Chapter 67 On Liking... Hmm, I just had him feed me.

"Boom—"

Thunder filled the entire night sky, with bright white lightning flashing across the middle.

"Boom—"

"clang--"

The scabbard fell to the ground, and the sharp longsword lay horizontally in the air. Amidst thunder and lightning, a gash appeared, revealing the hazy silhouette of the Jade Terrace and Silver Palace. He seemed to be only one step away from that celestial palace.

"Bang--"

"Young Master Jiang—"

Jiang Yu turned around and saw a dense crowd behind him. Standing at the front was a three- or four-year-old child holding three incense sticks in his hand, his face full of piety.

"Mother, is Young Master Jiang about to ascend to immortality?"

"That's right, once Young Master Jiang ascends to heaven and becomes an immortal, our little Bao's illness will be cured." The woman's gentle voice reached Jiang Yu's ears. She reached out to touch the hair of the young boy beside her. "At that time, we must thank Young Master Jiang properly, you know?"

"Hmm." The boy nodded emphatically. Jiang Yu looked again and saw a group of neatly dressed children behind him. Even though their clothes were patched, they were very clean. Their round black eyes were fixed on the handsome man in black in the air.

All hope for life seemed to converge on that one person, as if all the lightning in the sky had been focused on Jiang Yu. His slender body remained as steady as a mountain amidst his loose, flowing clothes, and a single, unyielding bamboo took root in the corner of the wall amidst the wind and rain.

He will succeed.

Lian Quesheng was the most relaxed one among the onlookers. He had been sick for the past few days, but he still dressed in red and green, and decorated the venue as if a newlywed couple was about to get married.

“Jiuxu, if Jiang Yu goes up first, you’ll have to step up your game. People say that the fairies in heaven love handsome young men the most.” Lian Quesheng fanned himself with a fan, but accidentally caught a glimpse of Shen Jiuxu’s mournful expression and couldn’t help but tease him.

"But from now on, wouldn't you say that when one person attains enlightenment, even their chickens and dogs benefit from it?"

"You're a chicken or a dog," Shen Jiuxu said irritably, but he had to admit that Lian Quesheng's method was indeed quite good, and it had relieved his tension a lot.

Jiang Yu could actually hear their voices. Xian Chen was even more excited than its master, trembling incessantly in his hands. Even though it had just been baptized by heavenly lightning, it was still as clean as new. The ferocity in its bones completely erupted in this place that belonged to Jiang Yu and heavenly lightning.

"Boom—"

Jiang Yu raised his sword to parry, and then he heard a soft laugh, "Overestimating yourself."

The voice was unfamiliar, yet undeniable—a mocking laugh. Jiang Yu froze in mid-air for a moment. He was a prodigy who had appeared out of nowhere. At the age of seventeen, he had single-handedly defeated the chosen sons of several major sects and families with just his sword. All the sect leaders and top disciples, like Lian Quesheng, had fallen to his blade. This was the first time Jiang Yu had ever heard someone say that he was "overestimating himself."

He wanted to find the source of the sound.

Looking back, all he could see were heads crammed together, all trying to see ahead. Jiang Yu couldn't find anything. The voice only lasted for a moment, and he even began to doubt whether he had misheard.

What is he looking for?

Shen Jiuxu saw Jiang Yu's actions, and the anxiety that Lian Quesheng had finally calmed rose up again. He watched as the several bolts of lightning came together like madmen, giving no chance to resist before they descended.

"Boom—"

"Clang—"

Shen Jiuxu heard the sound of something breaking. Jiang Yu's black clothes made it impossible for him to see anything unusual, even if there was blood, which made him even more nervous.

Amidst the clouds and mist, the thunderbolts struck again. Jiang Yu had lost track of time; he didn't even know how many bolts of lightning he had been struck. He simply kept picking up his sword to shield himself, his right hand being struck by lightning several times, the burning pain causing him to hiss involuntarily.

When the last bolt of lightning struck, Jiang Yu was already delirious. He only remembered that Xian Chen broke free from his grasp and shot straight into the sky, with Shen Jiuxu's shouts coming from behind him.

He fainted before he could turn around.

Those voices echoed in Jiang Yu's ears repeatedly for a long time afterward, until time slowly passed and he had long forgotten the whisper that had quietly passed by his ear.

Lian Quesheng looked at Jiang Yu, who was in a daze, and waved his hand in front of him a few times. He looked a little awkward. Although he felt that what Jiang Yu had said earlier made sense, he was still still a little scared.

“Jiang Yu, this is not a small matter. Besides, there are so many people in the world. You can’t always put yourself on the blame.”

Lian Que was furious. He grabbed the teacup on the table and drank it all in one gulp. He then kicked the stone table. "If we can't solve this, we can find other ways instead of sending you to your deaths in vain."

Jiang Yu pressed down on the teacup that Lian Quesheng had spun around in, and turned it upside down on the table. "But this is the only way right now. Quesheng, I know what you're thinking, but I am Jiang Yu. My grandfather gave me this name. He only hoped that I could live a carefree and happy life."

“Yu, it doesn’t matter if it’s late, but I gave myself the name Fei Wan.” Jiang Yu’s palm was outstretched, and with a “whoosh” sound, a sword descended from a distance and lay peacefully in his palm.

The blade is cold and sharp, its edge fully revealed.

“I won’t let myself live like this for the rest of my life, Quesheng. I know you also want to save them, but it’s only because you are my best friend that you value my life more than theirs at this time.”

“But Jiang Yu is just one person. There are many people in this world waiting for you, waiting for me, waiting for us to save them.”

His hair was blown by the wind, swaying gently, revealing half of his face in the middle, making him look both gentle and strong.

“I won’t let you give up searching for other ways to save your lives, but this is the only way right now, and of course I can’t give up.” Jiang Yu’s face was lowered, casting a small shadow on the table. His long fingers gripped the edge of the table, and there were obvious bruises on his wrists.

The wind rustled through the leaves, and several birds on the tree trunk brought small, sturdy twigs to rebuild their nests.

The previous heavy rains had destroyed many houses, and bird nests and tree holes were left in a mess by the rain. Jiang Yu hadn't noticed, but he hadn't heard their chirping for days. Unexpectedly, he heard it again at this time.

Everything seemed to be changing for the better.

Lian Quesheng was persuaded by him. He wasn't the kind of person who could change Jiang Yu's mind. He raised the corner of his mouth and slammed the jade pendant at his waist onto the table with a "smack". "Okay, I believe in you and Jiang Yu. No matter what, I will support you."

"Thanks." The sunlight shone on Jiang Yu's face, and Shen Jiuxu, afraid that he would feel too hot, pulled him closer to his chest. He would not interfere with Jiang Yu, but Shen Jiuxu would do his best to help him successfully ascend.

"Don't try to be brave," Lian Quesheng added, then put the jade pendant back. It was originally meant to boost morale, but now that all the polite words had been said, there was no point in keeping it there.

"Mmm." Jiang Yu agreed, leaning against Shen Jiuxu and winking at him.

Just then, Xi Chuang returned from outside with Zhou Yongyin. The two of them were covered in dust and carrying several baskets of things.

"Master."

Lian Quesheng waved his hand, looking him up and down, "Why do you look so much darker lately?"

"Master looks to be in very good health these days," Xichuang couldn't help but say sarcastically. "It seems I still have a lot to learn from Master in the future."

Jiang Yu laughed out loud, and Zhou Yongyin was also quite happy to see that he looked well. "You should be like this, come out and get some sun more often, and recover your health as soon as possible."

Jiang Yu held a strand of Shen Jiuxu's hair in his hand and played with it. He smiled and said nonchalantly, "I can't see now, so I can't braid your hair."

"We'll weave it when it's finished. I'll save it all for you." Shen Jiuxu touched his forehead. "There'll be plenty of time later."

Zhou Yongyin went to cook, and Shen Jiuxu went to help. Soon, the once quiet kitchen was filled with Zhou Yongyin's angry curses.

"That's sugar, I want salt."

"Add water, add water."

For the first time, Shen Jiuxu tasted what bitterness and helplessness meant. Wisps of smoke rose from the rooftop. Jiang Yu lay there, and the simple aroma of food made him feel that something was missing. He moved his face closer to the cloak that Shen Jiuxu had brought.

The fragrance was faint, yet it made him feel at ease.

"Let's eat."

Zhou Yongyin's deep voice echoed throughout the courtyard. Shen Jiuxu followed behind him and subconsciously looked in Jiang Yu's direction. His pitiful eyes were originally meant to evoke sympathy, but this time he had clearly miscalculated.

Jiang Yu couldn't see, so he could only hold Shen Jiuxu tightly as she walked over and ask in a low voice, "What dish did you make? It smells delicious."

"Rice porridge".

Shen Jiuxu's voice sounded somewhat lifeless, and Jiang Yu noticed it, patting his shoulder, "Lower your head a little."

"Then I'll eat more later." Shen Jiuxu put his ear close to Jiang Yu's mouth and clearly heard every word he said, "I won't give it to them."

"Um."

"Can you laugh now?"

Shen Jiuxu smiled and kissed Jiang Yu on the corner of his eye. He put him in his seat, turned around, and saw that all three of them were staring at him. He sat down next to Jiang Yu without blushing or skipping a beat, and served him a bowl of porridge. "Jiang Yu likes it."

"Yes, I just had him feed me."

Lian Que stared blankly at the west window, but after receiving no response, he picked up his chopsticks, grabbed a piece of meat, and began to eat heartily.

Who would like to drink something so bland and watery? Anyway, if he were sick, he wouldn't drink it even if Xichuang fed it to him.

"It tastes good."

Jiang Yu whispered, "I feel like you're much better than me. I volunteered to help Grandpa in the kitchen before, and then I successfully burned the kitchen down. After that, he wouldn't let me in anymore."

Shen Jiuxu put down his spoon with demure composure, his face flushed red from Jiang Yu's praise. "Actually, it was Grandfather's guidance that was good. I didn't do anything. Besides, you were still young at the time, so it's normal that you didn't do it well."

"Neither of you should come in next time."

Sitting on the north side, Zhou Yongyin couldn't stand it anymore. "I can't teach any of them. What kind of things are they making? I really don't know how you like them. Beauty is in the eye of the beholder."

Jiang Yu smiled and said, "Of course, and Jiu Xu is naturally handsome, so it's perfectly normal for your grandson to like him."

"Is that right?" he turned to ask Shen Jiuxu.

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A note from the author: Today I helped my teacher ask some questions of a patient at the hospital.

As a result, I blurted out, "Hello, are you married?"

Patient: "I'm married and have two children."

[Crying][Crying][Crying], this is so embarrassing, it's all because I've been writing too ancient stuff lately.