Chapter 38#
An Wuxue sat in the courtyard holding Kun-kun, waiting for Xie Zhefeng to come.
Immortal Venerable Xie was not easy to fool. Now that his heart-demon had been suppressed, he would surely think of everything that happened on the day the Zhaoshui Sword Array malfunctioned.
And An Wuxue also wanted to investigate the matter of the furnace mark, so he decided to wait for Xie Zhefeng’s arrival, remaining unchanged in the face of all variables.
Unexpectedly, the one who came was not Xie Zhefeng, but Qin Wei.
When Qin Wei came this time, he did ring the soul bell, but only once.
When An Wuxue heard it, he frowned and continued to gently stroke Kun-kun’s fur, making no move.
Qin Wei had a stubborn nature. Just as he had stuck to his guns in the past, he was doing the same now. Seeing him would only lead to more of those confusing and inexplicable actions, so it was better not to meet.
He ignored it; Qin Wei would eventually leave if he couldn’t see anyone.
He felt the wind of the Frost Sea, occasionally spacing out, completely forgetting that soft sound just now.
Until the moon, which could not be seen from Luoyue Peak, gradually rose over the Frost Sea. Kun-kun had fallen asleep in his arms, and Yun Wan quietly approached.
“What are you doing?” he asked helplessly.
Yun Wan hesitated to speak.
His gaze flickered, and he understood.
Expanding his divine sense, Qin Wei was indeed still standing in front of his door.
“…”
He said, “Let him in.”
Yun Wan immediately nodded and jogged to open the door.
Kun-kun woke up as soon as Qin Wei entered.
Before his fall in his previous life, An Wuxue had already drifted apart from Qin Wei, and Kun-kun knew it.
It gave a “woo” and turned its head away, burying its entire head in An Wuxue’s embrace—out of sight, out of mind.
Qin Wei: “…”
He didn’t dare say anything and sat down in front of An Wuxue.
An Wuxue said quite displeasedly, “Elder Qin.”
“Hmm?”
“If you want to expose me, this is the Frost-Burial Sea. You only need to send out one voice transmission talisman, and I will be prepared to face Xie Zhefeng and that damn heart-demon. Even if the Silu Peak comes to send me to the Cangu Tower, I won’t be surprised.”
His cultivation had now recovered to the peak of the Great Success stage, and his soul was no longer as weary as when he first woke up. At worst, he would just fight it out.
Qin Wei immediately became anxious: “I’ve already said, since you don’t want it, I will definitely not reveal your identity. Ah Xue, why won’t you just believe me?”
An Wuxue’s brows twitched. He looked puzzled, but then he gave a laugh, as if he had heard something funny.
Qin Wei’s expression suddenly froze.
—“Why won’t you just believe me?”
How many times had An Wuxue told him back then that the Zhaoshui matter was truly a helpless situation?
Why wouldn’t he just believe him?
Hearing those words from his own mouth was indeed ironic.
He clenched his fists, suddenly feeling as if he were sitting on pins and needles.
Yet even this feeling of sitting on pins and needles was exceptionally agonizing.
He couldn’t stand it already. But what he had experienced and gone through these past few days was not even a ten-thousandth of what An Wuxue had gone through back then.
Qin Wei could only keep a sullen face and say in a gentle tone: “Don’t worry, I won’t tell anyone.”
“Then why has Elder Qin been standing at my door for another day?” An Wuxue said bluntly. “This is the Immortal Venerable’s residence. With a sweep of an eternal immortal’s divine sense and seeing you like this, he can guess everything. Does he still need you to expose my identity?”
“Don’t worry. Xie Chuhan is not at the Frost Sea today; that’s why I dared to do this.”
An Wuxue’s movements paused.
Not at the Frost Sea?
Xie Zhefeng didn’t immediately suspect his words and actions and come to question him?
Qin Wei said: “He just came out of seclusion and was originally going to send someone to test you. I was there and stopped him, saying I would test you first. That’s why I came to disturb you, to give you a heads-up. After I go back, I’ll send him a voice transmission saying I’ve already tested you and that you have nothing to do with ‘An Wuxue’.”
“Then I must thank Elder Qin,” he said without any joy or sorrow. “In that case, what reward does Elder Qin want to exchange with me? I am truly not as I was before. In terms of spiritual treasures and cultivation, I am not as good as Elder Qin. Only my soul retains the cultivation of a thousand years ago. If it’s something related to divine sense, I can help.”
Qin Wei showed a look of pain and said with a pale face: “I just… just came to inform you; I’m not looking for any reward. Hiding it for you is what I should do.”
An Wuxue was silent.
Qin Wei could only pull himself together and continue: “Although I can gloss it over this time, you still have to be a bit more careful. I know that you now look exactly the same as you did before. Even if others find you familiar, the first thing they’ll think is that it’s because you look alike. But Xie Chuhan is different.”
How is he different?
Qin Wei said: “The fact that he wants to find a way to resurrect you is known to a few people, including those Tribulation cultivators who didn’t fall during the immortal disaster back then. He is now the only one who has ascended to immortality in the four seas and is the Immortal Venerable ruling the two realms. After all these years, naturally someone has tried to scheme against him, wanting to get some benefits from him.”
“Six hundred years ago, someone found a child born with jade bones. Although the child didn’t have a golden body, he at least had jade bones and exceptional talent. That person changed the child’s name to something related to ‘Snow’ and sent him to Luoyue Peak, saying they wanted to take Immortal Venerable Chuhan as their master. He took one look at the jade bones, gave a few pointers, and then had the child sent back to his family.”
“Three hundred and fifty years ago, a mortal appeared in Langfeng City whose appearance was eighty percent similar to yours. The Lord of Langfeng City took that child into his sect and wrote a letter to Xie Chuhan, wanting to exchange him for spiritual medicine and dharma treasures. He only replied, ‘The living beings of Langfeng City are the responsibility of its City Lord,’ and ignored it thereafter.”
“There were three or four other such instances. Only this time did he keep you. Coupled with the fact that your remnant soul cannot be found now, once he discerns that the sense of familiarity he has with you is not the work of his heart-demon, he will eventually realize the coincidence. Sometimes even I think that over these past thousand years, if it hadn’t been for the thought of finding and resurrecting you to support him, he might not have survived one heart-demon flare-up after another.”
An Wuxue lowered his eyes.
Why did his junior brother insist on finding and resurrecting him?
Even if he found him, what then?
He even developed a heart-demon.
He had nothing to say when he thought of this heart-demon.
Since he had abandoned him and chosen his path back then, he should have stayed on that chosen path to the end. Why do this now…
Since Qin Wei was already sitting here, he simply asked: “Is his heart-demon completely suppressed?”
“I suppose so… he and the heart-demon have been tormenting each other for a thousand years. A flare-up of this magnitude is already considered normal now.”
“—A thousand years? Because of… me?”
“Yes,” Qin Wei said solemnly. “Strictly speaking, it hasn’t been a thousand years. It was… eight hundred years after you fell. Except when he absolutely had to act, he was in seclusion at the Frost Sea. It was only two hundred years ago that he completely rooted out the heart-demon. It’s only been two hundred years, and because your remnant soul’s aura suddenly couldn’t be detected at the Thorny River, the heart-demon has been revived.”
Eight hundred years.
Ha.
It didn’t even take Xie Zhefeng eight hundred years to ascend to immortality, and the Chuhan sword light only spent an instant entering his heart.
If the An Wuxue of his previous life were sitting here, he would likely be filled with a mix of complex emotions.
“A heart-demon born after ascending to immortality, why did it take eight hundred years to suppress?”
Qin Wei shook his head: “Xie Chuhan never speaks to us about this. Qi Xun and I only knew he had a heart-demon because he previously needed me to temporarily take charge of Luoyue during a flare-up and had Qi Xun look for news related to you. That’s how we found out. Shangguan Liao Liao doesn’t even know about this…”
An Wuxue frowned.
Kun-kun looked up in his arms: “Woo woo…”
Kun-kun was a Barrier Beast and inherently had the ability to suppress heart-demons. Over these thousand years, it had likely helped Xie Zhefeng quite a bit and might know the various reasons.
But a spiritual pet cannot speak human language. No matter how much it knows, it cannot tell him.
“Ah Xue—”
“Elder Qin,” he said in a deep voice, “I’ve said it before: I am not the Ah Xue you speak of. The Ah Xue you speak of fell a thousand years ago at the mountain gate of Luoyue Peak. When he broke through the siege of ten thousand sects and reached the mountain gate, you neither stopped him nor helped him, but told him that his life and death from then on were unrelated to you.”
“I hope you remember those words.”
Qin Wei felt as if he had been struck by lightning.
He stalled for a long time, opening his mouth, and the light in his eyes gradually dimmed.
He could only say: “Mr… Mr. Su, are you worried about Xie Chuhan’s heart-demon?”
“He is the only eternal immortal in the world. If his heart-demon loses control, do you all want another immortal disaster?”
An Wuxue gave a sardonic smile, his expression full of exhaustion. He continued: “Su Xue has a furnace mark on him that links with Xie Zhefeng’s aura. I still need to find him. He’s not at Luoyue; where did he go?”
“Back then, he sensed your remnant soul at the Thorny River, and because you… mentioned something about the Heavenly Pillar when you fell, all these years he’s either gone to the Thorny River to look for you or searched the two realms for clues that might be related to the Heavenly Pillar. Some time ago he discovered that the remnant soul at the Thorny River was gone, so Qi Xun has been staying at the Thorny River. Now that the matters of the Yunjian Sect and Zhaoshui City are settled, he’s gone to the Thorny River to find Qi Xun.”
Thorny River.
All sides were sealed off by the immortal cultivators of the Li-Fire Sect. Qi Xun stood amidst the thorn bushes, an array swirling around him.
He closed his eyes for an unknown amount of time, then opened them again, showing a look of disappointment.
Still nothing.
Still no trace of Ah Xue’s remnant soul.
A remnant soul begins with an obsession; either it can’t hold on and disperses into the vast heaven and earth, or the obsession is satisfied and it dissolves on its own.
What about Ah Xue?
Does he no longer have any attachments to this world?
Qi Xun despondently withdrew his array. Not far away, a figure in white robes descended from the air, immortal power stirring a light breeze.
“Xie Chuhan,” he said, “have you resolved the matter of the one from the Soul-Extinguishing Peak who sneaked into Luoyue Peak?”
Xie Zhefeng did not speak.
The eternal immortal’s divine sense spread out. It was difficult to extend one’s divine sense at the Thorny River, but he searched bit by bit.
Until, as it had been for the past thousand years, nothing could be found. An Wuxue’s remnant soul could not be found, and the Heavenly Pillar that An Wuxue had said during his lifetime was at the Thorny River could not be found either.
He slowly opened his eyes.
He said: “That matter has been settled. It has some connection to the recent crisis in Zhaoshui.”
“How is your heart-demon? If anything goes wrong with the heart-demon, if Ah Xue were still alive, he would be angry.”
Xie Zhefeng paused for a moment, then simply continued from his previous sentence: “Staying at the Thorny River any longer is a futile effort. If you trust me, go to Zhaoshui again for me.”
The hand with which Qi Xun was fanning himself with his folding fan paused, and he asked in confusion: “Can the Immortal Venerable speak human language? What do you mean? I help you because those matters are related to Ah Xue; I’m not a disciple of your Luoyue Peak who runs errands! Didn’t you just return from Zhaoshui City? Why are you sending me to Zhaoshui again?”
Xie Zhefeng reached out and opened his palm. With a movement of spiritual power, a scroll suddenly appeared in his hand.
He gave it a light shake, and the scroll opened, revealing the portrait of a person painted on it.
Qi Xun blurted out: “Ah Xue…”
He paused, then shook his head: “No, it’s not.”
The person in the portrait looked very similar to An Wuxue, but their expression was dull, with no sense of agility, entirely different from An Wuxue’s aura.
“…It’s that furnace you kept?”
Xie Zhefeng threw the scroll directly to him.
“Go to Zhaoshui City and investigate Su Xue’s life—where he came from, who his parents were, whether he has friends or family, where he grew up before the age of twenty, and how he was found by Yun Zhou. A person living in this world must have causes and effects; if there is any falsehood, there will surely be a break in the cause and effect.”
Qi Xun looked at the scroll in his hand and suddenly understood something.
“You don’t think he’s, he is…?”
“I don’t know.” It was rare for the Immortal Venerable Chuhan to speak such apprehensive words.
When his heart-demon flared up in Zhaoshui City, Su Xue’s words had indeed stumped him.
Did he truly think Su Xue was his senior brother, or was he desperately hoping Su Xue was his senior brother after the latter’s remnant soul disappeared?
He didn’t know, so he couldn’t investigate personally. He feared that if he couldn’t keep a clear head, he would self-deceivingly connect any irrelevant clues he found back to his senior brother.
He said no more. The thin spiritual energy around them rippled slightly, and he was gone, leaving only Qi Xun staring blankly at the scroll.
Xie Zhefeng had just returned to the Frost-Burial Sea and intended to handle the matter of the truth of the Zhaoshui Sword Array.
But when he reached the door, he saw Song Buwang standing before his cave dwelling.
Seeing him, the youth walked forward quickly and respectfully handed him Qin Wei’s voice transmission talisman.
He opened it and listened. Qin Wei only said: “No.”
Su Xue was not An Wuxue.
His gaze darkened, and the voice transmission talisman was crushed to pieces by the spiritual power he inadvertently released.
Could it be… that he truly was still being controlled by his heart-demon, giving rise to some unrealistic delusions?
“Immortal Venerable!” Song Buwang suddenly cried out.
Xie Zhefeng’s gaze moved and saw the youth suddenly kneel before him, clasping his hands and lowering his head, saying loudly: “Today, I learned from my Master about the events of the Zhaoshui Sword Array a thousand years ago. I would like to ask the Immortal Venerable for the loan of an object.”
“…What object?”
“The Soul-Nurturing Tree Spirit.”
An Wuxue heard the soul bell ring again.
He slightly expanded his divine sense and found the visitor was Song Buwang.
He: “…”
This master and disciple truly took turns knocking on his door.
He didn’t want to deal with Qin Wei, but he was still somewhat polite to Song Buwang.
He went forward to open the door, wanting to lead the child inside, but Song Buwang waved his hand and said, “I won’t go in to disturb Mr. Su. I’ve come here today to thank Mr. Su and bid farewell.”
Thank him?
Bid farewell?
An Wuxue then took a serious look and found Song Buwang’s eyes were slightly red, and the tip of his nose was also a bit red, as if he had cried.
The youth’s eyes, which had been clear and bright just a few days ago, were now a bit gray, yet his gaze remained resolute.
He vaguely guessed.
He asked, “Did your Master tell you?”
Song Buwang nodded gently.
An Wuxue wanted to say a few words of comfort, but heard Song Buwang say: “I’ve come to thank Mr. Su for what he said that day. If not for that, Buwang would still be in the dark to this day.”
An Wuxue was silent for a moment and could only say: “It was not your fault.”
Song Buwang shook his head: “Mr. Su might not know, but before today, I once disliked a person very much. Because for as long as I can remember, the cultivators of Zhaoshui City have all told me that back then when my father sacrificed to the array, that person was the other survivor. Some even told me that if it was my father’s oversight, why did that person survive but not say anything?”
“I’ve also felt that way all along. I thought, could that person be feeling guilty? I really wanted to ask that person, but before I was born, he had fallen, dead at the hands of the Immortal Venerable’s Chuhan Sword, with no bones left.”
An Wuxue blinked rapidly.
“…Then I attained the Great Success stage and was about to reach the Tribulation stage. The Immortal Venerable rejected my position as Chief, saying my current state of mind was not up to it and I couldn’t handle the position. But I heard that before that person fell, he was the previous Chief of Luoyue Peak. He could handle it; why can’t I?”
“I didn’t like him. His name appeared in my life and always brought bad things.”
“Until today, when Master told me about the various events of those years, I finally understood that the Immortal Venerable was right. I am not even a ten-thousandth of him; how could I be worthy of the position of Chief? How could I succeed to his responsibilities?”
An Wuxue opened his mouth, but no sound came out.
He seemed to want to say a lot to Song Buwang, yet didn’t know which sentence to start with.
So he was dazed for a moment and only said one sentence: “Everyone has their own path. Young Immortal Song need not compare himself to him.”
Song Buwang gave a laugh.
“So I’m going to find my own path. I’ve asked the Immortal Venerable for orders to guard the Zhaoshui Sword Array for the rest of my life. I’ll be leaving as soon as I finish saying goodbye to Mr. Su.”
The youth performed a hand seal, and his natal sword flew out from its scabbard, hovering before his eyes.
He leaped onto the sword and said: “Mr. Su, if you come to Zhaoshui again in the future, you can send a message into the sword array. I will surely welcome you with open arms.”
He didn’t wait for An Wuxue’s answer and flew away on his sword.
An Wuxue stood in front of the door, looking into the distance, watching the youth’s silhouette grow more and more blurred.
Until he could no longer see him.
Only then did he gently rub his eyes, close the door, and return to his room.
That night.
In Zhaoshui City.
The crisis of the sword array had passed. Because An Wuxue had informed Qin Wei that day and Qin Wei had acted in time, Zhaoshui City suffered no damage except for the mortal houses near the sword array.
The Tianshui festival had just passed, and Zhaoshui City at night was still lit with myriad lights, prosperous and bright. The flow of people on the long street was like the tides of the nearby East Cang Sea, never-ending.
Song Buwang flew directly into the city on his sword. The guards initially wanted to stop him, but after seeing his face and the Luoyue Peak disciple robes he was wearing, they all stepped aside.
He landed before the Zhaoshui Sword and slowly knelt.
In the distance, it seemed a family was celebrating a happy event, letting off fireworks. One after another, the bursts of fire exploded in the air with “bang,” “bang,” “bang.”
The firelight was reflected on his face. Amidst the myriad lights, he kowtowed three times to the Zhaoshui Sword.
He used no spiritual power for protection and kowtowed heavily. When he looked up again, blood was already seeping from his forehead.
His expression remained unchanged. From his spiritual pouch, he took out a tree branch emitting a faint golden light.
—The Soul-Nurturing Tree Spirit.
He had asked the Immortal Venerable Chuhan for the loan of such a peerless treasure to do what he wanted to do.
The golden light of the Soul-Nurturing Tree Spirit flourished.
Lou Shuiming and Song Wu’s souls had just dissipated here. Song Wu’s resentment that had lasted for a thousand years and the memories left by Lou Shuiming’s remnant soul were linked together by the Soul-Nurturing Tree Spirit at this moment.
The golden light brought out the events of those years, condensing the past hidden within the sword array a thousand years ago into a ball of golden light.
Song Buwang’s eyes reflected the golden light. He performed a hand seal, pulling out memories from that fingertip-sized golden light.
He brought his fingers together, and spiritual power moved slightly.
In an instant, one identical golden light after another emerged.
He fashioned many identical copies of this memory.
The fireworks in the distance gradually ceased. In the vast Zhaoshui City, the lights went out one after another.
The starry night poured down, and the river of stars flowed past the giant sword that stood between heaven and earth.
Song Buwang still knelt beneath the sword, with one ball of light after another carrying the events of those years floating around him.
At the moment he fashioned the last ball of light with his spiritual power, his spiritual power should have been depleted, but the spiritual power around him suddenly whirled in a vortex, blowing his hair and into his sleeves.
A cool wind entered his robes, and the spiritual power on his body suddenly began to flow abundantly again, his soul becoming clear and transparent.
His cultivation, which had been stagnant for a long time, instantly broke through the peak of the Great Success stage and entered the Tribulation realm.
This night, after a thousand years, Zhaoshui City finally had another Tribulation-stage cultivator guarding the region.
Those memories carrying the truth of the past, enveloped in the golden light of the Soul-Nurturing Tree Spirit, scattered from the Zhaoshui Sword and drifted with the wind into the dreams of the myriad living beings in Zhaoshui.
A grand dream, a thousand years in the blink of an eye.