Chapter 23#
An Wuxue sighed again.
His expression grew increasingly disappointed.
“No, you acted well,” he said. “Too well, in fact. Even just now, I was hoping you would refute me once more.”
He had envied Yun Zhou before.
When the three of them were staying above the Burial Frost Sea, every morning he would gaze out the window and always saw Yun Qiao standing with sword in hand beneath the long pines, while Yun Zhou danced with his sword in the courtyard.
The young man’s sword movements bloomed like flowers, the blade tip kissing frost and wind, and amid the whistling sounds, Yun Qiao’s instructing voice would ring out from time to time.
Back then, a fleeting thought had crossed his mind—if he and Xie Zhe Feng had been born in this world a thousand years after the great calamity, ordinary disciples of some minor sect, would they also be like Yun Zhou and Yun Qiao, simply watching one another practice sword and spend the rest of their lives in peace?
Those days above the Frost Sea, Yun Zhou and Yun Qiao had shown him a kind of life he had never experienced.
So even though he had long suspected the truth, until just now he had still harbored one last hope.
He had hoped he was wrong.
Regrettably, he was not.
“Where is Jiang Qing?” he asked.
“He has nothing I want, and he’s only at the Tribulation Transcendence stage—how would I dare let him in?” Yun Zhou laughed. “I had the mirror demon pull him in for just a moment, then push him back out.”
So Jiang Qing should be fine.
Above the sky, the mirror demon was growing increasingly unable to hold on, fragments of the shattered bronze mirror falling down in waves.
Yun Zhou showed not the slightest embarrassment at being exposed. His accomplice calmly walked up to An Wuxue and, glancing to the side, smiled lightly: “Since my acting was so good, when did you see through it? Was it because the reason I gave for sending you away didn’t hold up?”
An Wuxue shook his head.
“Oh? Then was it when you came yesterday—did I reveal some flaw?”
“…”
Yun Zhou grew more curious. “Could it have been back in Zhao Shui City, when I disguised myself as a Tribulation Transcendence stage cultivator to move against Xie Chun Hua to direct suspicion toward Jiang Qing?”
“…”
“Still no? Then could it have been that night at the Tian Shui Festival, when I gave you the lantern and told you about the old Cloud Sword Sect days—did I let something slip? That would be unfair; everything I said then was the truth.”
“…”
Yun Zhou’s expression finally changed. “Surely you didn’t figure it out on the spirit boat on the way here?”
An Wuxue finally spoke softly: “It was that morning when we left Luo Yue Peak. You acted too naturally, unnaturally so. I…”
He knew what a person who had lost everything should look like.
“Your sorrow always comes swiftly and fiercely, and leaves just as quickly. But true sorrow is not like that—it is a moment when the heart becomes completely empty, as if there is no great pain, yet whenever it is remembered afterward, it cuts like a dull blade through flesh, something you can neither let go of nor set down.”
Yun Zhou let out a cold laugh. “Then I was truly careless.”
“And besides—from beginning to end, it was only you, wasn’t it?”
An Wuxue glanced back at Yun Qiao, who was still leaning against the tree as if asleep.
He said, “Yun Qiao died long ago. The Yun Qiao I saw from the very beginning was a puppet controlled by you.”
A puppet.
One whose soul had been severed—either through possession or puppet control.
Both he and Yun Qiao were people whose souls had been severed.
That’s why Yun Qiao was always taciturn, only speaking a few words after Yun Zhou had finished talking. He had never heard them speak at the same time.
Though Yun Zhou tried to hide it, he often forgot Yun Qiao’s existence while speaking.
That’s why whenever they traveled, Yun Qiao seemed distracted, sitting in complete silence.
That’s why Yun Qiao now sat motionless like someone asleep.
From beginning to end, it was Yun Zhou alone who destroyed the sect, and Yun Zhou alone who snuck into Luo Yue Peak.
After speaking, An Wuxue glanced inconspicuously at the dark clouds above.
Xie Zhe Feng’s avatar was only at the Tribulation Transcendence stage, but in the Path of Indifference, he was unmatched at his level. Combined with the divine sense of an immortal, ten mirror demons wouldn’t be enough for Xie Zhe Feng to defeat in three moves.
Why was he still fighting?
An Wuxue suppressed his thoughts, his face remained unruffled. “I’ve seen you practice sword, and your technique is identical to Yun Wei and the others. You are from the Cloud Sword Sect, but you haven’t actually returned there in hundreds of years.”
“Two months ago, when Jiang Qing visited, you took advantage of how the sect master and elders had no guard against you and killed them. Then you conspired with the mirror demon, using mirror illusions to create an endless cycle that concealed the sect’s destruction.”
“After that, you went to the mortal realm, found me, and under the Cloud Sword Sect’s name, sent me to Luo Yue Peak—but really you were the one who needed to sneak in. You were after something there.”
Yun Zhou clapped repeatedly. “Clever!”
This time it was Yun Zhou’s turn to sigh. “Actually, we have no grievance between us. You even helped me ascend to the Frost Sea. I never wanted to kill you. That’s why I went to such trouble to send you away. But you, so clever yet so foolish, now that you’ve figured it out, you should just pretend you don’t know and stay here. After I deal with the others, I would naturally have spared you—so why insist on exposing me?”
An Wuxue laughed coldly.
“If I don’t expose you now, what will you do after you go in there?”
“Yun Zhou, you told me that back then when you took them down the mountain, how Zhao Shui City’s splendor dazzled their eyes, how your junior brothers and sisters clamored and fussed for lanterns. You spent spirit stones to buy them, and to make them happy, swept the mountain gate steps for a month. On the day of the sect’s destruction, Yun Wei and the others weren’t spared by luck, were they? You went soft. You turned a blind eye and left them here alive.”
“But just now, you were afraid they would reveal that the Cloud Sword Sect never sent any cauldrons to Luo Yue Peak, so you wanted to go back and kill them.”
“Well said. If I hadn’t lost my head and gone soft before, why would I need to do this extra thing now?”
Suddenly, Yun Zhou’s eyes grew cold. “You’re stalling for time, waiting for Xie Chun Hua to free himself and come here?”
His gaze fell on the spirit pouch at An Wu Xue’s waist. He saw An Wuxue was gripping it tightly. “You still have the soul-nurturing tree essence on you?”
An Wuxue suddenly understood. “You did all this for the one divine soul treasure that exists in all heaven and earth.”
“Give it to me!”
“Why should I?”
“We’re both people with secrets. Xu Xue, we’ve been together day and night this whole journey. If you can see my problems, how could I not see yours?” Yun Zhou spread his hands. “I could kill you and take the soul-nurturing tree essence regardless. Why not hand it over willingly? I won’t pursue whatever abnormality you have and I’ll let you leave. Everyone wins.”
“Fine,” he agreed quite readily, moving to open the spirit pouch.
Yun Zhou examined him carefully for a moment.
In the next instant—
The spirit sword hidden in the pouch unsheathed, driving straight for Yun Zhou’s vital point!
He never expected someone at the Foundation Building stage would dare strike at a Tribulation Transcendence cultivator’s vital point. Caught off guard, he instinctively leaped back several steps, dodging the blade and reaching out to grab it.
But An Wuxue didn’t pursue. Instead, he withdrew the sword and retreated to stand before Yun Qiao, placing the blade directly against Yun Qiao’s forehead.
He was breathing heavily. “Even now, this puppet remains spotless—is your elder brother so important to you?”
Yun Zhou’s face turned black as thunder. “Seeking death, are you!?”
The pressure of Tribulation Transcendence suddenly crashed down.
An Wuxue was forced to cough up blood, his hand holding the sword trembling.
Yun Zhou’s palm gathered spiritual power, and in the blink of an eye, he rushed toward An Wu Xue!
In that instant—
Chun Hua fell from the sky, its blade carrying no spiritual power, using only cold metal to cut through the spiritual force like thunder descending, instantly scattering Yun Zhou’s attack!
A man in white clothes descended through the air, his appearance immaculate. With a flick of his fingers, Chun Hua rose again and returned to its sheath, flying back to Xie Zhe Feng’s hand.
Just as Xie Zhe Feng landed, a shattered bronze mirror fell straight from the sky above. The mirror demon wailed continuously, seeming to have lost its mind in agony.
As soon as the mirror crashed down, the mirror demon’s voice scattered completely.
Yun Zhou’s expression shifted, and even An Wu Xue’s face changed.
—Xie Zhe Feng had not only killed the mirror demon, he had shattered its soul and scattered its body!
Yun Zhou was blocked by Xie Zhe Feng, but he still stared at the sword in An Wu Xue’s hand pointing at Yun Qiao, though he addressed Xie Zhe Feng: “The foremost sect of immortal cultivators, and you would commit something as cruel as shattering a soul and scattering a body?”
An Wu Xue: “…”
Though he hadn’t expected it either.
But this phrasing sounded rather strange. After all, he had done it too.
Xie Zhe Feng spoke straightforwardly: “It deserves a thousand cuts.”
“Oh? What about me?”
“I still have questions to ask you. After I’m done, you’ll be the same as it.”
Yun Zhou laughed loudly. “Quite the boast, Daoist Xie! You’re only at Tribulation Transcendence stage—whether you even leave this place is questionable.”
An Wu Xue: “…”
He understood better than anyone that the situation was decided, the matter essentially concluded. He sheathed his sword and looked down at Yun Qiao, whose eyes were tightly closed.
This was a puppet, not the real Yun Qiao.
Yet when he had drawn close using spiritual power moments ago, he seemed to sense a wisp of residual soul still on this body.
Yun Zhou wasn’t controlling this body anymore, so the residual soul inside was very likely Yun Qiao’s own.
Yun Zhou had gone to such great trouble and danger to sneak into Luo Yue Peak, where the Cold Immortal Venerable was stationed, orchestrating the Cloud Sword Sect’s destruction, all for the divine soul treasure of the soul-nurturing tree essence.
Could it be… that the soul Yun Zhou wanted to nurture was Yun Qiao’s residual soul?
He put away the spirit sword and took out the spirit pouch containing the soul-nurturing tree essence—it had indeed stayed with him all along; Xie Zhe Feng had never taken it back.
Xie Zhe Feng noticed his movement, his brows twitching slightly, but he didn’t stop him.
Yun Zhou, blocked by Xie Zhe Feng, suddenly changed color, speaking urgently: “What are you doing? My elder brother is only a wisp of residual soul. This was all me, none of it involves him!”
An Wuxue said nothing.
He didn’t intend to do anything.
He only wanted to use the soul-nurturing tree essence to illuminate Yun Qiao’s residual soul.
The soul-nurturing tree essence could distinguish the resentment of the dead, illuminate a person before and after death, and could also reveal the strongest, most persistent memories that a residual soul could not dissipate.
A residual soul was the lingering obsession of the deceased.
Obsessions usually only existed in those who had experienced great events or the obsessive.
The personality that Yun Zhou displayed through controlling Yun Qiao was completely different from Yun Zhou’s own, so it could only be Yun Qiao’s true nature.
What obsession could such a taciturn, gentle, non-confrontational person harbor that would not dissipate even after death?
He wanted to see.
He took out the soul-nurturing tree essence.
Yun Zhou immediately understood what he was trying to do. Spiritual power erupted around him, his hand grasping a sword to strike at Xie Zhe Feng.
He wanted to reach them.
But Xie Zhe Feng merely raised his hand, letting spiritual energy dance lightly between his fingers, easily deflecting his attack.
At the same time.
The moment An Wuxue brought the soul-nurturing tree essence close to Yun Qiao, brilliant golden light burst forth from the branches!
The scene before them transformed.
The turbid mist covering everything suddenly disappeared. The withered mountains all around transformed, revealing clear skies and countless beasts moving through the forest.
This was the Cloud Sword Sect from Yun Qiao’s memories in life.
Xie Zhe Feng still stood at his side.
When the soul-nurturing tree essence had shone most brightly, he had immediately wrapped the surrounding area in spiritual power. The soul-nurturing tree essence had pulled only the two of them into this fleeting moment of memory.
Everything around them belonged to that past time, but only they two were from this present moment.
Xie Zhe Feng was watching him.
He remembered the face reflected in the mirror shards moments ago, which matched his own from his past life.
What was Xie Zhe Feng thinking as he looked at Xu Xue?
As soon as he lowered his head, Xie Zhe Feng suddenly spoke: “I only told you the soul-nurturing tree essence could illuminate one’s life and death. How do you know it can also reflect a residual soul’s memories?”
An Wu Xue, though he had never seen this treasure during the immortal calamity’s chaos, had read through the numerous ancient texts at Luo Yue. Of course he understood.
He said, “Yun Zhou mentioned the soul-nurturing tree essence to me before when gathering information.”
As soon as his words fell, the memories in Yun Qiao’s past came into clear focus.
Yun Qiao was sitting on the stone steps beside the mountain gate, his arms wrapped around himself, leaning against a pillar, his head tilted back watching formation flights of birds across the sky, seemingly lost in thought.
“Elder brother! Are you waiting for me to come back?”
Someone came riding on their sword.
Yun Qiao turned at the sound and stood up smoothly. “The mountain gate array is sealed. If I don’t wait for you, you’ll disturb Master and the others.”
Yun Zhou descended before Yun Qiao and laughed. “Then I’ll get scolded for being playful again.”
He made a show of bowing. “Thank you, elder brother. But why are you sitting here? Aren’t you worried it’s dirty?”
Yet Yun Qiao spoke seriously: “You swept it for a month. It’s very clean.”
Yun Zhou: “…”
The scene flickered.
The residual soul was incomplete; only intense or deep memories could remain. What An Wuxue saw next were all fragments.
Some showed Yun Qiao teaching others movement techniques, some showed him patiently teaching Yun Zhou sword practice, and some were trivial sect matters.
He also saw Yun Wei and the younger disciples, who looked so young and tender-faced that An Wuxue nearly didn’t recognize them.
They had joined later than Yun Zhou and held the senior brother Yun Qiao in respect, though they preferred to follow the playful Yun Zhou. Yet Yun Zhou always liked to follow Yun Qiao, always pulling him aside for corrections on his sword practice. Knowing his junior brothers and sisters feared his seriousness, Yun Qiao would hide behind a tree, embrace his sword, pretend to doze, and only speak when he heard Yun Zhou’s sword technique go wrong.
It was exactly the same as how An Wuxue had seen Yun Zhou and Yun Qiao interact during those days above the Frost Sea.
So Yun Zhou had been acting exactly according to the past.
Then was this performance for others, or for Yun Zhou himself?
The answer was obvious.
An Wuxue fell silent.
The memories in Yun Qiao’s residual soul kept shifting, mostly containing Yun Zhou.
As An Wuxue watched, he began to sense something.
In what seemed like countless springs and autumns, the memory came to the day Yun Zhou broke through to the Great Perfection stage.
Though his cultivation years were shorter than Yun Qiao’s, he had already caught up. The Cloud Sword Sect had only been established beside Zhao Shui City after the immortal calamity, and the sect master was at most at the peak of Great Perfection stage. The entire sect had no one at Tribulation Transcendence. At Yun Zhou’s rate of progress, barring accidents, he would very likely be the first in the Cloud Sword Sect to reach Tribulation Transcendence.
That day, congratulatory immortal wines and spirit medicines were sent one after another to Yun Zhou’s cave dwelling, with elders and juniors coming and going until deep night.
At the end, only Yun Qiao remained, still holding his sword and standing before Yun Zhou’s cave.
“Elder brother, why haven’t you left?”
Yun Qiao’s eyes curved. “I was so happy for you, I forgot the time.”
Yun Zhou raised his eyebrows, looking directly at Yun Qiao. “Elder brother is so good to me.”
Yun Qiao became visibly uncomfortable under that gaze, his eyes shifting away. “You’ve been busy all day and must be tired. I shouldn’t disturb your rest, I should…”
Yun Zhou grabbed his wrist.
Yun Qiao was suddenly seized by the wrist, and for some reason felt embarrassed.
“…Junior brother?”
Yun Zhou looked at Yun Qiao for a long moment, making his face turn red, before he spoke: “Though I’ve broken through to Great Perfection stage, the cultivation after that is truly confusing. Even the elders in the sect are unclear about it. What if I can’t break through after this…”
“You will,” Yun Qiao said with certainty. “Your talent is extraordinary, Tribulation Transcendence is assured. I’ll do everything I can to help you.”
“But I have no confidence. Elder brother, recently I obtained a mystical seal in a secret realm. Using this seal, we can dual cultivate, exchanging spiritual power between us so both progress faster. But in the sect, among those at my level, besides Master and the uncles, only elder brother qualifies.”
Yun Qiao froze. “…Dual cultivation?”
“Yes,” Yun Zhou smiled slightly. “I like you, elder brother. Will you dual cultivate with me?”
Xie Zhe Feng’s brows furrowed.
The man suddenly spoke: “He’s using you. How would Yun Qiao agree to such actions?”
An Wuxue had seen through it long ago.
He had figured it out even earlier than Xie Zhe Feng.
Yun Zhou knew his talent was high, with great ambitions. That’s why he always dragged his senior brother to practice sword with him. He only ever cared about advancing his cultivation.
Having watched his junior brother reach this point, how could Yun Qiao not understand?
But the way Yun Qiao looked at Yun Zhou…
An Wuxue was all too familiar with that look.
He laughed softly, his voice cool despite the smile in his eyes. “The Immortal Venerable is mistaken. Yun Qiao will agree.”
Xie Zhe Feng was startled, his gaze shifting to An Wu Xue.
An Wuxue immediately looked away.
But in Yun Qiao’s memory, after a moment of silence, Yun Qiao turned to meet Yun Zhou’s gaze.
“Yes,” he said to his junior brother, “I like you too.”