Chapter 43#

Birds Can Cross#

“Where are you going?” Yan Wushu watched Xiao Man turn to leave, frowned, chased him for two steps, and asked, “Are you going to Xingyun Peak to ask Tan Wenzhou for a room, or to ask those friends of yours for a place to stay?”

These words made Xiao Man pause. He tilted his head to look at Yan Wushu, and thinking of something, his expression became somewhat strange.

Yan Wushu realized his tone was a bit blunt and lowered his voice: “…My apologies.”

He grabbed Xiao Man’s wrist, fearing Xiao Man would leave again.

This time Xiao Man didn’t rush to pull his hand away. Standing where he was, he asked him: “Is Xueyi Peak safe?”

Yan Wushu was suddenly stunned, then said in a certain tone: “Lin Wu has caused trouble for you.”

It must be for this reason that Xiao Man has become distant from him. Although Lin Wu is not on Gushan, he has many confidants and means of bribing people. It would be effortless to send a few people to say something to Xiao Man or do something.

He added: “Lin Wu is an elder of Qingyun Peak. The person you killed is surnamed Meng. I’m not sure of her full name, but she is one of Lin Wu’s people. Her attempt to kill you must have been at Lin Wu’s instigation. I haven’t mentioned it to you before, Lin Wu is…”

Yan Wushu’s tone was heavy, as if he were about to speak of that past event, but he was interrupted by Xiao Man without hesitation: “There’s no need to mention it now either.”

“…Alright,” Yan Wushu’s voice weakened, “I won’t mention it.”

That being said, he still brought Xiao Man back to Xueyi Peak without allowing any further argument.

The night on Xueyi Peak was always tranquil. Insects and birds had long since gone to sleep. The mountain streams reflected the moonlight and starlight, and the wind created ripples on the water, both gurgling and silent.

Rong Yuan was in the Dao hall.

Lately, since Xiao Man hadn’t been on Gushan, the birds visiting the Qiyin Abode had decreased quite a bit, making it seem very desolate. So he had come here to feed the fish in the shallow pond in the corner of the courtyard.

Yan Wushu brought Xiao Man back here, and only after crossing the threshold of the Dao hall did he release the hand gripping his wrist.

Rong Yuan, who was squatting by the pond, was startled and ran toward Xiao Man with a smile: “Your Highness, you’re back! I saw that the Peak Master had been back for several days, but you hadn’t returned. I thought you had encountered some trouble during your training!”

“I’m fine.” Xiao Man had a different attitude toward Rong Yuan, gently rubbing his head.

Rong Yuan looked up, his eyes reflecting the starlight, sparkling: “Are you hungry? Do you want to eat something? I’ll go make it for you.”

“No need.” Xiao Man shook his head and then said to Yan Wushu: “I’m going back to the Qiyin Abode.”

After deducing the whole reason, Yan Wushu no longer forced Xiao Man to stay with him. However, as Xiao Man went back, he followed at a distance. Seeing the Qiyin Abode was close, he flicked his finger to light the lamps for him.

Just as Xiao Man was about to walk in, he couldn’t help but say: “Little Phoenix, Lin Wu and I have no other relationship now except for being fellow disciples.”

Xiao Man stood still, not turning back to look at Yan Wushu, but he could imagine his deep affection. This person’s eyes must be lowered slightly, his lips drooping a bit, his face showing disappointment.

The moon on Gushan was brighter than the one in Shenjing City, more serene and silent. The bright moon shines on people, yet one knows not who shines on the moon.

The river of time rushes on. Reborn, he made a different choice from his previous life, and many things changed as a result. Yan Wushu had also changed. He began to talk about things he had never told him before and did things he had never done before.

At this point in time, that nightmare-like scene had not yet occurred. Yan Wushu didn’t know there would be a Dao-Demon War, nor did he know that Lin Wu would be seriously injured and that only a Phoenix Inner Core could save him.

The current Yan Wushu was actually innocent. It’s said that those who don’t know are not guilty. He was as good to him as ever, even better than before. But the previous life was not just a nightmare; for him, it was ultimately a misplaced trust.

Yan Wushu would come because of the premonition to help him deal with the difficult aftermath of the killing. And one day, he would find a way to sever the fate that the Heavenly Dao had forcibly entwined.

He withdrew his gaze from the moon and stepped into the courtyard, sleeves hanging low.

When Yan Wushu was born, heavy snow fell, making all of Shenjing white. Only a few pavilions with their crow-beaked eaves stood out, becoming rare colors in the world.

It was winter then, and they say timely snow promises a good harvest. As the legitimate second son of the Emperor of Northern Cang, everyone thought it was an auspicious sign. The Sitian Monitoring Bureau sent someone to the Fog Island in the far east to ask the divine officials there for a divination, seeking peace for the second prince.

Unexpectedly, the result was the two words “Nation’s Scourge.”

Upon hearing this news, the Emperor was furious on his dragon throne. The first thing he wanted to do was kill this second son. But someone came from Fog Island again, saying that killing him would also be a scourge to the nation.

Yan Wushu thus survived, but he did not receive the treatment a prince deserved. He was raised by an elderly palace maid. When he first became literate at the age of six, he was thrown into an assassin organization that served specifically for the royal family.

He began killing people at the age of seven and continued until he was sixteen.

In the winter of his sixteenth year, rain and snow were constant in the northern border of Northern Cang. The youth, in light clothing and holding a sword, went to kill a demonic-qi-contaminated beast that was half a grand realm higher than him.

The kill was very difficult. The beast went into a frenzy before dying. He delivered a fatal strike, piercing its demonic core, but he also nearly lost half his life.

Yan Wushu always preferred wearing black clothes, so as to hide the bloodstains on his body. But this time, his light clothing was soaked through, and blood dripped from his sleeves, flowing all over the ground, impossible to hide.

The beast fell dead, and he also collapsed. Excessive blood loss dulled his five senses. It took a long time before he realized there was a Daoist beside him.

This Daoist saved him and became his master.

The Daoist was from Gushan and wanted to take Yan Wushu away, but was refused by the Emperor of Northern Cang. The reason was simple: Yan Wushu, as a blade, was too useful.

At that time, Yan Wushu belonged to the royal family’s assassination group and carried a restriction. Without permission, it was impossible for him to travel far. He gave the Emperor a jade plaque and a promise as an exchange, and the Emperor finally let him go.

His master took him to travel the world. Another child they picked up along the way naturally became his fellow disciple. The child’s name was Lin Wu. He was an orphan, but his personality wasn’t lonely at all. He was cheerful and lively. After being washed clean, he was likable and well-spoken, easily winning people’s favor.

At that time, Yan Wushu had many old injuries. He had always been lazy about tending to them. It was Lin Wu who took meticulous care of him until he was fully recovered.

Learning of Yan Wushu’s background, Lin Wu searched the whole world for jokes to make Yan Wushu happy. He was like a ray of sunlight shining into a dark well, making flowers grow in that desolate and dark place. Wherever he was, it was always lively and warm.

After all, they were young. The emotion of liking someone is always easily cultivated. But the Great Dao is too far, the road too vast. Even if they were on the same path, the scenery they saw might be different.

After traveling together for a long time, they developed a disagreement over the word “Dao.”

For those who cultivate the Dao, this is a fundamental problem. Lin Wu was too obsessed with results, seeking victory regardless of the method and seeking strength by any means. This obsession made his cultivation path rugged.

Yan Wushu had tried to advise him, but unfortunately to no avail.

That year, the heroes gathered in Guangling. Lin Wu lost a match, his Dao heart was damaged, his realm fell, and he almost succumbed to inner demons.

Then he turned to the Western Barrens to seek the long-lost secret method—the Theory of Three Lives Reincarnation.

This was a cultivation method that had long since vanished in the torrent of history. It wasn’t a technique of the ghost path, but it was overly eerie. Yan Wushu had heard of it and disliked it very much, but Lin Wu was persistent.

From then on, the two went their separate ways and no longer contacted each other.

Later, Yan Wushu thought that for him and Lin Wu, perhaps it was just that the time they met was too appropriate.

If it had been a few years later, he wouldn’t have been that sixteen-year-old youth, and Lin Wu wouldn’t have been that child who hadn’t seen the world. Each would have their own views and go their own ways, and everything wouldn’t have started. Or if it had been a few years earlier, he would still have been that cold assassin, and Lin Wu would have been curled up in a haystack in a village. Even if they had met, they wouldn’t have even exchanged a glance.

The night wind on Gushan was even colder than the one in Shenjing City. If one didn’t have spiritual power and stood here in light clothing, it would truly be bone-chilling.

Yan Wushu stood outside the Qiyin Abode for a while before returning to the Dao hall. He sent Rong Yuan to serve Xiao Man, sat in the rocking chair on the corridor, took out a transmission talisman, and asked:

“Has there been any abnormality with Lin Wu lately?”

The person who received the transmission replied very quickly, their words sounding a bit surprised: “Oh, Lord Lingguang, don’t you dislike mentioning that junior brother of yours?”

The speaker was surprisingly Elder Yuan Qu of Mingguang Peak.

“Has he made any moves?” Yan Wushu ignored his teasing and repeated the question.

Yuan Qu replied: “How did you know I’ve been secretly keeping an eye on him?”

Yan Wushu: “He brought back the Buddha Niche, and inside was the Fuzhu that had been refined into a demon. You were ordered to investigate this matter, so naturally you have to keep an eye on him.”

After this message was sent, Yuan Qu waited a moment before giving a reply. Compared to before, his voice carried more solemnity and seriousness: “If you ask me, this job is really hard to handle. That junior brother of yours is still practicing the Theory of Three Lives Reincarnation, specifically targeting high-realm beasts on the Western Barrens prairie. He hasn’t made any other moves.”

“If we’re talking about abnormalities, that cultivation method is strange to begin with. I once tried to get close and noticed that the way the energy circulates in his body is somewhat similar to demonic cultivation methods. Do you think he’ll enter the demonic path if he keeps practicing like this?”

Yan Wushu said without hesitation: “Then deal with him according to the sect rules.”

“You really don’t care about old feelings at all, Lord Lingguang,” Yuan Qu said in a low voice, seemingly shaking his head.

Lord Lingguang didn’t say more to Yuan Qu. He closed his eyes and began to regulate his breathing while lying in the rocking chair. The injuries left on him by the Half-Step Tongtian Believer had not yet healed.

Xiao Man only stayed on Xueyi Peak for one night. Even though it seemed like a safe place for now, Xiao Man was unwilling to place his trust in Yan Wushu.

Among the twelve peaks of Gushan, the only ones Xiao Man was currently familiar with were Xingyun Peak and Baihua Peak.

The former was Tan Wenzhou’s territory. Although he and this peak master were friends on the surface, they weren’t that close. Frequently disturbing him would be too inconvenient. As for the latter, he had already encountered danger there. Moreover, with Peak Master Ji Wuji out on business, the defenses on the peak were much weaker. Going there again might cause more trouble and bring threats to Qu Hanxing and the others.

He thought long and hard and turned his gaze to Tingyun Peak.

Tingyun Peak was the territory of those two grandmasters, and no one dared to go there. He had already met one of the grandmasters, who was quite approachable. He probably wouldn’t blame him for going uninvited.

Although there were also arrays and restrictions on Tingyun Peak, those were arrays that blocked everyone. Xiao Man was a phoenix, so he could probably enter.