It turned out... the firefly that had always guarded Lan Lan wasn't simply dyed with the tears from the Eighth - Tear Vessel. It was the dragon pearl inside Gu Yuan's body.
On that day, although Gu Yuan was completely destroyed both in body and spirit, the dragon pearl was wrapped and protected by an invisible force and remained undamaged.
The dragon pearl transformed into a firefly. Sensing the call of the sky lantern, it flew to the River of Forgetfulness in the Netherworld and then flew into the sky lantern.
Since the sky lantern was created by Gu Yuan's magic power, when it sensed the dragon pearl, it protected the pearl within its flames.
The firefly tried to break free from the confinement of the sky lantern and return to Lan Lan. However, it was too weak at the moment. Every time it tried to rush out of the sky lantern, it almost got burned to ashes by the fire inside. That was until it met the white - bearded old man who was punting a boat.
He rowed his boat to the sky lantern, tapped his finger gently, and the firefly was released from the confinement and flew out of the sky lantern.
He told the firefly to wait there. In a few days, someone would surely help it break free completely and take it home.
Hearing the words "go home", the firefly stopped trying to break free. It hovered around the sky lantern, just waiting for that person to take it home.
Sure enough, the white - bearded old man didn't lie. He really brought Lan Lan here.
That sky lantern had been shining for over a thousand years, just waiting for Lan Lan to pick it. Since Lan Lan had finally arrived, it was only natural for it to come down.
When the sky lantern landed, the firefly's confinement was temporarily lifted. Taking this opportunity, the white - bearded old man took out the Eighth - Tear Vessel.
The Eighth - Tear Vessel could only hold seven tears at most. But why was it named the Eighth - Tear Vessel? Lan Lan didn't know back then, but she knew now.
The eighth tear was formed after the seven tears disappeared and the Eighth - Tear Vessel became a useless bottle. Just then, two lovers shed tears from their hearts simultaneously. The two tears merged and dropped onto the Eighth - Tear Vessel.
This was how the true Eighth - Tear Vessel was formed. The function of this eighth tear was to fulfill one's wish, no matter what it was.
At that time, Lan Lan made a wish to the white - bearded old man to revive Gu Yuan.
The white - bearded old man dropped the eighth tear onto the firefly. After the dragon pearl was baptized by the eighth heart - tear, Gu Yuan was able to be revived.
However, this was a long - drawn - out process. Five years was actually a relatively short period.
Even the white - bearded old man was extremely surprised. He sighed that the self - repair ability of the silver dragon was incredibly powerful.
Even he, an old white snake who had practiced for a hundred thousand years, couldn't compare.
Speaking of this old white snake, you might have guessed. He was the little white snake that Lan Lan had brought out of the Underworld.
Originally, Lan Lan wanted to keep him by her side, but she didn't know where he had gone.
Actually, this little white snake had a remarkable origin. He was the famous ferryman on the River of Forgetfulness.
The ferryman had the same lifespan as Nuwa. He also had a human head and a snake's body. For thousands of years, he had been guarding the River of Forgetfulness, listening to countless stories and ferrying numerous people. But he himself was wandering alone, not knowing where to return.
His soul was lost in the River of Forgetfulness.
It wasn't until he met Lan Lan. With her pure heart, Lan Lan helped the little white snake out of his predicament. Only then was he able to be freed.
His soul returned to the Purple Bamboo Grove. When he came back, he had achieved full merit, found the meaning of his existence, and understood everything. He was only one step away from becoming a great Luo immortal.
Lan Lan had saved him, and he also knew how important Gu Yuan was to Lan Lan.
Gu Yuan was destined to have a catastrophe. To repay this kindness, when Gu Yuan was completely destroyed, the old white snake stepped in to save him and protected his dragon pearl.
Moreover, he did a good deed by guiding Lan Lan to find the sky lantern and resolve the knots in their hearts.
After repaying this kindness, the old white snake achieved enlightenment and became a free and unfettered immortal.
However, he was already used to his identity as a ferryman. Now he was back to his old job, ferrying people out of suffering in the sea of bitterness on earth. He was no longer the soulless ferryman.
In these five years, Gu Yuan never left Lan Lan's side. During the day, he accompanied Lan Lan to help others and have meals together.
At night, he stayed beside Lan Lan, watching her stare blankly at his memorial tablet. He accompanied her when she cried, laughed, fell asleep, and woke up.
He could feel every bit of Lan Lan's emotions, and Lan Lan was no longer so lonely because of the firefly's company.
They had been together for five years, never leaving or forsaking each other. Maybe it was because Lan Lan missed Gu Yuan so much that he was able to return to her side so quickly.
It also echoed what Lan Lan always said: "Constant longing yields an echo."
Gu Yuan told Lan Lan every detail of his experiences in these five years.
Lan Lan was so shocked that her jaw almost dropped. It turned out that he had never left her. No wonder she always felt that Gu Yuan had never been far away all these years.
She just never thought that the firefly was actually Gu Yuan.
Thinking of this, Lan Lan felt so regretful. Why hadn't she observed more carefully?
Gu Yuan smiled gently and said, "It's my greatest honor to guard you silently."
After hearing his words, Lan Lan almost burst into tears. She grabbed Gu Yuan's face and kissed him hard.
Gu Yuan didn't resist at all. He directly pressed Lan Lan under him and gave her another long and passionate kiss...
...
Two months later, Lan Lan had been feeling drowsy these days. She always felt like she had a cold.
This morning, as soon as she turned over in bed, she felt dizzy. Her stomach was churning, and she had an urge to vomit.
She quickly sat up in bed, covered her mouth, and rushed into the bathroom.
She hugged the toilet and vomited for a while.
Hearing the noise, Gu Yuan rushed in from the living room to check on Lan Lan.
"Lan Lan... How are you?"
Lan Lan vomited so hard that she saw stars. Tears were streaming down her face.
"I don't know why. I just keep wanting to vomit. I feel so uncomfortable. Did I eat something bad?"
Gu Yuan's sharp eyes swept across Lan Lan's abdomen. Instead of looking worried, he was secretly delighted.
Lan Lan covered her stomach and looked at Gu Yuan's expression. Another thought popped into her mind.
"Gu Yuan, could it be... Could I be pregnant?" Lan Lan asked, her hands on her stomach, looking surprised.
There was a naughty smile on Gu Yuan's face. He said proudly, "What do you think? Your husband never misses his mark."
Lan Lan punched Gu Yuan on the chest.
"You're so annoying. Who said I'd have a baby for you?"
Gu Yuan wasn't angry. He took out his phone and played an audio clip. It was exactly what Lan Lan had said to Gu Yuan in excitement.
Lan Lan's face turned red and hot. "You're so bad."
She punched Gu Yuan on the chest again, but he grabbed her hand.
There was all the tenderness in Gu Yuan's face. He wrapped his hands around Lan Lan's and whispered, "I want you to have a baby for me."
Lan Lan burst out laughing. She pulled out one hand, waved her phone in front of Gu Yuan, and said, "I've recorded it too. Now we both have something on each other. That means we're destined to be tied to each other for a lifetime."
Gu Yuan laughed heartily. He hugged Lan Lan from behind. One hand supported Lan Lan's stomach, and the other deleted the audio clip on his phone.
"For the rest of my life, I only hope that you can control me. How could I ever want to control you?"