dress, her hair was wet, and she told me she was just passing by. I said it wasn't safe to walk on the mountain path after dark, but she said it was fine, she could walk fast."

Xiao Xiao hugged her knees, rested her chin on them, and listened to him talk.

"After that, she came every day. I taught her to read, and she grilled fish for me." Lin Chu chuckled. "She only knew how to cook fish at first, but later she learned how to cook other things from Aunt Wang."

"The first dress she made for you, the character '初' (first) was embroidered crookedly," Xiao Xiao added.

How did you know?

"My sister told me when she got back," Xiaoxiao said, burying her face in her knees. "She said you looked so pretty in it."

The two fell silent again.

The stream flowed gurglingly, and the willow branches swayed gently in the wind.

"Brother Lin Chu." Xiao Xiao raised her head, her eyes red-rimmed, "You really don't need to wait anymore."

Lin Chu did not answer.

"It's been too long." The small voice trembled slightly. "Decades. If my sister knew, she wouldn't want you to be like this. How many years do you have left in your life? You can't—"

"Little one."

It stopped abruptly.

Lin Chu reached out and ruffled her hair, just like she did back then.

"It's alright." His voice was calm. "She used to wait for me by the stream, sitting on this rock every day, calling my name to the water."

He withdrew his hand and looked at the stream in front of him.

"Now it's my turn to wait for her."

Xiao Xiao buried her face in her knees, her shoulders trembling slightly.

She didn't try to persuade her anymore. She knew she couldn't change her mind.

These two people look exactly alike.

A cool breeze blew from the stream.

A few barks came from the distant village, and wisps of smoke rose from the rooftops, drifting slowly into the twilight.

Xiao Xiao wiped away her tears, stood up, took out another talisman from her sleeve, and stuffed it into Lin Chu's hand.

"This talisman has a longer effective range. Jingzhou is by the sea, so if you need me, I can sense it."

"it is good."

"Don't lose it."

"it is good."

Xiao Xiao bit her lip, looked at him, and memorized his face, which had aged considerably.

Then she turned around and quickly walked into the woods.

Lin Chu sat on the rock, holding the talisman in her hand, until it was completely dark before standing up, brushing the grass clippings off her clothes, and turning to walk back.

Early the next morning, an old horse-drawn carriage drove out of Qinghe Village.

The carriage rumbled onto the official road, and Qinghe Village receded further and further into the morning mist, finally shrinking into a tiny dot and disappearing on the horizon.