Chapter 101#
The plum courtyard was hidden in the quietest corner of the City Lord’s manor. The bustling city that never slept roared with noise, but no mortal sounds reached beneath the sprawling plum trees.
In North Abyss, the deep winter wind and snow were harsh. The fine snow of the morning had turned into a heavy downpour by late night.
In a few moments, the Han Sang flowers in the courtyard were covered in fallen snow.
Xie Zhefeng’s dark hair was dotted with white. Snow clung to his palms and the petals of the lotus. He stood motionless, holding the flower, watching An Wuxue with a mix of caution and anxiety.
An Wuxue remained silent for a long time.
When he first saw the courtyard full of Han Sang flowers, he felt only an emptiness in his heart.
He had feared the cold in his previous life and had stopped touching things that could freeze his bones and blood until his death. Reborn, he no longer had that sensitivity, but he could no longer feel warmth either.
As long as he could not forget how cold the Chu Han sword light was, he would never remember the fluttering of his heart when he looked at that man after the bonfire all those years ago, stepping over the Han Sang flowers.
But as the elegant scent of the snow lotus drifted to him, a long-absent sorrow rose in his heart.
It felt as if something was scratching at his heart, yet it wouldn’t grant him a clean release.
When he had asked Xie Zhefeng for the snow lotus, he hadn’t known Xie Zhefeng was under the Heartless Curse.
At that time, his junior brother had not yet ascended. The curse placed with immortal spiritual energy was deep-rooted; his junior brother had forgotten about the lotus completely and hadn’t remembered it until now.
This single snow lotus was, to him, a small wish from a thousand years ago that his junior brother had failed to fulfill.
But to the current Xie Zhefeng, it was a first promise, kept with all his effort day and night.
He knew.
He knew that if Xie Zhefeng hadn’t forgotten, he would have been willing to travel thousands of miles for a single snow lotus.
Unfortunately, this lotus appeared a thousand years too late.
Time had passed. No matter how the lotus bloomed, it was nothing more than a phantom of a past that could never be reached.
But he still accepted it.
He took the most serene flower of the Sea of Guxu from Xie Zhefeng’s hands, wrapping it in spiritual energy and tucking it into his robes.
Xie Zhefeng’s eyes brightened.
The night, along with the falling plum petals and snow, rested upon his Senior Brother, who was dressed in plain robes and holding the snow lotus. Even the bright moon seemed dim in comparison.
An Wuxue spoke slowly: “I truly did like the snow lotuses of Langfeng and Guxu once. Thank you, Junior Brother, for fulfilling this thousand-year obsession.”
He called him Junior Brother.
Not the distant title of Immortal Venerable.
Xie Zhefeng smiled.
His eyes were clearly a bit wet, and his smile was exceptionally reserved. But this face usually wore too much frost; for it to blossom even slightly was like dark clouds dispersing to reveal the bright moon.
An Wuxue, the only one who could see this scenery, only looked down at the lotus in his arms and said softly: “…But the Han Sang flowers belong to the Xue clan. They tend the entire Han Sang Cliff, and only allow people in to pick a flower after receiving some spiritual treasures or stones. Junior Brother didn’t know the rules, and they didn’t dare stop you. They must be suffering a silent loss right now.”
“Han Sang flowers do not fade. If reburied in frozen soil within a few days of being picked, they can grow back. Junior Brother, you should return them to the Xue clan, lest people say the Immortal Venerable uses his cultivation and status to seize the spiritual objects others worked hard to cultivate.”
Xie Zhefeng was slightly stunned. “No one told me of this rule. I will send Falling Moon disciples to Han Sang Cliff first thing tomorrow to compensate them with spiritual items for these flowers.”
“Just return them. Why bother with compensation? You can’t just keep them piled here.”
“…Does Senior Brother not like Han Sang flowers?” The Immortal Venerable actually appeared at a loss. “Is it because I couldn’t find the coldest one, and Senior Brother is dissatisfied? Or give me more time, I’ll have the disciples help me find it, or I’ll find another way—”
“No. They are beautiful.”
An Wuxue gave a light laugh.
“But this is City Lord Shangguan’s territory. I am merely a guest here; what does it look like to have them piled on her land? Besides, Han Sang flowers are tokens of love for North Abyss cultivators. If Junior Brother wants to pick Han Sang flowers, you can return to North Abyss when you find someone you love and pick one for them.”
Xie Zhefeng stiffened, and the last traces of joy vanished from his face.
“Senior Brother,” he said in disbelief, “how could I possibly love anyone else?”
He had thought that by accepting the snow lotus, An Wuxue was willing to forgive him—even if not forgive, he would have been content if An Wuxue had started to blame him.
That call of “Junior Brother” had given him a hope he hadn’t dared to dream of.
But now he suddenly understood.
An Wuxue was willing to return to the bond of being from the same sect.
But only as sect mates.
That “Junior Brother” was not forgiveness, not a softening of his stance, and certainly not a reconciliation. It was a complete and utter pushing away.
Xie Zhefeng’s breathing became rapid and shallow, his dark eyes dim and his face heavy.
His palm had been catching the wind and snow, but now it suddenly closed, crushing the snowflakes.
An Wuxue was busy putting the snow lotus into his spiritual pouch and didn’t look at him, thus failing to notice.
“The snow lotus is the first birthday gift I’ve received in many years. I like it very much, thank you, Junior Brother. Junior Brother has traveled back and forth between North Abyss and Langfeng; you must be tired. Let us each rest.”
An Wuxue said gently: “When the chaos is over and the mastermind has been found, and the Four Seas Ten Thousand Swords Array is no longer in danger, if I am still alive and can find a quiet place away from the world, I will plant plum trees like these in my courtyard, place a pond of clear water, and set this snow lotus you gave me beneath the trees in the water.”
“If Junior Brother finds a beloved in the future, the Immortal Venerable’s union ceremony will surely be a world-wide celebration. I will prepare a generous gift and go to Falling Moon to offer my congratulations.”
Xie Zhefeng’s presence grew heavy.
His fists were tightly clenched, the veins bulging on the back of his hands as he did his utmost to restrain himself.
An Wuxue had already turned to walk toward the house.
The moment he saw An Wuxue’s receding back, his composure finally crumbled.
He forgot everything, cast all caution to the wind, and took several steps forward, grabbing the other’s wrist with force.
An Wuxue had thought everything that needed to be said had been said, and that the night was over.
But Xie Zhefeng’s presence suddenly surrounded him. The man’s warm palm covered his wrist, and using an immortal’s spiritual energy, he pulled him to the door and pressed him against the unopened panels.
Though his cultivation had been restored, he was still pinned by spiritual energy a realm higher than his own, unable to move.
The silence was shattered. The surrounding Han Sang flowers were crushed by the violent spiritual energy, shedding countless petals.
Hearing the commotion from inside, Kun Kun seemed to fly to the back of the door, pushing against it.
“Whine? Whine!?”
But An Wuxue was pinned against the door by Xie Zhefeng, and it remained firmly shut.
In an instant, the man had grabbed his hands, pinned his shoulders, and was looking down at him, trapping him in that small space.
Cold aura filled the air around him.
An Wuxue was furious: “Xie Zhefeng!!!”
What is this?
Is the grand Immortal Venerable going to be unreasonable!?
“Does Senior Brother not know whom I love?”
“Then does Junior Brother not know how I died a thousand years ago?”
He knew Xie Zhefeng was under the Heartless Curse, and he knew his junior brother might not be a truly heartless person.
But some things, once they happened, they happened.
He had let go of the past, but the knot in his heart was deep. How could a garden of Han Sang flowers and a single snow lotus undo it?
An Wuxue did not back down. After speaking, he looked away, refusing to say more. But Xie Zhefeng also suddenly fell silent.
They remained at a stalemate for a while.
An Wuxue eventually couldn’t help but look back.
His eyes met the other’s, and he saw the man’s eyes were red and bloodshot.
The expression was clearly ferocious, yet those eyes seemed filled with fragility.
It made his anger vanish in an instant, and his intended rebuke died in his throat.
Xie Zhefeng finally spoke as he met An Wuxue’s gaze.
“I will not love anyone else in this life,” the man said in a heavy voice. “Senior Brother’s unwillingness to forgive me is my own doing. I can wait. I can do anything for Senior Brother.”
He paused, and the snow lotus sword mark on his brow suddenly appeared.
An Wuxue was startled.
Doing his utmost to ignore the thousand words of temptation in his sea of consciousness, Xie Zhefeng said word for word: “But Senior Brother must never say those things to me again.”
“Otherwise, I cannot guarantee what I will do the next time I hear them.”
Ever since learning An Wuxue’s identity, he had been terrified of his sudden departure. He was always cautious, and in moments of urgency, he was only capable of helpless pleading.
Now, he was actually using the tone of a demand, and a threat to boot.
—A threat from the Immortal Venerable Chu Han. How rare.
This man usually used his sword to inspire fear or issued orders to inform others of the consequences; he was always swift and decisive.
As for threatening others, Xie Zhefeng had likely never done such a thing in his life.
Hearing the threat, An Wuxue quickly calmed down.
He blinked, and far from being frightened by this completely impractical threat, his anger faded even more, and he even found it somewhat amusing.
Still pinned by Xie Zhefeng, he raised his head slightly, his Adam’s apple bobbing as his clear voice rang out fearlessly: “What would you do?”
Xie Zhefeng’s breathing hitched.
He was too close to An Wuxue; their breaths were intertwined.
No matter how intense the joy or anger, they couldn’t fully manifest in such an entanglement. His fragile ferocity was shattered in an instant.
He looked at the bobbing Adam’s apple just inches away, using all his strength to resist the urge to kiss it and stop its movement.
It was An Wuxue who was trapped.
But it was Xie Zhefeng who was in shackles.
He could make all living beings bow to him, yet he was powerless and helpless before An Wuxue.
His expression softened: “I…”
An Wuxue gave a light laugh. “And if I truly say it again, what then, Junior Brother? Will you kill me again?”
Xie Zhefeng said urgently: “I wouldn’t—”
In his haste, he forgot to maintain his grip. Taking the opportunity, An Wuxue used a surge of spiritual energy in his wrist and easily threw him off.
Xie Zhefeng stumbled back a step.
An Wuxue had intended to go back into the house and lock the man outside, letting him do whatever he pleased.
But as he turned, he remembered the snow lotus sword mark on Xie Zhefeng’s brow had flickered just now.
The sword mark only appeared during battle. Since their reunion, its fluctuations had always been due to his inner demons.
Inner demons…
With all the distractions in the Guan Ye Array and his mind occupied by the person trying to destroy the sword array, and since Xie Zhefeng hadn’t had an episode lately, he had almost forgotten that Xie Zhefeng’s inner demons were not yet rooted out.
He had yet to tell his junior brother about the Heartless Curse.
He didn’t know if the inner demons were related to the curse…
As An Wuxue pondered, to Xie Zhefeng it seemed his Senior Brother had suddenly fallen silent after his impulsive act.
Xie Zhefeng finally gave up all pretense of strength.
He asked with lingering fear: “…Senior Brother? My… my words and actions just now were out of line. Is Senior Brother angry?”
An Wuxue suddenly reached out his hand.
Xie Zhefeng was startled.
Is Senior Brother going to hit me to vent his anger?
With a surge of spiritual energy, the Chu Han sword appeared and was held out without hesitation.
“It recognizes Senior Brother’s soul aura,” he said. “Senior Brother can use it to vent your anger on me. There’s no need to dirty Chun Hua.”
An Wuxue, who only wanted to check Xie Zhefeng’s meridians and sea of consciousness: “?”
What on earth is he talking about?
Unwilling to waste more breath, he brushed aside the hand holding the sword, grabbed Xie Zhefeng’s wrist instead, used his spiritual energy to push open the door, and pulled the man inside.
Xie Zhefeng had no intention of refusing and followed him in.
Kun Kun had been pushing against the door for a long time. When it suddenly opened, it crashed into An Wuxue’s arms.
“Whine?”
It had only just flipped over and taken flight again when it saw An Wuxue pulling Xie Zhefeng to sit at the tea table.
“Whine…” Covering its eyes with its ears, it flew to the bed and tucked itself under the covers.
Xie Zhefeng followed An Wuxue into the room and sat down, appearing somewhat dazed.
An Wuxue asked him: “Could Junior Brother temporarily withdraw your protective spiritual energy and open your mind to let me observe your sea of consciousness?”
Xie Zhefeng seemed not to have heard the full question and had already nodded when asked if he could.
But after the question was finished, his expression suddenly changed and he stood up, retreating two steps.
“I know I was wrong.”
“…What?”
“I was out of line earlier when Senior Brother tried to push me to someone else, and my loss of control made Senior Brother unhappy. It was my fault. Senior Brother doesn’t like Han Sang flowers, only snow lotuses. I can go to the Sea of Guxu right now and bring every single snow lotus back for you.”
“You can ask me to do anything, but regarding the Heartless Curse, I can never agree.”