Tempting The God - Chapter 18
Chapter 18: Holding the Sword
Just past noon, the oppressive heat shimmered in the air.
When Shen Jixue stepped out of the reception hall, she did not see Luyi, assuming the maid had left ahead of time to deliver a message to Lin Mozhi.
Ignoring the scorching sun and paying no mind to the whispers and pointing of those around her, she walked briskly straight toward Songhe Courtyard.
The Xuanxiao Sect would set off early tomorrow morning, which forced her to move her plans forward, and the Lin family likely would not stand idly by while she entered the Xuanxiao Sect.
Lin Mozhi was destined to never leave the Lin manor. His hopes would be shattered by her own hands tonight, and a mere difference of a single day had become his death warrant.
As for his mother, Jiang Yueming…
Shen Jixue’s eyes darkened. Lin Shuiyu, that scum, truly deserved to die.
“Ah xue, let us keep each other company tomorrow,” a maid suddenly sidled up beside her, interrupting Shen Jixue’s thoughts. The maid reached out to grab her arm, but Shen Jixue turned sideways to avoid her.
Seeing that she did not respond, the maid continued talking to herself, “I am Yingchun from the Fourth Young Lady’s courtyard. Just a moment ago, I was tested to have Earth-grade Gold and Water dual spiritual roots and was also selected for the Xuanxiao Sect. We are of similar age, so entering the sect together means we can look out for one another.”
Shen Jixue glanced at her, expressionless. “No need.”
This vessel of hers would certainly not survive past tonight. Furthermore, since she had not yet learned from the Hongmeng Mirror where Changyuan’s next life would be, she had even less reason to join the Xuanxiao Sect.
Yingchun’s enthusiasm was completely doused by her cold response. Her face instantly flushed red with embarrassment. She glared resentfully at Shen Jixue’s departing figure and stopped following her. Not far away, two figures quickly approached.
A tall, skinny male servant curled his lip. “With her natural talent, entering the sect means she will be the center of attention. Why would she spare a glance for people like us.”
“Yingchun, you are the most talented among us and you serve the Fourth Young Lady,” another maid with freckles on her face flattered. “Once we enter the sect, we will be relying on you to look after us.”
“Don’t worry,” Yingchun said with a proud look, giving a soft laugh. “Once I become an inner sect disciple, if there are any good things, I will give you some.”
The two shared a glance, uttered a few more flattering words, and coaxed her as they walked away.
“Young Master, I am back!”
Shen Jixue closed the courtyard door and walked quickly to Lin Mozhi’s room. Seeing that the door was not fully shut, she pushed it open and entered.
The room was deathly quiet. Neither Xu Chang nor Luyi was anywhere to be seen. Only Lin Mozhi sat alone at the table, white gauze covering his eyes. Hearing the sound, he turned toward her.
“Ah xue, come here.”
“Young Master, why are Brother Xu and Sister Luyi not here?” Shen Jixue asked in surprise.
Lowering her voice, she spoke in an urgent tone, “Those people from the Xuanxiao Sect said they will leave tomorrow, and they even said that if I do not go, they will come to get me. Young Master, let us leave tonight.”
Lin Mozhi already knew about this, so hearing her urge him made him naturally sense the evasion in her words. “Does Axue not want to go to the Xuanxiao Sect?”
“I don’t,” Shen Jixue answered decisively.
“I want to follow Young Master for the rest of my life.”
Lin Mozhi froze, then let out a gentle smile. Suppressing the mixed emotions in his heart, he said slowly, “Axue, this matter is of great importance and cannot be decided rashly.”
“Since you possess such talent and happened to meet the Xuanxiao Sect coming to recruit disciples, it means taking the path of cultivation is your heavenly destiny. You must never defy the heavenly way because of me alone, do you understand?”
“This is not defying heaven!”
Shen Jixue said anxiously, “Following Young Master is my own choice. What does it have to do with the heavens?”
“But how much longer can I live?” He paused, sighed, and spoke with a touch of self-abandonment, “You heard what Physician Cui said that day. My body has been worn down over time and is beyond cure. Even with proper care, I only have three years left to live.”
“When I am dead, where will you go?”
“Ah xue, do not delay your own future for my sake.”
Shen Jixue fell silent for a moment. When she spoke again, her voice carried a sob, “Then I will guard Young Master’s grave. It is only a short hundred years, nothing I cannot endure.”
“Nonsense!”
Lin Mozhi grew anxious and slammed his hand heavily on the table. He pulled off the white gauze and abruptly stood up. Yet, there was not a trace of anger in his pale gold eyes, only deep distress.
“Do you know what entering the Xuanxiao Sect means?!”
Meeting Shen Jixue’s reddened eyes, he could not help but soften his tone again, “It means you will transcend the cycle of reincarnation from now on. You will see immortal mountains, spiritual beasts, extraordinary people, and wondrous sights. You will master immortal arts and spiritual methods. Once you comprehend your own Tao and ascend to the immortal realm, mountains and rivers will be beneath your feet, and things that others can only dream of will be easily within your reach.”
“…And you won’t have to be trapped in this tiny world like me, where life and death are not in my own hands.”
A flash of longing passed through his eyes. Once, he too had possessed such potential and hope, but alas, he could not escape the torment of fate in the end.
Lin Mozhi let out a long sigh, tugged at Shen Jixue’s sleeve, and slumped back down. He closed his eyes, and in the blink of an eye, a tear slid down to the ground, vanishing without a trace.
His voice was hoarse, as if exhausted to the extreme, yet he still looked at Shen Jixue with hope, his pale gold eyes like melted honey, filled with endless gentleness.
“Axue, even if it is for my sake, go see those sights I have never seen on my behalf, alright?”
Shen Jixue’s heart stirred slightly. With a mournful expression on her face, she raised her hand to wipe away her tears, opened her mouth, and replied,
“Alright.”
With that, she tugged at Lin Mozhi’s sleeve and shook it gently, saying softly, “I will come back to see Young Master often. When that time comes, you must not shut me out.”
Hearing this, Lin Mozhi could not help but laugh. “Stop talking nonsense.”
It was still light outside, and the glare coming through the window stung his eyes terribly. He likely would not be able to see for the rest of the day. However, for him, day and night made little difference, and being unable to see did not hinder him.
Lowering his gaze, he raised his hands to tie the white gauze back on, his expression solemn. “Once it gets dark, Xu Chang and those rogue cultivators will move to rescue my mother. We will leave through the secret passage. Luyi will be waiting outside the manor with a carriage by then, and we will leave the city together after meeting up. Tonight we will stay temporarily at a hidden manor outside the city. Tomorrow morning, after you leave, we will move to a new place to settle down.”
“It is getting late. Go pack your things quickly. We will leave as soon as it turns dark.”
“Yes.”
Shen Jixue returned to her room, shut the door, and called out, “Fu Xingren.”
A few breaths later, a sultry, charming voice rang out of thin air, “Sovereign, are you missing me again?”
Shen Jixue leaned back, avoiding the slender fingers reaching out toward her, though she failed to shake off the arm wrapped around her neck. She wrinkled her nose, speaking with clear disgust, “The scent on you is too strong.”
“In the past, you said you loved the Acacia incense on me the most,” Fu Xingren tapped Shen Jixue’s chest with her fingertip, suddenly switching to an accusing tone, “How come you dislike it now? You heartless scoundrel…”
Shen Jixue lowered her gaze to look at the beauty pretending to lean against her arms, her expression hard to describe. “Have you been reading too many storybooks lately?”
“What nonsense are you talking about,” Fu Xingren said with eyes like bedroom silk, “Isn’t this all our past? How could you have forgotten?”
Shen Jixue was in no mood to play along right now. She grabbed her wrist and asked in a deep voice, “Has the Hongmeng Mirror shown where Changyuan’s next life will be born?”
Fu Xingren curled her lips, stood up, and raised a hand to her side. The Hongmeng Mirror instantly appeared in her hand, but in the next moment, she tossed this ancient divine artifact that everyone lusted after over to Shen Jixue.
“I ask it day and night, but this piece of junk has no reaction whatsoever,” she said impatiently. “Could it be broken?”
As soon as her words fell, Shen Jixue saw a star-like glow flash across the mirror’s surface, slowly displaying several words—
The Xuanxiao Sword Venerable, Chu Changyuan.
“It really has recognized its master. It listens to you so well that before you even asked, it eagerly offered up the answer.”
Fu Xingren tapped the Hongmeng Mirror and said angrily, “So it could hear me talking all these past few days, it just refused to say anything!”
Shen Jixue held her wrist, frowning as she asked, “If I remember correctly, Chu Changyuan reached the position of Sword Venerable a hundred years ago. When I first heard his name, I was even puzzled that a human dared to share the same name as the Divine Lord.”
Fu Xingren was also surprised, “Chu Changyuan became famous a hundred years ago, and his birth was even earlier. How could he be the Divine Lord’s next life?”
The gaze of both fell upon the Hongmeng Mirror at the same time. Sure enough, a new line of text appeared on the mirror’s surface.
When the Divine Lord was born, a strand of his divine soul was lost to the mortal realm and turned into a mortal, who is this very person.
No wonder.
Fu Xingren rubbed her chin and speculated, “It seems that when the Divine Lord undergoes this tribulation, he also intends to reclaim this strand of divine soul.”
She continued immediately, “Isn’t this perfect? The young girl you are possessing has a Heaven-grade Ice spiritual root. Entering the Xuanxiao Sect will be an absolute breeze for her.”
Fu Xingren had come upon summons and was not very clear about what had happened to Shen Jixue in the mortal realm, so she had no idea that she had already been registered on the Xuanxiao Sect’s disciple recruitment roster.
Shen Jixue, however, rubbed the space between her eyebrows.
A strand of divine soul was different from a soul with sealed memories undergoing reincarnation.
It naturally carried the original body’s divine power.
Chu Changyuan just so happened to be someone of profound cultivation depth.
Even if he could not tell that she was possessing “Shen Weixue”, he would still sense the murderous aura all over her.
Tsk.
What a hassle.
Why doesn’t she just go to the Xuanxiao Sect and kill Chu Changyuan with one strike.
Sensing her thoughts, the Hongmeng Mirror hastily displayed the solution to breaking the fatal tribulation mentioned back then, reminding her once more:
Remember, first make him fall in love, then kill him.
“Got it,” Shen Jixue replied casually, tossing it back to Fu Xingren. “Give me an ordinary sword, not a magical artifact.”
She put away the Hongmeng Mirror, puzzled for a moment before understanding, “Are you going to make your move?”
Shen Jixue gave an “Mm,” looking up to meet Fu Xingren’s eager eyes, and said helplessly, “You get yourself back to the Demon Realm obediently. Have you finished processing the government affairs?”
“How can you treat me like this,” Fu Xingren pounced toward Shen Jixue again, saying aggrievedly, “Using me and then throwing me away, you heartless scoundrel!”
“Enough,” she steadied Fu Xingren and glanced at the sky. “It is almost dark. Give me the sword.”
Fu Xingren snorted lightly, reached out at random, and handed over a sword adorned with glittering jewels. “I picked up this sword from a shop in the mortal realm. Doesn’t it look nice?”
Shen Jixue remained noncommittal. She drew the sword and tapped it with two fingers, producing a crisp sound. “It isn’t a great sword, but it will do.”
“Compared to your Nine Heavens Breaker, it naturally counts as nothing,” Fu Xingren said helplessly. “Even in the Six Realms, there is nothing that can compare to it.”
“That is why I said it will do,” Shen Jixue smiled, the depths of her eyes devoid of emotion. “It’s just killing a mortal, no need for a good sword.”
She waved her hand, picked up the sword, stepped out the door, and walked toward Lin Mozhi’s room.
