Love Travels through Time (My father who traveled through time and space to cultivate immortality came back to pick me up) - Chapter 42
(T/N: Starting from this chapter, I’ll be translating the Underworld Capital as ‘Bian City’ since it suits the setting better than ‘Otherworld City’ or ‘Netherworld City’… Please bear with this lazy translator! (╥﹏╥))
Chapter 42: Arch-Enemies
“I know,” Han Qi said, fully aware of his own limited acting skills.
“I’ll just stage an accident later and feign amnesia.”
Star Slave wanted to point out that pretending to have amnesia also required acting prowess.
On second thought, she let it drop—there was no better alternative anyway.
Sigh.
Over the years, Master had grown nearly obsessed with defeating Lord Changli.
It hadn’t been this way in the beginning.
Many years ago, when Master was still cultivating in the mortal realm, he had met Lord Changli.
Initially, there was no deep enmity between them. It all started one day when Master was lecturing his disciples; Lord Changli happened to pass by, leaned against the doorframe with a smile, and chimed in, systematically dismantling every point of Master’s sermon.
Humiliated in front of his disciples, Master was thoroughly infuriated.
He cited scripture and ancient texts, fiercely countering the remarks.
Who could have predicted that the young Lord Changli was just as competitive and relentless as the young Master?
The two argued back and forth for seven days and seven nights without resolution.
Unable to declare a winner, they sought out nearby sages and scholars to judge.
Instead, they argued all the eminent elders to tears—sending them one by one into secluded cultivation or distant travels just to escape.
Defeated only by exhaustion, both went home to study, agreeing to battle again in fifty years.
Fifty years passed with no clear victor, so they scheduled another match a century later.
This continued until Master successfully transcended his tribulation, attained the Dao of Harmony, and ascended to the Upper Realm, gaining the trust of the Heavenly Emperor.
Lord Changli, on the other hand, betrayed Bian City and became a fugitive.
What began as an academic debate escalated into a life-or-death struggle.
Though originally a conflict between the Celestial and the Shanhai, Master involved himself to champion the interests of mortals.
Back then, the population of cultivators in the mortal realm was nowhere near as vast as it is today.
With limited resources across the Three Realms, the high-and-mighty Celestial Race exploited their natural advantages to claim nine-tenths for themselves—an already outrageous proportion. Worse still, the Upper Realm funneled the turbid, foul energy generated in their territory down to the lower realm.
The Shanhai Clan, who followed the natural Dao, repeatedly clashed with the Upper Realm over this.
In response, the Upper Realm accused them of harboring malicious intent and set out to annihilate their entire race.
Following the Shanhai Clan’s defeat, the Upper Realm exploited the mortal realm even more ruthlessly to recover their strength.
The prosperity the mortal realm enjoyed today was fought for by Master, who bargained directly with the Emperor upon arriving in the Upper Realm.
The Emperor ceded a portion of resources to the mortal realm and elevated the status of mortals living in the Upper Realm.
In exchange, Master handled matters concerning the Shanhai Clan on the Emperor’s behalf, staining his hands with their blood.
Thus, Master and Lord Changli became relentless, sworn enemies.
—
More than ten days later, aboard an airship bound for the royal capital of Jinling, the deck was unusually crowded.
The influx of passengers was largely due to a woman in red gauze standing at the stern.
A veil concealed half her face, leaving only a pair of focusless, striking eyes exposed.
“Looking at her attire, is she from Silver Sand?”
“I heard a rumor when boarding that Sword Venerable Jing might be on this ship. I didn’t believe it at first, but looking at this situation, it’s likely true. That woman might very well be the Second Miss.”
“What does this have to do with the Sword Venerable?”
“Ha! You don’t know? The Sword Venerable went to Silver Sand earlier and clashed with the City Lord. Everyone was sweating bullets!”
“Right! Who knew things would take a sudden turn? The Sword Venerable actually used the Great Sound Transmission technique to challenge Second Miss’s master to a ten-year duel—with the winner taking her as a disciple!”
“I just came out of secluded cultivation, so I really had no idea! The Sword Venerable hasn’t issued a duel challenge in at least five hundred years. This is massive news… The Second Miss must be extraordinary… Wait, doesn’t City Lord Xiang only have one daughter? Where did a Second Miss come from?”
“She’s the daughter City Lord Xiang recently recognized. I heard she stands eight feet tall, built like a tiger with a waist like a bear…”
Xiang Tianqing, who had been staring off in the direction of Silver Sand, was finally dragged back to reality by the surrounding gossip.
Expressionless, she clenched her fingers until her knuckles turned white.
Meanwhile, inside a cabin, Jing Ran sat cross-legged in meditation when his consciousness suddenly plummeted into an abyss.
Like an elevator losing control, his body fell relentlessly, finally landing inside a palace shrouded in swirling mist.
Endless, massive bookshelves lined the hall, stacked high with ancient scrolls and texts.
Unsure of what was happening, Jing Ran treaded cautiously between the shelves.
Spurred by curiosity, he reached out to pull a book from a rack. The moment he did, golden glyphs flew out from the pages and connected directly into his mind palace.
His eyes widened slowly. He severed the connection and pulled another book…
After browsing through several dozen texts, Jing Ran found most of them incomprehensible, yet even the tiny fraction he could grasp left him utterly awestruck.
“Little friend Jing,” a clear, melodious voice echoed through the library.
Jing Ran froze, then bowed his hands in apology.
“Forgive me, Senior. I merely strayed into this place by mistake, couldn’t find my way back, and got somewhat carried away…”
“It was no mistake. I granted you entry, and I plan to keep you here,” Han Qi’s voice resonated.
“This is my Celestial Storage Realm—or in plain terms, my portable study.”
Keep me here?
Jing Ran was suspicious, but not panicked.
Had he been brought here abruptly, he might have been terrified; but the host had given him enough time to realize this was no prison, but a vast treasure trove.
Han Qi’s voice continued to echo: “I wish to borrow your body for a while. As compensation, you may freely read any cultivation methods and scriptures within my collection.”
Jing Ran asked, “Senior, how long do you intend to borrow it?”
“Hard to say,” Han Qi replied.
“But for as long as I borrow it, you may remain here.”
Jing Ran nodded.
“Then I’ve gotten the better end of the deal.”
Han Qi lapsed into a brief silence.
“You accept just like that? Aren’t you going to ask what I intend to do with your physical body?”
Jing Ran replied, “With Senior’s strength, forcibly seizing my body directly through soul possession shouldn’t be difficult. Choosing this method suggests you are not an inherently evil person. Even if you were, I lack the power to resist anyway. Better to remain ignorant so I can focus on cultivating here with peace of mind.”
“You truly are a clear-headed person,” Han Qi sighed with emotion.
“You remind me of my former self…”
“Thank you,” Jing Ran said, bowing with hands clasped.
“May your kind words bring good fortune, and may I one day achieve what you have.”
Han Qi let out a soft chuckle.
Shortly after, he awoke within Jing Ran’s body.
After spending nearly an hour getting accustomed to the physical vessel, he stood up, exited the cabin, and walked toward the stern.
Leaning against the railing and looking off into the distance, Han Qi could not remember how many years it had been since he last enjoyed the night view in such tranquility.
“Senior Brother,” Xiang Tianqing, who was also idling at the stern, walked over and sent him a voice transmission.
“The question I asked you yesterday…”
Before Xiang Haikui had arrived, Xiang Tianqing had once asked Jing Ran what kind of girl she was.
Jing Ran’s answer had been, “She is very brave.”
Yesterday, Xiang Tianqing had asked again, and Jing Ran’s response was, “Not only brave, but also very kind.”
His reasoning was that on the day she was pursued by Jing Wen’s flying sword and fled into the Inner City in her flood dragon form, she had landed right at the city gates solely out of fear that the sword aura might harm innocent townspeople.
Today, Xiang Tianqing suddenly felt compelled to ask, “Senior Brother, what if she’s simply far too good at acting?”
Han Qi knew nothing of their prior conversations, yet he easily deduced her intent.
He countered, “Then what if she isn’t acting?”
Xiang Tianqing went quiet.
Han Qi rested both hands on the gunwale, gazing at the trails of clouds carved out by the airship.
“Judging by your attitude, you don’t actually want to deduce the truth with me. You simply need validation from my end.”
Jing Ran was usually taciturn and cold, yet always polite when speaking.
At this moment, however, Xiang Tianqing felt an invisible, oppressive aura.
“All living beings possess an instinct to seek benefit and avoid harm; that is normal,” Han Qi said.
“And our path of cultivation happens to be a duel between one’s true heart and one’s basic instincts.”
Xiang Tianqing felt completely bewildered, unable to grasp his point.
Han Qi added, “To put it simply, does whether Xiang Haikui is good or evil really matter to you that much?”
Xiang Tianqing protested, “Of course it matters! She affects me, she changed my original…”
Before she could finish, Han Qi suddenly struck out, giving her shoulder a light push.
Unprepared, Xiang Tianqing stumbled backward. Stumbling back to regain her balance, she said with displeasure, “What are you doing, Senior Brother?”
Han Qi said, “You see, I affected you just now as well, yet you knew to quickly regain your balance. Why is it that under Xiang Haikui’s influence, you become so indecisive and wavering?”
Xiang Tianqing was slightly taken aback.
“How could that be the same…”
“When you step back far enough to look at it, it is all the same.”
Han Qi closed his eyes, reaching his arm past the airship’s protective barrier to feel the temperature of the wind.
“A howling gale can reach the ends of the earth, yet it can never blow into the inner heart of a living being. The only thing capable of rippling the pond of your heart’s lake is yourself.”
Xiang Tianqing remained silent.
Han Qi knew she hadn’t truly taken it to heart.
Just like him—even though he understood so many grand principles, his own inner peace remained elusive.
To attain true peace, perhaps he would have to wait until after he defeated Yin Changli.
—Lord Changli, this final contest between you and me is about to begin.
—
After accompanying Xiang Heng to watch the sunset that day, Xiang Haikui immediately went into secluded cultivation to heal her wounds.
She was covered in layers of new and old injuries; without proper rest, they could easily become chronic ailments.
By the time she emerged from seclusion, Silver Sand had restored its usual tranquility, and Lu Xiqiao had been dragged back to the royal capital by his elder brother and sister.
Barely two hours after her emergence, Yin Changli arrived, accompanied by Bai Xingxian.
As she was stretching her body in the courtyard, Yin Changli lifted the lid of the snake jar and brought it before her.
Xiang Haikui stared at the little black snake for a long moment, baffled.
Just as she was about to ask, she suddenly noticed that the snake’s mouth had been stitched shut with crooked, clumsily executed needlework!
Her eyes widened.
“Little Bai, what happened here?”
“I didn’t do it,” Bai Xingxian said numbly.
“I stitched it with my own hands,” Yin Changli shifted half a step forward, unobtrusively blocking Bai Xingxian so he wouldn’t steal the credit.
“This isn’t ordinary thread; it possesses the power of a silence spell.”
Yin Changli could no longer use voice transmission.
Fortunately, he could still speak through Dao Chen’s mouth.
“Regarding my previous teasing remarks… I hope Miss Xiang is no longer angry.”
“Senior did all this just over a small matter like…”
Yin Changli’s tone was exceptionally firm, though his eyes were extraordinarily tender.
“No, this is no small matter. To me, it is immensely important.”
Xiang Haikui stood there with her mouth agape in shock, staring at him as if he were a monster.
Good grief!
No wonder the damn boss had suddenly gone silent back when they were communicating through the jade slip—she had thought he was just having a episode!
Xiang Haikui clutched her head with both hands, feeling dizzy.
She sent a voice transmission: “Little Bai, what are you doing? You didn’t stop such a ludicrous thing?”
Bai Xingxian replied, “I tried, but I couldn’t stop him.”
He looked thoroughly defeated.
A perfectly fine, handsome youth had been tortured into looking like a frail, dying old man in such a short time.
“Miss Xiang?”
Yin Changli called out tentatively, even trying out a different form of address.
“Little Kui?”
Seeing his expression as he waited to be “forgiven,” Xiang Haikui wished she could just dig a hole and die.
“Senior, perhaps you don’t realize this, but even though your mouth can’t speak, your hands write ridiculously fast.”
Yin Changli froze slightly.
Xiang Haikui pointed at his hand.
“When I read the jade slip you left for me, I suffered a critical strike straight from your written words…”
After listening to her picky breakdown of the story, Bai Xingxian was beyond thrilled.
“So what Uncle means is, as long as he recovers thirty percent of his power, he can return to his true body and activate the black ball?”
“That’s right.”
Xiang Haikui took out the night-luminescent pearl to show him, along with a map.
“Whenever we’re free in the future, we’ll have to go hunt monsters to extract their demon power and heal Senior.”
Bai Xingxian immediately agreed.
“Mm-hm!”
Xiang Haikui traced her finger across a region on the map.
“We’ll start hunting right outside Silver Sand Pass—monsters are dense out there. Then we’ll head to this uninhabited zone. I heard some giant, human-eating monsters are entrenched there; killing them will also help my dad expand his territory.”
Bai Xingxian nodded vigorously like a woodpecker and chimed in with a suggestion, “We should also try taking on that ancient mirage demon.”
“Save the mirage demon for last. We can’t beat it right now, and having my dad help would defeat the point. This is a war of attrition, so we have to rely on ourselves.”
“Got it.”
“Once we clear out the monsters outside the Pass, we’ll head here, here, and here…”
While the two were engaged in a heated discussion, Yin Changli suddenly interrupted, “This won’t do.”
Xiang Haikui shifted her gaze from the map to his face.
“What won’t do?”
Yin Changli pointed to the snake jar with a troubled look.
“A snake has no paws, so I can’t chop them off.”
Xiang Haikui: “…”
Bai Xingxian: “…”
What complete nonsense!
Xiang Haikui finally understood the feeling of being more anxious than the main party involved.
Here they were worrying themselves sick, while the guy himself had nothing on his mind but romance!
“Senior, there’s actually no need to chop off your hands just because they acted up. You can make up for your mistake with good deeds instead.”
Irritated to her limit, Xiang Haikui hardened her heart as malice rose from her gut.
“For instance, serving me tea, pouring water, doing the laundry, and making the bed in the future.”
Yin Changli was slightly taken aback.
“Just like what Little Bai does for me?”
Xiang Haikui: “Exactly!”
Yin Changli agreed without a second thought.
“No problem.”
With that, he was about to duck into her room, eager to follow Little Bai’s routine and tidying up for her.
“Hold on. We’re heading out to hunt monsters right now, so you have to come along.”
Xiang Haikui unbuckled the sword case from her back and tossed it to him.
“You’ll carry my sword for me from now on. You know I never part with my blade, which means you can’t stay too far away from me either.”
Yin Changli caught it with both hands.
The sword case was overly heavy, causing him to stumble forward slightly, yet his heart felt as sweet as honey.
“Mm, I won’t step away from you even by a single stride in the future.”
“That won’t do either.”
Xiang Haikui gestured with her chin toward the main gate.
“Right now, you need to go fetch two pack beasts.”
“Oh, alright.”
Yin Changli immediately headed outside.
After standing there stunned, Bai Xingxian tugged at her.
“Are you out of your mind?”
Xiang Haikui threw her hands up.
“I’m just giving him an outlet to apologize. Otherwise, do you want him to keep self-harming?”
“That’s true, but when Uncle wakes up, you’re dead meat, Xiang Haikui!”
Xiang Haikui had a carefree air of someone with so many debts she stopped worrying.
“Ever heard the saying, ‘a dead pig isn’t afraid of boiling water’?”
Either way, she was finished once he regained his memory, so she might as well get her revenge in advance for the beatings she would receive later.
Inside the case, Tian kuang began thudding wildly as its mad intent surged.
Yes!
Just like that!
Enslave him! Whip him! Sleep with him! Cuck him!
Just wait until he recovers his memory and dies of rage!
Its thumping was so violent that Yin Changli nearly lost his balance while holding the case.
Stroking the box with a tone like coaxing a child, he murmured, “Quiet down now.”
“But…”
Once Bai Xingxian’s brain caught up, he stopped worrying about Xiang Haikui and began to pity his uncle instead.
“Little Kui, you can’t treat my uncle like this!”
Without bothering to argue, Xiang Haikui asked a servant for a string of grapes, eating them as she called out, “Senior Yin.”
Yin Changli, who had been heading out to fetch the camels, turned back around.
Xiang Haikui squinted with a smile.
“Are you happy, waiting on me hand and foot like this?”
Yin Changli didn’t answer, offering only a smile.
At that moment, he happened to stop beneath a pomegranate tree.
His smile bloomed like the pomegranate flowers on the branches, saying all that needed to be said.
Xiang Haikui shrugged and said to Bai Xingxian in a teasing tone, “See? The joy of a simping brain is something you simply don’t understand.”
Bai Xingxian covered his eyes.
