General Qing Jiang, a man of imposing stature, found his eyes welling up as he gazed at Lin Zitong.
Before Lin Zitong could offer any explanation, General Qing Jiang quickly regained his composure, shaking his head as he said, "No, you are not Yun'er. You are Yun'er's reincarnation..."
Yan Shouyi breathed a sigh of relief. He had been worried that General Qing Jiang might lose control and try to embrace Lin Zitong. Although they were one and the same in past and present lives, Yan Shouyi still felt a sense of discomfort at the thought.
Fortunately, General Qing Jiang had come to his senses in time.
After parting with his beloved for a thousand years and reuniting only to find everything changed, it was already remarkable that General Qing Jiang could maintain his rationality.
"General, hello," Lin Zitong said politely to General Qing Jiang, hiding behind Yan Shouyi.
Seeing Lin Zitong's guarded posture, General Qing Jiang gave a wry smile. "Don't be afraid of me. Although your souls are the same, you are ultimately not the same person. I can tell the difference."
Lin Zitong smiled sheepishly.
Soon, General Qing Jiang resumed his former demeanor. He habitually reached behind him to adjust his cape, but having been suddenly transported outside, there was nothing there. His gesture was in vain.
To avoid embarrassment, General Qing Jiang stood with his hands clasped behind his back, surveying his surroundings as he asked, "Where is this place?"
"General, this is the Spiritual Observation Platform of Longhu Mountain, a magical place."
Yan Shouyi had been concerned whether Longhu Mountain had already been established in General Qing Jiang's era and had planned to explain it to him.
However, to his surprise, General Qing Jiang displayed a look of nostalgia. "So, it's the Spiritual Observation Platform of Longhu Mountain. I never expected to revisit this old place after a thousand years!"
"General, you have been to Longhu Mountain before? Entered the Spiritual Observation Platform?!" Yan Shouyi exclaimed in surprise.
"Of course I have."
General Qing Jiang smiled. "The first Heavenly Master, Zhang Daoling, was born a thousand years before me. Even during the Tang Dynasty when Buddhism flourished, Taoism was not to be underestimated. Longhu Mountain is a sacred site of Taoism, so it's not surprising that I've been here!"
Yan Shouyi and Lin Zitong sighed in unison. Their combined age was less than fifty, while General Qing Jiang could traverse a millennium and revisit an old haunt. The feelings he must have harbored at that moment were beyond anything Yan Shouyi and Lin Zitong could imagine.
The reunion with a familiar place seemed to stir up many thoughts for General Qing Jiang. He intended to leave the Spiritual Observation Platform and explore the surroundings, but he discovered he could only move within the platform's formation.
Beyond the formation, it was as if a transparent glass dome blocked his path.
Without much effort, General Qing Jiang gave up. He understood that he could only leave Yan Shouyi's body thanks to this Spiritual Observation Platform.
If he left the platform, he would not be able to remain in this world on his own.
General Qing Jiang touched the Spiritual Observation Platform and said casually, "Yan Shouyi, although I have been within your body, I have rarely communicated with you, only intervening in life-or-death situations. Do you know why?"
Yan Shouyi shook his head. "I was just about to ask you."
"You might assume it's because my soul's power is too weak to communicate with you for extended periods, but that's not the case," General Qing Jiang said with a somber expression. "In reality, my true soul has reincarnated as you. What you see of me is merely a wisp of lingering consciousness, a trace of awareness I left within my soul in a past life. This lingering consciousness is like a candle; each time it manifests, it consumes a bit of its wax, and candles eventually burn out..."
Yan Shouyi's expression changed, and he couldn't help but step forward. "If what you say is true, then every word you speak to me accelerates your disappearance?!"
"That's right... Huh? What are you grabbing me for?"
"Let's not waste time on trivialities. You should return to my consciousness. You shouldn't waste your remaining time now!"
Yan Shouyi tugged at General Qing Jiang, wanting him to return to his consciousness, but he had no idea how to make him do so.
The sea of consciousness was within his own body. Did he have to open his mouth and let General Qing Jiang enter?
As he pondered this, General Qing Jiang shook off his hand, saying helplessly, "Don't be anxious. Let me finish what I have to say."
"Please, hurry. Be brief and save time."
"...It's like this. Every time I appeared before, it did consume my lingering consciousness. However, within this Spiritual Observation Platform, there is no such concern," General Qing Jiang explained. "I didn't expect you to be able to enter the Spiritual Observation Platform of Longhu Mountain. Now that we are here, we can finally have a good talk."
The Spiritual Observation Platform had such a peculiar effect?
Yan Shouyi couldn't help but marvel. No wonder this place was considered a sacred site by Longhu Mountain, and even their own disciples could enter freely.
He speculated that Liu Yiren might have had similar conversations with her past life when she entered the Spiritual Observation Platform.
Since the Spiritual Observation Platform had such a remarkable effect, Yan Shouyi could finally ask all the questions that had been bothering him!
It seemed coming to the Spiritual Observation Platform was the right decision!
Seeing that Yan Shouyi was no longer tense, General Qing Jiang also relaxed. While admiring the scenery, he said, "Back then, Yun'er—that is, the Princess of Fish-Shu—and I, after being purged from Qinghou Mountain, encountered frequent attacks from experts sent by the Grand Tutor of Qingjiang State. Yun'er and I had to constantly hide and live without a fixed abode. The place we stayed the longest was Longhu Mountain."
"Longhu Mountain is a sacred site of Taoism, with numerous experts in the mountains. Even the Grand Tutor dared not attack lightly. I was on good terms with the Heavenly Master of that time, which allowed me to reside on Longhu Mountain for a period. I even entered the Spiritual Observation Platform to seek the Way. Unfortunately, as the world became increasingly chaotic, I proactively brought Yun'er down the mountain to avoid implicating the Heavenly Master, and we began our nomadic life again."
"Uh... Zitong, could you check the southwest corner of the Spiritual Observation Platform? See if there's a triangular box hidden there?"
Lin Zitong was surprised but still descended the Spiritual Observation Platform. She rummaged through the pile of rubble in the southwest corner and felt around the base of the platform. To her surprise, she actually found a triangular box!
The box was unlocked, opening with a slight touch. Inside lay a peculiar key.
"What is this?" Lin Zitong asked, holding the key.
General Qing Jiang smiled. "Yun'er and I befriended a descendant of Mohist mechanical arts in the martial world back then. His craftsmanship was unparalleled. The three of us traveled together. Upon parting, he gave us a Nine-Layered Mechanical Lock. What you are holding is the key to the lock."
"This Nine-Layered Mechanical Lock sounds very impressive, and this key must be extraordinary. You just casually left it at the base of the Spiritual Observation Platform?" Lin Zitong was a bit speechless.
"In our time, Longhu Mountain was arguably the safest place in the world, and the Spiritual Observation Platform was the safest place within Longhu Mountain. Hiding the key here was safer than anywhere else!" General Qing Jiang said.
It did seem to make some sense...
Yan Shouyi asked, "Since this Nine-Layered Mechanical Lock is so powerful, and you hid the key in such a secure place, then the contents within the mechanical lock must also be extraordinary, right?"
General Qing Jiang nodded solemnly.
"Then what is inside?" Lin Zitong's curiosity was piqued.
"It is a token of love between Yun'er and me," General Qing Jiang said nostalgically.
Yan Shouyi: "..."
He thought it would be some precious treasure.
After all, it was rare for General Qing Jiang to appear, and it seemed unlikely he would offer nothing valuable.
Compared to Yan Shouyi's disappointment, Lin Zitong was much more appreciative, her eyes sparkling. "I didn't expect lovers from a thousand years ago to be so romantic... Hmph, unlike some blockhead who only gave me a wooden watch all this time and stopped giving gifts after we got married!"
Yan Shouyi: "???"
Weren't they discussing serious matters? Why was he suddenly being attacked?
Yan Shouyi said innocently, "You don't care for gold or silver. And in terms of magical artifacts, you have more treasures than I do. What else could I possibly give you?"
"Hmph, I don't care. You're a big dummy, not attentive!" Lin Zitong showed a rare feminine side.
However, Yan Shouyi didn't mind. A little bickering between husband and wife was normal, and occasional banter could even strengthen their feelings and relationship.
Meanwhile, General Qing Jiang stood by, feeling a bit at a loss. To minimize his presence, he even squatted on the ground, right at the edge of the Spiritual Observation Platform.
Their argument reminded him of his own wife.
Seeing General Qing Jiang's slightly crestfallen expression, Yan Shouyi quickly apologized. "Ahem, sorry, we forgot about you. We made you a victim of unsolicited public display of affection."
"Unsolicited public display of affection?" General Qing Jiang frowned. "Do you people now equate lonely individuals with dogs? In my time, calling someone a dog was akin to insulting their parents. Times have truly changed."
Yan Shouyi almost spat out his drink and hurriedly explained, "No, no, no! In our era, calling someone a dog is still an insult. 'Unsolicited public display of affection' has a different meaning... No, forget it, let's not bring it up!"
The matter of "unsolicited public display of affection" was too complex to explain clearly. Yan Shouyi could only change the subject and ask, "General, what was the token of love between you and Princess Fish-Shu?"