Chapter 1
He still smiles, "The deity has a compassionate heart, perhaps it is just a small effort, something that will not be taken to heart. But for me, the grace of saving my life is something I dare not forget for even a moment."
Finally arriving at the abyss, it is unclear whether it is due to being closer or because she has transformed into a normal person, but the water surface, which usually appears to be only the size of a fingertip, surprisingly gives a sense of boundlessness.
A muffled sound came from underwater, and the water ripples beneath the horned lamp began to rise gently. Changqing crouched down to observe, the deep water seemingly harboring something that was swirling up from the depths. The initially vague image became clearer and clearer as it rose higher and higher.
This fish may be the vanguard, as the ripples on the water have not yet settled, and the music begins to swell. For a moment, the aquatic creatures come and go like arrows, initially just beneath the surface, but soon their appearances begin to change, dressed in red, singing and dancing, creating an atmosphere underwater that resembles a bustling marketplace.
No one is present, the water surface is calm and tranquil, only the countless stars in the sky are reflected, casting a pool of cold light
Yuanhai Jun said he would not, "At that time, apart from the revered deity, no one in heaven or on earth dared to save me. However, as time passed, even the revered deity himself forgot. But does the revered deity truly have no impression at all? If not, why would he travel such a long distance to Yuanhai to find me?"
He was slightly taken aback, but soon chuckled lightly, "The esteemed deity still does not believe my words"
To the northwest of Longshouyuan, there lies an unfathomable abyss. Initially, during the great battle between the Chidi and Baidi, the divine axe of the war god fell to the ground, creating a hole that could reach straight to the Earth's core. The depth of the abyss gathers water, and the cold pool, a thousand feet deep, resembles the third eye of a prosperous era, scrutinizing that plateau without any reservations. Beneath the heavy water curtain, another pair of eyes has quietly observed her for over a hundred years
What have you seen, a pair of eyes? She paused, realizing there was no way to begin asking.
I see that someone has done a good deed in my name. She reached this conclusion
Longing compelled one to bend down on their knees, and faintly, the sound of silk and bamboo instruments could be heard. Suddenly, a fish, whose name could not be recalled, leisurely swam by with a glowing forehead, and with a flick of its tail, it stirred up a pool of shimmering fragments.
Five hundred years ago, I encountered a calamity, and it was a revered deity who saved me, placing me in this marshland. At that time, I wished to repay the favor, but the deity said there was no rush, and that I should wait until I grew up. Now that I have grown, I gaze every day at Longshouyuan, waiting for the deity to awaken and come to the abyss to find me
After looking for a long time, "With such a shape, it must be difficult to incorporate into a dish"
In the long-lasting night journey, under the vast moonlight, she is the only one present. The horned lantern occasionally illuminates phantoms, those entities fleetingly appear and quickly vanish again
The stars in the sky emitted a cold light, and she turned to glance at the most magnificent building in the center of the empire, which unfolded with a striking brilliance and ambition. The lights of the city, under the bright moonlight, instead exuded a wonderfully soft and gentle aura
"Respected deity..." His voice was light and ethereal, possessing a charm that seemed to emerge from the water, more translucent than that found on the shore. His gaze was also hazy, like a scroll soaked in water, flowing across her face. Suddenly, he smiled, "Have you arrived?"
Longing was stunned, that year in the Zicheng Hall, embracing the pillar and transforming into a dragon, summoned the heavenly thunder, striking directly on her brow, yet it did not leave her as immobile as she is now. A mere embrace upon meeting, the customs of these aquatic beings are truly appallingly burdensome!
Long-lasting emotions indeed have the flaw of remembering the past but forgetting the present. When a person sleeps for a long time, they often confuse reality with dreams. Some people and events that do not leave a deep impression in one's heart frequently vanish without a trace upon waking up.
He raised his hand, his long fingers spread out, and a pool of emerald green appeared in his palm. The emerald was vibrant and seemed to drip, resembling the dew on tender leaves, at the center was a fish covered in blue scales, with long whiskers and large, graceful pectoral and caudal fins
Longing in confusion, "I have never saved anyone..."
This statement may be somewhat hurtful, Changqing said: "I am curious, what kind of person would fixate on me for hundreds of years. Do you believe this is an act of gratitude rather than a case of repaying kindness with resentment?"
Like a long-awaited reunion after many years, it exudes a sense of intimacy and the inevitability of meticulous planning
He was enveloped in a damp aura, his eyes also glistening with moisture. His clothes dried quickly in the wind, yet his long straight hair remained wet and cascaded down his back.
He is a person! Yet he does not approach, clad in flowing white, gazing at her from across the water. The water is flowing, and his garments are also in motion, the golden wide sleeves fluttering under the subtle currents. He simply gazes at her quietly and deeply, his eyes gathering the brilliance of stars, a faint smile gracing his lips. Having witnessed the splendor of the world with enduring affection, he has never encountered such a person, as if illuminated by the moonlight over a lonely, empty mountain, possessing a graceful form and an inherently tranquil nature.
She sighed and said, "Let's talk things over..."
The wilderness is boundless, with dry grass arching against the soles of her feet, creating a prickling sensation. She cannot recall how long she has slept; in her dreams, she can sense the blazing sun and the rain, but to feel such tangible contact with small lives against her body has likely been a long time ago.
His smile became somewhat stiff, "Divine Being, this is not a mere fish, it is my true form. The fish is born with wings, meant to win over fish. At that time, I was young and accidentally wandered into the Thunder Marsh, where the Divine Dragon, while bringing rain, sent me to the human realm. After the rain, I lay in a puddle, on the verge of death, and it was the Divine Being who sent me into the abyss, saving my life."
As light as smoke, the delicate form drags across the northern slope, the grass rustling softly. The moisture lurking among the branches and leaves slowly rises at midnight, the heavens and earth resembling a bowl, with that moisture being the tangible fine wine settled at the bottom of the bowl
Changqing touched his hot forehead and found that this time the quest for the truth was indeed quite interesting
The long-lasting affection did not clarify his meaning, but upon seeing him wave his hand, he parted the surface of the water. The vast reservoir of the abyss stood like a silver wall, with a straight corridor leading directly to the bottom of the abyss
Before I had the chance to ask him why he gazed at Longshouyuan day after day, he spread his wide sleeves and embraced her.
He had a face full of sorrow, and she had to reassess him. The young man had a delicate face and sharp, clean eyes, but no matter how she searched through every inch of her memory, she truly could not find this person. She helplessly shook her head, "Having gotten a bit older, my memory is indeed too poor; would you kindly introduce yourself"
She has always been patient with young people, even though in their world, age and appearance often do not have a necessary correlation. She softened her tone and asked, "May I ask, have you ever seen ... ... "
Gudu——
It is difficult to determine whether this person is the one. While she hesitates and wanders, the person underwater surfaces quietly, gazing up with a delicate face.
The night is slightly cool, as I walk along the way, the dew has dampened the hem of my skirt
He withdrew his palm only after gazing at her enough, and said softly: "A drop of water given in kindness must be repaid with a fountain of gratitude, let alone this life-saving grace! The deity once declined my gratitude when I was still young, but now that five hundred years have passed, surely I should be allowed to repay this kindness. The divine dragon has drawn a prison around me, trapping me here; I cannot escape, and can only implore the deity to lower himself and come to my abyssal sea.
Do you still remember it, revered deity
With a long-lasting affection, I hold up the lantern to look at him, "Do we know each other, Your Excellency?"
Who is that? Longqing does not know. She guards the palace complex on Longshouyuan, where every brick and tile is a part of her body. Her massive and heavy form makes it too difficult to maneuver, so she can only remain in a perpetual slumber. Yet even in her dreams, she is concerned, and when she awakens, she must go and explore the person at the bottom of the abyss
"Why remember something from so long ago?" She leaned closer to the fish, and someone like her, who dealt with civil engineering, could not distinguish the types of aquatic life. "The name is really strange, it's actually called a 'lewd fish'..."
A sudden sound shattered the glassy world, causing the aquatic creatures to scatter in a frenzy. The strange phenomenon that had just occurred vanished as quickly as a dream. The unfinished words of longing transformed into a half-swallowed, half-contained sob: "... Is anyone there?"
The young man, with his sleeves sweeping, stirred the shimmering light on the water's surface. Standing beneath the vast silver glow, he told her: "My name is Yun Yue, and I am the Water Lord of this abyssal sea"
She is a carefree deity, existing for a thousand years, which is hardly noteworthy for a god. It is merely by leveraging royal fortune and dragon veins that she has secured a place for herself in this prosperous era. If there is anything exceptional about her, it would likely be her extraordinary ability to sleep. A deity who has lived for a thousand years yet has spent eight hundred of those years in deep slumber, the act of saving others seems unlikely to occur in her case
Having lived a long life, she has never been embraced by anyone. She reluctantly lowered her arms and turned to point at the distant city walls, saying, "I come from there. Having been influenced by the moral teachings of the world for many years, what kind of propriety is it to hug and embrace!" Then she looked at him closely and added, "I am not familiar with you, nor have I seen you before. As for five hundred years... I have not walked the earth for five hundred years, so you must have mistaken me for someone else."
The horned lamp can illuminate the strange creatures beneath the water. With great care, one brings the rim of the lamp close to the water's surface, revealing a world that is clean and pure through the water. Algae and aquatic plants sway gently, while the depths are a mesmerizing deep blue that captivates the soul
She raised her hand to form a seal and struck the water, her fingertips shimmering like arrows piercing through the water curtain, plunging straight down. The water was unfathomably deep, scattering into countless strands along the way, without even a hint of echo. Strangely, those eyes seemed to have never existed; when she arrived here under the stars and moon, they could no longer be found.
She adjusted the auspicious rod on the rhinoceros horn lamp and wandered through the boundless wilderness. Although she forgot many things upon falling asleep, the image that occasionally resurfaced in her half-awake, half-asleep state unexpectedly lingered in her memory
The clear qin harmonizes with the moon, fine wine rinses the winter and spring, the name is quite befitting of the person, yet the reasons he elaborated next still left Changqing perplexed
However, the person was not in a hurry; her gaze even carried a hint of affection, as she smiled and shook her head, saying, "I have not mistaken the identity; the revered deity is the master of Longshouyuan, named Changqing. Born during the Qin and Han dynasties, it has been a thousand years since then. You see, I can recount the origins of the revered deity, which shows that I certainly have not mistaken the person. " After a pause, a look of sadness appeared on her face, and she said gloomily, "However, Longshouyuan is the land of the dragon's rise, and the revered deity guards the dragon vein, bearing heavy responsibilities. After so many years, perhaps I have truly been forgotten."
"Respected deity..." Those arms were filled with overwhelming excitement, showing no intention of letting go. The young man trembled slightly, his voice even choked with emotion, "After five hundred years of separation, I have waited for you here for five hundred years, and you have finally come."
The four corners are silent, only the wind flows. Changqing stood for a while, feeling a sense of loneliness. Although the rhinoceros horn lamp illuminated another world, it could not reveal those eyes. Now, it no longer matters whose eyes they belong to; the Lantern Festival is coming to an end, and she should return.
With a lingering confusion, she looked at him, and he smiled shyly, raising both hands towards her. His wide sleeves covered half of his face, leaving only a pair of enchanting eyes captivating her, as he bowed deeply and said: "The wedding preparations are complete, just awaiting your esteemed presence."
Today is the Lantern Festival, which occurs only on this day each year. Only on this day can enduring love take advantage of the fireworks to escape from the palace that has confined her.
However, in the mind that is deeply infatuated and naive, trivial matters such as picking up a fish and releasing it are hardly worth remembering for hundreds of years. Even if they did exist, they are not worth mentioning
The long-lasting horn lamp in Changqing's hand fell to the ground, and the flame at the top illuminated the reflection in the water. The young man, dressed in a wide robe, appeared somewhat slender. He held her tightly, as if grasping a piece of driftwood in a vast ocean
In this prosperous era, even the demons and spirits find joy in themselves. After admiring for a long while, I could not help but speak up: "May I ask..."
The figure underwater still gazed at her in that manner; she vaguely recalled, in a hazy and languid glance, that what she seemed to see was the young man in white.