Chapter 27 The Contest: "Where Did Miss Hua Xun Go?"
Li fell ill overnight.
I heard that he was frightened by something in the ancestral hall, which is why he has been bedridden ever since. Even after falling asleep, he kept muttering "Don't come any closer" and "I didn't mean to."
Hua Xun sat quietly by the stone table in Fang Qinglian's courtyard, listening to the whispers of the servants in the distance.
About an incense stick later, Fang Qinglian returned from Li's place and was clearly taken aback when she saw Hua Xun: "Cultivator Hua."
“Young Madam,” Hua Xun stood up, “I have something I want to say to you.”
Fang Qinglian remained silent for a moment, then waved away the little maidservant who was following her and led Hua Xun back into the room: "Cultivator Hua, please speak frankly."
Looking at her pale and thin face, Hua Xun asked bluntly, "If Young Master Chen does not wake up, what will the young mistress do?"
Fang Qinglian's eyelashes trembled slightly, and she gave a bleak smile: "If my husband never wakes up, I will follow him in death."
Hua Xun was moved, but she did not forget her purpose in coming here: "If the young master Chen wakes up and is still as utterly wicked as he was after the wedding, what will become of the young mistress?"
Fang Qinglian pursed her lips, her voice resolute: "He is not my husband."
Seeing her serious expression, Hua Xun softened his tone and asked one last question: "What if... the husband that the young mistress has wholeheartedly chosen, the person you have spent half your life with, is not human?"
She had experienced firsthand that humans either feared and avoided demons or hated them to the core.
However, some things need to be clarified.
Fang Qinglian seemed surprised by this turn of events, her expression showing astonishment, and she remained silent for a long time.
Hua Xun remained silent, patiently waiting.
After an unknown amount of time, Fang Qinglian seemed to have thought of something, her eyes softened, and her expression became increasingly firm.
*
Half an hour had passed since he left Fang Qinglian's courtyard.
Hua Xun held the sachet he had borrowed from her, examining it carefully as he walked.
This was the sachet she saw in Chen Changyan's memory. She had heard that humans would give sachets to their loved ones as a token of their love.
If the other party accepts it, it means they have accepted each other's feelings.
As she was lost in thought, Hua Xun suddenly felt a strange chill.
She couldn't help but look up and saw that in a small pavilion outside the garden not far away, "Jin Huan" was standing quietly with his hands behind his back, gazing into the distance.
Hua Xun's heart clenched uncontrollably, her fingers curled unconsciously, and she lowered her eyes, about to pretend not to see and leave in a hurry.
"Miss Hua Xun," Jin Huan called out from the small pavilion.
Hua Xun stiffened, remained silent for a moment before turning around, forcing a smile, and pretending to have just noticed him: "Jin Huan, what are you doing here?"
Jin Huan stared at her face, his gaze almost tangible, slowly scanning from her eyebrows and eyes down to her tight lips.
After a while, "Jin Huan" laughed and said, "I've been here the whole time." From last night until now, from when she came to find Fang Qinglian early this morning until she left with light steps, "it's just that Miss Hua Xun didn't see me."
"Really?" Hua Xun gave a stiff smile. "Maybe I was just daydreaming about something else."
This time, before the other party could speak, Hua Xun said first, "I remembered that you had something to ask me, so I'll go back now."
After saying that, she didn't linger for another moment and quickly headed towards Tingxue Pavilion.
In the small pavilion, Baili Sheng stood quietly, watching the little demon's fleeing figure. After watching for a long time, he suddenly chuckled.
After laughing, he felt an inexplicable anger rising in his chest, which made him lean forward slightly to relieve the surging discomfort.
*
Hua Xun was still shaken when she returned to Tingxue Pavilion.
When she put aside the past ten years of living and working with Baili Sheng, she suddenly realized that she was actually afraid of people like him.
She couldn't tell which of his words were true and which were false, nor did she know what he was really like.
The "Baili Sheng" who had lost all her magical powers and whom she had once treated with sincerity never actually existed from beginning to end.
Thinking of this, Hua Xun felt a little downcast.
In the courtyard, the deity sat on a stone bench, but the parrot, which had not lingered in the deity's palm today, was instead pecking at a bunch of firethorn berries with great interest on the stone table.
It must have been picked from the firethorn tree that was peeking out from the neighboring yard.
Hua Xun stood at the entrance of the courtyard, watching quietly.
Her initial anxiety was easily soothed by this "scenery," and she stepped forward, saying, "My Lord."
The deity looked up at her, holding a few bright red berries in his hand. One of them had a crack, and the vivid juice stained his jade-white fingertips, exuding an indescribable beauty.
Hua Xun couldn't help but take a few more glances.
The deity handed her the berries: "Would you like some?"
Hua Xun paused, blinked, and then, as if possessed, took the berry. After only a couple of chews, a burst of sourness and bitterness exploded in her mouth.
Hua Xun felt a brief numbness on her tongue and quickly spat out the fruit: "It's so sour."
Seeing her furrowed brows, the deity smiled, pondered for a moment, put a berry in his mouth, chewed it, and then said gently and calmly, "It is indeed sour."
Hua Xun glanced at the God, then looked at the berries the parrot was happily pecking at, as if she had discovered something wonderful, and stared intently at the God.
"Hmm?" the deity asked with a smile.
"You don't even know which firethorn berries are sour and which are sweet?" Hua Xun was amazed that there were things even a god-king didn't know.
The deity smiled and nodded.
The world is too vast for him to be omniscient and omnipotent.
Hua Xun's eyes lit up: "Would the Divine Lord like to make a bet with me?"
The deity said, "I do not gamble with others."
Hua Xun immediately changed her question: "How about a competition?"
For thousands of years, no one had dared to challenge a god. Seeing her eager expression, the god-king smiled and asked, "What kind of contest?"
Hua Xun looked at the firethorn berries peeking out from over the wall: "Just compare whether the berries we chose are sour or sweet."
As she spoke, she swiftly leaped up and grabbed a bunch of firethorn berries in her hand.
Hua Xun picked one and looked at it: "God, you go first."
The deity glanced at the berries: "Sour."
Hua Xun smiled and said, "I guess it'll be sweet."
The berry bursts with sweet, juicy flesh upon entering the mouth.
The deity looked at the second berry for a moment longer than before, and said calmly, "It's sour."
Hua Xun handed the berries to the parrot: "I also guessed they were sour."
The parrot, having eaten the sour berries, squawked a few times and glared angrily at Hua Xun.
On the third one, the deity lingered for an increasingly longer period of time.
The fourth one, the fifth one...
The Divine Lord was half right and half wrong, while Hua Xun was almost entirely right.
With only three berries left to guess, the deity suddenly smiled and said, "Let's stop here."
Hua Xun looked at the God-King in confusion: "Why?"
Before the deity could respond, she suddenly thought of something, her eyes brightening: "Is the deity also afraid of losing?"
The deity remained silent.
Hua Xun blinked, a feeling of joy suddenly welling up inside her.
For the first time, she discovered that the God was not entirely a god sitting high on a temple platform; he too could feel annoyed when he lost a lot.
Even if he doesn't show such emotions.
“Then we won’t compete,” Hua Xun fed the parrot the remaining berries, “but the God of Bets can’t go back on his word.”
"The prize?" the deity asked.
“Yes,” Hua Xun nodded, “I will enter Chen Changyan’s dream again tomorrow to collect the Heavenly Soul of Lord Luohe.”
"When I emerge, will you be the first person I see, my lord?"
He paused slightly after nine inclines.
This is the third time she has had God's promise, yet she has "wasted" it time and time again.
She first said she hoped to see his true colors.
She said a second time that she would receive his true form's birthday blessing.
This time, all she wanted was to see him.
There are too many people in the world who are greedy and insatiable. When they are thirsty, they only ask for a bowl of water. After they have had enough to eat and drink, they want wealth and glory. When they have a lot of money, they want to have great power and influence. They want to be above everyone else and live forever...
Desire is endless.
Only her.
She had countless opportunities to speak up and seek God's help, yet she seemed to never mention it.
“Alright,” the deity replied.
Hua Xun looked at the Divine Lord and smiled gently.
She thought that one of the advantages of liking a god was that the god would love her as much as he loved all living beings.
And she can forever use this great love to secretly crave a little love.
*
Hua Xun and Shen Jun went to Chen Changyan's bedroom at noon on the second day.
Li remained bedridden, with only Fang Qinglian keeping watch by her bedside.
To Hua Xun's great relief, "Jin Huan" was gone.
Fang Qinglian said that yesterday evening, "Jin Huan" informed the servants and then left.
With her mind and body relaxed, Hua Xun quickly focused her mind and soon entered Chen Changyan's dream again.
Having learned from her previous experience, Hua Xun was much calmer this time. She bypassed the memories of the past ten years and found the hidden memories from before she was six years old.
The moment Hua Xun tried to break in, the familiar crimson light reappeared. The spirit fox, now only possessing a soul, coldly stared at her. This time, without pausing for even a moment, it attacked her with its sharp claws.
Hua Xun was eager to test himself, so he hurriedly flew backward to dodge, then flipped over and stood up, condensing spiritual energy in his palm.
Last time, the two only lasted three to five rounds before Hua Xun was defeated. This time, they fought for a full twenty rounds before Hua Xun felt a sharp pain in his dantian and was knocked to the ground by a claw.
The fox spirit was about to strike her with its paw when, at the critical moment, Hua Xun quickly took out a sachet: "Do you still remember this?"
The surging spiritual energy condensed almost instantly.
Hua Xun stared intently, and the fox's sharp claws were only inches away from him, yet they were frozen in mid-air.
It was looking at the sachet, a look of almost lingering affection in its eyes.
But it quickly realized what was happening, bared its teeth and roared, snatched the sachet, and stared at her menacingly.
“Young Madam Fang is fine,” Hua Xun said hurriedly.
The murderous intent in the fox's eyes gradually faded. After a long time, it slowly retreated, staring blankly at the sachet, motionless.
“But if Chen Changyan doesn’t regain his senses, I’m afraid something will happen to Madam Fang,” Hua Xun said.
The fox spirit trembled, then blankly raised its head. After a long while, its mouth moved, and a hoarse voice, as if its throat had been ripped out and squeezed directly from its chest, was mixed with blood: "She... wants to die for him?"
Hua Xun nodded: "Yes."
The fox spirit stood there stunned for a long time, as if it wanted to say something, but ultimately kept silent.
"Chen Changyan fell into a coma because you discovered that he was treating Madam Fang badly, so you angrily took away his soul, right?" Hua Xun asked.
The fox spirit looked at her and did not deny it.
Hua Xun: "Do you know why your soul won't dissipate?"
The fox spirit gradually regained consciousness and said in a hoarse voice, "An immortal... has fallen, but his soul protects me... and keeps my spirit from dissipating."
“It is not an immortal,” Hua Xun explained, “but the celestial soul of a god.”
Hua Xun took out the Soul Gathering Lamp: "Today, I have also come to collect this soul. Soon after the Heavenly Soul is taken away, you will also vanish into thin air."
“As for Chen Changyan,” she paused for a moment, “his life is not yet over, and he should be brought back to life.”
As the spirit fox gazed at the Soul-Gathering Lamp, it sensed, in the instant the lamp's wick flickered, that its soul was being torn apart by an invisible force, as if trying to leave its heart.
This time, it did not resist again, but only looked at Hua Xun and let out a hoarse sigh: "You humans..."
As soon as it finished speaking, it gently closed its eyes.
Hua Xun only saw a beam of bamboo-green light rise from its body, like a wisp of green smoke, swirling once before slowly entering the Soul Gathering Lamp.
The Soul-Gathering Lamp lit up for a fleeting moment, but quickly returned to calm.
Hua Xun put the Soul-Gathering Lamp back into his pouch. The spirit fox's soul gradually weakened, and the memories it had hidden behind it, from before the age of six, gradually became clearer—
A girl in a bright green floral dress held a fiery red fox with an injured hind leg, soothing it tenderly: "Good fox, it doesn't hurt, it doesn't hurt, it doesn't hurt..."
The wariness in the fiery red fox's eyes gradually faded, and it stared intently at the girl in front of it.
But this scene keeps repeating itself in this memory.
Hua Xun was slightly taken aback and looked at the spirit fox.
Its soul is almost transparent.
At that moment, a malevolent soul gradually emerged; this was the soul of Chen Changyan.
"Are you a cultivator?" Chen Changyan sneered. "If you are, then quickly kill this beast!"
“My mother will give you a lot of money, so don’t take the money and do nothing. Kill this beast now…”
Chen Changyan's soul roared, "This beast has trapped me here for countless days and nights! Kill it! Tear it to pieces!"
Hua Xun looked at Chen Changyan, whose handsome face was now contorted with excitement, his eyes flashing with a crazed light.
Hua Xun's spiritual energy condensed in his palm, slowly forming a dark blue light sword.
She turned and walked towards the spirit fox, repeating, "Chen Changyan's fate is not yet over, there is still..."
"I am not human."
Hua Xun raised his lightsaber and swung it down...
*
"call--"
Hua Xun took a deep breath and returned her spiritual consciousness to her body.
She slowly opened her eyes, and a patch of pure white came into view.
Looking upwards along the snow-white path, it was just as the deity had promised.
The first person she saw was him.
"Sir, I've finished," Hua Xun said happily.
The deity nodded: "Mm."
At the bedside, several servants whispered, "Young Master has moved!"
"Go quickly and tell the old lady..."
Hua Xun turned her gaze and saw Chen Changyan's fingers twitch, his eyelids tremble slightly, and he slowly opened his eyes.
Fang Qinglian stood beside the couch, looking at him with a tense expression, her lips opening and closing, but she dared not speak.
Hua Xun pursed her lips and stepped forward: "Chen Changyan."
Chen Changyan's gaze lingered in the air for a moment before finally settling on her face. His expression changed slightly, but quickly returned to normal as he looked at Fang Qinglian, who was guarding the bedside.
After a moment's hesitation, he frowned and asked, "Fang, what are you doing here?"
Fang Qinglian's face turned deathly pale, her frail body swayed slightly, and she stared in disbelief at the awakened man: "You called me..."
After a long while, she gave a mocking laugh and ran outside.
Watching this drama of a devoted woman and a heartless man unfold before her, Hua Xun silently took a few steps back until she was beside the Divine Lord. She then turned to him and said, "Sir, we..."
Before she could finish speaking, she met the all-knowing gaze of the Divine Lord and guiltily looked away, muttering softly, "The Heavenly Soul has been retrieved, shouldn't we return to White Mist Cliff now?"
"I'm starting to crave the Fire..." Her voice trailed off.
There was no response from beside him for a long time, and after a moment, a gentle sigh came: "I will return tomorrow."
“No need for tomorrow, let’s do it today…” Hua Xun looked outside, her voice trailing off.
Only then did he realize that it was already deep night outside, and he couldn't help but smile awkwardly: "Then I'll leave tomorrow."
Seeing that more and more people were gathering in Chen Changyan's room, Hua Xun and Shenjun left and quietly walked towards Tingxue Pavilion.
"My Lord, the moonlight is so beautiful tonight." Hua Xun looked up at the hazy moonlight.
The deity raised his head and looked up at the silvery moonlight.
Once so close, yet I felt only loneliness; now so far away, yet it has gained a certain charm.
Having arrived at Tingxue Pavilion, Hua Xun greeted the Divine Lord with "Good night" and returned to her room.
The moment she opened the door, a tremendous force pulled her into the room, and the door slammed shut again.
Hua Xun was startled and instinctively reached for the door to leave.
But the door was tightly shut, and an invisible barrier enveloped the entire room.
Jin Huan sat at the tea table in her room, a cup of cold tea in his hand, his expression serene: "Where is Miss Hua Xun going?"
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com