Qianyang Xili walked in, her body clearly visible, still as captivating as ever.
Bai Ju said, "You've lost weight."
Qianyang Xili said, "Time spares no one, let alone immortals. Bai Ju, I've come for a definite answer."
Bai Ju said, "I thought you were... dead."
"I know," Qianyang Xili said. "But I'm alive again."
Bai Ju, though trying hard to suppress it on the surface, was immensely excited within. "I once told you about cultivating a talisman that could make her fall in love with me."
"Mind Control Talisman?" Qianyang Xili asked, puzzled. "Didn't I give you one before?"
Bai Ju nodded and took out a thin talisman from his storage pouch. "I've kept it until now, just to give it to you."
Qianyang Xili was deeply moved. "So the 'her' you were talking about was me?"
Bai Ju smiled slightly. "Of course it was you. My love for you has always been there, even if the seas dry up and the stones decay. I, Bai Ju, will forever only love you, Qianyang Xili!"
Qianyang Xili wept, tears of joy, tears of happiness.
To find a soulmate in this life, one would have no regrets even in death, especially a beloved. If two people are meant to be, they are envied even by the mythical mandarin ducks.
Bai Ju handed the Mind Control Talisman to Qianyang Xili. She took it and immediately placed it on her chest.
"Xili, you!"
The Mind Control Talisman, which controls not the person, but the heart, compelled. It was unexpected that Qianyang Xili, the Talisman King who had spent her life crafting talismans, would willingly be controlled by a Mind Control Talisman. She was doing it willingly, and even if she were to fall out with Bai Ju one day, it would be impossible.
Bai Ju embraced her tightly. "Once the Mind Control Talisman is affixed, it can never be removed. Why are you so foolish?"
Qianyang Xili slowly buried her head in his chest. "I want to. It's my choice."
Bai Ju smiled slightly. They looked up at each other and kissed deeply for a long time.
"Congratulations on your reunion!"
"Huh?"
Ming Zhi Tian chuckled. "Just kidding. Congratulations on your reunion. When will you have a full house? Reserve a spot for me. Godfather, great-grandfather, whatever you want."
Bai Ju and Qianyang Xili chuckled. "Haha... Hehe, okay!"
Bai Ju said, "Thank you, Daoist Friend Ming."
Qianyang Xili also said, "Thank you too. If it weren't for you, I wouldn't have had the chance to return to the Hong Ma Empire. This was once my home."
Ming Zhi Tian said, "The Divine Cultivation King is incompetent and indulged in wine and women all day. It's better that he's dead now, so the common people no longer have to offer tribute of living souls. What are your plans?"
Bai Ju said, "A country cannot be without a ruler for a day."
Ming Zhi Tian said, "You want to take his place? What do you need me to do?"
Bai Ju shook his head. "You don't need to worry about this. It's a small matter. I don't have the destiny of an emperor. I just need to support a successor to take the throne."
Ming Zhi Tian nodded. "That's a good idea. You won't have to handle all the state affairs, yet you can wield great power and live a carefree life. I wish you happiness."
"Thank you."
Qianyang Xili walked towards him and handed him a talisman. "I know you want to go home. This is a Tracing Talisman. With it, you can find your way out of the True Forgotten Secret Realm."
Ming Zhi Tian's eyes lit up. "Thank you!"
Bai Ju grabbed Ming Zhi Tian's arm. "I have something to give you. Come with me."
Ming Zhi Tian followed him alone into a secret chamber. Bai Ju smiled slightly and observed him.
Ming Zhi Tian asked, confused, "What is it? Didn't you say you had something to give me?"
Bai Ju said, "I intend to pass on my lifelong knowledge of contraption art to you. There are ten levels."
Ming Zhi Tian asked, "Why?"
Bai Ju said, "To thank you for helping me find Xili."
Ming Zhi Tian said, "Let's forget it. I'm a martial cultivator and have no interest in contraption art."
Bai Ju shook his head. "No, when I passed on the first level of contraption art, I was already looking for a successor. Your aptitude is good, and you happen to be a martial cultivator. Spell cultivators cannot learn contraption art."
Ming Zhi Tian was taken aback. "You're also a martial cultivator?"
Bai Ju replied, "Indeed. Although the path of martial cultivation is arduous, there are advantages to it. Just like contraption art, don't underestimate it. I believe you've already found some enjoyment in the first level of contraption art."
Ming Zhi Tian nodded and smiled slightly. "I transferred the memory of Buck, oh, my deceased little lion, onto a mechanical beast, perfectly recreating him. But I feel it's enough, and I don't need any more."