Chapter 100

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Chapter 100: Extra Edition

As the 122nd cycle began, Qi Leyuan opened his eyes to find himself back in the backyard of the Spring Flowers Tower.

Qi Leyuan was confused for a moment. He had just been in the palace playing Jian Hou, but suddenly he was back…?

"Cluck cluck~ Cluck cluck…" Qi Leyuan tried to speak but heard a chicken noise. He checked his items and saw that his tool was still unused.

Something is wrong, Qi Leyuan thought. It was activated before, how… could it be a reincarnation reset?!

He excitedly flapped his wings and flew into the courtyard, wanting to tell Li Chunzhou about this.

The courtyard was silent. Chihong stood still with a broom, Li Chunzhou was nowhere to be seen.

Qi Leyuan ran to Chihong, almost saying "Chi…" but realized Chihong was still an enemy character. As a player, he couldn’t talk to her directly. So he swallowed his words and hesitated, looking at Chihong.

Unexpectedly, Chihong lowered her head and said, "Li Li…?"

Qi Leyuan was overjoyed, feeling a pleasant surprise as if meeting an old friend in a foreign land. "That’s great, you remember me? Chihong, do you remember what happened in the previous reincarnation?"

"I remember," Chihong paused for a moment, then added, "I remember everything from the past one hundred and twenty-one cycles."

"Oh my goodness!?" Qi Leyuan blurted out, then his face changed, "Is it just you who remembers, or is everyone remembering?"

The two looked at each other, Chihong grabbed Qi Leyuan’s wing and ran upstairs, everyone they passed was acting strangely, some were crying, some were laughing, and others were mumbling to themselves while holding their heads.

Chihong pursed her lips, looking down from the upstairs to the street, she saw the same scene below, some people were passionately sharing their memories, others were standing absentmindedly, reminiscing about the past.

Everyone… everyone remembered the memories from the previous one hundred and twenty-one cycles.

Qi Leyuan’s surprise lasted less than a moment, he quickly looked up at Chihong and said, "The urgent task now is to find Lady Chun, she is the only one whose actions were different in the one hundred and twenty-one cycles. After they realize it, we might have to deal with Lady Chun!"

Chihong nodded silently, carrying Qi Leyuan back to the courtyard.

The two searched the courtyard over and over again, and in the midst of it, Ming Xiang came down from upstairs. Without time for greetings, Ming Xiang helped them search after hearing what they were doing.

The three searched everywhere they could, but couldn’t find a trace of Li Chunzhou.

Ming Xiang said to Qi Leyuan, "Li Li… There is one more thing, besides the NPC memories, it seems our skills and items can now be used."

Qi Leyuan looked at her with surprise, "What?!"

When Qi Leyuan used the Voice Sphere just now, he didn’t feel strange because he could use props in the last reincarnation. Now that Li Zhexuan is not around, all players can use skills and props…

It was one thing after another, giving Qi Leyuan a headache. Who knows what these players will do with skills and props in the Dungeon…?

Thinking about this, Qi Leyuan quickly opened the chat channel, checked the number of survivors, and found that there were still twenty people alive, including himself.

This means that all the NPC who died in the last reincarnation have come back to life, but the players who died in the last reincarnation have not resurrected.

Pondering the differences here, Qi Leyuan felt that the consciousness of those players who did not come back to life had probably been consumed by Li Zhexuan. However, Li Zhexuan did not consume the consciousness of the "NPCs", so they could be reborn with each reincarnation.

As he was thinking, he suddenly saw a figure appear at the door. Qi Leyuan thought it was Li Chunzhou, and excitedly looked up, only to find out it was Red Bean.

Red Bean rushed over and hugged Chihong tightly, not saying a word, yet it felt like everything had been said.

After more than a hundred reincarnations, apart from Li Chunzhou, the person Chihong spent the most time with was Red Bean, even though they didn’t have memories before.

In the previous cycle, Red Bean heard someone say that Chihong had died. Even though Red Bean usually acted carelessly, when she saw Chihong again, her eyes couldn’t help but turn red. She ran over and hugged Chihong tightly to make sure she was still alive.

Ming Xiang watched nearby with envy, feeling a bit sad and puzzled.

Chihong stood still like a log as Red Bean hugged her. She noticed Ming Xiang standing awkwardly on the side, so she softened her expression, gestured for Ming Xiang to come closer, and then pulled Ming Xiang into the hug as well.

Ming Xiang was surprised to be held in this warm embrace. Tears fell unconsciously from her eyes. She tentatively reached out her hand and hugged Chihong and Red Bean tightly, feeling a sense of belonging for the first time.

Qi Leyuan watched the heartwarming scene in front of him and flew over, landing on Ming Xiang’s shoulder, trying to join the hug.

Once everyone’s emotions calmed down, Ming Xiang and Red Bean discussed the last things they remembered before the previous cycle ended.

When the Turks invaded the capital, Red Bean, Ming Xiang, and Ming Niang followed the others from the Spring Flowers Tower and escaped to the south. They lived together until the cycle ended, relying on each other for survival.

After confirming their memories were correct, Red Bean took a bag of silver and set off to redeem Ming Niang. Chihong and the others waited in the courtyard for Li Chunzhou to return.

However, after waiting all afternoon, Li Chunzhou did not return. Instead, they were surprised to see many unexpected visitors, including Xu Yanqu, Gu Lingfan, Li Sanchun, Gu Jianxi, and many other unnamed men…

Some people left sadly when they heard Li Chunzhou was not there, while others refused to leave.

Since Chihong waited outside the small courtyard, she didn’t forcefully chase people away.

After reading the messages in the chat channel, Ming Xiang hesitantly asked Qi Leyuan, "Since Lady Chun was still in the palace before you separated, is Lady Chun still there now?"

After thinking for a moment, Qi Leyuan thought it made sense, so he and Ming Xiang went to the palace together.

There are currently four surviving players in the palace. If we include players from the previous dynasty, there are seven in total, including Jian Hou.

Jian Hou’s name was still lit up, indicating he was still alive. This made Qi Leyuan somewhat apprehensive. Although it was a bit reckless to go to the palace now, the priority was to find Lady Chun, so he overlooked the risk.

The guards in front of the main gate of the palace had disappeared. They were probably digesting the ten years of memories that suddenly appeared in their minds. Despite no obstruction, Qi Leyuan still used a stealth skill for himself and Ming Xiang.

The palace was also in chaos, everything was a mess. The palace staff were not in a hurry to work; most of them were chatting with familiar people.

The two of them sneakily searched around the palace but didn’t see Li Chunzhou and Li Zhexuan. Instead, they encountered Linlang and Ying Rui.

They both were wearing light-colored palace outfits, but were holding guns in their hands, probably as props, seeking revenge on those who had bullied them in their past lives.

In the face of overwhelming firepower, all statuses and rules became a joke.

After hearing Ming Xiang’s story about their purpose for coming, Linlang voluntarily suggested taking the two of them to meet Prime Minister Gu.

In Qi Leyuan’s impression, Prime Minister Gu was associated with Jian Hou’s group, so he was doubtful of Linlang’s suggestion.

As Prime Minister Gu was with the Emperor, the palace staff outside were in a delicate state. Gu Chenxin dared not let Liang Yongyuan out of his sight, so after awakening at home and realizing what had happened, he immediately brought his guards to protect the Emperor in the palace.

After Qi Leyuan explained his purpose and considerations to Prime Minister Gu and the Emperor, Liang Yongyuan’s eyes lit up, and he stood up saying, "I can have everyone come look for Lady Chun together, making sure she is not found by others first! I have power now, things are different…"

Before he could finish his eager words, Prime Minister Gu, without looking away, firmly gestured for Liang Yongyuan to sit down. Gu Chenxin pondered for a moment before saying helplessly, "Your Majesty, please don’t be anxious. If I’m not mistaken, Lady Chun might not be in our era anymore."

"Then where is Lady Chun?" Liang Yongyuan asked with a furrowed brow.

Prime Minister Gu pursed his lips and said, "Forty years ago, Jian Hou and Li Zhexuan should have gone back forty years ago as well… Your Majesty, do you remember those two cats?"

Qi Leyuan was confused and asked, "What does that mean? Did Jian Hou and Li Zhexuan turn into cats?"

Prime Minister Gu comfortingly patted the Emperor’s shoulder and gently said, "Lady Chun didn’t acknowledge Your Majesty at that time, not because she disliked or forgot about Your Majesty, but because she didn’t know Your Majesty then…"

"Really?" Liang Yongyuan pursed his lips, his face showing a mix of tears and smiles, unable to tell if he was feeling sad or happy.

Ming Xiang and Qi Leyuan looked perplexed. Lady Chun had gone back forty years, so where should they go to find her now?

Prime Minister Gu seemed to understand their worries and turned to say, "Don’t worry, I remember Lady Chun disappeared in the year six hundred and fourteen of Daliang. This means she will surely come back. All we can do now is wait patiently."

Linlang nodded in agreement with Prime Minister Gu and said, "And we must also deal with the mess right now, as everything is in chaos."

Ying Rui discreetly hid the gun in her hand behind her back.

Prime Minister Gu exuded a calming presence and said in an organized manner, "Yes, apart from us, the Turks should also have memories of the past decade. I will draft a letter to General Mi to mobilize the army and prevent them from attacking the northwest border."

Liang Yongyuan stared at Qi Leyuan, who could speak, on the ground. Ming Xiang worried that Liang Yongyuan would leave Qi Leyuan in the palace to play with him at any moment. So, overcoming his fear of the sharp-beaked creature, he nervously hugged Qi Leyuan to his chest.

Linlang was very interested in military matters, so she volunteered to help Prime Minister Gu. She also asked Prime Minister Gu to help retrieve all the ancient books to make it easier for them to search for the traces left by the Time Beast in this world.

Qi Leyuan and Ming Xiang stayed in the palace for a while, but found that they couldn’t help, so they took the initiative to bid farewell to the others.

When they returned to Pingkang Alley, before entering Spring Flowers Tower, they saw a group of people gathered at the entrance watching a commotion.

Almost a whole day had passed, and they had digested all the facts. Since they now knew about reincarnation, who would bother to work? The idle men who had nothing to do started to gather in front of Spring Flowers Tower, where they usually dared not approach, wanting to force their way in to drink and have fun.

Li Sanchun, being experienced, was well aware of the tricks of these rogues. She had the security guards from the brothel block the door, not allowing anyone to enter.

Since everything would start over in a month, the money and wealth accumulated during that month would not be kept, so what’s the point of entertaining guests?

It’s better to just enjoy a comfortable life behind closed doors.

However, the men who wanted to visit the prostitutes were not willing. Two groups of people started arguing and eventually fighting. The security guards of the brothel in Spring Flowers Tower were trained, holding sticks at the door at that moment, and no troublemakers dared to approach.

Even in an argument, they couldn’t win. Not to mention the sharp-tongued Mama Li, the older women in Spring Flowers Tower were not easy to deal with. When they cursed, they were relentless.

Many of these women are aged prostitutes who have lost their looks, and don’t have enough money to retire or support themselves. So they work as maids or servants in the brothel, serving the famous prostitutes. Having seen a lot in their youth, they are not shy like other women. If a man insults them as "whores," the women from Spring Flowers Tower will retaliate by insulting his ancestors, causing the man to retreat in defeat.

The scene before them is quite ridiculous. Some elderly women strangely exude a strong vitality. Ming Xiang and Qi Leyuan watch from a distance, feeling eager to join in and hurl a few insults.

After all, cursing is a necessary lesson in life.

Cheng Yingchu is in the crowd, holding a crossbow. She shoots at any man she finds annoying with air pellets, which are invisible and not very harmful, but they certainly sting when they hit.

Everyone is busy with their own matters and doesn’t hold anyone back.

…

In the courtyard, Chihong is tidying up while occasionally glancing at Xu Yanqu who is standing at the small courtyard gate.

Everyone else has left, only he has been standing here all day. Chihong wants to say something to him but can’t find the right words, so she silently goes back to work.

She finishes sweeping the courtyard, goes to fetch water, cooks a meal, thinking that if Lady Chun returns, she won’t go hungry and can eat immediately.

Chihong used a ladle to scoop water out of the bucket, getting ready to cook porridge. As she looked at her reflection in the water, memories from many years ago suddenly came back to her. She couldn’t remember how many times she had been through this cycle, but she remembered one thing for sure.

When Li Chunzhou woke up, she was about to face another cycle. Chihong, the red bean, and everyone else had completely forgotten everything.

Just yesterday night, they were all drinking and playing cards under the moon, laughing and chatting. But when they woke up, all their feelings and memories vanished, and they treated Li Chunzhou with formal and distant behavior.

This kind of experience had happened countless times. Facing all of this, Li Chunzhou suddenly broke down emotionally. She pushed Chihong away and cried out, "Why don’t you remember me again?! I hate it! I hate you! I hate all of you! I don’t want to play with you anymore!"

Then she ran out of the door, with Li Zhexuan following in silence.

That day, Chihong remembered finding her under the Qinming River bridge.

It was already evening, Li Chunzhou sat on the ground with her knees hugged to her chest, her clothes all dirty. Li Zhexuan sat beside her, imitating her posture, while people passed by without noticing them.

But Chihong noticed them right away, the two children looking pitiful as they sat quietly there.

Li Chunzhou seemed calmer now, but when she looked at Chihong, she couldn’t help but purse her lips. When Chihong approached her, she turned her head away and reluctantly said, "I twisted my foot…carry me back."

Chihong didn’t say much, just nodded calmly and carried Li Chunzhou on her back, walking back along Qinming River step by step.

Li Zhexuan silently followed the two, the orange river reflecting the three figures as it flowed calmly.

The reflection in the river slowly overlapped with the one in the bucket. Chihong remembered when they returned to Spring Flowers Tower that day, Li Chunzhou had fallen asleep on her back, her sleeping face unbelievably gentle and cute.

…

Thinking back on these memories now, Chihong smiled faintly, feeling a sudden sense of sorrow – back then, only Lady Chun remembered these events, she must have been very lonely.

Red Bean, along with Ming Niang, returned before Qi Leyuan and Ming Xiang.

The food was ready, but Li Chunzhou still hadn’t returned.

After Qi Leyuan and Ming Xiang finished scolding someone at the door and came back contentedly, they told everyone what they had heard from Prime Minister Gu, including Xu Yanqu who was standing in front of the door in a green outfit, leaning against a tree lost in his thoughts.

Chihong fell silent for a moment, gazing at the orange-yellow sky as the sun set in the west, casting a golden cloak of light over the sky.

She looked down and said, "It’s okay, as long as you’re back, let’s have dinner."

Qi Leyuan looked towards Xu Yanqu standing outside the courtyard, cleared his throat, and said, "Um… Brother Yan…? Is it Brother Yan, do you want to come eat together…?"

Xu Yanqu was surprised by the fact that a chicken could speak for a moment, but soon accepted the reality. After all, with such bizarre things happening, a talking chicken didn’t seem that strange.

In the lingering light of the sunset, the sky and clouds gradually merged, as if the whole sky was gently tinged with a layer of golden light. Xu Yanqu also had a faint golden glow on him. His swan-like graceful neck lowered, he opened his mouth as if to ask something, but eventually closed it again.

With the topic brought up by Qi Leyuan, Chihong could finally speak, "Master Xu, sit down and have some food first… After dinner, we can talk about Lady Chun."

Xu Yanqu looked over unexpectedly, seeming surprised by Chihong knowing him.

Chihong nodded silently and added calmly, "Lady Chun often mentions you."

Xu Yanqu stood under the willow tree, suddenly smiled brightly, overflowing with joy, looking really happy, gently asked, "Really…?"

He walked in, sat somewhat shyly at the stone table, Qi Leyuan flew onto a stool, pecking at his rice, while Hong Dou went to fetch an extra set of utensils for Xu Yanqu. The six-person dining table was not crowded, but it was already considered lively.

As the sun went down in the west, the bright orange sky turned into a dark yellow gradually, signaling the coming of night. The sky began to show specks of light blue stars. At this twilight moment, the serene earth seemed to be enveloped in a warm glow.

While Xu Yanqu was eating, he suddenly felt a wave of sadness. Since the last cycle of rebirth, Li Chunzhou had been insisting that he should keep on living. Back then, to make her happy, Xu Yanqu agreed.

Therefore, despite the pain of being apart from her, he still pushed himself to fulfill his duty. Far away from her, relying on thoughts of her and the anticipation of reuniting, he found the desire to keep on living.

But now that Li Chunzhou was gone, the thread that had been tightly holding him seemed to snap all of a sudden, leaving him with no direction or purpose.

If he could completely give up, it would have been better, but unfortunately, the friends and relationships Li Chunzhou left behind were still there.

The network centered around her still gently enveloped him, nudging Xu Yanqu forward.

Whether he liked it or not, Xu Yanqu had to face the reality of Li Chunzhou’s absence and start his life anew.

Thinking about it like this really makes one feel sad.

…

Red Bean looked at Xu Yanqu’s saddened profile, hesitated, and awkwardly tried to comfort him, "Um… even though there’s no proof, I think Lady Chun actually likes you."

Xu Yanqu lifted his head in surprise, feeling her kindness, and politely smiled in gratitude.

Ming Xiang remembered how Xu Yanqu had helped Mama Li take care of many people during their last escape, so she affirmed, "You’ve already won over your mother-in-law, which sets you apart from other men."

Red Bean nodded beside them, her cheeks puffed from eating, and said while picking up food, "Lady Chun always smiles whenever she mentions you."

Xu Yanqu’s gentle smile softened even more, becoming more genuine, and he bashfully lowered his head as he chuckled.

Despite his gentle and sensitive nature not being understood or accepted by the men around him, Xu Yanqu was unexpectedly embraced warmly by a group of women.

As Xu Yanqu was leaving, Qi Leyuan, in a fatherly tone, earnestly reminded him to visit often.

Meanwhile, Gu Lingfan sat by the window lost in thought, everything from the last reincarnation and the events of the past decade felt like a dream, yet the sensation of river water flooding her nostrils remained fresh in her memory. She reached out, wearily gazing at the clear lines on her hand, then closed her eyes with complex emotions.

Whenever the sky darkened, Gu Lingfan couldn’t help but think of Lady Chun. Li Chunzhou had always been clingy since she was young. Gu Lingfan remembered when Spring Flowers Tower was not as wealthy back then. The window screens were dirty, and on gloomy days, she and Lady Chun would huddle under thin blankets. The thin covers were not warm enough, their arms touching, legs intertwined, their body temperatures mingling. Downstairs, guests were drinking and playing mahjong, and Li Chunzhou felt like a little furnace, providing warmth.

If time could stay at that moment, Gu Lingfan really wanted to keep her child with her, even willing to take care of her for a lifetime.

But how could that be possible…

Without Li Chunzhou, the days were calm as usual, just a little boring.

The girls in the building didn’t have to meet clients or do anything necessary, they just gathered together to play cards and chat every day, and eventually even started playing jump rope and kicking shuttlecocks.

Ming Xiang taught Hongdou to read the words of this era. She recited the poems from her memory word by word and sentence by sentence, writing them for Hongdou to read.

It’s very strange, back in school, the most annoying thing was memorizing these things, but now, besides poetry, Ming Xiang didn’t know what else could bypass the barriers of time and connect people from different eras like them.

No matter how chaotic the world outside Spring Flowers Tower is, Spring Flowers Tower remains a peaceful and tranquil place.

Qi Leyuan shuttled between Xiangru Court and Spring Flowers Tower, and his relationship with Xu Yanqu got better and better.

The 122nd cycle passed, the 130th cycle passed, the 137th cycle passed…

In the blink of an eye, more than a year had passed. Li Chunzhou had not appeared, and the Second Prince remained unconscious, sleeping. The remaining players, besides helping Prime Minister Gu, gathered together to search for information about the Time Beast by reading ancient books.

They had never stayed in a dungeon for such a long time before. Normally, after completing one, they would have to enter another one in a few days. But now, staying here for so long, they actually felt a sense of peaceful passage of time.

Gu Lingfan couldn’t remember how long it had been since Li Chunzhou left. It was a wild windy afternoon in the hot summer, with trees swaying, the sunlight gently shining through the leaves, and a slight breeze ruffling the flowers on the dressing table and the mirror.

Sitting in front of the dressing table, Gu Lingfan looked at her reflection in the mirror. A tear suddenly rolled down her cheek. She then covered her face with her slender hands and cried silently, uncontrollably.

Gu Lingfan was truly afraid that Li Chunzhou might never come back. She suddenly regretted neglecting the child and couldn’t help but wonder, if she had been nicer to her earlier… would Li Chunzhou be more willing to come back?

If only she had been kinder to her earlier… that would have been better.

***

[The 142nd Cycle of Reincarnation]

Excitedly, Linlang found two formations and ancient texts in the pile of ancient books and shared them in the group, saying, "I found it!"

She shared her guesses and understanding of the formation in the group, and invited them to complete it together.

The group fell silent, and the first person to support her idea was Qi Leyuan.

Cheng Yingchu voiced the doubts in the hearts of others who were too scared to speak, "What if the formation is activated? What will happen to us?"

Qi Leyuan said, "We might die, but even without this formation, we might still die at the hands of the Main God, perhaps even experiencing torture before death."

The chat channel remained silent, and Qi Leyuan continued, "And if we don’t dare to take risks, who else will? The old men in the court who just talk all day? Or the old man lying outside sunbathing all day? We were born in a more advanced era, have explored various dungeons, so we must take this risk. Ultimately, humans have only one enemy, the Main God. If we don’t stand up now, who will?"

Eventually, the players in the group agreed to their proposal.

So Linlang and Qi Leyuan approached Prime Minister Gu, shared their ideas with him. Surprisingly, Prime Minister Gu, after some thought, supported their idea and even pulled out a national map of Daliang, saying, "If what you say is true, and there is a ‘Main God’ controlling us, how can the consciousness of twenty of you be enough?"

She took out a brush from the table, decisively drew a few circles on the map, revealing a sharpness reminiscent of her youth, and said, "Let’s expand the sacrificial formation to here."

As a former powerful figure who once wielded great authority, Prime Minister Gu’s actions carried the aura of one long accustomed to high positions.

Qi Leyuan and Linlang looked at her in surprise. Prime Minister Gu smiled gently and said, "But before that, let’s reassure the people of Daliang. Once I have everything sorted out, you can start preparing the formation."

After speaking, she turned to look at the Emperor and asked, "Your Majesty, do you have any thoughts?"

Liang Yongyuan nodded, indicating that he had no objections and as usual, entrusted all major decisions to Prime Minister Gu.

"Please rest assured, I am not crazy and my mind is clear. This decision was made after careful consideration," Prime Minister Gu calmly added when the two hesitated to believe him. "We are willing to ‘die’, because we truly want to live."

Being trapped in the cycle of reincarnation could at best be described as going around in circles.

***

[180th Cycle of Reincarnation]

Everything was ready. Once the formation was drawn and activated, they would be able to summon the consciousness of Li Chunzhou and two others from forty years ago. But before that, Qi Leyuan had prepared alibis with everyone who might have had contact with Li Chunzhou, to make sure they could complete the sacrificial formation without her knowledge.

[181st Cycle of Reincarnation]

Four evil spirits served as key points of a formation, the first to leave Shengjing City was Zhao Er. She packed her bags with Zhao Junyuan, didn’t have time to thank Li Chunzhou in person, just bowed towards Spring Flowers Tower from afar when leaving Shengjing.

The second evil spirit to leave was Lady Shu, who had gone mad in her early years due to mental stress, so she had to be accompanied by Liang Jiayou to the destination.

The old lady, obedient and kind beside Liang Jiayou, waved goodbye to everyone, trapped in the palace for half her life, now finally able to go out and see the world.

Although Liang Yongyuan had no emotional connection with Lady Shu, he was still affected by the atmosphere of farewell, standing beside Prime Minister Gu shedding a few tears.

The third evil spirit to leave was Red Bean. Knowing her acting skills were poor, she avoided returning to Li Chunzhou from the beginning, instead, she hardened her heart and refused Li Chunzhou, giving up the option to stay longer with Lady Chun.

Seeing Li Chunzhou leaving Xiangru Court disappointed, Red Bean also felt uncomfortable inside.

The last evil spirit to leave was Chihong, staying by Li Chunzhou’s side until the fifteenth day, her limit, then Chihong packed her bags and bid farewell to Li Chunzhou.

Everyone in Shengjing City harbored a common secret. From the day Li Chunzhou returned, they one by one appeared onstage, performing a play that had been rehearsed many times.

When Li Chunzhou ran towards Spring Flowers Tower in the summer breeze, the servants inside the tower all smiled and greeted her.

When Li Sanchun pushed open the door and entered Mama Li’s room, she saw Li Sanchun putting down her cigarette. Li Sanchun looked surprised at first, but then she quickly smiled, waved at Li Chunzhou, pulled her into a hug, just like when they were children, wrapping her daughter in her wide embrace.

Mama Li held back tears in her eyes more than once.

"What’s wrong, my good child…?" Mama Li hugged her with great joy, the hand that was free lightly patting Li Chunzhou’s shoulder, her cheek against her daughter’s head, the smoke from her mouth blurring her view.

While Li Chunzhou thought she was expressing her hidden sorrow, unseen by her, Mama Li’s eyes were also filled with tears.

But all Mama Li could do was hide all her love in comforting words, repeatedly telling her daughter:

"Lady Chun, Mama wants to thank you, thank you for being by my side, thank you for willing to be my child, my daughter, my little Lady Chun…"

"It’s okay, mother will always be your support, whenever you feel sad, come back to mother’s side…"

…

When Li Chunzhou entered the palace, Gu Jianxi, who had been waiting in front of the palace gates for a long time, finally had the opportunity to say "have a safe journey."

When she slapped Liang Yongyuan in disappointment, Liang Yongyuan couldn’t say a word, he just stared blankly at Li Chunzhou’s face.

Li Chunzhou left the palace gates, the faint singing she heard near the Spring Flowers Tower was not a coincidence. Xu Yanqu already knew she was coming back this way, which is why he was standing there humming a tune in advance.

When Li Chunzhou’s gaze turned towards him, Xu Yanqu rolled up his sleeves. In the sunlight, his eyes were as clear as glass. Standing in the dappled shade, he gazed back at Li Chunzhou with a gentle look.

As she smiled widely and ran towards him with her radiant face, Xu Yanqu wasn’t indifferent as he waited for her to approach. In fact, he was at a loss, unable to move, rooted to the spot.

So, disregarding his makeup and clothes, he opened his arms and embraced her tightly, pulling Li Chunzhou into his arms.

Xu Yanqu had been waiting for this embrace for a whole five years.

…

When Li Chunzhou got drunk, staggering over to Gu Lingfan and talking nonsense, Gu Lingfan looked at her face in a daze. She hesitated to reach out several times, until Li Chunzhou, completely drunk, passed out on the table. Gu Lingfan then gently covered Li Chunzhou with her cloak.

Holding the drunk Lady Chun in her arms like a little cat was actually the happiest moment for Gu Lingfan in almost five years.

Everything that could be said or unsaid happened in her actions, but Li Chunzhou didn’t know it at that time.

That play continued until the last day of the month, and on that day, the tiniest yet greatest fleet in the world set sail.