130 Grand Finale

Ye Yin did not follow Fuyunzi’s suggestion to go to Potian Island. She scoured every possible location until she finally found Xi Yu at the residence atop Yangu Mountain.

She knew who the true grandmaster of this chess game was; only the one who tied the knot could untie it, and only then could the right remedy be applied.

Xi Yu remained unchanged, sitting alone under a tree, quietly playing a game of chess. The residence was nearly identical to how she remembered it; every blade of grass and tree was in its original place, and the young maids were still there, cheerfully serving tea. The only difference was the plum tree, which had withered. Not a single flower remained on its branches, presenting a desolate sight.

Neither spoke; silence flowed between them like a river.

"He is a clever man," Xi Yu said, placing a piece on the board. "The daughter of the Desolate Emperor is my ally. That day, after she caught the scent of the Yao-Tian Wolf, she couldn't help herself and whisked him away. Little did she expect that instead of succeeding in seducing him, she was tricked by a few words into revealing the truth, leading him to guess your fate. You can surely guess what happened next: he made a deal with me. I was to keep you safe, and he would take your place as a sacrifice to the Twelve Witches of Potian Island."

Ye Yin’s voice was faint, like a falling leaf in late autumn: "How was he sacrificed?"

"By offering his own body. Although not as perfect as you, a fellow member of the Wu clan, he was a unique and excellent substitute. Without a proper flesh-and-blood sacrifice, the lingering spirits of the Witch Gods would never have calmed their wrath and left Potian Island, and the end of the world would never truly have come to an end."

"So, everything before... was all an act?" Ye Yin asked in a low voice. "Just to make me lose heart?"

"Yet, you still came today."

"Is there anything left on me that I can use to trade? My lifespan, my flesh and blood... is there anything you desire? I understand—to achieve anything, one must pay the corresponding price."

Xi Yu’s hand, holding a chess piece, paused. His voice carried a hint of mockery: "So, in your eyes, I am such a mercenary person."

"No, you are simply fair," Ye Yin shook her head. "I know you would never lie to me."

Xi Yu smiled, though no one could discern the true emotion within it.

"Then, can you tell me how to get to his side?"

"You are already a Great Witch; you are undying and indestructible. You cannot go to his side."

"No, those twelve on Potian Island will die. They are more powerful than me, so I must be able to die as well."

Xi Yu reached out to gently stroke Ye Yin’s cheek: "I have lived so long, yet this is the first time I have seen a mighty being who has attained immortality so determined to seek death."

"I am no mighty being," Ye Yin said. "I want to see him, even if it is only for a moment. The way we said goodbye was wrong; we cannot end like this, in a haze of confusion."

"Does it matter if you disappear forever after seeing him?"

"Yes."

"Two fools."

"Yes, so we are a perfect match."

Xi Yu sighed and turned his palm over. The *Wushu Xiang* (Myriad Signs) slowly rotated above his palm, radiating a sacred and beautiful brilliance. Although this artifact had been inside her for nearly a decade, Ye Yin still felt a sense of distance from it and stared blankly, not daring to get closer. After all, she was merely a temporary user; Xi Yu was its true master.

"It will send you to the sacrificial grounds of that day. The accompanying protective power will last for about an hour. You are no longer its host, so once you enter, you will not be able to leave. In the end, you will be burned away by the karmic fire of the *Wushu Xiang* until nothing remains. Are you ready?"

"Wait," Ye Yin said suddenly.

Xi Yu raised the corner of his lips slightly: "Regret?"

"Since I can never return after this, I want to say goodbye to you." Ye Yin gave a brilliant smile: "Thank you. Take care of yourself in the future."

Xi Yu looked into Ye Yin’s eyes but did not answer. He chanted a mantra and activated the *Wushu Xiang*. It spun faster and faster in his palm until it suddenly burst into a brilliant light, and Ye Yin’s vision went black...

So hot.

When Ye Yin managed to open her eyes, she realized she was in a sea of flames. It seemed this was the sacrificial ground. A pale white light surrounded her, and the scorching fire seemed to fear it, unable to touch her.

It’s over. I wonder if Zhuo Chenglan has already been burned to death.

Ye Yin stumbled, running and calling out. The grounds were vast, and it was only after great effort that she discovered a dying Zhuo Chenglan behind a pillar. She rushed toward him, tears streaming down her face.

It was him. Although he looked wretched from the burns, his hair was still silver-white, and this face, which she had missed day and night, was undeniably his.

The emotions she had suppressed daily suddenly erupted. For the first time, Ye Yin realized she was not as calm and rational as she claimed. On the contrary, her heart had long been eroded by dark emotions; she felt resentment, jealousy, inferiority, and agony.

She had been missing him to the point of madness.

"Chenglan, Chenglan..." Ye Yin hugged his body desperately, trying to ensure the protective light around her covered him as well.

As the flames receded, Zhuo Chenglan slowly opened his eyes. Ye Yin had never known a person's eyes could contain such contradictory emotions simultaneously.

Wanting to see you,
Not wanting to see you.
Joy,
Agony.

"Why is it you? Leave quickly..." He tried to push her away.

Ye Yin slapped him hard across the face.

The blow left Zhuo Chenglan stunned for a long moment. Just as he looked at her in confusion, Ye Yin wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed him fiercely. Zhuo Chenglan stopped resisting, pulling her tightly into his embrace, as if he wanted to meld her into his own body.

In that moment, for them, there was nothing in heaven or earth but the boundless karmic fire and each other’s warmth.

"Why is it you..." Zhuo Chenglan also shed tears. He trembled as he stroked Ye Yin’s hair: "To think it is you..."

"It’s strange," Ye Yin said, crying. "I have died who knows how many times, yet I have never felt that dying with someone else could be such a wonderful thing. The feeling of knowing you left me to die first was so painful; not being able to see you one last time was so painful. It was truly unbearable. If Xi Yu hadn't told me I couldn't die back then, I would have lived a life worse than death, wouldn't I?"

"I'm sorry," Zhuo Chenglan kept whispering apologies: "For the way I treated you that day..."

"It’s fine, I’ll get it back with interest." Ye Yin tore open Zhuo Chenglan’s collar and bit down hard on his shoulder, leaving a bloody mark in moments.

"Don't you dare make decisions behind my back ever again." Ye Yin wiped the blood from her lips: "I don't need this kind of sacrifice; to me, it was nothing more than abandonment."

"Mm, I won't."

They both knew in their hearts that there was no "future."

"You are too stupid," Zhuo Chenglan said. "Who comes here to seek death? One is enough."

"You have no room to lecture me."

"You..."

Zhuo Chenglan sat against the pillar, and Ye Yin sat in his lap, facing him. They spoke in soft voices.

"They are all doing well. The Commander and his wife are in good health, and Zelian has become much more steady."

"That’s good. Somehow, it makes me feel less guilty about our double suicide."

"It’s not a double suicide; it’s a heroic sacrifice, okay? If we are to be sacrifices for the world, the least they can do is give us a single monument, right?" Ye Yin suddenly thought of Qiao Xinran and curled her lip: "Forget it, that person is no good; I won't count on it."

The flames burned higher and higher. The protective light was limited, meant for only one person, so they had to press as close as possible. The threat of death and the thinning air left them breathless, but it also ignited a fierce desire, and their breathing grew heavy.

"Is it very hot?" Zhuo Chenglan stroked the sweat-dampened hair on Ye Yin's forehead, gently tucking it behind her ear.

"It is. And you?"

"I am too." Zhuo Chenglan gently unbuttoned Ye Yin’s clothes one by one: "Shall we take these off?"

Ye Yin let him: "Who did you learn this from? Your master?"

Zhuo Chenglan laughed and bit her neck, causing her to cry out softly in pain.

"Jealous?"

"You bite hard, are you serious? As expected of a wolf." Ye Yin touched her neck: "It seems to be bleeding."

Zhuo Chenglan threw her clothes to the ground, where they were quickly incinerated by the flames. He used his tongue to lick the wound on her neck, his hand gently stroking her smooth spine, sending shivers from her head to her heels.

"Those were all lies. I want no one but you. I had arranged it with him; we lied to the Dragon Maiden, saying that a sacrificial offering to the Witch Gods could not lose its chastity, so she dared not do anything." Zhuo Chenglan kissed her collarbone, panting lightly: "Is this a dream? That I can hold you like this before I die."

Zhuo Chenglan’s breathing was seductive, and Ye Yin’s entire heart melted.

"The wedding last time couldn't be completed; it has... always been my regret." Ye Yin said with unsteady breath: "Does this count as skipping the steps and going straight to our wedding night?"

Zhuo Chenglan did not speak. One hand covered her left breast, lingering for a moment before suddenly kneading firmly, while his lips and teeth latched onto the other side, sucking and biting until Ye Yin could no longer speak a complete sentence, her voice filled with whimpers.

His fiery tongue glided across her snow-white skin, and his warm palms caressed every sensitive part of her body—her flanks, her thighs—tracing and outlining her, engraving her image deeply into his heart.

Just as Ye Yin was completely intoxicated, Zhuo Chenglan’s long fingers entered the place already prepared for him. The strange sensation of being forcibly opened made Ye Yin shudder; she clung tightly to his neck, her body rigid.

"Relax, you’ll get used to it soon."

Zhuo Chenglan kissed her. His kiss was as masterful as ever. Before she knew it, Ye Yin relaxed her nerves, unconsciously moving her body in rhythm with his fingers. Seeing that the time had come, Zhuo Chenglan pressed down on her waist and entered her in one breath.

After the pain of being torn came the pleasure that surged like a tidal wave.

Supreme pleasure struck their minds. They continued to unite amidst the flames, and Zhuo Chenglan kissed her tear-stained face again and again. She was utterly undone, calling his name repeatedly. Every time she called him, he responded with violent intensity. The white light protecting them grew dimmer and dimmer. When the flames began to scorch their skin, they reached the peak together.

"I love you."

This was the second time Zhuo Chenglan had said he loved her; the last time was during his marriage proposal.

"I love you too."

They listened to each other's heartbeats, smiling and holding each other tightly amidst the fire...

In the end, Xi Yu had lied to Ye Yin.

She and Zhuo Chenglan did not die. Although they were both burned to nothing in the fire, they were both granted new bodies, conjured by the *Wushu Xiang*, and they were identical to their original ones.

This result was clearly a concession made by Xi Yu; he had abandoned a precious treasure to fulfill their wish. No one knew better than Ye Yin just how valuable a gift the *Wushu Xiang* was.

Unfortunately, Xi Yu had already ascended to the upper realms, and the residence on Yangu Mountain was empty. Ye Yin felt a tinge of melancholy that she could not thank him.

When the Zhuo couple returned, everyone was deeply shocked and overjoyed, not knowing what to do with themselves. The Zhuo family, in particular, nearly broke their tradition of keeping a low profile.

Their eldest son, who had been missing for years, had suddenly returned home with his wife. Commander Zhuo and his wife felt their lives were finally complete. When Ye Yin gave birth to twin boys the following year, they felt they had truly profited.

Two times two equals four—they had gained two grandsons! Now they just had to wait for Zhuo Zelian to put in some effort!

"I think these two little guys look like their grandmother." Commander Zhuo’s eyesight was still decent, not yet blurred by old age: "Look at that nose, how straight and good-looking!"

The Commander’s wife beamed: "What nonsense are you talking about? They should look like Lan'er."

Zhuo Zelian looked at the newborns and joked: "If they look like my brother, doesn't that mean they look like me? If I don't get married in the future, give me one of them. Anyway, you won't be able to tell they aren't my biological children."

Before he could finish, the Commander’s wife gave him a hard smack on the head: "Less nonsense! Go find yourself a wife! How old are you already!"

"Don't be like that, Mom. Are you already tired of me?"

"Yes, just looking at you makes me feel full. I wish I could kick you out of the house."

"How heartless..."

Inside the room, Zhuo Chenglan kissed the lips of Ye Yin, who was resting in bed: "Thank you."

Ye Yin’s face turned red: "They are still outside."

"Why be shy?" Zhuo Chenglan laughed. "Kissing one's own wife is only natural, isn't it? Besides, this beautiful wife has just given birth to two such cute children for me. However, the government is currently strongly encouraging population recovery, so we must continue to work hard."

"I think you’re getting worse..."

"Mm, perhaps it’s a side effect of the fire."

It was better not to mention the fire; the moment he did, Ye Yin’s face felt as though it were ablaze. Because she had been so uninhibited that time, she had said many things that made her blush just thinking about them now—they had become a dark chapter in her history.

"By the way, have you thought of names?" She changed the subject.

"One named 'Fire', one named 'Sacrifice'? After all, they were conceived during that time."

...This guy, he was definitely doing it on purpose!

Just as Ye Yin was about to get angry, Zhuo Chenglan had already sealed her lips. His scorching breath and the faint, dark scent of his charm made her give up resistance, and she lay softly against his chest.

The Commander’s wife had intended to bring Ye Yin some nourishing tonic, but upon seeing this scene, she immediately turned around and closed the door, pushing away Zhuo Zelian, who had just been about to enter: "Go! You aren't allowed back until you find a wife!"

"No way..."

Zhuo Zelian was a smart man; he immediately guessed the situation inside and did not insist. He looked at the family portrait hanging on the wall not far away, whistled, and walked away with a light step.

In the family portrait, Ye Yin stood beside Zhuo Chenglan, smiling brilliantly, and Zhuo Chenglan wore a look of peaceful happiness. Time flowed like water; the people in the family portrait grew in number, and the backgrounds and clothing constantly changed. The two moved from standing in the back row to sitting in the front, but their appearances never changed. What also remained unchanged forever were their tightly clasped hands and the pure, warm happiness in their smiles.

—End—