Chapter 170: The Truth: God’s Invitation [VIP]
"Regardless, your arrival has given me a very happy night, and I'm fortunate to be able to make some small amends for what happened back then. Honestly, if Yaris had been willing to stay here forever, my heart would have been at peace for a long time, and he could have regained the health the gods had forbidden him. However, he rejected me. He was too aware of his own significance to the world, and too full of responsibility."
Earl Kang muttered to himself, "It's still a while before dawn. Can you have a drink with me? This bottle of wine is what Gu Yin and I prepared for our next meeting after we parted ways. Time flows so slowly here that the flavor of over ten thousand years ago is still vividly lingering in the bottle."
"The taste from over ten thousand years ago..."
"Yes, a bottle of precious wine made by prehistoric humans."
Earl Kang looked at Xiao Yun gently, his eyes flashing with strong love and nostalgia.
"All things must eventually die, and even the gods cannot escape annihilation. Although I am an immortal, with a lifespan beyond the imagination of the natives of Ella, I am also unable to defy time. I can only isolate myself in an independent dimension where time flows much more slowly than in the real world. The other gods are in a similar situation to me. We are all striving to find a way to prolong our lives."
"Why?"
Xiao Yun asked in confusion, "Why are you still afraid of death even after living for thousands, tens of thousands, or even millions of years?"
"because--"
Earl Kang smiled faintly. "This is a difficult question to explain to the short-lived, but if you too had a lifespan of thousands, tens of thousands, or even millions of years, you would understand their fear. Not every immortal can embrace the equality, composure, and nobility of Gu Yin, who treats the short-lived as his true family and loved ones, wandering the human world for five thousand years, dreaming of freeing the world from its injustices and ultimately becoming one with this planet."
"When I learned that Gu Yin had chosen to merge with the planet, I was deeply saddened and at the same time incredibly envious. He had found true love and happiness in the universe, but I lacked the courage to follow in his footsteps."
"When I return to the Western Continent, I will carefully study the poems related to Gu Yin, understand him, become familiar with him, and touch him."
Xiao Yun said seriously.
He developed a strong curiosity about the ancient hero Gu Yin, who gave up his status as a "God" and immortality and took the initiative to merge with the planet Ella, and wanted to know more about Gu Yin's story.
"I also hope you can learn more about Gu Yin - whether as a human or as a god, he is a special being - in fact, I foresee that you will come to my castle again in the near future and ask for my help."
"Because of the Dragon Emperor's threat?"
"He is just a stupid beast. The real danger is..."
Earl Kang once again looked at Yaris, who was sleeping in the life support capsule. "I have always been concerned about you. I have always felt pity and guilt for him. No matter when, as long as Yaris or you ask, I will do my best to prolong his shaky life."
“…”
Xiao Yun bit his lower lip.
He was very moved by Earl Kang's proposal, but——
"Thank you for your kindness. I will always keep it in mind and use it when necessary...when necessary... In short, this is an excellent suggestion. Thank you."
"Come, join me and drink while we wait for Yaris's treatment to be over."
Earl Kang smiled mysteriously, with endless loneliness in his smile.
…
…
The next morning, Yaris woke up in bed, his dark eyes, as bright and mysterious as a night lake, were rarely filled with confusion.
He turned to look at his brother beside him, and said in a daze, "Last night, I had a dream... a very strange dream... In the dream, I felt like I was back in my mother's body, lying in a comfortable and warm place... It was pitch black, but it made me feel extremely at ease. I also heard your voice... You seemed to be talking to someone... Unfortunately, I couldn't hear clearly..."
"Are you feeling okay now?"
Xiao Yun asked with concern.
Yaris nodded: "I feel more refreshed than before, and my limbs are not as weak as last night. I can walk slowly by holding on to the wall..."
"That's good."
Xiao Yun let out a long sigh and helped him sit up slowly: "Although this place is strange, it is unexpectedly good for your health."
"Indeed."
Yaris glanced at the dimly glowing wall inside and the brightly burning candle on the table, and asked, "What happened last night? My dream wasn't entirely a dream, right?"
"Yes, something happened last night."
Xiao Yun said bluntly, "Earl Kang said he has a way to keep you alive and healthy. Last night, he showed me his treatment method."
"Then what?"
Yaris asked back, "You want to leave me here? Hand me over to Him?"
"No, I won't leave you! I plan to stay with you—"
"Can't!"
Yaris said sternly, his vocal cords aching again from the high note, and a frown suddenly rose on his pale face..."
”
Xiao.
Shui finally suppressed the pain and looked at Xiao Yun with tears in his eyes: "I don't want to be separated from you, and I don't want you to give up our dream because of me.
"But……"
"Life is mortal. I don't think a short life is a curse. A short life means cherishing every moment. It means we don't have time to think about ourselves... Xiao, I love you. You are my twin soul. More than anyone else, I hope our love can transcend time and fate..."
"... Yaris..."
"My time is running out. Please, don't leave me. Don't make me wait. Let me see the dawn of the dream I placed on you becoming a reality while I'm still alive... As long as I can die with hope, even if there is no hope after death, I will—"
"I, I promise you!"
Xiao Yun suppressed his grief and spoke through gritted teeth.
…
…
After breakfast, Earl Kang personally saw them off.
The carriage had been repaired, and the two horses that had run away last night had been found and were standing docilely in their original places.
"The exit has been opened. All you have to do is keep moving forward, heading towards the rising sun, and you will soon return to the Twilight Kingdom."
"Thank you for your generosity."
Xiao Yun and Yaris thanked Earl Kang together.
Earl Kang looked at the two of them lovingly, and walked forward to hug and say goodbye to them one by one, as if he were an elder bidding farewell to his juniors.
"I will always remember our encounter last night, especially your songs—they were a fresh breeze that could blow away the lifelessness of the years. One night of encounter was enough to offset hundreds of years of boredom."
“It is our honor to receive your hospitality and help.”
Xiao Yun said politely.
Earl Kang smiled mysteriously, and suddenly whispered to Xiao Yun: "The power of LA is your own power."
"Um?"
"In short—let us accept the separation and look forward to meeting again."
Earl Kang smiled and escorted the two men to the driver's seat of the carriage, and reminded them: "Anytime you want to see me again, the signpost to the castle will appear in your sight. I hope you have a safe journey."
"goodbye."
"goodbye."
…
The carriage slowly set off. Yaris, wrapped in his cloak, leaned against Xiao Yun and said, "He seems to really want to keep us here..."
“In fact, I was more than happy to accept His invitation.”
Xiao Yun said softly: "I don't have a strong desire for power and the throne. I just want to be with you."
"but--"
“I knew that, so I ultimately rejected Him.”
Xiao Yun opened his palms. "Yaris, you knew from the beginning that the 'our father' he was referring to was the Leopard-Headed Hero King Gu Yin. You also knew that the Golden City's Light Flame was formed from Gu Yin's heart, right?"
"……Yes."
Yaris said softly: "Not only did I seal your memory, I also kept many things from you. I..."
"--It's okay, I know you didn't mean it."
Xiao Yun lowered his head and kissed Yaris's face. "Earl Kang said that he was one of the reasons for your misfortunes. I don't know what he meant by 'misfortune', but I believe you. I know you wouldn't deliberately hide it from me. You must have a reason not to tell me these things."
“…Yes, I have my reasons for doing this.”
Yaris said weakly: "When I die, all your questions will be answered."
"Then I'd rather never know the answer."
Xiao Yun said sternly: "I'm not kidding."
"I know, I know you're not kidding..."
After hearing Xiao Yun's words, Yaris showed a relieved smile on his face.
…
The carriage raced along the cobblestone road toward the rising sun in the east. Xiao Yun and Yaris snuggled up to each other in the driver's seat. As they passed by, they saw dense forests, gentle grasslands, rolling hills, golden fields, gray villages, shimmering lakes, and graceful fishing boats...
A pleasant breeze blew across my face, and the weather was unusually sunny and peaceful.
Suddenly, Xiao Yun felt something patting his shoulder gently. He turned his head and found that the fertile fields, villages, fishing boats behind him... had all disappeared!
The clouds on the horizon changed from bright and refreshing white to the colorful dusk that is unique to the kingdom of dusk, and the afterglow of the sunset was faintly flickering in the direction of the horizon.
Last night's experience seemed like just a dream, which disappeared without a trace after I woke up.
(——No matter how much you love them, no matter how much they love you, in my immortal eyes, they are all fleeting wind...)
(Earl Kang...)
Thinking back to Earl Kang's deep and sad expression, Xiao Yun couldn't help but sigh.
At this moment, due to the collision of roadside stones, a small puppet jumped out from the corner of the driver's seat and jumped into Xiao Yun's hands.
Looking at the puppet in his hand, the fog that had been lingering in his mind since entering the castle suddenly dissipated.
(I see!)
(No wonder I feel familiar with Earl Kang!)
(Because I have seen Him, I saw Him before yesterday!)
(This ancient god has never truly left. He still pays attention to the present world, loves the present world, and is sincerely worshipped by the barbarians living in the dense forests of Gora...)
…
Riding on the breeze of the dusk kingdom, the carriage moved forward along the dusk avenue.
Yaris gradually became tired, and leaned on Xiao Yun's shoulder with his eyes closed, holding the small puppet given to Xiao Yun by Earl Kang in his hand.
"Xiao..."
"Um?"
"How wonderful it would be if this road never ended? We could stay in the Twilight Kingdom forever, forever, forever..."
"If you want forever, I can do it now—"
"No!"
Yaris gently grasped Xiao Yun's arm, his dark eyes focused on him: "I was just talking casually just now... We have a destiny that we must fulfill..."
"I know."
Xiao Yun stopped the carriage and said, "The wind is a bit cold. You should go back to the carriage and rest."
"unnecessary."
Yaris said seriously, "I don't have much time left. I want to create as many memories as possible that belong only to us."
"All right……"
Xiao Yun unfolded his cloak and wrapped Yaris's body in it: "This way you won't feel the cold easily."
"Um."
…
"His Majesty!"
A loud shout interrupted the peace between the two.
Xiao Yun reflexively wanted to draw his sword, but quickly let go.
"—Why are you here?"
"Ah! I found His Majesty! I was the first to find His Majesty!"
The eagle-like demon with a human head let out a clear and charming laugh, folded its wings, and landed lightly on the horse's head, bowing to Yaris: "Your Highness, I finally see you."
"Who are you--"
"It is the harpy Sarah. It and its sisters often transform into human forms to suck the warm blood of men."
Xiao Yun introduced in a nice but unpleasant voice.
"marvelous!"
The harpy suddenly laughed so hard that her body shook violently. She tilted her beautiful head and looked at Xiao Yun with ambiguous and moist eyes: "Sarah feels extremely honored to have her name and origin remembered by His Majesty——"
"Are you looking for us?"
Xiao Yun impatiently interrupted the eagle-bodied demon's flattery.
"Yes, all the demons in the Twilight Kingdom are looking for Your Majesty and Your Highness~"
The harpy explained aggrievedly, "After discovering that His Majesty and His Highness the Lord had been taken away by the vengeful spirit storm, Flo and the others went crazy, searching everywhere and searching non-stop. And I was the first to find His Majesty and His Highness the Lord the Lord."
"Where are the others?"
Xiao Yun interrupted the eagle-shaped demon again.
"Others?"
"Where are the others in the convoy? Are they safe?"
"Of course, they're perfectly safe... After the storm ended, Flo L, realizing only His Majesty and His Highness the Young Master were missing in the Wrathful Spirit Storm, immediately gathered everyone together and asked us to help search. Ah, I'm so glad I was the first to find His Majesty and His Highness the Young Master! For the next few hundred years, I'll be the most famous demon in the Twilight Kingdom."
"I understand."
Xiao Yun nodded politely and signaled the eagle-shaped demon to lead the way for them.
"Kellyer and the others must be very worried about us. We must meet up with them as soon as possible."
"Yes~ Well, His Majesty's servants have been going crazy these days~"
The harpy demon once again made a charming gesture, looking at Yaris with moist eyes: "Your Highness, what kind of reward do you think Sarah should get~"
“…”
Xiao Yun was speechless.
Yaris smiled and asked, "What do you want?"
"Of course it's the warm, moist hair of a man... Your Majesty and Your Highness's hair sparkles like gems. Could you each cut a lock and give it to me?"
Noticing Xiao Yun's unfriendly expression and the sinister light flashing in Yaris's eyes, the eagle-shaped demon quickly changed his words.
"Can."
Yaris pretended not to notice U Yao's abnormality. He cut off a strand of shiny black hair with a dagger, tied it together with the brown curly hair cut by Xiao Yun, and handed it to U Yao: "Can you lead us now?"
"Satisfied! Satisfied!"
U Yao said with an unhappy look on her face, put away the two tangled strands of hair, flew into the sky, and led the way for the carriage.
…
…
"His Majesty!"
Following a scream, Kelly and others ran towards the two in ecstasy, with excited smiles on their faces.
"Great! Wonderful! Your Majesty and Your Highness are safe and sound!"
"We were taken away by the storm of resentful spirits and encountered some bizarre things, but fortunately, everything was safe in the end."
Xiao Yun didn't want to worry Kelly and the others, so he deliberately avoided the main point and asked, "What about you? What did you encounter?"
"When the Wraith Storm occurred, we held hands and tried to protect His Majesty and His Highness, but—the moment the dark cloud rushed over, we actually fainted!"
Kelly cried and said, "While I was unconscious, I dreamed that we were back at the Silver Moon Palace, where rosamarias were in full bloom. Your Highness was in good health, and everything was beautiful... When I woke up, I realized it was all a dream. Everyone was lying on the ground, but Your Majesty and Your Highness had disappeared..."
"After waking up, Lady Flo L immediately summoned all the demon lords from the Twilight Kingdom to protect us. She told us to stay where we are and not wander around, to avoid any accidents that might cause trouble for everyone."
Several other attendants choked with sobs, and everyone's eyes were red and tears were about to fall at any time.
“…It’s okay, we’re back.”
Xiao Yun comforted everyone, "Your wait was not in vain. We are back safely. - Where is Romila?"
"Lady Romila was just now—"
"I'm here!"
Romila's voice rang out from above, and then a heavy human figure fell to the ground.
"This is--"
Just as everyone was about to look at the human figure thrown down by Romila, Romila giggled and fell from the sky with bat-like wings.
He made no attempt to conceal his succubus identity, only wearing a piece of cloth around his waist. He stepped on the unconscious body with his clawed feet, flirting and showing off: "Master, I have accomplished a great deed this time~"
"What's going on?"
Xiao Yun asked Romila.
"Of course—"
Romila raised her foot and kicked hard: "Let this guy speak for himself!"
"This... um..."
The black mage who was stepped on by Romila slowly woke up and looked at Xiao Yun and others in embarrassment: "I, I..."
"Gowende?"
Xiao Yun recognized the black magic Taoist priest.
"Yes, it's me... I..."
The black magician gradually regained consciousness and said painfully, "Since I've been captured by you, I have no choice but to... kill me!"
"He secretly followed us with a group of black magicians. Of course, I killed everyone except him."
Romila reported.
"No wonder I always feel that there is a dark magic force following the convoy."
Yaris said calmly.
"I, we..."
Gawende's eyes kept rolling, as if he wanted to say something.
"It's impossible for a black magician like him to tell the truth without some tricks."
Romila kicked Gawende to stop him from speaking, grinned evilly, picked up some stones and drew some spells around the black magician.
"What are you going to do to him?"
"Interrogation~"
Romila was very proud: "Using the method taught by the old man."
"'Dark Night Mentor'?"
Yaris gave a playful smile.
"Yes, the old man suffered a great loss at His hands a while ago. If he knew that I was teaching His lackey a lesson, he would definitely reward me."
Romila announced with great excitement: "I am going to start the interrogation, please do not disturb me~"
"—No! Don't let him interrogate me!"
Gawande cried out, "I would rather die than—"
"I'm sorry, but you don't deserve to die."
Romila's eyes flashed with cruelty and her tail shook repeatedly.
"You now have two choices. One is to immediately confess your mission and everything you know, or to accept my interrogation. As the trusted and beloved confidant of the 'Dark Night Mentor', I am very skilled in torture."
“I…I…”
Gawande still tried to struggle.
"Want to commit suicide?"
Romila grabbed his chin and pulled his tongue: "Come on! Confess everything you know with your tongue!"
"I--"
Bang!
Romila snapped her fingers.
Gawende's eyes suddenly became dull and he stared at Romila.
"Excellent, that's it."
Romila said with satisfaction, "Let's start with the simplest question: who ordered you to follow my convoy?"
"Yes, yes, yes, Your Majesty!"
"Who is your Majesty?"
"Your Majesty is Your Majesty."
"All right."
Romila shrugged and continued, "What mission did He assign to you?"
"Follow him, then... poison him... find an opportunity to poison him... bring His Highness Yaris back... he is very important, he, he..."
Gawende's nose and ears began to bleed, and the deepest part of his brain was fighting desperately.
"He, he must be brought back... He is very important... In His Majesty's plan, if he, he... cannot be brought to the Holy City, he must, must be killed! Poisoned! Must be poisoned..."
"Why Yaris?"
"I...I don't know..."
"Really?"
Romila intensifies the demonic interrogation of Gowende.
Gawende's face was twisted in pain, his whole body convulsing and twisting on the ground like a pretzel: "I... I..."
"If he doesn't want to talk, don't force it."
Yaris suddenly spoke up and gently told Romila: "Let him return to eternity."
"but--"
"You've been with Him for so long, you're considered half His confidant. You shouldn't be completely ignorant of me."
Yaris spoke slowly, his voice weak and soft.
Gawende, however, screamed inhumanly, as if he were undergoing the cruelest punishment in the world: "No! No! Forgive me! I don't want to—Ah! Ah! I'll tell you everything I know right now! A spy for the Green Scarf Army, an insider in the Golden City! I, I..."
"oh?"
Xiao Yun's face was serious as he muttered, "There's actually an insider in Golden City?"
"Yes... His power is everywhere... He, He... Please forgive me! Let me live!"
Gawende begged Xiao Yun breathlessly.
Xiao Yun thought for a moment and then told Romila, "Take him to the Golden City and hand him over to Alans immediately."
"Do you believe what he said?"
"Alans has the ability to distinguish true from false."
"clear."
Romila laughed, grabbed the dying Gowende, spread her wings and flew into the sky.
Xiao Yun turned around and said to Kelly and the others, "Get ready, we still have a long way to go on our journey home."
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
