He had just been reborn when he was imprisoned by his nemesis, the Empress?

Shen Yunshu felt her body enveloped in endless warmth, her eyes slightly burning, and she hugged the child in her arms tightly.

......

The next day, the sky was clear and the air was crisp.

Shen Qingyao sat on a bench in the corridor with Xu Yi, legs crossed and eating sunflower seeds.

She turned her head to look at Xu Yi, who was sitting quietly beside her, and deliberately dragged out her question, knowing full well what she was asking.

"Xu Yi, today is your master's birthday. Have you prepared a gift for her?"

Xu Yi glanced at her, then quickly reached out and snatched a handful of sunflower seeds from Shen Qingyao's hand, clutching them in his palm.

"It's ready. Although Master said she didn't want any gifts, I still prepared some."

"And you, Uncle-Master?"

Shen Qingyao pouted, looking indifferent, and instead reached out to him to ask for it.

"I'm not prepared, can you give me one of your gifts?"

She leaned closer, a sly smile on her face.

"These past few days, whenever your master goes out, you've been hiding in your room tinkering with things. You must have been preparing quite a bit, right?"

Upon hearing this, Xu Yi raised his eyebrows slightly but said nothing more.

He casually took out a roll of drawing paper from the storage bag at his waist and gently unfolded it.

The painting depicts Shen Yunshu embracing him affectionately, with delicate brushstrokes and a gentle expression.

Even the gentleness in Shen Yunshu's eyes and brows is vividly depicted.

"Are you sure you want this? This is all part of my and my master's daily routine."

Shen Qingyao leaned closer to take a look, her eyes widening in disbelief.

"My goodness, kid, you're even this talented at drawing??? You're only seven years old!"

The person in the painting bears a striking resemblance to Shen Yunshu, with an exact resemblance in both spirit and temperament.

Xu Yi put the painting away, gently rolled it up, and placed it back in his storage bag. He picked his nose and casually made up an excuse.

"It's alright. Last year, I saw the Fourth Elder use magic to paint and thought it was pretty good, so I learned a few tricks from him. It's not a particularly impressive skill."

Seeing his nonchalant and indifferent expression, Shen Qingyao pouted.

To be able to draw to this level after only learning a few techniques, what kind of monster is this kid? His talent is terrifying.

She leaned back in her chair, frowning in distress, her fingertips unconsciously twirling the sunflower seeds.

"So what should I give as a gift? All the things I thought of before were so unthoughtful..."

"Sigh, I'll book a table at the largest restaurant in our prefecture for some good food and wine first."

"As for the gift... I'm going to pack myself up and give myself to your master, hehe."

As soon as she finished speaking, a cold yet helpless voice rang out.

"That would be the worst gift I've ever received."

Shen Qingyao immediately stopped smiling, her lips drooping so much they could hang an oil lamp.

Damn sister, you have the nerve to accuse me of eavesdropping on your conversations every day.

Aren't you openly eavesdropping on our conversation?

Night slowly enveloped the mountain peaks, and a large table of delicacies and fine wines had already been laid out in the courtyard.

Shen Yunshu, who had been deliberately sent away by Shen Qingyao that morning and had only just returned, looked at the table full of dishes and sighed softly, his tone tinged with helplessness.

"Didn't I already say that there's no need to buy any special food from a restaurant? I can just cook some home-style meals myself."

She glanced around the newly renovated courtyard, now adorned with colorful ribbons and lanterns, feeling both helpless and amused.

"You've turned this into a New Year's celebration, it doesn't look like a birthday banquet at all."

Shen Qingyao picked up a piece of spirit fish meat with her chopsticks and retorted confidently.

"We can't just celebrate our birthdays alone, can we? Besides, you haven't celebrated your birthday in so many years, this time it has to be a grand affair."

Her eyes darted around, and she secretly transmitted her voice to Shen Yunshu.

"I also got you a banner, do you want to take it out?"

Shen Yunshu frowned slightly and immediately sent a telepathic message back.

"What does it say on it...?"

Happy 2235th birthday to Shen Yunshu, the Sect Master of the Sword Sect!

Shen Yunshu's expression darkened instantly, and he gritted his teeth as he transmitted his voice.

"You! You're not allowed to take it out!"

Shen Qingyao laughed uncontrollably and continued to tease.

"My goodness, let me do the math, you and Xu Yi are more than two thousand two hundred years apart."

"This could easily be a contest for the biggest age gap between Daoist couples in Kyushu, hahaha!"

Shen Yunshu's voice turned cold, each word distinct and deliberate.

"Shen, Qing, Yao, shut up if you don't want to grow to three feet tall."

Shen Qingyao was taken aback, and asked blankly.

"Huh? Why did I suddenly become three feet tall?"

"Because I will break your legs."

Shen Qingyao immediately chickened out and obediently raised her hand.

"I was wrong, sister. I won't say anything like that again."

The three of them sat around a table, enjoying a warm and quiet meal.

Halfway through the meal, Shen Yunshu finally heard the words she had been waiting for.

Xu Yi put down his chopsticks, looked up at her with bright, sparkling eyes.

"Master, I've prepared a gift for you."

Shen Yunshu's heart leaped with joy, her cool and aloof expression softening instantly. She feigned surprise as she looked at him, her tone carrying a barely perceptible hint of anticipation.

"Hmm? Really, Yi'er? Didn't Master say... that he doesn't need Yi'er's gift?"

"All Yi'er needs to do is fulfill a few small wishes of Master."

Sitting opposite her, Shen Qingyao's lips twitched uncontrollably as she looked at her like this.

I almost spat out the food in my mouth.

It's such a pity that my sister doesn't go into acting.

They clearly knew all along, yet they can still act so innocent and surprised, with a look that says, "I don't know anything."

Xu Yi didn't notice anything; he simply reached into his storage bag and quickly pulled out the scrolls.

One, two, three... seventeen, eighteen.

Shen Yunshu stared blankly at the densely packed paintings in front of him.

She had actually noticed a long time ago that Xu Yi was secretly preparing a gift.

Unable to resist his curiosity, he took a look with his divine sense and realized that they were paintings, though he had thought there were only one or two.

But she didn't expect that Xu Yi would draw a total of eighteen pictures, stroke by stroke.

Shen Yunshu gently picked up the scroll on her lap, her fingertips trembling slightly, and quietly looked at each painting.

Just as she was moved by what she saw, Xu Yi took out another jade pendant and placed it in front of her.

The jade pendant has a neatly engraved character "毅" on the left and an elegant character "疏" on the right.

In the center is a tightly intertwined lotus flower.

Xu Yi held the jade pendant and carefully handed it to Shen Yunshu, saying softly...

"Master, the book says that this pattern represents never leaving each other and never being separated."

"I want to give this to my master. In the future, my master can wear half of it, and I can wear the other half."

"No matter how many years pass, we will always be together and never be apart."

She gently took the jade from her hand, held it tightly in her palm, and leaned down to embrace Xu Yi.

"Okay... Master will stay with Yi'er for a lifetime, never to be separated."