That day, Aqing had marched into the Prince’s Mansion alone, but her skills were clearly insufficient.

She spoke as she walked, “Inside the mansion, there was this old man. He was terribly strong, his Qi and Blood felt dark and dangerous. He overpowered me in just a few moves.”

Chen Changsheng listened and then asked, “Then how did you manage to escape?”

Aqing replied, “Later, another person arrived in the mansion and intervened, stopping the old man. That’s how I got saved. The old man called him ‘Young Master’. He looked about thirty-something. After hearing why I’d come, he didn’t give me any trouble and even gave the Peach Grove back to me.”

She murmured to herself, “Thirty-something, and called Young Master… could he be the son of the Southern King?”

“Southern King?” Chen Changsheng inquired.

“He’s the leader of the Righteous Army,” Aqing explained. “The Jing people in the Southern Region all call him that.”

Chen Changsheng said, “Did it ever occur to you, the one who saved you might actually be the Southern King?”

Hearing this, Aqing was stunned for a moment. “How could that be? He only looked in his early thirties.”

“Why not?” Chen Changsheng chuckled. “Besides, looks can be deceiving. In reality, he’s nearly forty.”

“Changsheng… you’ve met him?” Aqing asked.

Chen Changsheng nodded. “Once, briefly.”

Aqing blinked rapidly. “So, then the man who saved me… he really was the Southern King?”

Chen Changsheng responded, “Weren’t you already guessing that earlier?”

Aqing smiled after hearing this. “I couldn’t fool you.”

She had long inquired about this Southern King.

She knew about the time he punished those Righteous Army soldiers who killed innocents, and later, how he arrested several thousand people overnight to enforce discipline in the camps. She had a good sense of what kind of person he was.

That day when she went to the Prince’s Mansion, she calculated a seventy percent chance of success. Even if she didn’t get the grove back, she believed she could still leave safely. No matter how formidable that old man’s martial arts were, he wouldn’t be immune to her poison.

She wasn’t a reckless girl; she had to have some certainty before acting. Willingly throwing her life away meant her brain must be muddled.

Aqing said, “Actually, speaking of it, this Southern King seems decent. It’s just the people under him who don’t follow the rules.”

Chen Changsheng remarked, “The Righteous Army rose from the common folk. Many were once bandits or thieves. Without proper discipline, troubles are inevitable. However, now the Southern King is dedicated to this very matter. It does seem more orderly, better than before.”

Aqing agreed, “That’s true. Still doesn’t guarantee nothing will go wrong, though.”

“Just be more cautious,” Chen Changsheng said with a smile.

Chatting as they walked, they arrived at the Peach Grove.

Aqing looked up, saw peaches hanging high on the branches, and turned to Chen Changsheng. “Hey Changsheng, why don’t we each pick one peach from this grove and see whose is better?”

Chen Changsheng readily accepted. “Alright.”

“I’ll look this way,” Aqing said, stepping into the grove just ahead of him.

Chen Changsheng entered from the other side.

Inside the grove, Chen Changsheng saw weeds growing thick and wild everywhere. It must have been long neglected to look like this.

He walked amongst the trees, his gaze scanning ahead. He casually plucked a bright red peach.

After coming out, Chen Changsheng waited a little while outside the grove.

Aqing emerged slightly later, carefully holding a large peach. Hers was much redder than the one Changsheng held.

“So? I win,” Aqing announced with a grin.

“I admit defeat,” Chen Changsheng smiled. “Then, I’ll give you something extra.”

Aqing blinked, confused. “We didn’t agree on any wager.”

Chen Changsheng explained, “I should have given it to you earlier, but things got complicated back then.”

He took off the ring from his thumb and handed it to Aqing.

“A Thumb Ring?” Aqing blinked again.

She slipped it onto her finger and looked at it, beaming. “It’s beautiful! Thank you, Changsheng!”

Chen Changsheng said softly, “Remembering back then, you could barely speak clearly. Now, you’ve come so far.”

“One has to make progress, right?” Aqing smiled and held out the large peach in her hand to him. “Here, for you.”

“You picked it yourself, yet you give it to me?” Chen Changsheng asked.

Aqing replied simply, “Returning the favor.”

The two of them sat down amidst the peach trees and began eating their peaches.

Perhaps seeing the grove stirred old memories. Gazing at the trees, Aqing couldn’t help but think of the days spent with her dad – truly carefree, without any worries.

“What are your plans from here?” Chen Changsheng asked eventually.

“Don’t…” Aqing started shaking her head, but then paused abruptly. “Didn’t have any when I came here… but now I do.”

She continued, “I think… staying here to take care of the Peach Grove might be nice. Carefree, like… like before.”

Only dad wasn’t here anymore.

She kept that sentence inside, unspoken. Aqing wasn’t the same little girl she used to be.

Chen Changsheng commented, “That would work. This way, I likely won’t ever run short of peaches to eat.”

“Changsheng! Trying to freeload?” Aqing pretended to be surprised.

“You yourself said before, they’d be free,” he reminded her playfully.

Aqing chuckled. “I couldn’t take your money anyway.”

“Why?”

“While dad was still alive, he said you were his friend. Said you could have peaches for free.”

“An Long…”

Chen Changsheng murmured the name. Speaking of Aqing’s father filled him with regret. Such a simple, honest man had met an undeserved fate.

It was called life for a life, but when the person was already gone, what could truly repay anything?

Seeing Chen Changsheng’s expression, Aqing spoke gently, “What’s past is past.”

Chen Changsheng looked at her, slightly taken aback. “Shouldn’t I be comforting you?”

Aqing smiled warmly. “Changsheng, I’m not a little girl anymore.”

Though she had changed much, her smile remained as pure and bright as ever.

Chen Changsheng paused, then nodded slowly. “Right.”

The light of the setting sun washed over both of them.

Aqing looked at the grove and began to mutter quietly.

“Need to clear all these weeds… otherwise the peaches won’t grow well.”

“Later, I’ll build a small cottage right here. Plant some flowers… ah yes, gotta reopen that irrigation ditch too, the old one’s dried up.”

“…And maybe a donkey, hmm…”

As she listed her ideas, her words were woven with deep nostalgia for times gone by.

“Aqing,” Chen Changsheng called.

“Hmm?” Aqing turned to look at him.

Chen Changsheng said, “What if I told you… I was an Immortal? Would you believe me?”

After a brief silence, Aqing answered softly, “Yes.”

“Why?”

“Because you are Changsheng.”

Hearing such a simple answer, Chen Changsheng couldn’t help but smile lightly.

He raised his hand and casually gestured. Suddenly, a powerful gust of wind swept through.

“Whoosh…”

The weeds filling the Peach Grove were instantly caught up by the strange wind, swirling and dancing in the air, lifted and scattered in a wild flurry – like a chaotic dance of grass and leaves.

Aqing stood frozen, dumbfounded by the sight happening before her eyes. Her voice caught in her throat as she finally managed to whisper,

“Changsheng…”