My words have become law; I truly have no desire to display my divine power before others.

He stood there for a long time, until he could see nothing at all, before he lowered his head and looked at the scroll in his hand.

He tucked the scroll into his sleeve, leaned on his cane, and slowly walked back to the temple.

The incense in the temple had not yet dissipated; wisps of smoke drifted from the incense burner, lingering in the twilight.

He stared at the peeling gold paint on the clay statue, which seemed to be smiling at him. He looked at it for a long time, then turned and walked away.

Yunniang stood on the main road not far from the village. This was the only way to leave the village. Further ahead, there would be a fork in the road, leading in different directions.

She was carrying a food box in her hand.

The food box was made of bamboo, with a plum blossom carved on the lid. It was a gift from her husband when he was alive.

She's been holding it for a long time, from noon until now, and her arms are sore, but she doesn't want to put it down.

She watched Ye Qingfeng walk over from afar and greeted him with a smile.

"Immortal Master." She bowed.

Ye Qingfeng stopped and looked at her.

Yunniang straightened up and handed over the food box.

"Immortal Master, these are pastries that Decheng and I made together. Please take them with you on your journey. We also have these few valuables. We don't have much to offer, but we hope you will accept them."

Ye Qingfeng took the food box and opened the lid.

Inside, rows of pastries were neatly arranged, including osmanthus cake, mung bean cake, and jujube paste pastry, all of which were exquisitely made and looked better than those sold at the market.

The aroma of pastries wafted out, sweet and sticky, with a faint fragrance of osmanthus.

He looked at it for a while, then put the lid on and carried it in his hand.

"No need for money or gifts. I really like these pastries, so I'll accept them," he said.

Yunniang paused for a moment, opened her mouth as if to say, "This is a small token of my appreciation," but when she saw Ye Qingfeng's eyes, they were calm, without any disdain or politeness, just a very ordinary acceptance.

She nodded and didn't say anything more.

A man stood beside Yunniang, dressed in a blue robe and a square scarf, holding no book in his hand.

His figure was faint, almost invisible, but his eyes were bright, shining like two stars.

He stood in the twilight, casting no shadow, yet he stood firmly, as if he were standing in his own backyard.

He looked at Ye Qingfeng, bowed, and then straightened up to stand next to Yunniang.

Ye Qingfeng looked at the two of them and remained silent for a while.

"What are your plans for the future?"

Yunniang glanced at Decheng, and Decheng looked at her. Their eyes met, then looked away.

Yunniang bit her lip and said, "He said he's willing to wait for me. Wait for me to grow old, wait for me to die, and then we'll be reincarnated together."

De Cheng nodded without saying anything.

Ye Qingfeng looked at Decheng, at his indifferent figure that seemed to be fading away.

"Your soul can't last that long. One or two years is fine, but ten or eight years? I'm afraid it won't last."

Yunniang's face turned pale instantly.

She turned her head and looked at De Cheng, her hand gripping his sleeve tightly.

"Then I... I'll die now and go to be reincarnated with you."

Decheng quickly waved his hands: "No, no! That hurts too much. Hanging hurts, jumping into a river hurts, and taking medicine hurts even more..."

He thought for a moment, then said, "And if you die, who will water your flowers and plants? Who will feed your chickens? And A-Luo, how sad she will be if you die."

Yunniang's eyes reddened, but she didn't say anything.

Ye Qingfeng looked at the two of them, a slight smile playing on his lips.

"This humble Taoist priest can do you a favor."

Yunniang raised her head and looked at him.

Ye Qingfeng looked at the silver hairpin in her hair. The hairpin was very thin, and the head of the hairpin was carved with a small plum blossom. The petals had been worn smooth, and the original pattern was no longer visible.

He smiled and said, "May I borrow your hairpin?"

Yunniang was stunned for a moment, then quickly pulled the hairpin off her head and handed it over.

Her hair was down, draped over her shoulders; she didn't bother to tidy it up, only looking at Ye Qingfeng. Ye Qingfeng took the hairpin and examined it in his hand.

The hairpin was silver, old, and the plum blossom on the tip was worn so badly that its shape was no longer discernible.

He stretched out his right hand, put his index and middle fingers together, and gently stroked the hairpin.

A faint golden light flowed from her fingertips, like water, from the end of the hairpin to the head, then back, circling the hairpin before seeping into it.

The hairpin flashed briefly, then dimmed again, just like before.

But Yunniang felt that the hairpin seemed different.

She couldn't quite put her finger on it, but it seemed to have become brighter and heavier, as if something had been added to it.

Ye Qingfeng returned the hairpin to Yunniang.

"This hairpin has been blessed by this humble Taoist priest. Your husband can live in it from now on. During the day, his soul can rest inside the hairpin, and at night he can come out to keep you company. With a place to reside, his soul will not dissipate."

Yunniang took the hairpin, held it in her hands, and stroked the blurry plum blossom on the hairpin head with her fingers. The hairpin body still retained the warmth of Ye Qingfeng's fingertips.

She pressed the hairpin to her face, and tears fell.

Decheng stood to the side, looking at the hairpin, his eyes also reddening.

Yunniang looked at him and handed him the hairpin. "You...you try it?"

De Cheng hesitated for a moment, then reached out his hand. The moment his fingers touched the hairpin, he didn't pass it through.

His fingers stopped on the hairpin; it was cool and smooth, a real sensation.

He paused for a moment, then grasped the hairpin.

The hairpin was pressed against his palm, and he could feel her body temperature.

His heart skipped a beat; it wasn't from illness, but from that feeling of being alive that he hadn't felt in a very long time.

Ye Qingfeng picked up the food box, turned around, and left.

Though our marriage is broken, our love remains. May we be reunited in the next life. Husband and wife are like trees from the same root; their flourishing or withering is all fate. Do not worry that you will have no one to share your life with, for my heart is already entrusted to the soul enshrined in this hairpin.

Ye Qingfeng's voice floated in the mountain breeze, softly, like someone reciting poetry in the distance, or like the sound of wind blowing through pine needles.

Yunniang stood there, holding the hairpin in her hand, watching the gray-blue figure walk further and further away, getting smaller and smaller, until it finally disappeared into the distance.

Decheng stood quietly beside her. His figure was more solid than before, no longer appearing faint and about to dissipate.

The two watched Ye Qingfeng leave and bowed deeply.

Yunniang lowered her head and looked at the hairpin in her hand.

The plum blossom in the hairpin glowed faintly in the twilight.

She put the hairpin back in her hair, gathered her loose hair, and turned to walk home.

Decheng followed behind, walking in her shadow.

The wind blew by, and the leaves of the osmanthus tree rustled.

Yunniang walked for a while, then suddenly stopped, turned her head, and without looking at Decheng, asked in a very soft voice, "Are you still there?"

De Cheng's voice came from behind her, very soft and steady.

"exist."

Yunniang smiled and continued walking forward.

Under the afterglow of the setting sun.

There was clearly only one person walking on the road.

But behind them, two shadows appeared, clinging tightly together.