The break of dawn.
The boundless cold light of dawn entered through the wooden shutters of the carriage.
Jiang Zheliu first washed up, then he drank his medicine under the watchful eyes of Ah-Chu for a long while. He drank extremely slowly because that Devil had actually made him fussy, he was having trouble swallowing the bitter medicine now.
With the resurrection stone nourishing his body, his body had recovered with leaps and bounds, but he was still afraid of the cold, extremely afraid of it.
Ah-Chu took out a light-blue plush cloak from the bottom of the box, wrapped it around his shenxian gege, tying the light coloured belt into a bow. Then he put the automatic devilish hand warmer into his hands. Whilst leaning over to take in a deep breath, he said: “Gege, you don’t seem to want to drink your medicine, are you feeling unwell?”
Before drinking medicine was like drinking water, he couldn’t taste the bitterness, but now he had an attitude. Jiang Zheliu laughed at himself silently, and couldn’t help thinking about the person who made him like this.
….. It’s all his fault.
“I’m fine, no need to worry.”
Jiang Zheliu couldn’t tell the little deer that the medicine was too bitter and he couldn’t take it any longer, that would really be overly fussy. He picked up the medicine bowl again, frowned and drank the whole thing, and then tried to wash down the bitterness with tea.
The whole trip they had been travelling rather slowly, so it was not too tiring, but Jiang Zheliu’s Heavenly Spirit Body was acting up again. He was getting more and more tired, and his body temperature was slowly rising, to the point where he was starting to feel a little dizzy.
Ah-Chu saw that Jiang Zheliu couldn’t even pick up a book to read, so he had the idea of making a deck of cards with cardboard, and teach him how to play cards. Nestled in the carriage, Ah-Chu taught him how to play Go Fish, but with Jiang Zheliu’s current condition, even though he did find the game interesting, in the end, playing also made him tired and he would also accidentally fall asleep mid-game.
The weather was pleasant and calm, and the wind chimes under the roof of the carriage sounded, as if counting the leisurely, slow-passing days as they travelled along.
Until the wind chimes stopped.
The horse and carriage came to a halt, there seemed to be someone blocking the road ahead.
Jiang Zheliu was half-asleep, he heard a quiet voice from outside, his voice was familiar. After a while, Chang Qian lifted up the carriage curtain and climbed in. He came closer, leaning towards Jiang Zheliu, calling out to him, “gege?”
Jiang Zheliu closed his eyes and relaxed for a while, while pinching the bridge of his nose, his voice was still slightly hoarse: “Who is it?”
Chang Qian knew that the other had probably already heard, so he said truthfully: “It’s Ling Xiao Sect….. Zhu Wuxin is outside.”
Ling Xiao Sect….
His whereabouts were not a secret, there must have been a lot of people who already knew that he had left Dan Xin Monastery, But because of his reputation, and due to Lie Zhen returning with injuries, no one dared to act blindly without thinking…
Ling Xiao Sect ah….. Jiang Zheliu suddenly felt incredibly emotional to these three words that he was so familiar with, in the last thousand years, everytime he had introduced himself, he would put those three words in front of his name, he had regarded it as an honour, he saw it as his home.
It was just that in the end, he slowly started to realise that wasn’t his home. Only that that lying beneath that cold engraving where the heavy snow falls contained those brief moments of where his warmth remained.
Jiang Zheliu stood up, pushed aside the carriage curtain and saw the people before him.
The two Elders, Lin Qingxu and Lin Hanxu were standing behind Zhu Wuxin. Zhu Wuxin was wearing light blue Daoist robes, with Ling Xiao Sword in his hand, the icy scabbard touching the ground, his face looked deeply worried.
The hand that he had stretched out was easily recognisable. Zhu Wuxin recognised it immediately. The worry and the longing that he had been feeling these couple of days seemed to have found some secret outlet, everything had been ironed out. The more intense the feeling, the more there was a different sense of calm within him.
But Jiang Zheliu only raised a corner, when the ink bracelet on his wrist flashed, he then lowered the curtain.
“Shixiong….” Zhu Wuxin decided to take another step forward.
The curtains fell down neatly. Jiang Zheliu glanced at the flowing clouds and the clear breeze outside the window, and said quietly: “I promised Wen Renye, I wouldn’t see you again.”
His voice was clear and indifferent, Zhu Wuxin could hear no particular emotion in his voice, it was no different from how he had treated him in the past few centuries. But shixiong …… used this same tone to tell him that he had promised another man that he would never see himself again.
Zhu Wuxin couldn’t believe it.
His hand grasped at his chest, where he had place those letters that he had found on Zhongnan Mountain a few days ago, every word within them, he had committed to memory, involving himself, even if there were only a few sentences, but it was precisely these few lines that had pierced layer upon layer of his hidden pent-up emotions, and brought them before his eyes.
He was having trouble concealing his own disappointment. “Ok.” Zhu Wuxin very slowly replied, “I am a b*stard, I’m not worth you seeing.”
He was still acting like a child, just like before saying things in anger to belittle himself.
Jiang Zheliu listened to him calmly.
“I know that shixiong no longer wishes to meddle in the affairs of the Cultivation World, but…. Wuxin had no choice.” He turned around and looked at Lin Qingxu, the latter passed a scroll into the carriage.“
“The sects from the boundaries of the Cultivation World have encountered monsters roaming freely all over the place. We have already sent people over to help them several times, but to no avail. Those bordering sects are still not aware that Shixiong has already…… already left, they want to come to see you personally at Ling Xiao Sect, I refused.”
“But the situation with the roaming monsters is indeed a grave one. They said that…. Shixiong is their Leader.” Zhu Wuxin paused for a moment, “Those devils are difficult to expel and are encroaching on the survival of the Mortal Realm.”
The Cultivation World is part of the Mortal Realm, and also the most populated realm. In case problems really did arise in the Cultivation World then the effect on the Mortal Realm would be disastrous. Such fragile and densely distributed trillions of living beings have been the help and burden of the Cultivation World since ancient times. It was a cruel double-edged sword.
“I am young and useless, I am unable to protect that many people.”
Zhu Wuxin advanced forward a few more steps, he put the Ling Xiao Sword which was still in its icy scabbard beneath the carriage curtain and then he knelt down before him.
“Shixiong. Wuxin doesn’t want to destroy the work that you and father have tirelessly worked for, I don’t want to sully the name of the Head of Immortal Sects after so many years. Shixiong… can you… save me?”
He seemed to be sobbing as he spoke.
Jiang Zheliu was very familiar with Zhu Wuxin’s personality, he understood Wuxin’s temperament, even if he had a lot of shortcomings, he had still grown up within a righteous sect, and would never be treacherous nor evil. But he had truly not heard Zhu Wuxin cry for a long time, he didn’t know when it started that the relationship between the two of them had become so distant. There was once that he had believed that they would have a tacit understanding between them until the end, and there was no need for superfluous words, but later he slowly realised…. Wuxin wasn’t calling him gege.
The fine things in this world are unstable, the rosy clouds easily disperse and the glazed glass is fragile1.
He was able to plan for the world and for all the living beings in it, but he never would have expected the Five Power Passion Pill, nor would have expected Zhu Wuxin’s true feelings for him, nor would he have expected that hatred would last longer than love.
It was calm inside and outside, so quiet that literally only the sound of his sobs could be heard.
Jiang Zheliu unfolded the scroll, and looked over the request for help one by one by each of the smaller sects, he said in an indifferent tone: “The Devil race is dauntless, has always been indomitable. It’s no use to just fight and push them back, we must make them fear us. You must dispatch the Elders from each sect directly over there. It’s better to break one finger than to injure ten2.”
His shidi was still kneeling outside, and answered very quietly.
Jiang Zheliu looked all the way down on the scroll and continued to ask: “The demons…. There are two Zhenjuns, the Azure Dragon and the Vermilion Bird, how can the situation be so dire?”
All the other people of Ling Xiao Sect looked at each other, and did not respond immediately, as if they didn’t dare to speak, after a while, Zhu Wuxin finally spoke.
“Vermilion Bird Zhenjun…. is dead.”
The breeze rolled over the branches and leaves, making a rustling sound.
That slender, pale hand gripped one end of the scroll, it didn’t move for a long time.
Jiang Zheliu’s gaze was still fixed upon the words on the scroll, after a short while, he finally slowly began to look up: “….. What did you say?”
“Vermilion Bird Zhenjun, he….. suffered a serious injury, in three days, he dropped nine realms, in the end…. His soul returned to heaven and earth in Wan Ling Palace.
…… How could this be.
The Vermilion Bird was a type of phoenix, his survival ability was second to none amongst the demons, that day when Lie Zhen had left he had heard his bird call, and it was obvious that his life was not in peril.
Jiang Zheliu was confused and his train of thought was muddled, he had always thought that he would be the one to die first, and wouldn’t have to see the mess that would ensue in the future…… a thousand years of friendship, no matter what, Jiang Zheliu had never expected him to die.
“Everyone is saying… that the Devil Lord Wenren who killed him.” Zhu Wuxin said “He has wanted to kill Vermilion Bird Zhenjun for a while, Shixiong, did he tell you why he had to go back to the Devil Realm?”
To be able to kill Lie Zhen in a one on one battle, there really only was Wen Renye.
Zhu Wuxin didn’t hear him reply, so he continued to explain: “Because of Vermilion Bird Zhenjun’s death, the Azure Dragon Zhenjun is too preoccupied to manage the demons, and I don’t dare to stick my foot in, so the demons are……”
Jiang Zheliu was actually no longer listening, he did not suspect Wen Renye, and could only consider other options such as an ambush or poison. But he had shunned the world for a long time, and was unable to take in so many considerations at the same time. Things were getting more and more muddled in his head that it was almost buzzing.
The hand that was holding the scroll was getting tighter and tighter, that the bone pressing against the skin was completely white, followed by a sweet fresh taste that was coming up through his throat, the pain that he had not felt in a long time suddenly came rushing back upwards.
His internal organs were like cobwebs full of holes, and even breathing was becoming a problem. Jiang Zheliu lowered his head to cover his lips and coughed, the cough becoming more and more violent until the blood seeped out from between his fingers and snaked through the curtain.
The scroll in his hands had already fallen to the ground, his snow white robes were drenched in fresh red blood. The blood began to drip drop by drop onto the icy scabbard of Ling Xiao Sword. It was as if the sword had felt it and reacted, emitting a low humming sound.
Zhu Wuxin seemed to have not expected this, he stood up abruptly, it seemed as if his heartstrings had been pulled together, and he croaked: “Shixiong, you, you…. you mustn’t be upset. You need to take care of your health….”
The wind blew as the birds whistled, the people behind Zhu Wuxin lowered their heads, not daring to continue watching the scene.
Every minute and every second after that was like someone holding a knife and cutting into the heart. Zhu Wuxin was anxious and worried, and even wanted to rush immediately to Jiang Zheliu’s side, but he was afraid that it would make him more uncomfortable, so he did not advance.
The coughing stopped.
The resurrection stone around Jiang Zheliu’s neck glowed faintly, emitting a milky white glow. This soft power penetrated into his body, slowly but gently suppressing the pain in his body.
After a short moment, Zhu Wuxin saw that hand — Jiang Zheliu seemed to wipe the blood-stained area clean, then picked up the Ling Xiao sword and handed it back to him again.
“What would I do with it?” Jiang Zheliu said quietly, “You hold onto it well, from now on there are a lot of things that you need to decide for yourself.”
Zhu Wuxin was stunned for a moment and took the sword, wanting to say something but then stopped: “Shixiong ……”
“I can teach you for a while, but I cannot teach you for a whole lifetime.” Jiang Zheliu’s voice carried a heavy tiredness, but he seemed to brace himself to talk to him, “You should not go and get involved in the Demon Realm, I am afraid that there is a change behind the scenes, there seems to be something big behind all of this.”
At this moment, Zhu Wuxin really couldn’t utter a word.
He could only say in his mind, from now on I will make it up to you, from now on I will make up for my past mistake, I will treat you well for the rest of my life.
But right now….
Those abnormal rationalities in his head were also rising up.
“Let us pass.”
Jiang Zheliu said in a quiet voice.
“An unconcerned and idle person cannot do much.”
Zhu Wuxin looked at him deeply, but he still couldn’t catch a glimpse of his shixiong. He took a breath and led the people from Ling Xiao Sect behind him to make way off the road, and then watched the carriage slowly drive away.
Zhu Wuxin watched for a long time, until the carriage had completely disappeared from sight, and then he finally looked down at the Ling Xiao Sword in his hand.
Lin Qingxu who was beside him leaned in and whispered: “Sect Leader, what do we….”
“You can go back.” Zhu Wuxin stared at the sword as he said: “I still have something I must do.”
Lin Qingxu had no idea what the other had to do, but he thought it probably wasn’t something good either, so he just nodded and didn’t say anything else.
Just before when Zhu Wuxin had left Ling Xiao Sect for quite a while, when everyone else had gone to Dan Xin Monastery to see Xianzun he had not gone…. what exactly had he been upto.
He waited until everyone had left and then Zhu Wuxin took his sword and tried to trace over the scabbard of where Jiang Zheliu had just touched it, trying to recapture even a hint of his warmth.
But there was not even a speck of warmth.
“Shixiong…” Zhu Wuxin muttered. “You will definitely go to Wan Ling Palace, you will definitely go…..”
He opened up the palm of his hand, and looked at the pitch black mark on it before closing it into a fist.
“I will apologise for everything when the time comes.” Zhu Wuxin took a very deep breath, “…… I don’t want any of that other stuff, Wuxin only wants you.”
As for the others.
Those who covet shixiong…. they must all die.
————
The carriage kept rolling along for a while.
Ah-Chu and Chang Qian were both worried to death, they took out all the medicines that they had taken from Dan Xin Monastery, and then picked through them one by one. The little deer was almost in tears, grabbing ahold of Jiang Zheliu’s hand whilst saying, don’t sleep, take your medicine first.
Although Jiang Zheliu was upset, but he had not got to the point yet where he was going to drop dead at any moment. It was just that the Heavenly Spirit Body was making him hot, and the qi and the blood was accumulating in his heart, his old wounds were playing up again, but he could still endure it.
In order to put Ah-Chu and Chang Qian’s minds at ease, he decided to take the medicine to support his body and relieve the pain. But in the end he was still just too sleepy and too tired, so he fell asleep again.
Sleep is one of the body’s self-protection mechanisms.
He had never had such a deep sleep, his dreamscape was always icy cold, always cruel without reason, but this time, he didn’t dream of anything at all.
When he opened his eyes, he saw that Ah-Chu had put a new Spring willow branch into the flower vase, the emerald green colour was so bright, it dazzled in front of his eyes.
Jiang Zheliu leaned against the inner side of the bed, lost in thought for a long time, it was not known what he was thinking about. After a long time, Ah-Chu came in through the curtain of the carriage, and when he saw that he was awake, he immediately went to his side.
When Ah-Chu passed him the hand warmer, he finally looked up and said in a low voice: “Ah-Chu.”
“En?”
“Tell Chang Qian to change direction.”
Ah-Chu stared blankly for a moment, then slowly his eyes widened: “Change, change direction?”
“Head towards Wan Ling Palace.”
Jiang Zheliu was speaking very quietly, Ah-Chu could not hear any type of emotion in his voice. Ah-Chu stared at him dumbly, he thought he was going mad, he just wanted to hold him tight and tell him not to go, but he also knew that he’d never be able to persuade him otherwise.
“Gege…..” Ah-Chu looked at him, but couldn’t say the words out loud.
“According to the customs of the Demons, his body will be held in Wan Ling Palace for 49 days.” Jiang Zheliu lifted his hand to fiddle with the willow branch in the vase, “I want to send him off.”
No matter what, they still had been friends for so long.
The little devil would never do something like this, the little devil would never lie to him, the little devil would always listen to him….
But once upon a time, all of these people would also have obeyed him.
Jiang Zheliu retracted his hand, he coughed twice, and then took the tea from Ah-Chu. He suppressed the fresh metallic liquid in his throat back down, looked down, whilst his snow white eyelashes quivered slightly.
Ah-Chu leaned close to him and started to gather his long hair with much distress, he felt that shenxian gege’s hair was as cold as frost. He opened his mouth to speak, but he didn’t know what to say. Finally he could only say: “Gege, believe me, the heavens will look kindly upon you, you can live a long, long life, and you will end up with the person you like. You are still young…”
“I’m still young?”
Jiang Zheliu looked at the back of his pale hands that were emitting a chill, and then looked down at his snow-white hair.
“I’ve been old for a long time.”
He closed his eyes.
After a long silence, Ah-Chu heard him sigh softly, and then mutter quietly
“…. To no longer encounter the remnants of the past, how could one not grow old.”
The break of dawn.
The boundless cold light of dawn entered through the wooden shutters of the carriage.
Jiang Zheliu first washed up, then he drank his medicine under the watchful eyes of Ah-Chu for a long while. He drank extremely slowly because that Devil had actually made him fussy, he was having trouble swallowing the bitter medicine now.
With the resurrection stone nourishing his body, his body had recovered with leaps and bounds, but he was still afraid of the cold, extremely afraid of it.
Ah-Chu took out a light-blue plush cloak from the bottom of the box, wrapped it around his shenxian gege, tying the light coloured belt into a bow. Then he put the automatic devilish hand warmer into his hands. Whilst leaning over to take in a deep breath, he said: “Gege, you don’t seem to want to drink your medicine, are you feeling unwell?”
Before drinking medicine was like drinking water, he couldn’t taste the bitterness, but now he had an attitude. Jiang Zheliu laughed at himself silently, and couldn’t help thinking about the person who made him like this.
….. It’s all his fault.
“I’m fine, no need to worry.”
Jiang Zheliu couldn’t tell the little deer that the medicine was too bitter and he couldn’t take it any longer, that would really be overly fussy. He picked up the medicine bowl again, frowned and drank the whole thing, and then tried to wash down the bitterness with tea.
The whole trip they had been travelling rather slowly, so it was not too tiring, but Jiang Zheliu’s Heavenly Spirit Body was acting up again. He was getting more and more tired, and his body temperature was slowly rising, to the point where he was starting to feel a little dizzy.
Ah-Chu saw that Jiang Zheliu couldn’t even pick up a book to read, so he had the idea of making a deck of cards with cardboard, and teach him how to play cards. Nestled in the carriage, Ah-Chu taught him how to play Go Fish, but with Jiang Zheliu’s current condition, even though he did find the game interesting, in the end, playing also made him tired and he would also accidentally fall asleep mid-game.
The weather was pleasant and calm, and the wind chimes under the roof of the carriage sounded, as if counting the leisurely, slow-passing days as they travelled along.
Until the wind chimes stopped.
The horse and carriage came to a halt, there seemed to be someone blocking the road ahead.
Jiang Zheliu was half-asleep, he heard a quiet voice from outside, his voice was familiar. After a while, Chang Qian lifted up the carriage curtain and climbed in. He came closer, leaning towards Jiang Zheliu, calling out to him, “gege?”
Jiang Zheliu closed his eyes and relaxed for a while, while pinching the bridge of his nose, his voice was still slightly hoarse: “Who is it?”
Chang Qian knew that the other had probably already heard, so he said truthfully: “It’s Ling Xiao Sect….. Zhu Wuxin is outside.”
Ling Xiao Sect….
His whereabouts were not a secret, there must have been a lot of people who already knew that he had left Dan Xin Monastery, But because of his reputation, and due to Lie Zhen returning with injuries, no one dared to act blindly without thinking…
Ling Xiao Sect ah….. Jiang Zheliu suddenly felt incredibly emotional to these three words that he was so familiar with, in the last thousand years, everytime he had introduced himself, he would put those three words in front of his name, he had regarded it as an honour, he saw it as his home.
It was just that in the end, he slowly started to realise that wasn’t his home. Only that that lying beneath that cold engraving where the heavy snow falls contained those brief moments of where his warmth remained.
Jiang Zheliu stood up, pushed aside the carriage curtain and saw the people before him.
The two Elders, Lin Qingxu and Lin Hanxu were standing behind Zhu Wuxin. Zhu Wuxin was wearing light blue Daoist robes, with Ling Xiao Sword in his hand, the icy scabbard touching the ground, his face looked deeply worried.
The hand that he had stretched out was easily recognisable. Zhu Wuxin recognised it immediately. The worry and the longing that he had been feeling these couple of days seemed to have found some secret outlet, everything had been ironed out. The more intense the feeling, the more there was a different sense of calm within him.
But Jiang Zheliu only raised a corner, when the ink bracelet on his wrist flashed, he then lowered the curtain.
“Shixiong….” Zhu Wuxin decided to take another step forward.
The curtains fell down neatly. Jiang Zheliu glanced at the flowing clouds and the clear breeze outside the window, and said quietly: “I promised Wen Renye, I wouldn’t see you again.”
His voice was clear and indifferent, Zhu Wuxin could hear no particular emotion in his voice, it was no different from how he had treated him in the past few centuries. But shixiong …… used this same tone to tell him that he had promised another man that he would never see himself again.
Zhu Wuxin couldn’t believe it.
His hand grasped at his chest, where he had place those letters that he had found on Zhongnan Mountain a few days ago, every word within them, he had committed to memory, involving himself, even if there were only a few sentences, but it was precisely these few lines that had pierced layer upon layer of his hidden pent-up emotions, and brought them before his eyes.
He was having trouble concealing his own disappointment. “Ok.” Zhu Wuxin very slowly replied, “I am a b*stard, I’m not worth you seeing.”
He was still acting like a child, just like before saying things in anger to belittle himself.
Jiang Zheliu listened to him calmly.
“I know that shixiong no longer wishes to meddle in the affairs of the Cultivation World, but…. Wuxin had no choice.” He turned around and looked at Lin Qingxu, the latter passed a scroll into the carriage.“
“The sects from the boundaries of the Cultivation World have encountered monsters roaming freely all over the place. We have already sent people over to help them several times, but to no avail. Those bordering sects are still not aware that Shixiong has already…… already left, they want to come to see you personally at Ling Xiao Sect, I refused.”
“But the situation with the roaming monsters is indeed a grave one. They said that…. Shixiong is their Leader.” Zhu Wuxin paused for a moment, “Those devils are difficult to expel and are encroaching on the survival of the Mortal Realm.”
The Cultivation World is part of the Mortal Realm, and also the most populated realm. In case problems really did arise in the Cultivation World then the effect on the Mortal Realm would be disastrous. Such fragile and densely distributed trillions of living beings have been the help and burden of the Cultivation World since ancient times. It was a cruel double-edged sword.
“I am young and useless, I am unable to protect that many people.”
Zhu Wuxin advanced forward a few more steps, he put the Ling Xiao Sword which was still in its icy scabbard beneath the carriage curtain and then he knelt down before him.
“Shixiong. Wuxin doesn’t want to destroy the work that you and father have tirelessly worked for, I don’t want to sully the name of the Head of Immortal Sects after so many years. Shixiong… can you… save me?”
He seemed to be sobbing as he spoke.
Jiang Zheliu was very familiar with Zhu Wuxin’s personality, he understood Wuxin’s temperament, even if he had a lot of shortcomings, he had still grown up within a righteous sect, and would never be treacherous nor evil. But he had truly not heard Zhu Wuxin cry for a long time, he didn’t know when it started that the relationship between the two of them had become so distant. There was once that he had believed that they would have a tacit understanding between them until the end, and there was no need for superfluous words, but later he slowly realised…. Wuxin wasn’t calling him gege.
The fine things in this world are unstable, the rosy clouds easily disperse and the glazed glass is fragile1.
He was able to plan for the world and for all the living beings in it, but he never would have expected the Five Power Passion Pill, nor would have expected Zhu Wuxin’s true feelings for him, nor would he have expected that hatred would last longer than love.
It was calm inside and outside, so quiet that literally only the sound of his sobs could be heard.
Jiang Zheliu unfolded the scroll, and looked over the request for help one by one by each of the smaller sects, he said in an indifferent tone: “The Devil race is dauntless, has always been indomitable. It’s no use to just fight and push them back, we must make them fear us. You must dispatch the Elders from each sect directly over there. It’s better to break one finger than to injure ten2.”
His shidi was still kneeling outside, and answered very quietly.
Jiang Zheliu looked all the way down on the scroll and continued to ask: “The demons…. There are two Zhenjuns, the Azure Dragon and the Vermilion Bird, how can the situation be so dire?”
All the other people of Ling Xiao Sect looked at each other, and did not respond immediately, as if they didn’t dare to speak, after a while, Zhu Wuxin finally spoke.
“Vermilion Bird Zhenjun…. is dead.”
The breeze rolled over the branches and leaves, making a rustling sound.
That slender, pale hand gripped one end of the scroll, it didn’t move for a long time.
Jiang Zheliu’s gaze was still fixed upon the words on the scroll, after a short while, he finally slowly began to look up: “….. What did you say?”
“Vermilion Bird Zhenjun, he….. suffered a serious injury, in three days, he dropped nine realms, in the end…. His soul returned to heaven and earth in Wan Ling Palace.
…… How could this be.
The Vermilion Bird was a type of phoenix, his survival ability was second to none amongst the demons, that day when Lie Zhen had left he had heard his bird call, and it was obvious that his life was not in peril.
Jiang Zheliu was confused and his train of thought was muddled, he had always thought that he would be the one to die first, and wouldn’t have to see the mess that would ensue in the future…… a thousand years of friendship, no matter what, Jiang Zheliu had never expected him to die.
“Everyone is saying… that the Devil Lord Wenren who killed him.” Zhu Wuxin said “He has wanted to kill Vermilion Bird Zhenjun for a while, Shixiong, did he tell you why he had to go back to the Devil Realm?”
To be able to kill Lie Zhen in a one on one battle, there really only was Wen Renye.
Zhu Wuxin didn’t hear him reply, so he continued to explain: “Because of Vermilion Bird Zhenjun’s death, the Azure Dragon Zhenjun is too preoccupied to manage the demons, and I don’t dare to stick my foot in, so the demons are……”
Jiang Zheliu was actually no longer listening, he did not suspect Wen Renye, and could only consider other options such as an ambush or poison. But he had shunned the world for a long time, and was unable to take in so many considerations at the same time. Things were getting more and more muddled in his head that it was almost buzzing.
The hand that was holding the scroll was getting tighter and tighter, that the bone pressing against the skin was completely white, followed by a sweet fresh taste that was coming up through his throat, the pain that he had not felt in a long time suddenly came rushing back upwards.
His internal organs were like cobwebs full of holes, and even breathing was becoming a problem. Jiang Zheliu lowered his head to cover his lips and coughed, the cough becoming more and more violent until the blood seeped out from between his fingers and snaked through the curtain.
The scroll in his hands had already fallen to the ground, his snow white robes were drenched in fresh red blood. The blood began to drip drop by drop onto the icy scabbard of Ling Xiao Sword. It was as if the sword had felt it and reacted, emitting a low humming sound.
Zhu Wuxin seemed to have not expected this, he stood up abruptly, it seemed as if his heartstrings had been pulled together, and he croaked: “Shixiong, you, you…. you mustn’t be upset. You need to take care of your health….”
The wind blew as the birds whistled, the people behind Zhu Wuxin lowered their heads, not daring to continue watching the scene.
Every minute and every second after that was like someone holding a knife and cutting into the heart. Zhu Wuxin was anxious and worried, and even wanted to rush immediately to Jiang Zheliu’s side, but he was afraid that it would make him more uncomfortable, so he did not advance.
The coughing stopped.
The resurrection stone around Jiang Zheliu’s neck glowed faintly, emitting a milky white glow. This soft power penetrated into his body, slowly but gently suppressing the pain in his body.
After a short moment, Zhu Wuxin saw that hand — Jiang Zheliu seemed to wipe the blood-stained area clean, then picked up the Ling Xiao sword and handed it back to him again.
“What would I do with it?” Jiang Zheliu said quietly, “You hold onto it well, from now on there are a lot of things that you need to decide for yourself.”
Zhu Wuxin was stunned for a moment and took the sword, wanting to say something but then stopped: “Shixiong ……”
“I can teach you for a while, but I cannot teach you for a whole lifetime.” Jiang Zheliu’s voice carried a heavy tiredness, but he seemed to brace himself to talk to him, “You should not go and get involved in the Demon Realm, I am afraid that there is a change behind the scenes, there seems to be something big behind all of this.”
At this moment, Zhu Wuxin really couldn’t utter a word.
He could only say in his mind, from now on I will make it up to you, from now on I will make up for my past mistake, I will treat you well for the rest of my life.
But right now….
Those abnormal rationalities in his head were also rising up.
“Let us pass.”
Jiang Zheliu said in a quiet voice.
“An unconcerned and idle person cannot do much.”
Zhu Wuxin looked at him deeply, but he still couldn’t catch a glimpse of his shixiong. He took a breath and led the people from Ling Xiao Sect behind him to make way off the road, and then watched the carriage slowly drive away.
Zhu Wuxin watched for a long time, until the carriage had completely disappeared from sight, and then he finally looked down at the Ling Xiao Sword in his hand.
Lin Qingxu who was beside him leaned in and whispered: “Sect Leader, what do we….”
“You can go back.” Zhu Wuxin stared at the sword as he said: “I still have something I must do.”
Lin Qingxu had no idea what the other had to do, but he thought it probably wasn’t something good either, so he just nodded and didn’t say anything else.
Just before when Zhu Wuxin had left Ling Xiao Sect for quite a while, when everyone else had gone to Dan Xin Monastery to see Xianzun he had not gone…. what exactly had he been upto.
He waited until everyone had left and then Zhu Wuxin took his sword and tried to trace over the scabbard of where Jiang Zheliu had just touched it, trying to recapture even a hint of his warmth.
But there was not even a speck of warmth.
“Shixiong…” Zhu Wuxin muttered. “You will definitely go to Wan Ling Palace, you will definitely go…..”
He opened up the palm of his hand, and looked at the pitch black mark on it before closing it into a fist.
“I will apologise for everything when the time comes.” Zhu Wuxin took a very deep breath, “…… I don’t want any of that other stuff, Wuxin only wants you.”
As for the others.
Those who covet shixiong…. they must all die.
————
The carriage kept rolling along for a while.
Ah-Chu and Chang Qian were both worried to death, they took out all the medicines that they had taken from Dan Xin Monastery, and then picked through them one by one. The little deer was almost in tears, grabbing ahold of Jiang Zheliu’s hand whilst saying, don’t sleep, take your medicine first.
Although Jiang Zheliu was upset, but he had not got to the point yet where he was going to drop dead at any moment. It was just that the Heavenly Spirit Body was making him hot, and the qi and the blood was accumulating in his heart, his old wounds were playing up again, but he could still endure it.
In order to put Ah-Chu and Chang Qian’s minds at ease, he decided to take the medicine to support his body and relieve the pain. But in the end he was still just too sleepy and too tired, so he fell asleep again.
Sleep is one of the body’s self-protection mechanisms.
He had never had such a deep sleep, his dreamscape was always icy cold, always cruel without reason, but this time, he didn’t dream of anything at all.
When he opened his eyes, he saw that Ah-Chu had put a new Spring willow branch into the flower vase, the emerald green colour was so bright, it dazzled in front of his eyes.
Jiang Zheliu leaned against the inner side of the bed, lost in thought for a long time, it was not known what he was thinking about. After a long time, Ah-Chu came in through the curtain of the carriage, and when he saw that he was awake, he immediately went to his side.
When Ah-Chu passed him the hand warmer, he finally looked up and said in a low voice: “Ah-Chu.”
“En?”
“Tell Chang Qian to change direction.”
Ah-Chu stared blankly for a moment, then slowly his eyes widened: “Change, change direction?”
“Head towards Wan Ling Palace.”
Jiang Zheliu was speaking very quietly, Ah-Chu could not hear any type of emotion in his voice. Ah-Chu stared at him dumbly, he thought he was going mad, he just wanted to hold him tight and tell him not to go, but he also knew that he’d never be able to persuade him otherwise.
“Gege…..” Ah-Chu looked at him, but couldn’t say the words out loud.
“According to the customs of the Demons, his body will be held in Wan Ling Palace for 49 days.” Jiang Zheliu lifted his hand to fiddle with the willow branch in the vase, “I want to send him off.”
No matter what, they still had been friends for so long.
The little devil would never do something like this, the little devil would never lie to him, the little devil would always listen to him….
But once upon a time, all of these people would also have obeyed him.
Jiang Zheliu retracted his hand, he coughed twice, and then took the tea from Ah-Chu. He suppressed the fresh metallic liquid in his throat back down, looked down, whilst his snow white eyelashes quivered slightly.
Ah-Chu leaned close to him and started to gather his long hair with much distress, he felt that shenxian gege’s hair was as cold as frost. He opened his mouth to speak, but he didn’t know what to say. Finally he could only say: “Gege, believe me, the heavens will look kindly upon you, you can live a long, long life, and you will end up with the person you like. You are still young…”
“I’m still young?”
Jiang Zheliu looked at the back of his pale hands that were emitting a chill, and then looked down at his snow-white hair.
“I’ve been old for a long time.”
He closed his eyes.
After a long silence, Ah-Chu heard him sigh softly, and then mutter quietly
“…. To no longer encounter the remnants of the past, how could one not grow old.”
