Seeing this scene, Xie Shuci felt a strange sensation.
The water cage was like a crystal ball in a display case, and the figure was like a snowflake encased in the crystal ball, isolated from the world.
A man lay suspended in the water cage, his silver hair hanging down like a waterfall of silver water cascading from the sky. He wore a light blue robe, his limbs hanging naturally, and his face was peaceful and serene.
He was a man who looked very gentle.
Unlike Chu Guiyi, who is gentle yet firm, he is like a quietly flowing stream, full of warmth and strength.
His appearance caused the gray sky to shimmer with a few sparks of light, as if stars had fallen to the ground.
Everyone unconsciously held their breath, worried that their breathing might disturb this picturesque scene.
The Water God's appearance was exactly as Xie Shuci had imagined.
"Aww..."
The Great Dynasty barked at the surface of the lake. The Water God, like Diedie, smelled wonderful, which it greatly appreciated.
After standing still for a moment, the man in the water cage gradually began to move.
His long eyelashes, like cicada wings, fluttered slightly before he slowly opened his eyes.
Those eyes shimmered with silver light, reflecting the watery cage and the hazy, gray gas filling the sky.
It also added a touch of charm to that handsome face.
"Shuci, is that you?"
After a brief moment of stunned silence, he turned his head and looked directly at Xie Shuci and the others with his silver eyes.
Xie Shuci was filled with awe for him. When he saw that the man could actually call out his name, he was flattered and said, "Yes, it's me."
"Your Majesty."
His gaze slowly moved, then settled on the king.
"Aww!"
That's right! It's a baby!
Ban Xiayin sat up from the water cage, her silver eyes sweeping over Sikong Xin and the others, a gentle smile appearing on her lips.
"Have you seen the stream?"
Xie Shuci nodded. "He brought us in, Water God. Was he the one who locked you up here?"
Ban Xiayin said, "I did it voluntarily; he didn't want to see me."
Sikong Xin clasped his hands and said, "Senior, we have come to bother you today because of the early closure of the Dragon Fang Secret Realm. With the Dragon Fang Secret Realm closed early, many cultivators are trapped inside, and we hope that you can release them."
Ban Xiayin looked at him and said, "I'm sorry, I can't open my sea of consciousness for the time being."
"May I ask why, senior?"
Ban Xiayin said, "If I open my sea of consciousness here, Xiaoxi will not be able to withstand it."
Upon hearing this, Sikong Xin fell silent.
"I'm sorry, I can't hurt Xiaoxi anymore," Ban Xiayin said sincerely. "If I could get out, I would definitely open my sea of consciousness, but I can't now."
Xie Shuci didn't want Ban Xiaxi to get hurt, so after listening, he asked, "Lord Water God, if the water here also turns black, will Ban Xiaxi disappear?"
Ban Xiayin turned her gaze to Xie Shuci and said, "My name is Ban Xiayin. You can call me by my name."
“This lake is his origin. I never imagined that the stream would push itself to this extent. He has cultivated into a water god and should have followed the will of Heaven to protect all living beings, but he went against the will of Heaven and defied the will of Heaven. If his origin is also invaded by resentment, he will be banished by Heaven and will not be tolerated by Heaven.”
Ban Xiayin lowered her eyes, her expression somewhat sorrowful.
Once again, they were banished by the Heavenly Dao! Once again, they were rejected by the Heavenly Dao!
Xie Shuci felt a surge of powerless anger. Bixie was intolerable to the Heavenly Dao, the dog demon was intolerable to Heaven and Earth, Helian Zhu and those who died at his hands were intolerable to Heaven and Earth, Chu Yezhao was intolerable to Heaven and Earth, and Tang Xianxiao was also intolerable to Heaven and Earth! Now, even Ban Xiaxi was intolerable to Heaven and Earth!
What kind of bullshit Heavenly Way is this! What kind of bullshit destiny is this! What kind of thinking only about results and not about cause and effect is this!
"Is there any way to stop his resentment from invading his source?" Xie Shuci asked.
Ban Xia pondered for a moment and said, "Yes."
What is it?
"There are 3,800 arrays in the world, among which there are many auspicious arrays. If we can suppress him under the array and then remove his resentment, he may be able to return to normal after a few thousand years."
Xie Shuci's eyes lit up upon hearing this, and he took out the Dragon-Subduing Magic Artifact, saying, "I have the Dragon-Subduing Magic Artifact, which can activate the Auspicious Array!"
After saying that, Xie Shuci became a little embarrassed and said, "But I still don't know how to use it."
Ban Xiayin looked at him in surprise, "You're willing to lend the magic artifact to me and Xiaoxi?"
"The Dragon-Subduing Magic Weapon was never mine to begin with, and besides, I don't know how to use it. It would be a waste for me to hold onto it."
"Thank you, Shuci, you're a good child," Ban Xiayin said with a gentle smile.
In his presence, Xie Shuci always felt like he was being praised by a kindergarten teacher, and he touched the tip of his nose shyly, saying, "Just average, third in the world."
Xie An stood beside him with his arms crossed, glanced at him, and pursed his thin lips.
"Then what should we do?" the puppy, who had been silent all along, suddenly asked.
Sikong Xin also looked at Ban Xiayin.
Ban Xiayin sighed, "It has to be something he does willingly."
Having been immersed in resentment for so many years, it's absolutely impossible for him to willingly be suppressed under the formation to wash away that resentment.
In the silence, Xie An suddenly spoke up: "I heard that you and your people risked your last breath to safely deliver him outside the tribe. Do you know why he died?"
Xie Shuci asked suspiciously, "Little Dog said he hanged himself."
The puppy nodded. "He said it himself."
Hearing their words, Ban Xiayin seemed somewhat incredulous, saying, "How could this be? Xiaoxi was frail and sickly as a child, but he endured all the pain to survive. He cherishes his life and listens to me very much. He couldn't possibly..."
Sikong Xin pondered for a moment and said, "His clansmen used their last breath to send him out of the sea of fire, so he really shouldn't have given up his life so easily."
"Give up my ass! If it were me, even if I were to die, I would definitely fight to the death to kill those beasts first!"
After listening, Xie Shuci was stunned for a moment, then frowned and said, "After his clansman died, his soul hid in the water for ten thousand years. He could even endure ten thousand years of loneliness, so why would he be afraid of living?"
Moreover, he knew clearly that he carried the last hope of his entire clan on his shoulders. His small shoulders could bear ten thousand years of hatred and loneliness. How could he not dare to live and avenge his clan?
“I have heard people say that those who are skilled in water manipulation have profound cultivation and can condense water into a small mirror that reflects the past and present and connects to the future. If you can condense a small mirror, you will know everything at a glance,” Xie An said.
Listening to Xie An's description, Xie Shuci felt that this small space was somewhat similar to the Qiankun Mirror.
The mirror has two sides, Yin and Yang. The "Yin" side faces the past and present, while the "Yang" side faces the future.
Sikong Xin glanced at him and said cryptically, "Brother Xie An, you really are very knowledgeable."
Liu Dazhuang nodded in agreement.
Xie Shuci couldn't help but glance at his face again after hearing this.
The little blind man was quite knowledgeable, as if he knew everything. I don't know where he heard all this stuff from.
The Free and Unfettered Sect? It's not impossible.
Xie Shuci didn't think about it deeply.
“A mirror within a square inch…” Ban Xiayin murmured softly.
It was a mirror he never wanted to open; he had seen many human joys and sorrows in it, as well as the ugliest side of human nature.
As the words fell, the calm lake suddenly rippled slightly, and a cold wind swept across the lake, blowing Ban Xiayin's long hair and silently brushing against his cheek.
"Little Stream, don't you want your brother to see this?" Ban Xiayin looked at the crystal-clear water beneath her, a gentle smile in her eyes. "Then come out and tell me yourself, okay?"
The gentle breeze subsided after those words, as if silently rejecting the idea.
Ban Xiaxi might be watching them from some dark corner.
He dared not appear before his brother; he had become unlike his former self.
Xiaoxi also changed his hometown, making it no longer the hometown it used to be. He was worried that his brother would hate him for this.
Whether it's a positive or negative image, Ban Xiaxi doesn't want to see disappointment on his brother's face.
Similarly, I never want to see a single tear on my brother's face again.
However, perhaps Ban Xiayin doesn't care about any of this.
"Xiaoxi, your brother needs to know your past, what you've been through, and whether the decision to send you away from the inferno was right or wrong." Ban Xiayin's words were gentle yet firm.
After he finished speaking, he raised his silver eyes, fixed his gaze on Xie Shuci, and asked softly, "Shuci, Your Majesty, can you watch with me?"
Seeing the puzzled looks on everyone's faces, Ban Xiayin smiled and said, "I'm a little scared."
He frankly admitted his fears, which were not only about the images he had seen in the mirror, but more importantly, he feared that his initial choice was wrong.
He was afraid that it would be better to perish in the fire with the stream than to send it away from the flames.
Xie Shuci had just said "okay" when he suddenly levitated. Xie An, who was standing next to him, immediately grabbed his wrist and looked at the center of the lake with displeasure.
Xie Shuci glanced back at him and found it amusing to see him so seriously challenging the Water God. She wondered where the little blind man got such courage, when the Water God could easily flip him over with a flick of his finger.
Ban Xiayin also noticed Xie An, and a hint of surprise flashed in her eyes when she looked at him.
“Don’t worry, I will return him to you,” Ban Xiayin said.
Xie An's expression remained indifferent. "He can't swim."
Xie Shuci looked at the little blind man, then at Ban Xiayin, and nodded, saying, "I really can't swim."
Ban Xiayin nodded and said, "Please rest assured, I will protect Shuci."
Nevertheless, Xie An still had no intention of letting go.
Xie Shuci felt somewhat helpless, but he could understand the little blind man's behavior.
In this unfamiliar and perilous environment, both he and the king left the little blind man's side, leaving him with two people they had only known for a short time. Moreover, it was normal for the little blind man to feel uneasy, as he was not close to them.
However, Xie Shuci wanted to know what the little water god had gone through, and also wanted to repay the water god for saving his life.
So he handed the king in his arms to Xie An and whispered, "Don't worry, I'll let the king stay with you. Trust the Water God, he won't hurt me."
Xie An frowned and said, "Do you know how to watch it with him?"
Xie Shuci shook his head. "I don't know."
“The mirror is no ordinary object; others are not allowed to look into it unless they know and trust each other well. Only then can they ‘see’ through its eyes.”
When Xie An said the word "passed," he clearly emphasized it.
"So what?" Xie Shuci didn't quite understand what he meant.
“Spirit, consciousness, appearance, and communication.”
Xie Shuci: "..."
"What did you promise me?" Xie An asked coldly.
“Oh dear,” Xie Shuci sighed softly, “It doesn’t mean anything. I swear this is the last time, absolutely the last time. He saved our lives, and I wanted to help him. And…and…”
Xie Shuci's voice grew softer and softer, "Besides, I won't stop liking you just because I share a spiritual connection with someone else. Please let me go, I beg you."
Xie Shuci shook his arm and looked at him expectantly.
Xie An tightened his jawline, maintaining an unmoved expression.
Xie Shuci never expected that he would be such a master of sweet talk in front of the little blind boy. He hooked his arm around Xie An's neck and kissed him on the jawline, "Good little brother, please, let me go. You're the best, the most amazing, the cutest..."
Xie An: "..."
Liu Dazhuang stared at them for a long time, then solemnly said to Sikong Xin, "Those two are absolutely, absolutely suspicious!"
Sikong Xin glanced at him but ignored him.
Anyway, Ban Xiayin wouldn't open his sea of consciousness until this matter was resolved. He had no intention of forcing Ban Xiayin to open his sea of consciousness, so he leaned against the rock and stroked the sleeping little purple snake on his wrist.
The little dog looked at the man in the middle of the lake, seemingly wanting to say something but ultimately remaining silent.
Sikong Xin seemed to know what he wanted to say and reminded him, "You are an ordinary person and shouldn't get involved in these things."
Upon hearing this, the little dog lowered its head, its expression somber.
Yes, he is an ordinary person.
He can only do what ordinary people can do, with all his might.
Xie Shuci was exceptionally talented at acting cute; he could say anything that sounded nice, and even the cold-faced little blind man was worn down by him.
Finally, he raised his right hand, grabbed Xie Shuci's chin, made him look up at him, and squinted his eyes as he warned, "This is the last time."
Xie Shuci nodded hurriedly and said, "This is the last time, I promise, absolutely, absolutely the last time!"
Xie An released his chin and snorted coldly, which was tantamount to tacitly approving his behavior.
"Aww..." The king tilted his head, his dark eyes looking at the two of them. Where's the baby? Can the baby go see him/her?
Xie Shuci rubbed its head. "If you're not going, stay here with your brother and wait for me."
"Aww." The king responded sullenly, glancing at Xie Shuci before looking away, his little face showing utter grievance.
"Have you been wronged?" Xie An pressed down on its back, his tone flat.
"Awooo!" The king shuddered and shook his head, then fawned over Xie An's arm.
How could that be? Baby isn't upset! Not at all!
"Senior, I'll watch it with you."
Having persuaded Xie An, Xie Shuci waved to Ban Xiayin in the lake.
"Thank you." Ban Xiayin nodded to him.
Immediately, Xie Shuci's body was lifted up by an invisible spiritual force and slowly flew across the lake.
"I can fly!"
Xie Shuci waved his hands in mid-air, looking somewhat excited. So this is what it feels like to take off; his body felt as light and airy as a feather.
He gradually landed in front of Ban Xiayin, stepping on the void and stopping on the water's surface.
Inside the water cage, Ban Xiayin smiled slightly at him and said, "Stretch out your hand."
"Is that so?" Xie Shuci stretched out his right hand, palm facing forward, and Ban Xiayin also stretched out one hand and placed it on the water cage, gesturing for Xie Shuci to come closer.
Xie Shuci, somewhat bewildered, placed his palm on the water cage. The water flowed slowly through his palm, and as their hands touched through the thin water cage, the water seemed to melt away, gradually flowing out from beneath their palms. Their hands remained firmly pressed together without obstruction.
Ban Xiayin clasped his fingers together and pulled him into the water cage.
Xie Shuci watched this scene in astonishment. As Ban Xiayin guided him, the water flowed over his skin, peacefully embracing Xie Shuci's presence.
On the shore not far away, Xie An watched this scene with a grim expression.
He didn't want Xie Shuci to get close to anyone other than himself, but he also didn't want to go against Xie Shuci's wishes.
His inner turmoil caused his body temperature to drop drastically.
The king carefully lay on his arm, not daring to breathe.
It thinks its mother is good in every way, except for her terrible temper!
Once inside the water cage, Xie Shuci turned back and waved to the people on the shore, indicating that he was alright.
"Shuci, I need to take you back underwater," Banxia Yin reminded him.
"Okay." Xie Shuci nodded.
As soon as he finished speaking, a wisp of azure spiritual energy enveloped the water cage, and the cage, which was firmly chained, gradually moved downwards and disappeared into the icy lake water.
Xie Shuci sat in the water cage, curiously placing his hand on it. The temperature of the lake water pierced his palm through the cage.
Once the water cage had completely sunk underwater, the blue and white light illuminated the crystal-clear pebbles at the bottom of the water, like shattered stars scattered around the two of them.
Ban Xiayin raised her arm, her jade-white fingertips drawing out a wisp of blue spiritual energy, which swirled and stirred in the water.
The movement gradually wove together a floating water mirror.
"Shu Ci, release your spiritual power."
"Oh." Xie Shuci nodded, releasing a wisp of spiritual power that slowly merged into the water mirror.
In the instant he merged with the water mirror, Xie Shuci seemed to hear the sound of flowing spring water in his ears and feel the water flowing slowly over his body, as if he were in the middle of a blue sea.
Ban Xiayin placed his right hand in front of his chest and made a hand gesture that Xie Shuci couldn't understand. Slowly, some images appeared on the water mirror.
The images, initially blurry, gradually became clear in their vision, as if dust had been wiped away by a hand.
Xie Shuci saw a verdant mountain shrouded in mist, with overlapping peaks, melodious birdsong, rustling grass in the wind, butterflies dancing in flocks, and dragonflies fluttering in the river, flapping their thin wings and flying low over the water.
In the distance, fields stretch out in rows, children play in the mountains, and a babbling stream flows down the mountainside. The stream is crystal clear, and little fish swim happily upstream, only to be swept away by the strong current the next moment, as if they are playing with it.
The vibrant mountains reflected in the water mirror are two huge extremes compared to the real Chunsheng Mountain.
From a lush green area to its current state of decay and rot.
But in the blink of an eye, people carrying torches entered the mountains one after another. They shouted something, but Xie Shuci couldn't hear it. He could only see that they were very happy. The firelight reflected the sunset clouds on everyone's cheeks, adding a touch of beauty to the tranquil and peaceful green mountain.
The scene kept changing, and Xie Shuci watched very carefully, not wanting to miss any details.
However, the water mirror did not contain the cruel scenes Xie Shuci had imagined. He saw the spring-like Chunsheng Mountain, as beautiful as a fairyland, and saw simply dressed people performing some kind of joyful ceremony in the mountains. They were happy and genuine, which Xie Shuci could never have imagined that among these people, there would be a group of villagers who were beasts in human form.
Xie Shuci knew that the images appearing in the water mirror were what Ban Xiayin wanted him to see—those cruel and bloody things he didn't want Xie Shuci to see.
At the same time, Xie Shuci sensed hesitation in Ban Xiayin's heart.
He was unaware of what happened to Ban Xiaxi later, he didn't know that it would happen again, he didn't know if those things were within his capacity to bear, and he didn't know how bitter the memories he had to share with Xie Shuci would be.
"Senior, please continue. I'm not afraid." Xie Shuci turned to look at him.
In this perilous world, Xie Shuci is someone who can always make people lower their guard unexpectedly, because you know clearly that he is a piece of jade with impurities and has not been polished, not so dazzling, nor so ordinary.
A hint of sadness and vulnerability flickered between Ban Xiayin's brows. He sighed heavily and nodded.
The image in the water mirror changed in an instant.
The night sky was dotted with stars, and the towering flames inside Chunsheng Mountain illuminated the sky as bright as day.
Thick smoke billowed from the mountains, and flames burned the earth. Xie Shuci could almost hear the crackling and scorching sound of the fire. The firelight reflected on his face, as if it were warm, so hot that he couldn't recover for a long time.
In that raging fire, he could see nothing but thick smoke and flames.
Ban Xiaxi... can she really walk out of this sea of fire?
These flames are clearly meant to wipe out the entire Banxia clan!
Xie Shuci held his breath, unable to believe it.
But in the next moment, he actually saw a wisp of spiritual energy shimmering with watery light in the flames that were as thick as blood.
A small figure stumbled through the sea of fire, but the thick smoke and flames had already burned the path in front of him into a blur. He fled and struggled in the flames, desperately trying to find an exit. Blue spiritual energy seemed to be giving him a final pull, appearing and disappearing in the firelight, so fragile that it seemed as if it would disappear at any moment.
Seeing this, Xie Shuci couldn't help but feel a chill for him.
Finally, after a long search and struggle, a figure came into their view.
It was a seven or eight-year-old child, his whole body covered in...
A wisp of azure spiritual energy enveloped the child, but perhaps because the owner of the energy was in a very weak state, the light appeared very faint, and every now and then a wisp of spiritual energy would dissipate into the air. Each time the spiritual energy dissipated, the pain and despair on the child's face deepened.
He escaped, he could survive, but there was no relief on his face from surviving a catastrophe. He kept running forward, stumbling and falling, getting up and running again, tears and sweat wetting his face. His face was etched with panic and despair. Finally, he reached a place far away from the sea of fire. His whole body went limp, his legs could no longer support him, and he lay on the ground, the last wisp of spiritual energy in his body completely extinguished.
He seemed to understand something. He understood that the last wall his people had built for him with their spiritual power had collapsed, and his people had all perished in the sea of fire. They used their remaining spiritual power to send him out of the fire, and after thinking he was safe, they breathed their last sigh of relief, letting their consciousness be swallowed by darkness.
The child buried his face in the mud, his hands gripping the grass tightly as if grasping at his last straw. He gritted his teeth, tears streaming down his face, but dared not make a sound.
Even without sound, Xie Shuci heard nothing, but looking at those images and watching the spiritual power dissipate from Ban Xiaxi's body, Xie Shuci knew that it was because his clansmen were dying one after another.
With their last ounce of strength, they carried Ban Xiaxi out of the inferno. They thought he was safe and that they had preserved the last bloodline of the Ban Xia clan. So, they stopped struggling and let themselves die.
If only Ban Xiaxi could just keep living like this.
If only those people hadn't appeared not far behind him.
If only he still had the strength at this moment.
If only those people hadn't gone to such lengths to exterminate us.
If only he could die in the fire.
Seeing the simply dressed villagers, Xie Shuci gritted his teeth, realizing something.
Ban Xiaxi did not survive.
He ran from one hell into another.
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