Master Shen’s beard trembled. “This… is there a conflict?”

“There is,” Bai Fanlu replied. “You need to carefully consider your answer. Otherwise, even if your son recovers this time, the problem will recur, and he will never find peace.”

After a long moment of contemplation, Master Shen seemed to have some understanding. He let out a deep sigh. “Of course, I want him to live well. I ask for nothing more.”

Bai Fanlu felt relieved. “With those words, I believe your son will recover soon.”

The heart of a parent is universally compassionate, no matter the time or place. Although Bai Fanlu already knew the story, he still felt a pang of emotion.

When he entered the inner chamber and saw the young man sitting on the bed, emaciated and desolate—this was Shen Lanshan, the son from the story—Bai Fanlu couldn’t help but feel a tinge of envy. This young man had a father who cared so deeply for him.

To gain their trust, Bai Fanlu first stopped Shen Lanshan’s coughing up blood in front of Master Shen and the servants.

This made Master Shen even more convinced that Bai Fanlu was a celestial being. So, when Bai Fanlu requested an item that Shen Lanshan always kept close, he was promptly given his longevity lock.

By the time Bai Fanlu left the Shen residence, it was already evening. He went straight to a wooden bridge on the outskirts of town. Below the bridge, the creek was nearly dry, its shallow waters winding faintly toward the distant mountains.

Bai Fanlu took out the silver lock and threw it into the creek.

With a splash, the silver lock quickly sank. Bai Fanlu then found a spot by the bridge to sit and wait, his gaze casually sweeping over the yellow talismans pasted at regular intervals along the bridge from one end to the other.

Time passed quietly until the sun had set and the crescent moon hung in the sky.

As night fell, the talismans on the bridge began to emit a faint green glow. In the darkness, the solitary bridge seemed quite eerie.

But Bai Fanlu was unafraid. He was finally appreciating the importance of a good memory when traversing a story world. He was basking in the superiority brought by his godlike perspective.

The talismans on the bridge had been placed by skilled cultivators to ward off demons and spirits.

A few years ago, this bridge on the western outskirts of Jiyang Town had been the site of several drowning accidents, and it had long been considered an ominous place. Shen Lanshan’s incident had only deepened the locals’ fears.

It was said that after Shen Lanshan was cursed near this bridge, Master Shen had invited many highly skilled cultivators. They all concluded that something “unclean” was indeed present here.

Yet despite numerous exorcisms, Shen Lanshan’s condition had not improved and had even worsened. This was why Yun Zhan and the original protagonist had come to help when they passed through the area.

In the silent night, the soft sound of the creek was suddenly disturbed. Bai Fanlu opened his eyes to see that the silver lock had disappeared from the water.

When he looked up, there was a figure standing by the creek. Or rather, it was just a shadow, a hazy, misty presence under the moonlight. In contrast with the silver lock in front of it, the distinction between the real and the unreal was stark.

“Who are you? How do you have something so close to Lanshan?” The voice, though wary, was refined and gentle, like raindrops on pearls.

But the figure’s face was blurred, its body insubstantial. In the moonlit forest at night, an ordinary person would have been scared out of their wits.

However, Bai Fanlu was prepared. He stood up and said, “You don’t need to know who I am, only that I can help you both.”

“Both of us?”

Bai Fanlu didn’t mince words. “Shen Lanshan’s life is in danger. If you care about him, you should come with me.”

The shadow seemed taken aback by his words. After a moment, it chuckled softly. “Are you also here to blame me for harming others, to capture me and bring me to justice? Unfortunately, even if I go with you, I won’t die.”

The laughter was filled with sorrow, and Bai Fanlu couldn’t help but feel pity. He shook his head. “That’s not it. If I wanted to capture you, I would have done so directly. Why would I give you the silver lock? I only want you to trust me and come see Shen Lanshan. He…”

Bai Fanlu considered his words carefully. “You only need to see him, and he will recover quickly. That way, people won’t misunderstand you anymore.”

“This…” The shadow seemed hesitant. Bai Fanlu couldn’t see its face or gauge its emotions.

After a moment, the shadow finally spoke in a hoarse voice. “You seem kind. I’m willing to trust you. But there’s something you don’t know. Lanshan’s illness is indeed because of me. If I see him again, it might only harm him further.”

“It’s not like that,” Bai Fanlu quickly said. “His illness is indeed caused by your interaction with him, and the loss of his yang energy because you are from different worlds. But the real reason he remains unconscious is because you avoid him. If you continue to avoid him, he won’t just be sick—he will likely die within a few years!”

The shadow was stunned into silence.

Bai Fanlu sighed. “There’s something else I know. I said you and he are from different worlds, but that’s not entirely accurate. You’re now just a wandering soul, not a true ghost. You’ve lingered in the human world for years without entering the underworld.”

“You’re more like a demon.”

A shadow demon, bound for eternity, the lowest of the low, with no freedom.

“The late evening mist of Lanyan Mountain, the bridge near the snow.”

In the original story, this was just a minor subplot, likely meant to highlight Yun Zhan’s protagonist aura by giving him tasks that no one else could solve.

But Bai Fanlu had always been impressed by the character Xiang Wanyi. It was because of this character that Bai Fanlu was convinced that in the world the author had created, not all demons were inherently evil. The original protagonist was supposed to be kind-hearted.

The bridge where Xiang Wanyi now resided was just an ordinary wooden bridge a few years ago. At that time, the creek below was deep, and the water was abundant, making it a necessary crossing for travelers.

But at some point, people started falling off the bridge and drowning. Soon, there were wandering souls by the bridge.

Initially, these souls lingered out of attachment to their loved ones and homeland. But as they lingered in the human world, they could no longer enter the cycle of reincarnation.

In a world full of chaos and dark arts, someone told the souls that they could be reincarnated if they dragged someone off the bridge to die in their place. And so, they did just that.

The bridge became cursed, and from then on, people would periodically fall from it for no apparent reason.

Over the years, the locals stopped approaching the bridge. But despite this, some travelers, unaware of the bridge’s history, lost their lives there.

Xiang Wanyi was one such person, and the last one.

After being pulled into the water, the previous ghost told him how to enter the cycle of reincarnation.

Xiang Wanyi waited by the bridge.

The first time, a young mother came by, carrying an infant. He couldn’t bring himself to do it.

The second time, a young scholar on his way to an exam came by. Xiang Wanyi, recalling his own unfulfilled ambitions, couldn’t bring himself to do it.

The third time, an old man passed by. Frail and elderly, he reminded Xiang Wanyi of his own parents, who had lost their only son. Again, he couldn’t bring himself to do it…

And so, several years passed, and no one died on the bridge again. But because Xiang Wanyi had lingered in the human world for so long, he had transformed from a ghost into a shadow demon. He no longer had a physical body, couldn’t reincarnate, and was beyond redemption, doomed to disappear from this world when the time came.

The creek beneath the bridge was drying up, signaling that “the time” was approaching.

In the novel, Yun Zhan and the original protagonist didn’t know any of this. When they arrived in Jiyang Town, they only heard about the ghost causing trouble and making Shen Lanshan fall into a deep sleep, so they investigated and discovered that the illness was caused by an internal injury from the evil energy.

But even after clearing the evil energy, Shen Lanshan didn’t wake up, so Yun Zhan decided to find the source of the evil energy.

When they found Xiang Wanyi, Yun Zhan naturally wanted to subdue him, but even though Xiang Wanyi had no offensive capabilities, Yun Zhan’s immortal techniques had no effect on him.

So the original protagonist discovered Xiang Wanyi’s identity as a shadow demon and took the opportunity to have a heart-to-heart with him. Only then did they learn that Xiang Wanyi and Shen Lanshan had once been in love. The original protagonist then speculated that Shen Lanshan was unwilling to wake up because Xiang Wanyi was avoiding him.

Yun Zhan, however, dismissed this as a demon’s deceitful words and was determined to find a way to eradicate the problem.

After several twists and misunderstandings, the original protagonist finally convinced

 Xiang Wanyi to see Shen Lanshan, which cured his illness. Shen Lanshan then explained the whole situation, and Yun Zhan realized he had been wrong.

In the end, the original protagonist gave Shen Lanshan a talisman to purify his own yin energy, allowing them to occasionally meet by the bridge, fulfilling their wishes.

As for the fact that Xiang Wanyi could never reincarnate, Shen Lanshan didn’t know, and there was no way to resolve it. The original protagonist hesitated to tell him, but Yun Zhan stopped him.

After that, they left Jiyang Town, and the novel didn’t mention what happened to Xiang Wanyi and Shen Lanshan afterward, leaving another unresolved story.

Bai Fanlu had felt a sense of regret when reading the story, but knowing the plot, he could now easily resolve the issue without any unnecessary twists. Although he had a purpose for doing this, he hadn’t intended to become emotionally invested.

But as he walked, Xiang Wanyi’s presence lingered around him, silently and gently clinging to him. Bai Fanlu suddenly felt a sense of connection with Xiang Wanyi, as if he could understand his calmness, sadness, and the faint hope that had grown out of long-term loneliness.

How similar they were.

When Bai Fanlu returned to the Shen residence, Master Shen was already waiting anxiously at the door, his hands tucked into his sleeves, nervous and on edge.

As soon as he saw Bai Fanlu, Master Shen hurried over. “Immortal Master, you’re back! Just now, my son suddenly started talking nonsense and tried to run outside. It took great effort to restrain him…”

“It’s nothing to worry about. He was trying to find someone. I’ve brought that person here. Once he sees them, he’ll be fine.”

Bai Fanlu entered Shen Lanshan’s room and closed the door behind him.

Master Shen wanted to ask who the person was, but seeing Bai Fanlu return alone in the dead of night made him uneasy. However, concerned about his son’s illness, he could only trust in this desperate situation and anxiously waited outside.

Bai Fanlu opened his palm, and a strand of white light fell to the ground, quickly transforming into a human figure. Bai Fanlu secretly infused Xiang Wanyi with spiritual energy, making his form almost solid. If one didn’t look closely, they would think he was still alive.

Xiang Wanyi’s appearance was just as Bai Fanlu had imagined: graceful, calm, and scholarly. Standing there, he exuded a refined aura that made him easy to approach.

As soon as Xiang Wanyi appeared, he saw Shen Lanshan tied up on the bed, his eyes vacant as he stared at the ceiling. Compared to Xiang Wanyi, who was already dead, Shen Lanshan looked even more lifeless.

Xiang Wanyi was shocked and pained. He opened his mouth to speak but couldn’t make a sound.

Seeing this, Bai Fanlu sighed softly. “I wasn’t lying, was I? You should have come to see him earlier.”

People always try to avoid problems. If they faced them sooner, things wouldn’t become like this.

“Lanshan…”

As soon as Xiang Wanyi called out, Shen Lanshan’s body jerked, and he looked over sharply. His lifeless eyes instantly filled with light when he saw who it was.

Bai Fanlu quietly stepped behind the screen. As he opened the door, Master Shen rushed to meet him, but Bai Fanlu gestured for silence and then stepped outside, closing the door behind him.

“Please wait. Your son will be fine.”

Master Shen looked at the closed door, his brows furrowed deeply. He finally voiced the question that had been troubling him. “May I ask, Immortal Master, who exactly is this person you mentioned?”

“He is your son’s destined one.”