148: Chapter 148 Willow Goddess: I am your senior, and also a woman.

Meanwhile, at the residence of the Willow Deity.

The Willow Deity sat cross-legged on a meditation cushion, eyes closed and focused. Qi flowed around her body, and the phantom image of a massive willow tree swayed gently behind her.

She had been sitting like this for three months.

For three months, she had not stepped out of her room once.

It was not a Cultivation retreat, but waiting.

She was waiting for Chu Tianjiao to come.

After saying those words that night, she had left the space to him and Nannan. She knew they needed time, needed to be alone, and needed to properly enjoy this period of time.

But she was also waiting.

Waiting for them to have had enough, waiting for him to remember that there was someone else waiting for him.

The Willow Deity opened her eyes and looked out the window.

Moonlight, like water, spilled into the courtyard.

Her gaze passed over the courtyard wall and landed in the direction of that small cottage in the distance.

There, the lamps had been extinguished.

There, he was with Nannan.

The Willow Deity withdrew her gaze, a faint smile appearing at the corners of her mouth.

The smile was light, very faint, yet it carried an indescribable meaning.

"No rush," she murmured softly. "There is still plenty of time."

Another three months passed.

One day, Chu Tianjiao came out from Xiao Nannan's place, intending to sit under the ancient tea tree of enlightenment, but he saw the Willow Deity standing at the courtyard gate, seemingly waiting for him.

He was slightly stunned, then walked forward.

"Senior?"

The Willow Deity looked at him, a faint smile appearing at the corners of her mouth.

"Come with me." She turned and walked towards her residence.

Chu Tianjiao followed behind her, feeling somewhat puzzled.

The two walked into the room, and the Willow Deity gestured for him to sit down.

Chu Tianjiao sat down opposite her and looked at her.

The Willow Deity was silent for a moment, then spoke.

"Tianjiao." Her voice was soft, yet very solemn.

"I have waited for six months."

Chu Tianjiao froze.

The Willow Deity looked at him, her eyes carrying a trace of complex emotion.

"I know that you and Nannan needed time. I gave you time. Six months is long enough."

She paused, then continued, "Now, it is my turn."

Chu Tianjiao took a deep breath, suppressing the surging emotions in his heart.

He, of course, knew what the Willow Deity was talking about.

To leave behind offspring for him. To use her body to conceive a child for him.

That was her choice, her decision, her—intent.

"Senior..." He began, but didn't know what to say.

The Willow Deity looked at him, a faint smile appearing at the corners of her mouth.

"What? Unwilling?"

Chu Tianjiao hurriedly shook his head. "No, I just..."

The Willow Deity stood up and walked before him. She reached out and gently stroked his cheek.

The action was light and gentle, yet it made Chu Tianjiao tremble all over.

"Tianjiao," she said softly. "I am not your Senior." "I am the Willow Deity." "I am a woman."

Chu Tianjiao looked at her, looking into her clear and deep eyes, and an unprecedented emotion surged in his heart.

It was respect, gratitude, tenderness, and something else that was indescribable.

He reached out and took her hand. "Willow Deity," he called out softly.

The Willow Deity smiled. The smile was as gentle as the spring sunshine.

After that day, Chu Tianjiao began to go back and forth between the two women.

During the day, he accompanied Xiao Nannan, talked with her, and Cultivated with her. At night, he looked forward to the child belonging to them together with her.

At night, he went to the Willow Deity's place, lay on the bed with her, talked, and did what he was supposed to do.

The Willow Deity was different from Xiao Nannan.

Xiao Nannan was passionate and lingering, wishing to pour all her longing of eight hundred thousand years into every union.

The Willow Deity was gentle and composed, possessing a calmness that came after experiencing the vicissitudes of life.

She would gently embrace him, whisper in his ear, and speak words about life, about the Dao, and about the passage of time. Her voice was very soft and gentle, like a spring breeze brushing over the surface of a lake.

Chu Tianjiao lay in her arms and sometimes wondered—how could such a person exist in this world?

Having lived for so long and experienced so much, yet still able to be so gentle, so calm, and so—reassuring.

The Willow Deity seemed to see through his thoughts and gently stroked his hair. "What are you thinking about?" she asked.

Chu Tianjiao shook his head. "Nothing." He buried his face in her chest, feeling her warm body temperature. "I just want to stay a little longer."

The Willow Deity smiled and held him tighter. "Then stay a little longer," she said softly. "There is still plenty of time."

Days passed like this, one by one.

During the day, Chu Tianjiao accompanied Xiao Nannan. At night, he accompanied the Willow Deity.

And between these two, he would also do one thing.

He would stand under the ancient tea tree of enlightenment and look in the direction of Lingxu Cave-Heaven.

There, Ye Fan was growing up.

A year had passed, and Ye Fan had already achieved a Breakthrough from the Other Shore to the Dao Palace. His cultivation speed was very fast, but what made Chu Tianjiao even more gratified was his Heart-Nature—resilient, unyielding, and never retreating when encountering difficulties.

Sometimes, Chu Tianjiao would go to see him. Not appearing, just watching from afar.

Watching him Cultivate in Lingxu Cave-Heaven, watching him play and joke with Pang Bo, watching him occasionally look up at the sky with longing for the future in his eyes.

Watching and watching, Chu Tianjiao would think of Xiao Shitou.

That Disciple who had been by his side since he was eight, that honest yet incredibly stubborn youth, that man who finally smiled and said to him, "Teacher, I did my best."

Now, he had undergone Reincarnation. He had become Ye Fan. He had become a brand new youth who did not know him.

But that Heart-Nature, that resilience, that longing for the future, were still there.

Chu Tianjiao looked at Ye Fan, and a faint smile would appear at the corners of his mouth. Then he would withdraw his gaze, turn around, and return to the Willow Deity, or return to Xiao Nannan's side.

Days passed like this. Calm, fulfilling, and carrying a faint expectation.

Another year passed.

One day, Xiao Nannan woke up from her sleep, opened her eyes, and stared blankly at the ceiling.

She felt something. That feeling was very subtle, very strange, yet it made her heart race.

She looked down at her lower abdomen. There, there was an extremely faint, almost imperceptible aura of life.

It was beating. Once, twice, three times. Although weak, it was tenacious.

Xiao Nannan's eyes instantly turned red. She shook the sleeping Chu Tianjiao awake. "Teacher! Teacher!"

Chu Tianjiao opened his eyes groggily, and seeing her tear-stained face, he instantly woke up. "Nannan?! What's wrong?!"

Xiao Nannan grabbed his hand and pressed it against her lower abdomen. "Can you feel it?" Her voice was trembling. "Can you feel it?!"

Chu Tianjiao looked at her blankly, feeling the faint beating coming from his palm. Then, his eyes widened. "This is..."

Xiao Nannan nodded vigorously, and tears finally fell. "It's our child." "Teacher, we have a child."

Chu Tianjiao looked at her blankly, looking at her belly, looking at that faint yet tenaciously beating aura of life.

Then, he pulled her into his arms and hugged her tightly. "That's great." His voice was somewhat choked with emotion. "That's great."

That night, Chu Tianjiao went to the Willow Deity's place. When he told her this news, a flash of pleasant surprise crossed the Willow Deity's eyes.

"Congratulations," she said softly. "Nannan has finally waited for it."

Chu Tianjiao nodded and looked at her. "What about you?"

The Willow Deity was slightly stunned. Chu Tianjiao reached out and gently placed his hand on her lower abdomen. There was nothing there yet. But he knew, one day, there would be.

The Willow Deity looked at him, a faint smile appearing at the corners of her mouth. "What's the rush?" she said softly. "There is still plenty of time."

Chu Tianjiao looked at her, looking into her gentle eyes, and an indescribable emotion surged in his heart. He leaned down and kissed her gently on the lips.

The Willow Deity was slightly stunned, then smiled. She reached out and pulled him into her embrace. "Stay tonight," she said softly.

Chu Tianjiao nodded and buried his face in her embrace. Their time, too, was still long.