Some of these unrealistic rumours were becoming more and more intense.
During these few days that Jiang Zheliu was unable to read any books, he just listened to Ah-Chu telling him some exaggerated stories. These were all rumours that he had heard from the ginseng children …… This little deer did not seem to be interested in cultivation at all but was rather far more interested in idle gossip.
At first, Jiang Zheliu listened for a bit, he thought he’d just take it with a pinch of salt, until he heard the rumour which had evolved from “the overbearing Devil Lord” into “the monster who had a ferocious-looking green face, three heads and six arms”, after pondering over it and being bewildered for half a day, he still could not put that description together with the little Devil Lord who had been beside him this whole time.
Wen Renye was handsome and mysterious, with a kind of overflowing sharpness of a pointed sword that brought with it a certain element of aggressiveness. It was just that a devil’s human form is still a disguise, so it was perfectly possible that his genuine devil body may really have a ferocious-looking green face, three heads and six arms.
Jiang Zheliu thought of the pair of horns on Wen Renye’s head that day before he’d put them away. The horns were dark purple, with intricate and distinct blood-coloured patterns, gorgeous and hideous at the same time but non-conflicting, there is a sense of wildness and romantic beauty about them.
He lowered his head to take a sip of tea, and his thoughts strayed a bit during Ah-Chu’s story…… Devil horns….want to touch them.
These rumours were just Lie Zhen and Jin Yujie wanting to use this as an excuse to occupy the moral high ground, and hurl some verbal abuse at Wen Renye. They probably didn’t really have the courage to really go to war with the Devil Realm …… Jiang Zheliu had already thought about it anyway, if the Devil Realm was to incite a war, it would be like a chariot loaded with gunpowder only rolling forward and completely flattening any obstacles in its way.
There wouldn’t be a second person like him in the Cultivation World, an ignorant mantis that would try and stop the chariot1.
Plus, Lie Zhen had Qing Lin to hold him back, and Jin Yujie had his father. Therefore, Jiang Zheliu listened to these rumours in passing with a light heart, thinking only that the little devil lord’s reputation was harmed, and his image in the outside world seemed to be becoming more and more obscure.
He finished his tea, but then the cup of tea in his hand was replaced by Ah-Chu. A strong bitter smell wafted over, the medicine was still warm and bubbling upwards.
Jiang Zheliu looked slightly stiff and he had a hardly noticeable frown on his face.
It was only now that Wen Renye was not there, that Jiang Zheliu realised how he had been coaxed and pampered by this person. He thought that without a mouthful of candy, he did not even want to drink the medicine.
Jiang Zheliu did not say it out loud, he just lowered his head and slowly drank the medicine.
Ah-Chu was hanging up some clothes, when he asked: “Gege? Did you meet another demon today? Why does this robe have the scent of a demon I don’t know?”
Demons have a keen sense of smell.
“It’s a koi carp that I used to know.” Jiang Zheliu said, “She lives in this lake.”
Ah-Chu racked his brains for a long while, but did not find such a character from the thin pages of the contents that he had read. He sat next to Jiang Zheliu, watched him drink his medicine, and moved closer to bury his face into the other’s shoulder to soak up the other’s scent.
Crisp and clear but not biting cold, there was very light coolness mixed with a hint of slightly bitter medicinal herbs. The spiritual scent leaking out of his meridians was fragrant and sweet, rushing straight to one’s brain.
Ah-Chu gulped and said, “I blame gege for smelling too good, otherwise why would you be picked and trampled on2 as soon as you come out in the sun.”
Jiang Zheliu paused for a moment and asked rhetorically, “…… Picked and trampled on?”
“Yeh!” Ah-Chu decided to enlighten him, “Can’t gege see that Vermilion Bird Zhenjun, and that, that gold, bright and dazzling Young Pavilion Lord both like gege?”
Jiang Zheliu pondered for a moment, and deliberated over his sentence for a while, then slowly said: “…… that doesn’t seem likely.”
Ah-Chu lowered himself onto Jiang Zheliu’s knees and rubbed against him, and said, “They have been trying to find Shenxian gege the whole time, aren’t they plotting something?”
“That’s because I’m still useful to them.” Jiang Zheliu knocked him on the forehead, “When you grow up you will understand, later you will understand how to distinguish between these so-called matters of love, and how many of those are actually genuine.”
Ah Chu was a person who had read the book, although he could not be sure whether he had transmigrated in to the same version, but still because of these words he hesitantly pondered over it for a long time, and then he tentatively asked: “Well, what about the Devil Lord, Wen Renye ……”
Jiang Zheliu finished drinking the medicine, and did not answer to him. Instead he just once again covered himself with his soft blanket and held his hand warmer, lounging on the chair, taking in the sun and intending to fully enjoy his retirement.
The water was clear and crystalline and the light from the sun was warm. There were dragonflies flitting across the lake, posing delicately for a moment onto the surface of the water making a slight ripple.
Little deer Ah-Chu continued to accompany him, he’d told half his story but was starting to feel sleepy with his head on Jiang Zheliu’s lap. His antlers were soft, and unexpectedly nice to touch.
Jiang Zheliu’s eyes had not gotten better yet, but his body had seen some improvement. He could feel the changes in these recent days, he felt like his body was like a vase full of cracks, using all its strength to patch and repair itself, not knowing when it’d be able to be filled up with water again.
He propped up his chin whilst rubbing the antlers on the deer’s head slowly, thinking that this was also good.
To pass a quiet and monotonous life, with someone to keep him company so that he wasn’t lonely, no one to visit so it wouldn’t be noisy. Everything was easy and comfortable, everything was as it should be.
But life has never ever let him have his own way.
At the moment of sunset, the sky above Dan Xin Monastery suddenly dyed a flaming red, and the song of the Vermilion Bird could be heard from the clouds, and then the bird landed slowly.
Lie Zhen was wearing a red and gold robe, his eyes bright intense red, his entire body was burning with an intense energy. But he still subconsciously lowered the temperature of his body when he saw his good friend and headed to his side.
Wherever Vermilion Bird Zhenjun goes, he’d always make an extravagant entrance that was indeed difficult for anyone to be able to continue sleeping.
Yesterday, Ah-Li had stumbled upon Jiang Zheliu, and today the Zhenjun of the Demon Realm had already come knocking, so it wasn’t really necessary to think very deeply about what had happened.
Lie Zhen did not speak, but stood beside him for a moment before reaching out and gently pressing the back of Jiang Zheliu’s hand.
Jiang Zheliu retracted his hand.
After a few moments, he heard Lie Zhen ask in a low, hoarse voice, “Your eyes…… can’t you see?”
Since Lie Zhen was here, Jiang Zheliu could guess that everyone else also knew where he was now. Jiang Zheliu was too lazy to talk to him, so he just did not answer.
His attitude made the Vermilion Bird next to him a little agitated, and the bird ended up walking around him repeatedly in circles, whilst looking at the little deer with disdain. He couldn’t express his discontents so in the end, he just stuck patiently by Jiang Zheliu and whispered: “Zheliu, you are here to get treatment, I’m relieved. Did that devil bully you? Qing Lin and I will definitely ……”
He didn’t finish the sentence.
Because Jiang Zheliu raised his hand, fumbled around and then clutched on to his collar, the force was not heavy, but it was enough to pull him in front of Jiang Zheliu. Lie Zhen’s spirit was stirred by chilliness coming from the other’s body, facing his weak and blindfolded best friend, he still felt that like before he was lacking in confidence, so he did not resist at all.
“How many times must I repeat myself.” Jiang Zheliu’s lips were thin, with very little colour, but still the shape of his lips were exquisite. “You’ve never disobeyed me so much.”
Lie Zhen choked on his words and just stared at him in a daze.
His entire body was overflowing with light and bright colours, the clusters of vermilion bird feathers behind his ears trembled slightly, and his eyes looked like flowing lava. But the person in front of him who was clutching on his collar was dressed entirely in plain white, his hair was the colour of frost, and even his breath was icy cold.
Lie Zhen reached out to propped himself up on the side of the rattan chair, his mind buzzing from the other’s words. He opened his mouth several times, then finally said gloomily, “You’ve never …… been this far away from me before.”
The two of them were so close that it wasn’t possible to say that they were far from each other. However that’s not what Vermilion Bird was talking about, he was actually talking about the growing estrangement between the two of them.
Jiang Zheliu loosened his grip, he patted the little deer’s shoulder indicating to Ah-Chu to go inside.
Thousands of miles of clouds across a red horizon. The twilight fell behind Lie Zhen, contrasting with the fiery red flamboyance of his body.
It was just the two of them.
Lie Zhen reached out to hold Jiang Zheliu’s hand: “My good friend, I …… stood by and did nothing, I was wrong. Qing Lin and I did not expect that you’d be injured to this extent. If I had known that day, I would never have let you go.”
He didn’t expect that not one person would help Jiang Zheliu from a huge sect like Ling Xiao Sect, and he didn’t expect that Zhu Wuxin would also stand by and do nothing.
But others also thought this way, they could not imagine why the two Zhenjuns of the Demon Realm who had been friends with Jiang Zheliu for over a thousand years, really stood by and did nothing.
Jiang Zheliu tugged his hand, but failed to break free from the other’s grasp, he said: “I’ve already told you. I do not blame you, there is no blame, you do not have to keep insisting that I forgive you.”
“But every word you say is clearly blaming me.”
Jiang Zheliu sighed helplessly and said, “You think too much.”
He took Lie Zhen’s wrist with his other hand and pulled the other’s fingers off his other hand and added, “I have never thought that way. I just don’t like the way that you shower your affections on someone who is not interested and let your imagination run wild, putting on an act of being deeply devoted. I especially don’t like you trying to remove others and saying that it is for my sake. Lie Zhen, do you understand what I mean?”
Jiang Zheliu’s tone was indifferent like ice, but it was also sharp enough to make anyone’s heart feel a chill, every word cutting into the other.
This vermilion bird’s heart ached, and the pain was slowly spreading outwards. He looked at him in a daze, unable to speak for a long time.
Jiang Zheliu hadn’t changed, he could still easily make people retreat.
But Lie Zhen really did not want to back off. His voice was hoarse, his breath was like boiling water: “I know …… I won’t be like that anymore. I’ll stay here and guard you at Dan Xin Monastery, Zheliu, I’ll treat you better than anyone else ever could. Could you give me a chance, is that possible?”
“Give you the chance to ……” Jiang Zheliu repeated his question, and then suddenly laughed a little, shook his head and said nothing.
Lie Zhen couldn’t think of any other way, he paced back and forth a few times, anxious with his depressed energy almost spreading. He finally re-stopped in front of Jiang Zheliu, making things worse, he said: “So you’ve turned into this state under Wen Renye’s care? The last time I saw you, your eyes were clearly still fine. He’s not worthy to stay by your side, the devils have always been barbaric, have you forgotten how many of injuries you sustained from fighting with the devils in the past?”
“When Wen Renye is tired of playing with you, or he’s had enough of pretending, and he actually humiliates and abuses you …… then it will be too late. Zheliu……”
Jiang Zheliu coughed softly and said indifferently, “You don’t need to worry.”
Lie Zhen’s mind was really too easy to guess. Even if he has made things extremely clear to the other party, the other party still wouldn’t be able to get rid of this kind of thinking for a while.
The little Vermilion Bird had no way of trusting Wen Renye, just as the Wen Renye also could not treat him kindly. The nature of these two were incompatible, there was nothing that could be said to change that.
Lie Zhen choked up on his words and didn’t respond.. He was clearly standing beside Jiang Zheliu, but he felt that he was still far, far away from him.
“…… I went to Zhongnan Mountain again after that time.” After a moment of silence, Lie Zhen continued, “I couldn’t find you, I thought Wen Renye had taken you to the Devil Realm.”
The Devil Realm is a barren and savage place, he simply could not let his good friend go there, not even for a second. Lie Zhen even felt that just by Wen Renye staying by Jiang Zheliu’s side was already a kind of defilement.
“I had wanted to bring you back.” This Vermilion Bird Zhenjun slowly recounted, “Originally, I had thought even if I had to go to war with the Devil Realm, I’d still make Wen Renye send you back to …… that kind of place is not suitable for you.”
This kind of wilful decision-making, Jiang Zheliu had seen too much of.
“Since you are here to recover from your injuries …… I am relieved.” Lie Zhen said, but he still couldn’t resist looking at him again, and after a long time he added, “…… Do you not like me doing this kind of stuff.”
Jiang Zheliu sighed and said; “At least the story of the great devil taking me by force is still a good one to listen to.”
The lake water was rippled by a light breeze, which also ruffled the white hair on his shoulders.
Jiang Zheliu touched his hair, he did not wait for a response from Lie Zhen, but he was suddenly grabbed by the wrist.
On his wrist he was still wearing the ink-colored bracelet with the dense seal and devilish patterns. Lie Zhen noticed the devilish pattern on it at a glance. He suddenly began to harden up, he thought that it was some kind of confinement spell or controlling devilish tool. He was afraid that this was some sort of ploy left by Wen Renye, that he could not help but want to take a closer look.
“Don’t……”
Jiang Zheliu also reacted, his heart skipped a beat, he only had enough time to say “don’t”, then he felt Lie Zhen’s fingers touch the bracelet.
It’s over, it’s hopeless.
In the next instant, the devilish patterns on the ink bracelet suddenly lit up, the different seals turned twice, and then a majestic and incomparable devilish energy with a sharpness that violently rushed out directly towards Lie Zhen.
Lie Zhen was hit by this devilish energy and instantly pushed back a dozen steps, he suddenly unfolded a pair of bright red vermilion bird wings on his back, which coiled to the front of his body to block the violent devilish energy rushing over. There was a momentary deadlock between the demonic energy and devilish energy, the surrounding vegetation shook wildly, the lake trembled and waved violently, unexpectedly creating a whirlwind of sand and stone.
After the momentary deadlock, a devilish energy exploded out with an extremely fierce killing intent, that the surrounding vegetation all fell and Lie Zhen was thrown backwards into the lake.
Jiang Zheliu could not see, he could only listen to the sound, and finally unsurprisingly heard the sound of something falling into water.
Water splashed everywhere and even got the edge of his robes wet. Jiang Zheliu wiped the lake water off that had splashed on the back of his hand, he could feel something messy fluttering and flickering around on the shore.
He tentatively stretched out his foot, it was slippery and littered with fish.
……Eh？
Fried Fish……？
Lie Zhen was an entire cultivation realm below Wen Renye, but he was a divine beast vermilion bird, so his injury should not be too serious.
Jiang Zheliu was still sitting on his rattan chair, the ground was flapping with all kinds of different fish. He held his hand warmer peacefully and calmly, he didn’t hear any movement in the water, but there was the sound of the door opening behind him.
A small deer head poked out, and then above it was the small head of the black-haired, snake-eyed Chang Qian, and then above them slowly rubbing their curious eyes were the two small Daoist children, each one’s gaze was brighter than the next, full of inquiry.
Yu Jinnian seemed to be absent. The four children blinked, looking at a ground of fish. Four pairs of big bright eyes on the back of Jiang Zheliu, then looked at each other again, nudging each other before Chang Qian cleared his throat and opened his mouth to ask: “Ehh …… gege? What was that sound just now, do you want to eat fish, do you want Kun Tong to make fish for you tonight?”
The two ginseng children had been named very randomly, the girl is called Kun Tong and the boy is called Qian Tong3.
Right at this moment, Jiang Zheliu didn’t even want to stand up and pick up his chair to take it back into his room, he was also afraid that because of his temporary blindness, he might accidentally step on the slippery fish scales. If he fell over, the gains would not make up for the losses, he could only sigh and say: “No …… I don’t think I’ll be wanting fish for a while. ”
The words had just come out, when Lie Zhen emerged from the lake, his red hair was drenched and sticking to his back, his clothes all wet, water droplets dripping down from his chin onto the lake.
The fire from a pair of vermilion bird feathers behind him had also been extinguished, he looked like a chicken that had fallen into a pot of soup, he coughed out a mouthful of blood that had accumulated from the bruises sustained on his chest.
At this moment, the originally normal and incomparable evening sunset suddenly changed, the entire sky of clouds began to densely circle and turn black. In the clouds, lightning struck and the sound of thunder could be heard. The entire sky was illuminated by thunder and lightning, half the sky was blindingly white, the other half was a dense pitch black.
Jiang Zheliu heard a faint muffled thunderclap.
Although he could not see, he had already expected that this would happen, the seals on the ink bracelet had been activated, so of course Wen Renye would also have been informed with it.
…… This situation was really turning hopeless.
Some of these unrealistic rumours were becoming more and more intense.
During these few days that Jiang Zheliu was unable to read any books, he just listened to Ah-Chu telling him some exaggerated stories. These were all rumours that he had heard from the ginseng children …… This little deer did not seem to be interested in cultivation at all but was rather far more interested in idle gossip.
At first, Jiang Zheliu listened for a bit, he thought he’d just take it with a pinch of salt, until he heard the rumour which had evolved from “the overbearing Devil Lord” into “the monster who had a ferocious-looking green face, three heads and six arms”, after pondering over it and being bewildered for half a day, he still could not put that description together with the little Devil Lord who had been beside him this whole time.
Wen Renye was handsome and mysterious, with a kind of overflowing sharpness of a pointed sword that brought with it a certain element of aggressiveness. It was just that a devil’s human form is still a disguise, so it was perfectly possible that his genuine devil body may really have a ferocious-looking green face, three heads and six arms.
Jiang Zheliu thought of the pair of horns on Wen Renye’s head that day before he’d put them away. The horns were dark purple, with intricate and distinct blood-coloured patterns, gorgeous and hideous at the same time but non-conflicting, there is a sense of wildness and romantic beauty about them.
He lowered his head to take a sip of tea, and his thoughts strayed a bit during Ah-Chu’s story…… Devil horns….want to touch them.
These rumours were just Lie Zhen and Jin Yujie wanting to use this as an excuse to occupy the moral high ground, and hurl some verbal abuse at Wen Renye. They probably didn’t really have the courage to really go to war with the Devil Realm …… Jiang Zheliu had already thought about it anyway, if the Devil Realm was to incite a war, it would be like a chariot loaded with gunpowder only rolling forward and completely flattening any obstacles in its way.
There wouldn’t be a second person like him in the Cultivation World, an ignorant mantis that would try and stop the chariot1.
Plus, Lie Zhen had Qing Lin to hold him back, and Jin Yujie had his father. Therefore, Jiang Zheliu listened to these rumours in passing with a light heart, thinking only that the little devil lord’s reputation was harmed, and his image in the outside world seemed to be becoming more and more obscure.
He finished his tea, but then the cup of tea in his hand was replaced by Ah-Chu. A strong bitter smell wafted over, the medicine was still warm and bubbling upwards.
Jiang Zheliu looked slightly stiff and he had a hardly noticeable frown on his face.
It was only now that Wen Renye was not there, that Jiang Zheliu realised how he had been coaxed and pampered by this person. He thought that without a mouthful of candy, he did not even want to drink the medicine.
Jiang Zheliu did not say it out loud, he just lowered his head and slowly drank the medicine.
Ah-Chu was hanging up some clothes, when he asked: “Gege? Did you meet another demon today? Why does this robe have the scent of a demon I don’t know?”
Demons have a keen sense of smell.
“It’s a koi carp that I used to know.” Jiang Zheliu said, “She lives in this lake.”
Ah-Chu racked his brains for a long while, but did not find such a character from the thin pages of the contents that he had read. He sat next to Jiang Zheliu, watched him drink his medicine, and moved closer to bury his face into the other’s shoulder to soak up the other’s scent.
Crisp and clear but not biting cold, there was very light coolness mixed with a hint of slightly bitter medicinal herbs. The spiritual scent leaking out of his meridians was fragrant and sweet, rushing straight to one’s brain.
Ah-Chu gulped and said, “I blame gege for smelling too good, otherwise why would you be picked and trampled on2 as soon as you come out in the sun.”
Jiang Zheliu paused for a moment and asked rhetorically, “…… Picked and trampled on?”
“Yeh!” Ah-Chu decided to enlighten him, “Can’t gege see that Vermilion Bird Zhenjun, and that, that gold, bright and dazzling Young Pavilion Lord both like gege?”
Jiang Zheliu pondered for a moment, and deliberated over his sentence for a while, then slowly said: “…… that doesn’t seem likely.”
Ah-Chu lowered himself onto Jiang Zheliu’s knees and rubbed against him, and said, “They have been trying to find Shenxian gege the whole time, aren’t they plotting something?”
“That’s because I’m still useful to them.” Jiang Zheliu knocked him on the forehead, “When you grow up you will understand, later you will understand how to distinguish between these so-called matters of love, and how many of those are actually genuine.”
Ah Chu was a person who had read the book, although he could not be sure whether he had transmigrated in to the same version, but still because of these words he hesitantly pondered over it for a long time, and then he tentatively asked: “Well, what about the Devil Lord, Wen Renye ……”
Jiang Zheliu finished drinking the medicine, and did not answer to him. Instead he just once again covered himself with his soft blanket and held his hand warmer, lounging on the chair, taking in the sun and intending to fully enjoy his retirement.
The water was clear and crystalline and the light from the sun was warm. There were dragonflies flitting across the lake, posing delicately for a moment onto the surface of the water making a slight ripple.
Little deer Ah-Chu continued to accompany him, he’d told half his story but was starting to feel sleepy with his head on Jiang Zheliu’s lap. His antlers were soft, and unexpectedly nice to touch.
Jiang Zheliu’s eyes had not gotten better yet, but his body had seen some improvement. He could feel the changes in these recent days, he felt like his body was like a vase full of cracks, using all its strength to patch and repair itself, not knowing when it’d be able to be filled up with water again.
He propped up his chin whilst rubbing the antlers on the deer’s head slowly, thinking that this was also good.
To pass a quiet and monotonous life, with someone to keep him company so that he wasn’t lonely, no one to visit so it wouldn’t be noisy. Everything was easy and comfortable, everything was as it should be.
But life has never ever let him have his own way.
At the moment of sunset, the sky above Dan Xin Monastery suddenly dyed a flaming red, and the song of the Vermilion Bird could be heard from the clouds, and then the bird landed slowly.
Lie Zhen was wearing a red and gold robe, his eyes bright intense red, his entire body was burning with an intense energy. But he still subconsciously lowered the temperature of his body when he saw his good friend and headed to his side.
Wherever Vermilion Bird Zhenjun goes, he’d always make an extravagant entrance that was indeed difficult for anyone to be able to continue sleeping.
Yesterday, Ah-Li had stumbled upon Jiang Zheliu, and today the Zhenjun of the Demon Realm had already come knocking, so it wasn’t really necessary to think very deeply about what had happened.
Lie Zhen did not speak, but stood beside him for a moment before reaching out and gently pressing the back of Jiang Zheliu’s hand.
Jiang Zheliu retracted his hand.
After a few moments, he heard Lie Zhen ask in a low, hoarse voice, “Your eyes…… can’t you see?”
Since Lie Zhen was here, Jiang Zheliu could guess that everyone else also knew where he was now. Jiang Zheliu was too lazy to talk to him, so he just did not answer.
His attitude made the Vermilion Bird next to him a little agitated, and the bird ended up walking around him repeatedly in circles, whilst looking at the little deer with disdain. He couldn’t express his discontents so in the end, he just stuck patiently by Jiang Zheliu and whispered: “Zheliu, you are here to get treatment, I’m relieved. Did that devil bully you? Qing Lin and I will definitely ……”
He didn’t finish the sentence.
Because Jiang Zheliu raised his hand, fumbled around and then clutched on to his collar, the force was not heavy, but it was enough to pull him in front of Jiang Zheliu. Lie Zhen’s spirit was stirred by chilliness coming from the other’s body, facing his weak and blindfolded best friend, he still felt that like before he was lacking in confidence, so he did not resist at all.
“How many times must I repeat myself.” Jiang Zheliu’s lips were thin, with very little colour, but still the shape of his lips were exquisite. “You’ve never disobeyed me so much.”
Lie Zhen choked on his words and just stared at him in a daze.
His entire body was overflowing with light and bright colours, the clusters of vermilion bird feathers behind his ears trembled slightly, and his eyes looked like flowing lava. But the person in front of him who was clutching on his collar was dressed entirely in plain white, his hair was the colour of frost, and even his breath was icy cold.
Lie Zhen reached out to propped himself up on the side of the rattan chair, his mind buzzing from the other’s words. He opened his mouth several times, then finally said gloomily, “You’ve never …… been this far away from me before.”
The two of them were so close that it wasn’t possible to say that they were far from each other. However that’s not what Vermilion Bird was talking about, he was actually talking about the growing estrangement between the two of them.
Jiang Zheliu loosened his grip, he patted the little deer’s shoulder indicating to Ah-Chu to go inside.
Thousands of miles of clouds across a red horizon. The twilight fell behind Lie Zhen, contrasting with the fiery red flamboyance of his body.
It was just the two of them.
Lie Zhen reached out to hold Jiang Zheliu’s hand: “My good friend, I …… stood by and did nothing, I was wrong. Qing Lin and I did not expect that you’d be injured to this extent. If I had known that day, I would never have let you go.”
He didn’t expect that not one person would help Jiang Zheliu from a huge sect like Ling Xiao Sect, and he didn’t expect that Zhu Wuxin would also stand by and do nothing.
But others also thought this way, they could not imagine why the two Zhenjuns of the Demon Realm who had been friends with Jiang Zheliu for over a thousand years, really stood by and did nothing.
Jiang Zheliu tugged his hand, but failed to break free from the other’s grasp, he said: “I’ve already told you. I do not blame you, there is no blame, you do not have to keep insisting that I forgive you.”
“But every word you say is clearly blaming me.”
Jiang Zheliu sighed helplessly and said, “You think too much.”
He took Lie Zhen’s wrist with his other hand and pulled the other’s fingers off his other hand and added, “I have never thought that way. I just don’t like the way that you shower your affections on someone who is not interested and let your imagination run wild, putting on an act of being deeply devoted. I especially don’t like you trying to remove others and saying that it is for my sake. Lie Zhen, do you understand what I mean?”
Jiang Zheliu’s tone was indifferent like ice, but it was also sharp enough to make anyone’s heart feel a chill, every word cutting into the other.
This vermilion bird’s heart ached, and the pain was slowly spreading outwards. He looked at him in a daze, unable to speak for a long time.
Jiang Zheliu hadn’t changed, he could still easily make people retreat.
But Lie Zhen really did not want to back off. His voice was hoarse, his breath was like boiling water: “I know …… I won’t be like that anymore. I’ll stay here and guard you at Dan Xin Monastery, Zheliu, I’ll treat you better than anyone else ever could. Could you give me a chance, is that possible?”
“Give you the chance to ……” Jiang Zheliu repeated his question, and then suddenly laughed a little, shook his head and said nothing.
Lie Zhen couldn’t think of any other way, he paced back and forth a few times, anxious with his depressed energy almost spreading. He finally re-stopped in front of Jiang Zheliu, making things worse, he said: “So you’ve turned into this state under Wen Renye’s care? The last time I saw you, your eyes were clearly still fine. He’s not worthy to stay by your side, the devils have always been barbaric, have you forgotten how many of injuries you sustained from fighting with the devils in the past?”
“When Wen Renye is tired of playing with you, or he’s had enough of pretending, and he actually humiliates and abuses you …… then it will be too late. Zheliu……”
Jiang Zheliu coughed softly and said indifferently, “You don’t need to worry.”
Lie Zhen’s mind was really too easy to guess. Even if he has made things extremely clear to the other party, the other party still wouldn’t be able to get rid of this kind of thinking for a while.
The little Vermilion Bird had no way of trusting Wen Renye, just as the Wen Renye also could not treat him kindly. The nature of these two were incompatible, there was nothing that could be said to change that.
Lie Zhen choked up on his words and didn’t respond.. He was clearly standing beside Jiang Zheliu, but he felt that he was still far, far away from him.
“…… I went to Zhongnan Mountain again after that time.” After a moment of silence, Lie Zhen continued, “I couldn’t find you, I thought Wen Renye had taken you to the Devil Realm.”
The Devil Realm is a barren and savage place, he simply could not let his good friend go there, not even for a second. Lie Zhen even felt that just by Wen Renye staying by Jiang Zheliu’s side was already a kind of defilement.
“I had wanted to bring you back.” This Vermilion Bird Zhenjun slowly recounted, “Originally, I had thought even if I had to go to war with the Devil Realm, I’d still make Wen Renye send you back to …… that kind of place is not suitable for you.”
This kind of wilful decision-making, Jiang Zheliu had seen too much of.
“Since you are here to recover from your injuries …… I am relieved.” Lie Zhen said, but he still couldn’t resist looking at him again, and after a long time he added, “…… Do you not like me doing this kind of stuff.”
Jiang Zheliu sighed and said; “At least the story of the great devil taking me by force is still a good one to listen to.”
The lake water was rippled by a light breeze, which also ruffled the white hair on his shoulders.
Jiang Zheliu touched his hair, he did not wait for a response from Lie Zhen, but he was suddenly grabbed by the wrist.
On his wrist he was still wearing the ink-colored bracelet with the dense seal and devilish patterns. Lie Zhen noticed the devilish pattern on it at a glance. He suddenly began to harden up, he thought that it was some kind of confinement spell or controlling devilish tool. He was afraid that this was some sort of ploy left by Wen Renye, that he could not help but want to take a closer look.
“Don’t……”
Jiang Zheliu also reacted, his heart skipped a beat, he only had enough time to say “don’t”, then he felt Lie Zhen’s fingers touch the bracelet.
It’s over, it’s hopeless.
In the next instant, the devilish patterns on the ink bracelet suddenly lit up, the different seals turned twice, and then a majestic and incomparable devilish energy with a sharpness that violently rushed out directly towards Lie Zhen.
Lie Zhen was hit by this devilish energy and instantly pushed back a dozen steps, he suddenly unfolded a pair of bright red vermilion bird wings on his back, which coiled to the front of his body to block the violent devilish energy rushing over. There was a momentary deadlock between the demonic energy and devilish energy, the surrounding vegetation shook wildly, the lake trembled and waved violently, unexpectedly creating a whirlwind of sand and stone.
After the momentary deadlock, a devilish energy exploded out with an extremely fierce killing intent, that the surrounding vegetation all fell and Lie Zhen was thrown backwards into the lake.
Jiang Zheliu could not see, he could only listen to the sound, and finally unsurprisingly heard the sound of something falling into water.
Water splashed everywhere and even got the edge of his robes wet. Jiang Zheliu wiped the lake water off that had splashed on the back of his hand, he could feel something messy fluttering and flickering around on the shore.
He tentatively stretched out his foot, it was slippery and littered with fish.
……Eh？
Fried Fish……？
Lie Zhen was an entire cultivation realm below Wen Renye, but he was a divine beast vermilion bird, so his injury should not be too serious.
Jiang Zheliu was still sitting on his rattan chair, the ground was flapping with all kinds of different fish. He held his hand warmer peacefully and calmly, he didn’t hear any movement in the water, but there was the sound of the door opening behind him.
A small deer head poked out, and then above it was the small head of the black-haired, snake-eyed Chang Qian, and then above them slowly rubbing their curious eyes were the two small Daoist children, each one’s gaze was brighter than the next, full of inquiry.
Yu Jinnian seemed to be absent. The four children blinked, looking at a ground of fish. Four pairs of big bright eyes on the back of Jiang Zheliu, then looked at each other again, nudging each other before Chang Qian cleared his throat and opened his mouth to ask: “Ehh …… gege? What was that sound just now, do you want to eat fish, do you want Kun Tong to make fish for you tonight?”
The two ginseng children had been named very randomly, the girl is called Kun Tong and the boy is called Qian Tong3.
Right at this moment, Jiang Zheliu didn’t even want to stand up and pick up his chair to take it back into his room, he was also afraid that because of his temporary blindness, he might accidentally step on the slippery fish scales. If he fell over, the gains would not make up for the losses, he could only sigh and say: “No …… I don’t think I’ll be wanting fish for a while. ”
The words had just come out, when Lie Zhen emerged from the lake, his red hair was drenched and sticking to his back, his clothes all wet, water droplets dripping down from his chin onto the lake.
The fire from a pair of vermilion bird feathers behind him had also been extinguished, he looked like a chicken that had fallen into a pot of soup, he coughed out a mouthful of blood that had accumulated from the bruises sustained on his chest.
At this moment, the originally normal and incomparable evening sunset suddenly changed, the entire sky of clouds began to densely circle and turn black. In the clouds, lightning struck and the sound of thunder could be heard. The entire sky was illuminated by thunder and lightning, half the sky was blindingly white, the other half was a dense pitch black.
Jiang Zheliu heard a faint muffled thunderclap.
Although he could not see, he had already expected that this would happen, the seals on the ink bracelet had been activated, so of course Wen Renye would also have been informed with it.
…… This situation was really turning hopeless.
