Chapter 70 (Two-in-One) [VIP]

A colossal beast, easily two meters tall, charged out of the depths of the forest. Its eyes were bloodshot, and its powerful limbs leaped from the ground as it roared at the uninvited group of people, "Roar—"

Yin Chu Jiu walked in front of the crowd, taking the lead.

drink!

The scorching, fishy smell hit her face, and her clothes fluttered in the wind. Yin Chu Jiu involuntarily took a step back, her face turning somewhat pale.

It's a seventh-tier magical beast from the Moon Forest!

Everyone recognized the behemoth the moment it appeared. The five subordinates immediately assumed attack stances, while Zi Zhuo and the others remained calm and composed on their horses, their expressions unchanged. This magical beast might pose a threat to ordinary people and low-level cultivators, but it posed no threat to them.

Their gazes were all fixed on Yin Chu Jiu, who was standing almost face-to-face with the magical beast on the ground. Yin Chu Jiu's level was not high, and only he was threatened by that magical beast.

Indeed, only Yin Chu Jiu was present. He realized the situation before the others, understanding it the instant the magical beast appeared. At the same time, he also recognized the magical beast—the Earthshaker Beast, resembling an ape with immense strength, and also the same magical beast Yue Ling had encountered years ago.

In the novel, Yue Ling, whose powers had not yet awakened, was chased by the Earthshaker Beast through the forest. Unable to defeat the beast, he could only hope to escape its clutches. Lacking power, Yue Ling attempted to use the massive, dense trees of the forest to hinder the beast. Trees fell one after another, the rumbling sound echoing throughout the forest. In the end, Yue Ling still couldn't shake off the beast, which finally chased him off a cliff once more, ending the chase.

Fortunately, Yue Ling had already undergone several body temperings by then, making him much stronger. He grabbed onto a tree at the bottom of the cliff and managed to get rid of the Earthshaking Beast. But the Earthshaking Beast didn't leave immediately; instead, it pounded the ground on the cliff for a long time before finally moving on.

Yin Chu Jiu knew he couldn't defeat the Earthshaker, so he never even considered winning; he only wanted to drive it away. The Earthshaker was powerful, but it had one weakness: a keen sense of smell that made it unable to tolerate pungent odors.

Standing still, Yin Chu Jiu felt a slight tension in his heart, but remained perfectly calm as he took out a small yellow bag from his pocket. Then, he charged towards the Earthshaker Beast. Compared to the beast, his body was tiny, and his action looked like he was deliberately courting death.

Yue Ling, sitting on his horse, underwent a drastic change in expression, his mind going blank. When he regained his senses, he found himself standing in front of Yin Chu Jiu, with a fallen giant beast in front of him.

Mo Ling, Zi Zhuo, Hei Mao, and the other two dismounted and stood beside him, looking on with questions.

Yue Ling pursed her thin lips and gave them a deep look. They immediately looked away and turned to deal with the Earthshaker on the ground. The Earthshaker's meat wasn't tasty, but it contained a magic pearl, which they could keep. Although this was just an illusion, and the magic pearl wouldn't be of much use to them, they really couldn't think of anything else to do with it.

The three left obediently. Only then did Yue Ling turn around to look at Yin Chu Jiu behind him, his eyes darkening. "What were you trying to do just now?" His hands, hanging at his sides, were clenched tightly.

He actually wanted to die! How could he possibly want to die!

Yin Chu Jiu realized that Yue Ling was angry, but he didn't know why. He felt a little nervous, but quickly realized that he and Yue Ling were no longer in that intimate relationship, and he also understood why he should be nervous; it would only make him a laughingstock.

He looked up and stared straight at Yue Ling, neither nervous nor downcast, showing no emotion whatsoever. He treated Yue Ling like a stranger, as if he were a creditor, and replied normally, "The Earthshaker is powerful, but it has a keen sense of smell, so I want to use a pungent scent to force it to leave."

As he spoke, he took out the spice packet he hadn't had time to throw away yet. The spice packet was the one the black cat had given him earlier. It contained pungent seasonings such as chili peppers, Sichuan peppercorns, and Sichuan peppercorn oil. If you accidentally smelled those seasonings, it would make you sneeze and tear up. If he put it directly into the Earthshaker's nose, the Earthshaker would definitely be even more stimulated.

Yin Chu Jiu was looking down at the seasoning packet in his hand as he explained, so he didn't see Yue Ling's body tremble slightly, his eyes flickering and then turning into a deeper, darker look. "Aren't you afraid that the Earthshaker Beast will be provoked, go berserk, and kill you?"

"I will escape." Yin Chu Jiu looked up, his attitude even more formulaic, just like the tone he used when answering his counselor at school. "Don't worry, I won't die. I will live and walk the path you've walked all over again. I will definitely persevere."

He seemed to understand why Yue Ling was angry. Indeed, if he had just taken revenge on his enemy, and that enemy hadn't even made it past the first hurdle, he would also be angry.

Because that way there's no thrill of revenge; he was careless and didn't think of that.

Yin Chu Jiu answered seriously. He felt that Yue Ling shouldn't be so angry anymore, but the boy in front of him looked even colder than before, as if he was even angrier.

He was puzzled. The boy's character was inherently deep and unpredictable. Even before he regained his memories, it was difficult to guess what he was thinking. Later, after they established a relationship, he was able to vaguely guess some of the boy's thoughts. Now that the boy had regained his memories, he understood even less what he was thinking.

Before Yin Chu Jiu could figure it out, Yue Ling had already turned around, remounted his horse, and coldly ordered, "Continue!"

Upon receiving the order, Zi Zhuo and the others immediately collected the Earthshaker's corpse and mounted their horses like him. Yin Chu Jiu reluctantly put away the spice packet and continued on the planned route.

He took a couple of steps and suddenly remembered a memory he had forgotten—Yue Ling had just saved him, just like before he had regained his memory.

Could it be...? No, impossible. Yin Chu Jiu rejected her guess and finally found a more reasonable explanation for Yue Ling's behavior—he must be afraid that if he died, he would not be able to take revenge, so he killed the Earthshaking Beast for him in a fit of anger.

The Moon Forest is vast, boundless, and incredibly tall, almost reaching the height of the moon.

A crescent moon hangs atop the mountain peak, hence the name Moon Forest—a rather romantic name. Standing atop the peak, you can clearly see the path the moon takes as it rises; raising your hand, it feels as if you could touch it.

Actually, Yin Chu Jiu had another romantic reason for setting up the Moon Forest. He admired Mr. Jin Yong and liked his works. His favorite one was The Return of the Condor Heroes. In the music video of The Return of the Condor Heroes, the scene where Xiaolongnu and Yang Guo, a giant condor, flew through the air and passed the moon was both ethereal and beautiful.

His straightforward, masculine appreciation led him to want his own protagonist to experience that kind of romance as well. Even without developing a romantic storyline, it was still a perfect opportunity to woo a girl. Taking a girl to see the moon—how romantic!

It's not just a great opportunity to pick up girls, it's also a great opportunity to pick up guys.

Lying on the car floor, Yin Chu Jiu looked up at the bright moon peeking through the gaps in the leaves, and remembered what Yue Ling had said to him when they first arrived at the Moon Forest.

—I can take you up there. Wherever you want to go, I'll take you.

Those words shook him to his core, filling him with a bittersweet feeling. At the time, he didn't know the illusion would disappear, that he would leave, or that Yue Ling would regain her memories. He was serious about going anywhere with Yue Ling, and that once his strength was restored, they would live a carefree life on this continent.

I never imagined that he and Yue Ling would end up like this.

Life is unpredictable.

Covering her face with her arms, Yin Chu Jiu stopped thinking about the past and focused on the present. Three days had passed since they set off, and in those three days, they had traveled without stopping. During these three days, they had encountered a total of ten high-level, five mid-level, and six low-level magical beasts.

Some of those magical beasts were killed by him, and some were killed by Yue Ling, who was afraid of his death. It's funny, Yue Ling's job as a creditor was really tough. He had never seen a creditor like him, who had to pay off debts while also making sure the debtors didn't die, and personally helping to save their lives.

These three days have been somewhat arduous, but the results have been remarkable. They have already moved from the outer perimeter of the Moon Forest to its depths, and it is estimated that they will find the divine herb soon.

As they ventured deeper into the Moon Forest, his initial unfamiliarity with the route transformed into familiarity. It would probably take another day for them to reach the cliff. The earlier routes were casually sketched, but the later ones were carefully written, so when those familiar descriptions appeared before his eyes, he knew who they were.

Upon finding the divine herb, Yue Ling's strength immediately recovers. However, if he uses up all the illusion's energy, the illusion shatters instantly. Alternatively, if he finds the divine herb but doesn't immediately recover his strength, waiting until the illusion's energy is depleted on its own before doing so, the illusion will shatter.

In other words, it will all be over in at least one day and at most three days.

Regardless of the method, time is running out.

"Yin Chu Jiu, the Lord is looking for you," Mo Ling said as he approached.

Yin Chu Jiu lowered her arm, nodded to him, and said calmly, "Okay, I'll get up now."

Over the past three days, Yue Ling would contact him from time to time, always about the route. Yin Chu Jiu had gotten used to it, and Yue Ling's visits this time were mostly about the route.

Following Mo Ling, Yin Chu Jiu arrived in front of Yue Ling. Yue Ling was alone; there was no one else with him. After Mo Ling brought him over, he left.

The night was quiet, with only the crackling sound of burning firewood between them, which helped to keep the atmosphere from becoming too tense.

Yue Ling sat on a protruding rock on the ground, his legs slightly bent. He looked down at a piece of glass stone he was playing with in his hand. He didn't speak. The orange firelight reflected on his fair face, making it look a little red. The red color seemed to blur the coldness on his face.

It feels so unfamiliar.

Yue Ling didn't speak, and Yin Chu Jiu didn't know what to say either. He just stood opposite the fire, with his head down like Yue Ling, but he had no stones to look at, so he could only look at his own toes.

After a long while, Yue Ling's voice finally rang out. He said, "You'll leave with me tomorrow."

"What?" Yin Chu Jiu looked up at Yue Ling, puzzled, not understanding what he meant. Yue Ling didn't seem inclined to explain, so Yin Chu Jiu had no choice but to swallow her confusion.

The next day, he got up as usual, intending to proceed as before, but before he could even begin, Mo Ling brought him before Yue Ling once again. Yue Ling was riding a horse, and beside him was another horse; he recognized that horse—it belonged to Zi Zhuo.

"Yin Chu Jiu, please mount your horse," Mo Ling said.

Yin Chu Jiu didn't move; he only looked up at Yue Ling, wanting to know what he meant. The boy being looked at remained expressionless and said, "Go up." He offered no explanation.

Yin Chu Jiu vaguely sensed that it was related to what Yue Ling had said last night. He bit his lip and nimbly mounted the horse.

It didn't matter if Yue Ling didn't explain; he could just follow him anyway. Yin Chu Jiu thought to himself, and sure enough, the boy took action as soon as he mounted his horse. He spurred the horse's flanks to make it move forward, and Yin Chu Jiu paused for a moment before spurring his horse's flanks as well to follow.

Yue Ling kept walking forward, and he followed. They walked for ten minutes, getting deeper and deeper into the Moon Forest, but the boy still didn't stop. Not only that, Mo Ling and Zi Zhuo didn't follow either.

—You and I will leave together tomorrow.

So that's what it meant. He'd leave with him, just the two of them. But where would they go? Where was Yue Ling taking him?

In his panic, Yin Chu Jiu didn't realize that the path Yue Ling was leading him on was also very familiar. The huge trees around them were becoming fewer and fewer, and traces of human footsteps were beginning to appear on the ground, as if a group of people lived here.

When he noticed these things, he realized where Yue Ling had taken him—the village that had betrayed him.

As if confirming his guess, a white figure appeared in the distant forest. It was a girl gathering herbs. The girl had her back to them and did not notice their presence.

Yue Ling stopped, his dark, deep eyes fixed on the girl until she finished gathering the herbs and left, only then did he look away.

Yin Chu Jiu didn't know what Yue Ling was thinking. If he wanted revenge, he should have grabbed that girl. If he didn't want revenge, he wouldn't have come here.

This village is no match for Yue Ling; he no longer needs to observe ambushes to find an opportunity to strike.

Yin Chu Jiu had a bellyful of questions, but he had no right to ask. He could only stay behind, watching the back of the boy sitting on horseback, and wildly guessing why he was doing this.

"Do you know what a person would want to do if they only have hatred in their heart?" Yue Ling suddenly spoke up at that moment. Yin Chu Jiu couldn't see his expression, so she could only carefully reply, "Revenge."

“Yes, revenge,” the boy with his back to him said. “In the decades of my life, this is the only thing I’ve thought about. I have no other thoughts in my mind. I keep a little notebook in my mind, and I have made a clear record of everyone who has wronged me. I will make them pay me back exactly how much they owe me, no more and no less, not a penny more or less.”

He knew that Yin Chu Jiu couldn't speak, and he knew all of that.

“My life is filled with hatred. I can’t feel any other emotions besides hatred. I don’t know what family is, what friendship is, what love is. I can’t feel the pain of parting, the pain of longing, the pain of reunion, or the pain of death. After I took revenge on all those who wronged me, I can’t even feel hatred anymore.”

"I don't know why I exist in this world, nor do I understand why I have to exist in this world. Who am I, why do I exist, and what is the meaning of my existence?"

Yin Chu Jiu didn't answer, and Yue Ling continued talking as if he didn't need his reply. With his back to Yin Chu Jiu, he raised his hand to cover his chest, which was pounding with his heart. In the illusion, he seemed to be able to feel those emotions, to feel emotions other than hatred. But even though he had the same memories, he couldn't feel anything, as if those emotions hadn't returned to his body along with his memories.

He only had that initial feeling towards Yin Chu Jiu.

He hated him, he loathed him.

But... he would do things that contradicted his own thoughts. When he heard that Yin Chu Jiu had grilled meat for him, he wanted to eat it. When he saw that Yin Chu Jiu might die, he killed the monster.

Why? He would do that.

Why……

Could that feeling be liking someone, caring about someone? Yue Ling recalled what she had done to Yin Chu Jiu in the illusion and wondered in confusion.

No, perhaps it's not love. If it were love, why would he want to torment him?

"Do you know why?" Yue Ling lowered her hand and asked again.

Yin Chu Jiu shook his head and nodded repeatedly. He understood why Yue Ling had asked that question; he wanted an answer from him, but it was an answer he couldn't bring himself to say. Even though he had already decided to let go, hearing Yue Ling's words still made him feel a pang of sadness.

"I'm sorry." That was all he could say.

"It doesn't matter." Yue Ling turned to look at Yin Chu Jiu. The fleeting confusion on his face was gone, replaced by his characteristic coldness as he said in a deep voice, "I'm used to it, so all I can do is seek revenge."

As soon as he finished speaking, eight dark figures flashed through the forest, disappearing into the distance in the direction the girl in white had gone.

“Yin Chu Jiu, considering how good you were to me in the illusion, and that you didn’t do it on purpose, I won’t kill you. Consider the torment I inflicted on you these past ten days as you repaying what you owe me. From now on, we’re even.”

With nothing to lose, Yin Chu Jiu suddenly looked up and saw the boy's expressionless face. There was no disgust or hatred on his face; he looked back at her like a god without joy or sorrow.

He could clearly feel his hatred before, but now he can't even feel hatred anymore.

Just as he said, he took his revenge on him, so they were even, and there was no more hatred between them. This nearly ten days of torment was exchanged for eighteen years of torment he had inflicted on him.

The debts are even...

The debts are even...

Okay, that's best.

This is... the best possible outcome.

Lost in thought, Yin Chu Jiu watched as Yue Ling spurred his horse forward again. This time, he pulled on the reins and rode off in a different direction. Yin Chu Jiu didn't know what he was feeling as he followed Yue Ling; he only knew that he was watching the boy's back as he steered his horse to follow him.

This time, Yue Ling took him to a bottomless cliff. The two of them stood on the edge of the cliff on horseback, looking at the rolling clouds below.

"Go down and get the divine herb. I will eat it and shatter the illusion. Then you should leave this place and never appear in front of me again. I don't want to see you again."

"...Okay, I understand."

Yue Ling said this briefly to Yin Chu Jiu, then dismounted. Yin Chu Jiu followed him, and the two stood together on the cliff. Then, Yue Ling tied a rope around Yin Chu Jiu's waist and held the rope in his hand.

Then he took out another rope, tied it to a tree, and threw it off the cliff. The rope was so long that it could not be measured.

Having made preparations, Yue Ling was the first to jump off the cliff. Yin Chu Jiu watched his retreating figure, blinked her sore eyes, and followed him off.

The cliff is bottomless; this is the summit of the Moon Forest, where almost all that can be seen below are the clouds floating in the sky. But what no one knows is that jumping off this cliff won't kill you. At the bottom of the cliff lie many treasures: divine artifacts, miraculous herbs, all sorts of rare and precious materials, cultivation techniques, and magical artifacts. The energy emanating from these treasures gathers in the air, almost condensing into a tangible substance. When someone jumps, they are enveloped in this peculiar substance and slowly descend, landing safely on the ground.

The village that lived on the edge of the cliff knew there was a divine artifact below, but they didn't know that falling down wouldn't kill them. In the past, when they performed sacrifices in their village, whether the people were chosen from within the village or abducted from elsewhere, they were all killed before being thrown down, because they believed that the blood would better demonstrate their sincerity.

In addition, cultivators' blood also contains energy, and they believe that the blood can replenish the energy below, generating a continuous stream of divine artifacts and divine herbs.

Only Yue Ling, that kid is unruly and incredibly lucky. Not only is he lucky, but he's also very wary of people, which is why they arranged for someone to slowly approach him and push him down when he wasn't paying attention.

He might as well have fallen to his death.

Even if you fall to your death, blood will splatter out, which should replenish some of your energy.

Thus, Yue Ling became the only person who wasn't killed and then thrown down.

Of course, the main reason is that he is the protagonist. If he were killed and then thrown down, wouldn't he also die? How could that show the protagonist's specialness? The protagonist's halo is not just a joke.

As his body sank into that soft energy, Yin Chu Jiu couldn't help but chuckle as he recalled how he had devised this plot. Back then, Chu Shi had criticized his plot for being full of bugs and incredibly unrealistic, to which he retorted that it was normal for fantasy novels to have some bugs; the main thing was to be entertaining. Otherwise, if the protagonist was just like everyone else, what exciting moments would there be? If there were no exciting moments, the readers would feel frustrated.

Lying on the energy-rich material felt like lying on clouds—soft and slightly cool. They descended slowly, barely feeling the gravity of the continent. Supported by that energy, they landed safely on the ground after an unknown amount of time.

Once it reached the ground, the energy disappeared.

They also saw a vast expanse of white human bones, densely packed, filling the small valley. So many bones; that village had killed so many people. Yin Chu Jiu lost her balance and took a step back.

He caused all of this.

Yue Ling remained calm. He calmly stepped over the bones, tightened his grip, and Yin Chu Jiu, who was bound by ropes, followed him away. Once they were out of the area, Yue Ling untied the ropes binding him.

The rope serves only one purpose: to keep them from separating. When jumping off a cliff, no one knows if they'll land in the same spot.

Yin Chu Jiu silently let Yue Ling untie the rope. Once the rope was untied, they set off again.

The divine herb grew in a valley below a cliff. It would be difficult for ordinary people to find it, but for Yue Ling, it was very easy. They didn't walk far before reaching the valley and seeing the divine herb.

Yue Ling calmly took the divine herb and led Yin Chu Jiu back to the cliff where they had first come down. He tied Yin Chu Jiu up again, then grabbed the rope and led her away from the cliff.