Chapter Twenty-Seven: Sudden Change in the Celestial Spirit Lock

It was the beginning of summer, and the weather was gradually warming up. Countless visitors flocked from every direction, and the entire garden was awash with heads—crowds everywhere one looked. The tourists from out of town hurried along, yet paused now and then to snap a photo commemorating their visit; girls flitted about, dressed daringly yet exuding a sense of safety; young men, whose intentions were apparent with just a glance, squeezed through the throng, hoping for a fleeting touch; and children, inexplicably throwing tantrums and rolling on the ground, quarreling with their parents. Nearby, vendors squatted, loudly hawking traditional snacks of Han Capital. All together, these made the imperial garden incredibly clamorous.

Yet, amid the turmoil and noise, Lei Dong simply held An Jing’s hand, smiling gently and gazing around, without a hint of impatience or irritation—something unimaginable in the past. Had he seen so many people bustling about before, he would have turned and left immediately!

Lei Dong himself found this change in attitude strange.

It was a most peculiar feeling.

He knew clearly that it was not because he had suddenly learned to appreciate the beauty of the lake and mountains before him. As someone who had endured years of harsh training as a special forces soldier, his first impression when seeing the lake was not its clear blue allure, but rather which routes and tactics might be used to infiltrate the island at its center; when he saw the mountain rising from the plain, he didn’t think of how tranquil the lush forest was, but instead pondered where to establish fire support points to hold out longer...

This left Lei Dong feeling a bit defeated, as if he had become an aesthetic fool.

He also understood that it wasn’t the sight of so many beautiful women that moved him; not to mention the saying “beauty is in the eye of the beholder,” but even objectively, An Jing, quietly at his side, with her looks and figure, was in a class far above the noisy, drifting girls around them.

More important was her serene and gentle aura, her infinite tenderness tinged with a trace of strength, and her deep, soulful eyes, as if autumn waters—just a turn of those clear eyes could draw one’s very spirit into their depths, making one involuntarily captivated, feeling unworthy, forgetting her appearance altogether, as if even another glance would be a desecration.

Countless gazes conveyed the same thought: This is what a woman truly is! Compared to her, those so-called beauties one has seen are but vulgar dolls, devoid of soul and spirit!

Holding the hand of such a peerless beauty, Lei Dong found himself utterly uninterested in the women around him.

So, what was the cause of this strange feeling? Lei Dong smiled and frowned thoughtfully, aimlessly surveying the bustling crowd.

“Daddy, I want that, I want that balloon!”

A childish, innocent voice drifted into Lei Dong’s ears. He focused and saw a little boy, barely three or four years old, wearing shorts and a T-shirt, standing on tiptoe, reaching up with a small hand, pointing at a monkey-shaped balloon held by a vendor, calling out with delight and longing.

Behind the little boy was an ordinary couple, about thirty years old, simply dressed but spotlessly clean, holding hands, watching their child frolic before them.

“Daddy, Daddy, I want…”

“Alright, let’s buy it!” The young father nodded, pulling some worn bills from his pocket and paying. The little boy cheered, snatching the balloon from the vendor, piping a sweet “Thank you, Uncle!” and turning to say “Thank you, Daddy!” His big, bright eyes twinkled as he bent to kiss his mother’s face while she tied his little shoelaces. Then, amid his parents’ loving smiles, he ran off, laughing, waving the inexpensive balloon.

Watching this warm family scene, the nearby crowd erupted in good-natured laughter. In that moment, the entire area came alive, as if a still painting had suddenly been infused with a soul, brimming with intoxicating vitality.

Lei Dong smiled as well.

In that instant, he suddenly understood that what he most longed to see was precisely this—life vibrant with humanity, what he most wished for was this, a life filled with emotion and connection.

Not because he had just undergone more than three years of grueling training, nor due to the saying “after three years in the army, a sow looks as good as a beauty,” fostering a hunger for human contact, but because he himself was one of these people.

Yes, a “person.”

“Person,” both others and himself, both an individual and among the masses. He was one among the countless, yet from the perspective of a soldier, a protector of these people and their lives; meanwhile, as a cultivator, he transcended the multitude, gazing down from above as a “god.”

These three identities intertwined, and Lei Dong was suddenly struck by an indescribable insight. The myriad beings and all things seemed to become clear before him in an instant; though he stood high above, he felt no separation, but instead merged seamlessly into it all. His heart brimmed with a sense of compassion, and he felt a mysterious kinship with all these strangers, as if sharing blood—living and dying together, sharing joy and sorrow. This, he realized, was his “love” for all things in the world…

A tear fell silently from Lei Dong’s smiling face.

In that instant, he felt his internal energy stir—the force that had always flowed along fixed paths in his meridians suddenly accelerated. The tiny nascent soul within his golden core opened its eyes, shooting two faint golden rays straight to the crown of his head, illuminating his entire inner world. Every fiber of his body, in that moment, seemed to awaken, vibrant and alive, filling him with vitality from inside out.

Click.

As the faint golden rays withdrew, they lightly struck the red point where his “Celestial Lock” converged, causing a gentle tremor. That “lock,” which had remained immovable for years despite countless attempts, suddenly emitted a faint sound.

That soft “click” was imperceptible to anyone else, but to Lei Dong, it was like thunder from the heavens!

For the first time in all these years, there was a reaction from the “Celestial Lock”!

For a moment, Lei Dong’s hair stood on end.

But when he tried to mobilize his internal energy, even tapping the nascent soul’s power to trace the source of the sound, he found nothing—he couldn’t recapture that feeling. The nascent soul closed its eyes again, expressionless as ever, and his energy resumed its usual flow, as if nothing had happened, as if it were all an illusion.

“Damn!” Lei Dong sighed in frustration, a surge of anger rising within him. “Why does it have to be so stingy!”

No one noticed what had happened, nor knew what it meant, but An Jing, with her keen perception, sensed Lei Dong’s emotional shift. She tightened her grip on his hand and quietly asked, “What’s wrong?”

Her gentle, cool hand soothed Lei Dong instantly. He shook his head, saying, “It’s nothing…” before breaking into a contented smile. Why be frustrated, why disappointed, why angry? Damn it, this was the first slight loosening of that damned Celestial Lock! Where there is a first time, there will be a second, a third… the ten thousandth time—I refuse to believe I can’t break it!

Lei Dong’s mood returned to calm, and he even felt that such a seemingly tiny change, but in reality a momentous one, deserved a grand celebration. He glanced at An Jing, joy welling in his heart: She truly is someone who can bring instant peace and happiness…

By now, it was nearly half past nine. The crowds in Changchun Garden had grown even denser. The early summer sun climbed high, radiating intense heat. Lei Dong noticed a few beads of fragrant sweat appearing on the side of An Jing’s nose.

“Wait for me a moment!” He felt a pang of concern, caught sight of a cold drink stall ahead, patted An Jing’s hand, and hurried over.

Watching Lei Dong stride briskly to the stall, An Jing instantly understood his intention. As she watched him return with two bottles of drinks, his athletic figure radiating vitality, her eyes filled with tenderness, sweetness, and a love too deep to put into words…