Chapter 123: Fireworks and Clouds The bottom of Wan Zhou’s eyes were illuminated brightly, as if…
A month later, at the border of the Demon Realm, Guisha Town.
Black fog covered the top of the head, making it difficult for sunlight to enter. It was like an invisible cage, trapping all things in the demon world.
Inside the cage, there was a rare atmosphere of bustle and peace, with people running around on the streets and hawkers shouting one after another.
"Elder Gushan's freshly minted spiritual weapon, worth fifty high-grade spirit stones. Come take a look!"
"This Mermaid Spirit Clothes, hand-sewn by the owner of Miaoyue Pavilion, is now resaleable!"
"Freshly baked immortal monk human flesh buns, generously stuffed with thin skins. Two for one low-grade spirit stone. Don't miss them if you pass by!"
A black-robed monk made his way through the crowd, entering a pharmacy with a clear purpose in mind. He readily listed a string of medicinal herbs: "White Peony Root, Poria Cocos, Chinese Angelica Root..."
His voice was clear and pleasant, revealing a cleanness that was incompatible with the demon world.
The shopkeeper and pharmacist couldn't help but take a few more glances and saw a handsome and gentle face.
"So it's you." The pharmacist skillfully opened the corresponding small box behind him, grabbed the medicine according to the dosage, and asked as he packed it, "Have you finished the medicine you brought last time? Your apprentice's illness is still not healed?"
"No." Yun Wanzhou shook his head.
The pharmacist handed him the packaged medicine and asked, "Are you seriously ill?"
Yun Wanzhou reached out to take it, and seeing his black clothes and black wristbands, he still felt uncomfortable. He was stunned for a moment before replying, "Yes."
"The medicine you've taken here is just for promoting blood circulation and replenishing Qi. It won't do much good. If you don't prescribe the right medicine, it's probably going to be difficult to recover..."
Yun Wanzhou took the herbs without saying a word. His phoenix eyes drooped slightly, appearing somewhat helpless, and a hint of his former coldness reappeared.
"Forget it, forget it. It's useless for me to say it. Just don't come to me crying when you die of illness." The shopkeeper and pharmacist waved his hand to send the guest away.
After leaving the pharmacy, Yun Wanzhou stood there holding the medicine for a while. He heard the hawking of buns beside him, walked forward and bought a few buns, putting them all in his arms. After thinking about it and making sure he didn't forget to buy anything, he walked away from the hustle and bustle of the street.
To the west of Guisha Town, there is a beautiful patch of Lycoris radiata. From a distance, it looks like a vast ocean, bright red like fire, eye-catching. In this devilish land where no grass grows, only this flower has a tenacious fate and is unique.
Passing through the Lycoris radiata bushes, there is a shallow river polluted by black air. There is a simple wooden bridge on the river. The black air below is ready to move, hoping that people on the bridge will accidentally fall so that they can have a feast.
After crossing the wooden bridge, you will reach the evil ghost village.
Yun Wanzhou tapped his toes twice and crossed over easily.
"Xiao Yun is back? Did you go out to help Aunt Zhang buy things again today?" Someone recognized Yun Wanzhou and greeted him familiarly.
"Yes." Yun Wanzhou nodded and responded uncomfortably.
As they passed by, Yun Wanzhou heard the man mutter, "He looks good, but unfortunately he doesn't like to talk, like a mute. No wonder he can't find a Taoist partner."
Yun Wanzhou unconsciously glanced at him sideways. The man pretended nothing had happened and dismissed him, saying, "Didn't you buy something for Aunt Zhang? She must have been waiting for you for a long time. Xiaoyun, please go back quickly."
Aunt Zhang is a fifty-year-old woman, a native of Evil Ghost Village.
A month ago, Yun Wanzhou and Xie Wuyang fled to the border of the Demon Realm and fell into a coma. When they woke up again, it was Aunt Zhang who lived in a village on the border of the Demon Realm who saved them.
But since coming to the Demon Realm, he has never seen Xie Wuyang wake up again.
This person seemed to have fallen asleep, just like the flowers that bloom and fade in this world. No one could tell when a flower would bloom, or whether it would bloom at all.
Yun Wanzhou pushed open the gate of the fence surrounding the courtyard and knocked on the middle room first. "Aunt Zhang, are you there?"
The door was opened from the inside. A middle-aged woman wearing a scarf stood by the door. She looked at Yun Wanzhou carefully. It took her a while to recognize who he was. "Ah, it's Xiaoyun. What's going on?"
"I went to town to get some medicine today, and I bought some buns for you."
"What kind of filling do you want in the buns?" Aunt Zhang asked with a smile.
The filling of this bun was a little hard to describe. Yun Wanzhou opened and closed his lips, and it took a lot of effort to spit out those few words, "It's made with the flesh of immortal monks."
"Pork stuffing?" Aunt Zhang smiled even brighter. "That's my favorite."
Yun Wanzhou didn't comment on the fact that pork was called a celestial cultivator. He handed the buns in his arms to Aunt Zhang, who took out two and handed the rest to Yun Wanzhou. "How is your disciple today?"
Yun Wanzhou took the bun and answered truthfully, "Nothing has changed."
"Alas." Aunt Zhang sighed, "Don't worry too much. He's injured like that, it's good enough that he can survive. As for when he wakes up, leave it to fate. As for you, you take care of him day and night, and you should also pay attention to your health. What if he wakes up and you collapse again? How guilty will your apprentice be?"
"Thank you, Aunt Zhang. I know." Yun Wanzhou's eyelashes trembled. He said goodbye to Aunt Zhang briefly and walked into the room on the easternmost side.
The demons were already weak, and as a border village, Guisha Town was even poorer and barren, so there was nothing in the house except an earthen kang and a high stool used as a cabinet.
The room was dark, with only a candle burning fiercely on a high stool, trying to bring warmth and light, illuminating half of the face of the person on the kang.
Xie Wuyang was lying on top of it, his brows were calm and his eyes were closed, his hands were crossed and clasped on his abdomen, and his face showed a paleness that was not that of an ordinary person.
A layer of light golden barrier illuminated him, and spiritual power flowed and changed like a living spring, continuously flowing into Xie Wuyang's body.
On the other side of the barrier, the source of spiritual power is the owner of the barrier - Yun Wanzhou.
Yun Wanzhou put the bun aside, raised his hand to open the barrier, and carefully touched Xie Wuyang's hand.
It's hot, with boiling blood flowing inside.
Yun Wanzhou breathed a sigh of relief.
This almost became a daily routine for him. Even if the result was the same, the anxiety and fear still gnawed at him, making it hard for him to sleep day and night.
For more than ten years, life and death happened every day.
After Qiong Rao left, he looked forward to something for the first time - one day when he opened the door, his little disciple would be leaning against the headboard with his eyes open, smiling at him, and calling him "Master" again.
…
The Spring Festival in the demon world is much more lively than Yun Wanzhou imagined.
There was a festive atmosphere outside, with firecrackers and fireworks going off in an endless stream. The shouts and cheers of the demons cast a different kind of light on this dim town.
Yun Wanzhou lived with Aunt Zhang.
Aunt Zhang's husband died young, leaving her childless. During festive occasions, while other people's homes were brightly lit, she remained isolated, lonely and helpless.
Yun Wanzhou didn't come out at first, but later he heard someone setting off fireworks outside. He happened to remember that fireworks were banned in Cangqiong Mountain. When Xie Wuyang was ten years old, he was punished for setting off fireworks privately. He suddenly wanted to go out and see what the fireworks in the demon world looked like for him.
When he opened the door, he happened to see Aunt Zhang's door open. He was sitting at the door, looking up at the bright night sky with a smile on his face.
The fireworks bloomed and faded quickly, highlighting the face with slightly wrinkles.
Lonely.
This was the first time Yun Wanzhou felt this word so intuitively.
He must have been lonely when Qiongrao just left, otherwise why would he stare at the unlit lamp for several days in a row, even for the whole night?
But what happened later?
Loneliness has become a habit. Without companionship, loneliness will no longer exist. As time goes by, apart from the occasional mentions from his disciples, how did he spend his own Spring Festival?
Yun Wanzhou suddenly found that he had no memory of any of this. Every holiday was like completing a task. When the task was over, it was time for him to withdraw.
People are born out of ties, it shouldn't be like this.
Yun Wanzhou was in a state of confusion and unknowingly walked up to Aunt Zhang.
Aunt Zhang's gaze, which had fallen on the fireworks, fell on Yun Wanzhou, "Xiao Yun?"
Perhaps it had been so long since he'd taken the initiative to invite anyone out, Yun Wanzhou suddenly felt nervous, his palms sweating. It took him a while to formulate a simple sentence. "Aunt Zhang, do you want to go out and set off some fireworks?"
"I find it very amusing to see them put it on."
"But I kind of want to." His heartbeat was deafening, and his face was burning. His own voice seemed to come from far away, from another person. "Aunt Zhang, please accompany me to let it go."
Yun Wanzhou was still in a dream when the fireworks exploded beside his ears. He was not good at speaking and could hardly respond with a smile. He just waited until one bunch of fireworks was finished and then lit up another one.
"Bang——"
“Clatter—”
The fireworks complement each other and overlap with those set off by the neighbors, blooming into a larger one, dazzling and beautiful.
Yun Wanzhou's eyes were illuminated by a bright reflection, just like every single person in the world.
I can’t tell whether I’m happy or unhappy.
When he looked at Aunt Zhang, she was staring at the fireworks the two people were setting off, with a faint smile on her lips, gentle and happy.
He should be happy that he helped a person who had been lonely for many years to regain his sight, but he was always thinking of Xie Wuyang in his heart.
What would the situation be like if he were here?
Time flies, and in the blink of an eye, spring has gone and summer has come, and another three months have passed.
The hustle and bustle of the Spring Festival seemed like a dream that would never repeat itself, and the Ghost Town returned to its former tranquility.
It was still the same wooden bridge, the same field of Lycoris radiata, and the same market. Yun Wanzhou, as usual, brought the packed medicine and pushed open the closed door.
I don’t know if the candle in the house burned out or was blown out by the wind. When I walked from the courtyard to the house, it was still pitch black.
Yun Wanzhou fumbled to place the medicine beside the bed, and moved his fingertips slightly to gather spiritual power, trying to relight the candle.
Suddenly, a slight breeze blew beside him, and a hand grasped his wrist, stopping his movements.
Realizing who it was most likely, Yun Wanzhou trembled, his voice trembling as he sought confirmation: "Who?"
Perhaps because he had slept for too long and woke up only briefly, his voice was hoarse and rough, with a hint of heaviness and maturity. "Master, it's me."
As soon as he finished speaking, he hugged her in his arms.
Yun Wanzhou's body was shaking even more violently than before, and his crossed hands seemed to wish that the person in his arms could merge into his bones and blood.
No one spoke and the room was silent.
After a long, long time, the person in his arms raised his arms with difficulty and hugged his waist, "Thank you for being safe."
It’s not the Demon Lord, nor the original body. The one who woke up... is just Xie Wuyang.
The waist in his arms seemed thinner than before, easily confined by the hand, as if it would break if bent. The touch under his palms was no longer brocade silk, but ordinary coarse linen.
Xie Wuyang narrowed his eyes, trying to discern where he was in the darkness, but to no avail. Finally, he could only stroke Yun Wanzhou's neck and suggest, "Master, do you want to light a lamp first?"
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