Zhou Jiayu had initially thought his memory recovery was just a coincidence.

But that night, he unexpectedly dreamt of a huge bird covered in flames. The great bird hovered in the dark night sky, looking down at him. Its flames were bright and dazzling, making it hard to look away.

Zhou Jiayu looked up at it, momentarily unable to tell if he was dreaming or awake.

The great bird opened its beak and called out his name: “Zhou Jiayu.”

“Hello,” Zhou Jiayu greeted it cautiously.

“I’m glad you’re back,” the great bird stopped in front of Zhou Jiayu. Its black eyes held a gentle expression, gazing at Zhou Jiayu’s face. “Although it took a while for you to wake up, I did fulfill my promise. And those memories… have you recovered them?”

Zhou Jiayu nodded, saying he had.

However, upon hearing his reply, the great bird showed a sad expression. It seemed to want to say something but held back, finally just murmuring softly, “It’s better if you forgot.”

“What’s your name?” Zhou Jiayu asked, sensing its sadness from its eyes.

The great bird tilted its head and introduced itself, saying, “My name is Ji Ba (祭八).”

Zhou Jiayu: “…Good name.”

Ji Ba chuckled at his words: “Just like back then.”

Zhou Jiayu was a little bewildered, and just as he was about to ask something, he saw the great bird suddenly lower its head and softly say, “Can you stroke my head?”

Zhou Jiayu was surprised by the sudden request and momentarily taken aback. However, it wasn’t an unreasonable request, so he nodded without much thought.

The great bird lowered its head, placing it near Zhou Jiayu’s hand.

Zhou Jiayu reached out and stroked its head firmly a few times. The great bird’s feathers felt incredibly smooth and pleasant to touch. Zhou Jiayu couldn’t resist and stroked it a few more times before stopping.

Then he heard the great bird ask, “Whose touch is more comfortable, mine or the weasel’s?”

Zhou Jiayu: “…” What kind of strange question is this?

But facing the great bird’s expectant gaze, Zhou Jiayu instantly decided to sell out Little Yellow: “Yours is more comfortable, very soft and smooth…”

“Hmph.” Ji Ba proudly lifted its head. “I knew it, I’m definitely more comfortable than it.”

Zhou Jiayu looked at its expression, thinking, Does Ji Ba have some connection with Little Yellow…?

“I’m leaving,” Ji Ba rubbed its large head against Zhou Jiayu twice. “You must live well, live to eighty… no, a hundred years old.”

Just as Zhou Jiayu said “Okay,” he saw the flame-covered great bird fly into the night sky, its form gradually fading until it disappeared from Zhou Jiayu’s sight.

And Zhou Jiayu woke up from his dream. He opened his eyes and found it was still the middle of the night. Lin Zhushui was embracing him, and with a glance, he could see Lin Zhushui’s profile.

Was that a dream just now? Zhou Jiayu wondered, somewhat confused. If it was a dream, why did it feel so real…? He thought about it for a while and then drifted back to sleep.

---

The next morning, Zhou Jiayu recounted the dream as a story to Lin Zhushui during breakfast.

After listening, Lin Zhushui remained silent for three seconds, then asked Zhou Jiayu, “What was that bird called?”

“Ji Ba (祭八)…” Zhou Jiayu only realized something was amiss after saying the name, instantly revealing an embarrassed expression.

Lin Zhushui’s gaze was profound, looking at Zhou Jiayu with a meaningful expression: “You’ve been holding back too much.”

Zhou Jiayu: “…” I didn’t, I didn’t. Why would that bird have such a name? It doesn’t sound harmonious at all.

Although Zhou Jiayu later strongly insisted that the two characters were different and it wasn’t him holding back, but that the bird genuinely had that name, Lin Zhushui gently leaned over, kissed his forehead, and said, “Good boy, let’s not talk about the great bird and Ji Ba anymore. We’ll talk properly when we get back tonight.”

Zhou Jiayu then realized he seemed to have dug himself into a hole he couldn’t get out of.

After Ji Ba’s visit, Zhou Jiayu’s physical recovery strangely accelerated. It was as if a withered tree had regained its vitality. Three months later, he could walk, albeit with the help of a cane, but at least he could move on his own.

Regarding his memories after rebirth, they didn’t all return at once, but intermittently. He first remembered Lin Zhushui, then the few people in the house, followed by Little Paper, the weasel – bit by bit, everything flooded back into his mind. Although some details remained hazy, he largely understood the situation.

Zhou Jiayu initially thought that he and the bird named Ji Ba were also old friends, but he never recovered any memories of it. He also tried asking the people around him about this bird, but his family members looked bewildered. Lin Jue even patted his shoulder and said with a smile, “Zhou Jiayu, you’re recovering well! You’re already trying to flirt with everyone.”

Zhou Jiayu: “…” Never mind, I won’t ask again. That’s a name that definitely wouldn’t be forgotten. If no one recognizes it, then it must really be that no one remembers it.

Zhou Jiayu’s body improved day by day. One day, he shyly approached Lin Zhushui, saying he wanted to discuss something with him.

Seeing Zhou Jiayu’s expression, Lin Zhushui reached out and stroked his head, asking gently, “What’s wrong?”

“Um… Sir,” Zhou Jiayu lifted his T-shirt, turned, and showed his back to Lin Zhushui. “Sir, can you tattoo me to cover this scar?”

Due to the car accident, Zhou Jiayu had a very exaggerated scar running across his entire back, completely out of place with his fair skin, looking particularly hideous. Zhou Jiayu had seen it once in the mirror and had been startled himself.

Lin Zhushui’s fingers lightly traced Zhou Jiayu’s spine. He then directly embraced Zhou Jiayu, placing a few gentle kisses on it: “It’s not ugly.”

“I just don’t think it looks good,” Zhou Jiayu turned his head and asked him. “Can a tattoo cover it?”

“Yes,” Lin Zhushui said. “I’ll think about a design.”

Zhou Jiayu’s eyes curved into a smile. He had seen Lin Zhushui’s tattooing skills; others couldn’t even get him to do a tattoo for them.

“Do you have a preferred design?” Lin Zhushui asked him.

“Not yet, Sir can choose for me,” Zhou Jiayu snuggled in Lin Zhushui’s arms, tickled and delighted by his touch. “It has to be beautiful…”

“Okay,” Lin Zhushui kissed Zhou Jiayu again.

A few days later, Lin Zhushui had already decided on the tattoo design for Zhou Jiayu: a beautiful blue fish, leaping out of the water, with lively water droplets splashing around it.

The fish’s fanned tail could just cover the long scar. Zhou Jiayu studied it for a while and realized he had never seen such a fish before, so he asked Lin Zhushui what kind of fish it was.

Lin Zhushui laughed, “There’s no such fish. It was designed based on the shape of your scar… Good boy, come and lie down.”

Zhou Jiayu obediently lay down on the bed.

Lin Zhushui lit an incense stick and began working on Zhou Jiayu’s back.

Because he had already taken medicated baths, the needles on Zhou Jiayu’s spine didn’t cause pain; instead, they felt pleasantly tingly and comfortable. In the faint scent of sandalwood, Zhou Jiayu drifted into a light sleep. When he woke up, Lin Zhushui’s tattooing was nearing its end.

After everything was finished, Zhou Jiayu rubbed his eyes and woke up. He was helped up from the bed by Lin Zhushui, who said, “Take a look.”

Zhou Jiayu turned around and saw that the ugly scar on his spine was covered by a beautiful tattoo. The fish had a slender body, its scales shimmered with a faint blue light, and its fanned tail was like thin gauze, beautiful yet possessing a sacred and noble aura.

Zhou Jiayu was mesmerized. He instinctively reached out to touch it, but Lin Zhushui held his wrist: “Don’t touch it for now; it will hurt.”

Zhou Jiayu nodded.

---

As his memories gradually returned, Zhou Jiayu also recalled the circumstances of his death. He remembered the volcano, the Meng family, and the lotus platform.

“Sir, what happened to Meng Yangtian in the end?” This was Zhou Jiayu’s biggest concern. Meng Yangtian was absolutely despicable. If Zhou Jiayu hadn’t been so weak at the time, he would have rushed over and given him a good beating until his own mother wouldn’t recognize him, preferably beating him to death directly.

“He died,” Lin Zhushui said simply. “After bringing you back, I went back once.”

Zhou Jiayu wanted to ask Lin Zhushui how Meng Yangtian died. At first, Lin Zhushui didn’t want to say, but after being pressed a few times, he sighed helplessly: “You’re a civil servant. If I tell you, won’t you report me?”

Zhou Jiayu said, “I’ll see.”

Lin Zhushui then rubbed his chin against Zhou Jiayu’s head and slowly said, “I killed him.”

Zhou Jiayu was stunned. He hadn’t expected Lin Zhushui to have personally dealt with Meng Yangtian. Having followed Lin Zhushui for so long, he knew that killing was quite taboo in their line of work. However, considering Lin Zhushui’s emotions at the time, Zhou Jiayu wasn’t surprised at all that he would personally kill Meng Yangtian.

If it were him, he would probably do the same, as he himself had almost killed Meng Yangtian back then.

However, for Meng Yangtian, death might have been a form of liberation. He lived to bring peace to the resentful spirits of the Meng clan, and with his wish fulfilled, he had no more attachments.

Zhou Jiayu also mentioned Ji Ba and the book the Meng family acquired.

This time, Lin Zhushui didn’t joke with Zhou Jiayu but listened carefully to his story.

“I suspect that book sealed the power of the Golden Crow,” Lin Zhushui explained. “The Golden Crow has the power of resurrection and resurrected you. That book can also resurrect people, but because it only holds a part of the Golden Crow’s power, its resurrection ability isn’t complete.” After resurrecting people, it only returned them to their state before death; it wasn’t like true resurrection, but more like a curse.

“But why did he resurrect me?” Zhou Jiayu wondered.

“Because you could save me,” Lin Zhushui smiled. “If it weren’t for you, I would have been gone long ago.”

Zhou Jiayu had previously thought that Lin Zhushui saying he helped him overcome his tribulation was just comforting him. He hadn’t expected it to be true. This meant that the future where Lin Zhushui was engulfed in flames, which he saw in that book, could have actually happened but was changed by Zhou Jiayu.

“Before leaving, the Golden Crow mentioned the ‘Way of Heaven’ (天道), which should refer to the laws of heaven and earth,” Lin Zhushui continued to explain. “The decline of feng shui is also the operation of the Way of Heaven. The Golden Crow having the power of resurrection goes against the original intention of the Way of Heaven.” So, the Way of Heaven sealed a part of its power to restrict it.

If Lin Zhushui died, it would be unknown when the next suitable Extreme Yang body would appear, and the Golden Crow would have lost.

However, the workings of fate are not confined to a single path, and Zhou Jiayu was the opportune moment that broke the deadlock.

Finally, Meng Yangtian, who also wanted to destroy the book, successfully forced the Extreme Yang Fire out of Lin Zhushui’s body, burning the notebook that sealed the Golden Crow’s power.

As for how Meng Yangtian knew this method, it was clearly inextricably linked to Ji Ba.

Fortunately, everything was now over. Zhou Jiayu was back in his own body, and Lin Zhushui no longer had to be troubled by the Extreme Yang body.

Talking about this, Zhou Jiayu suddenly remembered something very important: “Then Sir, what about my other body…”

“Burned,” Lin Zhushui said. “I personally burned it, and then buried it.”

Zhou Jiayu felt a strange pang of heartache hearing Lin Zhushui’s words: “You must have been incredibly sad then?”

“Yes,” Lin Zhushui said softly. “At that time, I was planning to go with you. Fortunately, Lin Jue was calm enough to remind me… That’s why I didn’t make a terrible mistake.”

Zhou Jiayu felt a wave of fear at his words. He couldn’t imagine how much pain and despair he would have felt if he had regained his memories only to find that Lin Zhushui had died by suicide to accompany him.

“Let’s go see it together sometime,” Zhou Jiayu rubbed against Lin Zhushui’s chin. “And seal the tombstone…”

Lin Zhushui asked, “Then what about that body of yours?”

Zhou Jiayu thought for a moment, then chuckled: “Since I’ve used it, we might as well be buried together.”

“That works,” Lin Zhushui nodded.

A few days later, Lin Zhushui took Zhou Jiayu to see their combined tomb. Upon seeing the two gilded names on it, Zhou Jiayu felt a pang of discomfort and urged Lin Zhushui to quickly replace the tombstone.

“Okay,” Lin Zhushui nodded in agreement.

“It’s really good to be back,” Zhou Jiayu sighed. “It’s a good thing I came back…”

“Yes,” Lin Zhushui said. “It’s a good thing you came back.”

Zhou Jiayu smiled.

Although his body recovered quickly, it was still far from as healthy as before. At least Zhou Jiayu was too thin; Lin Zhushui felt his bones when he held him. So Lin Zhushui’s feeding duties became very meticulous, with strict standards for how much and how to eat each day.

Zhou Jiayu simply couldn’t eat that much and was left teary-eyed from being stuffed, feeling like a force-fed duck: “I really can’t eat anymore.”

“It’s too little, just two more bites, okay?” Lin Zhushui held the bowl, asking gently.

“I really can’t,” Zhou Jiayu was almost crying. He turned to Lin Jue for help. Lin Jue quietly said, “Zhushui, that’s enough, Jiayu has already eaten a bowl.”

Lin Zhushui replied indifferently, “You eat more than him, and you have more fat on your belly than him.”

Lin Jue’s expression twisted, but after glancing at Zhou Jiayu’s frail appearance, she felt powerless to retort… Finally, she said with a sympathetic sigh that she needed to lose weight.

Zhou Jiayu: “…” Aunt, why do you give up so easily?

Finally, at Lin Zhushui’s insistence, Zhou Jiayu ate another half a bowl before being reluctantly allowed to leave the table. In truth, Lin Zhushui couldn’t be blamed, as Zhou Jiayu’s appetite had been very small since his injury, only eating one bowl of rice a day, which made his recovery very slow.

Stuffed, Zhou Jiayu collapsed onto the sofa, slowly rubbing his bulging white belly.

Shen Yiqiong joked that Zhou Jiayu looked like a fish flipped on its belly.

Zhou Jiayu glanced at him and asked, “Then what kind of fish are you, a blackfish?”

Shen Yiqiong angrily said, “Can you stop using my skin as a joke? It’s been three years already, can’t you find a new one?”

Zhou Jiayu said, “Okay, then when are you going to fall in love?”

Shen Yiqiong cursed and angrily left the room.

Everyone in the room laughed, even the weasel started chattering.

Zhou Jiayu lay there, feeling a little sleepy, his eyelids growing heavier. He closed his eyes and fell into a deep sleep, vaguely feeling a thin blanket being placed over him.

Zhou Jiayu slept wonderfully. When he woke up, Lin Zhushui was sitting beside him, slowly reading a book. After opening his eyes, he didn’t get up, but just gazed at Lin Zhushui’s face, watching the sunlight fall on Lin Zhushui’s shoulders and hair, making him appear serene and warm.

At this moment, both Zhou Jiayu’s soul and body felt an inexpressible comfort. It was as if he had landed on thick feathers, and his eyes involuntarily closed again.

“Awake?” Lin Zhushui, however, sensed the change in Zhou Jiayu’s breathing and asked.

“Mm, awake.” Zhou Jiayu’s voice was a little hoarse. “The weather’s so nice today.”

“Indeed, it’s perfect,” Lin Zhushui leaned over and kissed his lips. “Want to go for a walk with me?”

Zhou Jiayu smiled and nodded: “Okay.”

So Zhou Jiayu got up from the sofa, yawned lazily, and went for a walk with Lin Zhushui.

The two walked from the front yard to the back yard. For some reason, Zhou Jiayu suddenly suggested they go see the Ancestor Tree’s branches. So they went to the specially arranged area for growing the Ancestor Tree, where the array was set up.

The area was heavily imbued with Yin energy, and normally few people came there. Zhou Jiayu was no longer an Extreme Yin body, so he didn’t need to fear being affected. When he was still far from the Ancestor Tree, Zhou Jiayu’s keen sight noticed a surprising sight—he saw a vibrant green on the Ancestor Tree’s branches.

That hint of green was so striking that it captured all of Zhou Jiayu’s attention on the withered trunk.

“It sprouted!!” Zhou Jiayu exclaimed in surprise. He quickly ran to the Ancestor Tree and found that the vibrant green he saw from afar was truly not an illusion. A tiny, tender sprout had emerged from the Ancestor Tree. Although it was only the size of a grain of rice, it was undeniably there.

“It sprouted,” Lin Zhushui also confirmed Zhou Jiayu’s words. He seemed slightly surprised as well, not expecting Zhou Jiayu to encounter even such a low three-percent probability.

Zhou Jiayu’s eyes crinkled with laughter as he mumbled about his son’s wife finally being settled. Seeing the Ancestor Tree, he also remembered the missing Xu Jinghuo. Ever since the soil was delivered, there had been no news of Xu Jinghuo, leaving him in a state of unknown life or death.

He wondered if he was still alive. This thought flashed through Zhou Jiayu’s mind, but he didn’t delve deeper, only thinking that perhaps, in some ways, death might have been a release for Xu Jinghuo. Just like Lin Zhushui searching for him, perhaps living at that time had become torture.

Xu Jinghuo, without roots, was like drifting duckweed, floating to unknown places for an unknown duration.

That night, everyone learned the news of the Ancestor Tree sprouting. Of course, Little Paper was the most excited about this news. After hearing it, it excitedly rushed onto Zhou Jiayu’s shoulder and started wildly pulling his hair.

Zhou Jiayu was left teary-eyed and amused from the hair-pulling, saying, “Little Paper, take it easy, don’t make me bald.”

The weasel chattered in agreement, as if echoing Zhou Jiayu’s words.

But this couldn’t stop Little Paper’s excitement. After pulling Zhou Jiayu’s hair, it quietly shifted its gaze to Lin Zhushui.

Zhou Jiayu: “…” Is that your biggest dream? But Papa can’t help you with that, son.

Lin Zhushui’s hair was indeed beautiful, soft, smooth, and neatly tied back. Zhou Jiayu had touched it once before and found it incredibly comfortable, with a scent of sandalwood that made him want to bury his head in it and rub.

Little Paper looked at Zhou Jiayu pitifully.

Zhou Jiayu thought helplessly, Why are you acting cute with me? If you want to touch your Big Papa’s hair, shouldn’t you be acting cute with him? Although Lin Zhushui was no longer of Extreme Yang constitution, Little Paper was still a little afraid of him, so at this moment, it was only coveting Lin Zhushui’s hair and dared not directly touch it.

Before Zhou Jiayu could speak, he saw Lin Zhushui reach out and pick up Little Paper, then naturally place it on his shoulder.

Little Paper’s eyes immediately lit up, but it still politely asked, “Big Papa, can I touch your hair?”

“Mm,” Lin Zhushui said.

With Lin Zhushui’s permission, Little Paper rolled up its sleeves and started. However, since it wasn’t Zhou Jiayu’s short hair, it didn’t dare to pull too hard, so it carefully began to pluck, looking quite delighted.

Everyone else in the room had expressions of “Holy cow, what am I witnessing?” Zhou Jiayu was also amused and teary-eyed, thinking that Lin Zhushui was indeed a good father.

Little Paper had fulfilled its long-cherished wish and was thoroughly content. Zhou Jiayu noticed that when it came down from Lin Zhushui, it was still holding a long strand of hair. Zhou Jiayu picked it up and asked what it wanted to do. Little Paper quietly whispered into Zhou Jiayu’s ear: “If I tie Big Papa’s and Papa’s hair together, Papa will never leave Little Paper.”

Zhou Jiayu’s heart felt a pang of sadness, thinking of the time when he had the accident, and how Little Paper must have endured it.

But thankfully, he was finally back.

---

After Zhou Jiayu’s health significantly improved, Lin Zhushui suddenly brought up the topic of emigration.

Zhou Jiayu’s mind didn’t quite process it at the time, and he foolishly asked Lin Zhushui why they needed to emigrate.

Lin Zhushui looked at him: “I want to be with you legally as well.”

Zhou Jiayu paused, then smiled: “Okay!”

Lin Zhushui, hearing Zhou Jiayu’s prompt agreement, seemed to slightly relax. He reached out and intertwined his fingers with Zhou Jiayu’s, his expression incredibly serious: “Please don’t leave me again, okay?”

“Okay,” Zhou Jiayu raised his hand and kissed the back of Lin Zhushui’s hand. “I will never leave you again.”

Lin Zhushui embraced Zhou Jiayu, his grip so strong he seemed to want to meld him into his own body. He said, “Thank you.”

Zhou Jiayu kissed Lin Zhushui’s chin: “I should be thanking you.”

Meeting you is the greatest fortune of my life.