Chapter 81#
After Pei Qian finished speaking, An Wuxue didn’t respond.
He didn’t know what he was thinking, but his head was lowered, and his expression was complex as he looked at the unconscious Immortal Venerable Chu Han.
The white spiritual pet was lying beside Xie Zhefeng, looking at An Wuxue and Pei Qian with confusion, as if it didn’t understand what they were doing.
The room fell silent once more.
Pei Qian didn’t dare make a sound and stood to the side waiting. After a while, something tugged at his wrist, again and again.
He looked down to see the spiritual rope tied to his wrist being pulled from the other room by that bastard Qu Jizhi.
“…”
An Wuxue suddenly snapped back to reality and glanced at Pei Qian’s wrist.
Pei Qian quietly pulled down his sleeve.
An Wuxue said, “The other end of this rope isn’t the Qu Jizhi from five hundred years ago, but the real Qu Jizhi, right?”
Pei Qian: “!!!”
“I checked your spiritual power and found it was still sealed. If it were the Qu Jizhi from five hundred years ago, you could have easily broken the seal yourself and then fooled him. Since you haven’t, it can only be because you can’t—only the real Qu Jizhi has a higher cultivation than yours, making his seal unbreakable for you.”
“First Seat…”
“Before I exposed you, you had no intention of mentioning Qu Jizhi’s presence here. He shouldn’t be the mastermind behind the Guan Ye Array in the First City. I won’t interfere in your private matters with him, but since he has appeared in this illusion and is the creator of the array, do I need to point out what you should do after you go back?”
An Wuxue was still shocked and dazed by the discovery of the Heartless Curse on Xie Zhefeng’s soul, yet he remained cautious enough not to miss a single detail regarding the North Abyss situation.
Pei Qian broke out in a cold sweat and said seriously, “I will ask him exactly who else knows about the Guan Ye Array and why there were Qu clan demon cultivators pursuing Mr. Jiang.”
An Wuxue remained silent.
On Pei Qian’s wrist, the spiritual rope was being pulled faster and faster. He knew Qu Jizhi couldn’t wait any longer.
He turned to leave, but heard An Wuxue say to him, “There is one more thing—consider it a private matter between the Immortal Venerable and me. I’d like to ask a favor of you and this young Immortal Master of the Qu family.”
“Please speak, First Seat.”
“The Heartless Curse on the Immortal Venerable was not cast by me, and I cannot break it…”
That Heartless Curse had been cast by Immortal Venerable Nan He during his lifetime and could only be broken by someone in the Immortal Realm.
An Wuxue wasn’t sure if Xie Zhefeng’s inner demons were related to this curse, nor was he clear on whether it was better to break the curse now or keep it.
“…At the moment, I’m afraid only the Immortal Venerable himself can break the curse. Since Qu Jizhi could come looking for you, he must have broken the curse already. Could you help me find out from him how he broke it? And what were the effects before and after breaking it?”
Pei Qian nodded.
“In addition, since the Qu clan possesses this curse, I want to investigate its source. If possible, I hope you can also help me ask if the Qu clan has any other related information.”
“First Seat,” Pei Qian raised his hand and gestured a number, “that’s two things.”
An Wuxue: “…”
He said, “My Chun Hua is starting to crave blood.”
Pei Qian immediately bowed. “I shall attend to it at once!”
An Wuxue tossed him a newly created book.
“This is an illusion technique from Falling Moon Peak. You are already skilled in the way of karma, so the illusions you create will naturally be exceptional. This technique can create a realm of lingering dreams that feel real, causing one to become deeply entangled and unable to extricate themselves. it is a closely guarded secret of Falling Moon Peak.”
Pei Qian flipped through the book and marveled, “What a wicked spell.”
An Wuxue glanced at him. “If that young Immortal Master Qu continues to pester you, you can use this illusion to weave a perfect marriage and satisfy his obsession. Perhaps that will even break the heartless tribulation predicted by the Qu family.”
Pei Qian then praised, “I like its wickedness very much.”
An Wuxue: “…”
Sensing An Wuxue’s speechlessness, Pei Qian quickly tucked away the precious book, opened the door, and thoughtfully closed it after himself before scurrying back to find Qu Jizhi.
Once the surroundings grew quiet, An Wuxue stood by the bed, looking at the unconscious Xie Zhefeng and remembering what Pei Qian had said.
—"…If someone is under the Heartless Curse, but their feelings are indestructible, then naturally they can rely purely on their own steadfast will to resist the curse’s effect, even while the curse remains unbroken."
He unsealed Xie Zhefeng’s spiritual power and divine sense and stood in a daze to the side.
After an unknown amount of time.
He suddenly gave a self-deprecating laugh.
Xie Zhefeng hadn’t dreamed for a long time.
He forgot why he had fallen asleep, and he forgot how he had entered the dream.
He had fought his inner demons for centuries, and every time he dreamed, it was always a terrifying nightmare or a vision of his Senior Brother’s fading figure. After these dreams appeared so often, he no longer dared to dream unless his inner demons dragged him into it.
Since entering North Abyss, his inner demons had been heavily suppressed, and he hadn’t had a nightmare involving his Senior Brother for a long time.
Consequently, when he once again saw his Senior Brother standing by the sword-grinding stone on Falling Moon Peak, turning to look at him, he didn’t realize he had entered a dream.
He only knew to rush to his Senior Brother’s side, afraid he would vanish. Without thinking, he went to embrace him.
But just as he drew near, he suddenly remembered that since his Senior Brother’s return, he seemed unwilling to be close to him.
His heart tightened, his movements faltered, and he withdrew his arms.
But his Senior Brother smiled at him and instead reached out to grab him.
“Junior Brother,” in the dream, his Senior Brother called him as gently as he had a thousand years ago, “why have you stopped?”
His Senior Brother even walked toward him.
This should have been what he dreamed of.
Even in a dream, it was a beautiful dream he hadn’t found in a thousand years.
But a sudden surge of terror rose in Xie Zhefeng’s heart.
No!
The Senior Brother of a thousand years later has never been this good to me, and it’s even more impossible for him to return to Falling Moon and act as he did before by the sword-grinding stone!
Senior Brother is trying to trick me!
He wants to cast the Heartless Curse on me.
He wants me to forget him!
Xie Zhefeng backed away abruptly.
In the dream, his Senior Brother’s eyes curved slightly, his gaze bright.
“What’s wrong? Does Junior Brother not want to be close to me?”
I do.
How could I not?
But he stumbled back several steps, until even the sword marks on the grinding stone were a blur, until he actually found his Senior Brother’s smile terrifying and jarring from a distance.
Great demons and monsters would flee at the sight of him, and immortal cultivators all knew the name of the Chu Han sword. He had sat in the position of Immortal Venerable for over a millennium; it had always been others who fled from him.
Yet he was so frightened by a smile he had once longed for that he didn’t dare approach.
He was in a state of panic that was completely unlike him.
But the Senior Brother in the dream still approached with a smile, asking him: “What is Junior Brother afraid of? Does Junior Brother still remember me?”
“Does Junior Brother still remember?”
“Then you should forget.”
No!!!
Xie Zhefeng woke up abruptly.
He sat up suddenly on the bed.
In the illusion of five hundred years ago, the sky was dark, and two luminous lamps made of fire essence were placed in the room, bright and warm.
But the tall window was wide open, letting in the cool night breeze and revealing the starry sky.
An Wuxue was sitting by the window. The night breeze made the ends of his hair flutter, as if they could flutter right into someone’s heart.
Beside him was a luminous pearl. By its light, An Wuxue was flipping through some mortal book.
Xie Zhefeng was dazed for a moment.
Senior Brother…
An Wuxue also heard him wake up. He looked away from the book and toward the bed, his expression flat.
His tone was neither warm nor cold: “You’re awake?”
Xie Zhefeng nodded blankly.
An Wuxue said, “Jiang Qing is still in the Qu estate. He said Shangguan Liaoliao should visit the Qu family tomorrow or the day after, and we should be prepared.”
“Pei Qian and Qu Jizhi are next door. The Qu Jizhi we met today isn’t the one from the illusion, but the real one—he has also entered this illusion.”
“So the Pei Qian and Qu Jizhi of five hundred years ago are still on their normal trajectories. The illusion is currently free of issues.”
After finishing these official matters, he softened his tone. “I struck you too hard when I knocked you out; you wouldn’t wake up. I felt bored, so I went to the night market and bought a book of mortal plays. I was just reaching a pivotal point when you woke up.”
Xie Zhefeng was even more dazed.
It was as if he had returned to the time of the Immortal Calamity, discussing matters of importance with An Wuxue, or as if he were seeing the Senior Brother who had waited for him on the shore of the Black Sea, still as gentle as water.
But his heart trembled as he suddenly remembered the Senior Brother who had tried to cast a curse on him during the day.
His lips moved slightly, but he couldn’t speak.
An Wuxue continued on his own: “I’m almost finished with the play. You can rest for a bit and let me finish it.”
Xie Zhefeng didn’t dare move.
He was still in a daze from having just woken up, but he knew An Wuxue didn’t want to be disturbed. So he just sat stiffly on the bed, making no sound.
Yet as he looked at An Wuxue, he could still feel his unending affection for the person before him.
He liked his Senior Brother.
He loved his Senior Brother.
—He hadn’t forgotten!!!
Xie Zhefeng held his breath, terrified he was still in a dream.
Had his Senior Brother not cast the curse on him?
But he had pleaded so desperately earlier, yet An Wuxue hadn’t shown even a hint of hesitation.
Or was it that An Wuxue had cast the curse, but it had no effect on him?
Then, since his Senior Brother was so peaceful now, did he think the curse had worked and was now treating him as a heartless and emotionless Immortal Venerable?
He had just escaped from a dream more terrifying than death, and his soul seemed to be in knots; everything he thought was a jumble.
In the silence, Xie Zhefeng was consumed by a vague anxiety.
After a moment.
An Wuxue finished reading, closed the book, and looked back at Xie Zhefeng.
“Junior Brother,” he changed the form of address, “you were born in Langfeng. Do you still remember the snow lotuses on the Sea of Guxu that were like stars in the sea?”
“I remember…”
“The Sea of Guxu is teeming with demons and monsters, and the seawater and frost hinder the divine sense of ordinary cultivators. Only someone like you, whose spiritual energy is naturally icy, can walk through it as you please.”
An Wuxue gave a light laugh, repeating words he had spoken a thousand years ago.
“The snow lotuses are hidden in the snow foam of the Sea of Guxu. The Sea of Guxu is vast and freezing, making it hard for my divine sense to expand; I can’t tell the lotuses from the foam. Could Junior Brother help me find one?”
Xie Zhefeng said without thinking, “Naturally. Whatever Senior Brother wants, I will retrieve it for you. I—”
He paused mid-sentence, suddenly remembering the Heartless Curse.
A look of panic immediately appeared on his face.
Answering in such a way, how could there be any sign of forgotten feelings?
If his Senior Brother knew the curse had failed and wanted to cast it again…
By the window, An Wuxue was thinking about the past from a thousand years ago.
He had asked this question and observed Xie Zhefeng’s reaction simply to see if those fickle actions of his junior brother in the past had been due to the Heartless Curse.
Xie Zhefeng’s answer provided the response.
If Xie Zhefeng had remembered his request but simply forgotten to pick one for him, he shouldn’t be completely unresponsive upon hearing the exact same words now.
The man had completely and utterly forgotten that he had ever made such a request.
As expected…
“Senior Brother!”
While he was lost in thought, Xie Zhefeng suddenly got off the bed and rushed to him.
An Wuxue was sitting in a wooden chair by the tea table. Xie Zhefeng actually knelt before him, looking up at him and speaking exceptionally quickly: “The reason I just agreed and said I’d pick it for you is because of our sect bond! It’s just… just a small favor!”
" I have no feelings for Senior Brother!"
“I… I’ve forgotten. Believe me.”