Chapter 1442: Chapter 1: A Thousand Years of Waiting (Qing Xun & Jing Jing Extra)
Seven Pearl City is like a string of bright pearls floating on the deep blue sea, boasting beautiful coastal scenery and a serene living environment.
For Qing Xun, the clan leader of the Zhulu family, the once devastating family civil war was long gone, so long that he could barely remember it.
He had leveled up to Demon Lord, extending his lifespan by 1,280 years, and now, a thousand years had passed.
Many familiar people around him had passed away, while others enjoyed the happiness of family prosperity and joy.
Ye You and Qin Sisi had experienced the adventures of The Four Forbidden Zones and both advanced to the realm of Magic Saint, peering into the mysteries of the celestial realm, and five hundred years ago, they both ascended to immortality.
Everyone had their own brilliance, but only Qing Xun seemed to remain stagnant in the same place.
His appearance hadn’t changed much, and his living habits remained the same as they had been for a thousand years.
Every morning, the first thing he did upon waking was to take the thin-necked white porcelain bottle on the table to the Waterfall Spirit Pond. The porcelain bottle itself wasn’t important, but what mattered was the Mimosa within it.
Qing Xun would pour out the water from the porcelain bottle to replace it with fresh pond water, allowing the Mimosa to thoroughly absorb the Spiritual Power from the pond.
Those familiar with the story knew that the Mimosa was Qing Xun’s wife, but as time passed, fewer and fewer people were aware of this, making Qing Xun’s actions seem strange to others.
However, he paid no mind to others’ opinions, meticulously caring for the Mimosa year after year.
The Mimosa was peculiar too, for an ordinary Mimosa to live for dozens of years was already a miracle, but this particular Mimosa had lived with Qing Xun for over a thousand years.
It stopped growing when it reached the thickness of a finger. No matter how time passed, its appearance remained unchanged, much like Qing Xun’s thousand-year unchanged visage.
Aside from necessary clan affairs, Qing Xun spent most of his time in his room, reading and writing on a rustic round mahogany table, or doing nothing, simply staring at the Mimosa with a silly smile and sometimes even talking to it as if possessed.
One morning, Qing Xun awoke from his sleep, faintly sensing that something was different in the room.
Frowning in thought for a moment, he sat up, and when his gaze habitually swept across the mahogany table in the center of the room, his face suddenly changed, his body stiffening.
The Mimosa in the thin-necked white porcelain bottle was gone.
Qing Xun rushed out of the room like a madman, shouting loudly, and the clan members, unsure of what was happening, came running in panic.
"Quick, Jing Jing is gone," Qing Xun stammered incoherently.
"Jing Jing? Who is Jing Jing?" The others in the Chief Mansion were quite young and no longer remembered Jing Jing’s name.
Qing Xun steadied his emotions before speaking, voice trembling, "It’s the Mimosa, the Mimosa is gone, please help me find it."
"Oh oh," everyone finally understood, scattering to help the clan leader find his treasured Mimosa.
Qing Xun also began searching, looking everywhere, but still could not find any trace of the Mimosa.
Suddenly, the alarm at the Waterfall Spirit Pond sounded, indicating that someone had trespassed into the area of the pond.
Qing Xun’s heart tightened. Suddenly, he thought that the Mimosa relied on the pond’s water to sustain its life force; could it have gone to the pond on its own? But how could a Mimosa move?
Qing Xun, full of doubts, thought no further and quickly summoned magic wings to fly toward the Waterfall Spirit Pond.
As he descended by the edge of the pond, he finally saw the figure he had waited a thousand years for.
She was swimming in the Waterfall Spirit Pond, her snow-white skin resembling lotus roots in the water, her long hair dense like water plants, her green dress clinging to her body, her lower half seemingly transformed into a fish tail.
Her movements were graceful and agile, turning and somersaulting in the water like a beautiful mermaid.
Qing Xun stood dazed by the pond, eyes fixed on the familiar figure in the Waterfall Spirit Pond. He wanted to shout, to speak out, but no words came to him.
In the end, it was Jing Jing who saw him first.
"Hi, who are you?" Jing Jing swam to the edge of the pond and looked at Qing Xun, asking, her clear large eyes like shimmering glass, free from dust.
Qing Xun was taken aback, "What?"
Jing Jing said softly, "I saw you before. When I woke up, you were sleeping so soundly that I didn’t call you."
Qing Xun understood her meaning, but his heart grew more puzzled. He squatted down, looked at Jing Jing, and asked, "You don’t know who I am?"
Jing Jing looked at Qing Xun seriously for a moment, then shook her head in confusion.
Qing Xun asked again, "Do you know who you are?"
Jing Jing thought for a moment, but still shook her head.
After saving Qing Xun by the life-for-life method, the last trace of her spiritual power transformed into this Mimosa, and in the end, with the nourishment of the Waterfall Spirit Pond, she slowly regained her true form.
However, she had indeed died at the time, and her memories of life faded away with her spirit, leaving her neither knowing herself nor remembering Qing Xun, whom she had loved with her life.
Qing Xun’s eyes grew teary. After a thousand years, he had finally awaited Jing Jing’s return, yet sadly, some moments could never be relived.
Looking into Jing Jing’s bewildered yet expectant eyes, Qing Xun silently thought in his heart, "Jing Jing, thank you for your past protection. This time, it is my turn to protect you."
So, he reached out to her with his hand, gently saying, "Come, let me tell you, will you?"
Jing Jing looked at Qing Xun’s outstretched fingers, hesitated for a moment, and finally placed her own fair and soft hand in his.
Holding Jing Jing’s cold fingers, Qing Xun felt a stirring in his heart, and with a gentle pull, he brought Jing Jing ashore, draped his outer garment over her, and sat with her on a large flat rock.
Then, he spoke to her in a warm voice, "Your name is Jing Jing, the second daughter of the Muyin family. I am Qing Xun, the clan leader of the Zhulu family. We were classmates at the Heavenly Magic God’s Castle studying Magic. We... we fell in love during our studies, so after graduating from the Heavenly Magic God’s Castle, we married."
After this, Qing Xun’s cheeks unwittingly tinged with a hint of redness. Although he had lived a long time, he had never lied before.
However, for Jing Jing, he was willing to deceive her selfishly. He didn’t want Jing Jing to be saddened by past events.
"Married?" Jing Jing looked into Qing Xun’s eyes, seemingly surprised by this revelation.
Qing Xun’s eyes flickered for a moment but quickly became firm again, softly replying, "Yes, I am your husband, and you are my wife."
Jing Jing was silent for a long time, then slowly nodded, speaking as if to herself, "No wonder you seem so familiar, as if we’ve known each other for a long time."
Qing Xun’s heart skipped a beat. Gripping Jing Jing’s hand tightly, he asked eagerly, "Do you feel like I’m familiar?"
Jing Jing nodded and replied, "Mm, but it’s just a feeling. I don’t remember any of the things you said."
Qing Xun comforted, "It’s okay, it’s enough that I remember."
Qing Xun’s gentleness dispelled much of Jing Jing’s confusion and apprehension. She gathered the courage to ask, "Then how did I turn into a Mimosa?"
Qing Xun took a deep breath and explained, "A thousand years ago, the Zhulu family experienced a severe internal conflict. I was the one nearly dying, but to save me, you performed the most powerful Healing Skill of the Muyin family, Graft Flowers onto a Tree. I survived, but you perished. Fortunately, the remaining spiritual power in you transformed into the Mimosa, and I soaked you in the Waterfall Spirit Pond, hoping that one day you could regain your human form. Heaven has shown mercy, and after a thousand years, I finally await you."
Jing Jing’s heart softened. She couldn’t remember the events back then, but if she had given her life to save him, it must have been out of deep love!
"My husband," Jing Jing gazed into Qing Xun’s eyes and called warmly.
Qing Xun’s heart felt like a river of spring water flowing, a bright smile spread across his lips. He reached out and drew Jing Jing into his arms, resting his chin on her forehead, speaking in a low and firm voice, "Jing Jing, my wife, we will never be apart again."
My dear, let’s let go of those forgotten memories, for the future we can anticipate is our greatest happiness.
