[Central Plains, on the vast, endless great plains, you and Li Lingyue ride together on a single horse, weaving through the crisscrossing network of paths.]

["Go to the Southern Borderlands? For a martial arts opportunity?"]

["I can only tell you this much. Whether you go or not is your own decision."]

[The current Li Lingyue is not a martial artist; she appears delicate, but there is already a trace of the future Female Emperor's temperament in her eyes and brows.]

["I sabotaged the marriage alliance, the imperial court will not tolerate me. Even if I begged for mercy and returned, at best I'd be forced into another marriage alliance, at worst I'd be charged with a crime.

Given that, if there truly is an opportunity for me to step onto the martial path in the Southern Borderlands, I will seize it even if it costs me my life!

What you said is right, Benefactor. Only by becoming strong can one control one's own destiny. Otherwise, one can only become a pawn for those in power and the strong!"]

["The martial path is difficult to tread. You must be mentally prepared to taste all kinds of hardship. Everything from now on will be as different as clouds and mud compared to your luxurious life in the imperial palace."]

[Li Lingyue was silent for a long moment, then suddenly pulled out a dagger from her sleeve.]

["The calamity that befell me today all stems from this face. I am willing to cut my face to demonstrate my resolve!"]

[You hurriedly stopped her.]

["No, no, no! That's going too far! I believe your willpower is very strong!"]

[Year Sixteen, age thirty-four.]

[You and Li Lingyue pressed on without rest, rushing towards the Southern Borderlands.]

[After all, she was still a mortal now, her Sacred Physique not yet awakened, without a shred of cultivation.]

[For her to stay on horseback all day long like you, she couldn't bear it.]

[However, she never once said she was uncomfortable.]

[Every time you rested, it wouldn't be for too long before she would take the initiative to ask to continue the journey.]

[After a year of companionship, you had become familiar with each other.]

[On days of brilliant spring sunshine, you watched the mountain flowers bloom together.]

[On days of scorching summer heat, you went to the river to catch fish together.]

[On days of crisp, clear autumn skies, you counted the fallen leaves together.]

[On days of heavy, swirling snow, you gazed at the snow-clad mountains and rivers together.]

[You even studied the Sword Lord's notes together.]

[You: "Amazing! So this is the Sword Dao? I feel as if I've opened a brand new door!"]

[Li Lingyue: "Amazing! So this is the secret art of beauty preservation? I feel as if I've discovered a whole new world!"]

[Affection grew over time, but neither of you had yet pierced that final layer of window paper.]

[Until, on a bitterly cold, freezing night, the accumulated snow outside blocked the mountain path.]

[You and Li Lingyue warmed yourselves by a fire in a dilapidated, drafty mountain god temple.]

[During idle conversation, your eyes met. The originally cold air suddenly became scorching hot, making one's breath quicken.]

[Everything... happened so naturally.]

Outside the simulation, Chen Yi frowned.

"Simulator, if you don't know how to write, give me the pen. Who told you to omit the crucial parts? Huh? Answer me!"

[Afterwards, it just as naturally happened for a full twenty days.]

"'Husband Material Vibe', 'Dragon Plays with Phoenix', 'Ageless Male God'—simply the three mythical gods!"

[By the way, when you were busy with serious matters, you would order artifact spirits like the Ten Thousand Souls Banner and Da Chun to shut off their sensory abilities.]

[Artifact spirits are not living beings; they have no eyes. Their perception of the outside world is similar to the divine sense martial artists possess after reaching the Spirit Condensation realm.]

[What if they peek or eavesdrop?]

[Then don't blame you, the "Materialist Warrior," for throwing a heavy punch.]

[Year Seventeen, age thirty-five.]

[After traversing a vast expanse of swampy mudflats and miasma-filled forests, you finally entered the territory of the Southern Borderlands.]

[You knew the day of your parting was near.]

[However, your heart was not melancholy because of this.]

[You and Li Lingyue each had your own life paths to walk. This brief intersection was already a sweetness sweet enough to savor for a lifetime.]

[This was your first time in the Southern Borderlands; you were unfamiliar with the terrain, topography, and political regimes here.]

[You only knew that, from the Female Emperor's letter at the end of the last simulation, you learned of her experience.]

[The cliff named "Soul-Severing Cliff," from which Li Lingyue was forced to jump during her second escape from the marriage alliance procession, was located in a place called "Phoenix Mountain."]

[You inquired with local villagers along the way, getting closer bit by bit, and finally reached the destination.]

["I... have to jump from here?"]

["Theoretically, you'll be caught by a crooked-neck tree, then land on a large rock, then discover a cave with a flower inside. Eating it will allow you to cultivate martial arts."]

["......"]

["Forget it, I'll send you down."]

[You felt this "theoretically" might not perfectly replicate every time you jumped.]

[Mainly, you were a bit worried that interfering too much might affect the Female Emperor's growth path. But upon careful thought, it seemed you had already interfered a lot. Might as well escort the Buddha all the way to the West.]

[You held Li Lingyue and jumped off the cliff, using the crooked-neck tree for a bit of leverage, landing steadily on a protruding rock on the cliff face.]

[In a cave to the side grew the strange flower that could stimulate the awakening of Li Lingyue's Sacred Physique.]

["Lingyue, go in."]

[Li Lingyue nodded. She looked back at you, wanting to say something.]

[You knew she guessed you were preparing to leave.]

[She knew that you knew she had guessed.]

[She didn't speak, you remained silent. You watched her walk into the cave.]

["The legendary path of a generation's Female Emperor is about to begin..."]

[You were just about to leap away and leave this place when Li Lingyue came running out of the cave.]

["Chen Yi, there's no flower in the cave. Did we come to the wrong place?"]

[You were stunned.]

["None? That can't be?"]

[Even the crooked-neck tree matched. How could the flower in the cave be missing?]

[You went in to check. Sure enough, there was none.]

["Wait for me here in this cave for a while. I'll go look nearby. Maybe it's not in the cave, but growing somewhere on the cliff face..."]

[Li Lingyue grabbed your arm.]

[She lowered her head and asked softly.]

["Will you come back?"]

[You said with a smile.]

["Of course I'll come back. I'll bring the flower to you once I find it."]

[Li Lingyue let go.]

[She trusted you deeply.]

[You often acted as if you could foresee the future. She never asked why, simply choosing to believe what you said.]

[You left the cave, searching the nearby cliffs and precipices.]

["Strange. Everywhere is bare and barren. It doesn't look like any strange flower would grow here..."]

[You returned to the top of the cliff, at a loss.]

["It must be because of my interference, causing the course of events to change. Maybe next time I should just wait for Lingyue to eat the Love Flower Grass and get poisoned, then I'll detoxify her..."]

[Just then, you saw an old woman wearing traditional Southern Borderlands mountain folk attire, leaning on a walking stick. She was carrying a woven bamboo basket, walking past nearby.]

[You quickly walked up to her.]

["Elder, have you seen a very strangely shaped flower around here?"]