I raised stunning young ladies, but they all wanted to possess me.

"The reply we received is that Miss Pei's ice-type superpowers require regular treatment, and Senior Sister Lin's bipolar disorder has stabilized but still needs a course of consolidation treatment."

"Mr. Gu's schedule is fully booked and he is temporarily unable to see any new patients."

"My mother relayed these words to me in a very calm tone, but I knew she was more upset than I was."

"She can see me biting my pillow every night."

"Later, my mother also passed away."

Her voice trembled slightly here, for a very brief moment, so fast that she almost lost the composure she had maintained for so many years.

"She exhausted her spiritual power while reinforcing the seal and collapsed on the sealing array."

"When I got there, she was already speechless. She just looked at me and put the key to the sealing array into my hand."

"The key still retains the warmth of her palm."

I was fifteen when she left.

"That winter, Mount Fuji was covered in a lot of snow, which covered the sealing array."

"I stood alone in front of the sealing array, clutching the key in my hand, feeling like a joke."

She turned her head to look at the swaying tree shadows on the paper door.

The night breeze slipped in through the cracks in the window, ruffling a few strands of still-damp hair on her forehead.

"For a while, I even considered trying some psychiatric medications."

"It's not for pain relief, it's for stopping me from thinking about those things."

"Because the Chiyomiya family's spiritual power inheritance is too domineering, every time it goes berserk, it's like a fire burning in their meridians."

"Physical pain can be endured, but the despair on a conscious level is unbearable."

That kind of despair where you've tried your best, but still can't change anything.

"Even medication can't suppress it."

"I have never told anyone about this."

She turned back to look at Gu Yan, her deep brown eyes filled with neither resentment nor grievance, only an extremely quiet honesty.

It's like opening a door that hasn't been opened for a very long time, letting another person walk in and see the dust and old things that have accumulated for many years.

"Later, Sister Yasong arrived."

She said how wonderful it would be if Master Gu were still alive, and that if she had the chance, she would definitely ask him to come and take a look at you.

"I thought she was talking nonsense."

"How could someone who has been dead for three years possibly come?"

She chuckled very softly as she said this, then looked up at Gu Yan.

There was so much in that one look: the weariness of carrying it all alone for over a decade, the relief of finally seeing someone come, and a tiny, barely perceptible tenderness that she herself didn't even realize.

"Then, Mr. Gu really did come."

Gu Yan remained silent for a long time.

He reached his hand over the coffee table and gently placed it on the hand that Yuzuru had placed on his knee.

Her fingers were cool, just like the feeling he had when he first touched her back in the spiritual spring.

But this time she wasn't the patient, and he wasn't the therapist.

She trembled slightly when he held her hand, her eyelashes fluttered several times, she wanted to say something but swallowed it back, she just turned her hand over and held his fingers tightly.

"That feeling was really comfortable."

A very faint blush rose to the roots of her ears, but her tone remained honest, clean, and without any affectation.

"The spiritual energy in my meridians is no longer running rampant; it's as if it's being enveloped by some gentle force."

"It's so warm."

"It's like walking for a long time in the snow in winter and suddenly walking into a room with a heater."

As she spoke, the corners of her mouth curved into a smile. The smile was very light and faint, but it was more genuine than any smile she had ever given before.

"Now I completely understand why Senior Sister Lin and Miss Pei like Mr. Gu so much."

"Because Mr. Gu is the first person in so many years to make them feel at ease."

"She is also the first person in all these years to make me feel at peace."

"Those who have been comforted from the depths of Mr. Gu's spirit will probably never forget this feeling for the rest of their lives."

She stood up, walked to the window, and pushed open the carved wooden window.

The night breeze, carrying the fragrance of maple leaves, wafted into the room, and moonlight shone on her plain white kimono.

She stood by the window, turning back to look at Gu Yan against the moonlight.

Those deep brown pupils were as clear as two pools of spring water under the moonlight, and the smile on her lips hadn't faded yet, still lingering on her pale cherry-colored lips.

"There is a magic mirror in the library of the Chiyo-miya family."

"It is the entrance to a secret realm left behind by the first priestess, which contains the lifelong spiritual insights of the chief priestesses of all generations."

"It can only be opened if two people enter at the same time."

"But ordinary priestesses cannot withstand the mental pressure in the secret realm, and Lady Elena disdains to enter such human creations."

She placed her hand on the windowsill, and the moonlight shone on her slender, fair fingers, making her fingertips gleam with a faint silver light.

"Mr. Gu's mental strength is just right."

"If you're willing to come with me, perhaps we can find other ways to further strengthen the seal."

Gu Yan stood up from the sofa and walked over to her.

"When?"

Yuzuru turned to look at her. The moonlight fell on her profile, casting a faint silver glow on her exquisitely sculpted features.

"The moon is beautiful tonight."

Her voice was very soft, so soft that it was almost blown away by the night wind and carried away by the rustling of maple leaves.

"Let's do it now."

The moment the spirit mirror activated, Gu Yan felt her consciousness being lifted from her body by an extremely gentle hand.

There was no dizzying sensation, no spiritual energy impact, only a gentle, watery light emanating from the depths of the mirror, enveloping him and Yu Sheng together.

When he opened his eyes, he found himself standing in a forest he had never seen before.

The trees here have no canopy; instead, they are covered with countless drooping, glowing vines, each shimmering with a pale silver light, as if moonlight has been drawn into threads and hung from the branches.

Beneath my feet was a stone path, flanked by layers of white flowers with translucent petals that floated gently in the wind, swirling slowly in mid-air without falling.

The air was filled with a refreshing fragrance that was somewhere between cherry blossoms and sandalwood.

There was no sky overhead, only a very faint silver light curtain, on which occasionally drifting shadows like clouds passed by.

In the distance, there is a low hill, and on the top of the hill stands a huge ancient tree. It has no leaves, and its branches are twisted like dragons, covered with dark green vines, as if it has been growing there for thousands of years.

Gu Yan took a few steps before realizing that the silence here was abnormal.

There were no insect chirps, no bird calls, and no trace of any biological activity.

There are no ferocious beasts or anything that moves in this secret realm, only flowers, trees, vines, and light.

It is dead.

Or perhaps it was asleep.

Yuzuru walked half a step ahead of him, her plain white kimono shimmering faintly under the silver light, her pheasant sword hanging at her waist, the scabbard swaying gently with her steps.

She led him along the stone path, past the low hill, and past the huge ancient tree.