# Chapter 1975: Cherish the One Before You
The manor was very large, yet it felt empty, with few people living in it. Now it seemed even more desolate.
Looking around, white silk mourning banners could be seen hanging everywhere in the manor, and every person in sight wore a sorrowful expression on their face.
Without needing anyone to guide him, Zhang Ruochen arrived outside the mourning hall moments later.
Inside the hall, a coffin made of ten-thousand-year ice jade was placed, with cold mist emanating from it. One could vaguely see a person lying inside the coffin.
Apart from the coffin, there was only one other person in the mourning hall—Gu Songzi.
Sensing someone's arrival, Gu Songzi turned his head.
The moment he saw Zhang Ruochen, Gu Songzi immediately rushed out of the mourning hall, grabbed Zhang Ruochen by the chest of his clothes, and roared angrily, "Shouldn't you be accompanying your Hundred Flowers Immortal and Ling Feiyu? What are you doing here?"
"Let me in. I want to see Lingxi." Zhang Ruochen's voice trembled.
Gu Songzi shoved Zhang Ruochen away, his eyes filled with grief and indignation. He pointed at Zhang Ruochen and said, "Zhang Ruochen, you're a bastard. When you were inseparable from Ji Fanxin, did you ever think of Lingxi? Poor Lingxi has been waiting here for you to come, but in the end, she still couldn't wait any longer."
"Now that Lingxi is gone, what meaning is there in you coming here? Get out! I don't want to see you, and Lingxi doesn't want to see you either."
Such a commotion quickly drew people over—all familiar faces to Zhang Ruochen: his fourth brother Zhang Shaochu and his ninth sister Zhang Yuxi.
Zhang Yuxi strode over furiously, her eyes red, and said, "Ninth brother, I'm very disappointed in you. You've let Lingxi down. She has been so good to our family, treating our mother like her own mother. And what have you done?"
With that, Zhang Yuxi turned and left, as if unwilling to look at Zhang Ruochen any longer.
Zhang Shaochu walked over slowly, reached out to pat Zhang Ruochen on the shoulder, and sighed, "Ninth brother, my condolences. This is something none of us expected."
Zhang Ruochen didn't say a word. He simply walked toward the mourning hall.
"Bang."
Gu Songzi struck out, sending Zhang Ruochen staggering back with a palm strike.
"I said Lingxi doesn't want to see you. Get out!" Gu Songzi roared.
Zhang Ruochen still said nothing, continuing to walk forward.
Gu Songzi's eyes blazed with fury. He struck out several more palm strikes, forcing Zhang Ruochen back repeatedly.
From beginning to end, Zhang Ruochen remained silent and didn't even defend himself, letting Gu Songzi's palms land on his body one after another.
Seeing that Gu Songzi was about to continue, Zhang Shaochu quickly stepped in to stop him. "Senior, stop hitting him! Just let ninth brother go in!"
At this moment, Shoushu also rushed in and quickly grabbed Gu Songzi.
With no more obstacles, Zhang Ruochen finally entered the mourning hall, step by step approaching the ten-thousand-year ice jade coffin.
At last, he saw Mu Lingxi, lying quietly in the coffin, looking very peaceful, as if she were merely asleep.
"Lingxi, why did you have to be so foolish?"
Zhang Ruochen reached out a hand and gently stroked Mu Lingxi's face.
Even before entering the mourning hall, he had clung to a sliver of hope, thinking that Mu Lingxi wasn't dead and was just playing a joke on him.
But now, that last shred of hope was shattered. Mu Lingxi's body was cold, with no trace of life force. She had truly left him.
Losing Mu Lingxi, Zhang Ruochen truly understood what heartache meant. His world instantly turned gray, devoid of any other color.
Thinking back on their journey together, Mu Lingxi had always silently given for him. And what had he given her in return? Time and again, he had made her sad and heartbroken. He hadn't even been able to fulfill such a simple request as being by her side.
"Lingxi, I'm sorry. I came too late. I've let you down." Zhang Ruochen's eyes grew increasingly sore. Tears he hadn't shed in who knows how long began to flow.
"Let's all go out for now. Let ninth brother stay here alone for a while. His heart must be in great pain."
Zhang Shaochu sighed repeatedly as he led everyone out of the mourning hall.
"I should have come earlier. The moment I returned to Kunlun Realm, I should have come to find you."
"You should have known that even if you were just an ordinary person, I would never abandon you."
"I've been training with all my might, just wanting to give you, to give everyone, a better future. I would bear the sky myself—you didn't need to work so hard..."
...
...
Zhang Ruochen's voice choked. As he spoke, he lifted his head, trying hard to open his eyes wide, attempting to hold back his tears.
"Don't worry, I will definitely bring you back to life, no matter the cost. I'll take you to find the Moon God. The Moon God must have a way... must have a way. You have to live. I won't allow you to die..."
Zhang Ruochen bent down, about to pick up Mu Lingxi's body and take her to the Heavenly Court.
But...
He froze completely.
He saw that Mu Lingxi had somehow already sat up in the coffin, staring at him with beautiful, smiling eyes, a mischievous look on her face. "You say I can't die, so I can't die? How tyrannical!"
Before Zhang Ruochen could react, Mu Lingxi suddenly stood up, wrapped her jade-like arms around Zhang Ruochen's neck, and pressed her crystal-clear, elegant lips against his, kissing him.
Time seemed to freeze at that moment. Zhang Ruochen was completely stunned, his mind a blank.
It wasn't until Mu Lingxi's small, moist, and slippery tongue parted his lips and touched his tongue that Zhang Ruochen finally came back to his senses.
Immediately, he reached out his hands, tightly embracing Mu Lingxi, and began kissing her back passionately.
"What's going on? How is she alive again? Can someone tell me what happened?" Outside the mourning hall, Shoushu stood dumbfounded.
Gu Songzi stroked his beard, a satisfied smile appearing on his face.
Then he reached out and slapped Shoushu and Zhang Shaochu each once, glaring, "What are you looking at? Get out of here!"
Without waiting for the two to say anything, Gu Songzi forcibly dragged them away.
Inside the mourning hall, the kiss between Zhang Ruochen and Mu Lingxi seemed to go on forever.
Zhang Ruochen lifted Mu Lingxi out of the ten-thousand-year ice jade coffin, holding her in his arms without letting go, afraid that if he did, she would leave him.
"That's too much. All of you conspired to deceive me. Was this your idea?" Zhang Ruochen said.
Mu Lingxi looked a bit worried. She lifted her head, meeting his gaze, and asked nervously, "Are you angry?"
Zhang Ruochen smiled slightly and shook his head. "Of course not. It's just that the moment I learned you had died, I realized how important you are to me."
"Lingxi, I'm sorry."
"It's all my fault. The Drunken Madman and Gu Songzi were right. I should have come to see you the moment I returned to Kunlun Realm, instead of making you worry about me."
Zhang Ruochen understood Mu Lingxi's personality. If she had truly forcibly gone to merge with the ancestral inheritance, then everything today might have become real.
If that had happened, he would have regretted it forever.
Mu Lingxi gently buried her head in Zhang Ruochen's chest, a sweet smile on her face. She nodded slightly and said, "Mm, I will always be by your side. You live, I live; you die, I die."
Hearing this, Zhang Ruochen's heart trembled, and he held Mu Lingxi even tighter.
From this moment on, their lives were intertwined. For Mu Lingxi's sake, he had to live well.
"Hahaha, Zhang Ruochen, even you can cry!" The Drunken Madman arrived, laughing as he entered the mourning hall.
At the same time, Gu Songzi, Shoushu, Zhang Shaochu, and Zhang Yuxi also appeared.
"Old drunkard, how about it? My fake death pill is impressive, isn't it? Zhang Ruochen didn't see through it at all." Gu Songzi said smugly.
The Drunken Madman said, "You're amazing. This time, you handled things well."
"It's just a pity that Lingxi woke up too quickly. All our hard work acting was wasted." Gu Songzi shook his head and sighed.
The Drunken Madman glared at him. "What do you know? Lingxi was just worried about Zhang Ruochen. But Zhang Ruochen, I really need to have a word with you. This time, you can't blame Lingxi. The problem is with you. How long has it been, and you only now came to Phoenix Lake? You really don't take Lingxi seriously."
"That's right. I've seen Lingxi sitting by the lake in a daze many times. If you don't care about her, we do." Zhang Yuxi chimed in.
Hearing these words, Zhang Ruochen's heart was filled with guilt. He felt more and more that he had let Mu Lingxi down too much.
Before he could speak, Mu Lingxi revealed a mischievous smile and said, "It's not as complicated as you all make it out to be. I simply wanted to give Zhang Ruochen a surprise."
"It was clearly a fright." The Demon God Rat muttered.
"Alright, you all clean up the manor. I'll go make a few dishes, and we'll have a good gathering later."
With that, Mu Lingxi walked out of the mourning hall with a giggle.
"Lingxi, I'll help you." Zhang Yuxi quickly followed.
Zhang Ruochen stood there in a daze, his gaze fixed on Mu Lingxi's retreating figure.
"Cherish the one before you. Don't wait until you've lost them to regret it." Gu Songzi patted Zhang Ruochen's shoulder and said meaningfully.
Regardless of whether Zhang Ruochen had entanglements with other women, they all hoped that Zhang Ruochen could have a good future with Mu Lingxi.
Many things in the world are unpredictable, so they truly hoped to drink the wedding wine of Zhang Ruochen and Mu Lingxi sooner, to fulfill one of their wishes.
Of course, this was a matter between Zhang Ruochen and Mu Lingxi. No matter how anxious they were, they couldn't decide for them.
"Cherish the one before you."
Zhang Ruochen murmured to himself.
He truly should cherish Mu Lingxi and give her a proper status sooner.
He had actually considered these things long ago, but the chaotic situation in Kunlun Realm left him no time to attend to other matters.
For now, the most important thing was to improve his cultivation strength. Only then could he protect everyone and everything he cared about.
The Drunken Madman and Gu Songzi were very efficient. In no time, they had removed all the white silk banners from the manor, and the oppressive atmosphere instantly dissipated.
Meanwhile, under Zhang Shaochu's guidance, Zhang Ruochen arrived outside a separate small courtyard.
This was where Lin Fei lived. Usually, only Mu Lingxi, Zhang Shaochu, and Zhang Yuxi would come here.
The birth mothers of Zhang Shaochu and Zhang Yuxi had long since passed away, so they both treated Lin Fei as their own mother. When Zhang Ruochen was away, they would fulfill their filial duties by Lin Fei's side.
"Fourth brother, you and ninth sister have worked hard all these years." Zhang Ruochen said.
Zhang Shaochu put his arm around Zhang Ruochen's shoulder and laughed, "We're brothers. Why say such things? Besides, ninth sister and I haven't done much. The one who worked hardest is Lingxi. She has been taking care of mother attentively. So you must treat her well, or I won't let you off."
Zhang Ruochen nodded. "Don't worry. I will never let Lingxi down. Otherwise, I wouldn't be able to forgive myself."
"Mm, that's my good ninth brother. Come on, let's go in and see Lady Lin Fei. All these years you've been away, she has missed you terribly. She'll be especially happy to see you back." Zhang Shaochu urged.
Zhang Ruochen said nothing more. He stepped forward and walked into the small courtyard. After being away for so many years, how could he not miss his mother?