Chapter Sixty-Five: The Northern Sea

In an instant, fragmented and chaotic memories flashed through Zisang's mind. Though these fragments dissipated like clouds of smoke, she knew clearly that these memories did not belong to her.

"Zisang, let's go to Lizhou!" Nan Xianyi said, seemingly oblivious to Zisang's distraction.

Zisang snapped back to reality, her cold eyes revealing a flicker of surprise.

"Lizhou... it doesn't exist!"

"No, trust me. I know where it is. I'll take you there."

He gazed intently at Zisang, hoping to meet her eyes and convey his sincerity. His words were undeniable.

After a long pause, she slowly raised her downcast eyes, her cold gaze unwavering. She spoke softly, "It no longer matters. My father... he's already gone. Even if we found it, he wouldn't be there to see it."

Zisang mustered the courage to meet his gaze, but Nan Xianyi's intense stare was too much for her to handle, forcing her to look away. She tried to mask her unease, feigning calmness.

"But this time, it's not for the Demon Emperor—it's for yourself!" Nan Xianyi's words struck her like a resounding drum, making her heart tremble.

"I've heard... Lizhou is a beautiful place. Don't you want to see it?"

She did want to. Of course, she did. But did Lizhou really exist? Where was it? Why couldn't she find it despite her desperate search? Now, just as she had decided to give up—no, she had already given up—someone was telling her that it did exist.

And that person was right in front of her. He had taught her that people should live for themselves.

All her life, she had lived in hatred, solely focused on avenging her father. It wasn't that she didn't feel fatigue; her hatred had consumed and numbed her. His warmth had melted her heart of ice into a pool of soft water.

"Did you come down the mountain for this?" she asked, not out of distrust, but because everything was so unexpected.

Nan Xianyi's appearance was already a huge surprise for Zisang, but she hadn't expected him to bring even more shocking news.

"I know you went through a lot to find Lizhou," he said. "Now that we finally know its whereabouts, wouldn't it be a shame not to see it with our own eyes?"

Nan Xianyi's expression was a mix of amusement and satisfaction, as if he had set a trap for her. He knew Zisang couldn't resist his teasing, yet he did it anyway.

Zisang, despite herself, couldn't help but fall for it. She grabbed his sleeve eagerly before he even finished speaking, as if afraid he would escape.

"Where is Lizhou? Let's go right now!"

Nan Xianyi had anticipated her reaction, and his smile grew even more triumphant. He found her naivety endearing.

"Now? Silly fox, where do you think we can go in the middle of the night?"

"Get a good night's sleep tonight. We'll leave when you're well-rested. Otherwise, you won't be able to handle it."

In the past, he often thought Zisang was willful and impulsive, but sometimes she seemed like a child. Just like now, hearing that they would leave for Lizhou tomorrow, she immediately turned over and tried to sleep.

Thinking she had fallen asleep, he was about to get up and leave when she called out to him.

"Nan Xianyi, could you stay? Keep me company. I can't sleep!"

Above the spring of the Northern Sea, there is an island called Lizhou. The existence of these two entities seems to be bound by some sort of pact. Lizhou's presence protects the spring of the Northern Sea from external harm, while the divine beast guarding the spring, in turn, ensures the safety of the island's inhabitants.

However, when Zisang and Nan Xianyi arrived, there was no sign of any divine beast. The sea was eerily still, as if frozen, without the slightest ripple. The island in the middle of the sea looked desolate and abandoned, seemingly uninhabited for a long time.

Surrounded by endless blue, the island appeared like a forsaken child, evoking a sense of loneliness that tugged at one's heart. As they walked through the island, the desolation became even more apparent. The trees were long dead, and the once orderly houses were now collapsing ruins. The absence of even a single crow's caw added to the lifeless atmosphere, making the place seem as if it had never known life.

A sudden bird call pierced the silence, startling them. Zisang hoped it was some living creature responding to her heart's longing, proving that life still existed here. But when she looked up, she wasn't surprised.

It was the white phoenix, soaring and circling in the sky, finally free after being confined in the dagger for so long. Zisang gestured for it to quiet down, but the phoenix only cried out louder. Frustrated by its disobedience, she threatened it softly, "If you don't behave, I'll lock you back in the dagger, and you'll never get out again!"

The white phoenix, being sentient, understood her words. But even with Zisang's threat, it continued to cry out, almost as if challenging her.

"You..." Zisang was so angry she could hardly speak. She was about to retrieve the dagger to summon the phoenix back when Nan Xianyi stopped her.

"Let it be. Maybe it's trying to tell you something," Nan Xianyi suggested, feeling a bit sorry for the phoenix. He thought it was simply excited to be free and wanted to express its joy.

Zisang found his reasoning ridiculous. What could the phoenix possibly want to say to her? Even if it did, she wouldn't understand it. Before her, the phoenix had been under her father's care and only listened to him. Naturally, only her father could understand it.

Before Zisang could respond to Nan Xianyi, another cry echoed from the sky.

You stupid bird, are you done yet? she thought, gritting her teeth.

"Watch out!" A sudden shout interrupted her thoughts.

She felt an arm wrap around her waist, lifting her and spinning her 180 degrees. In the blur of motion, she saw a bird-like creature flying towards them, its crimson eyes piercing through the air. When she opened her eyes again, the creature was already dead, its neck snapped by the white phoenix's beak.

Nan Xianyi had shielded her from the creature's attack, taking the brunt of it himself.

"Nan Xianyi, are you okay? Nan Xianyi!" she cried out, seeing him clutching his neck in pain as he struggled to get up.

"Hiss... What was that thing? It bit me, and it hurts!" he grimaced.

"Are you out of your mind? You didn't even know what it was, and you still jumped in front of it! What if it was a venomous beast? What if you got seriously hurt? How am I supposed to save you? What if you died? You're all I have!"