Chapter 42 Old Things He felt a bit disgusted with this body
Tianque Mountain.
The stars were bright, and the fields hung low.
Inside the empty Xihua Palace, a cold wind blew in from all directions, causing the curtains inside to flutter wildly and cast flickering shadows on the polished floor.
Behind the layers of curtains lies a wide pool of water.
A thin veil of smoke enveloped the surface of the pool, and even with such a strong wind blowing, the smoke and water remained perfectly still.
Two white-robed immortals stood behind the curtain, silently watching the water. Apart from the occasional wisp of spiritual energy emanating from the pool, there was no other movement.
"So much time has passed, and there's still no word from Lady Jiayue. Senior Sister Qingping, could something have happened to her?" The young man paced anxiously, his face full of worry.
The girl standing next to him was slightly taller, and her gray-blue hair and emerald-green eyes revealed her identity as a merman.
The girl's face also showed undisguised worry, but her voice was very calm, "Wait a little longer. Lady Jiayue's differentiation period has started too early, so it will take more time. If it is not successful by tonight, I will go to Haizhou to ask someone to come over."
The boy knew she was a merman who had undergone differentiation, and he believed her. But he still couldn't help but sigh, "Why did she have to go through the differentiation period when she was most seriously injured? Fortunately, Elder Xingxuan found her in time, otherwise, I don't know how much suffering Lady Jiayue would have had to endure."
The merman girl sighed silently upon hearing this. She knew the pain of merman differentiation: flesh and blood being reforged, the fish tail splitting open, every change in the body feeling as if it had been shredded by a knife, and then the pile of fragments being reforged back into a man or a woman. Once differentiated, the nature was fixed from then on.
The differentiation period for merfolk usually occurs after adulthood, but not all merfolk will differentiate. If they cannot develop feelings of love, they will never differentiate in their lifetime.
She had thought that Lord Jia Yue would never have to experience the pain of differentiation in his life, but she never expected that he would face the biggest change in his life before his adolescence was over.
But the pain of differentiation wasn't her biggest worry. The pool contained water from the depths of the Sea Continent, chilling to the bone; soaking in such water would greatly alleviate the physical pain. What worried her more was the clear form that Lady Jia Yue would face after differentiating herself—
The body has been transformed, but the beloved is gone.
This would be a huge blow to any merman.
Because of the excruciating pain of differentiation, merfolk will only ever be attached to the person who caused their differentiation, and will almost never fall in love with anyone else. But it is precisely because of this deep emotional bond that once a merfolk loses their partner, they will become despondent and depressed all day long until death.
Mermaids who lose their partners will spend the rest of their long lives in solitude.
The elder who brought Lady Jiayue back said that the person who caused him to split was just an ordinary mortal who had died in an ordinary war.
As the mermaid was lost in thought, the once calm pool water suddenly changed.
Sparkling particles of light rose from the bottom of the water, reflecting off the pool like a galaxy. The particles gradually gathered in the center of the pool, outlining the silhouette of a human body.
The enormous fish tail had disappeared, and the shape of human legs could be vaguely seen, though the two legs were still tightly closed together. At this moment, the light particles converged into a beam, like a sharp blade, piercing through the transparent membrane binding the legs, tearing it inch by inch, and cutting out two straight and slender legs.
The wind on the mountaintop suddenly stopped, and layers of curtains fell inside the hall, separating the inside from the outside into two spaces.
The two immortals outside the curtain could only see a blurry, tall figure standing in the pool.
The figure slowly emerged from the pool. Perhaps because his newly formed legs didn't have much strength yet, he walked very slowly.
A gentle breeze lifted a corner of the curtain, and though only for a moment, it was enough to catch a glimpse of a naked person behind it.
Thick, gray-blue hair cascaded down to his waist, water droplets slid down his broad shoulders and narrow waist, and his shapely, straight legs revealed distinct muscles and prominent joints, making him look every bit the man.
Though it was only a fleeting glimpse, its beauty was so striking that even the immortals outside the curtain, accustomed to seeing such beauty, held their breath.
After their differentiation, the merfolk will spare no effort to shine.
It was clearly the same face, but now Lady Jiayue made them afraid to look directly at her; even lingering in her gaze for a second was considered an offense.
Ga Yue looked at the somewhat unfamiliar body in the mirror, her long eyelashes fluttering slightly, and a look of bewilderment flashed in her icy blue eyes.
His legs landed on the ground. Although he didn't have much strength left, he didn't experience the pain the merman had described, like stepping on a knife's edge. His body seemed to be well protected.
It actually differentiated into a male body?
He felt a certain disgust for this body, which had been born of desire, giving rise to a gender that represented a depravity that had been tainted by it.
Jia Yue tried to recall what happened before the differentiation, but her mind was blank.
With a wave of his hand, a large white robe was draped over him, and the curtain was rolled up and closed in the wind, revealing the figures of two disciples from Tianque Mountain.
"What has happened during this time?" As soon as he spoke, Jia Yue noticed that his voice had become lower than before, which made him quite uncomfortable.
Qingping and Ling Changyu both thought he was asking about what happened at Tianque Mountain while he was away, so they respectfully answered him in detail.
Jia Yue frowned slightly as she combed her hair in front of the mirror, when she suddenly noticed a hand seal mark on her right little finger.
He was equally clueless about the seal, and something seemed to be beyond his control, which made him irritable. He decided to ask a different question.
Where is that woman?
Now that he had transformed into a man, it was only because of a certain woman. He tried moving his little finger, but there was no reaction.
Qingping lowered her gaze even further, not daring to look Jiayue in the eye. "Elder Xingxuan said that person... is already dead."
Jia Yue paused in combing her hair.
No wonder there was no sign of movement. The traces of the seal were still there; the other party was either dead or had their spiritual veins stripped away. For cultivators, having their spiritual veins stripped away and dying are essentially the same.
He slowly combed his long hair, then took out a ring and put it on to cover up the conspicuous knot mark.
"Since he is dead, let him be properly buried."
Qingping suddenly looked up and saw the mermaid in the mirror with an indifferent expression, as if she were talking about a stranger.
She pressed one hand to her heart and replied, "Yes."
*
The days passed by as he recuperated at the Eastern Palace.
The window was propped open a crack by a young palace maid named Yu Ling'er, allowing Xiao Jiang to glimpse some of the scenery from his bed. However, it was already late autumn, and the view outside the window had become bleak.
Liyue Village used to have winters, but it had never been this cold.
Xiao Jiang curled up in bed, a silver bracelet on her bedside table. Sometimes she would look at the falling leaves, and sometimes she would look at the silver bracelet.
Everything was the same as the day she woke up, except that her hands and feet were bound again.
She was awake when Qin Yuqi tied the bandages around her neck, but she just looked at him silently.
Upon seeing her awake, Qin Yuqi avoided eye contact and stammered that he was just afraid she might accidentally reopen her wound.
Xiao Jiang knew in his heart that he was afraid she would run away again, just like she had done to that merman. But he didn't need to worry, because she was now completely incapable of escaping. All the magic she used to be able to control had become ineffective, and even her strength had returned to that of an ordinary person, making her unable to fight him at all.
She vaguely understood that what was severed that night was not just a pair of wings, but also an unusual connection between her and the world.
Xiao Jiang stared indifferently at Qin Yuqi's hands as he bound his wrists and ankles together, as if he were a bystander.
Qin Yuqi had several bite marks of varying depths on both hands, which stood out uglyly on his well-defined knuckles.
Seeing her gaze fall on her hands, Qin Yuqi shrank back somewhat shyly and explained, "Many times at night, you were in so much pain that you bit your lip until it bled. I was afraid you would bite your tongue, so I used my hand to help you."
He seems to treat her very well.
Qin Yuqi provided her with many things, including many gorgeous clothes made from silk she had never seen before, countless jewels and jades placed in her room, and some exquisitely forged swords placed where she could not reach them.
When the items were first delivered, she would occasionally glance at them, but later she wouldn't look up.
One day, Qin Yuqi came in excitedly carrying a brocade box.
She assumed it was some rare and precious treasure and paid no attention.
It wasn't until Qin Yuqi opened the brocade box in front of her that she found an old silver bracelet inside. It had no patterns engraved on it and even had many dents and scratches, making it look much more shabby than anything Qin Yuqi had sent her before.
Xiao Jiang immediately sat up in bed, picked up the bracelet, and her eyes gleamed.
“This is mine…this is mine…”
This is something she has worn on her wrist since she can remember; it is the only thing her mother left her.
Qin Yuqi held her hand. "It's yours. I knew it was yours when I found it in the woods, but I never had a chance to return it to you. Now it's back to its rightful owner."
Is it something very important to you?
Xiao Jiang nodded, clutching the silver bracelet tightly, as if afraid it would slip through her fingers again. She spoke with difficulty, gritting her teeth to utter two words, "Thank...thank you..."
Qin Yuqi's eyes suddenly lit up, and like a true young man, he couldn't help but smile. He then diligently put the bracelet on her wrist, saying, "As long as you're happy, anything I do is worth it."
Xiao Jiang lowered her eyes, looking at the bracelet and strap on her wrist, and said nothing more.
But Qin Yuqi didn't always give; occasionally he would ask her for things.
Several times, Qin Yuqi would come in with half his face swollen, hug her without a word, and whisper in her ear, "...Father wanted me to marry the daughter of a noble family as my concubine, but I refused. Heh...They think that without the support of nobles, the throne can't be secure. But that's not true. Those guys who rely on their family background and titles are just a bunch of good-for-nothings who only care about immediate gains. They've long lost the ambition and courage to achieve anything. Without them, we can better control the Great Yong. It's a pity Father can't see through them..."
"I only want you. My Crown Princess will only be you. Jiang Yuhuo, you understand my feelings, right? You have feelings for me too, don't you?"
"Wait for me a little longer. If we just wait a little longer, no one can stop us from being together..."
At this time, Xiao Jiang would look out the window, count the leaves, and wait for time to pass.
He made too many promises to her, but never asked her if she wanted them.
The only one who would speak kindly to Xiao Jiang was that little palace maid named Yu Ling'er.
Yu Ling'er regarded her as her savior and would secretly come to see her from time to time, telling her about the latest happenings in the palace.
Xiao Jiang also liked Yu Ling'er coming over. Her voice was clear and lively, and her chattering always reminded her of the birds in Liyue Village. Yu Ling'er didn't need her to respond; just listening to her was enough for her.
Her injuries healed day by day, but there was no end in sight.
Until one day, a bird landed in front of her window.
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