A master of metaphysics is farming.

Shen Zhuoci and his group stayed for a while, and then left shortly afterward.

He Suian helped her to sit down by the small lotus pond. Jiang Xinyue and Xiang Huiying saw that she was in good spirits, so they chatted with her for a while before leaving the He residence to attend to their shop business.

Xiang He watched their figures disappear, "I'm sorry to have worried everyone these past few days."

Xing Ji and Zhu Nan were setting up tables and chairs, seemingly preparing something by the lotus pond. He Sui'an sat beside her, sometimes pouring her water, sometimes checking her complexion.

"You're awake now, and everyone is so happy for you."

He spoke words of relief, but Xiang He was preoccupied with other things, and no joy was visible in his eyes.

Seeing her expression, He Sui'an also frowned. "Where did your soul go back then... Black Crow said you disappeared."

Her eyes twitched, and she looked up at He. The black crow, with its iridescent black fur, approached and perched on her knees, shaking its head.

She reached out and gently tapped his head, asking softly, "Can you still sense me?"

"can."

A faint smile appeared at the corner of her lips. "So, at Longguang Temple, it was you who gave me the location of the array's core."

"Only that weak point."

When he was fighting Wulu, he had already sealed the two-story building, so that neither humans nor ghosts could easily get out. The only way to break it was to find the weak point of the formation and use talismans.

"Thank you."

The black crow seemed a little shy, blinked, and flew to a big tree, preening its feathers with its sharp beak.

Watching his agile movements, Xiang He's gloomy expression vanished, and she turned to look at He Suian with a smile, "Where's the spirit? It's not dead, is it?"

Seeing her gentle smile, He Sui'an relaxed her brows. "She's not dead, but she's been imprisoned in the imperial prison by the Emperor, separately from Wu Lu Xiaoyao. She's being cared for by a female physician and has already woken up."

"I'll have to go see her when I have time. I wonder if I can take her with me."

He Sui'an suddenly laughed, "The Emperor is eager for you to take him away. He's worried about the three people in the prison all day long and is hoping that you'll wake up soon and resolve these troubles."

"No rush. Let him be afraid for a few more days, and he won't easily believe such rumors next time."

"If the Emperor hears this, you'll lose your head."

Xiang He nodded and leaned back a little. "He's still afraid of those three in the prison. He won't let me lose my head."

She tugged at the thin blanket on her lap, her gaze falling on the surface of the pool. "Has Mirror Flower Water Moon been out lately?"

“No,” He Sui’an placed the cup in her hand. “After we came back, Shuiyue said she was going to the pool to absorb the essence of the moon and the earth to recover.”

"fair enough."

She shifted her body slightly, and He Sui'an immediately reached out to help her. Xiang He smiled at him and said, "There's no need to be so nervous."

"It's better to be careful."

Seeing how nervous he was, Xiang He simply let him help her up and slowly walked to the edge of the lotus pond. Gazing at the blooming lotus flowers in the pond, so beautiful and delicate, she found it a delight to behold.

But when he thought of the Mirror Flower whose chest cavity had been pierced that day, and the Water Moon that had almost been scattered, a sense of worry rose in his heart.

"A mirage, a reflection in the water, are they still well?"

The lotus flowers in the pond swayed slightly, touching the lotus leaves beside them and swaying along with them. Sunlight shone on the water's surface, creating a shimmering effect.

After a long while, Xiang He sensed something surging beneath the surface of the water, which was followed by ripples spreading across the water's surface.

After a while of turbulence, misty white specks appeared on a lotus flower. Suddenly, a gentle breeze blew by, causing the specks to spin, which was quite beautiful.

As if sensing something, Xiang He raised her right hand and opened her palm. The starlight floated over like streams of light, swirling and drifting. When it touched Xiang He's middle finger, the starlight transformed into a hand.

From her hands to her entire body, Shuiyue's face gradually became clear. It should have been the day of farewell, but instead, I saw grievance on her face.

"girl!"

She called out, grasped Xiang He's hand, and lunged forward. Xiang He had no choice but to open her arms to catch her. Just as she hugged her neck, He Suian tightened her grip on Xiang He's waist.

Xiang He staggered two steps and grabbed Shui Yue, while He Suian steadied Xiang He from behind, thankful that they hadn't fallen to the ground together.

No near misses.

Xiang He gently patted Shui Yue's back, "What's wrong? Why are you looking aggrieved when you see me?"

Shuiyue brushed against Xiang He's ear and said in a muffled voice, "Sister... Sister hasn't woken up yet..."

The hand that was patting her stopped, and he slowly pulled her away, their eyes meeting. "What happened? You should be able to recover once you're back in the mirror."

Shuiyue's face was contorted with grief, tears streaming down her cheeks. "I don't know either. My sister hasn't woken up yet, but her wounds have healed. I'm so worried about her..."

Xiang He raised her hand to wipe away the tears from the corners of her eyes and gently comforted her, "Don't worry, go and bring up the mirror, let me see what's wrong."

For her sake, Jinghua did not hesitate to use her cultivation to destroy the talisman and was seriously injured by Wulu. For both reason and emotion, Xianghe should save her.

Not to mention the feelings we've developed over this long period of time; we've come to regard each other as family.

Shuiyue nodded vigorously, then floated underwater.

He Sui'an glanced back, and Xing Ji immediately brought over a chair, then helped Xiang He sit down.

"Take care of yourself."

Xiang He sat down, holding his hand, her eyes filled with worry as she looked at the water. "Don't worry, Jinghua should be fine. I won't have to exert much effort."

He Sui'an bent down to pick up the cup that had fallen to the ground and casually placed it on the table that Xing Ji had brought over. "Since we came back that day, Jinghua has not appeared, nor have the Four Ghosts."

"As long as the four ghosts don't show their big umbrella, they will be safe and sound."

“But after your soul left, the umbrella lost all its power, and even Zhuo Ci could pick it up.”

With a worried look in her eyes, Xiang He frowned slightly. "Because when I made the umbrella, I placed a curse on it. As long as my soul leaves my body, the umbrella will not be able to sense my presence and will seal its power. Even if an ordinary person gets the umbrella, they will not be able to use it."

Upon hearing her words, He Suian raised his hand, grabbed her wrist, and held it tightly without letting go.

She had even planned out her own future, but in the end she still came back here. She must be feeling terrible inside.

Remembering how heartbroken she was yesterday, He Suian was worried that she might have a momentary lapse in judgment.

Feeling the pressure on her hand, Xiang He turned to look at him, his eyes filled with unwavering worry. This look touched Xiang He's heart, and she raised her hand to cover the back of his hand.

"I'm fine, I..."

She choked back a sob, her gaze fixed on him, "I went back for a while."

Those few words deepened the worry in He Suian's eyes: "Yours is modern?"

"Yes," the words caught in her throat, turning into a sigh, her eyes brimming with tears, "I saw my master and fellow disciples, we sat together laughing and talking, but in the end they told me that I wasn't originally from the modern world..."

From the time she could remember, all she had were her master and fellow disciples. She thought she had just experienced a fantastical journey, but when they met again, she realized that she was the stranger.