Chapter 16

Yan Chaosheng pondered for a moment, holding a green bead, and headed north.

To the north lay the Kunlun Immortal Mountains, where vast peach groves were in full bloom. Near a misty immortal pond, a few small peach wood dolls, seeing him from afar, jumped up and shouted, “Master, Master, it’s bad! The demon lord is here!”

Those who had time fled into the hall, while those who couldn’t escape were cruelly pinched by Yan Chaosheng.

“Speak, where did your old man go?”

The little peach wood doll said aggrievedly, “In seclusion, Master is in seclusion.”

Yan Chaosheng sneered coldly, tightening his grip.

“Did he not foresee I would come? Entering seclusion at this time?”

The little peach wood doll wailed, “Demon Lord, spare me, Demon Lord, spare me, Master just said he went into seclusion.”

Yan Chaosheng said, “When I burn Kunlun, I suppose he will come out.”

The peach wood doll’s spiritual energy dissipated, transforming into a piece of white paper that fell at his feet. With a cold flame burning in his hand, resembling the fires of hell, Yan Chaosheng stepped into the peach grove.

Sensing the cold murderous intent beneath his icy exterior, the trees in the grove that had turned into spirits began to cry out, “Immortal Lord, save us, save us!”

In an instant, flames spread from Yan Chaosheng’s feet, threatening to engulf the peach grove.

An old man in a green robe ran out, screaming and jumping around to extinguish the fire. After finally putting out the cold flames, his robe caught fire, and he rolled to Yan Chaosheng’s feet.

The old man quickly patted his burning backside and complained, “Arrogant brat, hundreds of years have passed, and you still have such a foul temper. Coming to my Kunlun as a guest, you don’t know a bit of courtesy. If you truly destroy my peach grove, be careful; this old man will settle accounts with you!”

Yan Chaosheng watched coldly as the old man extinguished the fire. Seeing him still busy trying to blow air into the little peach wood-paper person, he raised his hand and pulled the old man towards him.

“I didn’t come to talk nonsense with you. The ancient Jimo clan excelled in divination and knowing destiny. You know why I came. Just perform a divination for me, and I’ll leave immediately, without delay.”

The old man, Immortal Lord Wojiang, knowing that pretending to be in seclusion wouldn’t work today, sighed bitterly, “Then why don’t you go find someone else? Why do you have to trouble me? Let go, let go, ignorant youth; is this how you treat an elder?”

Yan Chaosheng let go.

Wojiang called out, “Come here; let me tell you.”

The two sat at a stone table. Wojiang fetched a jug of wine from under the peach tree, opened the lid, and poured a cup for Yan Chaosheng.

Yan Chaosheng silently picked up the cup.

From beginning to end, he appeared very calm. If Wojiang hadn’t noticed his fingers turning white from gripping the cup too tightly, he might have been deceived by his unhurried demeanor.

Wojiang, displeased by Yan Chaosheng killing a peach wood doll upon arrival, deliberately stalled, chatting about irrelevant topics.

Yan Chaosheng put down the cup and finally spoke coldly again, “Divination, I need to find someone!”

Wojiang pouted and said, “I’m not deliberately wasting your time. Even if you find her, so what? You know better than I do that even if you found her, she would already be dead.”

“Nonsense!”

“Even plants can survive without a heart, but once the Huiling Jade is shattered, it’s hard to recover. You understand this. Otherwise, with your arrogance, Yan Chaosheng, you would have dug out her heart long ago. You are now the lord of the two realms. If anyone in the world has a breath left, who can’t you find? But you can’t find her because she no longer has any life in her, like a walking corpse.”

Seeing Yan Chaosheng’s expression becoming colder, Wojiang shook his head and sighed, “You know everything, yet you still deceive yourself. I don’t want to be blunt, but when you married her, our young master saw an ominous sign and tried to stop her several times. If she hadn’t truly loved you, how would the young master have let go? Today’s outcome was destined. I advise you, considering your past favor to Kunlun seven hundred years ago, to let her walk her own path. Don’t look for her anymore. Your path is destined to be cold and lonely. If you remain unemotional, you can be a good ruler of the two realms. Given time, unifying the Eight Wilderness is not impossible.”

Wojiang looked at him meaningfully.

“But if you waver, the outcome won’t be good. I can’t predict it, but it won’t be good. My advice to you is not to look, listen, or seek.”

Yan Chaosheng lowered his eyelids and said without a ripple, “I have never been emotional. She just has one last use.”

Yan Chaosheng took out the green bead from his sleeve. The bead, though bright, was dim.

Wojiang gasped, feeling cold all over.

“For the power of Huiling, you committed so many murders! Yan Chaosheng, have you thought about the consequences?”

Yan Chaosheng’s lips curled into a mocking smile. “Consequences? There is nothing more than being rejected by the Eight Wilderness, never to be reborn.”

“You want to find her? For the last bit of Huiling power in her.”

Yan Chaosheng said, “Yes, this bead is far from enough.”

Wojiang got angry.

“Then why didn’t you just dig out her heart back then? With her heart, you wouldn’t worry about your grand plan!”

Yan Chaosheng pressed his lips, not speaking. After a long while, he said, “The Huiling’s heart wasn’t mature then, and there is no time.”

“Nonsense! Nonsense!” The old man couldn’t hold the wine cup steady, jumping up and saying, “You’re the mighty Demon Lord, descendant of Xiangliu. There are many ways to mature a heart. You are clearly treating her…”

Seeing Yan Chaosheng’s icy expression, his dark eyes, like deep pools, stared at him.

Wojiang swallowed his words, sitting weakly on the stone bench, not knowing whether to pity or hate Yan Chaosheng. He sighed and took out a few pieces of divination peach wood.

The peach wood was smooth and glossy, obviously a sacred object thousands of years old.

Wojiang chanted spells, mumbling, “You bastard, you shouldn’t have married the little girl. If the young master were still here… If he were here, don’t know how heartbroken he’d be. Thankfully, he left early, and the little girl knows nothing. Ignorance is bliss. Now you trouble me; don’t you know divination costs cultivation?”

The “bastard” sat opposite him, calmly watching his actions.

When the peach wood came together, a scene appeared in the air—a March bridge, the mortal world—

A woman in wedding attire, holding an umbrella, stood on the bridge, her eyes confused, not knowing where to go.

Wojiang’s nose twitched with emotion. Others didn’t know clearly, but Wojiang knew what Liu Shuang was doing, waiting for Shao You, their Kunlun Immortal Mountain young master, Jimo Shaoyou.

She had no home and no place to go. Having lost her heart, she wandered aimlessly. In the eight wildernesses, her only friend was Shao You.

Liu Shuang still thought Shao You was just a junior disciple of the side branch of the ancient Jimo’s peach wood clan.

Unaware that there was an immortal on Kunlun Mountain, the young master of Jimo, named Shao You.

The young master was exceedingly wise but also prone to emotional injury. A hundred years ago, after Liu Shuang was married, Shao You returned to Kunlun and discovered that the Kunlun immortal veins were gradually declining. He voluntarily transformed himself into a mirror, becoming the new spiritual vein to eternally protect Kunlun.

He perished within the Kunlun immortal realm, turning into the gentle breeze and morning dew. Since then, the once declining Kunlun immortal realm has gradually regained its former grandeur.

Elder Wojiang, who had cared for Jimo Shaoyou, came to this place to live in seclusion, burdened with sorrow.

Wojiang was well aware of the deep love that Shao You had buried in his heart. If Liu Shuang hadn’t had someone she loved, even though Shao You couldn’t bear to see Kunlun decline, he would not have resolutely sacrificed himself to become a spiritual vein to protect Kunlun for a thousand years.

The more Wo Jiang thought about it, the angrier he became, shouting, “Enough! You found her, didn’t you see? You don’t want her, and she doesn’t want you anymore. In her final moments, she was waiting for my young master. Get lost, get lost! I have done everything I could for you, and from now on, Kunlun owes the demon lord nothing!”

Yan Chaosheng, seeing the image of the girl in the scene, indeed stood up and started to leave.

Wojiang tried to provoke him by mentioning Jimo Shaoyou, but Yan Chaosheng didn’t even raise an eyebrow.

Wojiang angrily threw a cup at him but dared not actually hit him, only daring to throw it near a peach tree, cursing him indirectly: “You beast! Even in her last moments, you wouldn’t let her go, draining her of every last bit of value! Heartless! Take all the Huiling power you want; she has already lost hope in you.”

After his tirade, Yan Chaosheng paused in his steps.

Fearing that Yan Chaosheng, who was narrow-minded, might retaliate, Wojiang was about to flee but was surprised when Yan Chaosheng did not look back and quickly disappeared into the peach grove.

Wojiang blew life into the peach wood doll in his hand and sighed. The wind through the peach grove sounded like someone softly weeping.

“Young master, if you were alive… if you were alive, alas…”

The wind passed, flowers fell, and the gentle man who once broke willows by the bridge would never return.

Liu Shuang stood on the bridge, having sent off countless willow leaf paper cranes.

To this day, Shao You has not come. Her spiritual energy was nearly exhausted, and she didn’t know if she could wait for Shao You.

She remembered that two hundred years ago, the first spell Shao You taught her was turning willow leaves into paper cranes.

Shao You, looking at her naive eyes, said, “You are not truly a mortal. Without spells to protect you, you might encounter danger. I will teach you a spell to find people. Once you learn it, you can find me when you are in trouble.”

He hesitated for a moment, then casually plucked a willow. The willow leaves in his hands turned into paper cranes, fluttering around Liu Shuang.

Liu Shuang’s eyes lit up, and she held one in her palm.

This was the first spell she learned. When traveling with Shao You, she always used this spell to find him.

A few days ago, Liu Shuang still had bloody tears in her eyes, but now she no longer feels sad. More accurately, without a heart, she could no longer feel sadness.

She stood on the bridge, waiting for her last friend in the Eight Wilderness, Shao You. She felt that she might be close to death, touching her chest, which was empty and hollow.

Liu Shuang thought,” I want to say goodbye to Shao You. If there is anything left in the world worth cherishing, it is probably only Shao You.”

She felt somewhat useless. Shao You knew where she was born and grew up, but she didn’t know where his hometown was. For someone as carefree as him, he probably wandered freely as an itinerant immortal.

If she could wait for Shao You, she wanted to hear about the beautiful landscapes he had seen over the years.

Liu Shuang didn’t know if she had any regrets. The light rain continued to drizzle.

Having no money, she couldn’t afford an umbrella. An old man selling umbrellas felt sorry for her and gave her a crimson oil-paper umbrella.

Liu Shuang had nothing to give him in return, so she quietly placed the last half of her double fish pendant into his basket.

Amidst the bustling crowd along the Yanliu embankment, people hurriedly sought shelter from the rain, leaving Liu Shuang alone.

Without a heart, she no longer felt much pain, standing there almost like a stone without sensation.

In truth, this feeling wasn’t bad, Liu Shuang thought—much better than before. She no longer felt sorrow.

If she could wait for Shao You, she wouldn’t shed bloody tears and scare him.

As the sky gradually darkened, Liu Shuang felt disappointed, thinking she wouldn’t be able to wait for Shao You today. She didn’t know how much longer she could hold on.

Just as she was about to leave, she closed her umbrella and saw a figure in green under the willow tree.

He stood there, having watched her for who knows how long.

Seeing her blink in surprise, he extended his hand: “I’m back.”

Liu Shuang wasn’t sure if the feeling in her broken chest at that moment could be called the joy of reuniting with an old friend, but Shao You had indeed not lied to her.

Liu Shuang ran to him and stopped in front of him. She had many things to say, but without a heart, she felt dull and stiff. In the end, she could only call out dryly, “Shao You.”

Shao You’s eyes were like deep, cold pools, and he pulled a smile at the corner of his mouth, responding to her, “Mm.”

His dark pupils contained too much, making Liu Shuang feel vaguely unfamiliar and fearful. She instinctively stepped back, immediately noticing the dim look in his eyes, and quickly stopped herself.

How could she be afraid of Shao You?

Perhaps a century of experience had stripped away much of his refined elegance, leaving behind more darkness? She was Shao You’s close friend; she couldn’t dislike him for that.

So Liu Shuang said, “You’ve been away for so long; you must have experienced many interesting things over the years. Let me treat you to tea, and you can tell me stories.”

Shao You liked drinking tea, but after speaking, she remembered that she had no spirit stones or anything to exchange for money.

Fortunately, without a heart, she couldn’t feel embarrassment. Realizing this, she could only say, “I forgot I have no money. Let’s sit under the bridge.”

The “Shao You” in front of her silently nodded.

In the end, they didn’t sit under the bridge. He somehow rented a small boat. Onboard, he warmed some wine and called her over.

Before she could speak, a white fox fur cloak was draped over her shoulders by him.

Liu Shuang, who had been chilled to the bone, felt warmth spread through her with the cloak around her.

In this scene, there was indeed a sense of a century-long journey through the mortal world.

Liu Shuang said, “What a pity, there’s no moon.”

The mortal world was pitch black; the rain had just stopped, and the sky was filled with strange, rumbling thunder.

How could there be a moon?

“Shao You” looked closely at her brows and eyes.

After a moment, his fingers moved slightly, and he said, “Come out and see.”

Liu Shuang stepped to the bow of the boat and softly exclaimed in surprise, seeing the sky filled with stars and the moon, with the constant rumbling thunder gone.

How strange.

“Shao You, where have you been all these years? Have you been well?”

“I’ve been to many places, and I’m fine.”

He raised his eyes, dark and deep, “And you… have you been well? Has Yan Chaosheng treated you well?”

He thought he would hear words of resentment and anger from her, harsher than those from old Wojiang.

But the pale girl nodded, “I’ve been well too. Yan Chaosheng was good to me; he shielded me from my bloodline tribulations. But in the end, it wasn’t meant to be. Over the past century, it was me who forced it.”

“You don’t blame him?”

“No,” Liu Shuang said.

After all, it was she who chose him, and later, she gave him up. She did not regret marrying Yan Chaosheng, nor did she regret leaving him. The heartbreak over Yan Chaosheng not saving Canglan had dissipated along with her shattered heart.

Liu Shuang barely remembered the pain of Canglan turning to scorched earth, so how could she remember the fleeting resentment towards Yan Chaosheng?

After resolving the spell, they were nothing more than strangers to each other.

“Do you still love him?”

“Shao You, this isn’t like you.”

Liu Shuang’s long eyelashes were wet with rain, and she said curiously, “After a century, how have you become so straightforward?”

The “Shao You” before her did not speak and did not explain.

Under the bright moonlight, he suddenly heard her speak in a calm and gentle voice, “No, I don’t love him anymore.”

The green bead in his sleeve nearly slipped out.

He clenched it tightly, almost crushing it. After a long time, not wanting to reveal his emotions, he closed his eyes and said, “That’s good.”