The incident of the Holy Son of Fengyuntai sacrificing the Book of Reincarnation caused a stir in the cultivation world no less than that of Luo Jingyu's Ascension Tournament seven thousand years ago.
By the time the outside world learned what had happened on the Fengyun Platform, two days had passed since the Immortal Sect Election.
The truth about how the ancestors of the Xiaoyao Sect used humans to harm the Banxia clan and steal their destiny and fortune was completely revealed to the world when Du Pingsheng's "Tales of Strange Things" was published not long afterward.
According to those who survived on Fengyuntai, three secret realms actually appeared on Fengyuntai that day.
The first is the Floating Pagoda Realm, formed from the divine soul and consciousness of the Evil-Repelling Divine Path; the second is the Crimson Sky Realm, formed from the consciousness of the Crimson Sky Sword, the most ferocious sword of antiquity; the third is the Dragon Fang Secret Realm, which appears last.
Azure spiritual energy poured down from the sky like a waterfall cascading down, captivating all who beheld it.
The spirit of the former Banxia appeared before everyone, using gentle spiritual power to restore all the innocent cultivators who were implicated on the Wind and Cloud Platform to their original state.
However, people like Chu Guiyi, who were injured by the forbidden technique, cannot recover.
Finally, Banxia's spirit reclaimed all the life essences of his clansmen that had been stolen from the disciples of the Xiaoyao Sect, allowing his clansmen, who had been dead for tens of thousands of years, to re-enter the cycle of reincarnation.
Overnight, the disciples of the Xiaoyao Sect became universally reviled.
This ancient immortal family, which had existed for thousands of years, collapsed completely before everyone's eyes.
As for the cultivators at the Floating Pagoda Realm who appeared on the Wind and Cloud Platform, their Mind-Drawing Lightning Technique was forcibly interrupted by the Evil-Repelling Demon, disrupting their heart meridians and severely damaging their spiritual meridians. From now on, they will be no different from cripples.
After the truth of the Floating Pagoda Realm was revealed, and with the death of Bixie, the Floating Pagoda Realm opened its gates to the cultivation world for the last time three days later, and all the immortal sects and families within returned to the cultivation world. Innocent and not innocent among them were implicated and became beings banished by the Heavenly Dao. If they wished to reincarnate, they had to rely on the Book of Reincarnation, but since the day he forged the Book of Reincarnation, Xiao Xun had vanished without a trace, as if he had evaporated from the face of the earth, never to be seen again.
The so-called elders of the Fate Pavilion, who were supposedly "bearing the mandate of heaven," frantically searched the world for Xiao Xun's whereabouts, hoping to have their names written in the Book of Reincarnation. However, they couldn't find even a trace of Xiao Xun, and could only spend the rest of their lives in despair and endless searching. The others in the Floating Pagoda Realm seemed to have accepted their fate. Perhaps they had awakened to the truth, or perhaps they felt that their cultivation was too profound and their death was far away. No one knew the specific reason.
However, it is worth mentioning that, due to the influence of the Si Ming Pavilion, many immortal sects in the cultivation world began to doubt the existence of the Hundred Sects. Not long after, they abolished the so-called "Hundred Sects" and formed an alliance of the nine most prestigious immortal sects in each of the Nine Provinces. From then on, all matters in the cultivation world would be decided jointly by the immortal sects of the Nine Provinces.
Apart from this, the appearance of the Book of Reincarnation in the human world does not seem to have had much impact on humanity.
"Senior, how is it?"
Chu Guiyi sat calmly in front of the couch.
Chu Wenfeng stepped forward with concern and asked, "Can Senior Brother's cultivation level be restored?"
The cultivator in blue robes looked regretful and shook his head, saying, "To put it simply, his golden core was not damaged, and his cultivation level is still intact."
Chu Wenfeng frowned and said, "How could that be..."
The cultivator in blue sighed, "Xie An used your body as a formation back then, but he still had some conscience. At the crucial moment, he somehow separated your soul from your body. What was actually damaged was your body, not your soul. Therefore, your cultivation was only temporarily damaged, but it will recover..."
Chu Guiyi smiled and said, "To recover, you need to find a suitable body?"
The monk in blue nodded noncommittally, "That's right."
Chu Wenfeng grabbed the broadsword and said, "I'll go find it right now..."
"Come back," Chu Guiyi called out.
"Senior Brother!"
Chu Guiyi sat up and said helplessly, "Even if you find a suitable body, what do you plan to do? Kill him? Make his body work for me?"
Chu Wenfeng was taken aback. "What if there's another way?"
Chu Guiyi shook her head slightly and said, "There's no other way, and I don't need a suitable body. Since it's all settled, then so be it."
"But……"
Chu Guiyi did not intend to say anything more. He looked at the cultivator in blue and said, "Senior, the reason I asked you to come here today is that I want to know about the matter between Shuci and Young Master Xie."
Qingyi found a place to sit down. "It seems you're someone who enjoys listening to stories. Ask me anything you want to know."
Chu Guiyi nodded and thanked him. "If I'm not mistaken, Shu Ci should be Luo Jingyu, right?"
The monk in blue shrugged and said, "That's right."
"Could you please elaborate, senior?"
The cultivator in blue robes raised his head and said, "Aside from his identity as an incarnation of an evil spirit, Bixie can practically be called the Child of Heaven. He is exceptionally intelligent; he can learn almost anything after seeing it only once. I heard from the patriarch that as early as five hundred years after Senior Jingyu's death, he had already crafted the Reincarnation Array to revive him. Unfortunately, less than twenty years later, Senior Jingyu would die again at the hands of Heaven, his soul scattered, and the Reincarnation Scroll would disappear with him. Bixie crafts a Reincarnation Scroll every five hundred years. After reviving Senior Jingyu, he will find the Luo family and ask us to raise him. But even if we do nothing, Senior Jingyu will still pass away before his twentieth birthday. No matter what happens in between, he will still not escape death."
The two people in the room listened in silence.
They were not involved and could not imagine how Bixie watched Luo Jingyu, whom he had resurrected, die time and time again, nor could they imagine how he had the perseverance to refine the Reincarnation Array again and again over the course of seven thousand years.
The cultivator in blue sighed, "Later, Senior Jingyu finally lived past the age of twenty. The reason was that in that life, Bixie never appeared in front of him from beginning to end. In other words, as long as he didn't get close to the senior and lived separately from him, Senior Jingyu could live on. Perhaps this was Heaven's punishment for him."
Chu Wenfeng felt a chill run down his spine upon hearing this, "Didn't Bixie go to great lengths to revive Luo Jingyu just to see him again? Heaven is doing this..."
The cultivator in blue nodded and said, "That's right. Someone like Bixie would never accept his fate, much less be content as long as Senior Brother Jingyu is still alive."
Hearing this, Chu Guiyi smiled and said, "So, he and Young Master Xie are quite similar."
The blue-robed cultivator continued, "In order to find a way out, Bixie tried many methods. In order to get closer to the Heavenly Dao and deduce the only future that could be called a way out, he finally cultivated the Divine Transformation Path, refined the Floating Pagoda Realm, and also found the only way to coexist with Senior Brother Jingyu."
"What method?" Chu Wenfeng asked.
"Senior Brother Jingyu was the first Heavenly Dao Saint Child. As long as he doesn't disappear, the Heavenly Dao won't create a second Saint Child. So in this life, he sent Senior Brother Jingyu through a time rift he tore open to a place beyond the Heavenly Dao's control. The Heavenly Dao assumed that if the Heavenly Dao Saint Child disappeared, it would naturally create another one. Bixie calculated where the Heavenly Dao Saint Child would be born, extracted his own Divine Transformation Dao soul to maintain the passage to the Floating Pagoda Realm, and then entered reincarnation himself..."
Chu Guiyi said in a daze, "He became the second Heavenly Dao Saint Son..."
“That’s right. Heaven’s Dao doesn’t care about cause and effect, it only recognizes the result. Bixie used the Divine Soul of the Transformation Dao to blind its eyes. It didn’t discover in time that the person who was born from the evil spirits of the world became the second Holy Son of Heaven’s Dao, which is Xiao Xun in this life.”
The cultivator in blue robes seemed to recall something, and suddenly chuckled softly, saying, "Actually, from the moment Xie Shuci was pulled back into this world, the Heavenly Dao could no longer control them."
Chu Guiyi asked in confusion, "What do you mean?"
"Because Xiao Xun and Xie Shuci's time is different from yours."
Their pupils dilated, their faces filled with confusion. "What do you mean?"
The cultivator in blue robes asked, "Do you still remember the Qiankun Mirror in the Dragon Fang Secret Realm?"
"You mean..."
"Before Xie Shuci used the Qiankun Mirror, the last person to use it was Xiao Xun. The current Xiao Xun is someone who returned through the Qiankun Mirror ten years later, while Xie Shuci is someone that Bixie pulled back from the time rift ten years later. Their time is ten years earlier than all of ours. In this life, Xie Shuci is only nineteen years old in another world, but in the time span controlled by the Heavenly Dao, he has long been over twenty years old. However, he had already met Bixie when he was born."
The amount of information was overwhelming, and Chu Wenfeng was a little slow to process it.
Chu Guiyi pondered for a moment and said, "But in the end, Shuci still died."
The monk in blue robes said, "But the two of them are coexisting now. What Heaven has always wanted is for them to be separated by death and life, by Yin and Yang. Now it can't do that anymore. It is trapped by its own laws. It doesn't care about cause and effect, it only recognizes the result. When a result will never come, the cause and effect involved are absolutely beyond its control."
"Is this the result that Bixie wanted?"
"That's right, that's the result he wanted."
Chu Wenfeng gradually came to his senses. "So, he not only manipulates the Heavenly Dao and the world, but he even schemed against himself and Xie Shuci? He's truly ruthless. No wonder Xie Shuci is so madly in love with him. I admire him."
Chu Guiyi shook his head and said, "Shuci likes him because he is Xie An, which has nothing to do with Bixie. Similarly, Young Master Xie likes him, which has nothing to do with Luo Jingyu. They can be said to be the same person, or they can be said to be different people."
The monk in blue nodded in agreement and said, "That makes sense."
"However, this time, it is unknown how many years it will take for the Book of Reincarnation to regenerate Xie Shuci's soul."
Chu Wenfeng rubbed his chin with his right hand, feeling as if he were...
I forgot something, something related to Xie Shuci and Xie An.
What is it? What is it? It seems quite important...
"Ah!" Chu Wenfeng suddenly shouted, startling the two people in the room. "I remember now!"
The two looked completely bewildered. "What?"
"Xie Shuci asked me to tell Xie An something! Where is Xie An now?"
The monk in blue was taken aback for a moment and said, "I don't know. However, the Great King sneaks over to the Xie family to eat on the fifteenth of every month, and he always looks like he hasn't eaten for hundreds of years. He should know where Xie An is."
——
After the Fengyuntai incident, the cultivation world was plunged into a brief period of turmoil.
The Xiaoyao Sect was disbanded. Except for the disciples whose fates, carrying the destiny of the Banxia clan, were taken by the Water God and their spirits and bodies were destroyed, the rest flowed into other immortal sects. The four great immortal families that emerged from the Floating Pagoda Realm each found a secluded immortal mountain to cultivate, remaining as before, never participating in the disputes among immortal families. As for the other immortal sects, some occupied territories to protect the people, while others directly merged into branches of the cultivation world. As for the people of the Siming Pavilion, apart from the elders, most of them flowed into other immortal sects. Those elders were already old and didn't have much time left; after Xie An disappeared with the Book of Reincarnation, they lived in constant fear and panic.
Fortunately, Xie An disappeared with the Book of Reincarnation, and after a brief period of calm, everything in the cultivation world seemed to have returned to normal.
However, since Xie Shuci's death, the Jingyu Flower in Tianzhu City has never bloomed again.
As time went by, life in the cultivation world gradually returned to normal, and apart from those who personally experienced that shocking scene at the Wind and Cloud Platform, people gradually forgot about it.
More than a hundred years have passed, and many people have died and been reborn in the cultivation world, but nothing has changed.
Nearly a hundred years is but a fleeting moment in the long river of time, and for cultivators, it is no more than twenty or thirty years for ordinary people.
In the blink of an eye this year, a piece of news spread from who knows where.
People were overjoyed and spread the news far and wide.
"The day when the startled birds return to their nests will arrive as scheduled in mid-July this year."
No one knew the basis of this rumor, nor where it originated, yet it spread like wildfire throughout the cultivation world in just half a month.
Perhaps it was because Jingyu Mountain had been silent for too many years, and no one had seen such a grand occasion for so long, that when people heard this rumor, they were overjoyed and traveled thousands of miles to Tianzhu City to find out for themselves.
As mid-July approached, the various immortal sects and families, unable to resist the pleas of their disciples, and because this was a spectacle rarely seen in a century, simply granted their wishes and allowed them to travel together to Tianzhu City.
Xie Shuci was one of the many disciples who went to Tianzhu City.
He was very puzzled. His little immortal sect was usually very lively, and they would flock to wherever there was excitement. When Xie Shuci suggested that they come and see the Jingyu Flower in Tianzhu City, they refused without even thinking.
Having no other choice, Xie Shuci had to lead the crane all the way from Bianzhou by himself.
It's somewhat laughable, but the reason Xie Shuci insisted on coming to Tianzhu City was because ever since he regained consciousness, he had been having the same dream: he dreamt that flowers bloomed all over the mountains and fields before him, enveloping him like a sea of fire. In the dream, there was also a man standing behind him, quietly watching him. Several times, Xie Shuci wanted to turn around and look at his face, but every time he had this thought, he would wake up from the dream.
According to his senior classmates, he used to have mental problems and couldn't remember things. Then one day he suddenly recovered. So the scenes in his dreams might be things he had seen before, but he forgot them because of his mental problems.
Whenever this happens, Xie Shuci thinks how pitiful the person he forgot in his dream is, since he can't even remember him at all.
Upon entering Tianzhu City, Xie Shuci was dazzled by the vibrant colors of the blooming flowers.
"Hey, what a handsome young man! You know that the Guanhua Brothel is recruiting male prostitutes lately? They love guys like you with your delicate skin!" An old woman selling rouge by the roadside called out to Xie Shuci.
Xie Shuci led the crane forward and asked, "Auntie, what kind of place is Wanhua Tower?"
"Oh, you don't know about Wanhua Tower? It's the number one brothel in the world!"
"Huh?" Xie Shuci frowned. "Are you trying to lure me into becoming a wayward youth?"
Xie Shuci always had strange and unusual words popping out of his mouth, and he didn't know why.
"Look at what you're saying..."
"Stop, stop, stop, ma'am, let me ask you, will the startled birds really return to their nests this year?"
The old woman had a pretty flower decoration on her forehead, and her eyes narrowed into slits when she smiled. "How would I know? That's what everyone says."
"Do you want to see it?"
Suddenly, an unfamiliar voice sounded behind him. At the same time, Xie Shuci felt a presence very close, almost right next to his ear.
Xie Shuci's body trembled. He wasn't sure if it was his imagination, but he vaguely heard the sound of iron chains scraping and bells jingling near his ear. "Who..."
Xie Shuci turned around in confusion, and the aura vanished instantly, leaving him alone.
Xie Shuci rubbed his earlobe and muttered, "Strange."
He was certain that the person behind him wasn't a figment of his imagination; his ears even felt a slight itch from that person's breath.
Xie Shuci didn't think too much about it and continued to wander around the city.
He casually bought some snacks by the roadside, and when it was almost time, he led the crane towards Jingyu Mountain.
There were many people on the road, in groups of four or five, but Xie Shuci was alone.
"Young master, are you heading to Jingyu Mountain?"
Two cultivators by the roadside looked at Xie Shuci with smiles.
Xie Shuci looked up at them, feeling that the two looked somewhat familiar, so he smiled and said, "Yes."
"Why don't you come with us?"
"Okay, I was just feeling bored by myself."
Xie Shuci led the crane to the two people and noticed that one of them was looking at him strangely, with red eyes as if he was about to cry. When Xie Shuci looked at him, he glared back at him.
Xie Shuci curled his lip, thinking to himself, "I'm not going to stoop to your level."
"My name is Chu Guiyi, and this is my junior brother, Chu Wenfeng."
"Oh, my name is Xie Shuci." Xie Shuci nodded to the two of them.
Chu Guiyi was a man who looked very refined. He nodded slightly and said, "Let's go."
Xie Shuci walked beside them, leading the crane, and muttered to himself, "Where are you from? I'm from Bianzhou."
“The Chu family of Yingzhou, he is the current head of the Chu family,” Chu Guiyi said, pointing to Chu Wenfeng beside him.
"Him?" Xie Shuci's tone was full of doubt as he looked Chu Wenfeng up and down, thinking to himself that he didn't look like the head of the family as much as Chu Wenfeng did.
Before Xie Shuci could look away, Chu Wenfeng glared at him and gritted his teeth, saying, "What's wrong with me?"
Xie Shuci shrank his neck from the kick and nodded frantically like a chicken pecking at rice, "So alike! So majestic! Big brother, you were born to be the head of the family!"
Chu Wenfeng: "..."
He couldn't help but roll his eyes at Xie Shuci, "Idiot."
Chu Guiyi chuckled and shook his head.
"Awooo!"
As Xie Shuci reached the foot of the mountain, he suddenly heard two barks from not far away. He looked up in surprise, "Are there still people bringing dogs to admire the flowers these days?"
"Awooo!"
A small black and white puppy nimbly weaved through the crowd and huffed and puffed as it ran toward Xie Shuci.
As a result, the little guy forgot to watch where he was going and accidentally bumped into a passerby's leg, rolling around on the ground with a "thud".
Xie Shuci found it a bit funny; the little thing looked like a husky.
"Awooooo!"
The little guy ran to Xie Shuci's feet and started crying loudly as if someone had stepped on it. It also rubbed its head against Xie Shuci's legs frantically. Xie Shuci was on the verge of tears. He bent down, grabbed the scruff of its neck, and lifted it into his arms. He subconsciously rubbed the fur on the back of its neck with his hand. "It's okay, don't cry."
"Awooo!" The puppy cried even harder as soon as he opened his mouth, with snot and tears streaming down its face, and it even tried to reach its paws at Xie Shuci's face.
"Whose are you? Can't you find your owner?"
"Waaah!"
As soon as Xie Shuci finished speaking, he suddenly felt the weight in his arms increase dramatically, causing his legs to buckle and him to fall backward instantly.
"hiss--"
Xie Shuci's back slammed into the hard ground, and he gasped in pain. Before he could catch his breath, he felt a heavy weight pressing down on his waist. At the same time, a pair of strong arms tightly hugged his neck, and a head of soft red hair rubbed against his face. He heard the boy's heart-wrenching cries.
"Father! Father! The King misses you so much! The King misses you so much!"
"Cough cough..." Xie Shuci's neck was almost broken by his strangulation. "You should... be a little gentler..."
"Waaah... Daddy..."
Xie Shuci never expected that the little puppy in his arms would turn into a man almost as tall as him, crying like a dog.
"Get up, you're going to strangle him."
A cold voice rang out beside him, and then a man with a full head of silver hair easily grabbed the boy who was crying his heart out.
"Father... Father..."
The boy pitifully stretched out his hands to Xie Shuci, but unfortunately there was an incorruptible man behind him who wouldn't let go of him no matter how much he cried.
Xie Shuci clutched his neck and coughed violently, "Are you trying to strangle me?!"
The boy pursed his lips, large tears rolled down his cheeks, and then transformed into a three- or four-year-old child. He climbed out of the silver-haired man's arms, threw himself on Xie Shuci, and hugged his leg tightly, silently shedding tears.
Xie Shuci felt a pang of sadness in her heart. She gently patted his head and said softly, "Alright, stop crying. I'll take you to find your father, okay?"
“Okay…” the little guy said in his childish voice.
Xie Shuci, holding the little brat who had inexplicably appeared, turned his head and looked awkwardly at Chu Guiyi and the other person.
Chu Guiyi looked at him with a smile and said, "He likes you very much."
Xie Shuci chuckled, "Well, maybe it's because I'm naturally beautiful and approachable..."
Chu Guiyi couldn't help but chuckle softly.
Xie Shuci felt a little strange. Although he had always been a very outgoing person, this was the first time he had felt so relaxed and at ease with several strangers, as if they had known each other for a long time.
On the way up the mountain, the little boy held his hand tightly the whole time. Even when he was crying, he only dared to wipe his tears with his other hand, which was covered in sweat. The silver-haired man behind them was not talkative, but he took the crane's reins from Xie Shuci.
The group walked up Jingyu Mountain, chatting and laughing. As they talked, Xie Shuci looked around and had a strange feeling that something was missing.
He didn't know why he had this feeling, nor what it came from. He just felt that something was missing, something that should have been there, but wasn't.
Walking into a dense forest on Jingyu Mountain, I was surrounded by people, and all sorts of sounds mingled together, creating a very chaotic scene.
"jingle--"
The sound of bells jingling rang in my ears, mixed with the sound of chains scraping against each other.
The voice disappeared into the crowd, but Xie Shuci felt that he could hear it clearly, as if only that one voice remained in the world.
It all feels so familiar.
He felt very familiar with Chu Guiyi and Chu Wenfeng, he also felt very familiar with the king who suddenly appeared, he also felt very familiar with the silver-haired man behind him, and he still felt very familiar with the surrounding environment that resembled a desolate hill.
Even those bare, lifeless trees seemed familiar to him.
He stood there, holding the king's hand, looking around blankly.
He's been here, he's seen this place, he must have seen it before!
When? When?
Amidst the crowded throng, the sound of light, slow footsteps drifted out.
The footsteps were very light, like leaves falling silently, but inexplicably, each step felt like stepping on Xie Shuci's heart.
As the footsteps drew closer, Xie Shuci heard the sound of chains rubbing together again. It wasn't the sound of chains rubbing against chains, but the chilling sound of chains rubbing against flesh and bones.
Apart from that voice, everything around Xie Shuci seemed to be moving away. He stared blankly in the direction from which the voice came and saw a bright red hem fluttering on the ground in the surging crowd. A pair of long boots with auspicious cloud patterns embroidered with gold thread stepped on the muddy ground, as if stepping on the clouds in the sky, slowly but firmly approaching Xie Shuci.
"Ding-dong—"
Xie Shuci's gaze seemed glued to that person, unable to look away no matter what.
His gaze gradually moved upwards, and he saw the man's bright red robes fluttering with each step he took, accompanied by the clear sounds of chains rubbing and bells jingling in the wind.
When his gaze fell upon the man's well-defined hands hanging at his sides, he was surprised to find a black chain protruding from the man's index fingertip, as if it were directly embedded in the flesh. A few inches away on the back of the hand, there was also a chain embedded in the flesh. Xie Shuci looked into the man's sleeve in the direction of the chain, but unfortunately the wide sleeve blocked his view and he could not see anything.
Xie Shuci felt a sudden pain in his heart and unconsciously arched his body slightly to make himself feel better. He saw that the man had a string of blue bells hanging from his waist, which swayed gently with his steps and made a crisp sound.
Xie Shuci felt as if his heart was being tightly gripped by a hand. He stared blankly as the man approached him, unwilling to look away for even a moment.
His gaze traveled upwards, and when he saw that the man's exposed neck was also inlaid with an iron chain, he continued to look upwards. Sure enough, just as he had imagined, that damned iron chain pierced through every inch of the man's flesh, with even a portion of it exposed.
Xie Shuci felt a suffocating pain, as if his heart was being torn in two.
So
So many iron chains... piercing through flesh and bone... how painful that must be...
Tears rolled down my cheeks without warning.
Xie Shuci's teary eyes met a pair of calm eyes.
Those dark eyes held a light that made Xie Shuci's heart burn. He approached Xie Shuci step by step until he stood in front of Xie Shuci, at which point he stopped.
Xie Shuci looked at the iron chain on his face, which stretched from his left cheek to his forehead, as if it were grown into his flesh and blood.
Even so, he still found this person incredibly handsome; just one glance at him made everything else in the world lose its color.
Xie Shuci wanted to speak, but something seemed to be stuck in his throat, as if he would burst into tears if he opened his mouth.
The man looked at him, watching the tears streaming down his face, raised his arm, placed his palm on his cheek, and used his thumb to wipe away the tears.
Xie Shuci slowly grasped his hand, feeling a strange bulge under the skin of his arm in his palm. He realized that it was also a chain. He clenched his teeth and raised his hand in front of him.
The man looked at him and smiled brightly, saying, "Do you like it? How about I cut off one of my fingers and give it to you?"
Xie Shuci's hands trembled uncontrollably. The man's expression was very serious, not at all like he was joking.
It was as if he would immediately cut off a finger and give it to Xie Shuci if Xie Shuci nodded.
Xie Shuci didn't understand why, just looking at the man, at his many wounds, at the iron chains embedded in his flesh, Xie Shuci felt such heartache.
The pain felt like a sharp awl was being plunged into his heart, churning and twisting inside, tearing his heart to shreds.
Xie Shuci looked at him, almost holding his breath, and asked softly, "How did this happen?"
He seemed afraid that his voice would be too loud and worsen the man's pain.
The man looked at him, shook his head, and said, "It doesn't hurt."
"You're talking nonsense! You fucking say you're not in pain? How can it not hurt? Ah! How can it not hurt?" Xie Shuci said, tears streaming down her face.
He clearly didn't know who the man in front of him was, and had never seen what the man looked like before, but the wounds on the man's body felt like they were slashing at his heart; every wound tugged at his heartstrings.
The man pursed his thin lips, seemingly at a loss for what to do with him. He stroked his cheek with his other hand, lowered his upper body, and gently kissed away the tears that kept rolling down his face, whispering, "Don't cry, let me take you to see the flowers."
His movements were very practiced. Being kissed in public by a man he had just met, Xie Shuci didn't feel awkward at all, as if they were born to be so intimate.
"What are you looking at? You're already like this, what's there to see!" Facing this person, facing this man who seemed completely unfamiliar with everything about him, Xie Shuci didn't feel any sense of unfamiliarity.
The man reluctantly pulled his upper body back and said, "Wait for me a moment, be good."
"I don't……"
Xie Shuci wanted to say that he wouldn't wait, but for some reason he couldn't bring himself to say it.
The man smiled, a trickle of bright red liquid flowing from the wound on his face.
Xie Shuci's eyes reddened as she watched. "Stop laughing! Please stop laughing!"
"Alright." The man stepped back slightly. "I haven't been in a hurry for all these years, why are you in such a rush?"
"I……"
Had he waited for him for many years? But... but why didn't he want to get up at all...?
Seeing his stunned expression, the man smiled and said, "I want everyone to know that Xie Shuci is back."
The Jingyu flowers bloom together because Xie Shuci has returned.
The blooming of the Feathered Flower signifies the return of destiny.
Xie Shuci has returned; the master of the Book of Reincarnation has returned.
Those who wish to be resurrected through the Book of Reincarnation, those who hope the Book of Reincarnation can resurrect their "Xie Shuci," from this day forward, Xie Shuci is someone you should worship as a god.
The man slowly moved aside from Xie Shuci, walked behind him, and sat down in front of a withered tree root.
Xie Shuci stared blankly at the sky, as if he had a premonition of something.
The scene before him seemed strangely familiar.
The man sat on the ground doing nothing, blood gushing from his wounds, quickly soaking his bright red robes. Blood dripped from his fingers onto the ground, and a tender sprout quickly grew under the soaking of his blood.
A strange fragrance wafted through the air, and the earth trembled with a chilling force. A white spiritual energy floated on the ground, rippling like water when the wind blew.
Suddenly, a melodious bird song came from deep underground.
The people of Jingyu Mountain watched this scene in disbelief.
"The startled bird is back!"
"The startled bird has really returned!"
"Impossible...impossible! With the Book of Reincarnation appearing in the world, the Startled Feather Bird could not possibly return to its nest, unless..."
"The Holy Son of Heavenly Dao! Unless it's a summons from the Holy Son of Heavenly Dao..."
"Xiao Xun is back! It's Xiao Xun who's back!"
"No, it's not Xiao Xun. How could he suddenly appear here after disappearing for a hundred years? It's not him who's back... it's Xie Shuci who's back!"
"It must be Xie Shuci who has returned! The ruler of the Book of Reincarnation has returned!"
"Bang--"
A tremendous sound came from the barrier on the ground, and then a large bird engulfed in raging flames broke through the barrier and flew into the sky.
The sharp bird cry assaulted the eardrums of everyone present. He couldn't help but raise his head and stare intently at the firebird that kept circling and screeching in the sky, its wings leaving rings of flame in the air.
This Jingyu Mountain, which had been withered for a hundred years, has sprouted lush green grass, green and yellow leaves, and clusters of fiery red flowers, all thanks to the circling and hooting of the Jingyu bird.
"Bang--"
Under everyone's watchful eyes, the second startled bird broke through the barrier.
Three, four, five...
The sky was illuminated by the flames stirred up by the wings of the startled bird, and the ground was lit up by the colors of the startled bird flowers. The sky and the ground merged into one flame, a breathtakingly beautiful sight.
The cry of the startled bird seemed to come from a distant place, piercing through a hundred years of time, and came to Xie Shuci once again.
Amidst the cries of startled birds and the cheers of thousands, Xie Shuci heard a clear, melodious sound of bells jingling.
As the sound of the bell grew clearer, it was as if a budding flower of the startled bird was about to bloom in my mind.
As the last startled bird soared into the sky, the sound of the bell grew closer and closer to Xie Shuci, as if it were right next to his ear.
"Ding-dong..."
A startled bird hovered overhead, leaving a trail of flames on the ground.
Just as it passed over Xie Shuci, it suddenly opened its mouth, and the blue bell it was holding fell from mid-air. As if it had sensed something, Xie Shuci stretched out his hands, and the string of blue bells landed right in his palms.
"Ding-dong..."
With a soft sound, the Flying Feather Flower bloomed in Xie Shuci's mind, and memories flooded into his mind like a flood bursting through a dam.
Unexpected memories flooded Xie Shuci's mind.
The scenes from the past flashed before my eyes, clear as if they had happened yesterday.
“Little blind man…” Xie Shuci murmured a name with a pale face.
He turned around in a daze and saw the little blind boy sitting on the ground, his body soaked in blood. His heart leaped into his throat.
"Xie An..."
Xie Shuci strained to open his eyes wide and approached Xie An with trembling steps.
The grasslands and crape myrtle flowers on the mountainside spread wildly beneath everyone's feet like a raging fire.
Xie An leaned against the blooming Jingyu tree, his body covered in fiery red petals of Jingyu flowers, almost blending into his blood-red robes.
Hearing Xie Shuci's weak cry, he slowly raised his head. Blood stained most of his face, and amidst the bloodstains, a clear tear stain was visible on his left cheek.
He moved his lips as if to say something, but no sound came out.
But Xie Shuci understood it.
—You're back.
"I'm back... I'm back..."
Xie Shuci wept uncontrollably, and in a moment, she threw herself into his blood-soaked embrace.
Xie An caught him, pulling him tightly into his embrace.
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