Yu Chen’s second round lasted at a level befitting a top-tier alpha—not just surpassing fifteen minutes but exceeding Yun Xunlan’s three-hour mark, which even made Yun Xunlan worry about going over time.
Thankfully, Yu Chen was mindful that the next day wasn’t a weekend, and Yun Xunlan had work in the morning. So, by around 1:30 AM, he decided to stop.
After checking three times to ensure that Yun Xunlan wasn’t injured or bleeding, the two of them showered and lay in bed, embracing each other.
While Yu Chen’s body had calmed down, his emotions hadn’t. His heart felt wrapped in love, as if every beat no longer pumped blood but sweet nectar instead.
He thought it would be good to share some tender words with his lover afterward—silence didn’t feel right. But when Yu Chen looked down at Yun Xunlan, he found that the youth had already fallen asleep on his chest without him noticing.
Yun Xunlan’s breathing was unusually light as he slept. His long lashes rested on his cheeks, casting faint shadows beneath his eyes. His sleeping face was serene and peaceful.
Yu Chen quietly watched him for a long time before leaning down to kiss the small red mole at the corner of Yun Xunlan’s eye. “Lanlan, good night.”
If Yun Xunlan hadn’t fallen asleep, he would have surely replied with a “Good night, baby.”
However, even Yun Xunlan himself hadn’t expected to fall asleep so quickly tonight—and to dream as well.
—That was rare.
Especially since Yun Xunlan dreamed of his past life.
In his previous life, he was born into a prestigious family of cultivators. It was said that one of their ancestors had ascended as a sword immortal. Because of this lineage, even though Yun Xunlan himself had poor talent and aptitude for cultivation, he lived under the protection of his family in grand mansions with luxurious comforts.
Later, he joined the Beiwen Sect and became its foremost healer. After earning the title of Immortal Lord Xilan, his status became unparalleled—honored and revered beyond measure.
Countless people admired, loved, and were infatuated with him—so many that they were impossible to count.
Yet perhaps surprisingly, it wasn’t until he was 1,200 years old that someone first confessed their feelings to him.
That person was a mortal woman whom Yun Xunlan had saved during one of his journeys down the mountain.
After recovering from her injuries, she expressed her feelings to Yun Xunlan and confessed her admiration for him.
Yun Xunlan was taken aback by her confession. The young medicine apprentices under him and the cultivators and patients in the medicinal garden were equally shocked when they heard about it.
Some sneered with disdain; others mocked her for being delusional and overreaching; still others scolded her for her audacity in daring to covet Immortal Lord Xilan.
After recovering from his initial surprise, Yun Xunlan gently spoke to the woman: “We’ve only known each other for a few days. You don’t know my character or whether I’m virtuous or wicked—how can you be so infatuated with me?”
“Immortal Lord, your elegance is unparalleled—who wouldn’t fall for you? Knowing you for only a few days doesn’t matter; there’s something called ‘love at first sight,’” she countered. “Besides, you saved my life. This life belongs to you now, so my admiration for you is both natural and reasonable.”
“That does make sense,” Yun Xunlan nodded before smiling gently. “It doesn’t matter why you admire me—but it’s best if it isn’t because I saved you.”
The woman didn’t understand: “Why?”
Yun Xunlan told her, “Because it might not truly be your genuine feelings.”
“Before I entered the path of cultivation, I saw people fall in love with those who hurt them—but that wasn’t necessarily love.”
“So, while I saved you and you feel gratitude toward me, even admiration, which is perfectly reasonable, it might not reflect your true intentions.” Yun Xunlan’s naturally phoenix-shaped eyes carried a captivating charm, but his words were like cold water poured over one’s head, bringing clarity. “Don’t mistake your true feelings and end up misleading yourself for a lifetime.”
The woman seemed thoughtful for a moment before asking again: “What if these are my true feelings?”
“Then they are yours to act upon. It’s not for me to dictate. I can only speak for my own heart,” Yun Xunlan replied gently. “And at this moment, I have no feelings for you—nor do I think I ever will.”
No matter how tactfully he phrased it, his words were ultimately a rejection.
After being rejected, the woman didn’t leave Yun Xunlan’s medicinal garden. Instead, she found a position caring for the herbs there.
Sometimes she would bring small gifts for Yun Xunlan. He wouldn’t accept anything valuable or overly intimate items like handkerchiefs or sachets. If she brought snacks or sweets, Yun Xunlan would take a symbolic bite before distributing the rest to the apprentices. However, if she brought freshly bloomed mountain flowers or fresh fruits, Yun Xunlan would accept them and repay her with an equivalent amount of silver.
Three months passed like this until Yun Xunlan had to leave the area to journey elsewhere.
The night before his departure, a young apprentice knocked on Yun Xunlan’s door and cautiously asked: “Immortal Lord, we’re setting off tomorrow… will you be taking Xinghua with you?”
“Her legs are her own—how could it be up to me to take her along?” Yun Xunlan chuckled. “If she wants to travel with us and can keep up, then she may follow. But if she can’t keep up, I won’t stop for her alone.”
The apprentice blushed and stammered: “…Yes, yes.”
Yun Xunlan glanced at the apprentice and asked: “Is there something else you want to ask me?”
“Xinghua is a good girl…” The apprentice lowered his head, nervously tugging at the hem of his clothes before suddenly blurting out: “Immortal Lord, what kind of person do you like?”
Yun Xunlan answered truthfully: “I don’t know.”
He looked at the apprentice again and asked: “And what about you? What kind of person do you like? Is it someone like Xinghua?”
The apprentice’s face turned pale instantly as he dropped to his knees with a thud: “It was presumptuous of me! Please punish me!”
“I’m not angry—stand up,” Yun Xunlan said helplessly but with curiosity. “If you like Xinghua, why don’t you tell her?”
“Xinghua likes you. Immortal Lord, you’re the best person in the world—I admire you too,” the apprentice said with a bitter smile but with genuine sincerity in his tone. “In my heart, Xinghua is the best girl in the world. I hope… I hope she—”
—Can be with the best person in the world.
The apprentice didn’t dare finish that sentence in front of Yun Xunlan.
The next day when they set off on their journey, Xinghua wasn’t among their group.
However, they had barely walked 100 meters when Xinghua came running after them with a bouquet of pink mountain flowers in her arms: “Immortal Lord! Immortal Lord—!”
The attendants thought she was bringing flowers for Yun Xunlan again and made way for her.
Xinghua ran breathlessly toward him with her bouquet: “Immortal Lord! I’ve seen through my true feelings.”
“Oh?” Yun Xunlan gestured for the attendants to slow down so Xinghua could catch her breath. “Do you still admire me?”
“Immortal Lord, you are the best person in the world,” Xinghua said without answering his question directly. “But no matter how good you are… you’re not my destined one.”
As soon as Xinghua spoke, some people murmured below, criticizing her for being arrogant.
Yun Xunlan, however, remained patient and asked her, “Then who do you think is your destined one?”
“Wen Yi!” Xinghua said, naming the apprentice.
“I’ve thought it through. Yes, you saved me, but during my recovery, it was Wen Yi who took care of me.” Xinghua’s eyes sparkled brightly, as did the fine sweat on her forehead from running. “Others mocked me for admiring you, saying I was a toad lusting after a swan. But only he told me I was wonderful. He helped me deliver flowers to you, handkerchiefs, and sachets… hoping I could be worthy of the best things in the world.”
“I suppose I once admired you. Thank you for saving my life.” Xinghua bowed to Yun Xunlan in gratitude and finally answered his earlier question. She then handed him the bouquet of pink mountain flowers—poppies—and said with a smile: “But from now on, I’ll admire someone else!”
“Alright.” This time, Yun Xunlan didn’t repay Xinghua with silver coins. He smiled and accepted her flowers.
That bouquet of mountain flowers was enough as repayment for saving her life.
Xinghua continued traveling with Yun Xunlan but eventually entered a relationship with Wen Yi. When they got married, Yun Xunlan even sent them a wedding gift.
He watched them marry and have children. He witnessed Xinghua age as a mortal who never entered the path of cultivation and saw Wen Yi remain unchanged after building his foundation—steadfast in his love for Xinghua even after her passing.
The year after Xinghua’s death, during March when apricot blossoms began to bloom again, Wen Yi knocked on Yun Xunlan’s door late one night.
He came to bid farewell to Yun Xunlan.
Yun Xunlan said: “You still have years left to live.”
A foundation-building cultivator has a lifespan of 300 years, yet Wen Yi had only lived 120.
“My aptitude is too poor; the immortal path is long and arduous—I won’t be able to walk it much further. So why not stop now? If I return to reincarnation sooner, I can reunite with Xinghua earlier.” Wen Yi shook his head and knelt before Yun Xunlan to bow deeply. “I won’t be able to serve by your side anymore. Please take care.”
Yun Xunlan bid him farewell as well: “Alright. If fate allows it, we’ll meet again.”
Wen Yi and Xinghua were buried together on the southern slope of a mountain near the Beiwen Sect. Whenever Yun Xunlan wasn’t in seclusion or traveling and found himself idle, he would visit their graves to pay his respects.
One winter during such a visit, Yun Xunlan noticed an elderly man with white hair secretly watching him.
Yun Xunlan turned his gaze toward the man. The man met his eyes briefly before panicking and running away in haste—only to trip and break his leg after a few steps. Yun Xunlan approached him to treat his injury.
The elderly man stared at Yun Xunlan for a moment before suddenly asking: “Do you remember me? Sixty-two years ago, you saved me too.”
Yun Xunlan replied: “Were you like this sixty-two years ago?”
“No,” the elderly man said as he glanced at Yun Xunlan’s silver-white hair that matched his own and then at the youth’s eternally youthful face. With a self-deprecating laugh, he added: “You haven’t changed—I’ve grown old. My name is… Tai Song.”
“Ah, I remember your name—but I didn’t recognize you,” Yun Xunlan said with some familiarity. “You were poisoned by the horned Kui snake back then, weren’t you? It was here in this mountain that I saved you while visiting an old friend’s grave.”
When Tai Song heard the first half of Yun Xunlan’s statement, he thought it was merely polite talk. But upon hearing the latter half, he realized with astonishment that Yun Xunlan truly remembered him.
He became emotional: “You… you still remember me?”
Compared to Tai Song’s excitement, Yun Xunlan remained calm: “I remember many people.”
Seeing this, Tai Song calmed down as well. After a moment of silence, he asked again: “Do you have someone you like now?”
Xinghua was the first person to confess her admiration for Yun Xunlan. After her, more and more people expressed their feelings for him, but Yun Xunlan always gave them the same response: to first understand their true feelings and not mislead themselves.
“No,” Yun Xunlan replied when Tai Song asked if he had someone he liked. “The roads are slippery in this cold weather. Let me help you down the mountain.”
Yun Xunlan reached out to help him up.
“No need,” the elderly man said, pushing Yun Xunlan’s hand away. “The immortal path is long, but my journey home is short. You don’t need to escort me.”
Yun Xunlan found this odd: “It seems like you resent me for something?”
The old man said, “Back then, you told me to understand my true feelings…”
“Yes,” Yun Xunlan nodded. “Did you figure them out?”
The old man countered: “Do you think I did?”
“I don’t know. You left on your own afterward,” Yun Xunlan replied. “I assumed you must have figured it out.”
The old man stood up on his own and said, “You shouldn’t have saved me again. This life has been filled with bitter longing—if I had passed on earlier, it might have been better. I only hope that in my next life, I won’t meet you again.”
Yun Xunlan could only watch as the old man descended the mountain.
“I don’t like what he said—it’s so sour! What kind of nonsense is that?” The system grumbled in Yun Xunlan’s mind. “If you meet his reincarnation one day, make sure to punch him while he’s still young. At his current age, one punch from you would kill him outright, and there’s no need to add unnecessary karma.”
“What’s the point? My lifespan is long—I’ll eventually forget about him,” Yun Xunlan said with a faint smile. “From now on, just as he wished, we won’t meet again or recognize each other—that’s enough.”
He descended the mountain alone.
Three years later, Yun Xunlan returned to pay his respects at the grave again. This time, he encountered a young man whose appearance resembled what Tai Song might have looked like in his youth.
The system was overjoyed: “Quick—punch him!”
“It’s only been three years,” Yun Xunlan sighed helplessly. “This person isn’t Tai Song’s reincarnation.”
He approached the young man, who didn’t shy away or avoid him but simply stared at him intently. Yun Xunlan asked: “Are you looking for me?”
“N-no,” the young man stammered, blushing deeply as he spoke softly. “I just wanted to see the immortal from the painting among my father’s belongings…”
“Belongings” and “father”—those two words revealed a lot.
Hearing this, the system couldn’t help but sigh: “Tai Song… how did he end up ruining both himself and others?”
(advanced chapters available on kofi)
![How to Achieve Godhood with a Life-Threatening Persona [Quick Transmigration]](https://www.freenovels.net/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/219974s.jpg "How to Achieve Godhood with a Life-Threatening Persona [Quick Transmigration]")
![You’re Causing Chaos Again [e-sports]](https://www.freenovels.net/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/1sMqC2JNjIep8Ov.jpg "You’re Causing Chaos Again [e-sports]")
