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

The jade cocoon cracked open, and the spiritual light in the forbidden room suddenly exploded.

The fragments transformed into specks of golden light, drifting down from mid-air.

Cang Yao stepped out of the rain of light, her bare feet touching the cold stone surface.

She was much taller than before, her black hair cascading down to her waist, making her skin appear even whiter.

A very faint reddish-gold line appeared on his forehead.

Beneath her long eyelashes, her peach blossom eyes remained as clear as ever, and the lines of her jawline had lost the roundness of her youth.

He looked down at his hands, slowly clenched them, and then relaxed them.

Cang Yao stood in the center of the forbidden room, looking around blankly.

She felt like she had slept for a very, very long time.

I had a very, very long dream.

In my dream, there was a boy sitting by a stream fishing.

She took his bait and he held her in his hands, saying, "This fish is quite beautiful."

In my dream, I grilled fish for him, made clothes for him, and read to him under the locust tree.

He taught himself to read, braided his own hair, and even carved a poem under a willow tree by the stream.

I remember there was another line in the poem: "If we are together in the snow one day, we can be considered to have grown old together in this life."

"I'll wait until you return from the imperial examination." "Then you'll come and marry me." "I will marry you."

My last memory is of the time before I went into seclusion.

She stood at the door of the forbidden room, grinning as she told Xiaoxiao, "By the time he comes back, I'll be out of seclusion. This time, it'll be his turn to wait for me."

Then she went inside.

Cang Yao suddenly turned around, her bare feet stepping on the cold stone slabs, and ran towards the entrance of the forbidden room.

She didn't know how long she had been in seclusion, but judging from her physical sensations, it must have been quite a while—several years? Perhaps several years.

Lin Chu must be getting impatient.

Cang Yao repeated his name over and over in her heart, her steps quickening.

At this moment, the stone door to the forbidden room opened from the outside.

A small figure rushed in, crashing into her arms and wrapping its arms tightly around her waist.

"elder sister--"

Cang Yao lowered her head and saw Xiao Xiao's face buried in her chest.

She reached out and touched the little head, a smile curving her lips.

"Alright, alright, stop crying. I'm out now." Cang Yao's voice was soft, with a slight hoarseness from just waking up.

Xiao Xiao didn't answer, but just hugged her even tighter.

The forbidden room remained quiet for a long time, with only small, suppressed sobs and the faint hum of the spirit-gathering array in operation.

Cang Yao's patting of her back slowed down, and she sensed that something was wrong with Xiao Xiao.

Cang Yao's heart sank slowly.

"How long have I been in seclusion?"

Her small shoulders stiffened slightly.

She opened her mouth, then closed it, then opened it again.

Finally, he lowered his eyes, not daring to look at her.

"How long has it been?" Cang Yao's voice trembled slightly.

"Five...ten years." Xiao Xiao lowered her head, her voice so soft it was like a mosquito's hum.

The forbidden room fell silent instantly.

Only the buzzing of the spirit array continued to ring out.

Cang Yao opened her mouth, but no sound came out.

Fifty years.

Cang Yao's hand froze.

She looked down at Xiaoxiao, her expression gradually freezing.

She knew very well what fifty years meant to an ordinary person.

He stared blankly at Xiaoxiao, his lips moved, and the sound seemed to be squeezed out from deep in his throat.

"Then he—"

Xiao Xiao quickly shook her head, tears streaming down her face: "No, no, Brother Lin Chu is still here. He's in the capital. He's still alive."

Cang Yao's clenched heart relaxed for a moment, then immediately tightened again.

She released Xiaoxiao and turned to walk out of the restricted area.

"I'm going to find him."

Xiao Xiao grabbed her sleeve.

"Sister, no."

Why?

"With your current cultivation level, you'll be noticed as soon as you get close to the capital. The capital is protected by the nation's fortune and has human cultivators stationed there. I'm afraid you'll be killed as soon as you approach the city gates." Xiao Xiao said anxiously, holding her hand. "Those human cultivators won't care who you are. They'll only see a demon appearing near the capital."

She paused, bit her lip, and added another sentence.

"And sister, you're already showing signs of atavism."

Cang Yao was stunned for a moment, then raised her hand to touch her face.

The golden markings on his forehead, the amber light that seemed to flow faintly deep within his pupils, and the subtle dragon's might surrounding him.

She herself hadn't noticed these things, but for human cultivators, they were the most conspicuous markings.

Xiao Xiao reached out and hugged her waist, pressing her face against her body.

"Don't worry, sister." Her voice was hoarse. "I've been corresponding with Brother Lin Chu. I'll write a letter now to let him know you've come out of seclusion. He'll definitely come back as soon as he sees the letter."

Cang Yao slowly squatted down, shrinking into a small ball at the entrance of the forbidden room.

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

It took a long time before Cang Yao finally lifted her head from her knees.

She wiped her face with the back of her hand and sniffed hard.

His eyes were still red, but his gaze had gradually settled.

"Go write a letter." Her voice was still a little hoarse, but her tone was steady. "Tell him I'm awake."

Xiao Xiao nodded vigorously, turned around and ran outside. When she reached the door, she looked back at Cang Yao one last time, and then quickly disappeared at the end of the corridor.

Cang Yao stood still, slowly raising her right hand; the ring on her ring finger was still there.

It's not particularly exquisite; the ring face is engraved with fish scale patterns, and the edges have been worn smooth and shiny by time.

Meanwhile, deep within the Dragon Court, at the Star Gazing Platform.

Ao Tianxin stood in front of the star chart and slowly put down the jade slip in her hand.

She sensed it the moment Cang Yao emerged from seclusion.

Having successfully transformed into a dragon, the signs of reverting to one's ancestral nature became apparent.

Another descendant of the dragon race has emerged who is expected to transform into a dragon.

"Fifty years." Her voice echoed on the empty observatory, carrying a hint of something that was hard to define—whether it was relief or regret—"In the blink of an eye."

She withdrew her hand, straightened her sleeves, and shifted her gaze from the star chart to the direction of Qinghe Village.

After a moment, she sighed softly.

……

After sending the letter, Xiaoxiao turned around and walked back.

The forbidden room was empty; fragments of the jade cocoon were still scattered on the ground, and the person was gone.

She paused for a moment, then realized what was happening and turned to run back to shore.

The crooked willow tree by the stream is much thicker than it used to be, its canopy casting a large, dense shade, its branches drooping down almost touching the water.

Cang Yao stood under the tree, looking at the four lines of poetry on the trunk.

Suddenly an old friend comes to mind; looking back, the mountains and rivers have already entered winter.

If we are together in the snow one day, then we can be considered to have grown old together in this life.

The handwriting has been eroded by wind and rain, becoming shallow, with rounded edges and blurred strokes.

She reached out and traced the engravings stroke by stroke with her fingertips.

Surprisingly, this poem resonated with Cang Yao's current state of mind.

Xiao Xiao stood at the edge of the woods, not going over.

Cang Yao stood under the willow tree for a long time, then turned around and walked towards the village.

Little Xiao followed far behind.

The village is still the same village, yet it seems like everything is different now.

The dirt road was paved with gravel, and several new houses were built along the roadside. The old tree at the entrance of the village was still there.

A woman carrying a wooden basin walked over from the well, glanced at her with only curiosity about a stranger in her eyes, and then lowered her head and continued walking.

Cang Yao walked to the entrance of the small courtyard, pushed open the door, and it creaked open.

The locust tree in the courtyard is still there, as are the stone table and benches, and the rattan chairs under the eaves.

They were all covered in a layer of dust.

She stood in the courtyard and vaguely heard a voice. It was Xiaoxiao chasing after her in the courtyard, shouting, "Sister, you're stealing food again!" Mr. Chen sat on the porch and laughed. Lin Chu looked up at her under the locust tree and smiled slightly.

In the blink of an eye, the sound dissipated.

The only sound in the courtyard was the rustling of locust tree leaves in the wind.

He stood in the courtyard for a while, then turned and walked out, gently closing the door behind him.

I wandered aimlessly to the small hill behind the village.

Cang Yao saw Mr. Chen's grave and stopped.

The words on the tombstone were still clear. She stared at them for a long time before bowing deeply.

Further ahead is Aunt Wang's grave.

Some grass grew on the grave mound, not very tall, as if someone had taken care of it.

She remembered the auntie whose voice was so loud it could be heard halfway through the village.

Cang Yao squatted down in front of the grave, pulled out a few weeds, and whispered, "Auntie, I'm back."

No one answered.

The wind blew across the hillside, rustling the grass.

She straightened up, her gaze passing over the graves and looking towards the distant, layered mountains.

Xiao Xiao stood quietly at the bottom of the hillside, watching her back without going forward.