It is undeniable, yet it is an established fact.
Clearly, clearly...
He was the first person to fall in love with her.
If I had understood sooner, all this suffering and hardship would have been...
Perhaps, it was once within his grasp, but he ruined it all because of a single wrong decision.
His body was soaked in blood, which stained his Taoist robe a striking red, perfectly complementing the colors on Tang Xianxiao's clothes.
One is in the heavens, the other on the earth; they can see each other with a glance, yet can never touch each other.
"Why."
Tang Xianxiao, hanging upside down in mid-air, looked at Xu Yi, who was slumped on the ground and struggling to open his eyes to look at him, and asked in confusion.
Xu Yi looked at her as well. There were things he wanted to say, but he didn't have the strength to say them, nor could he say them anymore.
He was wrong, utterly wrong, and there was no second chance.
Some things are better left unsaid.
Xie Shuci hated tragedy, hated the disappearance of a person's life before his eyes.
He could never distinguish right from wrong; he just wanted to save a life.
But there was nothing he could do. He knew perfectly well that his elixir could not save Xu Yi, who was determined to die.
Xu Yi looked at her deeply, as if trying to etch this woman into his very bones; this was the last time he would see her.
“I will make a deal with you. I will help the dead enter the cycle of reincarnation, and you will offer yourself to me.”
"……she."
“I can assure you, she has an afterlife.”
"……good."
As the man on the ground fell silent, an ancient and mysterious array appeared beneath him.
A blinding white light enveloped him and Tang Xianxiao, as if washing away the blood that stained their bodies.
At the same time, several melodious bird calls pierced the sky, and three startled birds appeared out of thin air. They swooped down from the sky and merged into the white light.
Upon seeing the array and the startled bird soaring down from the sky, Xie Shuci was stunned.
Exorcising evil spirits... again, exorcising evil spirits...
What deal did Xu Yi make with him?
The three startled birds merged into the formation, and Xu Yi's figure was gradually swallowed up until he disappeared.
The formation disappeared, and the mountain returned to peace.
The whisk lost its spiritual power and released Tang Xianxiao, falling to the ground together with him.
Tang Xianxiao looked bewildered at the spot where Xu Yi had disappeared. The blood that had dripped onto the grass had vanished as if it had never been there.
Just like that, it disappeared, completely and utterly disappeared.
It just vanished like that!
Tang Xianxiao lay on the ground, looking at the whisk that had fallen not far from him, his expression empty, devoid of joy or sorrow.
Xie Shuci and the others stood not far away, unsure of what to say for a moment.
I don't know whether to celebrate her getting revenge or to advise her to let it go.
“Just like that… disappeared…” Tang Xian murmured with a smile.
"Aren't you leaving yet?" After a long while, Tang Xianxiao propped himself up and sat up from the ground.
Sikong Xin stepped forward, clasped his hands in greeting, and asked, "May I ask, Senior Tang, where is the Water God now?"
Tang Xianxiao raised his right arm, and the tendrils stretched out, lifting her into the air, leaving only a dull and lifeless whisk on the ground.
"What do you want with him?" Tang Xianxiao asked calmly.
"After the Water God left the Dragon Fang Secret Realm, the realm closed prematurely, and countless disciples are still trapped inside. We must find the Water God and open the secret realm."
Tang Xianxiao turned his back, resting his head on the branches, and said in a calm voice, "South of Huaizhou, there is a cursed mountain, which is said to be the site of the Banxia dynasty."
Sikong Xin said, "Thank you, senior."
Tang Xianxiao, still with her back to everyone, waved her hand, and the divine tree wrapped around several unconscious young men, throwing them at Sikong Xin's feet.
She seemed to be planning to leave, but on the way, she suddenly turned around and looked in the direction of Xie Shuci and the other person.
"I hope you won't end up like me."
Then, Tang Xianxiao turned his head back.
She looked up at the star-studded night sky, her voice trembling slightly, and murmured, "It's gone..."
Master Xu stepped forward, picked up the whisk, pondered for a moment, dug a hole under the divine tree, and buried the whisk.
Sikong Xin asked, "The whisk of Grand Ancestor Xu has been with him for hundreds of years and has become a magical artifact. It would be more appropriate to bring it back to the Xu family."
Master Xu shook his head and said, "Our ancestor would prefer to leave it here."
Xie Shuci stood under the sacred tree, looking bewildered, unsure how to describe his feelings.
He vaguely guessed what kind of deal Xu Yihui and Bixie were making.
He and Senior Tang didn't have to end up like this, but it's frustrating that they ended up like this. It's hard to know what to say.
On the way down the mountain, Xie Shuci was unusually silent.
Liu Dazhuang carried several men on his shoulders and a few more in his hands, carrying them down to the foot of the mountain.
After counting, the Xu family disciples found that they were the young men who had gone missing in the city.
Headmaster Xu bid them farewell and led his disciples back to the Xu family. Xie Shuci and the others also embarked on their journey back to the inn.
Liu Dazhuang really disliked the silent atmosphere, so he spoke first and asked, "What do you think that Taoist priest Xu Yi is thinking?"
Sikong Xin said, "He is rigid by nature and probably never thought he would fall in love with a woman like Senior Tang. Rather than saying he likes her without realizing it, it would be more accurate to say he knows but dares not admit it."
Liu Dazhuang was puzzled: "What's wrong with liking someone? If he dared to admit it, things wouldn't have turned out like this."
Xie Shuci replied, "Do you think everyone is like you? Simple-minded, all brawn and no brains, and with such poor judgment..."
Liu Dazhuang angrily said, "Xie Shuci, I'm warning you, don't you dare say I have bad taste."
Xie Shuci pursed his lips, but Liu Dazhuang's interruption made him feel much more relaxed.
He glanced at Xie An, who was quiet beside him, and said as if he had something to say, "Although I don't understand either, what's wrong with liking someone and not being able to admit it?"
Upon hearing this, Xie An's long eyelashes trembled, and he slowly raised his eyes.
"Yeah, what's wrong with admitting it?"
Xie Shuci chimed in, "Yeah, it won't kill you to admit it."
Sikong Xin ignored them and looked down to check the purple aura in his sleeve.
Xie An pursed his lips and lowered his head again.
"By the way, what was that formation Xu Yi used before he died?" Liu Dazhuang suddenly asked.
Xie Shuci was taken aback and remained silent.
Sikong Xin pursed his lips, glanced at Xie An behind him, and said, "The startled bird symbolizes the Heavenly Dao. Now someone is using an array to summon the startled bird. What else could it be? This is what the elder of the Siming Pavilion called 'defying fate'."
"Defying fate?" Xie Shuci asked in confusion.
Sikong said, "This is defying the will of Heaven."
Xie Shuci immediately understood. Sacrificing those banished by the Heavenly Dao to summon the Frightened Feather Bird to appear in the world—wasn't that defying the will of Heaven? Moreover, the Bixie itself was born out of the calamities of the world, making it even more defiant.
I just don't know what Bixie is trying to do.
However, whatever he wants to do is none of my business.
However, one thing is very strange: the four sacrificial offerings were all related to Xie Shuci in some way.
Given his usual behavior... Stop! Hold on! Don't fucking think about it!
Xie Shuci quickly shook his head, banishing the extraneous thoughts from his mind.
After returning to the inn, the four of them, having spent the night traveling, decided to discuss the Cursed Mountain matter again the next day, and then went back to their rooms.
Xie Shuci was too lazy to bathe and change his clothes. He casually used some spiritual power to clean himself and the Little Blind King, and then snuggled up on the couch.
Xie An took off the peach blossom and bell from his waist, sat down at the table with his back to Xie Shuci, and did something unknown.
The king was lying on the edge of the bed, half asleep. To be honest, the king was unusually quiet tonight and always looked listless. I wonder if he was tired.
Anyway, Xie Shuci was exhausted. He yawned and looked sleepily at the little blind boy's back.
The little blind boy in the sea of consciousness is truly...
Did you just imagine it?
Was what he did to himself actually what I had always wanted to do to him?
With her mind a jumbled mess, Xie Shuci finally succumbed to sleepiness and slowly closed her eyes.
Once the person on the bed was breathing steadily, Xie An, with a peach petal between his fingers, raised his head.
He got up and walked to the bedside, looking at Xie Shuci who was fast asleep.
Xie Shuci was probably really exhausted, because he slept very soundly.
Perhaps he had a bad dream, for he frowned slightly and grumbled in dissatisfaction.
Xie An bent down and sat in front of the couch, unable to resist touching his brow with his hand, trying to smooth out the wrinkles between his brows.
Xie Shuci was not really suited to go through these things; he would have nightmares after each incident.
He was deeply moved by what happened to other people.
Unbeknownst to him, the wrinkle between his brows had deeply tugged at Xie An's heart.
Perhaps influenced by Xie Shuci, he also felt a sense of感慨 (gǎnkǎi, a feeling of deep emotion or reflection).
But originally, he should have remained indifferent to all of this.
Things were getting increasingly out of control, which was the hardest thing for him to accept.
"You can't have your cake and eat it too..." Xie An murmured these words, but he still couldn't grasp their deeper meaning.
Xie Shuci had several dreams, which kept changing.
His last dream was that he brought the little blind boy he had imagined in his mind back to reality.
Because it was a product of his own imagination, the little blind man gave him whatever he asked, and did whatever he was told, which was incredibly comfortable!
But just as he was engrossed in his dream, he woke up without warning.
Opening his eyes and looking at the bed frame, Xie Shuci took a deep breath.
"Aaaaaah!" He grabbed the blanket and kicked wildly on the bed. So close! Just a tiny bit more!
He was so close to celebrating the little blind boy's eighteenth birthday! He could have...
Ugh! I actually woke up like that?! This is awful!
"Huh?" The king heard the noise and leaned his chin on the edge of the bed, looking at Xie Shuci in confusion.
Are you crazy?
"What happened?"
Xie An sat at the table and asked in confusion upon hearing the voice.
Xie Shuci glanced at the king, then at the little blind man in reality, and his cheeks gradually flushed.
What happened?
Xie Shuci was too embarrassed to say anything. He slowly pulled the blanket over his head, and a muffled voice came from under the covers, "It's nothing."
"Huh?" The king tilted his head, indicating his confusion.
Xie An looked stunned, seemingly not quite understanding either.
After being suffocated under the covers for a long time, Xie Shuci was almost out of breath when he heard light footsteps approaching the bedside.
The king skipped and hopped to make way, and Xie An pulled back his blanket, saying, "Don't cover yourself up."
Recalling what happened in her dream, Xie Shuci still didn't dare to look at him and lowered her head guiltily.
The king gripped the edge of the bed with both paws, stood up abruptly, and wagged its tail behind it, eager to try.
Upon seeing this, Xie Shuci was stunned.
After realizing what was happening, he threw off the covers and sat up abruptly.
However, Xie An was in such a hurry that before he could avoid Xie Shuci, Xie Shuci suddenly bumped into him.
"Hiss—" Xie Shuci's forehead bumped into the little blind man's jaw, bone to bone, making him gasp in pain.
"Are you...are you alright?" Xie Shuci asked anxiously.
Xie An's chin flushed red, his brows furrowed, and he raised his hand to cover his chin, asking, "Why are you in such a hurry?"
Knowing he was in the wrong, Xie Shuci gave an embarrassed laugh. Seeing that the king was alright, he scooped him up and said, "Your Majesty seems to have grown up!"
"Aww!"
That's right! The baby has grown up!
The king jumped around twice on the blanket, its tail swishing back and forth across Xie Shuci's face, smearing his mouth with dog hair.
Before, the king's two front paws were too short to reach the edge of the bed, so he always had to jump up. But now he can actually stand up while supporting himself on the edge of the bed! It seems like he's grown a lot overnight, it's very obvious.
Xie An rubbed his chin. "Why are you so agitated?"
"Well, I've never raised one before," Xie Shuci muttered.
Seeing him clutching his chin and frowning, Xie Shuci was a little worried. She grabbed one of his sleeves and said, "Come closer, let me take a look."
"It's nothing," Xie An said.
"Let me see!" Xie Shuci emphasized.
Helpless, Xie An sat down on the edge of the couch and casually tossed the lively king off the couch.
"Ouch!" The king landed steadily and let out two dissatisfied cries at Xie An.
Xie Shuci pulled his hand down, lifted his chin with one finger, and carefully examined his jaw. It was a little red, but fortunately there was nothing wrong.
Xie An was extremely well-behaved. Following the movement of his finger, he slightly raised his chin, his eyes naturally lowered, empty and lifeless.
Xie Shuci couldn't help but glance at his face again. The little blind boy now overlapped with the little blind boy in his dream, and he was very obedient and let him do whatever he wanted.
Xie An's lips were a light pink, and thin. He suddenly kissed her in his mind, leaving a deep impression on Xie Shuci.
Contrary to his appearance, Xie An's lips were burning hot, and so was his tongue...
Xie Shuci remembered the events, which were clearly only happening in his sea of consciousness, as if they had actually occurred.
From this perspective, Sikong Xin's words are quite correct.
It wouldn't be a problem for him to stay in Xu Yi's sea of consciousness. After all... the sea of consciousness doesn't have any rules or regulations, and there's no need to guess what the little blind boy is thinking. It's quite fun.
Of course, Xie Shuci was only thinking about it. He didn't want to stay in Xu Yi's sea of consciousness. Compared to the little blind man he imagined in his sea of consciousness, he still wanted to be with the real little blind man.
Regardless of whether Xie An in your mind is a figment of your imagination or not, just treat him as a dream.
"what's on your mind?"
Xie Shuci was lost in thought for who knows how long when he suddenly heard the little blind man's voice in his ear.
Xie Shuci snapped back to reality and hurriedly pulled her hand back, "N-nothing."
Xie An smirked and leaned down, saying, "Xie Shuci, you've been acting very strangely since you returned from the Sea of Consciousness. What happened inside?"
He and Xie Shuci faced each other, a cryptic smile playing on their lips.
Perhaps because they were too close, their breaths mingled, and Xie Shuci suddenly felt his mouth go dry. He pushed Xie An's shoulder away, creating some distance between them, his face flushed with embarrassment. "I...I forgot! I'll go wash up and then go find Sikong Xin!"
Xie Shuci bypassed the little blind man, rolled off the bed, and the king followed behind him like a little shadow.
Xie An sat on the edge of the bed, watching Xie Shuci flee in panic, a smile unconsciously spreading across his eyes.
At the same time, a pain emanating from my heart radiated through my internal organs, causing an unbearable throbbing pain.
Xie An's expression darkened. He clenched his fingers, curled them into his palm, and gritted his teeth to suppress the surging anger in his chest.
Suddenly, a low laugh echoed in the air.
"Xiao Xun, you brought this upon yourself. If you had known this day would come, what harm would it have done to kill him?"
A man's voice echoed from the void.
"Mind your own business," Xie An said through gritted teeth.
The man continued, "I just feel it's a pity. I suppose you saw a reflection of yourself in Xu Yi and Tang Xianxiao?"
"Shut up."
The man remained calm and continued to talk and laugh: "Only one of you and Xie Shuci can live. Right now, even being emotionally affected will cause you excruciating pain. The more you want to get close to him, the less you can get close to him. What are you still insisting on?"
He received no reply from Xie An.
Seemingly finding it extremely amusing, he chuckled and asked, "Are you cooperating with me now for your own sake or for Xie Shuci's? After all, you know very well that he is an outcast beyond the control of Heaven's Dao, and he definitely won't live more than a year in the cultivation world. However, he is quite suitable to become our..."
Stepping stone…
Xie An's voice suddenly turned cold: "Don't even think about it."
The man was not threatened by his tone; instead, he chuckled softly.
"Xiao Xun, I eagerly await your final choice."
After saying this, the man's voice completely disappeared into the void.
Before long, Xie Shuci finished washing up, packed his luggage in the room, and then, carrying his small pouch, went to the door of Sikong Xin's room.
After knocking on the door, the group gathered in Sikong Xin's room to discuss the matter of the Cursed Mountain.
Before speaking, Xie Shuci took out two porcelain bottles from his small pouch and placed them in front of Sikong Xin and Liu Dazhuang.
Sikong Xin leaned against the table, and asked in surprise, "What are you doing?"
Liu Dazhuang picked up the porcelain bottle on the table, examined it closely, then uncorked it and smelled it. "A pill?"
Xie Shuci nodded and said, "Yes, this is a thank-you gift for your help in finding Xie An yesterday."
Sikong Xin was taken aback and picked up the porcelain bottle, which contained two top-grade pills.
"My goodness, Brother Xie, Brother Shuci, you're too kind! No need, no need, it's nothing at all!"
As Liu Dazhuang said "You're welcome," he tucked the porcelain bottle into his pocket, as if afraid Xie Shuci would regret it.
"There are two pills here, one of which is a Nourishing Essence Pill, a gift for Miss Zixi," Xie Shuci said to Sikong Xin, ignoring him.
Sikong Xin narrowed his eyes, pondered for a moment, and glanced at Xie An, who stood expressionless beside him. He shouldn't have accepted Xie Shuci's gift of thanks. Originally, Xie An didn't need them to rescue him; last night, he was more out of curiosity and wanted to join in the fun, but he didn't expect such an unexpected surprise.
But these are top-grade pills, extremely rare and highly sought after. Even in the Floating Pagoda Realm, top-grade pills are incredibly precious. Moreover, after just one glance, he noticed that these two pills had an excellent color, far surpassing that of ordinary top-grade pills, making him even less inclined to refuse.
But one cannot accept something for nothing; even the cunning Sikong Xin would feel a little embarrassed to receive such a precious elixir for free.
So he glanced at the smug Liu Dazhuang beside him, feeling a bit disappointed and thinking, "Can't you even remember what you did last night? Do you deserve such a precious gift?"
"Get up." Sikong Xin pulled Liu Dazhuang up and clasped his hands in a fist salute to Xie Shuci, saying, "I will accept this pill on behalf of Zixi. Thank you, Brother Shuci. I, Sikong Xin, owe you a favor. If you ever need anything in the future, please don't hesitate to ask."
Liu Dazhuang grinned from ear to ear, “We’re all brothers, family, no need for formalities. My greatest strength is going to great lengths for my brothers.”
Xie Shuci quickly waved his hand, "No need. It was only because Xie An was alright yesterday that nothing happened to him. If something had happened, I definitely wouldn't have been able to handle it on my own. However, I do have a small favor to ask Brother Sikong for help."
"Please speak," Sikong Xin said solemnly.
He looked like a carefree playboy, but his behavior was surprisingly mature and composed.
Xie Shuci chuckled awkwardly, "Look, could you introduce your brother to me?"
Sikong Xin: "..."
It's been so long, and you still haven't given up on this idea.
As soon as he finished speaking, Xie An beside him frowned.
Sikong Xin wanted to salvage the situation to avoid bringing disaster upon his brother, so he said, "How about this, I introduce Xiao Xun to you as well? They are both among the most outstanding young cultivators..."
Before he could finish his sentence, Xie Shuci opened his eyes wide in horror, shook his head vigorously, and said, "No! Please don't! Instead of introducing me to him, you might as well introduce me to the King of Hell. At least the King of Hell is reasonable. Maybe if we can communicate with him, I can be reincarnated into a better life."
Seeing Xie An's expression darken further, Sikong Xin realized his attempt at flattery had backfired. His face stiffened instantly, and while observing Xie An's expression, he said, "Brother Xie, you are mistaken. How could Xiao Xun be unreasonable? Moreover..."
To everyone's surprise, Xie Shuci looked serious, covered Sikong Xin's hand, and said earnestly, "Brother Sikong, believe me, he really is unreasonable."
Liu Da
Zhuang said, "That guy is completely unreasonable, he doesn't listen to reason at all!"
After he finished speaking obsequiously, he even winked at Xie Shuci, giving off an air of "whatever you say goes".
Xie Shuci was disgusted by him and withdrew her hand while shivering.
"Enough with the nonsense."
Finally, Xie An coldly ended the topic.
Sikong Xin quickly changed the subject, saying, "That's right, let's discuss the Cursed Mountain matter first."
Xie Shuci's attention was easily distracted, and upon hearing this, he said, "The Cursed Mountain, just from the name, you can tell it's a mountain that's been cursed, not a good place."
Speaking of this matter, Sikong Xin's expression gradually became serious, and he said, "We already inquired about it in the city this morning."
"What happened?" Xie Shuci asked.
Sikong Xin said: "It is said that thousands of years ago, the mountain was called Chunsheng Mountain by the locals. The mountain is like spring all year round, with a warm climate and lush vegetation. It is a famous summer and winter resort."
"This is the Water God's house. It looks a lot like his," Xie Shuci muttered.
"Aww!"
The king leaned over the table leg and meowed, feeling it had the most authority to speak on matters concerning the Water God.
Liu Dazhuang grabbed it by the neck and lifted it onto the table.
Zixi smelled the strange fragrance emanating from the king, crawled out of Sikong Xin's sleeve, and coiled around the king.
"Awooooo!"
It smells so good, doesn't it? It's my mother's blood!
Sikong Xin continued, "This story is widely circulated in Huaizhou. It's about a village in the mountains. Whenever the villagers come down from the mountain, Chunsheng Mountain, which is spring-like all year round, will be hit by torrential rain, forming a flood that destroys the surrounding crops. It seems that it once caused a huge flood that killed hundreds of people. Therefore, the people of Huaizhou believe that it is a cursed mountain, and those villagers have become part of the mountain. If they leave, it will cause a great disaster in the world."
"This..." Xie Shuci was dumbfounded. "The one that was cursed wasn't actually the mountain?"
Sikong Xin nodded and said, "In my opinion, it is not the mountain that is cursed, but the villagers."
"Could they be the ones who burned the Banxia clan to death back then?"
That should be the case.
"The Banxia clan lives by the water, loves water and is good at water. What prevents those who kill them from leaving Xishan is probably 'water'."
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