Seraphine stared at Echo’s smiling face in a daze. “You came.” she said softly.

The falling snow and peach blossoms drifted down their final remnants, a single pink petal floating gently onto Seraphine’s sleeve. She suddenly looked down at the blossom, a gentle smile spreading across her lips.

I tilted my head left to look at Seraphine, then tilted it right to look at Seraphine again, letting out a long breath.

Perfect. Seraphine looked uninjured.

“Such relief!”

“Seraphine, I searched for you for so long. I’m sorry to have kept you waiting.” I stood up as I spoke, gently pulling her up with me.

The peach blossoms and snow scattered on them fell away, landing on their skirts and the grass below. Golden shoe tips faced cyan boots, and suddenly the golden shoes lifted slightly.

Seraphine plucked a peach petal from Echo’s hair, holding it between her fingertips as she examined it with a smile. “I didn’t wait long. I was cultivating here, and however long it was felt like just an instant.”

“You’re the one who worked hard, running around outside searching for me. To be able to find this place…… you’ve worked hard.”

I didn’t feel like it had been hard work, but I’d been incredibly tense this whole time. Now my entire being felt relaxed, like I’d returned to my original data form when I could fly anywhere through heaven and earth. I was so happy that I secretly sprouted sparkles as I said, “Seraphine, you’re wearing the flower crown I gave you.”

Seraphine glanced at the top of Echo’s head and smiled. “So are you.”

An indescribable feeling spread through Seraphine’s heart. Her eyes flowed like water, her gaze now seeming to shimmer with moisture as she heard Echo speak with dramatic intonation: “We’re so perfectly in sync!”

“Mm.”

Seraphine had many things she wanted to ask Echo—what she had experienced, who she had met, whether she had made anyone so angry they were smoking mad out there. But before they could chat properly about all that, there were other matters to resolve.

She handed Echo the fruit she’d been holding and pulled her to her side, looking toward the soul remnants who stood motionless like puppets after the barrier broke.

Among the soul remnants, the woman who seemed to be in charge looked up. She gazed at the fruit-laden peach tree and asked with a smile, “What season is it outside now?”

I was mimicking the dramatic scenes from many novels, rubbing the peach against my clothes. Hearing her question, I answered, “If you’re asking about the season outside the barrier, it’s July. If you’re asking about the season outside the secret realm, it’s winter.”

“I see……” The woman showed a melancholy expression.

The soul remnants beside her laughed and said, “Sister, all the flowers have fallen. There are no flowers to admire today.”

Crunch.

Seraphine glanced over from the corner of her eye and saw Echo’s eyes suddenly widen.

The peach was crisp, sweet, and delicious!

I quickly looked up, picking through the fruits on the tree until I selected a large, red one. After ceremonially rubbing it on my clothes, I cast a dust-removal spell.

The woman over there said, “No matter. This year’s flowers have withered, but next year’s will bloom again. What’s wrong with waiting a little longer?”

Crunch.

This familiar feeling. Seraphine curved her lips and said leisurely, “Isn’t it too early to lament fallen flowers? It’s only July—the lotus flowers are already blooming.” She gestured toward Brocade City.

The magnificent city that appeared after the barrier broke sat as if nestled in colorful clouds, the lotus flowers at their peak, untouched by cosmetics.

The woman gazed into the distance, staring in wonder at the city and its flowers.

“Sister, this year’s lotus flowers are really blooming beautifully.”

“Yes, why don’t we pick a branch to wear, then go back and sketch some lotus patterns to make new clothes?” The girls behind the woman said with playful laughter.

Seraphine was about to continue speaking when suddenly a peach was thrust in front of her face. Echo’s eyes were bright as she offered the fruit to her like a treasured gift.

“Thank you.” Seraphine traded her small peach for Echo’s big one. She looked at Echo helplessly as she held the fruit, then called out to the stunned woman, “Now that the one who saved me has appeared, according to our agreement, you can give me the items, can’t you?”

The woman remained silent for a long time before looking over.

Her face was shadowy and her expression unclear, but Seraphine suddenly felt the weight of the woman’s gaze. She couldn’t help but tense her shoulders, silently meeting the woman’s stare.

The woman said, “I’m just a wisp of a soul remnant. Even if I swore an oath to Heavenly Dao, what would happen if I broke it? Nothing more than this soul remnant dissipating in this paradise.”

Seraphine held back Echo attempt to speak, saying quietly, “Sister, I don’t think you’re someone who would break an oath.”

“Hehe.” The woman laughed softly and began waving her round fan again. She fanned casually, and the snow and fallen flowers on the ground swirled up, carried by the wind toward the distant sea.

“Forget it. Yesterday’s days cannot be retained, today’s days bring many sorrows. What’s the point of remaining here when I’ve already forgotten what my obsession was?” The woman chuckled and beckoned to the crowd in the peach forest.

The soul remnants floated over, removing the golden dragon fragments from their hearts and placing them in the woman’s hands.

The fragments in her hands grew more and more numerous until she could hold no more, and they began falling to the ground.

Meanwhile, I maintained my grip on Seraphine’s hand with one hand while crouching down with the other, using Nine Heavens to dig a hole in the ground. I carefully planted the peach pit and buried it.

“Next year, it’ll grow into a little peach tree.” I laughed happily, radiating joy.

I didn’t care about these soul remnants or the golden dragon fragments they held. What I cared about was finding Seraphine and giving her delicious fruit.

When the last soul placed down their fragment, a golden river had formed at the woman’s feet. She suddenly opened her hand, letting the dragon scales in her palm cascade down with a “whoosh.” Then she reached toward her own chest and removed the fragment from her heart.

She opened her fingers.

The dragon scale fell, joining the golden pool. In that moment, the shadows of the surrounding souls gradually became transparent. Seraphine was surprised, finally understanding that these souls existed in the world through the power of the golden dragon fragments—though she didn’t know why they’d remained in the secret realm instead of entering reincarnation.

“May I ask your name, sister?” Seraphine cupped her hands respectfully.

I was pulled along and quickly mimicked the gesture, waving awkwardly.

Hello there.

After dropping her fragment, the woman continued gazing toward the lotus flowers. She looked at Seraphine casually, and seemed to truly see her appearance for the first time. As if awakening from a dream, she made a small “ah” sound and murmured, “I feel like I’ve seen you somewhere before……”

As the soul remnant was about to disappear, the woman suddenly raised her hand, pointing toward Brocade City. “In the city—”

Her voice dissipated along with the soul, and countless shallow fragments lit up in the air, flowing toward the peach forest and merging into the peach trees.

Seraphine watched this scene with some surprise. I asked, “They didn’t dissipate?”

“No.” Seraphine shook her head, saying hesitantly, “There should be a formation here that protects soul remnants from scattering.” The barrier had only been to protect this paradise from discovery.

“Good!” I said with a grin. “Seraphine is so smart—one bet and you got two thousand fragments! If they hadn’t given them to you just now, I was planning to demand they comply by force!”

I waved Nine Heavens threateningly.

The sword tip, still stained with a bit of soil, hummed softly.

Seraphine: “……”

“Echo,” she said. “Take off your flower crown.”

Did Seraphine want my flower crown?

I obediently did as told, but the moment I removed the crown, a finger flick descended from heaven, striking my forehead with perfect accuracy.

“Ow!” I covered my forehead in shock.

Seraphine looked at Echo’s stunned face, curved her lips, and crossed her arms. “You can’t be so impulsive.”

I moved Nine Heavens behind my back, indicating that I wasn’t impulsive at all. Now I was once again a calm, composed, calm and powerful system.

“System 04 says that after three days apart, one should look at someone with new eyes.” I asked Seraphine to take a fresh look at me.

Not only did Seraphine refuse to look with fresh eyes, she pointed at the golden dragon fragments and told me to collect them.

“Sigh,” I said.

“Dutifully responsible.”

The system obediently went to collect fragments.

When I returned, I looked at the fragment count in my inventory with satisfaction. “Now we have 5,400 fragments total. Of course, I need to give eighty of them to Qiu Shuangshuang. She brought Water Dragon’s Hymn to help me break the barrier.”

Seraphine: “Wait.”

She felt something was off about that number. Her distinct black and white eyes widened slightly as she stared at Echo’s face. “How many?”

I repeated the number, saying, “What seems wrong to you? I didn’t embezzle any.”

Who said you embezzled anything?

Seraphine said hesitantly, “I remember before we separated, in two months we’d collected three hundred fragments total……” She’d thought the two thousand from the bet was already an astronomical number, but the three thousand-plus in Echo’s hands—

“Hiss.” Seraphine thought of a possibility and drew out her natal weapon, hooking her whip around Echo’s waist.

I’d just looked down when I was yanked in front of Seraphine.

“Hello!” I curved my lips in a smile.

What hello! Seraphine asked with some nervousness, “Did you…… go robbing people?”

Echo had always been fixated on ensuring she obtained the most golden dragon fragments in the secret realm. When she was around to keep an eye on Echo, things were fine—but these past few months, with her gone…… Had Echo really resorted to ambushing other cultivators one by one, stealing every last fragment they had?

But the others hadn’t offended Echo, and she wouldn’t make a move easily without provocation.

Seraphine observed Echo’s expression. Seeing her cool, clear face wearing a cold, clear smile, she couldn’t help but curve her own lips. She coiled up her whip and patted Echo’s waist with it, saying reproachfully, “What are you smiling about? Hurry up and tell me where you got so many fragments.”

I said happily, “Does Seraphine think I got a lot of fragments? Wonderful! These are what I collected incidentally while searching for you. I was constantly worried about you and couldn’t devote myself wholeheartedly to the fragment-gathering mission, or I would have worked even harder.”

I said with distress, “5,320 fragments split between the two of us is only 2,660 each.”

Some “incidentally.” Seraphine: “……Although I don’t know how many fragments other cultivators have collected, if you have these kinds of worries, I suddenly feel like there’s no need to worry at all.”

I: ?

A question mark appeared above my head.

Just then, the person and dragon on the mountain noticed the peach forest had been quiet for a long time and came running down. Seraphine suddenly reached toward Echo’s head, and the bubble above it disappeared with a “whoosh.”

Error called out softly as she rushed toward Seraphine, shrinking down to coil around her arm and nuzzling affectionately. Seraphine quickly stroked her head.

Meanwhile, Qiu Shuangshuang’s eyes lit up as she charged over, dropping into a sliding kneel that carried her with a “whoosh” right in front of Echo. She shouted excitedly, “Master!”

“So you’re actually my real master, and I’m your real disciple! I worked so hard looking for you!” Qiu Shuangshuang’s tears soaked her clothes as she hugged my leg with a wail.

I said in surprise, “I haven’t decided yet.”

I knew Qiu Shuangshuang wanted to take me as her master, but I only had one Sword Immortal Arts and no points to exchange for manual. I was a poor system—if Qiu Shuangshuang became my disciple, I couldn’t teach her any skills.

“Actually, I’m not interested in taking humans as disciples.” I said with distress.

Qiu Shuangshuang, who’d been hugging Echo’s thigh and wiping away tears, suddenly had a bright idea. She released Echo’s leg and threw herself at Seraphine instead.

Seraphine clicked her tongue in displeasure and looked down.

She saw the girl hugging her leg, looking up with tear-filled eyes, raising one hand to cover her mouth as she silently mouthed:

“Master’s wife!”

[Author’s Note]:

Seraphine: You can be interested now.

Qiu Shuangshuang: Hehe.

Echo:?