Ascension Day

The attendant at the steamed bun shop lifted the lid of a steamer, deliberately fanning the white steam into the street to entice customers. Inside a tavern, a few drunken patrons were brawling. At a teahouse, idle customers sipped their tea while smiling at the beautiful young women passing by on the road.

A street vendor carried a straw pole on his shoulder, surrounded by a crowd of children clamoring to buy pinwheels.

Xu Ying groggily opened his eyes to a fragrant breeze. A woman lifted a beaded curtain and came to the bedside. She began to undress as she lay down on the bed, her laughter like pearls. "I'm tired, I'll just rest for a bit... Who are you?"

The woman shrieked, scrambling to her feet and clutching her clothes to her chest as she stared at Xu Ying in terror.

Xu Ying quickly said, "Miss, please don't scream! I'm not a bad person! I was exhausted from walking all day and saw this place was empty, so I lay down to rest. I planned to leave at dawn. I didn't mean to offend you!"

The woman said, "Turn around and wait for me to get dressed!"

Xu Ying turned his back and heard the rustling of clothes. The woman then said, "I'm dressed. You can turn back around."

When Xu Ying turned, a gleaming Treasure Sword was resting on his shoulder. The woman's almond-shaped eyes were wide with fury. "You lecher, you dare take advantage of me! I'll have your blood today!"

Xu Ying quickly said, "Miss, I truly came here by accident. I had no intention of being improper. Besides, I am a man of Cultivation. You can't hurt me..."

He had just spoken when he tried to channel his Primordial Qi. A chill went down his spine. The Primordial Qi in his body was completely gone!

The woman moved the Treasure Sword and barked, "What's your name? So I know which philanderer is about to die by the sword of Feng Xue'Er!"

Discovering that his Cultivation was completely gone, Xu Ying thought, 'This is bad,' and said, "Miss, my name is Xu Ying."

"Xu Ying?"

The young woman froze for a moment. Then, her pretty face flushed red, and she dropped the Treasure Sword and ran away.

Xu Ying stood there stunned for a moment, then it dawned on him. He quickly got up to slip away, but just then, a matronly woman and several maids approached with the shy young lady. The matron laughed from a distance and said, "So it's our son-in-law! You arrived without sending any word! Who arranged for our son-in-law to stay in this boudoir?"

Xu Ying was dumbfounded and at a loss. He stammered, "When did I..."

The young woman, shy and timid, shot him a sideways glance and whispered, "I thought he was a lecher. I almost hurt him..."

The matron's expression turned serious. "Although the engagement was arranged long ago, my daughter is not yet married. There's no excuse for barging into her private chambers. Since our son-in-law is here, why don't we just hold the wedding here at the Feng Family's estate? It will prevent any gossip."

"Lord Zhong! Lord Zhong!"

Xu Ying called out frantically, but Da Zhong was silent. He then called for Yuan Qi, but Yuan Qi didn't answer either.

Panicked, Xu Ying whispered to himself, 'It's a dream! An illusion! I'll wake up soon and everything will be fine!'

Believing it was a dream, he calmed down and didn't resist.

They were married that day. It was rushed, but beautiful. When night fell, it was time for the wedding chamber. The guests had all left, the boisterous celebration faded, and Xu Ying sat on the edge of the bed. He could feel his heart pounding wildly, even as he told himself it was only a dream, that it wasn't real.

But his heart wouldn't stop racing.

The young woman, Feng Xue'Er, lifted a corner of her wedding veil and giggled. "You dared to barge into my room and lie on my bed, but you don't dare lift my veil?"

Xu Ying mustered his courage, stepped forward, and lifted the young woman's veil. He blushed and didn't dare to look at her.

Feng Xue'Er leaned into his embrace, feeling her body go limp and soft. She smiled. "I don't know why, but my heart started pounding the moment I saw you. It feels as if I've known you for a long, long time..."

She tilted her head up, her eyes like stars. In them, Xu Ying saw a familiar light.

It was the same starlight he had seen in Yuan Rushi's eyes.

She kissed him. The taste was familiar.

Night spilled past the beaded curtain, and the sweet spring night felt all too short.

The next day, Xu Ying felt this was all a dream. He silently called out to Da Zhong in his mind but still received no response. The dream was a long one. Feng Xue'Er got out of bed, and they went to pay their respects to her parents together.

Suddenly, his life was filled with a happiness the young snake-catcher had never dared to imagine.

Several months passed. He gradually forgot Yuan Qi, forgot Da Zhong, and forgot about a girl named Zhu Chanchan. He began to feel that his former life was the dream, and he couldn't live in a dream.

This happiness, right here and now, was what was real. He especially cherished his days with Feng Xue'Er.

One day, Feng Xue'Er told him that several Great Mages had come to Diqiu. On the orders of Emperor Wu, they were here in Diqiu to perform a Celestial-Human Communication ritual. Celestial-Human Communication was a cultivation path proposed by a Qi Refiner of the Dong Clan, focused on communicating with the gods and spirits of heaven and earth.

Xu Ying didn't think much of it at first. The Celestial-Human Communication ritual held by the Great Mages was a long process of communicating with the Ghost Gods of heaven and earth. Gradually, a terrifying change occurred in the sky; the world itself seemed to be tilting, and everyone in the city grew worried.

But fortunately, nothing happened.

Then one day, Xu Ying woke from a deep sleep to find the space beside him empty. An ominous premonition rose in his heart. He walked out of his room to find the Feng Mansion deserted. There was no one there.

He stumbled out of the Feng Mansion. The streets were empty, too. Not a soul in sight. Steam was still rising from the bamboo steamers on the street, the tea in the teahouses was still warm, and the aroma of braised beef filled the air.

And yet, there was no one in Diqiu.

Everyone had vanished.

Panic seized his heart. He searched for his wife, for the Great Mages, but he couldn't find anyone.

"Where did you all go?" he croaked, searching everywhere like a madman.

"Where is everyone?"

"Xue'Er!"

As if he had lost everything, he broke down, wailing, tears and snot streaming down his face as he walked alone down the empty streets.

That day, he lost everything. He cried like a wounded wolf, a heart-wrenching, gut-tearing wail.

The heavens had given him the most beautiful thing, only to snatch it away.

If he had never been given it, he wouldn't be this heartbroken.

In a teahouse, a sorrowful old man appeared. On the table before him sat a steaming cup of tea.

"Drink this tea, and you will forget everything that happened here. You will have a new life," the sorrowful old man told him.

His heart a bed of ashes, Xu Ying stumbled toward the cup of tea.

...

"Ying! Ying!" A bell chimed, and Da Zhong's voice seemed to travel from a great distance, growing closer and closer.

Xu Ying snapped awake. He found himself on the side of a street in Diqiu City. Just as in the dream, he was standing in a teahouse, holding a steaming cup of tea.

Xu Ying hurriedly put down the teacup and touched his face. It was covered in tears.

"Ying, you were sleepwalking!" Yuan Qi said gravely.

"I was sleepwalking?" Xu Ying asked, his voice hollow.

Zhu Chanchan said, "Yes, you were. You were yelling and screaming. It was like you'd suddenly lost everything. You were crying so pitifully. You kept searching for someone in your dream."

"Was I?"

Xu Ying composed himself and looked down at the cup of tea on the table.

'Was the dream real? Or was it just a vivid dream?'

'If it was, then this must be Meng Po's Soup.'

He picked up that cup of tea from three thousand years ago and drank it all in one gulp. It was a familiar taste.