Senior sister, stop working and go home for dinner.

Chapter 467 Boat Trip

Chen Anran sat at the stern of the boat, gazing at the distant green mountains.

Wei Yiran sat in the boat, her gaze fixed on Xiao Ling'er, but her peripheral vision involuntarily drifted towards the stern.

This seemed to be the first time she had been alone with this Master Chen.

It's been two months.

From their first meeting at the foot of Yunyin Mountain to their boat trip on the lake together, she had exchanged no more than ten words with him in total. He was always indifferent, neither too close nor too distant, as if separated by an invisible layer.

Wei Yiran lowered her eyes and looked at her fingers.

She knew she shouldn't overthink it. Immortals were supposed to be like that, detached from worldly affairs, untouched by mortal dust. But sometimes she couldn't help thinking—when he looked at Xiao Ling'er, he clearly smiled. When he looked at others, his eyes clearly held warmth. Only when he looked at her did his eyes always seem veiled by a layer of mist.

Is it because she looks like someone?

"Sister Wei, what are you thinking about?"

Xiao Ling'er's voice brought her back to reality.

Wei Yiran looked up and smiled, "It's nothing. I was just lost in thought looking at the scenery of the lake and mountains."

The small boat drifted gently in the middle of the lake, the water lapping against its hull with soft, pattering sounds.

After playing in the water for a while, Xiaoling leaned over the side of the boat watching the water birds swimming by, chattering and counting, "One, two, three—Sister Wei, what's the name of that white one?"

"That's a white egret," Wei Yiran replied softly, her gaze involuntarily drifting towards the stern of the boat.

Chen Anran remained seated, gazing at the distant green mountains, as if the entire lakeside scenery had nothing to do with him. But just as she turned her gaze away, he suddenly spoke.

"Miss Wei."

Wei Yiran's heart skipped a beat.

She looked up and met those calm eyes.

"What do you think of this world?" Chen Anran paused, "

Wei Yiran was stunned.

She hadn't expected him to ask that.

What kind of world is this?

She had lived for sixteen years and never imagined anyone would ask her such a question. To others, she was the granddaughter of the eldest princess, a noblewoman of the royal family, the third princess whom Yun Jiu had chosen to "perform a dance." But no one had ever asked her what she thought of this world.

Wei Yiran remained silent for a moment.

She lowered her eyes, gazing at the cloud reflections on the lake. Her eyes were long, with slightly upturned corners, and thick eyelashes like two small fans, casting soft shadows on her eyelids. Her nose was delicate and straight, her lips were not ostentatious, and her jawline was soft and rounded—the kind of classical beauty that grows on you the more you look at her.

She sat there in the boat, as quiet as a painting.

But hidden within that painting are a pair of expressive eyes.

After a long while, she raised her head and looked at Chen Anran.

Her voice was soft, "I believe that there must be a way for mortals and immortals to coexist."

Wei Yiran met his gaze and continued, "I grew up in Tianjing and have seen too many immortals. They are high above, looking down on mortals like ants. But I have also seen the lives of mortals—they farm, weave, raise children, and care for their elders. How are they different from immortals? Immortals also need to eat, wear clothes, and have children. They just live a few more years and have more skills. Why should mortals kneel before them?"

Her voice trembled slightly, but she didn't stop.

"In the past two months, my daughter has met with various immortal masters along with Xiaoling'er. Master Tianbao would give candy to children in the teahouse, Miss Qi would haggle with the owner of the cloth shop, Mr. Jiang would help the old man on the street corner repair the leaky shed, and Master Huiming would sweep the floor with the old monks in the temple."

She paused, her eyes slightly reddening.

"I never knew that immortals could be like this."

Chen Anran remained silent.

Little Ling'er stopped counting birds at some point and lay quietly by the side of the boat, watching them.

On the lake, the small boat swayed gently. The faint sound of string and wind instruments drifted from a distant pleasure boat, indistinct and ethereal. Several water birds skimmed past the boat, their wings flapping across the water.

Wei Yiran took a deep breath and continued, "But the world isn't like that. When the people from the Immortal Alliance come, mortals have to kneel. If they want offerings, mortals have to give them. If they want people, mortals have to send them."

She looked down at her hands resting on her knees. Those hands were fair and slender, and were now tightly gripping the hem of her skirt.

"So I think there must be a way to coexist. It's not about mortals kneeling and immortals standing, or mortals standing and immortals kneeling. It's just... it's just about each of us standing and living our own lives. You cultivate your immortality, I'll farm my fields. You fly your heavens, I'll walk my path. No one owes anyone anything, and no one oppresses anyone."

After she finished speaking, she lowered her eyes and said nothing more.

After hearing this, Chen Anran burst into laughter shortly afterward.

Wei Yiran's views surprisingly shared many similarities with those of her second senior sister.

They all thought that everyone would abide by the rules and follow them.

After laughing, Chen Anran shook his head under Wei Yiran's astonished gaze.

"No, that's wrong. Both you and my senior sister are wrong."

Wei Yiran stood there, staring at Chen Anran's suddenly serious face, unsure of what to say.

Was what she just said wrong?

She had been thinking about this for sixteen years, ever since she first saw the Immortal Alliance oppressing the people. She had thought about it for countless days and nights until now, and finally came up with this path—mortals and immortals, each going their own way, with no one oppressing the other.

But this Master Chen said that was wrong.

"Then..." Wei Yiran's voice was a little hoarse, "then what is right?"

Chen Anran did not answer immediately.

He simply gazed at the distant lake, at the waterbirds swimming leisurely, and at the clouds and sky reflected in the water.

He didn't speak for a long time.

"You just said that immortals also need to eat, wear clothes, and have children, and are no different from mortals," he said. "That's true, and it's not true either."

Wei Yiran listened quietly.

"The point is that immortals and mortals are essentially human. They get hungry, they get cold, they laugh, they cry, they love, they hate. The point is—"

He paused, turned his head, and looked at Wei Yiran.

"Immortals live long and have great abilities, so they easily forget that they are human."

Wei Yiran's heart skipped a beat.

"The way of coexistence you just mentioned is for immortals to abide by the rules, mortals to fulfill their duties, and each to go their own way," Chen Anran continued. "But you forgot one thing—who set the rules?"

Wei Yiran opened her mouth, wanting to say, "We decided on it together," but she swallowed the words back.

Because she suddenly understood.

Rules are always set by the strong.

The immortals are powerful, so the rules are set by them. They say mortals must kneel, and mortals must kneel. They say mortals must make offerings, and mortals must give. They say the Third Princess must perform a dance, and the Third Princess must stand there, trembling with fear, yet not daring to even cry.

That's the rule.

"But..." Wei Yiran was still unwilling, "But what if immortals could restrain themselves, what if immortals could remember that they were also human..."

"That's just a hypothetical," Chen Anran interrupted her. "Can you guarantee that every immortal will remember? Can you guarantee that they'll remember today and tomorrow? Can you guarantee that you remember, your disciples remember, and your disciples' disciples remember?"

Wei Yiran was speechless.

Chen Anran withdrew his gaze, looking towards the distant green mountains, and muttered to himself, "Only the rules set by the strongest can be called 'rules,' and only then can everyone abide by them..."

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