Chapter 114#
The sound transmission talisman floated in the air, swaying gently in the light breeze blowing into the room.
The breeze passed by An Wuxue and reached the bed, lifting the messy strands of hair of the sleeping man.
Xie Zhefeng’s eyes were tightly closed and his brow was furrowed, as if still struggling with the inner demons in his sea of consciousness. But with his spiritual power and consciousness sealed, he was locked in a painful dream yet unable to wake.
An Wuxue knew this kind of pain only too well.
After his death in his previous life, when his soul had just drifted back to Thorn Stream, memories of his life had surrounded him in a blur. But he was already dead and could do nothing, ask nothing.
Clearly in an abyss of agony, yet unable to leave, as if he would never wake up for all eternity…
He was lost in thought as he looked at his junior brother’s furrowed brow. When he regained his senses, he found his two fingers already extended, gathering his divine sense within his spiritual power and guiding it toward Xie Zhefeng’s brow.
…He wanted to soothe his junior brother’s soul.
But before he realized why he was doing it, a wave of spiritual power flashed in Xie Zhefeng’s sea of consciousness, instantly repelling his divine sense.
The man only wanted to wrap himself in the pain of his struggle with his inner demons, and wouldn’t let him intervene at all.
An Wuxue was stunned.
“…First Seat?”
Qu Jizhi’s voice suddenly came from the other end of the sound transmission.
Only then did An Wuxue remember that the talisman hadn’t been cut off yet. He snapped out of his daze and said: “Young Immortal Master Qu, I’ve always known you were a clever man—even during the Immortal Calamity, I saw few geniuses like you.”
Qu Jizhi laughed: “Compared to the First Seat, I pale in comparison.”
“But since you are so clever, you should know that with just a bit of deduction based on what the North Abyss mastermind said, we can easily guess that the mastermind knows the Immortal Venerable is not at his peak and is even troubled by the Heartless Curse. This is something the Immortal Venerable himself doesn’t know.”
“Is the First Seat trying to say that my easily mentioning the Immortal Venerable being cursed not only draws suspicion but also invites trouble, right?”
“Young Immortal Master Qu, don’t talk to me about returning favors,” An Wuxue said calmly. “You are not exactly an honorable man who strictly settles every debt.”
Qu Jizhi muttered: “Is that a compliment?”
An Wuxue: “…”
He was silent for a moment before saying: “So what exactly is your goal in reminding me?”
“Ah, the First Seat truly is a clever man.”
Qu Jizhi wasn’t embarrassed at being seen through, but merely somewhat helpless.
“What my mother said today is likely true. She said no one can ascend… so why is the Immortal Venerable an anomaly? Why has no one ascended for a millennium? And how can this situation be broken?”
“The First Seat should know that for one of the Way of Heartless to enter a relationship without breaking their path, only a Long-Life Immortal who has already completed their Dao can accomplish it. I want to help Pei Qian ascend. The answers to these questions are what the First Seat wants to find, and so do I.”
“My purpose is to assist the First Seat. There is no need for you to be on your guard.”
Only then did An Wuxue’s expression soften.
But his tone remained cold: “I hope young Immortal Master Qu doesn’t try to be clever with me again next time.”
At that moment, Pei Qian’s voice seemed to come from behind Qu Jizhi: “…Why have you two been talking for so long? Surnamed Qu, this restriction has been reinforced by at least two generations of the Qu family; it’s a bit tricky. I’m breaking it too slowly alone, you’re not allowed to slack off!!”
An Wuxue: “…”
Qu Jizhi finally said: “I’m going to help break the restriction for the First Seat. I’ll probably be able to obtain the method for breaking the curse by this time tomorrow and will deliver it to the First Seat immediately.”
The sound transmission talisman trembled and finally crumbled into dust.
Silence returned to the room.
At some point, several unseen clouds had drifted into the night sky, suddenly obscuring the bright moon.
With the moonlight hidden, the room was filled only with the glow of the fire essences. The sharp cold was gone, replaced by warmth.
An Wuxue waved his sleeve, using his spiritual energy to close the door and block out all the winter chill of North Abyss.
He felt his heart grow much calmer as well.
He looked at Xie Zhefeng again and sat down gently beside the bed.
The man was asleep, quiet and devoid of all sharp coldness.
He felt he could safely and boldly say to his junior brother: “After my death, my fragmented soul was confused, but I had occasional memories, specifically of your back after you killed me. I always told myself I had let it go, but I knew very well that since I often recalled that scene, I still cared.”
“The love between us is gone, but regarding the past, I indeed… resent you somewhat. You were the one who pulled me into dual cultivation; if you forgot, so be it, but why didn’t you even listen to a single word of explanation from me? It really hurt back then.”
“If you were heartless, so be it; the Way of Heartless was what you cultivated…”
“But putting aside the matter between us…”
…that Xie Zhefeng was merely the Immortal Venerable Chu Han of the common people of the four seas.
Every generation’s Sword Venerable of Falling Moon Peak was born to be the lord of the world and died for its people, wasn’t he?
Impartial, without emotion, his word as law, looked up to by all living beings.
He had thought that after his death, the Immortal Venerable Chu Han would be the most pure, clear, and bright sword in the world, untouched by the wind and snow of the mortal world, untroubled by its joys and sorrows. He would be like his Master, Immortal Venerable Nan He, standing at the summit of the two realms until the world changed and the people forgot even his name, yet still called him “Sword Venerable.”
But now…
He raised his hand, using his fingertips to gently brush away the stray hair from Xie Zhefeng’s brow, straightening his appearance just as he had when his junior brother first joined the sect.
After slowly finishing this, An Wuxue spoke in a tone of rebuke: “How did you let yourself become like this…?”
He had died without remains, and his junior brother had reached the absolute peak.
It would have been good if they had both walked their paths without regret, wouldn’t it?
Everything remained deathly silent.
The unconscious man naturally could not answer him.
“I didn’t care about the hidden truth before,” he said, “because I felt that regardless of any hidden reasons, the fact remained that you had taken the initiative to kill me. The fact could not be changed. And you had nothing to say. But now…”
An Wuxue’s voice trailed off.
“Whine…”
Kun Kun seemed a bit bored lying there and climbed onto the bed.
It looked at the dazed An Wuxue, then walked to Xie Zhefeng’s side and gently nipped at the man’s clothes, tugging at him.
“Whine?”
Xie Zhefeng naturally had no way to respond.
An Wuxue was helpless.
He stroked the little creature’s head and said softly: “He’s fine for now.”
Kun Kun finally felt at ease: “Whine!”
“When I first held you as a child, you were so small. A thousand years have passed and you’re so big now…”
“Whine?” Kun Kun tilted its head, seemingly a bit tired, and lay down directly beside Xie Zhefeng.
“Heartless thing,” An Wuxue said affectionately. “He killed me, you know. Why have you been so close to him from start to finish?”
“Whine! Whine!”
An Wuxue couldn’t understand.
But he had no intention of blaming the little creature anyway. Xie Zhefeng had raised Kun Kun for a millennium; it was only natural for it to be close to him.
Stroking the little creature’s fur, he sat by the bed for a long time.
The moon climbed to the treetops.
The fire essences abruptly went dark, and the lanterns in the plum courtyard were extinguished as their spiritual energy was withdrawn. The courtyard finally entered deep night.
The next day.
At sunset.
Xie Zhefeng still hadn’t awakened.
But his brow was relaxed and his sleeping face was peaceful; it seemed he had mostly suppressed his inner demons and was about to wake up.
An Wuxue had intended to wait right there for him to wake.
But the time for his meeting with Jiang Qing arrived, and he received a sound transmission from Jiang Qing informing him of the location.
He had suspected and offended Jiang Qing yesterday and had promised to treat him to immortal wine to make amends. Naturally, it wouldn’t be good to break the appointment.
“Watch over him,” An Wuxue instructed Kun Kun. “If there’s something wrong with his soul, help him suppress it. If you can’t, come find me immediately.”
Kun Kun nodded: “Whine.”
An Wuxue set up a barrier, protecting Xie Zhefeng and Kun Kun within the plum courtyard.
His cultivation had returned to its peak; except for Xie Zhefeng, no one in this world could break his barrier without alerting him. He wasn’t worried.
With a wave of his spiritual energy, Chun Hua was unsheathed, and he flew to his appointment.
The wine house Jiang Qing had chosen was one in the First City that catered to both mortal nobility and cultivators. Most of the patrons were cultivators.
An Wuxue landed and followed the guiding talisman Jiang Qing had left him. On his way up, he heard many immortal cultivators discussing the North Abyss crisis.
The name “An Wuxue” repeatedly reached his ears.
When he had just awakened as Su Xue and followed Xie Zhefeng to Zhaoshui City, he had heard just as much about “An Wuxue.”
But at that time, the Immortal Venerable’s sword could only cow the villains he could see; it couldn’t manage the countless tongues he couldn’t hear.
The legends of the four seas were many, and a single sword couldn’t cut them all down.
Now, not even half a year later, what he heard were no longer those malicious words.
Rumors were truly fickle; it seemed as easy to hate someone as it was to praise them in the blink of an eye.
He hadn’t cared before, and now he felt only helplessness.
He walked calmly past the scattered talk of the mortal world.
The guiding talisman stopped before a private room.
The door was slightly ajar, so An Wuxue didn’t knock, simply pushing the door open and entering.
A square table stood by the window, already laid with several small dishes, two jars of clear wine, and a small porcelain vase holding a flower.
Jiang Qing was sitting at the table. He looked away from the window and smiled at him: “Su Xue, you arrived so quickly.”
“Since we had an appointment, I naturally shouldn’t be late.”
An Wuxue sat opposite Jiang Qing and looked down at the immortal wine.
“…Winter Sang from North Abyss?” He raised a jar and sniffed it. “This is brewed from Han Sang flowers and the purest water from the depths of the Black Sea. It’s cold in nature and rare; few people drink it in winter. I didn’t expect Fellow Daoist Jiang to order this.”
“If you don’t like it, I’ll have them change it.”
He indeed didn’t like it.
He couldn’t obtain that flower he had wanted most in his previous life, so naturally he couldn’t stomach cold wine brewed from those flowers.
After that he had become sensitive to the cold, making him dislike cold things even more.
His name was Wuxue—“No Snow”—as if it were fate that he would have no connection with the wind, flowers, frost, or snow of this world.
But since he was the one treating him to apologize, he had no right to be picky.
An Wuxue said without changing his expression: “No, I was just thinking that because Winter Sang is brewed from Han Sang flowers, it’s often used at wedding banquets or shared by cultivation partners in North Abyss. I didn’t expect you to order this wine.”
Jiang Qing rested his chin on his hand, leaning his head to the side as he said casually: “Then is Su Xue afraid to drink Winter Sang with me?”
An Wuxue had already poured a cup and taken a sip, saying politely: “How could that be?”
“Speaking of which, I truly felt an affinity with you from the start. Every word and action of yours feels like an old friend’s,” Jiang Qing said, taking a large swig directly from the jar. “Since Su Xue is from a thousand years ago, do you know if any Tribulation-Transcending cultivator went into the Black Sea back then? They might be my benefactor.”
An Wuxue’s expression paused.
He knew Jiang Qing could likely guess.
Even with the connection of the inheritance, it wasn’t a very large karma. But combined with the past events at the Black Sea, it was indeed enough to allow them to meet within the Guan Ye Array.
Fetal Spirits were naturally sensitive to karma; a little deduction would allow for certainty.
But he didn’t intend to acknowledge it.
He said: “I can’t remember clearly. But whether I remember or not isn’t actually important. Since the person who sealed you back then didn’t leave a single word within the seal, nor did they seek you out after you broke free, it shows they didn’t want to become entangled in further karma, nor would they seek repayment for their favor.”
“Why not just treat it as a small matter from the past and let it go with the wind?”
Jiang Qing looked at him deeply, and a look of dejection actually appeared on his face.
“That’s truly a pity. I pride myself on understanding the way of karma and look down on many relationships in this world, yet this benefactor alone… I wonder if he has a cultivation partner? I truly wanted to sit here with him and share a jar of the best wine brewed from the coldest flowers.”
An Wuxue’s eyelid twitched, and he said nothing.
Jiang Qing gave a light laugh: “The Immortal Venerable loves to wear white, doesn’t he?”
An Wuxue was stunned.
“Yes…”
“But I remember in the Guan Ye Array, whenever the Immortal Venerable took action, dirt could always be seen on his white robes. But young Immortal Master Qu loves black; that black robe of his never changed once from start to finish. I couldn’t even tell if he ever changed his clothes.”
Jiang Qing sipped his wine gracefully, slowly putting down his cup.
His mouth curled into a smirk, and there seemed to be mockery in his eyes.
“Su Xue, as long as white clothes are touched by even a tiny bit of black, people will criticize them for being dirty. Yet even if black clothes are completely covered in blood, no one utters a word.”
An Wuxue didn’t move.
Jiang Qing continued: “If one does good deeds without seeking repayment, and suffers grievances without seeking revenge, one becomes like those white robes on the Immortal Venerable. Clearly one accompanies the Immortal Venerable into battle, yet only the Chu Han sword receives the glory for slaying demons, while the white robes are only ever changed because they’ve been stained.”
He looked at An Wuxue.
But An Wuxue still showed no sign of resentment.
He let out a sigh and finally spoke: “Actually, I feel that there’s nothing wrong with that benefactor seeking repayment for his favor.”
An Wuxue’s eyes wandered as he looked idly out the window at the North Abyss night.
It had been a long time since anyone had spoken to him like this.
Amidst his wistfulness, he did indeed feel a bit lighter.
But he still didn’t acknowledge his identity.
“Sometimes not seeking repayment or complaining isn’t for any particular reason, but merely to stay true to one’s own heart.”
His gaze caught the flower in the porcelain vase; it was a Han Sang flower.
Where did it come from?
Not wanting to continue the previous topic, he asked: “Did Fellow Daoist Jiang bring this Han Sang flower?”
Jiang Qing nodded: “Since we’re drinking Winter Sang, it’s naturally better to admire a Han Sang flower.”
“The Han Sang flowers for this year have all been picked. This one of yours…?”
“It’s from the past. Many years ago, when I first came to North Abyss, someone gave it to me.”
An Wuxue was slightly surprised.
Even a Han Sang flower wouldn’t remain unchanged for hundreds of years. This one must have been the coldest one from that year.
“Picking this one must have required some effort. Fellow Daoist Jiang surely doesn’t lack for people giving him Han Sang flowers. But since you have such a person who gave you a flower that hasn’t faded for centuries, why do you care if your benefactor will drink Winter Sang with you?”
Jiang Qing’s expression shifted, his face filling with sorrow.
“I’ve been in North Abyss for so long, and many cultivators have given me flowers. The one who gave me this one… was likely the first. It’s been too long; that person is long dead, and I can’t even remember them clearly.”
A mortal life was but a century, yet even they had to experience countless partings and deaths, let alone cultivators.
An Wuxue felt a shared sorrow.
Before his eyes, he seemed to see himself sitting behind the bonfire a thousand years ago, looking at Xie Zhefeng, surrounded by many Han Sang flowers.
He also couldn’t remember who had given him all those flowers—most of them had likely fallen by now, hadn’t they?
He opened his mouth to say something.
A locked spiritual pouch flew through the window and landed directly before him.
—It was Qu Jizhi’s aura!
A look of joy appeared on An Wuxue’s face as he hurriedly grabbed the pouch.
Sensing his aura, the restriction on the pouch dissipated.
He opened it without hindrance and looked inside—it was a jade slip.
This was the method for breaking the Heartless Curse!
Excellent!
He had been afraid of complications, yet Qu Jizhi and Pei Qian were actually several hours earlier than agreed.
With this in hand, An Wuxue immediately lost all interest in drinking and admiring the night. He even forgot what he was about to say.
He looked up, only to find Jiang Qing still sipping his Winter Sang, waiting for him patiently.
“Fellow Daoist Jiang…”
Jiang Qing had already seen his urgency: “It seems the First Seat has urgent business.”
An Wuxue looked apologetic: “I already gave the attendant many spiritual stones when I came up, enough for Fellow Daoist Jiang to drink his fill tonight. But I may be unable to accompany you further. In the future…”
As he spoke, he had already summoned Chun Hua.
Jiang Qing was exceptionally good-natured: “Urgent business is naturally more important than drinking and admiring the night. But since the First Seat is leaving early and won’t be drinking, it’s all to my advantage. Why not take this Han Sang flower with you as my return gift?”
“I was the one supposed to be making amends, and this flower was given to you by someone else; how could I take it?”
“Han Sang flowers grow cycle after cycle, and the person has been dead for so long; why should I keep it? It’s just a small token, not an expression of love. You need not worry.”
An Wuxue hesitated for a moment.
But he was indeed in the wrong for leaving early, and he didn’t want to waste more time arguing, so he simply took the Han Sang flower and tucked it casually into his belt. “Then I thank Fellow Daoist Jiang. I’ll take my leave first.”
Before the words had even finished, he was already away on his sword.
Jiang Qing watched his receding back. After a few moments, there was no trace of An Wuxue in the sky.
Only two jars of clear wine, a few small dishes, and an empty vase remained in the room.
The attendant happened to enter with the immortal delicacies.
He raised a hand to stop the attendant and shook his head, standing up: “No need. The person is gone; what’s the point of drinking?”
In the plum courtyard.
Xie Zhefeng had just awakened.
The inner demons were temporarily suppressed and the spiritual energy seal had broken on its own, yet his soul remained exceptionally weary and his meridians were a bit pained.
But he hurriedly sat up on the bed, looking at the yawning Kun Kun, yet seeing no sign of An Wuxue.
Last night…
He asked in a low voice: “Where is Senior Brother?”
“Whine!”
Xie Zhefeng couldn’t understand Kun Kun’s meaning.
He was already beginning to panic.
Last night… last night he…
Had his Senior Brother remembered the resentment of that sword strike, grown angry with him again, and gone somewhere he couldn’t find him?
Or had his inner demon episode yesterday frightened his Senior Brother away?
Senior Brother…
He was about to spread his divine sense to find him.
The barrier rippled suddenly, and a familiar aura drew near.
—An Wuxue was back!
Xie Zhefeng’s heart finally settled.
His eyes brightened, and he stood up, quickly reaching the bedroom door.
He saw An Wuxue descend from his sword and walk down the snow-covered path, saying in surprise: “Junior Brother is awake? How are the inner demons?”
“I…” Xie Zhefeng was about to answer.
His gaze had been fixed on his Senior Brother the whole time. Just as An Wuxue drew near, he saw the Han Sang flower tucked into his Senior Brother’s belt.
North Abyss cultivators used Han Sang to represent love; giving one was an expression of love, and if the recipient accepted it, it meant the feelings were mutual.
Xie Zhefeng had personally emptied Han Sang Cliff, and the blue-purple flowers covered the ground beneath the plum trees, yet An Wuxue hadn’t been willing to keep a single one.
Now, a flower hung from his belt.
He recognized every single Han Sang flower he had picked.
This one his Senior Brother had accepted was not one he had picked.