In the dead of night, Hua Gu Zi sat alone, gazing at the moon.
Jun Jiu Li, disguised, found her.
“Who are you?” Hua Gu Zi asked, her voice filled with curiosity.
“I am here to help you.”
“Oh? Do you know what troubles me?”
“Is it not that you wish to be with your beloved? I have a way.”
“What way?”
“A human and a demon cannot be in love. Why not just become human?”
“You have a way?”
“Of course. I can help you shed your demonic bones and remove your demonic power.”
“I am willing. To be with young Master An, I am willing to become human.”
“Very well.”
With that, Jun Jiu Li channeled his cultivation, unblocking all her acupoints and purging her demonic energy. From then on, Hua Gu Zi became an ordinary mortal, utterly defenseless.
“There. It is done. I hope you will never regret this.”
“Thank you.”
The next day, Hua Gu Zi joyfully descended the mountain to seek out her An You Yu.
For the first time, she found the path down the mountain to be incredibly long. Her steps, once light and cheerful, were now heavy with a profound weariness.
Yet, she comforted herself, telling herself it was all worth it. Nothing was more important than being with young Master An.
Meanwhile, Hua Gu Zi’s parents, upon learning their daughter had irrevocably become mortal, were left in a state of bewildered uncertainty, unsure whether to rejoice or to despair.
Before long, An You Yu and Hua Gu Zi were married. Their love for each other was deep and their happiness immeasurable. All their acquaintances came to celebrate their union.
Just then, the Daoist of Chaos burst in. He pointed at Hua Gu Zi’s parents, accusing them of being demons, and a fight ensued.
The air filled with the sounds of explosions as they clashed, turning An You Yu’s mother-in-law into a state of complete madness.
She became lost in a perpetual daze, muttering incessantly, “Demons! Demons!”
Their wedding, it seemed, was not destined to be perfect.
“Father, Mother, that was my wedding with You Yu! How could you fight with his master? This is a once-in-a-lifetime event for your daughter, and you’ve ruined it all. I should never have invited you!” Hua Gu Zi pouted, sulking.
Hua Gu Zi’s parents were deeply wounded by her words. If not for the protection of Tao Zui and Su Qiu that day, their old bones would have long been claimed by the Daoist of Chaos. Yet their own daughter, instead of showing concern for their injuries, blamed them for the incident.
And to top it off, she forbade them from attending her wedding. How could a wedding be complete without the presence of their only daughter’s parents?
Hua Mu said dejectedly, “Now that you are a mortal, do not come up the mountain for trivial matters. Go back and live your life with your An Gong Zi.”
“Mother, what do you mean? Are you driving me away?”
“Precisely as I said. Xiao Kui, please escort our guest out.”
Xiao Kui dared not disobey Hua Gu Zi’s parents and ushered her out.
“Father, Mother, don’t regret this! It was clearly your fault, and you refuse to admit it. Fine, I’ll leave. I’ll never speak to you again, hmph.”
“Our family is in misfortune,” the two lamented in unison. After their shared sigh, they erected a barrier around their home, ensuring Hua Gu Zi could never find her way back.
Two more months passed.
Su Qiu and Tao Zui also exchanged vows and were married. Tao Zui revealed his true identity to his biological father. After attending his wedding, his father…
The Xiong family met their just deserts. An imperial envoy discovered their embezzlement, bribery, and forceful abduction of maidens. They were sentenced to exile. The new magistrate was already on his way and would soon take office.
The entire Xiong family was stripped of their property and exiled. Tao Zui, accompanied by Su Qiu, escorted them to their destination, fulfilling his filial duty.
As for Father Zhong, he never learned the whereabouts of the three treasures of the Daoist sect. He doted on his daughter and son-in-law. He also did not absorb the vital energy of that tree spirit for cultivation, and two years later, he passed away peacefully.
After her father’s death, Su Qiu and Tao Zui roamed the world, righting wrongs and vanquishing evil.
Later, Su Qiu bore Tao Zui a son and a daughter. When they grew tired of traveling, they built a small wooden house in the mountains, living a secluded, idyllic life like immortals.
They occasionally exchanged letters with Jun Jiu Li, leading lives of joy and carefree contentment.
The original plot, where Hua Gu Zi was injured by Zhong Yun Shan and An You Yu had to gather the three Daoist treasures, never occurred.
Thus, An You Yu was merely an ordinary, impoverished scholar, burdened with the care of a deranged mother-in-law. Apart from his good looks, he was utterly useless.
Hua Gu Zi, meanwhile, believed their love was true and could conquer all.
However, true love eventually succumbed to the mundane struggles of everyday life. After ten months of pregnancy, her once-robust health deteriorated, leaving her gaunt and a shadow of her former beauty.
Constantly tending to laundry and cooking, she aged rapidly. Standing beside An You Yu, she now resembled his mother.
At this point, Hua Gu Zi recalled the happiness of her days as a demon. Free and unburdened, her life was carefree. Nothing was her responsibility.
Now, every little thing in the household fell upon her shoulders. No one pampered her as they once did, for the people who loved her had been hurt by her and had left.
An You Yu had once urged her to seek help from her family. But after her parents’ anger towards him, she could no longer return home.
Unable to conjure food with her powers, and with their meager income, the three lived in dire poverty.
Their child cried incessantly, making Hua Gu Zi irritable and prone to outbursts. Several times, she had the urge to strangle her own son, but was thankfully stopped by Granny Feng.
The child was often ill. Needing medicine but lacking the funds, it was a vicious cycle.
The new magistrate meticulously reviewed all the cases in the county. He was an extremely strict and upright official.
Consequently, Hua Gu Zi dared not enter the city, as a warrant for her arrest was active. Without her powers, she stood no chance against the soldiers. If caught, she would rot in prison until her death.
Their courtship was filled with sweet affection, but every day of their married life, Hua Gu Zi wished for death. Yet, she couldn’t bear to leave her child to suffer alone, so she endured.
She endured until her child was five years old, then, her vitality depleted, she departed this beautiful world.
Only after her death did she realize that the things she had once taken for granted were the most precious. And the love she had once cherished, stripped of its beautiful facade, was in reality, ugly and squalid.