It had been a month since Ding Xiaocuo crossed through the portal. That evening, Jiu Jue came to my pce again to "accidentally" eat my food.

  "Lao Yue asked you to take care of Ding Xiaocuo for nine hundred years?" I knew Jiu Jue—after a few drinks, he'd gossip about anything.

  "That old man is one of the few in the Heavenly Realm who doesn't annoy me," Jiu Jue nodded, nibbling on a honey-gzed chicken wing. "He's been quite protective of that girl, Ding Xiaocuo."

  "The “Spiritual Rhino” Sword was also his doing, wasn't it?" I smiled.

  "Ding Xiaocuo messed up the red thread and disrupted human fates. She couldn′t stay in the Heavenly Realm—if they didn′t send her to the mortal world to escape, she′d have ended up in Heavenly Prison for life. But, luckily, Lao Yue sealed all of her memories of Beitang Ken in that “Spiritual Rhino” Sword she brought back. Otherwise, with that kind of heartbreak, she'd definitely be my version of the nine hundred years’ version of a menting widow, and who could stand that?" Jiu Yue grinned, munching happily.

  "But, in the end, if it weren't for Old Moon's compassion, taking away her memories, that girl would have either faced severe punishment in the Heavenly Realm or lived in agony over what she had done until she died. You know, no matter how severe the wound, it will eventually heal. But regret is different—it stays with you until the end of your life. Nine hundred years ago, watching her beloved man die before her eyes... that kind of pain and regret, no one could bear."

  I took a sip of my wine and said, "Ding Xiaocuo owes thanks to more than just Lao Yue, but also to you, you pervert."

  "I didn't do anything," Jiu Yue shrugged nonchantly. "I just borrowed the Zhuque Lamp from the Goddess of Time and let my silly disciple py around with time travel, that's all." He rolled his eyes and started attacking the spicy ribs. "If in the end, she still refuses to show her true self to him, I'll just sigh and admit that the experiment failed and accept that fate cannot be changed."

  I'm not from the Heavenly Realm, but I knew that the Zhuque Lamp, which allows one to travel through time, could only be lit once every nine hundred years. To use it, one needed both a good retionship and a hefty price. Jiu Jue had a decent rapport with the Goddess of Time, but extracting the power of time reversal from the mp, disguising it as a talisman, and sending Ding Xiaocuo back to nine hundred years ago through my hands without her noticing—it would require more than just time; it would cost him at least a hundred years of cultivation.

  "A foolish disciple is worth all that?" I chuckled. "You don't look like the kind of person who'd do something so kind."

  "I've already said it—I'm just conducting an experiment. I just want to see if what has already happened, if what's considered fate, really has no possibility of being changed." Jiu Jue wiped his mouth, burped loudly, then continued, "Besides, Lao Yue told me that the severed red thread of Beitang Ken's original partner... the woman connected to it... is that foolish Ding Xiaocuo! A yaokai paired with a mortal—such a bond only happens once every five hundred years! Tell me, who's this stupid? Without even looking, she cuts her own red thread, causing all this mess!"

  "Are you sure that Ding Xiaocuo's current situation is exactly what you expected?" I asked, hitting the most crucial point.

  Jiu Jue's usual sly grin crept onto his lips. "I'm not sure. I only know that if this foolish disciple, just like nine hundred years ago, chooses to retreat because of her appearance instead of moving forward, then her fate won't change. She′ll be brought back by Lao Yue and handed back to me. But look—she still hasn't returned."

  "From the moment you sent her back, you never intended for her to come back, did you?" I grabbed the st rib from the pte. "You, as a master, are destined to be left out in the cold."

  "Forget it," he sighed. Gncing at the calendar, he self-deprecatingly added, "After all, she's been making my bed, cooking, and doing undry for years. I've developed some feelings for her. This... consider it my st gift to my disciple for Children's Day."

  "Alright, to make up for the sadness of your lost disciple, I won't charge you for the trouble of hiring me as an accomplice," I raised my gss. "To the most perverted yet kindest master, cheers!"

  At the end of the Northern Song Dynasty, in the fifth year of Qianxing, twenty miles north of Yanmen Pass, there was a ranch.

  "It's born! It's born! Little Bck's baby is here!!" A young woman, dressed as a farmer, shouted excitedly in the stable.

  "Shh! What's all the noise for?" A man, wearing a felt hat and looking handsome, crouched in front of a mare that had just given birth, shooting her a stern look. "You're going to scare them!"

  "Oh, oh," the woman quickly covered her mouth and crouched beside him. "Hubby, I'm just so happy! It's like I gave birth myself!"

  "Uh..." The man looked at his wife seriously. "I wonder if the child born from a yaokai and a mortal would be what you often call... a 'half-human, half-yaokai'?"

  "Who curses their own child like that!" The woman angrily grabbed a handful of hay and threw it at her husband's head. "If I'd known, I would have never come back to you! Or maybe heaven should have let someone like you, heartless and soulless, be scared to death by how I looked back then!"

  "Did you forget what my title was back then?" The man rolled his eyes at her and then smiled, pulling her into his arms. His tone suddenly softened. "It's a good thing you came back."

  Ding Xiaocuo still feels lingering fear to this day. That snowy night, she only vaguely felt that she had to find him; she had to appear before him. However, after returning to her original form, she almost chose to retreat, just like she had nine hundred years ago. She feared that her love would be buried beneath her ugly appearance, and the sudden surge of deep self-loathing made her panic. But a voice inside her kept shouting—go forward! Go forward! It doesn't matter if I'm disliked; it doesn't matter if I'm hated, as long as you live well! Beitang Ken's anxious calls ultimately stopped her from stepping back. She appeared before him in her true form before he faced his real enemy.

  He instinctively raised his sword. "I am... Ding Xiaocuo." She gazed into his eyes and said only those words. Her master had once told her, "With the eyes in the heart, there is heart in the eyes." The two of them stared at each other for a long time. He lowered his “Spiritual Rhino” sword and walked toward her. In his gaze, she saw herself—not as the ugly spirit beast, but as her own face, full of charm and grace.

  When Zhao Zhi's subordinates, leading the Khitan soldiers, returned to the deserted site, the snow was empty. Only an unconscious Ye Nishang y there.

  Three years ter, she regained her human form and became his wife. The vast pasture, the cattle and sheep, the life they dreamed of atop the haystacks long ago, had now become a reality.

  The “Spiritual Rhino” sword had transformed from one into two. In reality, it had always been a pair of swords—one male and one female. When Beitang Ken and Ding Xiaocuo unlocked it, it wasn't for the treasure or the key, but to make life more convenient for them as a couple, each with one sword. They used it to chop wood and cut firewood. The sword was surprisingly effective, and for farming chores, it was truly a great tool!

  Oh, by the way, the final lesson in the Guide to Love by the Matchmaker said—no matter what form you take, in the eyes of someone who truly loves you, you will always see yourself at your most beautiful moment. As long as you're alive, there's always a chance to change. The most foolish person is the one who denies themselves before anyone else does. Let go of the self-doubt, take one more step, and you'll see the beautiful sunset over the vast desert.

  Above are Ding Xiaocuo's insights and experiences.