The myth begins with the Lotus Lantern

Chapter 273 Misunderstanding
They chatted for a while longer.

He had successfully gained access to the patronage of the powerful and recruited subordinates.

Ding Lin and Tian Peng were both satisfied.

"Marshal, then this humble general shall take his leave!" Ding Lin said.

Tianpeng nodded.

Ding Lin backed away and walked out.

As Ding Lin retreated further and further away, Tianpeng's expression changed again. He poured out a cup of wine, tilted his head back and drank it down, then waved his sleeve to collect all the wine utensils.

Ding Lin guessed that Tianpeng was probably leaving, and he was destined not to be able to admire the moon again tonight. After talking with him, he had no reason to stay in the Tianpeng Temple any longer.

More than ten feet away.

Ding Lin's armor clanged as he was about to turn around when a sudden light shone from the darkness, illuminating the entire courtyard. It flashed and disappeared in an instant, followed by a silver snake dancing wildly in the air and then a rumble of thunder.

The wind suddenly stopped.

The calm before the storm.

"It is going to rain."

Tianpeng said, his eyes shrouded in darkness. He glanced one last time at the original position of the moon, and a complex emotion was revealed. Perhaps he was certain that Ding Lin did not know the reason, or perhaps he felt that Ding Lin had retreated far enough away that he could not sense him. He did not deliberately hide it.

After all, love is a word whose origins are unknown, making it the most difficult to experience and understand.

……

Ding Lin sensed it and understood.

Because he had experienced it himself.

Ding Lin suddenly remembered that night many years ago.

Beneath the walls of Mount Hua, in the moat, a red carp leaps out of the water, while a woman on the bank smiles sweetly: "Actually, you already guessed it, didn't you? If we meet again, you can call me... Yang Chan."

"My name isn't Jin Lin either. Remember, my name is Ding Lin."

"The 'ding' in 'lilac' and the 'lin' in 'peach grove'."

The names announced on the shore—were they a parting sentiment?

Or is it simply the reluctance to part ways?
After all, we had spent so many days and nights together.

But back then, I was ultimately... just a carp.

A carp that can't even transform into human form.

Too difficult to distinguish, too confusing.

My mood suddenly plummeted for no apparent reason.

……

Tianpeng sensed it too. He looked down at Ding Lin, a hint of suspicion flashing in his eyes. Ding Lin turned around at that moment, perhaps also realizing that something was wrong with his emotions, and quickened his pace.

Continue walking towards the side gate.

But her thoughts showed no sign of stopping; like a flood bursting its banks, once started, they were unstoppable.

……

Fish. "Run...run away!"

A young, slightly stuttering female voice.

In the torrential rain, I dared not look back and leaped desperately. A tremendous force came from behind me, allowing me to escape the life-devouring lake. But behind me came screams of agony. In the end, I did not choose to run away. What followed was mutual support in the dry ditch, sharing life and death.

"Little Red...are we...are we going to die...?"

When I woke up again, it was a long separation.

Back then, they were just fish. When I first saw Qingyi, I was just a fish too. In the end, was I still just a fish in my eyes? We had a brief encounter in the Western Sea, but the deepest image in my mind was that pitiful, dying blue fish. What kind of emotions did I feel then? Guilt, responsibility, pity—all of these were there. Besides these, there was also…

It was only after leaving that Ding Lin truly understood his own heart.

This heart is so vast, so full of love, that it can hold so much. This heart is also so deep; once something is contained, it will never be forgotten. But as time goes by, it sinks deeper and deeper, brewing up contemplation.

Sometimes, Ding Lin couldn't help but feel guilty, but then he would immediately conclude that he didn't want to give up any of them and wanted to have them all!

Perhaps this isn't love, but merely desire.

Love is taking, desire is giving.

But I just want to have it all!

With that thought, there was no more hesitation.

……

"Clap!"

A raindrop fell from the sky and hit my face.

Ding Lin had already reached the door. He looked up at the sky, where the dark clouds were getting lower and lower, almost pressing down on the ground. Not to mention the moon, not even a single star could be seen. But there was no fear in Ding Lin's eyes. He was no longer the little carp he used to be.

Lift your leg, and you're about to step out the door.

……

This shouldn't be a place for reminiscing. Only Tianpeng knew the reason why Ding Lin suddenly started to reminisce. Among the seven transformations that Tianpeng had mastered, there was one called "Wandering Spirit and Controlling Qi," which could influence reality with one's spirit. Although he hadn't deliberately activated it, Ding Lin's level of magical power was far too different from his. Just now, he had only inadvertently revealed a trace of thought, and then he was affected and couldn't control it, without even realizing it himself.

Unexpectedly, even this newly recruited subordinate has such worries.

Tianpeng looked at Ding Lin, his gaze surprisingly sincere, as if they were both in the same boat, feeling a sense of shared sorrow. At first, he felt great empathy, but gradually, something felt off. He sensed Ding Lin's emotional changes. At first, he was indeed just like him, lost and helpless, but in the end, all his hesitation vanished, as if he had made a firm decision!
"Vice General Jin!" Tianpeng couldn't help but exclaim.

Ding Lin paused as he was about to take a step. He suddenly realized something was wrong, and his thoughts came to an abrupt halt. He immediately suspected Tianpeng, who had silently affected his figure. What kind of supernatural power was this?
"Marshal, is there anything else you need?" When Ding Lin turned around, the shock in his eyes had disappeared, and he remained respectful.

“Vice General Jin,” Tianpeng began, his mind racing as he finally found a flimsy excuse. “You have only recently ascended to heaven, and you are probably not very familiar with the heavenly rules. I value you, so I will say this: in heaven, all the rules are subject to leniency, except for one: the word ‘emotion.’ You must remember to be very careful. The Great Heavenly Venerable and the Queen Mother of the West are most intolerant of these things. From the former Grand Princess to the recent Seventh Granddaughter, even close relatives, anyone who has violated them has been dealt with.”

"If you didn't have it when you were in the lower realm, that's fine, but if you did..." Tianpeng stared intently at Ding Lin.

"What the Marshal says is true, this humble general..."

Ding Lin's eyes flashed. If he had only guessed before, after hearing Tian Peng's words, he was now certain. He lowered his head slightly, hiding the coldness in his eyes.

Since you took the initiative, you can't blame me.

"Since I began my cultivation, I have been all alone and have never had such troubles. But I think..." Ding Lin paused for a moment, and continued under Tianpeng's expectant gaze, "It is just my humble opinion, and I am only speaking nonsense in front of the Marshal."

"If two people are truly in love, they will not care about divine punishment or rules!"

Ding Lin seemed to have been completely won over by Tianpeng, showing great trust in him.

(End of this chapter)