Till the End of the Moon- Novel Ending Part V

The man walked with her in his arms for a while and came to a room lit by candlelight. 

He put her on a bench, “Sit here and wait for me.”

In a bit, he came back carrying a lantern and put a bowl of meat porridge on the table, “Eat.”

The little girl ate the meat porridge with relish, her pink cheeks puffed up on both sides, bits of porridge smudging half of her face. 

He leaned against the door, looking at her with a strange expression in his eyes. 

He doesn’t know what’s wrong with him today. He doesn’t ever meddle in other people’s business but when he saw the little girl surrounded by the town’s vicious dogs today, he couldn’t help but drive them all away. When he finally got home and got ready for bed, he couldn’t stop feeling restless. He ended up going out looking for her and did something so unlike him as bringing her home. 

Her belly filled, the little girl with a dirty face asked in a serious tone, “My name is Tantai Zimi. Everyone calls me Ah Mi, what’s your name?”

“Bai Ziqian.”

Bai Ziqian led her to a room, “This was my mother’s room when she was alive. You rest here tonight and I will take you to the town office tomorrow.”

Ah Mi nodded her head.

After a long moment, he reached out a hand and removed the rice grains from her little face. 

Ah Mi looked up at him, suddenly feeling a longing. 

If her father was still around, would he treat her so tenderly as well? 

Ah Mi lay on the bed. The sheets had been put in the sun during the day and carried the smell of sunshine. The Phoenix young grow very slowly, Ah Mi’s growth is gradual and slow. 

She doesn’t need to sleep but has developed the habit of absorbing spirit energy during her sleep so she likes to rest. 

Ah Mi heard rustling sounds outside of her window when the sun just barely showed itself.

There seemed to be someone in the yard. 

Ah Mi looked out the window and saw a woman in sackcloth (sackcloth here just means the material with no special ceremonial meaning), “Bai Ziqian, I heard you hunted a deer. Don’t you know to give this sort of good stuff to my family if you are dreaming of marrying my Dong Yan? Where is the deer?”

Bai Ziqian just looked at her coldly.

Seeing that he is not answering and seemingly already familiar with his temperament, the woman pushed him away to search his house personally. 

“Do you think as a poor kid and only having studied for a few years that you would be worthy of my Dong Yan? You don’t go take the imperial exams in the Capital, you are without any accomplishments and you don’t even know to bring good hunting goods to my home. A few days ago Master Li had come to my house to ask for Dong Yan’s hand. I should’ve agreed, it would be better than letting Dong Yi marry you and have to live a hard life with you.”

Bai Ziqian sneered but didn’t say a word as he coldly watched the woman searching in futile for the deer in the courtyard. 

“Where did you hide the deer?”

The woman pushed open the door, not finding a deer but instead seeing an exquisite little girl standing by the window. 

Ah Mi put her hands on her hips and said, “The deer belongs to him, why should he give it to you?”

The woman looked at Ah Mi then turned around to look at Bai Ziqian, her expression changed, “Alright! You already have a daughter this big! Pah, you wait, I’ll go tell my Dong Yan right now!”

Bai Ziqian is used to living by himself that he almost forgot about Ah Mi. 

Upon hearing Mama Liu’s words, he frowned as he belatedly realized that Ah Mi’s facial features are indeed somewhat familiar to his own.

Mama Liu ran out of the door, yelling “This damn Bai Ziqian had a child with some wonton woman outside, you all come and see….” 

Bai Ziqian said coldly, “Shut up, try talking nonsense again!” 

He took down the bow and arrow that was hanging outside the house and aimed it a Mama Liu. 

Mama Liu is loud and vicious normally. She has never seen Bai Ziqian who had always been cold with his world-weary indifference lost his temper so she promptly stopped talking, remembering that this man is not even afraid of black bears. 

“You… you wait, I am going to go tell the town elders!”

There is a rule in the Town of Changle, which is to keep one’s promises. 

Bai Ziqian’s family and the Liu family had a marriage agreement while Liu Dong Yan was still in the womb. It was originally a marriage that was more beneficial to the Liu family but after Bai Ziqian’s parents both passed away from an accident, the Bai Family quickly went into a decline. 

As one of the most beautiful girls in the town, Mama Liu fervently wished for her daughter to end the engagement and marry a rich nobleman instead. 

Unfortunately, in a pace like Changle, her reputation would be ruined if she dared to break off the engagement which is how they have dragged this thing on until Dong Yan is almost seventeen. 

Mama Liu has an especially thick skin and often used the engagement as an excuse to show up and take stuff from time to time. 

This time she had lucked out. If she can prove that Bai Ziqian already has a child, then the person at fault for breaking the engagement would be him. 

Bai Ziqian put away his bow and arrow. Carrying the little girl out of the house, he calmly brought out hot water to wash her face and hands, “We will go to the city office in a bit.”

Ah Mi asked innocently “Uncle Bai, why did she say I was your daughter? Are you really Ah Mi’s father?”

Bai Ziqian looked at the plump pink little face in front of him, “She’s talking nonsense. Don’t you have a dad and mom already?” 

The little girl nodded, “You don’t have demon energy on you, you can’t be Ah Mi’s father.”

“Hmm.” He lowered his eyes. 

Bai Ziqian had planned to go into town anyway. He had processed the deer skin and meat last night with the plan of taking them into town to sell them. 

This time, there is a small addition of a little girl. 

Along the way, Bai Ziqian watched as Ah Mi looked at everything with amazement, her big eyes opened wide and round like purple grapes. 

He sold the deer and took her by the hand to go to the magistrate’s office but his eyes turned cold when he saw the words “Clear Mirror Hanging High”. (Meaning a mirror to reflect the good and bad in a person’s heart. Here it is to say that judgment will be given righteously.)

Bai Ziqian looked down at the innocent and clueless little girl beside him. 

She is so exquisite, if she really went to the town office, things would be fine if the magistrate was an honorable man but if not, then she would never be able to return home. 

In the end, Ah Mi went on an outing with him and instead of being sent away, she got a few little candy figures. 

Ah Mi nestled in Bai Ziqian’s arms, eating her candy figures, and came to the conclusion the mortal world is super awesome! 

Bai Ziqian also bought her many little outfits, “From now on, I will make time to take you to the tree where I met you first. Your family should come looking for you.”

After all, such cuteness is not one any family would discard deliberately. 

Busy with eating her candy, Ah Mi mumbled her agreement. 

To Ah Mi, the few days she spent with him are a blink of an eye to immortal cultivators. Su Su won’t be back to the demon realm for a hundred years so she has a lot of time to look for her father. 

 As he promised, Bai Ziqian would accompany her to that tree for the next few days, but instead of finding Ah Mi’s family, they ended up finding Liu Dong Yan first. 

Ignoring her mother’s protest, Liu Dong Yan came running and stared at Ah Mi in shock and tearfully said, “Ziqian Gege (gege, means older brother. Could be used on those with blood relation or not. Usually used as a way to signal close relationship if used between those with blood relation.) is what my mother said true? She really is your daughter?” 

Because of Ah Mi, there are already rumors in town that Bai Ziqian had a child with some other woman. 

Bai Ziqian only scoffed after he heard about the rumors. 

Many people gathered around after hearing Liu Dong Yan’s question.

Bai Ziqian said in a cold voice, “No.”

“Then why is she living in your house?”

Seeing the people in the crowd pointing at Bai Ziqian, Ah Mi felt like she had to say something since the rumor was started because of her, “He is not lying. My name is Tantai Zimi and my father’s name is Tantai Jin! Uncle Bai is waiting for my mother to come get me.” 

Not quite convinced, Liu Dong Yan asked, “Really? Then where did your…father and mother go?”

Ah Mi said, “Mother is very far away, and father is dead.”

Liu Dang Yan’s gloomy expression turned sunny. Ah, a child of a widow. There is no way Bai Ziqian would pick a woman like that. Liu Dang Yan’s mind is finally at ease. 

The next day, Liu Dong Yan came to the door and brought a basket of wild vegetables, and said earnestly, “Brother Ziqian, my mother said as long as you give me a hundred taels of silver as dowry or pass the examination, then we can get married.” 

Bai Ziqian was wiping his arrows in the courtyard and upon hearing this smiled, “Oh.”

Liu Dong Yan didn’t know what he meant by that, put down the vegetables, and bit her lips, “I am seventeen this year.” 

Ah Mi was squatting closed by, watching them. 

“My family is poor and does not have a hundred tales of silver. Miss Liu should look elsewhere for a better man.”

Liu Dong Yan’s eyes were red with anger. She knew in her heart that while Bai Ziqian might look to be down on his luck but he is very skilled and always comes back from hunting with plenty of prey so there is no way he doesn’t have a hundred tales of silver after these many years.

Moreover, when she was young she had heard by accident at the academy that Bai Ziqian’s literary talent was unmatched. He could’ve easily become a scholar but for some reason, he has not gone to take the provincial examination in all these years. 

Some of his old classmates who were less talented than him have already become respected scholars. 

Liu Dong Yan liked his outstanding appearance and unlimited potential but Bai Ziqian would rather languish his days in this little town and he even brought home a little girl.

She wants a good husband and refused to settle for less. 

But the person she has set her sight on is not willing to pursue high status and glory, choosing instead to hide in a small village, willing to spend his days as an ordinary commoner. 

Liu Dong Yan is reluctant to give up on Bai Ziqian’s potential glory, she knew that if he was willing then he can easily surpass his peers but she also knows that she can’t afford to wait any longer so that’s how the idea of a hundred taels of silver came about. 

Of course it is rather ludicrous that she is asking Bai Ziqian for a hundred silvers when the nobles would only give twenty silvers when they take in concubines. 

Bai Ziqian’s expression was cold with a hint of sarcasm in his eyes. 

Just when Liu Dong Yan was about to argue with him, Ah Mi, who was munching on her candy figure suddenly let out a cheer, “Mother!”

The child’s crisp voice attracted both of their attention. 

The little girl ran towards the gate. 

Bai Ziqian looked up, and under the boundless sunset, a woman in a white dress came walking slowly. 

With the colorful clouds as the backdrop, red lips and bright eyes, and a dazzling crimson red mark between her brows. 

She came with the endless summers underfoot, hugging the little bundle that came barreling into her embrace and scolding anxiously, “Ah Mi, how can you run off like like? Siying and Jingmie are worried sick!”

She nervously checked for any injury while the little girl clung to her neck. 

Even as a woman, Liu Dong Yan has never seen a beauty such as this and momentarily forgotten why she had visited Bai Ziqian. 

*DONG!* The sound of something hitting the ground caused Su Su to look up.

In the light of the sunset, the man’s arrow had fallen to the ground. He lowered his eyes and bent down to pick it up.  

After such an endless stretch of time, without any warning, the person she had searched for a thousand years, a person whose soul should have long dissipated, just appeared like that in front of her eyes. 

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