Volume 5: Tribulation of All Beings
Return to an Old Place.
Ao’an Mountain was, after all, an immortal mountain. It was not quite appropriate for those who had descended to the mortal realm to experience a tribulation1 to remain on an immortal’s mountain for shelter.
Luo Mingyuan had been unconscious for a long time. When he first awoke, his body was inevitably a little weak, but his constitution was better than that of an ordinary person. In just three short days, he had mostly recovered.
Now that his body had healed, it was naturally time to prepare for their departure.
Faced with the farewells of Jiang Yuyao and Luo Mingyuan, Xun Chi did not press them to stay. He said that Yue Zhuo was now basically able to control the powerful force within her body, and it was time for him to return to the Heavenly Court to plead guilty for his own crimes.
Hearing this, Yue Zhuo could not help but frown and ask, “What crime did you commit? Was I not the one who caused all the trouble? You tell those gods clearly, this has nothing to do with you. If they want to punish someone, they should just punish me.”
Xun Chi could not help but lower his gaze and smile bitterly. That day, if he had not deceived the Heavenly Realm by claiming he had already signed a blood contract2 with Fuzhu3 and Huodou4, how could the Heavenly Realm have allowed two ferocious beasts5 to remain in the world?
In order to protect these two ferocious beasts, he had told countless lies to the Heavenly Court. Now, he had even interfered with the mortal tribulation of the Jin Wu6 and Fusang7. Paper cannot wrap fire.8 Even if he pretended nothing had happened, if the Heavenly Emperor were to learn the details in the future, he would certainly be punished.
By pleading guilty himself, he might at least receive a more lenient sentence.
But these were matters that a child with no winding and twisting9 thoughts, who only knew how to be straight to the point, would not understand.
“You do not understand,” Xun Chi said with a soft sigh. “Before I return, you must listen to Jian Li in all matters. No willfulness or mischief is allowed.”
Jian Li heard this and pulled Yue Zhuo into her arms, gently ruffling the stray hairs on her forehead. “We also have our own sins to atone for,” she said softly.
Yue Zhuo frowned, bit her lip, and lowered her eyes. “I know…”
Nearby, Jiang Yuyao remained silent for a long time before she finally could not resist raising her eyes to ask, “High God10 Xun Chi, by helping us before, did you truly break the rules of the Heavenly Realm?”
“It is no matter,” Xun Chi replied nonchalantly, instead turning the conversation elsewhere. “After you leave Ao’an, where do you plan to go?”
“My Shidi11 and I have thought long and hard about what Yi Qiu said before, and we feel it is better to believe it than to dismiss it,” Jiang Yuyao said. “If spring truly does not arrive after winter, and resentment rises in the mortal realm, evil spirits will surely bring chaos to the world. We plan to first return to the Xianlu Sect to explain this matter to my Father12, and then spread the news to the various immortal sects so that everyone can prepare in advance.”
“Mm,” Xun Chi said with a nod. “After I leave, Jian Li and Yue Zhuo will go to the mortal realm to perform good deeds as atonement. By the end of next spring, they will come to the Xianlu Sect to find you. If a ferocious beast truly appears, they can also lend you two a hand.”
“Thank you, Immortal One, and you two for your help.” Jiang Yuyao’s eyes were filled with gratitude. She bowed deeply to Xun Chi, then turned to face Jian Li and Yue Zhuo. She had just begun to bow when Jian Li quickly helped her up.
“Goddess, this is not a matter of us helping you. Although you granted us eternal freedom, in our hearts, we have already decided that you are our Master,” Jian Li said earnestly. “From now on, no matter what difficulties the Goddess encounters, as long as you have need of us, we will certainly do everything in our power to help!”
Beside her, Yue Zhuo nodded repeatedly.
Yi Qiu was leaning against the window, her chin propped in her hand, watching the five people in the courtyard say their goodbyes. Her chaotic thoughts had drifted off to who knows where.
You Yan came up from behind and gently patted her shoulder. She snapped back to reality and turned her head, a look of 茫然 filled her eyes.
“Let us go,” You Yan said.
“Are we leaving too?” Yi Qiu could not help but ask.
“The master of the mountain is leaving. What reason is there for a guest to remain?” You Yan said, helping Yi Qiu away from the window.
Unlike Jiang Yuyao and Luo Mingyuan, You Yan had forced her way in when she arrived and had no intention of bidding farewell upon leaving.
She took You Yan’s wrist and walked out of the room. Just like any other time they went for a stroll, she walked past the five people in the courtyard as if no one else was around and headed down the mountain path.
Yi Qiu could not resist turning back to wave at everyone, a simple gesture of farewell.
Yue Zhuo could not help but ask, “Little Sheep, are you leaving too?”
“Mhm!” Yi Qiu nodded. Just as she was about to say one last thing, she saw Jiang Yuyao and Luo Mingyuan hurrying to catch up.
“You… you two…”
“Since we are all leaving, let us go down the mountain together,” Jiang Yuyao said. She subconsciously glanced at You Yan, and seeing no sign of rejection, she smiled in relief. Walking beside Yi Qiu, she asked casually, “Where do you plan to go next?”
Yi Qiu was stunned for a moment, then looked up at You Yan. “You Yan, where do we plan to go next?”
I really have no idea where to go next. The System won’t give me directions, so I can only follow You Yan wherever she goes. I’m sure she has a plan.
You Yan said, “I have no plans for now.”
Yi Qiu: “…”
Jiang Yuyao asked again, “Do you plan to return to the Demon Realm?”
You Yan replied, “I have no such plans for now.”
Jiang Yuyao thought for a moment, then asked tentatively, “If Miss You has no plans, why not come back to the Xianlu Sect with us?”
“Huh?” Yi Qiu was taken aback.
“Miss You has not yet recovered from her injuries, and bringing Chao Yun here has consumed too much of your spiritual power,” Jiang Yuyao said earnestly. “The Xianlu Sect has been mostly rebuilt now, and it is much quieter than the inns in the city. If Miss You has nowhere to go, you could come to our Xianlu Sect to recuperate for a while.”
“Jiang Yuyao.” You Yan did not stop walking, but the end of her eyebrow twitched slightly as she asked in a low voice, “My identity, are you unaware of it?”
“You are the Demon Lord,” Jiang Yuyao said, shaking her head. “But so what? Throughout this journey, my Shidi and I have seen everything Miss You has done. Whether immortal or god, demon or devil, since we walk the same path, why ask of our origins?”
“For thousands of years, you people of the Heavenly Realm have wished for nothing more than to grind me to dust13,” You Yan said, her gaze icy.
“At least at this moment… I am not a person of the Heavenly Realm, and neither is my Shidi,” Jiang Yuyao said, lowering her head and frowning. Her fingers tightened around the hilt of her sword as she spoke, word by word, with great seriousness. “In our hearts, Miss You and Yi Qiu are our benefactors, and also our friends with whom we have shared weal and woe14.”
As she spoke, a trace of hesitation flickered in her eyes. “I do not know if saying this is associating with someone above my station15…”
You Yan was silent for a moment. The coldness in her eyes seemed to have faded somewhat, replaced by hesitation.
I knew it, Yi Qiu thought. This bird woman, whose mouth says one thing but whose heart means another16, can’t back down gracefully17 again.
She thought for a moment, then looked up and said, “But the food at your Xianlu Sect is a bit bland.”
Hearing this, Luo Mingyuan quickly looked up and said, “If there is anything you wish to eat, you can tell me in advance. I will make it for you.”
Yi Qiu was delighted. “Really? In that case…”
You Yan reached out and tugged on Yi Qiu’s arm, saying faintly, “There is no need. She is more used to the food I cook.”
“So Miss You is still unwilling…” Jiang Yuyao had not finished speaking before You Yan interrupted her.
“Just have someone deliver fresh ingredients daily,” You Yan said softly. There was no ripple of emotion on her face, but anyone could hear that she had changed her mind and relented.
On the way back to the Xianlu Sect, Jiang Yuyao once again brought up the matter of the Wood God falling to the demonic path18.
She frowned and asked, “Will the mortal realm, having lost the Wood God, truly lose its spring?”
Yi Qiu nodded. “It probably will. That is how it is written in the book.”
Jiang Yuyao was surprised. “In a book?”
Yi Qiu froze for a moment, then started to speak nonsense. “Yes, in a book. A strange book, a very, very strange book. It is… it is like a heavenly book19. It records a lot of miscellaneous things, and one of them is the very thing I told you about!”
Jiang Yuyao asked, “A strange book? I wonder if I might borrow it for a look?”
Yi Qiu frowned and shook her head. Just as she was trying to figure out how to refuse Jiang Yuyao, she heard You Yan say coldly, “The book is in Kunlun20. I read it when I was young. Yi Qiu happened to see its contents when she entered a dream with me.”
“So, Miss You has indeed seen it?”
“Mm,” You Yan replied faintly.
As she spoke, her fingers did not forget to gently squeeze Yi Qiu’s wrist, as if signaling her to react.
Yi Qiu quickly came to her senses and nodded. “That is right…”
As she said this, she could not help but glance up at You Yan. She saw that her expression was calm; although she was lying, not a hint of guilt appeared on her face.
This bird woman can really spin a lie; her face doesn’t change color, and her heart doesn’t skip a beat.21
“Since it is recorded in a book, it must be either speculation or a prophecy,” Luo Mingyuan asked. “What else is written in the book? Are there any events that have actually happened?”
Yi Qiu once again stared blankly at You Yan.
You Yan said faintly, “It has been too long, I do not remember clearly. You may choose not to believe it.”
And just like that, with one simple sentence, she brought the topic to an end.
Of course, they have to believe it. Whether it happens or not, it’s always right to take precautions beforehand.22
In any case, the Yi Bird23 is now gone, and she has likely gone to the Demon Realm just as it was written in the original work. If nothing unexpected happens, there is still some time before the revival of Fei.24
With that, the current troubles can be considered temporarily over.
No matter what happens in the future, for now, I should just accompany You Yan and help her recover. I cannot let her continue to run around and exhaust herself for my sake while she is still injured.
It had to be said, with the financial compensation provided by Xun Chi, the people of the immortal sects were incredibly fast at “rebuilding their homes.”
Just over two months ago, this place had been turned into scorched earth.25 Now, it was just as it had been before, with repaved stone paths, rebuilt pavilions, and rerouted water sources.
Although the soil burned by the heavenly fire26 was very barren, the surrounding area was full of mountains and forests. By digging up some new soil, they could once again plant flowers, grass, and trees.
At a glance, apart from there being a little less vegetation, everything else was not too different from before.
Just like the last time, long ago, Jiang Yuyao led her and You Yan all the way to that secluded guesthouse.
Having been through a great fire, the place was quite different from how Yi Qiu remembered it, which made her feel somewhat sentimental.
The last time she stayed here, she was still just an alpaca, and the door to this place was rather old.
As Yi Qiu thought this, she could not help but touch the brand-new door.
“What are you thinking about?”
“Just feeling a little sentimental…” Yi Qiu said, walking slowly into the room. “Without realizing it, so much time has passed.”
“Has it been very long?” You Yan asked again.
“Of course it’s not long for you!” Yi Qiu pouted. “You guys who have lived for so long have too much stuff in your heads. You don’t understand what it means to be nostalgic!”
“Be nostalgic?” You Yan thought for a moment and smiled. “I suppose I am…”
She pointed to an empty space by the table. “It was right here. You yelled at me for half a day with a handful of snot and a handful of tears27, and then you said you liked me.”
Yi Qiu frowned, her expression awkward. “I… did I?”
The moment she finished speaking, You Yan patted her head. “I see you do not have much in here. How can you be so forgetful?”
Yi Qiu shrank back. I remember, of course I remember, but having it brought up so suddenly is a little embarrassing…
She pressed her lips together and looked up to ask, “So, when I was yelling at you like that, what… what were you thinking?”
After a long silence, You Yan finally spoke softly. “I could see you wanted to leave me.”
Yi Qiu: “…I, I was actually… I did not want to lie to you anymore.”
You Yan: “You were provoking me.”
Yi Qiu: “…”
“It was too obvious. Did you think I could not see that you were wavering?” You Yan said. “At that time, I had only one thought—since you were wavering for me, then no matter who sent you to my side, from that day forward, you were mine.”
“So you really were on guard against me all along…” Yi Qiu muttered under her breath. The moment she finished speaking, the person before her grasped her hands tightly.
“Not anymore.”
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