Mu Xuanling is set to mourn for Xie Xuechen, so Yunxiu Manor combines celebrations and mourning ceremonies. Everywhere is adorned with white celebratory characters. Feng Yao approaches Tianming, reminding him that he once said the number of days cannot be forcibly changed. She questions Tianming, asking how his current actions aren’t also forceful. Feng Yao responds that there was never any love between them. Tianming retorts that two people in love might not end up marrying, and two people without love might still marry. He asks Feng Yao if she is willing to be their master of ceremonies. Feng Yao declines, stating she doesn’t want to participate in this farce, and leaves. She recalls arriving at Yunxiu Manor on a rainy night eleven years ago.
Eleven years prior, Feng Yao knelt outside Yunxiu Manor for three days and nights to seek medicine from Nan Xuyue for her sick brother. Nan Xuyue declared that she had already calculated Feng Yao’s fate and that her familial bonds were exhausted. However, Feng Yao refused to give up, pledging that if Nan Xuyue provided her with the medicine, she would stay by his side for the next ten years. Eventually, Nan Xuyue granted her request. Six months later, Feng Yao returned to Yunxiu Manor to find that her brother had passed away and Nan Xuyue had become solitary due to family tragedies. From that moment, Feng Yao began to stay by his side. Reflecting on this, Feng Yao mutters to herself that ten years have passed, questioning why she hasn’t left yet.
Zhao Ming emerges from the Dark Domain. Xuanxin and members of the Immortal Alliance detect anomalies in the Dark Domain and arrive, mistaking Zhao Ming for Xie Xuechen. Zhao Ming reveals that Xie Xuechen is dead and that his soul has entered Zhao Ming’s body. With that, Zhao Ming attacks Xuanxin and his group, aiming to test Xie Xuechen’s magic. He dismisses Xie’s abilities as mediocre, stating he’ll spare their lives for the day and departs.
Meanwhile, Tianming is forcing Mu Xuanling to undergo a marriage ceremony. After completing the ceremonial bow, Mu Xuanling transforms a hairpin into a dagger and stabs Tianming. As they converse, they sense movement outside the door.
Upon exiting, they encounter Zhao Ming, who bears a striking resemblance to Xie Xuechen. Mu Xuanling initially mistakes him for Xie Xuechen, but Tianming discerns that Xie Xuechen’s soul has merged with Zhao Ming’s body. Zhao Ming attempts to harm Mu Xuanling, but Tianming intervenes. Although Tianming is already injured and no match for Zhao Ming, he manages to fend him off momentarily before collapsing to the ground, bleeding. Zhao Ming is poised to strike Tianming again, but Mu Xuanling intervenes, blocking his path. Taking advantage of the situation, Tianming seizes Mu Xuanling and escapes. They reach a house deep within the bamboo forest, where Tianming places Mu Xuanling on a bed, promising to explain everything once she awakens. Tianming then visits the Divine Clan to meet Haotian.
Haotian, a deity overseeing the Tianming Scriptures and the Chaos Pearl, assists Tianming in healing his wounds and assigns him tasks before departing. Tianming returns to the bamboo cabin, where Mu Xuanling has now awakened. She steps outside to find Tianming and declares that saving him doesn’t mean forgiving him. Tianming acknowledges her stance and proposes that they collaborate to defeat Zhao Ming. Mu Xuanling inquires why, and Tianming reveals he knows Zhao Ming’s weakness: A Zhu. He challenges Mu Xuanling to travel back in time to experience life from A Zhu’s perspective. Unfazed, Mu Xuanling accepts, and Tianming sends her back ten thousand years to immerse herself in A Zhu’s life.
Backstory: Ten Thousand Years Ago
Haotian created the Tianming Scriptures and the Chaos Pearl ten thousand years ago—one governing time and space, the other governing cause and effect. The two deities spent millennia together on the divine altar. One day, amid chaos among the divine clans, a massive rift appeared in the sky. Haotian sent the Chaos Pearl to repair it, resulting in the Chaos Pearl sustaining severe damage and falling to the mortal realm as a gem. Tianming discovered the gem and placed it in Zhao Ming’s pond. Every day, Zhao Ming would cultivate the gem. Acting as Zhao Ming’s royal advisor, Tianming instructed him to use a fragment of his soul to enhance the Chaos Pearl. Following Tianming’s guidance, the Chaos Pearl transformed into a humanoid form, and Zhao Ming named her A Zhu.
