Anna Yang's eyes narrowed to slits as she glanced at Simon Sun, then at the Peaches of Immortality on the table.
"Both are for me?" she asked tentatively, a hint of doubt hidden in her gaze.
"Of course, why would I lie? Think of it as my thanks for all your years of hard work for Blossom Mountain." Simon Sun solemnly bowed, hands clasped: "On behalf of all the demons of Blossom Mountain, the Handsome Monkey King thanks the Holy Mother of Mount Hua."
Anna broke into a sweet smile.
She set down her feather duster, casually cast a spell to remove the dust from her clothes, and walked toward Simon Sun, lips curved in a smile. "At least you have some conscience," she teased.
It had been almost half a year since she had shown Simon Sun any kindness. Though she never slacked off in her duties, her cold demeanor always left Simon Sun feeling uneasy.
Now, with this smile, Simon Sun finally breathed a sigh of relief. It felt like the storm had passed and the sky was clear again.
Simon Sun feigned ignorance and said, "You make it sound like I never have a conscience."
"Do you?" Anna's eyes narrowed again, this time with a smile.
"Don't I?"
"Do I?"
"Fine, I have no conscience. Whatever you say goes." Simon Sun shrugged, plopping down on a chair, looking helpless and choosing not to argue further.
Anna sat down beside Simon Sun, glanced at him, and asked again, "So you're really giving me both?"
Simon Sun nodded emphatically.
"Then I'll put them away, alright?"
"How many times are you going to ask?" Simon Sun was starting to get impatient. He stood up and said, "I've got things to do. I'm leaving."
She kept asking, again and again... The key was, Simon Sun knew what she really wanted to ask, and his heart felt increasingly guilty.
Fleeing as if escaping, Simon Sun rushed out the door. Looking back through the window lattice, he saw Anna resting her chin on her hand, quietly gazing at the Peaches of Immortality on the table. His heart skipped a beat.
"Is this really the right thing to do?" Simon Sun couldn't help but wonder.
There was no other way. Belle's weak cultivation can't do without a Peach of Immortality. Who knows when the next chance will come? To give his own peach to Belle, Simon Sun would have to use Jade Cauldron Immortal's as a substitute to reassure Anna—otherwise, if something happened right before the war, who could handle it?
He comforted himself with this thought and hurried away.
After Simon Sun left, Anna continued to quietly stare at the Peaches of Immortality, her eyes beneath long lashes shining especially bright in the light streaming through the window.
She reached out and brushed the fine fuzz on the peach, smiling to herself, "Anna Yang, you really are hard to keep alive."
But these words weren't originally hers—they were a joke from Yang Xian, the Goat Sage, fourth brother among the Seven Sages of Mount Mei, and they hit the mark.
A thousand years as a Sage’s Path cultivator, reaching the Divine Spirit realm—there are few like that in all three realms.
In truth, the Sage’s Path is a profession that grows more valuable with age. Normally, a thousand-year Sage’s Path cultivator—even without reaching the Spirit Transformation realm—could easily secure a post in Heaven with access to Peaches of Immortality. With her abilities, it should have been a matter of minutes.
But unfortunately, she was Anna Yang.
If she were in the mortal world, a niece and her uncle would be very close. But this is Heaven.
In Heaven, yearning for the mortal world is a violation of celestial law—a grave sin. Yaoguang’s longing for the mortal world broke Heaven’s rules and led to the birth of Anna and her brother, marking them as illegitimate from the start. For a thousand years, aside from losing their parents, the injustices they suffered were countless.
First, the two children searched far and wide for a master. Because of their origins, the immortals who had once been friends with their mother all shut their doors and refused to see them.
But Heaven never completely shuts the door on anyone. In the end, they endured. Heaven left them one way out: Jade Cauldron Immortal. After kneeling at his door for seven days and nights, they finally survived.
Then came the Investiture War. It should have been the Celestial Sect’s affair, but because Lord Genesis wanted to save face for the Jade Emperor, Anna and Erik were repeatedly sidelined and suppressed during the war. In the end, their only reward was being made River God of Guanjian Pass—not even allowed entry to Heaven.
As mere River Gods of Guanjian Pass, they naturally had no place at the Grand Peach Banquet. Erik Yang didn’t care; with his cultivation, he didn’t need Peaches of Immortality or Ginseng Fruits to worry about lifespan for thousands of years. But what about Anna?
Back then, Erik Yang fought desperately all over the world to earn merit and save their mother. Anna didn’t dare tell him her lifespan was running out, so by the time Erik discovered it, only a few months remained.
Erik knew, and so did Heaven, which controlled the Book of Life and Death. Just for this, the Grand Peach Banquet could be postponed, and the Immortal Peach Orchard was guarded like a fortress. It was as if everyone was waiting for Anna Yang to die, so the Jade Emperor could finally be rid of a lingering worry.
But in the end, they didn’t get their wish.
Erik Yang went to beg Zhenyuan. For a single Ginseng Fruit, Erik agreed to do something for him.
Anna never learned what that favor was. All she remembers is that when Erik returned, he was barely alive, covered in blood, clutching the precious Ginseng Fruit.
Whatever opponent could injure Erik Yang so badly, Anna dared not imagine.
She could only silently weep, quietly caring for the brother who was her only family.
Yang Xian, the Goat Sage, used to joke with her: "Anna Yang, you really are hard to keep alive."
Her brother Erik Yang would also tease, saying that if she never found someone who could afford to keep her, she'd just have to stay by his side forever.
It truly was hard to keep her alive. Every three hundred years or so, she needed a Peach of Immortality or a Ginseng Fruit. The person who could afford her had to be capable of seizing such treasures despite the Jade Emperor's obstruction, had to be someone the Jade Emperor hated but could not stop.
And most importantly, that person had to willingly shoulder the responsibility.
Will he become that person? Anna wondered.
Such people are truly rare in this world. She never expected that, besides Erik Yang, there might be another.
Staring at the two peaches, Anna couldn't help but smile.
Simon Sun had no idea that whether it was a Peach or a Ginseng Fruit, you could only eat one at a time—having more was simply wasteful.
But Anna refused to tell him. She wanted both peaches, and wouldn't let anyone else have one.
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"After the next battle, when rewards are handed out, will he bring me another one?" she thought gleefully. "Maybe I should wait until I have three before eating them. But then, who would I give the extras to?"
Every girl has a pink dream—even Anna Yang, the Holy Mother, is no exception.
...
In the empty study, the last rays of sunset slanted in through the window, bathing everything in gentle warmth.
Simon Sun sat dazed at his desk, frowning and staring intently at the lone Peach of Immortality left.
"Was I too much? Was I? Was I?" he agonized.
"Really, I didn't do anything wrong, did I? I just swapped one peach for another, that's all."
"No, I didn't even swap them. I just didn't say clearly whether the extra peach for her was mine or Jade Cauldron Immortal's."
"Really, all peaches are the same. Does it matter whose it was? Right?"
"No, no, no, the one I gave Anna was definitely mine!"
...
"That doesn't seem right either. Anyway, I just gave her an extra peach. As for whose it was originally—I don't know! Yes, that's it! Peaches are all the same; who can tell them apart?"
He kept questioning and answering himself, scratching his scalp nearly raw, yet still feeling deeply uneasy.
He never should have tried such a little trick in the first place...
As the last ray of sunlight disappeared over the horizon, Belle quietly entered, lighting the lamps with a fire striker.
Simon Sun covered his face, yawning deeply. "I don't need lamps, I can see just fine. Why waste all those candles? We'll have to send someone out for more, and we don't make candles here."
"Why light so many if you're not going to use them?"
After lighting most of the lamps, Belle put away the fire striker and circled over to Simon Sun's side.
Simon Sun stretched. "They're pretty, that's all. Honestly, I only brought them back for decoration, but you light them every day. Such a waste..."
"You care about appearances? If you really do, you should take some time to fix your looks." Belle giggled.
"You think I'm ugly too?" Simon Sun squinted at her.
Belle's face flushed. "No... not really."
To be honest, by human standards, Simon Sun's looks were quite ordinary—even Anna thought so. Yet, for some reason, Belle never saw it that way; in fact, she found him rather handsome. It was so strange that sometimes Belle wondered if something was wrong with her own taste.
Seeing this, Simon Sun grinned. "Anyway, it's you all who have to look at me, not me. Why should I worry?"
Belle huffed and pushed his head. "You always have some twisted logic."
After the push, Belle realized it was inappropriate and quickly withdrew her hand, feeling embarrassed.
Back in Crescent Star Cave, pushing Simon Sun's head—or even hitting him with a duster—was an everyday thing. But now, things were different; he was a king. Standing before him, Belle always felt so small, as tiny as a grain of dust.
Seeing her awkwardness, Simon Sun pursed his lips, feeling a sudden urge to tease her. But as the words reached his lips, he held back.
Now wasn't the time for that sort of thing.
After a moment's thought, he grabbed the peach and handed it to Belle. "Here, this one's for you."
"I get one too?"
"Yeah. I don't need it, so it's yours."
"But..." Belle hesitated. "Didn't you already give yours to Anna?"
"The one I gave her was Jade Cauldron Immortal's returned peach."
Wait, how did Belle know I gave two peaches to Anna?
Simon Sun's expression suddenly froze.
Belle cradled the peach and nodded quietly. "So that's how it is. But everyone says you gave your own peach to Anna, too."
Everyone?
So the rumor's already everywhere?
Simon Sun felt like dying.
You can't get away with clever tricks. If Anna finds out Jade Cauldron Immortal returned one, what will happen then?
Thinking of this, he shuddered and stood up. "I'm going out for a bit."