The silver fox’s tone held a hint of regret. "This great cleansing of heaven and earth has drawn in all living beings—gods, immortals, demons, ghosts, spirits, and monsters. War rages everywhere. The wounded multiply. That younger sister saw the souls in the Underworld growing thicker, the resentment deepening. Her compassion grew heavier.
Especially when she heard her lover went missing in the war, her pain erupted. To stop this war, she used heaven and earth as a furnace to refine the Heavenly Creation Pill. But the pill required not just herbs, but a heart full of compassion. So, she sacrificed herself, jumping into the furnace. The older sister arrived just in time to see it all. To fulfill her sister’s wish, she poured all her energy into the refining. When the Heavenly Creation Pill emerged, all realms returned to peace.
But the younger sister died. The older sister, exhausted from overexertion, fell into an endless sleep. No one knows when she will wake."
"Is the story over?" Zhu Yanyi felt a slight ache in her heart, as if she had experienced something similar. She shook her head, dismissing the feeling.
"Consider it finished," the silver fox replied.
"This ending is too weak! Did the younger sister’s lover really die after going missing? What about the older sister’s lover? Where is she? You must explain everything clearly when telling a story." Zhu Yanyi looked at the silver fox with dissatisfaction, offering some guidance.
The silver fox stared at Zhu Yanyi, looking a bit dazed. "After learning the truth, the younger sister’s lover entered reincarnation to find her soul. She repaired her soul countless times with love. As for the older sister’s young clan leader, she placed her in a thousand-year ice coffin, waiting for her to wake or for a medical god to save her."
Zhu Yanyi made an 'oh' sound, then looked at the silver fox. "Why are you telling me this? What do you want me to say?"
The silver fox looked at her. "Don’t you think these two sisters are foolish?"
"Foolish?" Zhu Yanyi didn’t see how the story related to foolishness.
"Don’t you think they are? They gave everything for heaven and earth. Isn’t that foolish?" the silver fox asked directly.
Zhu Yanyi tilted her head, thinking. "I don’t quite understand what you mean. But as a doctor, I can share my view."
The silver fox took a sip of coffee. "Go ahead. I’m listening."
Zhu Yanyi nodded. "For a doctor, healing patients is their mission. When heaven and earth face disaster, and life faces extinction, it is painful for a healer to see lives withering.
Buddhism says, 'With no attachments, there is no fear, far from distorted dreams.' But doctors are the most attached beings in the world. They are attached to their patients, to health research, and to the value of life. So, in a doctor’s eyes, great fearlessness comes from caring deeply. If they didn’t care, they wouldn’t feel despair."
Zhu Yanyi paused. "I don’t know what the sisters thought. But I know, if I could save all beings, I would be the medicine. For a doctor, it’s not about sacrifice, but realizing the importance of being that medicine. I would jump into the Creation Furnace too. But…"
Zhu Yanyi smiled mischievously. "I might be selfish. Even if I jump, I will definitely drag Aohan with me. I don’t want her to live freely if I’m gone.
Most importantly, since we promised life and death together, we must face all hardships together. I think if the younger sister’s lover had been there, he would have jumped into the furnace with her. Then, perhaps the older sister wouldn’t have had to give everything. Of course…"
Zhu Yanyi took a sip of black tea. "Life experiences are destined by heaven and earth. The younger sister jumping, the older sister sleeping—perhaps this is the karma they must experience. If karma exists, it must be repaid. How can life be perfect otherwise?"
"Your point is that everything they experienced was due to karma?" the silver fox asked, looking at Zhu Yanyi.
Zhu Yanyi shrugged slightly. "I don’t know. I’m guessing. Since they are cultivators, they should know the importance of karma. And if there were no karma, why would the Heavenly Dao forget their karmic merit? The Heavenly Dao knows all. It didn’t intervene, but let the younger sister jump and the older sister sleep. This proves the Heavenly Dao still lacked one life, one dream."
The silver fox listened to Zhu Yanyi’s rambling and fell into thought. Zhu Yanyi finished speaking, then thought about her own words and felt something was off. She wanted to say something, but seeing the silver fox deep in thought, she didn’t know what to add. Instead, she whispered to Yan Aohan, "What’s wrong with him?"
Yan Aohan chuckled softly. "He probably figured something out." Yan Aohan looked at Zhu Yanyi. "Remember what you said. Don’t forget."
"What did I say?" Zhu Yanyi didn’t catch on immediately.
"You said if you jump into the Creation Furnace, you’ll drag me with you. Don’t forget that." Yan Aohan looked serious. He wasn’t joking. This was his true heart.
Living and dying together isn’t just talk. Sometimes, it requires serious commitment. Especially for cultivators like them, there are no lies. A lie might deceive oneself, but it can never deceive heaven and earth.
"Okay." Seeing her serious expression, Zhu Yanyi felt any further words were unnecessary. She wanted to live and die with her. How could she refuse? So she agreed. As long as she was willing, she would never let go of her hand.
Zhu Yanyi reached out and gently held Yan Aohan’s hand. "Once I grab you, I won’t let go. If I die later, you die with me. I don’t care if you’re human or god."
Yan Aohan didn’t get angry. Instead, he smiled satisfactorily. "Good. No matter who I am, you must take me wherever you go. Don’t leave me behind."
"I won’t. I won’t leave you behind. And you can’t leave me behind either," Zhu Yanyi said with a smile.
"I won’t," Yan Aohan nodded seriously. How could he bear to let her go? he owed her a debt of gratitude, he owed her his heart. Now that her true heart was his, he was her heart, her love, her life. Letting go was impossible.
The silver fox watched their interaction from the side, a trace of envy in his eyes. "Why do you two like to show off your love in front of me all the time? That’s not right."