Reunited At Last

"What happened to Zhang Long?" Guo Lian asked.

It turns out that Zhang Long and Jin Zhen had gotten married and had twins - a boy and a girl. Zhang Long was now at the Golden Core realm and had been recruited by Xian Yue as well in order to find Tang Ze and was scouting a different part of the empire for him.

They were looking for people who seemed to have strange memories of past lives, and had crystals made by Xian Yue that if they were presented to the reincarnated Tang Ze specifically, would awaken his memories.

In addition, she had taught them a technique that would help them recognize Tang Ze if they encountered his soul again so long as they were at a close distance.

After a single cycle of reincarnation, some traces of the past life would remain, though with each successive rebirth, these traces would fade more and more. Perhaps at higher levels, like the Nascent Soul realm, one could see even those marks, but for someone like He Xuan, who was still at Golden Core, one lifetime was the best he could do even with Xian Yue's teachings guiding him.

That said, he had known Tang Ze's soul quite well when Tang Ze had worn a spirit ring with his soul in it, so he was one of the prime candidates for finding Tang Ze, which was why Xian Yue had sought him out in the first place.

They left, after He Xuan left Guo Lian's family with five hundred gold coins. More than enough for the two of them to retire right away.

"You don't have to do that," Guo Lian said.

"That's your own money - do you remember that reward you got from the tournament? You never spent a cent of it, and Zhang Long was holding onto it," He Xuan said.

"But if someone sees them with that much money…"

"…they will be the target of bandits, I see, of course, in that case let us leave them with only two for now," He Xuan said.

Guo Lian also promised that he would try to find housing for them within the sect - normally that would be nearly impossible for mortals at their cultivation level, but the Supreme Elder just happened to be his wife! Who would deny him then?

On the way back, He Xuan filled in Guo Lian a bit more on what had gone on during his absence.

Yin Tiang had finally managed to refine some of Jin Zhen's cooking and used it to make a medicinal elixir. "All medicine is poison, just given with different doses and with a different intention," Yin Tiang had once said.

Yin Tiang had also ended up marrying a mermaid of all things - one he had met when he took an excursion back to the same lake they had once visited. He had gone there out of sheer curiosity, it seemed, and caught the attention of the mermen as they remembered him as 'Lord Ma'kat's servant.' Eventually one thing led to another, and he fell in love with a mermaid and married her. She was aware of the shenanigans that Yin Tiang and Tang Ze had pulled in that lake (Yin Tiang had told her about it when he felt that he could trust her), but she had also agreed that it was best to keep mum about it.

Chen Yu had mastered several new techniques based on his Attribute, and had even won an event during the Novice Tournament - the fighting rounds, thanks to the same.

That was back when he was a Qi Refinement cultivator though, now he and Yin Tiang were both at the first minor realm of Golden Core.

Zhang Long outpaced them when it came to cultivation even now, being at the third minor realm of Golden Core. While it might seem like only a difference of two minor realms at first glance, which was the gap that had been between Zhang Long and the other two when Tang Ze had first met them; it was actually a massive gap given it was at the Golden Core level.

It took most people much more time than just eighty years to reach Golden Core, but all of his squad members had been unique in varying ways, so this didn't surprise Tang Ze.

Still, Tang Ze couldn't help but feel a bit miffed that he had never gotten beyond the fourth minor realm of Qi Condensation, while his friends were at Golden Core - and to boot his wife was at the Hinayana realm! He was even more behind them all right now, being at only the first minor realm of Qi Condensation.

'Oh well, I may have a lot of catching up to do, but now I can do it in peace,' - he thought to himself. Not to mention with support from Xian Yue he had a feeling he would be going through the realms much faster than he had done in his previous life. As it was, this was still better than starting off at the Zeroth Realm again.

Speaking of, Tang Ze had a lot of questions regarding how Xian Yue was doing and what other things she had gotten up to, but He Xuan said that it was better that Tang Ze see her for himself and get his answers from the horse's mouth. "In case you're wondering, she is doing extremely well for herself," He Xuan said. She was the most powerful cultivator currently in the Raswatian Empire, and the Rising Phoenix sect was now the number one ranked sect.

Xian Yue, being a Soul path cultivator, had easily been able to ascend to the Eternal Soul realm using her experiences from her past life. That was one of the benefits of being an elite Soul path cultivator, but even if Tang Ze had those methods, jumping to the fourth minor realm of Qi Condensation was hardly a big feat. What surprised him more was that she was at the Hinayana realm - had she figured out how to repair her dress somehow without him?

He was happy that she had advanced, though also a bit moody because it was one of the things that she had been relying on his help to accomplish. Tang Ze would prefer to be the one that others relied upon rather than someone who relied on others, not to mention, he had promised her so long ago that he would do it but ultimately failed.

There were some things that He Xuan did not know of though, like that tree which seemed to originate from a dream realm that Tang Ze had transplanted elsewhere - what had happened to it? Whenever he got a chance, he would have to return there to see if there had been any changes.

"So, it still looks so much the same," Guo Lian said. They were traveling on He Xuan's flying carpet, and were going back to the same sect division he had been in all these years.

"I sent word once I found you, and we figured you would like to meet up back here, rather than the main headquarters."

They disembarked, occasionally getting odd looks as the sect members seemed to be wondering who Guo Lian was given his cultivation was low and he was not in an Initiate's uniform - some of them still remembered who He Xuan was though, and no one stopped them as they went back to his old office.

It had also changed surprisingly little in all the time that had passed, but Guo Lian was not looking at any of the items on the walls, but at the person who was sitting at what used to be He Xuan's seat.

A woman who was quite familiar - Xian Hue clearly had used some sort technique, because her face looked just like it had when she had gone by Shen Hui. Not only that, she was still keeping her name as Xian Hue, likely in case she ever ran into reincarnated Tang Ze and he happened to recognize the name.

She could tell who Guo Lian was instantly at this distance with her attainment in the Soul path. "Welcome back!"

She went to embrace him, but before she could, four other people had decided to take their chances.

"Brother Tang Ze! You're back!" It was Zhang Long, who looked like he'd aged only about five years. Tears were streaming down his face - Tang Ze's loss had affected him quite deeply. He had devoted several decades of study to find a way to bring his friend back to life, though it was only when Xian Hue had made herself known and became Supreme Elder that he realized that such efforts were futile and he had devoted himself to finding the reincarnated Tang Ze instead.

But now though, they had finally been reunited again.

"Ah, we were so worried we'd never see you again," Jin Zhen said, consoling her husband.

"Nice to see you back!" Yin Tiang said.

"Same here!" Chen Yu said.

The five of them embraced in a group hug, delighted to be reunited after all these years.

It was truly a heartwarming scene.

But there was one person who couldn't stand the sight of it.

Xian Yue!

"Oi! I'm his wife! I get to welcome him first! Get off of him!" she yelled. When she saw that they were not budging, she added, "I'm a Hinayana realm cultivator, remember that!"

"The power of the Hinayana realm is nothing compared to the power of the bonds of friendship," Zhang Long retorted.

Xian Yue glared at him, though Zhang Long did not so much as flinch in response. "In that case, I was also his friend for far longer than you all!"

"Ah, sorry," Guo Lian said as he gently pushed the others away and walked up to Xian Hue. "I got a bit overexcited there."

"Hmph! Well, they were your friends, so it's fine," she said, and then smiled. "I told you I would find you in your next lifetime, didn't I?"

"That you did," Guo Lian said. They had been quite lucky to end up in the same place like this - or maybe it wasn't just luck? He had seen the effect of karmic ties after he had died fighting the Asura Emperor. Perhaps it was not luck or simple chance, but the fruit of their karma which had allowed them to reunite even after this time? "And look at you! Finally at the Hinayana realm! Looks like you didn't need my help to finish that dress after all."

Xian Yue shook her head. "That dress was only a symbol - a tapestry of my life. It was incomplete because my life was incomplete, I had developed my own heart demon as I had turned away from what I truly wanted. I had denied a part of who I was. It was your presence, and being with you, finally, when I realized that and was able to complete who I was. I awakened my prior memories in this life of mine, and once I knew that I was complete, I leapt right to the Hinayana realm. My prediction hadn't been wrong, I couldn't have gone to the Hinayana realm without your help."

Cultivation was about being true to oneself above all.

She had tried to pretend that she didn't need or want love - that she was happier alone, for all those years.

But, a single lifetime spent with Tang Ze had laid bare that lie wide open. Thanks to those decades spent with Tang Ze, she had been able to accomplish what she hadn't been able to for millennia.

Xian Yue and Guo Lian embraced. "Welcome back home, my love!"

THE END